HUFFLEPUFF |  VIRGO  |  LAWFUL GOOD  |  AIR BENDER

kind  |  attentive  |  positive  |  creative  |  out of the box  |  perceptive  |  hardworking

closed off  |  introverted  |  private  |  independent  |  alone  |  proud  |  insecure

 

 

he's obedient and he works hard to prove that he deserves to be here. he tries so hard to be what everyone wants or needs him to be, he's constantly shaping himself into another mold, twisting and turning himself into the expected shape. the perfect idol for madame kang, an energetic and fun group member for the performance team, a reliable member for the full group leader, a listening ear for this friend or an active helping hand for that friend. minseo just wants to be good enough, he wants to be accepted and liked. he's so insecure from years and years of being squeezed by the big kpop trainee machine that he's raw on the inside and trying anything to keep himself together and he's being weighed down by the word: deserve. everything is about does he deserve to be here? has he worked hard enough to deserve to be here? does he get along with the other members enough to deserve to be here? is he skillful enough to deserve to be here? charismatic enough? pretty enough? 

 

at his best, minseo is a sweet bright and positive presence that will light up whatever room he is in. he cares about people in sincere way that is rare in people. he will sincerely ask about your well-being and then actually remember everything you've talked about to ask after the next time you meat. he will always offer a listening ear if thing are rough for you and try to help in any way he can. if you've earned his loyalty, minseo will go through fire for you. the caring side of minseo is absolutely real. minseo distilled to his purest essence is a sweet pure strawberry juice.

 

his ongoing fight with depression has left his heart scarred with holes. holes in his self-worth, holes in his hope and optimism, holes in his trust. he closed up and internalized all these feelings of dread while keeping a brave face on the outside. despite the fact that minseo will be a listening ear and a support for anyone who needs it, he's very private about his own struggles and tries to never let it show that he's in deep . always keep a smile on and always make nobody is worried and that no weakness shows. weakness might mean he's not suitable for the group. he's been struggling with his depression all on his own for years now and it's eating him up inside. aside from the fears and the depression, he's also naturally an introvert. though he loves people and company, it drains him and he does need moments on his own to compensate for the energy he's expanded on people. there can be a real whiplash between energetic and bright full battery minseo and quiet and retreated into his own mind battery recovery minseo.

 

tl;dr: fragile baby bird trying so hard to keep the pieces from falling apart all on his own. he shoulders his own world. helps others but doesn't let them help him in return. one more scalding critique away from shattering.

 

 

background

— before training (2000to 2009) —

 

been dancing all his life. placed high in a national dance competition that got him to perform as a 9 year old at one of those variety shows (star king?) where they show off cute young kids oozing with talent. got offered a trainee position at sm afterwards which he accepted, starstruck. 

parents are supportive but don't know what they've done to him/

 

— sm general trainee (2009 to late-2017) —

 

was a literal 9 year old baby when he was entered sm. didn't get considered for exo cause he was, at that time, an 11 year old baby. training at such a young age definitely damaged his self esteem and selfworth but he stayed the bright eyed and energetic kid he was despite sm's attempts at molding him into the perfect idol. 

puberty wasn't as kind ot him as sm would have liked, comparisons to jonghyun were brought up but in the end sm had prettier and more influential/favored dancers in taeyong and mark and jisung and minseo was never even placed in the program.

minseo sank into a deep depression after not making it into either of the trainee program and seeing all of his friends disappear into debut or the secretive dungeon of the sljk-b program. he almost got cut at the end of 2016 but the wakeup call made him work twice as hard to still be considered.

 

— SLJK-B (late-2017 to present) —

in the middle of 2017 a prominent performance member got cut from the program and they looked to the leftovers in the general program to find a potential replacements. eyes fell on minseo, who was slated for non-renewal when his contract would expire at the end of the year, but he'd been making improvements again and was now the best dancer of the trainees left in the program so he finally got moved to sljk-b.

still suffers from anxiety and low self worth but has learned to hide it effectively and works his off to prove he's worthy of debut cause he doesn't know what else he would do.

 

talent twins

— [ LEAD DANCE #1 / CHAN ]  (backup: lead dance #2 / jun)

 

— twin:rocky

 

— he was always a great dancer and he's kept that up during training, and the many years he spent here have given him a good basic degree of skills. he can sing stably while dancing, he can rap a decent idol-level rap. he doesn't excell in vocals and rapping but he holds his own comfortably. when he's in his element minseo is a treat to watch, his dancing is at its best when he's allowed to be crisp and sharp, and his pirhouettes are second to none in the group.

that being said, because of his own confidence issues he can fall away a little when the whole group is performing. while he's competent at singing and rapping, there are so many that are better than him in the group that he doesn't end up getting a lot of lines and he can feel intimidated by the confidence and charisma of the others. it's a lot better when it's just the performance unit or one of the smaller units but he's working on it.

 

scandals 

— up to you :)

 

likes

— strawberries

— rain

— sensitive music

— dogs

— dancing

dislikes

— cats

— sour food

— heat

— pressure

— dancing with too many layers

 

trivia

— his preferred dancing style is softer and more melodic but he will work hard to nail whatever style is necessary.
— prefers singing over rapping but, again, does what he's assigned to do
— minseo is a decent enough cook but not a standout

— really gullible and easily fooled or pranked

— he doesn't cry easily or in public

— he's still a baby choreographer, the others are much more skilled than he is and he feels very self-consious about his creations but he's learning

 

relationships

 

— madame kang 
she terrifies him. whenever she's around his's more tense than a taut spring. he's so hyper aware that any kind of weakness can see her cut him from the program and the company in a heartbeat, and he knows that he entered the program on shaky footing to begin with. he has to show her that he deserves to be here. he becomes totally serious around her.

— heechul
he starts off just as guarded around heechul as around kang, but heechul makes it very hard to be formal too and slowly minseo starts feeling like at least heechul might see him as human as opposted to product.

 

 

 

what would you add to the paradox team?

— minseo takes a deep breath, he's been practicing for this question, he knows what to say even if it gives him a cold sweat just tot hink about it. "all round talent," he says, the way he's rehearsed it. "dance is my main talent of course but after years and years of training i have competently mastered singing and rapping as well. i also embody the sm values, after so many years at the company. i will not disappoint you." please, please let that be enough.

what are you confident in? what do you lack?

— "i am confident in my dancing," he says, trying not to let his eye venture into the corner as he remembers what he rehearsed. he lacks most in visuals of course, everyone can see that, but it doesn't do to actually say that out loud. let it remain in thoughts only, as surely the interviewer must be thinking just that. "i lack in rapping and vocals compared to those who have trained specifically for them but i will hold my own, i'm confident." he's not,but appearing confident is the first skill an idol should have.

which seniors do you look up to? why?

— "i look up to taemin sunbaenim the most," minseo says. "he has such effortless grace and artistry and work ethic, i aspire to be like him someday."

where do you see yourself in ten years?

— he has no idea, truly he does not. he thinks but he can't see farther into the future than maybe a month? everything is just focused on the now, on getting through this day and this week and this month. he takes a deep shaky breath and tries to hide how his hand clutches a seam of fabric in his trousers. "i'll probably be proudly serving my country by then," he says, the most neutral answer that he can think of. "hopefully with a strong career to come back to."

 

 

 

 

last comment hello

solo projects / songs

— crazy y cool by astro for one of the units?

— samuel's one would fit minseo well i think

— ong's gravity is also super good! probably not for minseo but if you want ideas!

— mxm im the one for a unit station

password lee hi - breathe, a song  we all need to hear every once in a while