REVIVAL OF THE ROSES ☆ SUMIN
the lucky ones Credit
userNAME : taerileename : taeri
Character Name : sumin lee
Nickname(s) : suminnie
Age : 18
Birthdate : 22/10/1997
birthplace : seoul, sk
Hometown : seoul, sk
face claim : omg's choi hyojung
backup face claim: apink's naeun
love int : exo's chenbackup : exo's yixing
Nickname(s) : she doesn't like nicknames ( i mean, of course. wasn't it obvious? ). that's why jongdae would always make sure to find the cringiest and cheesiest ones to keep himself on her nerves. some examples are "princess", "cuddly bear", "honey boo boo" and "chipmunk".
visuals — HEIGHT 162 CM, WEIGHT 46 KG. HER WARDROBE LEANS MOSTLY ON THE preppy, casual chic SIDE. SHE HAS A PASSION FOR basic t shirts and SKIRTS OF ALL SORTS ( PREFERABLY SHORT, SINCE SHE WAS NOT BLESSED WITH LONG LEGS ). she's not afraid of going braless from time to time, even with formal dresses with long necklines. she usually lets her hair, permanently dyed dark brown since the beginning of time, fall softly on her torso w/o doing much to them. normally she lets them dry with no hairdryer, reason why they have that bed-hair "vibe" most of the time. but she also cares about her appearance so she tries always to be fashionable. examples:
- everyday / rehearsal / homewear : one | two
- airport : one | two
- formal : one
languages spoken —
- korean; mothertongue.
- chinese; conversational. she's been studying it from quite a while. for no apparent reason actually besides her personal and cultural growth.
- english; basics. motivs same as chinese.
personality —
funny fierce proactive active selective-chatterbox trustworthy loyal determined
blunt high-maintenance daredevil hot-head stakhanovite overreacting drama-queen of all times
first look. sumin definitely becomes a totally different person when you get to know her. on the outside she seems pretty sweet, probably due to the fact that she has a smile permanently embedded on her lips but, truth is she doesn't feel at ease in social situations which she isn't accustomed to. she was never shy but she is aware of her not-so-feminine ways and her loudness overall so she usually tries to keep it to a minimum, reducing her outbursts almost to zero and putting up an act. she's never been the talkative type to begin with, unless there's some topic of her liking ( usually dealing with her passions ). be it the case, she would have the nerve to chip in at any given time, and get fired up with her own dialogues. she's pretty intense when she has to defend her beliefs, that's for sure.
when she feels at ease with those who surround her she gets way louder than expected. sumin in one word: sarcasm. she is unbelievably funny given her overall behaviour, even though her personal stand-up comedy repertoire mostly involves horrifyingly lame puns which always manage to send the chills up the back of whoever has the ( unfortunate ) chance to stand as her audience ( followed by even sadder self high fives ). she's just bizarre, you would never expect what she's going to do next. ( teenie tiny anecdote: once her brother pretended to run her over with his car in a parking lot and the next thing you know, she was crawling up the bonnet, pretending to break the windshield with punches. ) nor you would expect her true self.
she's way too blunt for her cute face, someone who'd look at her would never imagine what lies beyond the surface and she knows how to act as if nothing scrapes or scratches her in any possible way. she's insecure, and not on the "common insecurity" level. of course we all have something we don't like about ourselves, be it one or more traits of our personality or some aspects of our appearance. she lives more on the edge of "is there something i like about myself at all?", not that she shows it. oh no. she flaunts fake self-confidence and she does it quite well too. ALTHOUGH SHE TAKES TO HEART EVERY SINGLE WORD SAID TO HER, SHE FEIGNS INDIFFERENCE WITH A MASTERFUL POKER FACE. HOWEVER, THIS ISN'T THE CASE WHEN SHE IS NOT THE OBJECT OF SCORN, DELUSION OR ANYTHING ELSE. OTHER PEOPLE'S MATTERS TURN HER INTO AN EMBARRASSING ( FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE THERE TO WITNESS IT ) BUNDLE OF FEISTY RAGE ( SHE DOESN'T LIKE OPPRESSION OF ANY KIND, THAT'S WHEN SHE GETS ALL FIRED UP AND MENACING ).
this makes her also a good party to have as a friend, she's respectful of those who treat her with respect in return, and feels greatly attacched to her friends, they are like family so she'd travel to the moon and back if it's necessary for one of them to be happy. skinship is a taboo, she likes it in the limits of possibility. she's not the type to initiate it though and, if suddenly hugged, she'll proceed in whining about it in pure disgust ( on this one side, her acting skills need some perfecting as it is evident she low key likes it ).
such a great actress. she adores exaggeration, she gets hit she will feel like a terminally ill for the subsequent days, someone makes her do something she doesn't wanna do, get ready for the endless guilt trip. you know the drill, she's just too much. if you squint your eyes hard enough you might even see a spotlight shining on her as she introduces her newly scripted drama.
she is always in constant movement. sitting around is not an option, so you will always see her doing something. the same thing applies to work, she's overzealous, she would go hours food less and water less in order to finish some task once and for all and in the most perfect way possible. ( she might also work during her free time or at improbable hours ).
finally, but most importantly: sumin might come off as two-faced but this isn't the case. under all those layers of hard shells lies a girl who has suffered a lot during her childhood and who has found a way to protect herself. she is indeed capable of being loving and friendly, she is capable of feeling emotions like everybody else, she cries, she laughs ( mostly when nobody's around ), she is a normal human being. but she's been putting up with her own life for all of her existence so she wouldn't be possibly explaining to people why she acts in a certain way. that's just how she is, she does no harm, she simply requires lots of patience.
trivia —
- she looks creepy when doing aegyo.
- she takes care of her own appearance as if it is her newly born baby. she might seem daddy's favourite spoiled princess with some rage issues but she's just really seeing to her own survival in the showbiz.
- SHe doesn't laugh .. she just kind of snorts when she's amused. getting her to laugh is most assuredly an operation of titanic proportions.
- she is fresh out of high school and is keeping herself busy with a part time job as a "kimbab wrapper" at seoul's dongdaemun market, where she wears a mask and a cap so that there's no chance whatsoever that passerbys may recognize her.
- she isn't the social network type but she is fond of her instagram account, she curates it well and with great meticulousness. ( @minniefromtheblock )
- she was never gifted with a great sense of balance when provided with "heel equipped contraptions", she might look like a t rex on the move when wearing way too high heels.
- creature of habit.
- she has no great fears, but she prefers sleeping with her blankets on, be it hot or cold outside. if laying on her side she will surely proceed in covering her free ear with locks of her hair. she cringes at the idea of something crawling up in there, hair work as good coverage and shield of protection. weird fear, she knows.
- since she's got quite a weird personality, her big brother drafted over the years a list of warnings ( still incomplete ), which comes as a practical handbook to sumin and how to cope with her and her ways. he's happy to share it with whoever gets to live with her.
(( some attachments below )) *
likes :
- big dogs, like german shepherds and pitbulls and dogs in general ( too self-conscious to get near them if they are in company of their owner but still way too fond of them to just continue walking as if nothing happened. warning: she might go on for some time taking glancing, staring, emitting little weird sounds, making a fool of herself and there's a 100% chance she will talk about those encounters for some days on. coherence with the topic is not needed );
- Beyoncé ( she's her religion, if that helps getting the point straight. warning: queen b's songs on the radio immediately call for an impromptu karaoke session );
- veggies and fruits ( she eats seven or eight times a day, and there's always one of the two in each one of her meals. warning: at the market, keep her away from the vegetables section. she might grab the nearest cauliflower and pretend to be a spouse walking down the isle with a bouquet, not that she likes weddings. she cringes at the sole idea );
- cars, esp. volvos. ( for no apparent reason, they make her go "wow" when they pass by )
- movies ( her platinum membership card to the cgv movie theaters is her most priced possession );
- pilates and gym workouts ( if it wasn't clear until now she's fitness fueled );
- the colour burgundy ( her room and her belongings are most of all either in that colour or its gradations, or white and black but those are hardly colours in her point of view );
- the olympics and any other worldwide sports competition ( i mean, who doesn't. you get all those good values sports teach you, minus the sweat and the fatigue and plus the comfiness of your own sofa, possibly in the company of some butter popcorn. warning: be prepared to tricky questions like "am i too fat?" "why are they so lean and i'm not?" "i eat healthy too and do sports, should i go on a diet?" and blahblahblah. do not tell her under any circumstance that she might need to lose a few pounds, even if you are clearly joking. she might kill you ).
dislikes :
- chicken and oranges ( can't stand them can't stand them can't stand them, she scrunches her nose just by their smell );
- cats ( they might be cute, they might be all cuddly and tiny, but they constantly look like they're plotting something at your expenses. mmmh, trustworthy much? );
- feeling lazy ( when this occurs, either she rushes to the nearest sports center or just unrolls her yoga mat and gets to work. warning: might look kind of schizophrenic when she simply stops what she's doing to start working out completely out of the blue. do not call the nearest mental health care center );
- hot weather ( just like a polar bear forced to live in equatorial areas. warning: summer brings flowers and bees but also a complaining sumin with a sweet tooth for freezing air conditioning settings, please keep a sweater always at hand ).
hobbies :
- competitive singing in the shower ( warning: that voice might break walls, and now that she's got a phone that works even under water get ready to learn by heart destiny's child discography );
- pretending to have great connections with celebrities who most probably will never know of her existence. ( "oh what? tomorrow at 6pm? no, sorry, i can't. i've got to meet with gwyneth. gw - gwyneth who?!? paltrow, of course. she's getting so clingy lately. anyway, gotta go, bye!" );
- watching notting hill and hairspray at least once a month. ( warning: no, she won't get tired of it and if you complain she'll turn the volume up. also don't dare disapprove of her tastes, that's a death threat, right there );
- barging in in other people's conversations;
- always choosing the best bed, or sofa, or most comfortable surface for herself. ( warning: this is kind of personal );
- shopping ( this one requires a bit of background: her family was never finantially stable so what she does usually is buying a little something every once in a while and saving money for the big sales. but you'll get to see her every single day scanning with great concentration online shopping sites of all sorts and watching haul videos of any kind );
- running and exercising;
- dancing.
habits :
- SHE WAKES UP AT 6AM, NOT ONE MINUTE MORE NEITHER A MINUTE LESS, DRINKS A LITRE OF WATER WHICH KEEPS IN A BIG BOTTLE ON HER BEDSIDE TABLE SINCE THE NIGHT BEFORE, GOES RUNNING, COMES BACK, SHOWERS, EATS AND WATCHES FASHION VLOGGERS VIDEOS OR SPORTS IN TV WHILE DOING SO, BOWL OF GRANOLA AND CEREALS WITH ALMOND MILK AT HAND. THEN SHE GOES ON WITH HER DAILY TASKS BUT ALWAYS FINDS THE TIME IN THE AFTERNOON, USUALLY BY 7PM, TO DO SOME EXERCISE. ALWAYS DRINKS THREE LITRES OF WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY, ALWAYS EATS MORE THAN six TIMES A DAY.
- scrunching her nose in disgust when nearing chicken or oranges. or just on a regular basis because life, that's why.
background —
sumin's childhood has probably been the roughest moment of her life. her mother disappeared when she was only 2. the woman had fallen in a state of severe depression after her second-born's birth which led to constant fights with her husband and soon to her decision of leaving the household for good. while her father has always been the responsible one between the two of them, sumin's mother was never cut out to be a mother. she already had had a bad aftertaste after kangmin's birth and found her confirmation soon after. she had always been the black sheep of her own family so the news didn't come as unexpected to her own relatives, but of course this evolution of events left a big mark on the two siblings. it was certainly an act of immaturity of all sorts, which kept them on wondering why did she ever think about having children if she was not so prone to it.
but time passes, life goes on and so it was also for the mother-less lee family. probably one of sumin's and kangmin's great regrets not is not having understood the situation back then. with just one income, their dad had to work double the amount to give them the life they deserved. he didn't want them to think they were broke, nor wanted other kids to make fun of them because of that, so he was always sure to give them everything they needed, to spoil them from time to time, to share with them his leftovers pretending to be already hungry and to keep them smiling and bright kids as it had to be. ( this is when she started dancing, she was still 7 when she stepped foot in the nearest dance school for children. ) they were little and they understood that they could not expect the world, because of course they weren't aware of all the situation but they had grasped some bits of it. their father brought them to school and then ran off to apply for jobs that could give him a better stability. however he was getting old and agencies had started preferring people with a way richer curriculum so there he was, doing part time jobs to keep bread on their table and a roof on their head.
things changed when the siblings grew, they had always been very proactive so they soon began to work as well, in order to top up the wages. sumin's adolescence is characterised by a plethora of part time jobs: from being a waitress in all kinds of fast foods, then restaurants to leafleting to cashier. and the same goes for her brother. now that kangmin works as an intern in dentistry he obviously collects a salary capable of helping them all. it was also during her teen years that sumin started thinking about singing and dancing as something that could give her a steady career more than as just hobbies. she had always danced since a young age but only saw it as something to do in her free time, not different from work outs. however she couldn't follow courses all the time because of the expenses but continued to practice by herself with the help of all sorts of videos finally she joined steadily a dance club in gangnam alongside sohee during the second year of high school to polish off her skills. and also started training her voice by watching videos of all sorts. when the mnet auditions started, she thought "why not?" and decided to apply. she knew she hadn't the vocal ability of an adele but of course there was room for improvement. plus, let's admit it: she was gifted with natural audacity.
after passing the audition she decided to pay for some vocal training and also moved in a rented flat with other two trainees she met at the audition. all of the expenses were on her, she didn't want her dad to spill a cent.
relations —
Father || lee jaehyung(57) || factotum || jaehyung is the apple of sumin's eye. the lee family has had a pretty rough past and since miss lee's disappearence life hasn't been that sympathetic towards them. however he was never the kind of man who shows himself as low-spirited but would rather keep a permanent smile on his face, despite the adversities. he is her role model. he tries not to put any burden on his offspring's shoulders. therefore his interactions with the two pests mostly consist in going all out to make them laugh or simply keep them happy. he sees everything in a positive light and hardly scolds them, preferring the "giving advice in a soft, understanding voice" way. he roots for their dreams and has always gave them enough freedom to live their life how they wanted, with the right prudence.
brother || lee kangmin(26) || intern in a dental firm || kangmin is way more reserved than sumin, though on the outside it might not look like it. she would fall in the "boy next door" type category as he's always been kind and nice to everyone. however he likes way too much to get on sumin's nerves and sets countless traps for her to fall into. they definitely give a hard time to their father or whoever has the misfortune to be in their company. he's also one heck of a jealous guy. of course, he's the first one to sister but he doesn't want anyone else besides himself to do the same. plus, any possible "partner" for her sister would have to survive his high standards.
best friend || baek sohee(19) || student || sohee and sumin have always been good friends as long as they can recall. they had the luck to grow in the same neighbourhood and on the same block, so they grew attacched to one another since childhood and really fast. they find it easy to understand what the other one's thinking about or what's bugging her. they quarrel from time to time but it was never anything serious. growing together meant molding themselves over each other likes, dislikes and general tastes so there's not much they differ in, besides their personality. they are complete opposites, in fact. one loud and demanding, the other quiet and sweet, lovable and loving. they get in contact whenever something worth mentioning happens, if that's not the case they still keep in touch rather frequently even when they can't meet in person. they're like two peas in a pod. sumin's brother always jokes about them being a retired married couple. (( she has the biggest crush on kangmin ))
mentor || zitao || idol || he is the leader of sumin's unit. sumin looks up to him as she recognizes his works, skills and his great value as a human being. however their relationship stays frozen on the thin layer of superficiality.it's because she still kind of wants to hide her true inner self and also cause she thinks she is funnier than him. i mean why are all of the other girls laughing and giggling all the time when in his company? ok, maybe he is funny. just a tiny bit, like .. she might have almost choked herself to death with saliva once or twice but that's not what counts!!! he's a threat and she lurks in the darkness waiting for his prey to let down his guard. or at least that's what she thinks. she just stands there with a dumb expression all the time, he starts to think she's got something goin on, like feelings. ah. as if sumin would be capable of that.
mentors || kris and luhan || idols || oh well, they aren't that close but to sum it up: luhan's a good teacher, kris knows everything about her little act. he has just this intuition.
stage name —
sumin
persona —
marmelade girl ( just like most of marmelades: the thought of it immediately makes you think about sweets ( her cute looks ), however when tasting it what stands up first is the bitterness of whatever fruit flavour you choose ( her strong personality ) and only then a sugary aftertaste makes his way ( what lies beneath is still a girl with lots of love to give, in her own ways and at her own pace ).
unit —
performance
talent twin —
wonder girls' lim ( voice & rap ) solo song +
may j lee ( dance ) +
vocal skills — 7.5
rap skills — 4.5
dance skills — 9
name of company —
mnet audition
training years & training life —
self trained in singing and only specialized in hip hop dancing with some hints of waacking and popping here and there, sumin didn't really introduce herself at the audition with the most desirable and appetizing background in terms of self improvement in permorming arts. that's why she was evidently surprised when, some days after the audition, she got a congratulatory email, addressing her to the nearest agency so that she could pursue her newly obtained life as a trainee in the music industry. her best luck is to be born with a great sense of rhythm and a pretty face. she has the voice and the potential but not a single notion about technique. however that's surely something she can master with the help of her mentor's expertise.
past experience(s) / scandal(s) —
- experience: almost to none. worth mentioning just a few gigs sponsored by her dancing schools. nothing official, with no prizing system. simple performances.
(( disclaimer: by the time the story starts jongdae and sumin are still stuck in that weird place between simple friendship and something more. so not everything listed below, in interactions, trivia and whatever, happens in the present time. some behaviours will just come as time passes. ))
personality —
jongdae is way more mature than sumin herself. he's older and obviously he has much more experience of not only the show business but also world in general. he is the kind of guy you'd want as someone's big brother. because he's funny to be around, but he also know when to get serious. he is reliable.
he laughs mostly for everything, might be a little walking sunshine under coverage. and overall looks constantly happy. he doesn't like negativity, and he tries ( even when it's not that easy ) to find a positive side to everything he finds on his and other people's paths.
this is also why, while he might get angry from time to time, he hardly bears any grudges. tomorrow is another day after all.
he's incredibly awkward. he's really pronte to self-embarrassment and even though he surely loving and sweet, he takes some time to warm up. he's not impulsive and he likes to give great thought to anything he does or says.
but he also knows how to be a perfect nuisance, as he just likes way too much fooling around and play jokes on his closest friends and acquaintances.
trivia —
- his longest relationship lasted two years. it was actually his only real relationship, worth to be named so. but it happened during his trainee years so meeting was difficult. he never got the chance to kiss her and after debuting he completely lost track of her. she also moved out so there was no chance of contacting her in any way.
- there's something he doesn't like about sumin: her way of talking with people which might also look like as if she's flirting a bit. she doesn't do it on purpose, of course. it's just her way of joking.
- he secretely keeps an album of sumin's photos on his phone but no one knows about it as accessing the folder requires a passcode which he changes regularly.
- he had the chance to meet up with sumin's brother, kangmin, but at the time he was just a close friend of his sister. kangmin kindly offered to share with him his treasoured handbook "dealing with lee sumin on a regular basis 101".
- after quarreling he always acts as the sweetest cheeseball on earth, in the attempt to earn brownie boyfriend material points. ( ex. bringing her to bed bridal style when she just collapses on the sofa after a long working day )
- he likes to visit her at work where he always buys the same type and same quantity of kimbab. ( just to watch her throw a silent tantrum )
love story —
first encounter :
funny enough they met in the most unpredictable way. at a party, of someone they both hardly knew. friend of friends who kind of had the money and the connections to hold this huge feast on the rooftop of one of the oh so many skyscrapers in seoul city. jongdae was there because he had too, due to sponsors and publicity, that kind of thing. she needed to be there to gain enough visibility, not an easy task when there's more than a hundred guests. both fed up, 'cause he had been stood up by joonmyun and kyungsoo and she knew nothing of no one attending. for jongdae, well, it was one of his free nights, meaning he had no work to do the next day, no manager at his heels, no flock of crazy stans or paparazzi in sight ( luckily enough ) and no intent in spending another evening on the dorm's couch watching reruns of friends. sumin, on the other hand, was just busy in getting noticed. soon after acing her audition she knew that she needed to make a name for herself, considering that she had no advantage whatsoever over the other trainees ( in terms of famous and infamous relatives or magic trees growing won bills on their porch ) and longed to make good connections.
thing is: when they got there, the party definitely had not. maybe it was because it was freezing cold and people knew better than dancing around and wasting themselves on the 46th floor of a building. but hey, let's not judge. in any case, when he got out of the elevator jongdae had a lot of judging to do anyway so there's no need for us to do the same. there she was, sumin, venting her temper on a poor specimen of ficus, standing there all fragile and trembling while witnessing her firing rage, as if the cold-af winter hadn't been enough to aggravate its chances to ensure an understandably long life span.
and there he was. snorting. because an unknown girl was asking a ficus if it could repay her for that precious pair of valentino studded stilettos ( she stated "whose price might have made me wonder once or twice whether it'd been better to mortgage that shabby flat i call home which i just moved in or simply cut my living expenses till new order" ) so mercilessly and brutally ruined on the tip by a scuffle with the vase.
sumin might have turned him to ashes with that glare.
so good she didn't, 'cause he still needed to keep himself busy and she had her stomach grumbling so much that it looked like the cracken had been released inside of her. "anger makes me hungry". yes, sure. but still she got a free meal and he got some company, and they kind of managed to survive what weirdly resembled a first date.
interactions :
jongdae might look like sumin's lackey, since she's got that cruella de vil aura going on all around her teenie tiny figure, but actually he holds his ground rather well. she has lots of demands and requests and he needs a big amount of energy and stamina to put up with her on a daily basis but truth is: he has the time of his life in her presence. mostly because she's like a walking soap opera with lots of drama and zero predictability.
they don't even know when they even crossed the line, they just kind of were together from some time onwards. reason behind this blurred boundaries between the two is the way they have always interacted with each other, which wasn't subject to great change with the passing of time. since the beginning, she acted like the spoilt brat she seems to be and he went with the flow, accepting her flawed behaviour and playing with it while constantly managing to get on her nerves and piss her off.
quarrels are normality, as he makes fun of her ways, mocking her continuously and she flies off the handle. however that's their way of being together, the quarrels are nothing more than heated up discussions based on futile grounds which are destined to die out sooner than later.
when discussing about more serious matters, she might still hold her ground quite steadily, given her temper, but they are both smart enough to understand when to stop and most importantly they both know that dialogue is key. ( guess those kind of discussions come quite often, since she's a bit of a trouble most of the times )
what makes jongdae different from any other guy is that he understands sumin. maybe not at first, she was just this crazy girl with a cute face which always managed to make him laugh his lungs out. but as they started spending more time together, as she slowly opened up about herself he had the confirmation that there was way more behind that superficial layer.
he cares for her, some people might say "more than she will ever deserve", because he cares and he shows it blatantly while she does but she isn't even aware of that. he is defintely the type who likes skinship though he respects her space and she is not. they are opposites on many levels. he is more elegant and she is strong, in personality and temper.
(( in the future, he will get more and more accustomed to her quirks and predict them with impeccable foreshadowing. and she will slowly get touchier and touchier, with some hints of sweetness along the way that'll leave jongdae creeped out at first and positively stunned ))
status —
way too intimate to be friends still way too distant to be something more. soon to become the next retired married couple 2.0
questions/comments —
nada de nada.
scene requests —
- drama, drama, drama. among the girls and also outside the group, 'cause she would go all "who touched my babies" and that's so cute ok bye.
- drama with jongdae 'cause she needs to understand she has big big crush. maybe he finally gets in touch with his mysterious ex? who knows, who knows.
- dance off w/ members of other companies in the centre of seoul 'cause why not.
others —
( her firing rage + )
- everyday / rehearsal / homewear : one | two
- airport : one | two
- formal : one
languages spoken —
- korean; mothertongue.
- chinese; conversational. she's been studying it from quite a while. for no apparent reason actually besides her personal and cultural growth.
- english; basics. motivs same as chinese.
personality —
funny fierce proactive active selective-chatterbox trustworthy loyal determined
blunt high-maintenance daredevil hot-head stakhanovite overreacting drama-queen of all times
first look. sumin definitely becomes a totally different person when you get to know her. on the outside she seems pretty sweet, probably due to the fact that she has a smile permanently embedded on her lips but, truth is she doesn't feel at ease in social situations which she isn't accustomed to. she was never shy but she is aware of her not-so-feminine ways and her loudness overall so she usually tries to keep it to a minimum, reducing her outbursts almost to zero and putting up an act. she's never been the talkative type to begin with, unless there's some topic of her liking ( usually dealing with her passions ). be it the case, she would have the nerve to chip in at any given time, and get fired up with her own dialogues. she's pretty intense when she has to defend her beliefs, that's for sure.
when she feels at ease with those who surround her she gets way louder than expected. sumin in one word: sarcasm. she is unbelievably funny given her overall behaviour, even though her personal stand-up comedy repertoire mostly involves horrifyingly lame puns which always manage to send the chills up the back of whoever has the ( unfortunate ) chance to stand as her audience ( followed by even sadder self high fives ). she's just bizarre, you would never expect what she's going to do next. ( teenie tiny anecdote: once her brother pretended to run her over with his car in a parking lot and the next thing you know, she was crawling up the bonnet, pretending to break the windshield with punches. ) nor you would expect her true self.
she's way too blunt for her cute face, someone who'd look at her would never imagine what lies beyond the surface and she knows how to act as if nothing scrapes or scratches her in any possible way. she's insecure, and not on the "common insecurity" level. of course we all have something we don't like about ourselves, be it one or more traits of our personality or some aspects of our appearance. she lives more on the edge of "is there something i like about myself at all?", not that she shows it. oh no. she flaunts fake self-confidence and she does it quite well too. ALTHOUGH SHE TAKES TO HEART EVERY SINGLE WORD SAID TO HER, SHE FEIGNS INDIFFERENCE WITH A MASTERFUL POKER FACE. HOWEVER, THIS ISN'T THE CASE WHEN SHE IS NOT THE OBJECT OF SCORN, DELUSION OR ANYTHING ELSE. OTHER PEOPLE'S MATTERS TURN HER INTO AN EMBARRASSING ( FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE THERE TO WITNESS IT ) BUNDLE OF FEISTY RAGE ( SHE DOESN'T LIKE OPPRESSION OF ANY KIND, THAT'S WHEN SHE GETS ALL FIRED UP AND MENACING ).
this makes her also a good party to have as a friend, she's respectful of those who treat her with respect in return, and feels greatly attacched to her friends, they are like family so she'd travel to the moon and back if it's necessary for one of them to be happy. skinship is a taboo, she likes it in the limits of possibility. she's not the type to initiate it though and, if suddenly hugged, she'll proceed in whining about it in pure disgust ( on this one side, her acting skills need some perfecting as it is evident she low key likes it ).
such a great actress. she adores exaggeration, she gets hit she will feel like a terminally ill for the subsequent days, someone makes her do something she doesn't wanna do, get ready for the endless guilt trip. you know the drill, she's just too much. if you squint your eyes hard enough you might even see a spotlight shining on her as she introduces her newly scripted drama.
she is always in constant movement. sitting around is not an option, so you will always see her doing something. the same thing applies to work, she's overzealous, she would go hours food less and water less in order to finish some task once and for all and in the most perfect way possible. ( she might also work during her free time or at improbable hours ).
finally, but most importantly: sumin might come off as two-faced but this isn't the case. under all those layers of hard shells lies a girl who has suffered a lot during her childhood and who has found a way to protect herself. she is indeed capable of being loving and friendly, she is capable of feeling emotions like everybody else, she cries, she laughs ( mostly when nobody's around ), she is a normal human being. but she's been putting up with her own life for all of her existence so she wouldn't be possibly explaining to people why she acts in a certain way. that's just how she is, she does no harm, she simply requires lots of patience.
trivia —
- she looks creepy when doing aegyo.
- she takes care of her own appearance as if it is her newly born baby. she might seem daddy's favourite spoiled princess with some rage issues but she's just really seeing to her own survival in the showbiz.
- SHe doesn't laugh .. she just kind of snorts when she's amused. getting her to laugh is most assuredly an operation of titanic proportions.
- she is fresh out of high school and is keeping herself busy with a part time job as a "kimbab wrapper" at seoul's dongdaemun market, where she wears a mask and a cap so that there's no chance whatsoever that passerbys may recognize her.
- she isn't the social network type but she is fond of her instagram account, she curates it well and with great meticulousness. ( @minniefromtheblock )
- she was never gifted with a great sense of balance when provided with "heel equipped contraptions", she might look like a t rex on the move when wearing way too high heels.
- creature of habit.
- she has no great fears, but she prefers sleeping with her blankets on, be it hot or cold outside. if laying on her side she will surely proceed in covering her free ear with locks of her hair. she cringes at the idea of something crawling up in there, hair work as good coverage and shield of protection. weird fear, she knows.
- since she's got quite a weird personality, her big brother drafted over the years a list of warnings ( still incomplete ), which comes as a practical handbook to sumin and how to cope with her and her ways. he's happy to share it with whoever gets to live with her.
(( some attachments below )) *
likes :
- big dogs, like german shepherds and pitbulls and dogs in general ( too self-conscious to get near them if they are in company of their owner but still way too fond of them to just continue walking as if nothing happened. warning: she might go on for some time taking glancing, staring, emitting little weird sounds, making a fool of herself and there's a 100% chance she will talk about those encounters for some days on. coherence with the topic is not needed );
- Beyoncé ( she's her religion, if that helps getting the point straight. warning: queen b's songs on the radio immediately call for an impromptu karaoke session );
- veggies and fruits ( she eats seven or eight times a day, and there's always one of the two in each one of her meals. warning: at the market, keep her away from the vegetables section. she might grab the nearest cauliflower and pretend to be a spouse walking down the isle with a bouquet, not that she likes weddings. she cringes at the sole idea );
- cars, esp. volvos. ( for no apparent reason, they make her go "wow" when they pass by )
- movies ( her platinum membership card to the cgv movie theaters is her most priced possession );
- pilates and gym workouts ( if it wasn't clear until now she's fitness fueled );
- the colour burgundy ( her room and her belongings are most of all either in that colour or its gradations, or white and black but those are hardly colours in her point of view );
- the olympics and any other worldwide sports competition ( i mean, who doesn't. you get all those good values sports teach you, minus the sweat and the fatigue and plus the comfiness of your own sofa, possibly in the company of some butter popcorn. warning: be prepared to tricky questions like "am i too fat?" "why are they so lean and i'm not?" "i eat healthy too and do sports, should i go on a diet?" and blahblahblah. do not tell her under any circumstance that she might need to lose a few pounds, even if you are clearly joking. she might kill you ).
dislikes :
- chicken and oranges ( can't stand them can't stand them can't stand them, she scrunches her nose just by their smell );
- cats ( they might be cute, they might be all cuddly and tiny, but they constantly look like they're plotting something at your expenses. mmmh, trustworthy much? );
- feeling lazy ( when this occurs, either she rushes to the nearest sports center or just unrolls her yoga mat and gets to work. warning: might look kind of schizophrenic when she simply stops what she's doing to start working out completely out of the blue. do not call the nearest mental health care center );
- hot weather ( just like a polar bear forced to live in equatorial areas. warning: summer brings flowers and bees but also a complaining sumin with a sweet tooth for freezing air conditioning settings, please keep a sweater always at hand ).
hobbies :
- competitive singing in the shower ( warning: that voice might break walls, and now that she's got a phone that works even under water get ready to learn by heart destiny's child discography );
- pretending to have great connections with celebrities who most probably will never know of her existence. ( "oh what? tomorrow at 6pm? no, sorry, i can't. i've got to meet with gwyneth. gw - gwyneth who?!? paltrow, of course. she's getting so clingy lately. anyway, gotta go, bye!" );
- watching notting hill and hairspray at least once a month. ( warning: no, she won't get tired of it and if you complain she'll turn the volume up. also don't dare disapprove of her tastes, that's a death threat, right there );
- barging in in other people's conversations;
- always choosing the best bed, or sofa, or most comfortable surface for herself. ( warning: this is kind of personal );
- shopping ( this one requires a bit of background: her family was never finantially stable so what she does usually is buying a little something every once in a while and saving money for the big sales. but you'll get to see her every single day scanning with great concentration online shopping sites of all sorts and watching haul videos of any kind );
- running and exercising;
- dancing.
habits :
- SHE WAKES UP AT 6AM, NOT ONE MINUTE MORE NEITHER A MINUTE LESS, DRINKS A LITRE OF WATER WHICH KEEPS IN A BIG BOTTLE ON HER BEDSIDE TABLE SINCE THE NIGHT BEFORE, GOES RUNNING, COMES BACK, SHOWERS, EATS AND WATCHES FASHION VLOGGERS VIDEOS OR SPORTS IN TV WHILE DOING SO, BOWL OF GRANOLA AND CEREALS WITH ALMOND MILK AT HAND. THEN SHE GOES ON WITH HER DAILY TASKS BUT ALWAYS FINDS THE TIME IN THE AFTERNOON, USUALLY BY 7PM, TO DO SOME EXERCISE. ALWAYS DRINKS THREE LITRES OF WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY, ALWAYS EATS MORE THAN six TIMES A DAY.
- scrunching her nose in disgust when nearing chicken or oranges. or just on a regular basis because life, that's why.
background —
sumin's childhood has probably been the roughest moment of her life. her mother disappeared when she was only 2. the woman had fallen in a state of severe depression after her second-born's birth which led to constant fights with her husband and soon to her decision of leaving the household for good. while her father has always been the responsible one between the two of them, sumin's mother was never cut out to be a mother. she already had had a bad aftertaste after kangmin's birth and found her confirmation soon after. she had always been the black sheep of her own family so the news didn't come as unexpected to her own relatives, but of course this evolution of events left a big mark on the two siblings. it was certainly an act of immaturity of all sorts, which kept them on wondering why did she ever think about having children if she was not so prone to it.
but time passes, life goes on and so it was also for the mother-less lee family. probably one of sumin's and kangmin's great regrets not is not having understood the situation back then. with just one income, their dad had to work double the amount to give them the life they deserved. he didn't want them to think they were broke, nor wanted other kids to make fun of them because of that, so he was always sure to give them everything they needed, to spoil them from time to time, to share with them his leftovers pretending to be already hungry and to keep them smiling and bright kids as it had to be. ( this is when she started dancing, she was still 7 when she stepped foot in the nearest dance school for children. ) they were little and they understood that they could not expect the world, because of course they weren't aware of all the situation but they had grasped some bits of it. their father brought them to school and then ran off to apply for jobs that could give him a better stability. however he was getting old and agencies had started preferring people with a way richer curriculum so there he was, doing part time jobs to keep bread on their table and a roof on their head.
things changed when the siblings grew, they had always been very proactive so they soon began to work as well, in order to top up the wages. sumin's adolescence is characterised by a plethora of part time jobs: from being a waitress in all kinds of fast foods, then restaurants to leafleting to cashier. and the same goes for her brother. now that kangmin works as an intern in dentistry he obviously collects a salary capable of helping them all. it was also during her teen years that sumin started thinking about singing and dancing as something that could give her a steady career more than as just hobbies. she had always danced since a young age but only saw it as something to do in her free time, not different from work outs. however she couldn't follow courses all the time because of the expenses but continued to practice by herself with the help of all sorts of videos finally she joined steadily a dance club in gangnam alongside sohee during the second year of high school to polish off her skills. and also started training her voice by watching videos of all sorts. when the mnet auditions started, she thought "why not?" and decided to apply. she knew she hadn't the vocal ability of an adele but of course there was room for improvement. plus, let's admit it: she was gifted with natural audacity.
after passing the audition she decided to pay for some vocal training and also moved in a rented flat with other two trainees she met at the audition. all of the expenses were on her, she didn't want her dad to spill a cent.
relations —
Father || lee jaehyung(57) || factotum || jaehyung is the apple of sumin's eye. the lee family has had a pretty rough past and since miss lee's disappearence life hasn't been that sympathetic towards them. however he was never the kind of man who shows himself as low-spirited but would rather keep a permanent smile on his face, despite the adversities. he is her role model. he tries not to put any burden on his offspring's shoulders. therefore his interactions with the two pests mostly consist in going all out to make them laugh or simply keep them happy. he sees everything in a positive light and hardly scolds them, preferring the "giving advice in a soft, understanding voice" way. he roots for their dreams and has always gave them enough freedom to live their life how they wanted, with the right prudence.
brother || lee kangmin(26) || intern in a dental firm || kangmin is way more reserved than sumin, though on the outside it might not look like it. she would fall in the "boy next door" type category as he's always been kind and nice to everyone. however he likes way too much to get on sumin's nerves and sets countless traps for her to fall into. they definitely give a hard time to their father or whoever has the misfortune to be in their company. he's also one heck of a jealous guy. of course, he's the first one to sister but he doesn't want anyone else besides himself to do the same. plus, any possible "partner" for her sister would have to survive his high standards.
best friend || baek sohee(19) || student || sohee and sumin have always been good friends as long as they can recall. they had the luck to grow in the same neighbourhood and on the same block, so they grew attacched to one another since childhood and really fast. they find it easy to understand what the other one's thinking about or what's bugging her. they quarrel from time to time but it was never anything serious. growing together meant molding themselves over each other likes, dislikes and general tastes so there's not much they differ in, besides their personality. they are complete opposites, in fact. one loud and demanding, the other quiet and sweet, lovable and loving. they get in contact whenever something worth mentioning happens, if that's not the case they still keep in touch rather frequently even when they can't meet in person. they're like two peas in a pod. sumin's brother always jokes about them being a retired married couple. (( she has the biggest crush on kangmin ))
mentor || zitao || idol || he is the leader of sumin's unit. sumin looks up to him as she recognizes his works, skills and his great value as a human being. however their relationship stays frozen on the thin layer of superficiality.it's because she still kind of wants to hide her true inner self and also cause she thinks she is funnier than him. i mean why are all of the other girls laughing and giggling all the time when in his company? ok, maybe he is funny. just a tiny bit, like .. she might have almost choked herself to death with saliva once or twice but that's not what counts!!! he's a threat and she lurks in the darkness waiting for his prey to let down his guard. or at least that's what she thinks. she just stands there with a dumb expression all the time, he starts to think she's got something goin on, like feelings. ah. as if sumin would be capable of that.
mentors || kris and luhan || idols || oh well, they aren't that close but to sum it up: luhan's a good teacher, kris knows everything about her little act. he has just this intuition.
stage name —
sumin
persona —
marmelade girl ( just like most of marmelades: the thought of it immediately makes you think about sweets ( her cute looks ), however when tasting it what stands up first is the bitterness of whatever fruit flavour you choose ( her strong personality ) and only then a sugary aftertaste makes his way ( what lies beneath is still a girl with lots of love to give, in her own ways and at her own pace ).
unit —
performance
talent twin —
wonder girls' lim ( voice & rap ) solo song +
may j lee ( dance ) +
vocal skills — 7.5
rap skills — 4.5
dance skills — 9
name of company —
mnet audition
training years & training life —
self trained in singing and only specialized in hip hop dancing with some hints of waacking and popping here and there, sumin didn't really introduce herself at the audition with the most desirable and appetizing background in terms of self improvement in permorming arts. that's why she was evidently surprised when, some days after the audition, she got a congratulatory email, addressing her to the nearest agency so that she could pursue her newly obtained life as a trainee in the music industry. her best luck is to be born with a great sense of rhythm and a pretty face. she has the voice and the potential but not a single notion about technique. however that's surely something she can master with the help of her mentor's expertise.
past experience(s) / scandal(s) —
- experience: almost to none. worth mentioning just a few gigs sponsored by her dancing schools. nothing official, with no prizing system. simple performances.
(( disclaimer: by the time the story starts jongdae and sumin are still stuck in that weird place between simple friendship and something more. so not everything listed below, in interactions, trivia and whatever, happens in the present time. some behaviours will just come as time passes. ))
personality —
jongdae is way more mature than sumin herself. he's older and obviously he has much more experience of not only the show business but also world in general. he is the kind of guy you'd want as someone's big brother. because he's funny to be around, but he also know when to get serious. he is reliable.
he laughs mostly for everything, might be a little walking sunshine under coverage. and overall looks constantly happy. he doesn't like negativity, and he tries ( even when it's not that easy ) to find a positive side to everything he finds on his and other people's paths.
this is also why, while he might get angry from time to time, he hardly bears any grudges. tomorrow is another day after all.
he's incredibly awkward. he's really pronte to self-embarrassment and even though he surely loving and sweet, he takes some time to warm up. he's not impulsive and he likes to give great thought to anything he does or says.
but he also knows how to be a perfect nuisance, as he just likes way too much fooling around and play jokes on his closest friends and acquaintances.
trivia —
- his longest relationship lasted two years. it was actually his only real relationship, worth to be named so. but it happened during his trainee years so meeting was difficult. he never got the chance to kiss her and after debuting he completely lost track of her. she also moved out so there was no chance of contacting her in any way.
- there's something he doesn't like about sumin: her way of talking with people which might also look like as if she's flirting a bit. she doesn't do it on purpose, of course. it's just her way of joking.
- he secretely keeps an album of sumin's photos on his phone but no one knows about it as accessing the folder requires a passcode which he changes regularly.
- he had the chance to meet up with sumin's brother, kangmin, but at the time he was just a close friend of his sister. kangmin kindly offered to share with him his treasoured handbook "dealing with lee sumin on a regular basis 101".
- after quarreling he always acts as the sweetest cheeseball on earth, in the attempt to earn brownie boyfriend material points. ( ex. bringing her to bed bridal style when she just collapses on the sofa after a long working day )
- he likes to visit her at work where he always buys the same type and same quantity of kimbab. ( just to watch her throw a silent tantrum )
love story —
first encounter :
funny enough they met in the most unpredictable way. at a party, of someone they both hardly knew. friend of friends who kind of had the money and the connections to hold this huge feast on the rooftop of one of the oh so many skyscrapers in seoul city. jongdae was there because he had too, due to sponsors and publicity, that kind of thing. she needed to be there to gain enough visibility, not an easy task when there's more than a hundred guests. both fed up, 'cause he had been stood up by joonmyun and kyungsoo and she knew nothing of no one attending. for jongdae, well, it was one of his free nights, meaning he had no work to do the next day, no manager at his heels, no flock of crazy stans or paparazzi in sight ( luckily enough ) and no intent in spending another evening on the dorm's couch watching reruns of friends. sumin, on the other hand, was just busy in getting noticed. soon after acing her audition she knew that she needed to make a name for herself, considering that she had no advantage whatsoever over the other trainees ( in terms of famous and infamous relatives or magic trees growing won bills on their porch ) and longed to make good connections.
thing is: when they got there, the party definitely had not. maybe it was because it was freezing cold and people knew better than dancing around and wasting themselves on the 46th floor of a building. but hey, let's not judge. in any case, when he got out of the elevator jongdae had a lot of judging to do anyway so there's no need for us to do the same. there she was, sumin, venting her temper on a poor specimen of ficus, standing there all fragile and trembling while witnessing her firing rage, as if the cold-af winter hadn't been enough to aggravate its chances to ensure an understandably long life span.
and there he was. snorting. because an unknown girl was asking a ficus if it could repay her for that precious pair of valentino studded stilettos ( she stated "whose price might have made me wonder once or twice whether it'd been better to mortgage that shabby flat i call home which i just moved in or simply cut my living expenses till new order" ) so mercilessly and brutally ruined on the tip by a scuffle with the vase.
sumin might have turned him to ashes with that glare.
so good she didn't, 'cause he still needed to keep himself busy and she had her stomach grumbling so much that it looked like the cracken had been released inside of her. "anger makes me hungry". yes, sure. but still she got a free meal and he got some company, and they kind of managed to survive what weirdly resembled a first date.
interactions :
jongdae might look like sumin's lackey, since she's got that cruella de vil aura going on all around her teenie tiny figure, but actually he holds his ground rather well. she has lots of demands and requests and he needs a big amount of energy and stamina to put up with her on a daily basis but truth is: he has the time of his life in her presence. mostly because she's like a walking soap opera with lots of drama and zero predictability.
they don't even know when they even crossed the line, they just kind of were together from some time onwards. reason behind this blurred boundaries between the two is the way they have always interacted with each other, which wasn't subject to great change with the passing of time. since the beginning, she acted like the spoilt brat she seems to be and he went with the flow, accepting her flawed behaviour and playing with it while constantly managing to get on her nerves and piss her off.
quarrels are normality, as he makes fun of her ways, mocking her continuously and she flies off the handle. however that's their way of being together, the quarrels are nothing more than heated up discussions based on futile grounds which are destined to die out sooner than later.
when discussing about more serious matters, she might still hold her ground quite steadily, given her temper, but they are both smart enough to understand when to stop and most importantly they both know that dialogue is key. ( guess those kind of discussions come quite often, since she's a bit of a trouble most of the times )
what makes jongdae different from any other guy is that he understands sumin. maybe not at first, she was just this crazy girl with a cute face which always managed to make him laugh his lungs out. but as they started spending more time together, as she slowly opened up about herself he had the confirmation that there was way more behind that superficial layer.
he cares for her, some people might say "more than she will ever deserve", because he cares and he shows it blatantly while she does but she isn't even aware of that. he is defintely the type who likes skinship though he respects her space and she is not. they are opposites on many levels. he is more elegant and she is strong, in personality and temper.
(( in the future, he will get more and more accustomed to her quirks and predict them with impeccable foreshadowing. and she will slowly get touchier and touchier, with some hints of sweetness along the way that'll leave jongdae creeped out at first and positively stunned ))
status —
way too intimate to be friends still way too distant to be something more. soon to become the next retired married couple 2.0
questions/comments —nada de nada.
scene requests —
- drama, drama, drama. among the girls and also outside the group, 'cause she would go all "who touched my babies" and that's so cute ok bye.
- drama with jongdae 'cause she needs to understand she has big big crush. maybe he finally gets in touch with his mysterious ex? who knows, who knows.
- dance off w/ members of other companies in the centre of seoul 'cause why not.
others —
( her firing rage + )
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