birthname. Bang Kiyeon (방기연)
other nameS. Katherine Bang | Kiyeon's name while living in the US.
nicknames.

— Bang Leader | She is hailed as the official leader of her fellow DSP trainees. However, she's also often made by others as a leader due to how responsible she is.
— Bangbang | Kiyeon’s childhood nickname that eventually stuck. Now, she calls her friends and fellow trainees by repeating a syllable from their last names as well. (e.g. Gogo, Hoho, Mumu, Tata?)
— Sniper Bang | Due to her signature phrase that she injects in every song she does (“Click, click, Bang Bang!”), it’s no surprise that this is one of the names people use for her. Or one she uses for herself.

birthdate. 1995.07.15 (23)
birthplAce. Seoul, South Korea
ethnicity. Korean
languages. 

— Korean | native | Kiyeon’s first language. Growing up in a house with Korean family members, being in a Korean community while in the US, and living in Korea for more than 10 years now, she’s certainly no beginner to speaking Korean.
— English | fluent | Having brought up in the US as a child, Kiyeon’s English is almost at par to a native speaker. However, she hasn’t been back there since she was 12. Kiyeon thinks she’s a little rusty with the language. Living with Lian has helped polish it a bit.

faceclaim. WJSN’s Chu Sojung / Exy
backup fACECLAIMS. CLC’s Seungyeon, Produce 48’s Kim Hyunah, OMG’s Mimi
appearAnce.

— Kiyeon is quite tall for your average Korean woman, at 168cm. Her skin is lightly tan, and her body surprisingly built due to her love of exercising. Her vigorous gym training has made her weigh 49 kg—slightly underweight for her height, to conform to the rigorous standards of trainee life. Kiyeon has medium length hair that she has dyed brown from her natural black hair. Unlike her fellow DSP trainees, she has numerous piercings on her ears, with two on the left (both on the lobe) and three on the right (two lobe piercings, one helix). She often wears silver earrings with intricate designs, with sometimes dangling earrings for her lobe piercings.

fashIOn stYle.

— Her “swag” shows with the way she dresses. Kiyeon’s a big fan of female streetwear and will often wear baggy & comfortable clothing. She still dresses appropriately for the weather, with long tees as dresses with shorts in the summer, and fancy oversized jackets with jeans in the winter. Her color scheme heavily depends on her mood. However, the highlight to her every outfit are her shoes. Kiyeon’s a sneakerhead and collects a lot of women’s sneakers. Touch her shoes and you might just get hit by her—lovingly, Kiyeon might add—in the face.

pErsoNAlity.

(+) charismatic, accepting, reliable, caring
(-) altruistic to a fault, idealistic, sensitive, unstable

A combination of years of hard work & natural talent has made Kiyeon the rapper she is today, fully equipped with vocals & stage presence to boot. If her friends are balls of fire, passionate from first look with their attractive brightness to them, she is water. On stage, she is a whirlpool, slowly in everyone who sees her into a world of her own, where the only thing they’ll be seeing is her. It’s hard to fight the urge to scream in awe when Kiyeon takes the mic. Her charisma simply overflows with her skill & unique tone, and most importantly, her confidence on stage, with the power to make any concept seem effortless. Off stage, Kiyeon isn’t too different. Others meeting her for the first time are attracted to her warm, welcoming aura, her confidence still showing in how she acts. She always seems to know what to answer to any question, what to do in any situation. Kiyeon is a charismatic leader in more ways than one, although not relying on her strong stage image to lead her charge. Like a gentle river stream, she leads benevolently.

Although known as a leader to most of the people who meet her, to the team she’s leading, Kiyeon assures that she is a friend to them as well. Highly extroverted, she likes being around people and meeting others, easily enjoying her time with them. Others enjoy time around her due to her sense of humor, always making them laugh, unintentionally or not. Able to be friends with anyone and everyone, she’s extremely accepting, not feeling burdened by being around people who are different from her in their beliefs or their background. Kiyeon thinks judging others from their outer, mundane traits is unfair, and doesn’t wish that upon herself as well. At the end of the day, it’s skill and attitude that matter anyway. Kiyeon keeps an inclusive environment in every team she leads as she believes that her success is also her team’s. This is why she listens to everyone’s opinions and suggestions when she can.

Her two personas—rapper Kiyeon & leader Kiyeon—have more in common than others might think. Her reliability shines in both of them, may it be her skill in performing or leading her group successfully. However, Kiyeon as Kiyeon is just as reliable. As a friend to the people she loves, she is a great listener, always letting them know that they are heard. She keeps her word at all times and allows herself to be there for her closest friends, no matter what the cost. She provides advice to those who need it, and always seeks to relieve others of their pain, emotional or physical. To her closest friends, she is warm and caring, showing her affections in ways that can be seen and heard. Kiyeon often feels responsible for them and will always want to see them succeed—even if that success doesn’t include her. Kiyeon’s strengths are also her downfall.

Her leader-like qualities have her inclined to be selfless towards her friends or her team. She can sacrifice a lot of things when she thinks she needs to, even if others think she shouldn’t. Her strong morals have made her an idealist, leading her to make illogical decisions & have unrealistic standards of others, or of herself. When this standard isn’t met, Kiyeon can be overcome with great disappointment. As much as others depend on her, Kiyeon admits to depending on others to be there for her too. This can be because of her sensitive nature to criticism, oftentimes taking them by heart and letting it get to her head. Stressful situations can make her second guess herself, jeopardizing the stability of her self-esteem & leading to self-damaging behavior. But as long as she’s surrounded by the people she values most—her team of friends forged by a common goal, Kiyeon will be there to quench others’ thirst to fall into her sea of charms.

bAckground.

Kiyeon was born in Seoul, South Korea to a pretty well-off family. Her grandparents were founders of a prominent bicycle manufacturing company based in Seoul, leading to her father being the heir of said company. Her mother had married her father after meeting him in university when they were students, being part of a successful clan with a known accounting firm. At the peak of the South Korean economic crisis in 1997, when Kiyeon was two years old, her parents decided to leave the country with their children for the US. As a result, Kiyeon spent her formative years growing up in Los Angeles, California with her older brother and twin younger siblings. Growing up with siblings had Kiyeon sharing the attention of their busy parents since she was very young. However, she didn’t feel as sad as others might think. Her parents are lovely people, treating their sons and daughter very fairly. Kiyeon was also blessed to grow up with some of her migrated relatives and other Korean families, helping each other to create a home for themselves in a foreign country.

As a trend among most parents of the time, Kiyeon was thrown into many instrument lessons as a kid—violin, piano, drums, & guitar. Of course, 8-year old Kiyeon did not become an expert in all of them, even sometimes resenting going to them. It wasn’t because she hated music. She listened to a lot of American hip-hop and R&B, with the occasional Korean ballads some of her relatives liked playing at family gatherings. For a child like her, it was frustrating to have been made to go to these lessons she didn’t want. Kiyeon only ended up continuing learning the guitar as she grew older as a hobby. She didn’t really see it as anything else. Sure, she’s able to sing decently at parties when she’s asked, but it didn’t really mean anything to her. She only had dreams of working under her parents.

When Kiyeon turned 12 years old in 2007, her family migrated back to South Korea. Adjusting to being back in her home country was as difficult as it was for her to grow up in a foreign one. However, her music taste helped her to gain friends in her classmates. Through them, she was able to explore Korean music, especially the highly hip-hop inspired genre K-pop. It helped Kiyeon learn to appreciate living in South Korea in more ways than one. With her friends, Kiyeon formed a band where she was the guitarist, also occasionally rapping when the song required her to. After discovering she had a talent for it, Kiyeon started making her own lyrics at age 14, just before she entered high school.

Kiyeon studied in Ewha Girls’ High School in preparation for university. Throughout this time, she never ceased to write raps and diligently develop her ability herself, without any formal training. She also continued rapping and playing the guitar for her band, performing in open concerts whenever they get the chance to. When Kiyeon was 19, just before graduating high school, she was scouted by a DSP Media staff from one of these open concerts. She then entered the company after graduating under one condition from her parents: she had to go to university too. In the very same year, she entered Ewha Woman’s University and majored in Business Administration. Although she currently holds this degree & can easily enter her father’s company, Kiyeon is still training under DSP Media and hoping for a chance at debut.

LIKES.

— hip-hop & R&B
— sneakers
— romantic comedies (Kiyeon may not admit it to everyone, but she loves them as much as other women do)
— gags & jokes (To Kiyeon, the lamest jokes are welcome)
— anything with beef in it
— convenience stores (Kiyeon visits them often to discover new things / snacks to buy)
— being clean

DISLIKES.

— screamo / metal music
— sour foods
— the rain (it often dampens her mood & prevents her from going outside)
— seeing people throw trash while outside
— getting dirty
— homophobes & racists

HOBBIES.

— shopping (she prefers shopping in store but she gets fun out of shopping online too)
— biking
— exercising (she often does this while doing housework, too)
— collecting sneakers
— playing the guitar & writing rap lyrics
— watching comedy-oriented shows on tv (e.g. snl korea, gag concert, stand-up comedians)

HABITS.

— folding / clasping her hands together
— giving a firm handshake to everyone she meets
— cupping her own cheeks when in thought
— hitting others when she's laughing
— cleaning after other people (especially those whom she lives with)
— throwing finger guns / hearts to friends she meets eyes with 
— putting her arm over her friend's shoulders 

FEARS.

— birds (mostly pigeons)
— being too old to debut
— ending up alone

SPECIAL TALENTS.

— beatboxing
— imitating various animal sounds 
— doing impersonations (e.g. TV personalities)
— drinking a 500 mL drink in under 10 seconds
— haggling for prices in markets

FUN FACTS.

— The main reason why Lian can't have a pet around is because Kiyeon is allergic to animal fur.
— Kiyeon's best subject at school was Mathematics. 
— Kiyeon prefers drinking tea over coffee mainly because her stomach can't handle coffee in the morning.
— Her Korean role model is Miryo from Brown Eyed Girls.
— Kiyeon doesn't like crying in front of other people because she finds it difficult to stop.
— Kiyeon does not like it when other people ask her about her family's occupation & wealth. When asked about it, she usually insists that they only own a bike shop. 
— Kiyeon says that if she's not a trainee, she would like to work in or own a convenience store rather than in her family's "bike shop". She'd prefer this convenience store to be near the DSP Media building, so that she'll still meet her trainee friends. 
— Kiyeon's go to karaoke song is So Chanwhee's Tears. Just because it's fun to belt out notes when she's stressed.
— Her catchphrase (see below) was actually suggested by her dad.
— She likes treating her friends often, especially when she's in a good mood.
— The music she often listens to include artists like Dean, Bewhy, Crush, DPR Live, G. Soul, MFBTY, and Zion T.. She also listens to a lot of rock and mainstream K-pop music.
— Kiyeon thinks she'll make a good wife because she can clean and cook well.

KIYEON WOULD SAY...

— [in the start of her rap verse, or just when introducing herself to fans] "Click click, bang bang! Kiyeon has arrived!"
— "Kids, let's think about this together."
— "We got this."
— "Relax. Don't take yourself too seriously."
— "Don't worry about it, okay? Noona / Unnie will take care of it."
— "No matter what the outcome of this mission is, I'm proud of all of you."
— [to fans] "Everyone, please stay hydrated and never skip meals! I need you to be healthy so you can support us without me worrying." 
— [after succeeding in making other people laugh, intentionally or unintentionally] "Sniper Bang strikes again." [strikes a pose]
— [imitating Lian in an exaggerated manner] "Camera-nim, have you eaten yet?" [Lian whines in the background, while Yonghwan watches and laughs silently with a cackling Eiji]
— [refering to the DSP Media trainees] "If this is how having kids is like, I think I'll do a pretty good job at it." [laughs]

rElAtIOnshIp. 

— childhood friends | Lee Hyukjin, Oh Yujeong, Lee Baram / born 1995 / vocalist, pianist, & bassist of Kiyeon's old band, Poppy Co. / Changjo (Teen Top), Semmi (ex-Matilda), Lee Taehwan (Actor) / 6/10

Having known each other since middle school, Kiyeon and the rest of her band spent most of their time together forging memories in Hyukjin's dad's old studio while performing songs together. Although breaking up Poppy Co. after entering university, Kiyeon still talks to them via text messages often and will not hesitate to hang out with them if given the chance. They may not be as close as before but Hyukjin, Yujeong, and Baram are still very much supportive of Kiyeon and her dreams.

— best friend | Go Lian / born 1998 / DSP Media & Produce 101 trainee / Chong Tingyan (Elkie) / 10/10

From the first time Kiyeon met Lian when she moved into the trainee dorms, she knew that they’d be pretty close friends. Lian reminded her of herself when she had felt like a foreigner being back in South Korea. Along with the younger girl’s brightness and desire to inspire others, it was enough reason for Kiyeon to befriend her. The two of them know each other through and through and are almost inseparable, often seen working or goofing off together. To Kiyeon, Lian is like long lost family—someone who will always support her & cheer her up on days that she just can’t. Kiyeon might just care for her the most.

— friend | Ho Yonghwan / born 1998 / DSP Media & Produce 101 trainee / Kang Hyunggu (Kino) / 9/10

Yonghwan’s reputation as a talented trainee got to Kiyeon pretty quickly. His skill and his work ethic are two things Kiyeon admired about him as they were trainees, given that he’s three years younger than her. As someone older, Kiyeon felt the responsibility to look after the introverted Yonghwan, who opened up to her eventually. Yonghwan provides the logic that Kiyeon often doesn’t have and will often open up to her when he feels like it. Kiyeon is thankful for his trust and pays it back by letting him know that she cares in any way that she can.

— friend | Murakawa Eiji / born 2000 / DSP Media & Produce 101 trainee /  Yoon Sanha / 8/10

Eiji may be a handful to some of the teachers and the trainees. To Kiyeon, he’s simply just a misunderstood kid. His eccentric methods of doing things and his seemingly never-ending bag of physical gags to show people has never ceased to amaze Kiyeon, along with how they share a love for funny things & hip-hop. In true mother hen fashion, she nags him whenever he deserves it, and consoles him too when he needs it. Eiji surprisingly tries his best to do the same too—and oftentimes fails. But it’s really one of his charms, Kiyeon thinks. She wishes to make others see Eiji’s charms as much as she does.

STAGEname. Kiyeon (기연) | Kiyeon's name, simple as that.
PLOTLINE. Rap, vocal
TALENT TWIN. WJSN's Chu Sojung / Exy
COMPANY NAME. DSP Media

TRAINEE YEARS.

— 4 years, 7 months

TRAINEE BACKGROUND. 

— Kiyeon's trainee life was harder than others', mainly due to her commitment to continue studying in university rather than stopping to focus on training entirely. She'd take morning classes often to dedicate her afternoons to training at the company, and if she gets lucky, her nights to studying. On weekends, she'd go out of her way to attend vocal classes outside the company. Throughout her busy schedule, she'd often find time to write rap lyrics or even compose parts of songs with her guitar. Kiyeon managed to get through schooling and training at the same time with the support of her family, her company (surprisingly), and her friends, especially Lian. Talking to her and living around her helped Kiyeon to not burn out so easily.

However, in summers when she's completely free, she fiercely dedicates her time to training. Kiyeon has always found dancing to be a weak point of hers, and would focus on that by joining dance classes outside DSP Media when she's not stuck there training with the other kids. As one of the eldest trainees, Kiyeon has taken a leadership role among them, officiating practice whenever she thinks it's needed and helping the kids sort their differences. She carries this role proudly and hopes to become a leader everyone will root for on the show.

Previous experience. Kiyeon's band, Poppy Co., was active from 2010 to 2016, when the band unofficially disbanded. They have only released one EP in 2014, entitled Cool Fiends. Their original composition, "Come Back To Me", was the lead single of that album.

AUDITION TAPE.

Introduce yourself.

— Kiyeon’s posture is proper as she sits, immediately bowing to the interviewers in the room. She flashes everyone a confident smile. “Hello. I’m rapper & vocalist Bang Kiyeon of DSP Media. It’s nice to meet you all today. Please watch over us well.”

Why did you choose produce 101?

— “Who wouldn’t?” Kiyeon asks back, hands folded together. “This show has granted dreams of struggling trainees like me and has inspired others to follow us in this path too. Produce might be a cruel way to reach our dreams,” she chuckles playfully, “but it’s better than suffering alone in practice rooms with nobody else to watch you. I want the National Producers to know what we’re going through.”

Are you confident in yourself?

— “Absolutely. I won’t be here if I wasn’t, you know.” Kiyeon replies with a laugh, flashing her pearly whites.

What if produce 101 have a new concept? Would you still want to join?

— “Change may scare other people, but not me.” She starts, nodding to herself. “I think it’s vital to change, to evolve from one’s past self to a better, newer self as one grows older. Produce is like a person in that sense too. I’d still want to be part of it and experience the new concept first-hand. I’ll accept Produce-ssi’s new image whole-heartedly.” Kiyeon laughs.

What is your specialty?

— “Since I’m one of the oldest trainees back at DSP, leading has become my specialty. Besides that, I’m also great at shooting into people’s minds & hearts with my talent & charisma.” Kiyeon makes a gun gesture and fires it at one of the male interviewers, unashamed. She holds that pose for a few seconds before the interviewers burst out laughing, Kiyeon laughing with them. “And that too! I think I can make a good gag woman. Do you think so too?” (Kiyeon apologizes when the laughter dies down, blushing madly.)

What is your hope and goal?

— “I hope to make this Produce an enjoyable experience, not only for me & my fellow trainees, but also for the people watching at home.” Kiyeon answers. “My goal is to see myself and my friends debut while we’re still young.”

What song did you choose for your first evaluation performance?

— “To show our unique colors and our teamwork, my DSP friends and I will be performing Hola Hola by KARD.” Kiyeon says proudly. “I hope the song is enough for us to show our skills in the evaluation.” {Somin: Lian, Jiwoo: Kiyeon, BM: Hwanho, J.Seph: Eiji}

comments. 3/4 of the DSP trainees applying as mains for your story. Kiyeon's the person you'll find yourself stanning off stage and on stage. I hoped you liked her! (even if I suffered immense writer's block while writing this app. oof.) 
password. Kiyeon sits at 64!
suggestions/ideas.

— Kiyeon crying after getting a harsh critique from one of the mentors. She blames herself for mistakes in their routine even if she wasn't the one committing them.
— Kiyeon imitating other trainees on the show when asked to. She'd even go as far as to imitate the judges, & the hosts of the show in front of them.
— Kiyeon adopting(?) / joining an English-speaking squad with other trainees. She'd sneak in convenience store food and snacks to them just to make sure they're eating well.