full name. noelle jeung 

 JEUNG NAYEON / 증나연  her given korean name. it's rarely ever in play unless someone is explicitly trying to catch her attention or you're her mother. either way, you'd hardly hear it.

 PUNK / 펑크   noelle's a bit of a loud mouth, she's stubborn and likes to do things her own way. when she gets a little whiny and unmanageable, junwi often mumbles under his breath about how she's such a punk that doesn't follow orders. fortunately enough, these tantrums aren't entirely everyday business but moreso when noelle gets stressed and can't put pen to paper. or she's super hungry. additionally, noelle loves rock music in general, and this adds to the entire vibe of the chaotic punk head.

 

date of birth. april 4, 1993 + 23

birthplace. paris, france

hometown. haeundae, busan, sk

ethnicity. full korean

nationality. south korean

languages.  

 

ORIENTATION. homoual, homoromantic — has dated males in the past but has fully come to realise that it was all societal pressures and she's only truly (ually and romantically) attracted to girls. she hasn't particularly tinkered with anyone who identifies outside of the binary but it seems that her attraction lies in femme presentation.  

PRONOUNS. she/her

stage name. noelle

position. guitarist, occasional lyricist

backup pos. bassist (or manager) 

# experience. 

 

resumé. her first two years of formal training were in a classical, finger-plucking style. after that, she dropped classes and learnt on her own; with the help of youtube. she posted short covers every now and then on youtube and now when she looks back, they make her shudder in embarassment.  

 

in high school (ages 15-17), noelle and four other friends formed a band called, "the floors" — a small tribute to the band "the doors". they would play school gigs or busk on the streets. noelle enjoyed this experience a lot, but she knew it wouldn't last. 

 

after moving to seoul at 18, noelle joined another band called "witch" which consisted of 4 band members, noelle and 3 other females. they played small gigs in bars and busked in the street quite a lot. after 3 years, after some discord within the band, it split. 

 

JW: what made you decide to join ngsy? 
she sits, one leg crossed over the other, both palms of her hands by her side, pushing against the cold metal of the folding chair. she notes to herself that he's far taller than she ever expected, even when seated. she lets out a small sigh (more like an exaggerated exhale) and flicks a few stray hairs out of her way. 'if i'm going to be completely truthful,' noelle begins, a smile on her lips, 'i felt a little stagnant.' 

 

'stagnant?' 

 

'yeah, stagnant. stale. idle. you know?' she laughs, and it sounds cheery but it's laced with hints of bitterness. 'i didn't feel like i was going anywhere with my music —' her eyes stray away from junwi for a second, eyeing a random botched spot of paint on the wall. he remains silent, so she continues, 'making music with others is always innovating. so i sent you an email. wanted to see what you were made of. wanted to see what you thought of me.' she chuckles, shaking her head.  

 

jw: hm, what do you think of your skills? what makes you better than the rest? what can you offer ngsy?
she can't help but laugh again, 'slow down there bud, one question at a time.' she uncrosses her legs and crosses them again, opposite over the other. she lifts a hand and brushes her hair back, it seems like she can't stop fussing over her hair and she inwardly curses at herself for being unprofessional. 

'well, not to brag—' wait. did he just scoff? 

'not to brag, but,' she repeats, trying to ignore him as her eyes dart to different corners of the room, 'i'd say i'm pretty okay with the guitar. i guess i'd say i'm not your average guitarist; i like to experiment. pedals. distortions. i like trying new things—' she shrugs a little bit, lips jutting out in a knowing pout.

 

 

jw: (sighs) as you know, we debuted three years ago. how has the journey been? what has happened so far? do you see it as a good or bad experience? 
'sighing already, mister ko junwi? do i bore you?' noelle laughs, poking fun at her creative director. he rolls his eyes at her and gives her a prompting look to hurry up and answer the question. 'i love ngsy. i love it all so much. i don't wanna get too sappy—' 

 

 

 

jw: alright, (frowns) well i didn't plan this question... but if today i gave you the choice to leave ngsy, would you take it? 
'how dare you—!' noelle is visibly agitated, as if she were about to get up and out of her seat. 

 

junwi laughs, and shakes his head. 

 

'i've been in three bands, granted, the one in high school wasn't super great, but nevertheless— this is my third band. third time's the charm, right?' she exhales, loudly, annoyance written all over her pretty features, a little fussed (or a lot) that junwi even decided to ask the question in the first place. 

 

'this is my dream band. i wouldn't ever leave. good god ko junwi i can't believe, the nerve...tch.' 

 

jw: what do you wish for in the next year?
'more songs. a new album? a full album. lots of songs. fifteen? is that too many? screw it, twenty. twenty songs on our new full length album.' she goes through the entire thought process verbally (ticking junwi off, just a little) and a grin widens on her lips, excitment growing in her eyes as she bangs her fist on her thigh once, 'it's happening.'

 

 

jw: interesting. last question, are you close to any of the members?
now, noelle is sort of convinced that junwi didn't write these questions because he should be knowing at least some of the answers to these. she rolls her eyes, but a smile is still plastered on her lips. 'i'm close to all the members. i love them all equally, except for jamie. she's my girlfriend.' 

 

 

'but she's my real girlfriend!' she shakes her head at his comment and continues, 'but i love all of them. three years together, how could i not? the close proximity and seeing them everyday? makes you appreciate their existence, you know? i love! them! all!' she pauses before adding, 'love you too, junwi.'

 

junwi face turns into a grimace and he pretends to gag, laughter echoing from the both of them.  

personality. 

 

 

 

it's a dream that she's chasing, and it's something muddled up between wanting to do what her heart desires — draw out all the creativity and innovation that flows in a torrent in that head of hers; and wanting recognition. fame. 

not particularly the type of fame in the form of flashing cameras following her around and capturing her every movement, but moreso the type of fame where people write long-winded blog columns on her technique, her originality, her music.

but in all that ambition and burning desire of success, noelle gets tangled in her own instability. what seems to be an advantage for noelle, a ever-growing amibition, turns out ot be a double edged blade, often times doing damage to her own psyche than propelling her forward in her endeavors.

recordings done a hundred times over, distortions overlayed, re-assessment of her own technique — every element is scrutinized with a frightening intensity. in her vigor, it becomes apparent that she might have lost the heart of making music. the carefree nature of playing live, the adrenaline that pulses through her veins and fuels her fingers that pick at the strings and hold at the frets.

it's instead replaced with a demon that she labels 'ambition' that possesses her bit by bit.

joining ngsy; being around people that she adores and people that are striving for the same thing may allow her to reevaluate why she fell in love with music in the first place. 

joining ngsy let's her free for a little while; to not being so immersed in her music that it might land her six feet under. it let's her be herself, uncage a little bit of promiscuity, a wisecrack once in a while; unbind her from this life of making music for a second and have fun. create new relationships. show love. forget about consequences. 

remember why she fell in love with music in the first place. remember that music is not a chore. 

TIMELINE.
april fourth, 1993, noelle nayeon jeung is born in a city just south of paris, france. noelle, a feminine name for a girl who grew up a little rough around the edges. life in france was uneventful; father worked in the corporate world and mother took care of her and watched her grow. ambition was something noelle always had in her blood, her father worked hard, worked a lot, noelle rarely saw him. any trace of him was sent in the form of presents to their doorstep or paychecks to her mother for neccessities and luxuries. rich would be an exaggeration but they were indeed well off. for noelle to see her father was by far a special occasion, he would come home on her birthday or christmas. oh, he definitely wouldn't miss christmas. things were barely understood on noelle's part, but they were not questioned. she was too young, and she was far from being in the face of adversity. 

the year of 2002 rolls around and mother gets a phonecall. cancer. her maternal grandmother had been diagnosed and time had suddenly become more precious than ever. clothes were packed and their home in paris was left for father. noelle and her mother left france and haven't returned since. 

haeundae, busan. noelle is nine years old and she's suddenly been thrown into a foreign world, where she could only just understand the language, let alone speak it with fluency. not to mention that her french accent shone through like no other. the years spent finishing elementary school were neither horrible nor memorable; she befriended a girl who soon left for a different middle school and noelle was left to her own devices once more.

amidst her second year in busan, her grandmother passes away. instead of moving back to paris, noelle's mother makes the decision to stay and take care of her father, noelle's grandfather, and to spend as much time with him as she can, for you never know what fate has in store. 

2006, thirteen year old noelle enters middle school not knowing all too many people. noelle was a shy kid, quiet, but loved affection. making friends proved to be a little difficult in the beginning, but soon enough she found her place. a catalytic moment that noelle remembers is meeting a boy, hyunwoo, who brought in his acoustic guitar to show off. he knew probably three chords, and strummed them terribly but noelle was utterly enthralled.  

that day, noelle runs home and tells her mother she wants a guitar. she's excited. she thinks she can be better than hyunwoo, and she wants to give a damn good try. her mother denies, saying it was unneccessary and maybe another time. but noelle wasn't taking no for an answer so she skips out on lunch every second day and pockets her allowance, saving up until she walks into the music store a few months later, ready to make the purchase of her life. that's when her first ever guitar, the yamaha classic, was bought. and that's when it all changed.

her mother sighs and at the same time, is amazed at her resolve. she signs her up for guitar lessons the next week, a nearby neighbour which made it all so much more convenient. two years were spent learning from her neighbour, a classical finger plucking style. after that, noelle thanked her teacher for all the help and quit — she found that it wasn't exactly her style, and that her knowledge was well established enough to learn on her own. at this time, noelle was also getting very into alternative rock music, radiohead being her favourite band. she turns to youtube for tutorials and in turn, ends up uploading her own covers. 

2009, high school noelle forms a band. her, hyunwoo and two others (noelle on lead guitar (she did indeed outdo him), hyunwoo on rhythm guitar, a drummer and a bassist/vocalist) become a band who often covers alternative rock songs under the name 'the floors' — a silly tribute to the iconic 60's band, 'the doors'. they play small concerts at their high school practice room and one huge show in the high school auditorium, as well as busking on the streets of busan later in the years of high school. noelle and hyunwoo were romantically involved (as romantically involved seventeen year olds can be) but at the end of high school, differing dreams (as well as noelle's closeted homouality) parted them and the band. 

2010, noelle graduates high school and leaves busan for seoul. her mother (and father) give her start-up money for university, planning to study a degree in music. her father disagrees but he's across the globe so noelle rebels. he soon comes around, only after seeing the happiness it brings her. her mother, on the other hand, supports her. noelle spends half a year studying music and deems that it's 'just not my thing' and ditches the course. 

2011, noelle becomes part of the band 'witch', along with three other girls she met in her short time in university. the bassist, oh yerim was most definitely one of the most influential people on noelle, making her realise her uality as well as inspiring her musically. they date. things in the band progress smoothly, they make songs, they have fans, they busk for recognition. on the side, noelle has her own studio apartment, her own guitars, a nice set-up of pedals and a side-job, to keep the dream fuelled (as well as her parents still sending her money every now and then.) 

however, not all good things last, and noelle and yerim split. noelle often keeps things disclosed about this past relationship, not particularly liking to speak of her first true love. the splitting of the couple makes it impossible for the band to play together anymore. they disband. 

noelle finds that she can't make music the way she used to, around the band. she finds the company of others gets her innovated and motivated. she places a lot of the blame on herself, the stagnation, the disbandment. she feels stale. she continues attempting to experiment with new sounds and new techniques, putting up small covers on instagram to keep her busy but she definitely still feels empty. feeling like her dream has come to a halt. was this already the end of her so-called music career? she couldn't live with herself if it were. 

sitting on her bed in her studio apartment, noelle puts up her usual setup and presses record. compress, attach, and send. ko junwi, i'll show you what i'm made of. 

TRIVIA.  
 ONE  despite the disagreement from the rest of the band members of ngsy, noelle prefers to play on stage barefoot. it has sort of become her thing, she'll probably walk onto stage with flip flops on (or really, nothing at all) and take them off when they begin playing. she justifies herself by saying she has much better control with her pedal boards. they've all learnt to just let her be. noelle has her own custom pedal boards (that costs thousands, if one were to guess) that she dabbles with a fair amount.
 TWO  noelle owns two electric guitars, her pride and glory — a gibson les paul 1957 guitar in ebony with gold accents and a fender telecaster in sonic gray. she cycles between the two during lives. she also owns an acoustic guitar (yamaha classic) that she often uses for short covers and such. her next goal is to buy a microtonal guitar, which is something she's been dying to dabble in. 
 THREE  alcohol isn't something noelle's particularly fond  of. if she's at a party, she will drink but it's not often that she'll go out of her own way to get drunk. she often says that she's extremely light-weight (she is) and that she doesn't like not being in control of her own body. she feels vulnerable. also it reminds her of her younger years (even though she's not all that old) and all of the embarrassing moments she has experienced whilst inebriated. 
 FOUR  due to past occurences (see: timeline), noelle had set up a rather silly rule for herself — do not fall in love with your band members. if possible, don't fall in love at all. she truly believes that the past will repeat itself and she cannot risk that, especially not while she has found ngsy, a band that is everything she's been dreaming of. additionally, she thinks falling in love will distract her from her creative process. it gives good reason for her flirtatious nature, not only is it a part of her personality but she does it to make sure she's giving and receiving enough affection to be content without romance. (see: other names) (spoiler: it doesn't go so well for noelle, rules are broken.)
 FIVE  singing is not her forte, but her voice is not horrible. especially when noelle loves to sing old rock songs, where vocals aren't really what you'd call spectacular. she sings occasionally when writing her own lyrics and chords, to show the rest of the band. other than that, she's mostly reduced to backing vocals when needed. she gladly recedes. 
 SIX  incredibly miserable at coping with stress. noelle's emotions are extremely volatile and a little bit of a misfortune will instantly fuel her with anger. explosive. it's hard to manage, and she's aware of the nuisance she creates but she finds it hard to keep under wraps. her coping mechanisms include things like smoking (mostly menthols), drinking coffee (with lots of sugar) and writing more music. here, is where we can witness where the vicious cycle continues — music, breakdown, more music, more breakdowns. 
 SEVEN  likes: 80's and 90's alternative rock, vinyl, demin, the colour red, chokers and fishnet stockings, guitar riffs, pedal boards, unabated affection, creative streaks, radiohead, gummy candies, playful insult conversations, her guitars, camel crush menthol cigarettes, peppermint flavoured things, spicy foods.
 EIGHT  noelle works in a record store in gangnam where she often times is quite excited about the fact that she gets discounts on her favourite vinyl. she likes to collect vinyl, amongst other music related things. additionally, whenever it comes to christmas or her birthday, the sort of presents that her father sends her include launchpads and pedals. 
 NINE  dislikes: alcohol, stagnation, prolonged silences, people who treat their instruments poorly, people who don't understand her alternative rock references (usually accompanied with yelling 'how do you not know this?!'), assumptions of her uality, people who waste their time/talent.
 TEN  noelle auditioned by playing (and singing) karma police by radiohead. but not before playing the beginning of wonderwall by oasis and quoting "anyway, here's wonderwall" and cracking up into fits of uncontrollable laughter after the 4th chord. she still thinks this was one of her most funniest moments, even though it makes her cringe. (junwi disagrees). 
 ELEVEN  noelle's playlist: 1979 - smashing pumpkins / wonderwall - oasis / creep - radiohead / no surprises - radiohead / yellow - coldplay / there she goes - the la's / how soon is now? - the smiths / light my fire - the doors / comfortably numb - pink floyd / karma police - radiohead / smells like teen spirit - nirvana 

 WRITTEN AESTHETICS OF NOELLE JEUNG  
rock jumping, free falls from metres above into clear waters / running barefoot toward the ocean in the dead of the night, laughter echoing / screams of frustration, pulling at locks of hair / knuckles bleeding, raw, wall plaster smashed inward / the flickering light you bang at in hopes of keeping it lit / shattering in a panel of glass with a baseball bat, relief, adrenalin, excitement. 

faceclaim. rosé blackpink

backup fc. seulgi red velvet, hayoung apink

height. 159 cm

weight. 46 kg

appearance. 

burnt orange locks fall in waves to a few inches above her waist, but she finds stray strands that bother and float in front of her face before she decides to pull it all up into a messy ponytail, tied with little effort and much haste; her go-to during band practice (or when she's trying to write). her eyes droop with a sort of charming lethargy, darkness that settles in the bags underneath, adding to the 'i'm a struggling musician' air that noelle radiates. with lips that jut into a natural pout, often times noelle sports the resting face and further prompting questions from others about her mood and whether she's okay. but her resting face is just that, only at rest. often times (when not stressed about music), you can see noelle cracking a laugh, or pulling a face of smug determination, her moods seem to fluctuate rather easily.

 

it's no secret that noelle is rather extremely attractive, and although she doesn't necessarily flaunt it, she's well aware of it and might use it to her own advantage. nothing too morally crooked or anything, moreso for things like getting free drinks or food. 

 

fashion. 

 

    

  

 

 

demin — mom jeans, denim jackets, high-waisted shorts, boyfriend jeans, denim skirts, distressed, ripped, stone-wash, vintage, black denim.

outerwear — leather jackets, over-sized denim jackets, long coats, fleece sweaters, corduroy jackets, vintage parkas, flight jackets.

tops — cropped t-shirts, ribbed, turtlenecks, mock-necks, tanks, lace-up, tight-fit crop, over-sized, vintage graphic t-shirts,  band t-shirts. flannels.  

shoes — sneakers, stan smiths, adidas originals, common projects, flip flops, heeled chelsea boots, doctor martens (8 eye and 3 eye). 

colors — light denim wash, black denim, black, neutrals, camel, khaki, beiges, pastels, navy.

makeup — burgundy, red and brown lipsticks, winged eyeliner, minimal eyeshadow. more so a western grunge inspired look as opposed to following the "regular" korean beauty standards. 

aesthetics — alt.  80's grunge, comfortable chic.  

 

 JEUNG NAYOUNG / MOTHER  
number one supporter

 

noelle's mother is her absolute everything. although wanting fame and recognition is something high up the list of priorities; providing for her mother is also something she hopes to acheive. she one day hopes that she no longer has to rely on the financial support of her parents and instead, give them everything she can in return. upon joining ngsy, noelle's mother has often times come to seoul to watch their performances. noelle feels eternally indebted to her mother, for the unconditional love and support and she can't help but be so utterly grateful that she was graced with a parent that understood her ambitions. she does not want to disappoint her. ever. 

 

 

noelle is entirely aware of just how much she bugs her beloved creative director, ko junwi. midnight sessions in her bedroom studio and she calls up junwi, telling him to make his way to their recording studio as soon as possible because she's come up with something incredible. moments of stress where noelle can't put pen to paper and she whines to junwi. most of the time, it's obvious he just puts up with her, as his eyes roll more often than ever around noelle, she's sort of surprised they're still attached to his skull. however, he knows she's an asset and to get rid of her would be a stupid move — there's a fondness between them somewhere under the frustration. he tries to stay away from noelle during her bad firecracker moments, not wanting to get into the mess that is the emotionally unstable noelle jeung.