아이돌 ∙ is this what you wanted, aster?
NICKNAMES
all-around entertainer 만능맨 used by adoring fans and on variety shows to acknowledge the skills aster seems to have in every aspect of the entertainment world.
BIRTHPLACE los angeles, ca
ETHNICITY full korean
NATIONALITY american
LANGUAGES
FACECLAIM saerom fromis_9
(bella of elris, doyeon of weki meki)
HEIGHT & WEIGHT 171 cm & 50 kg
APPEARANCE she stands long and slender, with sharp features and charismatic expressions, an unintentionally cold exterior to the kindred soul inside. black hair graces just past her shoulders, contrasting her fair skin which is blessed with no blemishes. she wears pretty minimal makeup, but knows how to do it well enough to make her features pop, and likes doing it. sometimes makes her feel like she has control over at least one aspect in life. she wants a tattoo, but doesn't yet know what or where, and currently has 3 lobe piercings and a flat on her right ear, and 2 lobe on her left.
STYLE click here for visualization !
the color scheme is generally pretty quiet - it's not completely monochrome, but she doesn't have any pops of color. her accessories are the same - mostly plain gold or silver, no fancy designs. her attire falls in a sort of chic street style category, both form-fitting but relaxed, flirty but cool. lots of high-waisted pants, crop tops. the occasional baggy outerwear.
neg reticent, insecure, unexpressive, naive
pos hard-working, altruistic, humble, loyal
everyone around her agrees - it takes an effort to truly dislike jo hiseo, especially when you really get to know her. while she's not always a fun, cheerful ball of light and energy, she is certainly a lovable presence and it is widely acknowledged by her peers that it's worth the effort of picking at the layers. hiseo might not have the best first impressions to some due to her cool exterior and inclination to not speak unless spoken to first, but it's just because she's a little shy until she's comfortable. and it's what's on the inside that counts! she has a heart of compassion for all those around her and always wants to believe that there's good in everyone, and though this does contribute to her loyalty as a friend, it also gives her a sense of naivety, making it difficult at times to not give people the benefit of the doubt.
while she does joke around a lot and likes teasing her friends, hiseo is truly an altruistic soul. the things she went through when she was younger pushed her to build habits of worrying for other's wellbeing over her own, since she dealed with having no emotional outlet for herself by instead tending to the emotions of those around her. this selflessness has also led to a weird mesh of insecurity and humility where she thinks she is not as important as others, that she'd rather suffer herself than inflict inconvenience on others because she figures, well, nothing really bothers her anyway. this, though slightly true, is only due to the fact that she doesn't know how to healthily process her emotions and instead tends to push them aside, which then results in being unbothered, rather than strong, really. (side note, she knows she needs to improve on this, though, especially after having taken a psych class in high school and having been quite intrigued by many of the topics ! she is definitely that friend that will rave over deep talks at night and (albeit hypocritically) encourages her friends never to hold in their emotions and she will 100% yell at you for thinking down on yourself. "i don't know, it's dumb-" "NO DON'T SAY THAT YOUR FEELINGS ARE VALID" "ok hiseo calm down")
she is extremely reticent and inexpressive, rarely ever feeling comfortable or brave enough to be vulnerabe and share her innermost thoughts and emotions, whether they're good or bad. of course she has trouble talking about things like problems and worries, but she's realized she also finds it difficult to express true joy and love. not that she never does, she can definitely be bright and loving, but when it comes to the deeper workings of it, she finds that it's hard since she didn't exactly grow up feeling lots of that herself.
though this all sounds quite dramatic, even when hiseo reflects on it herself, it's really not all that intense. she's just your average, friendly la girl who has a little bit of hurt and a lot to show the world. she watches mukbangs, she bothers her friends, she loves to laugh, and she just wants to live and breath music.
(i feel like that was too deep and didn't really help give a grasp on her surface personality, what she's like when she's not in her thoughts, because she's not emo all the time! these are just the inner workings of her mind, but on the outside, she's just a really lovable girl who works hard in everything she does and really likes making people happy. numerous fans who have encountered her in real life testify to her good personality, which is pretty bright and frequently described as "chill". it doesn't take too long for her to open up and stop being shy. when it's genuine, her laugh is loud and cackly
BACKGROUND
CHAPTER I. AWAKEN (v. make aware of for the first time)
aster hiseo jo is born in beverly hills unto two loving parents and from an outside glance it seems like her life is going to be perfect. two wealthy, successful parents, a big house, no siblings to have to share the attention with...and for a while, it is perfect. she's lavished with trendy baby clothes, miraculous bedtime stories, and all the attention to herself. but someday, reality's gotta come bite you in the . and in aster's case, that reality comes tied with a ribbon called divorce. her mom discovers the unfaithfulness of her husband and aster discovers the bitterness of life. he is kicked out - of the house, of their shared law firm, of their life. he uses what remaining cash and dignity he has to move back to his hometown in south korea, leaving his wife harboring hurt and his daughter fostering trauma.
CHAPTER II. PRESERVE (v. keep safe from harm)
she is only 5 years old when he leaves and doesn't yet know how to define the emotions she grows up with, and never really figures out how to as she ages. out of antipathy for her ex-husband, aster's mom cold-shoulders any conversation about him, leaving her daughter with no way to process the tribulation, and thus incapacitating her from handling any future emotion healthily. every trial aster faces as she gets older only contributes to her ability to hide it away and she builds a habit of burying her emotions and undermining her problems, but a bottle can only be so full until it overflows. when it comes just to the brim, aster finds that music is the most effective way of cleaning up the mess. she sees how productive of an outlet it is and admires how people can express themselves through the songs they write or the dances they perform. having first discovered korean indie artists, aster soon becomes exposed to the world of kpop, which introduces her to the fun aspect of it all. performing their own songs, being on stage - all these artists truly enjoy what they're doing, and it's a feeling aster realizes she's never truly felt in her life, which is tedious with routine. so she dips her toes in it, wanting to see if she can taste a fraction of that joy. she joins a dance team at school, auditions for the year-end musical, tries out songwriting. at first, she just writes down lyrics. then she starts finding melodies. soon enough, aster is using all kinds of outlets to help get through the days. the talent comes quite naturally to her (if anything, it's been held back for too long and is now just overflowing) and she silently continues feeding this passion, her insecurity and reticence stalling her from exposing her skills to the world. the thought that well, no one's asked, so no one cares.
CHAPTER III. WITHDRAW (v. retreat to quiet or seclusion)
her business-oriented mother, though she undoubtedly loves her daughter, has sacrificed a lot to get to where she is and isn't the type to really emphasize the necessity of recreational pastimes. when aster invites her to the annual dance showcase and the musical, she does come out to support, but on the way home, indirectly establishes her stance on it. "yeah, it's good as a hobby, but you can't really take it seriously as a career, you know?" aster starts, timidly asking why not, and her mom gives the infamous asian mom response of how it's not a stable job and etc. now knowing her mother's outlook on it, aster draws back in on herself and for the first time, buries something she's proud of instead of ashamed of. her interest in kpop grows covertly and she spends many of her waking days wondering what it would be like to be a kpop star - living and breathing music, getting to perform on a stage, having people acknowledge and support your talent.
CHAPTER IV. TRANSFORM (v. make different entirely)
everything changes when aster goes to korea to study abroad. after getting into ucla, she spends her second year fall quarter at yonsei, and it's amazing. being in her home country for the first time and also the closest she's ever been to her dreams is all so exciting, but time flies when you're having fun, and december quickly approaches. but before she can go back home to what seems so monotonous compared to all the fun she had in korea, she gets scouted. in hongdae at a busking event, beomsu, who is debating the number of trainees he has for his upcoming girl group, sees aster listening intently to a rather underrated performer. the performer doesn't have many listeners, but they utilize certain techniques and have an uncommon style that only a true musician would appreciate. besides the fact that he sees how aster listens so attentively and reacts to things normal people wouldn't notice, he just feels like there's something more to her, something she's hiding, and he goes with his intuition. though the offer brings aster much stress as she deliberates over what to do, she ultimately comes to the conclusion that she doesn't want to give up this chance of a lifetime - the opportunity to finally do the only thing she's ever actually wanted to do with her life, instead of returning home to a bleak future she was starting to think she'd just have to settle for. in the blink of an eye, her life has taken a complete 180. she takes a leave of absence from university, moves into the dorms, and is preparing to debut in a girl group instead of trying to find a career that will guarantee her secular success. the hardest part of this all was calling her mom with the news. it was all so sudden to her mother, especially since aster had never really talked about this passion of hers, and it was hard for her to accept that aster didn't want to follow in her footsteps and become a successful businesswoman. honestly, the call doesn't end with her being okay with that - she just keeps asking if aster is serious and aster can only hang up after telling her in long-repressed tears that she's finally taking charge and doing what she wants to do with her life instead of just going with the motions.
TRIVIA
✧ aster enjoys and is pretty good at cooking and baking, having handled many meals and birthdays for her late-working mother.
✧ she listens to asmr to fall asleep.
✧ back at home, she only had a portable keyboard to produce her music with, but after she debuts, she purchases herself a soundboard to broaden her horizon.
✧ she loves dogs but could never have one because her mom is allergic, so she took every opportunity she could to spend time with dante's dog.
✧ she also loves kids and planned on working with them in her future career - that is, if she hadn't been whisked away to cygnus.
✧ she's kind of...really bad at texting...unless you're special teehee
✧ random things she's insecure about - since the music she's self-produced is more on the mellow side, she's worried about trying out more mainstream pop music. her voice is definitely deeper than your typical female kpop idol, so she thinks people don't want to hear that.
✧ though it's not as strong as maybe other members or even just in general, aster is kind of a girl crush type. this is probably due to her cool vibes, her casual fashion style, her partiality to charismatic concepts > cutesy ones, and the fact that she's most comfortable sitting with her legs sprawled wide.
✧ her biggest celebrity crush as both a person and an artist is colde. (o lord if you gave her a collab with him ,,)
✧ she hates aegyo - it makes her cringe when she sees her members and friends do it, she despises being asked to do it because she doesn't know what to do, but it's all in good fun. as much as she cringes, she'll laugh and support, too, and as much as she despises it, she'll still try somewhat
✧ her sense of humor is kind of similar to johnny from nct, but in a less...aloof way? the way he delivers all his ments in such a swift, nonchalant manner is similar to her delivery, but she's a little more animated. she also likes roleplaying (which sounds weird, but just think of his cup of coffee segment) and will often blurt out a line or monologue and her members will either go along with it or ignore her
✧ bubble tea, tea, then coffee, in that order. also - fried > yangnyum, salty > sweet, jjajjang > jjampong, pork > beef, beach > mountain, text = call (she hates both), noodles = rice (she loves both), hot cheetos >>>
✧ tba?
dante an 안단테 childhood friend, 990411
"jo pick up your damn phone your mom just called me to kick you out of my house and away from my dog. alright see you tomorrow."
these two have known each other since they were in diapers, their moms being best friends, and a lot of people mistake them for siblings due to their similarly cat-like physiques. not only that, but their relationship is just like that of actual siblings, since they basically grew up together - bickering often and poking fun any chance they get, but also being willing to do almost anything for each other. dnate is a little quieter than hiseo but can definitely get rowdy with her. if it weren't for the inevitability of their relationship, though, they might not have been as close, since they don't share too many of the same interests. dante wants to go the lawyer route and can't really understand why anyone would give up wealth and comfort for "happiness" and fulfillment, but he nevertheless supports hiseo all the way.
kitty hyemi seo 서헤미 best friend, 981223
"aster, here's your flat white, you didn't respond to my text message as usual, but that's okay i still love and tolerate you!"
kitty and aster met at their 8th grade end-of-year dance at the punch bowl while everyone else was dancing like crazy in the gym. they bonded over their ambivertness that had brought them to the party and then away from the dance floor. they spend the entire night together and their friendship only grows in high school, as they continue to find out how similar they are in personality and humor and spend their teen years having sleepovers, going on shopping sprees, talking about boys - all the best best friend things. kitty is the one person aster can confidently say she can open up to, though there's still much room for improvement, but she's proved patient and loyal enough for aster's emotions. their relationship consists of sending each other memes, dropping off drinks for each other before class, going out for chicken wings at 1am, and planning trips to travel the world together.
jung jaemin 정재민 close friend, 990329
"ok so we're washing down these skewers with some triangle kimbap from the convenience store, right? i just read your mind huh"
these two officially meet on their study abroad at yonsei. she's seen jae a couple times prior because he's a close friend of dante's, but he went to a different school then and they only connect because dante informs the both of them that they're going on the same program. they see each other as something like a piece of home while they're all the way across the world from it and spend much of their time together. though they do find a bigger friend group to hang out with, these two find each other the most compatible compared to anyone else they meet and they get very close in the 4 months they spend together. they spent much of their time eating street food, studying at cute cafes, going out for chimaek with friends on friday nights, and blowing off 500won's at arcades or coin noraebangs. they have a lot of fun with each other and have really good chemistry, and honestly, who knows where things could've gone if hiseo hadn't become a trainee?
baek soonjung 백순정 mother, 720809
"hiseo, why does it say B- for your physical elective? and don't say because i failed p.e. and you're my daughter-"
hiseo is more like her mother than she would probably like to admit. as she gets older, she sees more traits that she realizes she has inherited herself, like her inexpressiveness and generally composed character. though their similarity serves for a lack of communication between the two of them, that doesn't mean their relationship is strained, just growing. hiseo loves her mom and her mom loves her, and having only had each other to rely on the past 15 years, they've become like best friends. soonjung does work a lot, but she always tries to be relevant in hiseo's life and they'll do their best to shop, cook, watch movies together, etc. but with every up comes a down, and the two, while generally being so similar, can sometimes never be so different. while hiseo is more inclined to her sensitive side, her mom places high value in worldly success - not because she's materialistic, but because she just wants so badly to be able to support her family on her own. she's subtle about it, but soonjung does have high standards for hiseo to follow in her footsteps, unaware of her daughter's real passion. they clash frequently on those kinds of opinions, which is why it takes a while for soonjung to accept that her daughter doesn't want to go the foolproof way to a successful future, but eventually she comes around, calling hiseo up to remind her to stay true to herself.
mark lee 이민형 nct member, 990802
"what do you mean you feel like you're losing brain cells when you're with me?"
they meet on a variety show and quickly kick it off as fellow americans, much akin to hiseo's expectations. she had seen him debut back in 2016 and from watching some of their content, felt like he was someone she could easily get along with, like any of her friends here at home! and she was right - their chemistry is quite semblant to that of mark and johnny, because hiseo has a similar humor code to johnny, but in a less bold way. she can make mark laugh just as much (which honestly isn't that hard because the boy will laugh at anything) and he makes her laugh, too, and they just joke around so easily and mesh well with each other. they go on to mc together on a music show and many fans ship them together, though more just support their friendship. they text a lot (as much as the busiest member of nct and a bad texter can) and hang out when they can outside of schedules, sometimes with the other american members of their groups.
son raum 손라움 idyll member, 990909
"hiseo, shut the hell up there's legitimately no point in comparing yourself to other people so save your energy."
raum and hiseo are some of the only trainees at cygnus who have such an extremely short training period, and when hiseo realizes this, she also realizes it could go either way - they'll either connect over their similarity or become unspoken rivals. luckily, though, raum proves hiseo's fears wrong and reaches out first, allowing hiseo to relax and reciprocate. they find refuge in the struggles they share at debuting with only a week's training and hiseo feels like this is the quickest she's ever opened up to someone. they quickly become rather close, their dynamic being a nice balance of raum's wit and outspokenness and hiseo's laidback levelheadedness. raum encourages hiseo in many ways - to speak up for herself and to have more confidence in her talents, and hiseo soothes raum - calming her down when she gets angry and emphasizing to her that it's okay to step back and just take a break sometimes.
dance wheein mamamoo
producing the general sound of your typical female k-indie artist. refer to oohyo, baek yerin, stella jang, etc.
TRAINING TIME one week cygnus ent.
TRAINEE LIFE hiseo isn't sure she can really say she had a trainee life, and it makes her feel self-conscious when she thinks about people who have worked for this their whole lives. to make up for the guilt, hiseo works her hardest in the short time leading up to idyll's debut. it's a strenuous week, both mentally and physically, as she battles the insecurity that amplifies around all these people who have honed their skills for so much longer versus the desire that is finally being fulfilled to do what she truly has a passion for. she catches the eye of evaluators and teachers for the potential of her natural-born talents, which she only builds up through her diligence. it's hard work, yes, but hiseo can't remember the last time she had this much fun. learning more about producing, getting actual vocal lessons...even just speaking so much korean is new to her. in regards to friends, it's an equally tumultuous battlefield, since hiseo is aware there could be people who resent her for her short training time, and though she'd like to think she's generally very likable, she's not bold enough to initiate many friendships because she doesn't want to seem too eager in a place where she feels like she really shouldn't be too overbearing. and yes, there probably are trainees who don't like her - who think she doesn't deserve to debut or that she just got in because she's pretty or that her diffidence means she thinks she's too good for everyone (which really isn't the case - hiseo genuinely believes she's just...mediocre in a little bit of everything). but there are also trainees who are kind, who help her get into the ropes of everything and guide her along, who make her laugh and feel comfortable. there are many varying opinions of hiseo, but the dominating one always tends to be the feeling that "there's just something more...and i want to know what it is."
PREDEBUT EXPERIENCE
SCANDALS
this isn't really a scandal, persay, but it is revealed in interviews following the release of idyll's first album that it was aster's striking cat-like visuals that initially caught beomsu's eye. this is misunderstood by many to think it was just her looks that got her to debut, and many netizens give their unasked-for two cents, saying things like "she's not even that pretty anyway" or "god, another head-empty idol just chosen for looks". but there are still some who defend her, shutting haters down with evidence of her skills by pulling up stages, instagram posts, and even just the same interview where they go on to say it was really aster's talent that sold her spot in the group.
LOVE INTEREST jung jaehyun
OTHER NAMES
jeffrey a nickname derived by one of s, johnny, simply because "he looks like a jeffrey". it has since become a meme amongst the group and the fandom, and aster finds it funny, too, and utilizes it. she tends to call him this more often than jaehyun.
BIRTHDATE feb 14, 1997
OCCUPATION member of nct
PERSONALITY
(+) well-mannered, thoughtful, sociable, confident
(-) judgmental, spontaneous, capricious
anyone who encounters jaehyun can agree that he's more than pleasant - he's a gem in the idol world, especially considering the big name he has behind him. he's kind, friendly, sweet, and really lives up to his nickname of valentine boy, and not just because of his birthday. it's almost a universal truth that jung jaehyun is quite attractive, both physically and personality-wise. he just pulls people in and they're never disappointed, and his flaws aren't even much of a dealbreaker. judgmental refers to his haste in assessing situations and his confidence in assuming he's always right. which, generally, he is, but he just rarely has the open-mindedness to think otherwise until someone tells him. he's a spontaneous, fun-loving guy, who just tends to get bored a little easily, but never wants to cause trouble and is ultimately just a catch and a half.
LOVE STORY
✧ they first meet when aster (and maybe any other american idyll members or just members who want to come!) hangs out with mark one day. he brings along johnny, knowing the two would get along, and jaehyun is quite a last-minute addition since he doesn't really have anything else to do.
✧ "oh, you wanna come?" "yeah...i'm bored...i wanna play..." "awh, our wittle jeffwey wanna go pway~" "stop"
✧ aster, unsurprisingly, hits it off with johnny, and the gang spends all day joking around and having fun, but jaehyun feels like he doesn't get to know her as well because johnny's hogging her >:(
✧ this is his excuse (to himself, too) for his initial interest in her, as he asks if mark is going to hang out with her again and is bombarded with teasing remarks (mostly from johnny)
✧ this is not to say the attraction is one-sided - hiseo can not deny that jaehyun is probably one of the most handsome guys she has seen in her life and she will readily admit that to her members if they ask, but she says that's it - "he's just really good looking, i don't even know him that well!"
✧ the 4 of them hang out maybe one more time a while after that (with much difficulty given their schedules), and johnny, with the feeling that something's going on, pokes at it by pushing them all to exchange information
✧ they don't meet up much more after that except very occasionally or just in passing at music shows, but unbeknownst to their members, hiseo and jae have been exchanging texts back and forth
✧ it starts with idyll's comeback, which he messages her to congratulate her on. honestly, he doesn't know why he's initiating conversation or why he overthinks doing it, but he also doesn't know why not, so he does it. very deep inside of him is an unfamiliar envy at the way johnny clicked with her so quickly, but he can't explain why he only feels this when it comes to her
✧ hiseo responds because while she can be a bad texter, she'll never (purposely) leave someone on read, and he's a nice guy, so why not? he turns out to be just as good at talking over text than in person, so their conversations just go on and on, without their members knowing. jaehyun hides it because he's a little embarrassed and hiseo just doesn't bring it up because she feels there's never a time or need to.
✧ the small talk soon turns to vaguely flirting, which jaehyun is doing because he's starting to gain interest, and hiseo is doing because she's just the type to reciprocate vibes. that's...kind of an excuse, though - deep down, she knows what she's doing.
✧ soon enough, they're found out, and that ensues chaos in both groups because nct demands an explanation, in which jaehyun attempts to pacify by saying "ok, ok, maybe i'm kind of interested", which doesn't work because that just makes them crazier, and idyll suspects something is going on, but hiseo pacifies by denying and saying they're just friends. which is true in a sense because she doesn't realize she's romantically interested in him
✧ but they keep talking and things keep happening and as jaehyun becomes more and more sure of his feelings, hiseo becomes more and more confused
✧ *oh god...is this...jealousy?* -thought while watching jaehyun in a collab stage with another girl and feeling something...weird inside...
✧ she bakes him cookies for his birthday and they meet outside of their waiting rooms at a music show so she can give it to him. his heart flutters and he hopes his ears aren't too red as he tries to act cool. she returns to wide eyes and raised eyebrows and just says, "what, it's just a birthday present." and for her it really is - isn't this what friends do, she thinks? [member] thinks it was a bad lie to cover up the fact that it's valentines day. another member retorts, "you never baked for mE"
✧ he brings her back a gift from nct's tour, he gives her a hand-written letter for her birthday, he sends her a romantic poem with the excuse that he wants her to evaluate his lyricism, and her members think at this point, hiseo has to be pretending not to know.
✧ and she's starting to catch on. she can only stay ignorant for so long - but not just of his possible feelings for her, but for her own feelings. he makes her heart flutter and her cheeks feel warm...things she never imagined feeling. things she thought she didn't deserve to feel, was scared to feel, seeing how her own parents had turned out. she realizes this is how her trauma plays out, these are the scars her father left her with - the fear that she, too, would one day be not enough.
ENDING
is it too much to ask for a world where jaehyun and hiseo can follow in the legacy of legends like hyuna and dawn and help pave the way for normalized relationships in kpop ?? if it is not, then please. hahah ok jokes aside,
- of course, i would love a happy ending for these two. for them to just ADMIT and SAY IT to each other already and stop agonizing their members by being in a relationship that everybody knows about but them two...and if they did, jaehyun would unleash his whipped side and hiseo her soft side. she bakes him pastries, he writes her poems, they pass love letters through high fives on stage, etc. hiseo never would've imagined she'd reel in a catch like jaehyun - handsome AND romantic ??
- but alas, if you would like to be sadistically realistic, you can just write it off as another passing crush that hiseo realizes too late, but doesn't try to let bother her too much since she wasn't all that invested in it before, so why bother being sad about it now. or jaehyun could back off, worried that he'll just break her heart and their friendship, especially after he finds out about the hurt from her parents. either way, hiseo will probably say it's fine and go back to assuming she'll never find someone because either they'll stop liking her or she won't know how to let herself start.
- OR if you want some drama !! you can bring in jaemin, who almost has the exact same name as jaehyun lmao, and comes back for what could've been! this is mostly the reason i included him in relations teehee
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