once in a blue moon, i am siryung
- Ryu ; part of her name and Japanese for "Dragon" which describes her personality pretty well; used by members, labelmates, and some fans
- Siri ; what started as a joke about Siryung's ability to answer just about any question (due to her knowledge of an exorbitant amount of random information) becomes a larger joke and almost meme -- "Hey, Siri?" "....no." "I have a legitimate question this time!" "-sighs-"; used by the members, some labelmates, and some fans
- Google ; also a joke, and one that hasn't grown old yet among the members, started when Siryung admitted being called Siri was driving her crazy, so a member jokingly said "Okay, Google."; used by members and some of the younger labelmates
- Encyclopedia Brown ; a joke, the nickname given to Siryung by one of the foreign-born trainees (Johnny, Wendy, MArk, Blue Moon girl); it's a book series that young teens read in America starring a boy named Encyclopedia Brownthat solves mysteries with his observaiton skills and intellect. Considering Siryung's intelligenceand ability to answer questions, they deemed it a fitting nickname in the same way they like Siri and Google....and Siryung simply doesn't have it in her to stop them. (After all, she read the books, too, and it's kind of a compliment.); used by her members, NCT and Wed Velvet, and other SM trainees.
- here
- Japanese ; 90% fluent; she's always had an interest in Japan and its culture for as far back as she could remember, and after growing up watching anime, it seemed like a good lanugage to study. her parents didn't midn enrolling her in classes to keep her busy outside of school, so by the tiem she arrived at SM, she was already holding highly advanced conversations
-- argumentative, intolerant, messy, short-tempered
confident, charismatic
Siryung is a poster child for confident, collected young women. She’s sure of herself, possessive a self-assuredness that reflects in everything she does, from the moment she gets dressed, choosing colors and cuts that flaunt her beauty; to moments in front of fans, where she offers undivded attention and beaming smiles; to practices where she works herself to the bone, balancing repetition and focused study to improve herself. That confidence shines through on stage in the charisma that Siryung flaunts like a beautiful dress or dazzling jewelry. People focus on her -- and they want to focus on her, and that attention only gives Siryung more drive.
witty, intelligent
It’s said that wit and intelligence go hand in hand. And they really do, especially where Siryung is concerned. Siryung is smart, an intelligence nurtured by a hunger for knowledge and years of supplimentary lessons to keep a busy child occupied and out of trouble. Her wit layered on top of that -- a natural aptitude for quick and inventive word choice and humor -- has established Siryung as the sort of girl whose smarts crack like a whip.
honest, uncompromising
Honesty is one of Siryung’s preferred traits. She doesn’t like to lie, especially to her groupmates. In fact, she won’t lie. She sees no reason to lie, whether it be about something simple, like what time she went to bed the night before, or something more complicated, like if she thinks her groupmate may need to work on something. But on the other hand it means she doesn’t entertain rumors or gossip of any sort. Her firm resolve toward honesty is something Siryung absolutely won’t compromise, and just one of a few things that she refuses to waver on. Her work ethic is there, too, as well as her loyalty to her friends, and her steadfast belief in herself and in Blue Moon.
intolerant, thick-skinned
Siryung is... Well, she has a belief system, and she’s very set in that system. And for the most part, that’s good. She believes that everyone deserves to be happy, and that love is love, and that everyone deserves equality -- men, women, children, aliens, what have you. And provided that you respect her beliefs, she’s going to respect yours. But heaven forbid you try to pressure her into accepting your views, or a biased opinion, or a reason as to why she shouldn’t like something. She’s remarkably thick-skinned, hard to bother and harder still to get a legitimate rise out of. It’s part of why she’s so often honest and intolerant, and why she won’t compromise herself.
messy, perfectionist
Mess is a natural part of life. Unfortunatlely, mess is also a natural part of Siryung’s life. She’s a messy person. She’s organized in her own way, as people like this often are, with a clear rhyme and reason to her organization. If you go into her room and ask her where something is, you’ll find it. But you’re probably not going to find it without her help. Additionally, she’a particular about that orgnizaiton. And about....everything else, really. Siryung is a perfectionist, hyper-critical of herself and sometimes even of others. She pushes herself to her breaking point. It’s a good thing, it means that what she puts out as a vocalist and dancer is high-quality goods, but it also means that she often pushes herelf too hard or too far, sometimes even forsaking health, food, or sleep to achieve her end goals.
short-tempered, argumentative
For lack of better words, Siryung has a bit of a temper. She’s thick-skinned, true, but between her vast intelligence and her scatching wit, it’s not uncommon for her to lash out over things, pushed over the edge for some reason. It’s hard to get to her as an individual, but it’s much easier to get to her in other ways -- like attacking her friends and family, or attacking Blue Moon. Attack what she loves, and you’ll quickly find yourself on the receiving end fo ehr temper. Siryung is also rather argumentative. It’s that intelligence, and honesty, and her refusal to compromise herself, all rolled into one big, bad mess. Arguing isn’t always a bad thing, but it is a bit of a pain when someone argues just to argue, or to give themself something to do. (Or, in Siryung’s case, to get their point across.) It’s not somethign Siryung does all the time, but it’s somethign that appears often enough. When Siryung thinks the girls deserve a break, she take on the choreographers or trainers. When she thinks the girls are getting too thin, she’ll take on Lee Soo Man himself -- just let her at him. Or when Siryung is feeling particularly volative, she’ll fight you over why Marvel is better than DC (or why Captain America is better than Ironman -- your choice).
Background:
Siryung’s life was, in a word, charmed. Born an only child to an architect and an interior designer, one could almost say that being an artist was destined, encoded in the very strands of her DNA. While the family wasn’t the richest, Siryung’s father, Siwon, did very well for himself between designing buildings and orchestrating the remodeling of older buildings. And her mother, Kyungmi, was a well-known and accepted interior designer, often collaborating with those that her husband worked for. They were often very busy with work, and despite spending as much time as possible at home with their precocious daughter, it quickly became necessary to find her other interests to hold her attention outside of school.
Siryung quickly passed through a number of different after school courses, picking and choosing those that interested her and abandoning the others. By the time Siryung was ten, she’d taken a number of different classes, giving her intermediate to advanced skills in the Japanese language, piano, guitar, and different kinds of 3D art.
2009 was a busy year in the Korean music industry, with a number of groups debuting and taking the market by storm. While Siryung listened to a lot of K-pop in the previous years, it wasn’t until 2009 that it really caught her attention. After all, 2009 was the year of Juliette, Ring Ding Ding, Sorry Sorry, and the infamous Gee. Watching the idols on stage, singing and dancing, dressed to the nines and giving the crowd their all, won Siryung over in a way that, to that day, nothing else had. She was star-struck, and she so desperately wanted to be there, too.
Despite having never taken vocal classes before, Siryung takes to the lessons like a fish to water after she’s enrolled in late 2009. Dance lessons follow midway through 2010 when her mother catches her trying to learn the routine for SNSD’s Oh! by watching a live performance on tv on repeat. (It's a necessity, Kyungmi tells her daughter with a laugh, we have things we'd like to watch, too. like news!) And while Siryung doesn’t take quite as quickly to that, she’s an avid student, and she pours her time, energy, and dedication into ther classes. She learns. She learns fast. And she learns well.
Siryung is fifteen when, with the permission of her parents -- and the stipulation that she continue school -- she begins auditioning at entertainment companies. It takes almost a year of trial and error, a year of failure that still haunts Siryung at night, to figure out what the panels are looking for and how to best show her skills. But by age sixteen (late April 2015), Siryung is signing with SM and joining the ranks of their trainees.
Trivia:
- likes: horror movies, mystery books/movies/shows, rainstorms, lightning, Marvel Universe, Captain America, anime & manga, Japan & Japanese culture, sushi, Overwatch, Minecraft
- habits: playing with her hair, twisting her rings, resting face
- hobbies: playing overwatch, practicing piano & guitar, watching anime, reading (books & manga)
- fears: failure, spiders, darkness (like pitch black/power outage darkness)
- favorite food: apples, ddeokbokki, sushi
- favorite drink: lemon water, mint tea with honey
- favorite color: crimson
- favorite number: 1
- favorite word: kintsukuroi
- For her audition to SM, Siryung sang part of Ailee’s Heaven, then sang and danced to part of BoA’s Only One.
- Due to her upbringing, her love for books, and the fact that she's so damn smart, Siryung actually has an expansive amount of knowledge at her disposal and is something like a walking encyclopedia to the other members of Blue Moon (and to a number of other SM artists)
- Other classes Siryung took that she didn't like/stick with: traditional Korean dance, gymnastics (she was bendy, but not bendy enough), 2D art.
- She's allergic to tomatoes. It's ridiculously annoying.
- She won't drink soda unless she's sick. Then, she'll drink a couple glasses of a clear soda (spirte, 7Up, etc). but literally only then.
- One of the 3D arts that Siryung really took to was pottery. Clay work, specifically. Whenever she was really upset or angry, she would go to the studio and throw clay for a while. Because of the patience it takes to shape and mold the clay -- to keep the walls even, neither too thick nor too thin, no bubbles in the clay, the bottom not too deep -- it was a good way for Siryung to both work her way out of her distress and to discipline herself.
- Her favorite tea mug is actually one she threw herself. It's not perfectly circular, and it's a little heavy, and she could have shaved more clay off the bottom, and the handle is a little too small for her hand, and kinda lumpy....but it was the first one that came out right and she loves it for what it means to her.
- She dislikes DC Comics, but she does love HArley Quinn. Her favorite villain. Hands down. (Joker is her second.)
- But Marvel Universe. Is. Her. Jam. She LOVES Captain America and will literally fight. She's the biggest fangirl. (Her second is Thor. Then Black Widow, Clint, Captain MArvel, and Agent Hill.)
- Siryung loves crime shows and mystery movies because she likes to try to solve everything and figure out who-dun-it before the end. she's usually pretty damn spot on.
- She has a warcry. It's better if you don't question it. The less you quesiotn it, the easier it is.
- She is a huge Super Junior and SNSD fan. After their debut, she also became a big fan of both Red Velvet and NCT -- partially because she trained with them, partially because she likes NCT's music, and partially because she is so overwhelmingly gaaaay for Wendy.
- Who's her ult girl now and ust...ult over all? WENDY.
- It used to be Tiffany. Siryung adored SNSD, after all, and Tiffany was bae. Now it's Wendy. Sorry, tiff.
- Her ult boy is, somewhat surprisingly, SJ's Donghae. He's a amazing dancer, he's a great vocalist, and he's an awesome rapper. He's also ridiculously handsome. he's the whole package, and she will fight you.
- She got to meet Donghae at a fanmeet once shortly before joining SM Entertianment. She might have cried. (But if you reminder her about that, she'll deny it. And probably fight you.)
[ parents ]
Lee Siwon (45) & Kim Kyungmi (41), architect & interior designer
Although her parents weren’t around very often, Siryung is fiercely loyal to them both. They worked a lot, yeah, and Siryung spent more time alone or with her teachers than she did with her parents, but she understands that what they did, they did out of a desire for her to have a good, secure life. She loves them and she wants to make them both proud.
[ Woolim ]
Kang Woolim (23), leader of Blue Moon
Siryung gets along well enough with Woolim. They’re both passionate and care fiercely about what they do. And a shared love for SM and their labelmates bonds them in a way that little else is. But Woolim is also stubborn like Siryung, and at times the two heads oer that. The two also frequently heads over Siryung’s argumentative and uncompromising nature, and how it sometimes clashes with Woolim’s controlling mom syndrome. But those clashes aren’t often. Siryung knows better than to stay in constant strife with her leader. More often than not, she tries to stay on Woolim’s good side, offer any advice she can -- because at least she’s honest -- and essentially do her own thing.
[ Yuta ]
Nakamoto Yuta (23), member of NCT
Yuta is....well. Yuta is special. Yuta is special, and he holds a very special place in Siryung’s heart. They struggled some initially. Japanese is a lot like Korean in that it has dialects, and not every region is exactly the same, but between Siryung’s advanced Japanese skill, and Yuta’s increasingly more proficient skill in Korean, they bonded. It’s hard to be one of the only Japanese trainees in a company, and it’s even harder to be so far away from home. Depsite not being Japanese, Siryung understood being homesick and being lonely, and she made it a point to converse with Yuta whenever posisble, always opting for Japanese to not only make him feel more comfortable, but to work on her own skill. Most days, that was how the two of them spoke, chattering back and forth in a Japanese that few other trainees seemed to understand. Some trainees joked that they when they were together, it was like they were off in their own world.
[ Blue Moon ]
tba (tba), members of Blue Moon
For the most part, Siryung gets along well enough with the other girls. She’s an only child, so throwing her into a small dorm with six other girls and expecting things to always be okay is asking for trouble. Siryung tries though. She really does. She tries to be good and respectful to them, but sometimes she struggles, particularly when it comes to topics she’s pasisonate about, or her strange quirks or habits. She tends to get along best with Woolim (sans the controlling mom habits) and Six, because they’re all vocalists and dancers and a lot of the same issues with balancing vocal ability and performance.
[ #Squad Goals ]
- Wendy, HAechan, Johnny
Despite the differences in their ages, Wendy, Haechan, and Johnny are the people Siryung considers herself closest to among the other SM artists -- her “squad”, so to say. They’re the people she goes to when she needs someone to talk to, or when she needs time away from Blue Moon. They get her in ways that others usually don’t, sharing either a similar sense of humor, or a keen sense of irony, or (more so in the boys’ cases) they enjoy tormenting their fellow members. In that regard, Siryung is closest to Haechan, then to Johnny. Haechan is something of a terror to the other NCT 127 boys (particularly poor Mark, which is how Siryung was introduced to Haechan in the first place), and Johnny, with his foreigner status and dry humor, is simply something of...well, a terror. In general. Wendy was a more recent addition to the squad, brought in by Johnny who knew of Siryung’s highkey girl crush and tried with it. Johnny’s plan backfired, however, foiled through the simple fact that Wendy ad Siryung weren’t having any of of his . They bonded over vocalist problems, and while Siryung was still highkey the biggest Wendy fangirl around, Wendy found it hilarious Now the two of them hype each other up frequently, and bond over language and translation issues. Sometimes Johnny has to translate why Wendy’s struggle with English-to-Korean is such a hazard (and why it’s so damn funny), but sometimes that just makes it better.
[ 99 Liners ]
- Yeri, Lucas, Mark
Exactly what it sounds like, Siryung is close to these trainees because they were all born in the same year and were often lumped together in that wayy the time Siryung joined SM, Yeri was already a member of Red Velvet, but she was still taking supplimental lessons to boost her vocal and dance skills. It was during one such late night in the practice room that they met. Siryung met Mark and Jungwoo at different times over the months following her acceptance as a trainee -- Mark through Haechan, and then Jungwoo through Mark a short while later. While they didn’t share too many commonalities initially, they bonded over Haechan being a terror (sometimes a terror instigated by Siryung herself), and the struggles of being a trainee and never knowing when you might see the stage for yourself. In Yeri’s case, she and Siryung often spoke more about how hyper critical fans could be. During the first few months after meeting, Siryung was fiercely protective of Yeri, and could often been foudn hyping up the girl and her abilities. (During this time, it wasn’t uncommon for Siryung to rope other trainees into her cause.)
[ sunbaes ]
- Super Junior & Girls Generation
While Siryung doesn’t ever spend any time in the company of ther Super Junior or SNSD sunbaes, it’s important to note that they are two of the biggest reasons she chose to join SM as a trainee. They were the reason she wanted to audition for SM Entertainment in the first place. She knows all of their songs, all of their dances (even if she isn’t the best at the dances), and she knows an inordinate amount of trivia about all of the members. She’s been to a number of their comeback stages since becoming a trainee -- and even a couple after deciding to be a trainee, but before being signed. If she ever saw them in person and got the chance to introduce herself, she would probably cry.
[ NCT ]
Despite being female, Siryung still spent a lot of time training with the boys of NCT. Sometimes it was because their training times overlapped, and it was simply easier that way. Othertimes, it was because she ran into Haechan, Yuta, or Mark, and it was more fun to practice together than it was to practice alone. This meant that a lot of the time she could be found messing around with the boys. With her thick-skin and her wit, she was a good candidate for their antics.
Dream - Siryung spent a lot of time with the Dreamies largely because they were all around her age. However, even though Siryung was older and the boys called her noona, she refused to baby or “mom” them. She didn’t have a single maternal bone in her body, and she made it clear from day one. Most of their time together was spent harassing Mark (their favorite subject) or sassing with Haechan.
127 - Despite spending the most time with the Dreamies, Siryung was closest to the boys of 127, largely because her favorite boys -- Yuta, Haechan, Johnny, and Mark -- were all there. Between a lot of talking to Yuta and Johnny, and harassing Mark and Haechan (and Winwin, and Taeyong, and anyone else that wandered into her line of sight), she simply grew the most attached to them.
U - The U boys didn’t get as much of Siryung’s attention, and even then only because Mark was there. (And Taeyong, but Siryung at least tries to pretend she’s not out there to give the young leader grey hairs.) More often than not, she gangs up on people with Mark, causing trouble and being a general . After Jungwoo was introduced as a member of U, she tried to spend more time with them, if only for him.
[ rivals ]
- Irene & Seulgi
Siryung sees Irene and Seulgi as rivalvs because Irene and Seulgi are both utterly gorgeous and they’re also both incredibly skilled. Siryung envies them as dancers and also for their ability to stay so even when singing or rapping as they perform. Seulgi is Siryung’s favorite to study when she’s watching Red Velvet performances simply because of how good she both looks and sounds on stage. Irene... Irene is more of a rival in the sense that when Siryung first joined SM, she was a huge Tiffany fan....and Irene was being hailed as The 2nd Tiffany, which didn’t sit well with Siryung at all. Sure, she was gorgeous, but she was nowhere near Tiffany level of incredible. It’s not a serius thing...but it kind of is.
- Taeyong
Taeyong, ironically, is both Siryung’s rival, and her favorite person to harass. Even more so than Mark. He’s good at literally every damn thing in the book, and it drives her absolutley insane. Main dancer, main rapper -- both skills that he completley owns -- and even though he’s only labelled sometimes as a vocalist, he still has a great voice. He’s also gorgeous (like Irene and Seulgi), and the group’s center, and face. The whole, entire package. He’s practically perfect. So yeah, she’s a little (a lot!) jealous. Her goal is to beat him. One day. Eventually. ....somehow. Earning a compliment from him would be pretty nice, too. In the meantime, she’s happy to join his boys in harassing him and giving him grey hairs, instead.
Plotline: One (Six)
Position: main vocal, lead dancer (lead vocal, lead dancer)
Twins:
- sing: DC's Siyeon (Shannon Williams)
- dance: DC's Dami (Pristin's Rena)
- rap: DC's Gahyeon (for the lulz)
- talking: DC's Siyeon
- aegyo: DC's Siyeon
Trainee years: 3 years (2015-2018)
Trainee life: Siryung’s time as a trainee was relatively unremarkable. She applied herself to her training with a dogged determination that left some of the other trainees unnerved (and amused others). Already a level above some trainees because of the number of private lessons she took during her youth, Siryung was often given extra things to work on and pushed harder. But it wasn’t like she didn’t ask for it -- she wanted to be more than just good, after all. Siryung wanted to be one of the best, and she wanted to bring the sort of prestige and fame to SM Entertainment that their other artists -- SNSD, Super Junior, SHINee, TVXQ -- brought. At time, it distanced her from the other trainees. her exclusion from SM Rookies didn't help matters any, either, thoughSiryung can udnerstand why they did it. (She was too good, one of the trainers told her. SM Rookies was a way for trainees to learn new skills and better themselves, and unless Siryung wanted to work on her rapping, then there wasn't a reason to put her into a group that wouldn't see much attention for another few years.) Some of the trainees considered her to be a try-hard or kiss-up, someone that only got to where they were because she was eager to please their teachers. It just made Siryung more determined to put them in their place during evaluations. And more often than not, she did. Their words didn’t hurt her, after all. They were just trainees, no better than she was, and it wasn’t like it was their words she had to take to heart. Still, she did make some friends, befriending those that clicked with her, or those that she had mutual friends with. And isn’t it betetr to have few high quality friendships than many low quality friends?
- Siryung was a backup dancer a couple different times during various promotions cycles, most often for Taemin and Taeyeon, but nothing too serious. She never gained major recognition for it. She was also often used in the background of other SM artist MVs as part of the crowd/filler.
backup dancer: Taeyeon’s Why (2016), Taemin’s Move (2017)
Scandals/headlines:
- [FALSE] Siryung bought her way into SM and Blue Moon!
A few months after Blue Moon debuts as a cohesive unit, some fans put it all together and figure out that Siryung is related to Lee Siwon and Kim Kyungmi. While her parents aren’t super well known, they’re known enough, and they do have the funds to buy her way in life, if she so desired. (She didn’t, but that’s not the point.) Although there’s no real evidence, netizens claim that since Siryung was featured as a backup dancer during her trainee time, and because she debuted within 3 years without being part of SM rookies while other artists at the company had to train for 5-8 years before debut, she must have done something to gain favorable treatment. Therefore...money. It always boils down to money. Siryung denies this to the other girls, and SM ignores the claims for a short while before ventually releasing succinct statement that the claims a re false, and they’ll pursue legal charges if the netizens continue to slander and defame Siryung’s name.
- [true...ish] Blue Moon’s Siryung fighting with her [MEMBER NAME]!
Some months after the group’s debut (6-8), Siryung gets into it with one of the members she has the most friction with (or Woolim). The chemistry of the group is sometimes visibly off when fans catch them, leading to some suspicions that are later “confirmed” when fans catch Siryung getting animated as she talks to the member she’s been off with while they’re at a music show. Their discussion gets pretty heated, but no one can get close enough to hear what it’s about. They do take pictures however, and Discpatch gets ahold of those pictures and runs an AKP-esque story that blows the argument out of proportions. By the time it hits media outlets, the “issue” has been resolved. The time time they’re out, Siryung and the member she’d been arguing with make sure they hang close to each other and let the fans see that they’re not fighting. It’s later revealed during a fanmeet or ASC show that the two had been arguing over something stupid (think Marvel Universe v. DC Comics stupid, or even which manga to anime conversion is better).
- [false] did Blue Moon’s Siryung made [Member name] cry?
A year or so after debut, when their personalities have been well established (and it becomes clear that Siryung might do something like this). Dispatch releases incrimiating photos and sites make another clickbait article alluding to Siryung making one of the other Blue Moon girls cry. The photos are pretty blurry and grainy, but if you look close, one of the girls looks enough like Siryung, and she’s got that resting face look going as she stares at another member of Blue Moon who is obviously distressed. The netizen backlash hits fast and hard. Siryung ends up in a serious talk with their manager, explaining what happened. The member in question is pulled into it, as well as Woolim since she’s the leader. It comes to light that the other member had been having a rough day/week, and it all hit then. They left the dressing room and Siryung followed to keep an eye on her and try to make her feel better. But Siryung doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body, and trie to talk her through it and just...be there. It’s a mess, but the manager and company people are satisfied. Siryung hits up the group media outlets, releasing a statement about what happened. SM also releases a statement of telling news sites and netizens to stop spreading false news, and that anyone caught slandering Siryung’s name will be prosecuted.
personality:
Known for his smiles and his kind demeanor, but also for his wicked stage presence and his ability to own the stage, Yuta is the literal definition of duality. Off the stage, he’s kind, sweet, thoughtful, a complete gentleman. He’s definitely the sort of boy you would want to take home to your family. On the stage, he’s driven and focus, completely in his element and utterly beautiful. He dances with a passion that is breathtaking, and it’s easy to see that he loves everything that he’s doing.
The first time Siryung met Yuta, he nearly blinded her. No joke. And it’s a funny story, to boot.
In early October of 2015, almost half a year after Johnny had convinced her to practice with him and a few of the others -- Mark and Taeyong among them -- and despite being tired, Siryung didn’t think anything of it at the time. She didn’t have many friends in SM, not really, and Johnny was one of the few that, at the time, really got her. The bonus of Mark being there was nice, even if she wasn’t thrilled about a dance practice with Mr. Perfect And Handsome Taeyong -- because even then, he was amazing, and it drove her insane. But she went anyway, ready for some time with her friends, hopefully time spent learning their senior’s choreographies and messing around to whatever Johnny had on his phones. (And if she happened to do a little better at some of the girl group songs than Taeyong...well, she could hope.)
Yuta was the first one Siryung noticed when she arrived. He and Taeyong were messing around, with Mark and Johnny lounged against the back wall, looking at something on Mark’s phone. They all looked up when she entered, but Yuta was the first to smile, a big, toothy grin that may or may not have floored Siryung right then and there with an intensity that could have rivaled the sun. And that. That was a problem. A big problem.
Introductions were done, courtesy of an amused Johnny (he’d seen hadn’t he, that towering traitor), because even though Siryung had seen Yuta around, she didn’t know him, not like she knew Johnny and Mark, and not even like she knew Taeyong. But the introduction was what started their kinship, and even though Siryung curses Johnny for doing it, she thanks him, too.
“Nakamoto... You’re Japanese, right?”
“That’s right!”
Japanese was one of the few classes Siryung had been enrolled in and enjoyed during her youth, and at the time of their meeting, she was holding highly advanced conversations. With a laugh, she reintroduced herself, this time in Japanese, and was once again faced by Yuta’s blinding smile. She was, admittedly, a little flustered, and it was evident in the way she could join him and Taeyong in dancing. Yuta took it in stride, laughing, and pulled Siryung to her feet, and motioned her her to join Taeyong who had gone over to find a new song.
Eventually, they settled on a playlist of old school Super Junior and SHINee, a choice that had even Johnny and Mark climbing to their feet to join them. And as the playlist cycled through the songs, Siryung often found herself watching Yuta, admiring his concentration and the way his grinned as he and the others talked. If anyone noticed that Siryung was particularly reticient, no one mentioned it.
Siryung’s next run in with Yuta occurred a couple months after the first. It was early January 2016. Evaluations were coming up, and Siryung was struggling. Her vocals were fine -- her vocals were always fine. That was not the problem. The problem was the routine she’d been practicing for her dance evaluation. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was just a particularly tricky step-turn combo. But Siryugn couldn’t get it, and she was more than a little frustrated.
After most of the other trainees had retired to their beds, Siryung returned to the practice rooms, determined to work at it until she could figure out what the problem was. She ran into Yuta in the hallway outside the smalller practice rooms. From the bags beneath his eyes and the exhaustion weighing down his shoulders, he was tired, too, and from more than just a lack of sleep.
“You look like . ...sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine. ....you don’t look much better.”
“I’m exhausted. But evaluations are coming up, and I have this move that I just can’t get.”
“Oh. ....do you some want help?”
She should have said no. Yuta looked exhausted. But Siryung was also selfish, and lonely, and very human, and maybe the eyes of someone that didn’t have to actuallly do the dance might be able to catch whatever it was that she was missing.
Sure enough, Yuta did notice something. With a patience that seemed unreasonable for how frustrated Siryung herself had become, Yuta talked her through the problem, and issue with the timing of the footwork. it was rough, but Siryung could see where she’d made the mistake, and then kept making it was she trained herself to remember the wrong footwork. Relearning the proper choreography was a pain in the , and an hour or so into practicing, Siryung sprawled out along the floor to catch her breath and cool down, enjoying the cool wood against her sweaty skin. Beside her, Yuta stretched out as well. While it wasn’t the song his group was using for their evaluations, he was a fast learner, and he’d seen the dance used a couople times before.
“Do you ever get lonely?”
“What do you mean?”
“Being so far from your home and family, only speaking Korean. Do you ever get lonely?”
“Yeah. But don’t you get lonely, too? Johnny said you didn’t go home for the holidays.”
“My parents were working. They’re always working, so I didn’t think they’d miss me that much. And I had things to do here”
“But weren’t you lonely?”
“.....maybe a little. But I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to be.”
“You shouldn’t either. ....hey, Yuta?”
“Mm?”
“You know I speak Japanese, right?”
“Yeah. Quite well, if I recall.”
“Yeah, I do. But that’s beside the poi-- well, no, that’s the point. I could speak to you. In Japanese. If you want.”
“When, now?”
“Now, all the time, when you miss home or your family. Whenever.”
“That’s sweet of you, Siryung.”
“Who’s sweet? I’m not sweet!”
Yuta had laughed at that. But somehow, Siryung had gotten her point across. The rest of their time that evening was spent speaking in Japanese. By the time Siryung declared herself too tired to continue, she was at least passable in her dance. A couple more days, and she’d be where she needed to be. She thanked Yuta profusely once more, and she found herself once more on the receiving end of his blinding smile.
“You know, you never did tell me why you were headed to the practice rooms.”
“Oh. You’ve probably heard that the company is planning to debut the first unit of a new group soon.”
“Yeah. Mark’s in it. ...and Taeyong. ....and you’re not.”
“No. But they’ll do well! Ten is in it, too, so they don’t really need me. I was just... I was hopeful.”
Siryung understood that, being hopeful. Even though she hadn’t even been a trainee for a full year, she’d heard horror stories from the other trainees about people locked in company “dungeons”, trainees that signed their life away and trained for years only to waste their youth and talent waiting for a debut that would never come. Many lost hope. Johnny joked that he’d probably end up one a dungeon trainee, like one of the SM Rookies that had left around the time of her arrival. He’d been training for eight years already, after all. Eight years was a long time.
Siryung didn’t know what to tell Yuta. Comfort wasn’t a strong suit of hers. All she had was honesty. So that’s what she went with.
“You’re an amazing dancer.”
“Thank you?”
“I’m not done. You’re an amazing dancer. You’re better than Taeyong, and you’re better than Ten, and you deserve more credit for your hard work. You’re a good singer, too, even though--”
“You’ve only heard me sing once. And Gee is not a flattering song.”
“Yuta, you are killing me here! You’re also a good rapper. And rapping to old Super Junior is still rapping, so don’t you dare fight me, cause I will square up!”
“I won’t, I won’t!”
Making Yuta laugh wasn’t Siryung’s end goal. Really. Honestly. She just wanted to make him smile again -- not be blinded, mind you, just get him to smile -- and while Siryung wasn’t the sort of person to lie, she wasn’t afraid to be blunt with her personal brand of honesty, either. Regardless of her intentions, Yuta was smiling, looking boyish and charming, and years younger than he had when he’d first entered the practice room with her. When they finally seperated to return to their respective dorms, it was with lighter hearts, a little less burden, and the reminder that neither of them of ever truly alone.
Months passed. Siryung and Yuta met often, practicing alone some nights while spending others in the company of Johnny and other trainees. During that time, they grew closer, and it quickly became common knowledge that Yuta was both Siryung’s weakness and balm. When she was tired and hurting and lonely? Yuta knew just what to say, and someone went in search of him. When Siryung was angry and preparing to throw down with another trainee over something stupid? Johnny called for Yuta and had him talk her down over the phone. When she needed a pick me up? Someone was bound ot have a candid photo of Yuta on their phone or tablet somewhere. Whatever worked.
When the NCT 127 unit was announced and Yuta was named in the debut lineup, Siryung spent the night celebrating with him. She reminded him of their conversation from back in January, telling him that he was everything he thought he was, and more, that he was the best dancer they could ask for, that his skills couldn’t be denied, that he’d worked hard, and how very proud she wa of him. The night ended early and bittersweet. Yuta had an early morning -- practices and photoshoots, more practices, and a date with the stylists to go over his debut concept. So they parted ways....but not before Yuta told Siryung that her time would come and they’d meet on stage one day, and not before Siryung reminded Yuta of how proud she was.
(The next time Siryung saw Yuta, it was in passing with Johnny, just days after the stylists give him his infamous Firetruck hair. They promptly found a halllway to collapse in and spent a good ten minutes laughing over Yuta’s electrocuted poodle hair.)
Siryung and Yuta got precious little time together after that. It felt like NCT 127 was always promoting, especially after Johnny’s addition in late December. And when they werne’t promoting, Siryung was busy with evaluations, determined to keep up her end of things, or Yuta was busy practicing and preparing for the inevitable comeback.
It was missing Yuta like one might miss a limb -- more than Siryung missed Johnny, or Mark, or Haechan -- that showed her that what she felt for Yuta was more than the sisterly love she held for the others. But between NCT 127’s busy promotions, and Siryung’s own practices and the fact that she was still just a trainee, she refused to mention it the few times they could meet. Later, she told herself. Later, Siryung promised herself, when she had debuted and had proved that she deserved the spotlight, that she deserved the love of her fans, she would tell him and hope, maybe, just maybe, that she might earn his love, too.
Being announced as part of the lineup for Blue Moon was surprising. Finding Yuta -- and Johnny, and Mark, and Haechan, and even the Mr. Perfect Taeyong -- waiting to congratulate her was also surprising. But nothing was more surprising than the way Yuta singled her out later that night as the other started to drift away in search of their beds.
“I’m so proud of you!”
“I-- thank you. It...it’s kind of overwhelming.”
“Yeah, it is. But you get used to it.”
“Do you really?”
“No. But it’s worth it. Being on stage, seeing all the fans that have come to see you, hearing the fanchants, hearing them sing along... It’s worth it.”
“Is it?”
“Of course it is. And you are, too.”
They parted ways soon after, Yuta to drag Johnny to bed, and Siryung to prepare for an early, hectic morning. But even after they parted and in the days that followed, Yuta’s words haunted her.
After debut, Siryung had even less time to meet Yuta than before. They still snuck out sometimes, meeting in the practice room for an hour of talking in the familiar comfort of Japanese and for age-old choreographies they knew as well as their own names, but nowhere near as often as they did before. They were idols, popular figures with schedules to follow and images to uphold, and it was the concept of an image to uphold that stopped Siryung. She still liked him, after all. Yuta. His bright smile, his radiant demeanor, his laugh like liquid sunshine.
But when she got the chance to tell him how she felt...she couldn’t. She was afraid to jeopardize things. Their friendship, his relationship with his group, hers with Blue Moon. SM’s dating policy wasn’t as strict as some companies’, but it wasn’t something she was keen on breaking either. But.... It was Yuta. And Siryung adored him. Siryung adored him, and she’d adored him for so very long....
It took a year of active promotions from Blue Moon, a solid year of what felt like constant dance and vocal practices, and lyric learning, hair pulling, clothes fittings, car rides to and from filming locations and music shows, before Siryung snapped back to herself, clarity brought one day by on by a candid picture of Yuta and herself, sprawled out on the practice room floor as they laughed about some thing or another. His smile still warmed her bones, and his laugh made her heart race, and she still really liked him. And maybe.... Maybe it was time to tell him.
(To his credit, Yuta knew. Even before Siryung approached him after practice one day, asking for a minute of his time. Even before they bailed on the other NTC boys and headed off down the hall in search of somewhere quiet and semi-private to talk. Yuta had known for a lot longer than Siryung had. And truly, his patience was infinite. At leats, that was what Siryung told herself when Yuta smiled at her, admitting he’d known about her feelings for some time and that it was okay, because he liked her, too.)
ending: your choice! (personally, I'd love to see Siryung happy with Yuta, but I know that not everyone is going to be happy and end up with their l/i)
status: currently just good friends & labelmates
trivia:
- [ him ] Yuta has Siryung saved in his phone as “✩ Siryung”. When she first saw it, he claimed it was because she was a shining star, and it reminded him every time he saw it that she was going to go places. His ringtone for her is part of the chorus for her song Hello.
- [ her ] Siryung has Yuta saved in her phone as “☀ Yuta”. She doesn’t even both to try to explain it. It’s obvious enough. Her ringtone for him is a clip of Yuta singing the chorus of Gee.
- [ language ] When it’s just the two of them, they speak Japanese with each other. But when their members are around or they’re in public, they stick to Korean.
- [ downtime ] Their favorite thing to do together is dance. Even though Siryung is a vocalist, she's a good enough dancer to keep up, especially if they're dancing to popular songs or to songs from their company sunbaes.
- [ music ] They listen to a lot of the same music, partially because they give each other song recs and partially because it gives them a reason to seek each other out.
- [ square up ] If Siryung is about to throw down, be it verbally or possibly physically, the easiest way to calm her is to either find Yuta, call Yuta, or show her a picture of Yuta. No, it's really that easy.
- [ selcas ] For this reason, Yuta sends her selcas all the time. she has a folder of all the pictures he sends her. (and another of any photos Johnny, MArk, or Haechan send her.)
- [ PDA ] One of their favorite non-intimate pdas is hair/head petting. Siryung will lean against Yuta's side, and he'll pet her hair. 9 times out of 10 it also makes her really sleepy.
Siryung straightens, eyeing the camera with something very much like pride on her features. "Hello, I am Blue Moon's Sword and Shield, Siryung!"
“Blue Moon’s concept is...” Siryung hesitates, expression blanking for a moment before it smooths into something familar and almost warm. “Interesting. Our concept is interesting. I think it’s a good way to introduce ourselves to the public. Girl groups don’t often get to show off the individual members early in their careers, so I feel like this is a great way for our fans and any prospective fans to get a taste of our individual flavors and skill sets and see how we fit into the group as a whole. It has an added bonus of showcasing the wide variety of genres that we can handle. For example, my song, Hello, is nothing at all like [Member Name’s] song, Idle Song. And our songs are nothing like Woolim’s Rollercoaster. Two different genres for two different girls.”
“It’s funny, actually.” Siryung’s expression softens. “My parents were very busy when I was growing up, so I ended up in a number of extra classes to occupy myself. And when I wasn’t at those classes, I watched a lot of tv. In 2009, a number of SM artists made comebacks that swept the public off their feet. I happened across a music program where SNSD was performing, and it got to me in a way that nothing else did.” She laughs softly genuinely fond of the memory of her younger self. “I was starstruck back then, awed by performances of SNSD and Super Junior and SHINee as they performed. They were beautiful, and their dances were so amazing, and the fans were cheering so loud, and I just... I wanted that. I wanted it so badly. So I suppose it was a combinaiton of all of that.”
“Tiffany sunbae,” Siryung answers promptly, straightening again with a toothy, winning smile. “When Gee first came out, she was the one I always watched. I couldn’t look away. Her voice was effortless. I loved all of SNSD, don’t get me wrong, but I was ten years old when I decided I wanted to be an idol, and Tiffany was my idol. I also greatly admire Taeyeon. She’d such an accomplished soloist now, and I hope to one day be even half as recognized as she is.” Siryung quiets for a moment, then her smile returns, wide and cheeky. “And now Wendy, I think.” A groan comes from behind the camera, and laughter follows it. Siryung’s love for Wendy is well-esablished, and at least one person was waiting for her to say something about it. “She’s an excellent vocalist, and someone that I really look up to!”
This seems something like a trick question at first, and Siryung’s expression scrunches a little in thought. She wants to accomplish so many things, of course. Who doesn’t? Blue Moon has the skill and training necessary to make it big. She knows that. And they certainly have the backing, with SM as their label. But it’s still a loaded quesiton, and one Siryung approaches carefully. “I’m sure you expect me to say that I want Blue Moon to become the next ‘Nation’s Girl Group’, and I do, but I don’t.” Siryung straightens, eyes focusing on the camera with a strange solemnity. “I hope to see Blue Moon lead the next generation of K-pop artists. I want to see us become a household name, known for our individual talents and our skills as a cohesive unit. Individually, we’re strong, but together we’re unstopable. I want Blue Moon to become the world’s girl group, known for our skills and renowned for our ability to take any concept and make it unique and our own. I want the whoel world to know our name.”
alias: Ariel
activity: 9/10
- Siryung and yuta sneaking off to practice together for a little while
- Siryung preparing to square up, and Woolim sighing and pulling out her phone and finding a picture of Yuta smiling and Siryung completely just. "we were going to fight? i don't remember that."
- Siryung teasing Taeyong. and grey hairs. and lowkey pissed because he's so damn pretty and perfect, he's obviously not human.
- Siryung & Haechan tormenting the members. (or just Mark. they would be happy just tormenting Mark.)
- Siryung tormenting Johnny.
- Siryung lives up to her "sword and shield" persona and squares up to someone who's giving one of the younger Blue Moon girls hell.
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