PERSONALITY.

ISFP,
TRUE NEUTRAL     
black and white morality, the voiceless, intelligence = isolation, good cannot comprehend evil. 

ines thinks the world is noisy. everyone talks too much, moves too fast. she does not like that about the world, so ines figured that she would rather not talk, because talking requires thinking of the correct word, arranging her sentences in the right placement and making everything seem worth talking about, worth listening to. so she resorts to other things to occupy her time: like being left alone in her room so she can read, void of thoughts and feelings. though the return of it isn't all that bad, with her impeccable report card that gets ines the title of ‘idols who could have become something great if not an idol’, ines became used to being in solitude, choosing to grab a book and dive into it rather than standing out and putting herself out there. ines' brain works simply: friends and popularity will betray you one day, but knowledge will never.

though she might not talk much, ines actually does not hate talking. she actually would like to hold a conversation or two on things she is genuinely interested in, but she needs someone to approach her first and strike a conversation because ines... does not really know the right way to without seeming creepy or off-putting. holding conversations are not an easy feat either, and knowing she might seem boring or uninteresting to the general public scares her. no thoughts are better than negative thoughts– so she learns to be content with people not knowing her story or the things she kept inside. despite always choosing to keep her silence and becoming one with the background, an extra in her self-titled, self-produced, self-written movie: ines is a strong believer in delivering justice. you can poke fun at her with her there, in flesh, listening to everything and ines can keep her tough exterior on, pretending she does not give a damn but once you do something that is against ines' sense of justice– she will do something. albeit not exactly the scale of wonder woman, ines will speak up and tell you that it is wrong to do so and that you should not do it again. when ines do this, she is extremely serious and will push the topic until she thinks the other party gets the severity of the situation... but fail to notice that she have just scared everyone or ruin the mood. this is one of the reason why ines is known as the member who is better left alone unless needed to be talked to, because a lot of the time she fails to read the mood of the room.

HUFFLEPUFF,
AQUARIUS SUN.

always second place, the stoic, violently protective girlfriend, tragic dream.

if there's one thing about ines ji that is sad in a way that it is not exactly sad– it is how hard she tries. ines always tries hard: the type do everything as though her life depended on it, putting herself wholly into something disregarding the consequences that will be inflicted on her which is not always the best. she never takes anything lightly, but it is almost like everything looks at her efforts... lightly. to ines, it always seems like something about her is never enough. though she go through multiple nosebleeds, back aches, bruises on both her knees– someone can just saunter by, do everything she worked hours on within the span on a few minutes perfectly and inevitably pushes her to second place. there is always someone better than her no matter how hard she tries and this re-occuring event shapes ines into someone with a lot of insecurity. but ines, once again, would never show her feelings to the world. her cards are never on the table, heart hidden from the public– that is, if she even have one. as knowledgeable as she is, humor is a concept that is hard to grasp. this stems from how oblivious she is to trends or her inability to know what's funny and what's not. ines knows to laugh when the other person is, or when she feels like it, or when she's happy– but not when it is for courtesies. if ines does not find your jokes funny, she wouldn't laugh. if she does, maybe it would be a beat too late and it would seem too awkward then and you'd already notice and know that she does not find you funny. this, is the reason why her company thinks ines is not fit for variety, not because she is not funny but because she does not do things that she does not feel like doing.

she wouldn't call it abandonment issues exactly, but ines is used to being overlooked. there's always someone better and ines is always lacking something, this is how the world works in ines' favor, apparently. so it comes off as a surprise to her when someone chooses her, when she is someone's go-to girl. ines always shows genuine surprise and delight when a fan announces her as their favorite member, which always comes off as a ‘fake’ reaction because why would someone be so excited to receive love? well, ines would because no one have ever preferred her to anyone else in her life before. when someone shows a liking to ines and she is able to reciprocate that– ines gets a little possessive. it is already hard enough for her to find someone to like her, in her opinion, so why not hold onto them and make sure they only like her until the end? she does not go all berserk when someone loses interest, though, but this will only add to her insecurities, which... to say the least about it, . but that is how it have always been for one ines ji. it is like she is destined for doom: not being good enough, not being talented enough, never anyone's first choice... even to the point of sharing the same dreams with a million girls, able to realize it but not even enjoying it to the fullest because she is just.. so... lacking. 

ines ji might not be made for idol life, but she can manage. she might be quiet and unsuspecting, not eye-catching nor is she extremely good at anything at all– but just like everyone, she is the main character in her own movie and main characters always have their own stories.

BACKGROUND.

ines thinks her parents are great but she does not completely disagree to the sentiment that parents does not have favorites. however you look at it, it is blaringly obvious that iven is the favorite even when there is only the two of them. she does not blame her parents either because ines understands that iven is better at being adorable, have lots of friends and is actually, probably, somewhere on the social ladder at school while all of that is proven non-existential for someone like ines. ines herself likes iven better. growing up, ines have always felt as if she is on a completely different plane than her family. though they did not outcast nor hurt her, her parents does not look for her when she's gone, does not force her to join the family dinners they have and only ever remembers her existence when it is exam season. the only time ines had felt as though she is thought of and a part of the family is when her mother cooks her favorite food, or when her father would buy her the latest best-selling novel, or when they secretly register her for ballet dance classes after noticing she watches a lot of ballet videos on youtube. this is not because they hate her or that she is secretly adopted– her parents think is what ines would have liked: being left alone. who would have thought that ines soon starts seeing this as signs that her parents favored iven? it is partly ines' fault, too, for not being able to talk about her feelings plainly and instead, assume things on her own.

raised as the ji family's daughter who is good at everything except seeming approachable, ines brought a lot of great pride to the family with her academic achievements in school. from the report cards donned with A+ and A's to the numerous medals and trophies from competitions with money on the line, though ines might not be personally intimate with her parents– she gets along okay with them. sometimes she talks to her mom about the book she'd just finished and watches basketball games on tv with her dad but ines knows they wish she's more like iven: lively, with friends to bring home and parties to attend on the wekends. the only time ines seems like she have friends is when she would run to the car while simultaneously waving at her grinning, over energetic ballet dance class friends. these friends, however, have never frequent the ji family household and only serves as ines' ballet class friends. 

ballet become ines' only connection to her parents and iven, then. her parents sees her passion in ballet more healthy than how obsessed she is with locking herself up in her room to finish a book and so they push her to pursue it. she joins competitions on her own, auditions for plays and even goes as far as changing ballet instructors when ines felt sick of the old practice room she'd frequent from when she was 9. her parents start to spend more time with her to talk about ballet and iven started to think of ines as more than just his younger sister who at talking and would rather befriend books and fictional characters. ines, though forced at first to accept ballet into her life, sees the art of dancing it as a way to express her feelings. ines likes how she feels different when she's dancing, she loves the feeling of letting herself go with only the music to listen to. ines have to admit, ballet is way better than books. 

one day, ines’ classmate who only talks to her when she needs a lab partner started yelling about a k-pop company holding global auditions. ines being ines, she had nodded, listened and completely forget about it the moment she gets home. the person who reminded of her about it again is iven, who heard about it from a friend. ines does not want to be an idol. she does not think she fits in the entertainment industry and she knows she can never become one. 

“go audition!” iven yelled, jumping onto her bed. 

ines throws him a disgusted look from her study desk. “like i will even pass.”

iven responds with an identical look to ines' disgusted ones. “you can't just join cheap plays and dance in the practice room forever, ines. try going for something big for once, you've played safe your whole life.” ines' features morphed into something softer and iven took that one moment of confusion from ines as a yes which leads to ines actually going to the audition....

and passing.

FUN FACTS. 

☘  her name is most often mispronounced as ‘ine-jeu’ which annoys her to no end. she will actively correct the person no matter how many times it takes, or resort to asking them to call her ji soo, which is a name she does not respond to.
☘   ines tends to get very sarcastic when she is upset but rarely uses profanity.
☘   though she's really just shy, a lot of people tend to think ines does not like people, especially if they're male due to how she typically acts around them (seems annoyed, but she's just nervous). the exceptions to this are only nct and, surprisingly, male group winner.
☘   fidgety, anxious gestures like foot-tapping and hand-fidgeting is a habit to ines ji or something that she does without noticing. even when holding a pen, ines tends to fidget or bite on it. 
☘  when worried, ines spaces out a lot instead of telling people her problems or worries. this is one of the reason why she is not always sent out for reality, variety or talk shows.
☘  ines sees dancing as the only time she can be... not herself. she likes singing, but does not see it as something she can really channel herself into. 
☘  her favorite person in the world is winner's kang seungyoon. no one actually knows why and even ines herself could not give a real reason, but gjsn were once invited to idol radio with kang seungyoon as the mc and ines immediately takes a liking to him.
☘  gjsn's songs aren't actually songs that ines would listen to religiously. it isn't because their songs are bad, it's because ines is more of a pop punk bands girl and prefers songs from all time low or 5 seconds of summer.  
☘  she does not know how to cook but once she follows a recipe, she can actually get it right in one go and can even make delicious first-time meals from recipes online alone. the others think ines is good at cooking when she actually... is not. 
☘ ines' one wish is so that she can be noticed even when she's being quiet. she wants to be the cool member that have an attractive aura without having to be loud and overzealous, but instead right now she just blends into the wallpaper.
☘  she is anaemic and suffers from vertigo. her whole family has it, however, so it is not shocking. having vertigo and being a dancer does not go hand-in-hand though, so ines struggles a lot with it.
☘  after dealing with a heartbreak at the tender age of 15 with a white guy she met in school, ines stopped being interested in romance or relationships.
☘  ines is allergic to alcohol and shrimp. she does not drink when the others do, instead always choosing to get juice or plain water. ines' one true love is coffee, any taste and any type will do as long as it is caffeinated. this also includes carbonated drinks, like pepsi and cola.
☘  though she is usually very quiet and does not know the right way to express herself or attract attention, ines is competitive when it comes to competitions with something on the line for her. otherwise, she keeps quiet and laughs with the others.
☘  instead of rice, ines can't live without noodles. her favorite is rice noodles and neoguri ramen.
☘   because she is generally very quiet, ines does not get a lot of screen time when on variety shows. however, when she does say something, ines is always witty and have refreshing comments. [think svt's the8].

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO SING/DANCE/rap? TO PERFORM?

inspiration? ines does not have an idea. she have always liked dancing, having learnt ballet from a young age but it have never been a career path she is keen on. “inspires...? i don't have a human inspiration. i think i just like how dancing and singing is like... a different way to express yourself. instead of using words which i am bad at, i can just... dance or sing and people understand the feeling i want them to feel. it's nice, it's more intimate than talking. so i keep wanting to do it.” she said calmly, word by word, slowly as if she is scared she will mess up her sentence again. she really would like it if her sentences can convey how she really feels about performing. 

WHICH SENIORS DO YOU LOOK UP TO?

“red velvet sunbaenim-deul!” she answers at once, beaming with a bright smile. “i think they are very versatile with great musicality. you know when you listen to a song and feel like, is this red velvet's because of the... uniqueness? i want to be a group like that. i also really like winner because.. they can stand on their own but their voices together is really nice as well.” she nods, grinning wider and raising up two thumb-ups.

WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FROM THE OTHERS?

ines tilts her head to one side, long blonde hair falling in waves onto her shoulder. what kind of question is this? if she answers wrongly, won't it put her at a disadvantage? “because i speak french?” she offers timidly, in french before repeating the same sentence in korean this time. ines then raises both her shoulders in a shrug, frowning. “i have no idea! i myself don't think i stand out that much apart from the french... foreigner part. maybe they see something in my dance and my..self. i don't really know...” 

ines have always been insecure of this. she have always felt like she's in the group because they need diversity, they need a foreigner member to seem more relatable, different but approachable. after all, she have only been training for 6 months and suddenly she's debuting? maybe the only thing special about her is her nationality.

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

she takes her time thinking of this one, fiddling with her fingers and blinking a lot.  “being left alone.” she decides, announcing it confidently. “i am scared of being lonely. i have to always be around people.” she said all this with a smile on her face, the one that she puts on in front of fans, on interviews, when the camera pans toward her on broadcasts and live shows.

she knows once fans know of this interview, they will immediately make it known to her that they will always be here for her but ines couldn't help but to worry, so she saves all the other answers she have in mind, like not being enough, hard to love, being too boring... what if idol life is not for her...?

BIRTH NAME.  mark lee, 이마크 of nct
BACKUP.  yoo youngmi, 유영미 of gjsn

PERSONALITY.

mark lee... to ines, is bright lights, dynamites and colorful lanterns you find at festivals, hung on a string. he can light up a room with his boyish laughters alone, make people feel at home even in the most unlikely of places. mark is bright, bubbly, and constantly buzzing with positive energy and optimism. a walking contradiction, ines wonders what mark really is: a socially awkward charmer or an awkwardly social social butterfly– and maybe he's both at the same time. he does not need stories of his crazy misadventures or overdramatic reactions or cheesy pickup line to attract people to listen to him, to hang around and stay. ines envies that about mark: how he's so likable, so loved by almost everyone around him just by being his slightly dorky, adorable self. she knows for a fact, however, that mark earns all the praises he's had– he works hard at everything he does. from his dancing to his rapping and even to keeping up the good image he have on the people in his circle and especially to the public.

ines would never have thought that mark envies her. he envies how she is able to make her own decisions, to say no and to have time for herself where she just lies down without the pressure to always crack a joke or to keep a smile on her face– unlike him. mark finds himself pressured to always laugh, to smile and to always be the one up for the crazy adventures he's asked on. he is used to having several responsibilities thrown at him all at once with expectations that he will conquer them and excel at it; having no plans for the day because he knows for a fact that someone will come over, ask him to join in on their fun and whether mark wants it or not he'll do it anyway. because that is what people expect of him. he's their "go-to" guy, the fun one, the one you bring to parties because he will do the craziest thing just for some laughs. mark gets tired sometimes, too, he wants day offs to spend in his room, on his guitar. sometimes, it feels like he does not even have control on his life. mark feels selfish sometimes, how he will ignore his aching shoulder and back after all the tenuous dance practices because he's got all these eyes on him and mark is scared once he messes up, they will look away... and that can't happen.

mark lee is bright lights and dynamites, and he is someone who will do so much better if people remembers that bright lights can dim and dynamites does not constantly buzz all the time: it explodes, too, and then everything goes dark until you light up a new one. 
 

LOVE STORY.

there were links between ines and mark. it was as if the universe was intent on putting the two together: from how they are both canadian, have yoo youngmi as their mutual friend and how they are both 99 liners.

they were left with no choice but to be friends with youngmi actively pushing the two together, teaming up with johnny who would never fail to mention how they're both canadians whenever the two of them are in the same room, as if it isn't obvious enough. naturally, the two exchange greetings slowly at first and then starts hanging out with the rest of their respective group members in the practice rooms.

mark lee is easy to make friends with, even though ines sometimes feel bad for him because he would always be the one talking while ines fades into the background, laughing at the right moment and adding her input when she feels like she have to, so mark knows she's listening. ines likes how mark make her feel– she thinks less when she's with him: there were no pressure on her to constantly give reactions because mark have enough reactions for the both of them; she can speak more comfortably without worrying about choosing the right korean words to convey her feelings because mark speaks fluent english and even a little french. for a moment, it does not feel like she have to try so hard to appeal, to seem there. mark would always find her even when they were in huge crowds, gives her that excitable smile of his and finds her, weird information and questionable stories already at the tip of his tongue. 

they make good friends, the both of them. it was more than just the links between them. it was how mark lee is always buzzing with excitement in that small body of his and how ines is there to contain it all, to tone it down with how calm and serene she is. johnny likes to say that mark annoys ines with how loud he is and ines would always laugh while mark whines about it but in truth, mark and ines somehow.. in a weird way... completes each other. mark wants ines to see the good in everything, to have fun with life like how he is and ines trusts mark enough to let herself go for once and to laugh a little louder.

so imagine the surprise ines must have felt when, a few months into their fun, crazy-filled adventures as friends– mark had said something weird. no, instead of said, it was more like a confession. 

“ines... i like you.”

she would have laugh it off if mark does not, for once, seem serious. the confession comes with a blank expression, fingers fiddling with the hem of his hoodie and a lot of blinking. ines was confused and mark was nervous. then, like an after-thought, he adds, “i uh, i just wanted to tell you that. it's my feelings so i'll be responsible for it, you're not obligated to say or do anything.” and then he smiles. ines notices how the edges of his lips shake but she was far too shocked to respond to his confession. it was not her first confession, but from someone like mark? someone who shines so bright, so easy to like, so... unlike ines. 

ines likes mark because who doesn't like the guy? but ines and mark, no matter how close they were, are made to be good friends. ines will never be good enough to stand by him, there is no way she can be interesting enough to make their relationship last a long time and as much as she trusts and likes mark, she knows mark is no competition to her insecurities. once she starts realizing how.... not enough she is for mark lee, she would start to stay away and fade into the background like usual.

but a part of ines desperately wants to keep him around. to feel feelings that would make her ignore her insecurities and the whispers telling her she will never be good enough.

and that night, when she had locked her phone, ignoring the wallpaper she have of gjsn and nct with mark standing beside her, the two of them doing identical, upside-down peace signs with their hands– ines realizes with a start at how all this would not matter... because they are idols and love isn't made for them.

THE ENDING.  there are two endings: ending a where mark gets tired of waiting and moves on, so ines is left feeling sorry for both him and herself but it is probably for the better even though it hurts a little when fans started noticing how the two seems rather awkward or a little distant with each other. ending b is where ines finally gets over her insecurities slowly, one at a time with mark helping her through it all but they would not be an immediate couple. they would probably start very slow so they can learn things about each other and being in a relationship. they can even end up dating and then breaking up, which will bring them to ending a's after-math, where they seem distant and awkward.

you can choose whichever fits the story and bring more drama or helps with character development or the plot!! 

☘   ines calls mark “minmark”, a mixture of minhyung and mark but a lot of fans have misheard her and thought it was “mon mark”  which is.. my mark. mark never calls her by her korean name, she is almost always ines or “canadian buddy”. 
☘   the two speaks in english with random spatterings of french words. korean is basically non-existent for the both of them, except for when they are around others and wants them to feel included.
☘   ines and mark always shares their food or drinks without wiping or using different eating utensils. when the others notice, they will reason with it ‘not being a big deal’ for canadians. in truth, no correlation at all.
☘   mark can eat ines' left-overs and always do but ines, who does not eat anyone's left-overs, wouldn't touch mark's. sometimes mark jokes about how that always hurts him.
☘  the two are known to always leave stages together at the end of music shows when promotions overlap. once, fans caught the two of them almost leaving the stage together because they were busy talking, even though nct have to perform for their 1st win encore stage. 
☘  ines' mother calls mark ‘son’ in korean. iven said he would rather have mark as a sibling. mark had once mentioned of how his mother looks at ines so prettily that it made mark felt outcasted.
☘  if mark finds everything johnny does funny, ines barely laughs except when johnny had annoy her enough to bring out laughter from her.
☘  ines' favorite nct member is actually taeyong.
☘ once, for halloween, mark dressed up as spiderman and surprisingly, ines had went as gwen stacy. it became sort-of a huge deal but the two insisted that they did not plan on it. (they really didn't.)
☘ these two spends time together by practicing, dancing, listening to songs together in the practice room and making loud noises, ordering food to eat together while they talk about... a lot of things. they rarely hang out outside together.
☘ ines saves mark's contact name as ‘markly’ and mark saves hers as ‘quebec’.

COMMENTS. it's been so long since i last apply for a girl group fic, but i am actually pretty happy with how ines ji, my first character for 2020, turns out. my shoulders are hurting so much because i think i spend too much time on this, but i hope you'll see ines ji as the girl i want her to be!!! 

PASSWORD.    #608A7B   instead of seeing it from a romantic viewpoint, it is more of how ines thinks about the people around her who always seems to have something she does not. she knows it hurts to think of how much she's lacking in, but she still does so she can think of what she wants to have.

SOLO SONG IDEAS · SM STATION RELEASES:

SM STATION RELEASES 
☘ dandelion, oohyo
☘ 45.7 cm, yoo seungwoo ft. oohyo (with nct's jungwoo)☘ perhaps maybe, oohyo


SOLO SONGS 
☘ so-so, baek ayeon
☘ ordinary love, park kyung ft park boram (with nct's mark lee)