TYPES + INSPIRATIONS esfp, the entertainer. 2w1. leo sun, libra moon, scorpio rising. gryffindor. neutral good. daisy buchanan, the great gatsby. chitanda eru, hyouka. dried squid elf, extraordinary you.

 

ADAPTABLE. DILIGENT. MANNERLY, ELOQUENT. AMIABLE. SKILLFUL. DISTRUSTFUL. ALTRUISTIC. CO-OPERATIVE. FAITHFUL. SENSITIVE. SPONTANEOUS. SPOILED. DISTANT. MATERIALISTIC. AMBITIOUS. CONFLICT-AVERSE. IMPROVIDENT. UNWAVERING. SLY. SCATTERED.

 

contrary to being the pure girl of the group, sooah has changed quite a bit since her return. once unassuming, gullible, and unable to comprehend the evils that roam around the world, the girl has become quite the opposite. a paranoid, anxious and distrustful person. the zombified poster child of trust issues! sooah first experienced this heavy weight when she met eunwoo, and continues to feel this way as she trains to fulfill this spontaneous pass-time of her's.

 

however, as time passed on, sooah has begun to develop a rather sly approach to living. her innocent looks still scream that she's a naïve, pampered (this one isn't wrong) princess but that's the fun of it, right? picking a trick from her ex-husband's handbook; sooah prefers to remain civil and appear like a companion rather than let others know her suspicion or hesitance. moreover, if she were to let others into her thoughts, she would be too scared of arguments and violent disagreements occuring, especially ones revolving around her.

 

this is exactly what makes her such an illusion — so friendly, approachable and energetic, but hollow and distant, as if she was merely a shell with the echoes of crashing waves to fill the space. of course, she too, has negative feelings, but she'd much rather be the shoulder to cry on rather than the one crying. ironic for someone who takes every little thing personally. she's made the mistake of being warm-lit, giving others the benefit of the doubt, vulnerable and look where that took her; the graveyard.

 

rather than being cold and cynical to her groupmates, and to others around her, sooah is more so uncomfortable with opening her true feelings and intentions, as well as assuming the possible worst about them (just take a look at her and eunwoo's first interactions, you can't blame a girl). she wouldn't leave these co-zombies for dead if they needed her help, but think of it as conscience rather than care. she also isn't much of a hard-headed person, even if she is spoiled and prone to ignorance, so training and team effort isn't a worry.

 

still, there is a lot of sooah that hasn't changed since her days in the palace. a mannerly, respectful woman through and through, with a plethora of skills that were often underappreciated during her time. she learned multiple talents due to her ambition and drive, but also because she often hopped from one interest to another. the few that she managed to perfect into her craft are those she flaunts today.

 

she speaks with great care and elegance, a reflection of her mother who was a figure of inspiration to her, even until now. sooah is quick to come to her family's defense; this is how she would be for people who she has permitted to know her genuine self. underneath all the mismatched limbs, she still holds her nineteen year old self inside her vessel. though, that also includes the extravagant lifestyle of a royal princess, firstborn to a reigning king and queen. eunwoo's difficulty with her might be the dent in her bank account trying to coerce sooah into staying.

PLOTLINE favorite crime.

DEATH DATE july 7, 1539.

 

TW misogyny, child marriage, mentions of pregnancy, infidelity and illness, betrayal, assassination/death.

 

 ACT I THE BEST DAYS 

yi soyeon was born to queen moonyeong and king hajoon of joseon in 1520, marking their first attempt of producing an heir. while their firstborn daughter was not the crown prince they were seeking for, the presence of a bright baby in the rigidity of the palace harbored plenty of affection towards soyeon.

 

soyeon's childhood was not as isolated as other royals were familiar to. while the nannies and court ladies would tend to her frequently, her mother would quickly complete her duties as queen to be as active as she could in soyeon's life. the king, despite his desire to do the same, found it harder to do so. with a younger brother attending formal schooling, soyeon would study in the comfort of the palace with her well-educated mother, excellent tutors and the court ladies. this was a privilege for princesses and other royal women; to learn to their heart's content, as long as they studied the ways of how women were expected to act as they grew.

 

the young highness would study with the queen by her side — languages, calligraphy, weaving, sewing, embroidery and the likes were expected for higher class girls like soyeon. other domestic activities such as cooking were lightly touched upon, as the queen decided that her daughter would have palace maids to do those in her place. instead, she introduced soyeon to the arts. 

 

moonyeong didn't have to do much for her daughter to fall in love with the arts as she did, soyeon grasping traditional instruments the earliest by the time she was ten. soon after her coronation, soyeon began to go as sooah. she continued studying what was required of her, alongside her newfound interest in sparkling talents. the next to catch her attention would be singing; discovered when she sung a nonsensical melody for her younger brother's poems from school (to which he simply told her to quiet down), molding the words to the tune she created. traditional dance followed at age thirteen, and sooah trained in both performance art forms whilst preparing for matchmaking with potential suitors.

 

 ACT II RED QUEEN 

as sooah's teenagehood flew by, spending mornings with the flute and playing her mother's favorite tune by her bedside, then dancing to her fullest after lunch, the people of the nation began to wonder when their princess would engage in proper courtship. not a single pair of eyes have seen the young princess entertain suitors for more than a week's time; with men of different ages returning home, dejected, whilst others were elated to have avoided becoming subordinate to a woman (as the king's daughter was naturally of higher rank than any husband she could ever obtain).

 

sooah's hobbies were not a secret to the kingdom, many debating if her interests would ever serve purpose as a wife if she could not cook or lead the home domestically. younger children often thought of her skills as wonders, only to be hushed by their fathers. moreover, the princess was not seen very often in public, even more so perform one of her many acts to the people. at some point, gossiping elites would say that the queen's influence and sooah's persistent advances towards enrichment were too greedy. it was hindering her ability to fulfill her role as a woman of noble blood.

 

when the court of the queen heard of these rumors, they immediately reported it to moonyeong. although it pained her to force her daughter to conform to the people's brutal expectations, moonyeong had to escalate the matchmaking process in order to wed sooah before her 17th birthday. girls of 16 were often the latest to get married, which made the young princess a near-anomaly to history. but most importantly, she would be victim to the people's criticisms for the remainder of her life if she was unmarried before adulthood.

 

 ACT III GLASSES 

before sooah turned 16 in the summer, the springtime was filled with potential for love. candidates upon candidates, until the king and queen decide on a noble man; just a year older than sooah and definitely not all too special. it was difficult to outshine the princess anyway. his name was kim junpyo, the son of a physician, and soon following in his father’s footsteps. he was not aggressive, not meek, simply there. this was undoubtedly a marriage of convenience for both of them; to gain access to the plethora of connections and opportunities within the ruling class for junpyo, and free of public criticism—temporarily—for not being a wife for sooah.

 

the wedding commenced at the palace not long after the speedy courtship process, bordering close to her 17th birthday in august. the summer sun made the occasion all the more unpleasant to sooah, and perhaps to her prince consort as well. after the ceremony, the couple traveled to north jeolla province to stay in their new home. surprisingly, sooah’s rather vibrant, campfire personality was muted with junpyo. after endless attempts during the courtship stage, pestering the prince-to-be to warm up to her, sooah had received the hint all too well by the time they were to wed. there was nothing terrible about junpyo, nothing fantastic either — he was decent, and that was tolerable for sooah. their whole marriage was simply a neutral experience to the colours of life. so rather than attempting to supply some life to this pointless vessel, sooah and junpyo were more like civil roommates, except junpyo spoke to sooah with high regard due to her bloodline.

 

while the criticisms of marriage did not pester sooah or the royal family for some time after the ceremony, it didn’t take too long for people to focus on something else to nitpick. of course, the next course of frustration would be the lack of offspring between the newlyweds. when sooah received whispers from her court ladies, she couldn’t help but feel flustered. it was such an awkward matter to discuss with junpyo, she didn’t even want to try either. nevertheless, sooah managed to converse with her husband about the topic. to her relief, junpyo wasn’t too keen on attempting either. it was an odd disposition, having an heir would mean a shot at the throne or perhaps, greater privileges. junpyo didn’t pay heed to the throne, but seemed satisfied with the position he was in at the moment.

 

so why did kim junpyo get his wife assassinated?

 

 ACT IV FAVORITE CRIME 

the mundaneness of junpyo made it incredibly difficult to imagine that he was ever capable of doing such a thing. of course, he couldn’t do it with his own calloused, yet heroic hands — these are the hands caring for patients and those who need help. instead, he sends one of his family’s best guardsmen to perform the assassination in broad daylight. in the eyes of the public, where kim junpyo would be seen as a traumatized survivor of an attack and the loss of his first and last wife.

 

it was nearing the halfway mark of their officiated marriage that junpyo uncharacteristically asked sooah on a stroll in the market with him. while the princess was shocked at his invitation, she accepted, thinking that perhaps he’d at least be acquainted with her. not a single ill-intent ever crossed sooah’s mind as she stepped into the carriage headed towards flocks of merchants.

 

there, junpyo would ask to be alone with sooah as they scanned through the stores. surely, that would be quite routine for a husband and wife to do. when the two would finally roam alone, the assigned guardsman came to attack sooah from the front, but junpyo would “protect” her by shielding her with his frame. he earns a small scar on his cheek when the blade of the sword brushes against his flesh, while the assassin flipped himself over to sooah’s backside and stabs her through there.

 

while that answers the how and what, the why remains untouched. junpyo’s motive was rather simpleminded, but was deemed the only immediate option if he was to be with the love of his life. for once, he wished a person was sick — a twisted thing to think of as a physician.

 

divorce with the princess didn’t seem to be an option, fearing disdain from the royal court and the people of the nation. he could not be wed after marrying princess sooah, nor could he do so even after her death. the closest thing he could have was a concubine in place of a wife once sooah passed, and to have the woman he truly wanted become closer to him was the goal.

 

and so, the misfortunate fate of princess sooah led to her death at 19 years old on a sunny july 7th, 1539, just a week’s time away from her marriage’s wedding anniversary.

 

AFTER DEATH + CURRENT FEELINGS this is where you put how your character is after being brought back to life, how they react to the news of their death, the modern world, how they adjusted and what they're doing rn. format it how you want!

 

when sooah was brought back to life, she wasn't aware that she had even died. she assumed that the dryness in was from a long slumber while the palace physicians and her husband were nursing her stab wound and other internal damages. the last moment she remembers is a blurry view of junpyo's scrunched eyebrows, eyes pleading in despair and a small scar to the high of his cheek.

 

now, the first thing she notices is the lack of... grandeur in the room. there were multiple things scattered across the place that she couldn't recognize, like a large, sleek rectangular object (a monitor) and it certainly didn't look like her room in the palace. another thing—or person, seems more fitting—she couldn't recognize was a woman who sat at the edge of the bed, like a looming figure. her back faced sooah, and the young princess, unassuming of this strange woman and her strange attire, tapped her back. eunwoo faces sooah, granting her a tight-lipped smile as the princess stuttered over her matured korean, "are you a new palace maid?" eunwoo's laughter felt piercing to sooah, halted by her next words, "does this look like a palace, miss sooah?"

 

after the two women set formalities aside, eunwoo not-so-subtly letting the princess know that she was deceased, sooah was in a state of disbelief. she was never superstitious or a believer of things like this, but one of her court ladies were always so paranoid of such occurences. at first, sooah couldn't believe she had even died through such a cliché plot; it was always royals who were assassinated, of course. it was difficult to believe she had even died when she was breathing at that very moment. the only tell-tale sign was the fact that a hand-drawn portrait was plastered on a history textbook that eunwoo borrowed from the jeonju public library (after not believing the lines eunwoo showed her on the light-up sleek black rectangle - again, a monitor).

 

if believing she was dead was already giving her a headache, then believing who killed her was a stab to the heart. at first, sooah goes out of her way to defend the man who orchestrated her assassination, snarking at the textbook saying, "you know, historians can be excellent storytellers at times~ junpyo couldn't pick up a sword even if he had to." well, she wasn't wrong about that one.

 

kim junpyo was not the love of her life, yet still, she had thought that what they had in marriage was sufficient enough not to harbor hatred towards one another. sooah knows she never had a bone in her body that disliked junpyo (not a single one loved him either, but still). it was more like she didn't know he was capable of such a horrid scheme, and felt thoughtless for being so trusting to a man she had barely spoken to in their short courtship and marriage. sooah recalls the hope she felt when junpyo invited her to the market, only to lead to her demise. that speck of optimism now felt stupid.

 

it took a while for sooah to begin her new life in the modern world, sometimes even begging eunwoo to just put her back to eternal sleep. after digesting the whole death backstory, sooah was often locked away in the same room she woke up in, with little words ever escaping . she had always been like this, even before her death; distant, when the emotions she had to reflect on concerned herself.

 

once self-criticizing her naïve past-self, sooah swore to be a lot more cautious now that she has a second shot at life (despite it being non-consensual, she has a secret feeling of relief). even as weeks passed, she tried to be wary of eunwoo and her antics. she still didn't know why that girl had brought her back up from the grave, so it would be safer to keep things to herself rather than eunwoo figuring out sooah's suspicions. still, this didn't stop the two women from roaming around seoul to familiarize sooah to the new place. she often stood out in the streets, with her mismatched and oddly matured fashion choices, especially with such a young face. her speaking was also peculiar, often using very dated phrases and words only found as remnants in language textbooks. it was an understatement to say that sooah was overwhelmed from all the change, even more that she was alone in this world — no court ladies to assist her every choice; no palace maids to serve her needs; and especially no family to be with her. sooah thinks she will continue to feel this way, even if she manages to "befriend" eunwoo (if that was even possible).

 

sooah was close to forcing eunwoo to let her stay dead, before eunwoo desperately mentioned that she brought the princess back to fulfill a mission. curious to why eunwoo's usually monotone, calm voice had pitched up, sooah questioned her further. when eunwoo said, "you're going to be part of a girl group." sooah had no idea what this girl meant. not until eunwoo mentions the all-too-familiar word of kisaeng. an entertainer, a performer; something sooah was always fascinated by and never showcased her talent due to the strict laws. sooah was shocked to hear that women were able to do these things for such big crowds, and not only for noblemen.

 

so... perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay in this world for a while, after all.

 

things shifted to a slighty smoother slope after the revelation between eunwoo and sooah. in fact, the princess was a tiny bit more willing to be around the other woman due to her chances of fulfilling a hidden desire of her's. her talents were wasted since they were buried to the back and pushed into marital status. once other zombies began coming alive, she still put a bit of her guard up as to ensure everyone could be trusted, but could slowly warm up due to the fact that they were all facing the same, deadly struggle. while she doesn't entirely entrust them with her feelings and motives, sooah is able to exist and live with the others in civility.

LIKES 

   ❁ art museums and galleries; historic sites; contemporary films; department stores with branded clothes; spring; historical romance novels; peachy tones and cosmetics; warm green tea; big meals; seafood; stray cats; traditional korean music; embroidery sets; children's music boxes; singing; poetry; literature; birds; cute stationary.
DISLIKES

   ❁  horror films; gore; the supermarket; convenience stores; summer; disloyalty; cheaters; chores; cooking; math; mobile phones; computers; online shopping; nosy people; inaccurate historical k-dramas; hospitals; instant noodles; impatience; disrespect of elders.
HOBBIES 

  ❁ PAINTING & DRAWING  while sooah is not perfect at this form of traditional art, she still enjoys doing it in her free time. she prefers doing it on paper or canvas rather than on a digital device, though. most of her work will be reminiscent of old style paintings found in historic sites, just a lot more amateur.

  ❁ WRITING POEMS  most of sooah's writing is short, consisting of five to eight lines. they seem a lot like poetic journal entries rather than standalone poems since they reflect her feelings and thoughts throughout her period of resurrection. it is one form of art she can express herself freely with no fear of betrayal.
HABITS 

  ❁ EXCESSIVE FORMAL BOWING  used to plenty of procedure and formal code of conduct, sooah is often bowing to anyone she makes contact with. even as her groupmates enter their training room for the nth time of the week, she will bow to them as greeting as if it was their first time meeting.

  ❁ TUCKING HER HAIR BEHIND HER EAR  usually, as a joseon princess, her hair would be tied behind and her baby hairs would be framed away from her face as to focus on her features and maintain a clean appearance. due to eunwoo's dislike to her ultra-straight hair, she's gotten curtain bangs, which always get in the way of everything. sooah tucks them so frequently, it's become muscle memory for her to do so.

  ❁ LEARNING NEW KPOP SONGS  in eunwoo's words, "less princess, more trainee." which resulted in sooah's long, long lesson on modern music. she supposes that it's not terrible, but not what she's used to either. to adapt her voice and movements to the genres of today, she has created a playlist of new kpop songs that she learns and performs in front of the others for evaluation.

  ❁ WORD SLIP-UPS  although sooah is trying her best to practice modern hangul, she still has her slip-ups from time to time, with the use of vocabulary that nobody understands. it's funny content for variety, though.
FEARS 

  ❁ BETRAYAL  after experiencing life, death and life again, there really isn't much that sooah can be afraid of other than miniscule things like bugs and spiders. apart from the scar that haunts her still. she's afraid to be betrayed after trusting again, which is why she avoids the latter to prevent it from developing. it is something that can happen in platonic and romantic scenarios, which is why she keeps heavy guard on her emotions and who she shares them with.
TALENTS 

    ❁ SE PIRI 세피리  the 세피리 is a traditional korean flute made of bamboo. it is one type out of four, and sooah is most proficient at it due to its complementary tone to singing voice and other stringed instruments. she learned this inside the palace before her teenagehood took over. she will be able to play a modern flute similarly.

  ❁ TRADITIONAL KOREAN DANCE  the two types of dance that sooah is most acquainted to are court dance and folk dance. 

  ❁ WEAVING, EMBROIDERY & SEWING  while weaving may be out of use at the current time, sooah learned these three as part of a young girl's education curriculum. she didn't particularly enjoy these activities, but seeing the fun embroidery sets available now, she does love to put her skills to use. she's also the girls' resident sewing princess, altering outfits upon request.

  ❁ SEOYE 서예  sooah has beautiful handwriting, which contributes to her talent in calligraphy, a skill she has mastered over her years of training inside the palace. she can write in hanja and hangul.

 

TRIVIA 

   ❁ in sooah's idol profile and all known internet records of her, some details are fabricated for technicalities and from her personal wishes. she is said to be born in 1999 to match her physical age, while her legal/birth name is said to be lee sooah rather than yi soyeon.

   ❁ spent some time with 기생 (kisaeng), women in the palace who served the purpose of entertainment, to study their craft. while these women were mostly to entertain men of the court, noblemen, and the king, sooah urged her father to allow her viewing as well, along with her own court.

   ❁ has a very complicated relationship with digital devices. either doesn't know how to use them or doesn't trust what they're saying. except the television.

   ❁ hates the summer. everyone thinks it's simply due to the stuffiness of the time (they're not wrong), but it just reminds her of when the worst moments of her life happened.

   ❁ due to the previous reason, sooah tends to dismiss her birthday and forms of celebration.

   ❁ had a pet bird as a young princess. its name was byeol. when she tells people this, they always by saying she's a disney princess irl. to which she says: "what's a disney?"

   ❁ has grown a bit superstitious since she's gone back to life. a saying goes that sleeping with a fan on leads to possible death, so sooah often turns it off now, but retracts since.. well, she's already dead.

   ❁ prefers shopping in-person rather than online because she loves to feel the fabrics. often complains at the decline of quality.

   ❁ owns a journal filled with entries for the past few years of training. some in the form of joseon-era poetry, and others are just scribbles of her thoughts.

   ❁ one skill sooah never got to learn as a royal princess was pottery. she hopes to do it someday.

   ❁ sooah doesn't closely follow any kpop groups, really. but she does tend to  gravitate towards 2nd generation groups rather than the current.

   ❁ after her death fiasco, sooah prefers being around women rather than men. she feels much safer with her groupmates, even if she still has yet to trust them entirely.

   ❁ sooah cannot cook, despite her very pronounced etiquette. she just never learned to when she had a whole lot of people doing it for her. never ask her to cook. ever.

   ❁ after sooah sinks in the fact that she might be here a while with these other undead and that eunwoo, she figures to make the least amount of enemies, just in case a repeat happens. this is why she tries not to start fights, remains amiable and civil, tries to diffuse arguments between her groupmates. although she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty with eunwoo-related endeavors.

   ❁ sooah's ideal type is not very specific. rather than a focus on appearance, she prefers people who are clear with their intentions. someone honest, trustworthy, and reliable when she needs them.

   ❁ tba

 

THE SOOAH URGE TO SAY... 

  ❁ "BACK IN MY DAY.."  an old boomer phrase that totally doesn't match her physique. it's quite humorous, but if said to a stranger or acquaintance, it could draw suspicion. or they'd just be weirded out.

  ❁ "LET'S JUST GET ALONG FOR NOW, OK?"  ever the conflict diffuser (or avoider, in other's eyes), sooah tends to say this when things get heated between them. it was more frequent when they all started training initially since everyone was adjusting to being back to life.. and living with strangers.

  ❁ "EXCUSE ME, I'M A PRINCESS!"  probably the most bratty thing to come out of . she really only pulls this card in-front of eunwoo, hoping to exert some kind of stance or dominance when she doesn't agree with her, but it's hard to overdo the one playing god, right?

 

PLAYLIST 

red queen, iu.

favorite crime, olivia rodrigo.

the best day, taylor swift.

writer in the dark, lorde.

dear name, iu.

paper heart, f(x).

glasses, iu.

20 something, sza.

the archer, taylor swift.

STAGE NAME  SUA  a stylized english variant/romanization of her formal name, made to fit the modern 4th gen kpop scene. it was also a poor attempt to "differentiate" from the formal name she used during her time.
POSITION lead dancer, main vocal.
PERSONA  "OUR PURE GIRL, LEE   SUA"  sua's persona more so covers up the fact that she hasn't grasped every cultural aspect of modern korea despite being a young, fully korean idol. so, an innocent-minded facade would patch up some of the spaces. it's also a persona that matches sua's (previously) unassuming nature, feminine appearance and joseon-era values relating to chastity. 

 

TALENT TWINS 

   ❁ SPEAKING  choi arin, oh my girl.

   ❁ VOCAL  choi yuju, soloist.
   ❁ DANCE  lee yukyung, elris. 
   ❁ RAP  n/a.
   ❁ VARIETY   rosé, blackpink.
   ❁ ACTING  kang mina, soloist or n/a.

 

TRAINING while training to be an idol was definitely hard and completely different from her previous education, her expertise in the arts were a great help to progressing much faster than others with no prior experience. sooah is trained in traditional korean dance and has a voice suited for genres like trot, or high notes with feminine undertones. the vocal section was not too different, but she had to learn modern dances in order to blend into the current generation of idols. sooah always enjoyed learning things, especially of performance arts, so training was no exception. for a dead girl, she seemed so full of life when she sang and danced alone, or with the rest of the girls. other than that, she had to undergo social-cultural training with regards to the current society norms, as well as brush up on her korean language skills to fit its current usage.

 
DORM LIFE sooah's self-discipline is a sought-out trait of her's, and it reflects well in her day-to-day life at the house. given that she can't really mimic the luxury of her life as a princess, sooah tries her best to emulate aspects of her previous lifestyle. rising earlier than the others, having an hour to simply pampering herself every morning and night to prepare for the day or her slumber. the one thing she does know how to do in the kitchen is make tea, in the quick and easy way that it's possible now, so she often drinks tea while her groupmates are still asleep to ease her appetite. she's very diligent in appearing presentable (and often tries to be as pleasing to look at), carefully selecting outfits as if she was going out on a blind date. although each one of them gets their own room, sooah would be a very favorable roommate. she's often quiet, despite her warm personality, and is likely to actually stay out in the living room for most of the day (apart from training and other personal activities such as journaling and art).
LIFE STYLE sooah appreciates enjoyable differences in each day of her new life; unlike the mundane routine of her previous one, she has much more legroom in the present to do so. however, since she might be prone to.. less-than-ideal situations alone, sooah tends to just tag along with other members' plans. one constant she does appreciate is shopping. that, she knows her way around by now. although she doesn't always end up with piles of bags, window shopping is still as fun.  
DAILY ROUTINE 

    6:30 AM  wake up + have tea + journal.

    7:15 AM  sooah time! inclusive of skincare, makeup and outfit testing and picking (and additional mirror staring).

    8:20 AM  tries to hog someone's breakfast or coerce them into making her share ><

    10:00 AM  practice!

    12:00 PM  if there is no schedule or practice ends early, sooah often goes shopping or roams around with another member.

   2:00 PM  lunch + watch tv. her favorite lazy passtime of the modern world. 

    7:30 PM  dinner + more tv.

    10:00 PM  solo practice.

  12:00 AM  sooah time for the night! skincare and all nightly rituals, then sleep.

 

SCANDALS n/a.
PRE-DEBUT ACTIVITES n/a.

COMMENTS hi!! it's kimi hereee <3 i hope my app is cohesive rip it was all i could think of for a few days so apologies if the quality deteriorates LMAO. anyways, this plotline seems to be popular but i couldn't pass up the chance w this character ^___^ if any of the history/research i've done is wrong or unfitting pls lmk! i worked around blogs and analysis of joseon-period dramas so 😭 i tried to be as accurate as i could ahhh. i'm super excited for brutale !!! and might watch zombieland saga to fill the void of me finishing this app ....

 

SCENE SUGGESTIONS

  ❁ i think it could be interesting if someone confronted sooah about her lack of openness to the group :0

     ❁ practice room moments!!! catfights??

   ❁ sooah learning korean at the centre with kael ++ accidentally bumping into another groupmate and sooah having to introduce them to each other nervously 

    ❁ a rly sentimental moment that might make sooah try and have genuine friendship w her co-zombies 
SONG SUGGESTIONS 

   ❁ IU  blackout, jamjam.

   ❁ CLC  hobgoblin, pepe.

   ❁ GFRIEND  fingertip, mago.

   ❁ TAETISEO  holler, adrenaline.

   ❁ BLACKPINK  pretty savage, lovesick girls.

   ❁ TWICE  cry for me, i can't stop me.

 

PASSWORD probably either the archer, taylor swift / glasses, iu.

 

FULL NAME mikael (pronounced like michael) cheong 마이클 총 meaning like god who is gentle.

KOREAN NAME cheong minseok 청민석.
DOB + AGE august 2, 1999. 23 years old.
NICKNAMES 

    ❁ 케일 KAEL  pronounced as kale (yes, the vegetable — he's heard all the jokes). this is his preferred name since his first name, regardless of the quirky spelling, is just another basic, bible-inspired name. his parents were also keen on nicknames, ending up with this one. he's been going by kael since he was a child, so when he introduces himself, he says kael rather than the full thing.

    ❁ MIKEY  an endearing nickname saved for his mother. nobody else really calls him this, and his mom uses it when she babies him (as all mama's boys are victim to).

    ❁ 수박 SUBAK  for the first few weeks of sooah knowing kael, she was too fearful to mispronounce his name, so remembering the basic sentence he uttered in his introductory session ("i like watermelons, what do you like?"), sooah often referred to him (in her head) as subak.

NATIONALITY canadian.
ETHNICITY korean.
BIRTHPLACE toronto, ontario, ca.

HOMETOWN     

  ❁ EARLY LIFE  toronto, ontario, ca.

   ❁ SCHOOLING  queens, new york, usa. → vancouver, british columbia, ca. 

   ❁ CURRENTLY  jeonju, north jeolla province, sk.

 

GENDER cismale.
PRONOUNS he/him.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION heteroromantic.
UAL ORIENTATION demiual.

 

FACE mark lee, nct.
BACKUP FACE na jaemin, nct.
WEIGHT & HEIGHT 178 cm, 62 kg.

OCCUPATION korean & english language tutor at jeonju recreational & educational centre. graduate in ba creative writing & speech sciences.

 

TYPES + INSPIRATIONS infj-t, the advocate. 3w4. hufflepuff. chaotic good. leo sun, aries moon, libra rising. peter parker, spiderman. jay gatsby, the great gatsby.

 

CHIVALROUS, DETERMINED, AMBITIOUS, WELCOMING, PATIENT, TALKATIVE, AWKWARD, ANALYTICAL, PRACTICAL, HUMBLE, IDEALISTIC, OVERTHINKER, PUSHOVER, HESITANT.

 

PERSONALITY kael is what you call a gifted, high-achieving elementary school kid who just never stopped being that for the rest of his life. throughout his schooling and higher education, there's not a speck or flaw in his record — the guy you're gonna want to take home for life. despite his highs, kael remains humbled; values small things like greeting someone on the first minute of their birthday; an old wallet from his brother; getting a friendship bracelet and carrying it forever. he's the friend that stays back for you when you have to tie your shoe. his thrifty nature allows him to be responsible without meaning to, but it also shows how loyal he is to things or people he holds close to his heart. a rather unintentional sentiment, kael is carried by his emotions, but has gears in his mind shifting every second.

 

he enjoys conversations that have depth because they allow him to use his mind productively and speak with great care. the things he says are often well-received because of how many things he has in his mind, yet still has the ability to know what's appropriate or not. alongside the serious conversations, conspiracy theories, rambling on linguistic theory, and the music talk; kael is also a hyperactive laugher, an endearing sound to hear. the type to laugh at, again, the smallest things. he's very appreciative in the quirkiest of ways. for an introvert, he sure is great at holding enjoyable conversations with people he's not too familiar with. even if there are awkward pauses and he stumbles on his words, he's a person who is great to talk to.

 

however, a lot of something is always bad. too caring and loyal makes kael a pushover and almost self-righteous; being too humble means he often doesn't take compliments well; being an overthinker can sort his plans to the most minute detail, but when his scattered brain thinks of every possible thing to say and sometimes he can't say anything at all because of it. moreover, although he's the type to lend his ears for a friend's struggles, he doesn't expect the same for himself. he tends to think it's burdensome to unload his difficulties when he's aware others are suffering too.

 

BACKGROUND born mikael cheong to two korean immigrant parents with one older brother in toronto, canada; this boy has lived a very different life from sooah. but much like her, he has always loved the arts. namely, music and writing. this became prominent as he continued his schooling in new york from middle to high school, before venturing to vancouver after being accepted to the university of british columbia. this is where his interests become something of a career (or his 18 year old self hoped).

 

his time at university was prosperous. even though kael did thrive in high school, he ensured to do the same, if not more, during his higher education. in the summer of 2020, his family flew over to their hometown, jeonju, and stayed in their grandparents’ humble house. while kael was there, he was frequently at a recreational center with language tuitions looking for volunteer tutors. kael’s rusty korean was put to the test during that very summer; though the old man who ran the place initially only let him teach korean to younger kids, kael improved in weeks’ time to progress to more advanced classes. for english, he taught a range of age groups.

 

teaching was never truly part of the plan for kael. he wanted to do something a bit more creative and appeasing to his hunger to write; but after the summer in jeonju, the old man’s (and the students) fondness of him, his post-graduation job offer (!!!), kael couldn’t find anything not to love about it. he figures that music and poetry could be a good side hustle.

 

kael graduated a year earlier in november of 2021. he took up a lot of his final year modules across 4 semesters in his 3rd and a half year by taking the summer opening to be able to return to the job offer made to him earlier in the previous year. delighted at the fact that he wasn’t going to be unemployed after graduating, kael packed his bags and flew to jeonju, south korea for his permanent teaching job.

 

THE KAEL URGE TO.. (trivia) 

   ❁ keep a yearly planner only to stop using it in two months because "my mind is the planner <3"

   ❁ speaks in konglish outside of class and professional settings. 

   ❁ his family moved out of vancouver along with him in the fall, since his parents intended on retiring anyways after he graduated. they currently live in jeonju with his grandparents.

   ❁ despite being very "modern" to sooah, kael is actually quite technologically challenged. he has no idea how to order things online.

   ❁ kael is roman catholic and is 70% religious (sort of). prays before eating type; no before marriage type; but not really sure what other principles he should follow that doesn't compromise his other beliefs.

   ❁ likes watermelons and the color yellow.

   ❁ he teaches korean in basic to intermediary levels in contemporary contexts, such as modern day examples reflective of social interests and popular culture rather than traditional means. his classes mostly consists of high schoolers and young adults, commonly foreign.

   ❁ plays guitar and piano! learned through church choir.

   ❁ kael also teaches english in advanced level. it is the language he is most comfortable speaking and instructing, so his english classes are definitely less error-prone (still the same amount of awkward references, just in english, though) than the former.

   ❁ he is fluent in three languages but in different degrees. english and korean are in native/bilingual, while french sits in professional working proficiency. he has basic conversational skills in cantonese.

 

LOVE STORY 

 ACT I EVERY SUMMERTIME 

there is not much to like about the summer, sooah thinks. it begins with the dullness of her marriage, ends with the barely joyous time of her birthday, and sandwiched between was the day of her misfortunate fate. she just believes there are too many bad things associated in her summers to believe that they are a time of cheer and adventure.

 

that is, until sooah turns up to the jeonju korean classes she has been enrolled into every summer since her resurrection. the former princess never really expected something peculiar or out of the ordinary to happen. she liked learning, despite its sometimes boring nature. but when she walked into her usual beginners korean class that summer of 2020, instead of the old man who often taught like her tutors from childhood; she finds a young man with blonde hair, styled upwards with wax like a european prince, bringing attention to his facial structure. sooah figures that maybe he’s not from here, but why then would he be teaching her language?

 

she later learns as the boy initiates his first lesson in a room with a meagre 6 people, that his name is kael and he’s a mere volunteer from canada (nervously chuckling, he overdoes it a bit with the “but i’m korean… still.. don’t worry! haha..”) with a weird likeliness to watermelons. sooah thinks he’s a bit too young to be the teacher around here, but perhaps her outdated image of tutors were grey-bearded men with 4 concubines amidst a wife. yes, definitely. she also thinks—no, judges—that learning her native language from an outsider would truly not amount to anything. she’s quick to retract once kael morphs into charm and oozes confidence as he flips through his carefully thought out lesson plans and urban examples.

 

it’s as if he’s shed his formerly awkward and pubescent skin. his class is much more engaging than the old man who used to handle these classes the previous year. she muses that it must be the freshness of passion; but whatever it was did her much better than basically relearning her traditional scripts that she already knew. she liked the presentness of it all. and so, the summer begins to look a lot less gloomy for sooah.

 

 ACT II HELLO SUNSET 

it takes a while for sooah and kael to be well-acquainted past the thumbs up from kael whenever she could top his kahoot quizzes frequently; or the jokes sooah attempts to crack so kael’s jokes don’t float around the room like unacknowledged ghosts. it was as if they could only exist together in that classroom, but never outside of it.

 

that all changed in the middle of the summer, when one of the classes scheduled for noon had been moved to the later times, nearing the evening. sooah usually walks to the center, but kael relies on his uncle to pick and drop him due to his grandparents’ distrust in his commuting abilities. so, when the class ended at 5:45 p.m. and kael didn’t seem like he had any plans on leaving, sooah felt compelled to stay seated. she usually sat on the right-hand side of the room, a desk situated near the windows.

 

when kael notices the clock land at near 6:00 and one of his students have yet to move out, he shuffles to her seat and asks her why. sooah reverts the question back to him, a curiously innocent face staring back at kael with great expectations. his skin has begun to slither back, the shyness peaking through the red of his cheeks. “it’s kinda embarrassing but i don’t have a ride home until later, so..” kael expects sooah to nod along with his cliffhanger explanation, but she still has that pleading expression plastered on her face. it was as if it was permanently stuck. he giggles, a nervous (and happy) habit of his, “i decided to stay here and finish stuff up. maybe watch the sunset and order pizza..?”

 

sooah perks up at the mention of food. although she did like korean cuisine the best, her first experience with pizza was unforgettably incredible that she couldn’t possibly pass up this opportunity. she attempts to conceal the excitement in her face as she continues the conversation. “oh, i see, mr. kael~ do you mind if i stay here then? i’m also waiting on someone.” lies, but whatever. the flustered look on kael has become all the more obvious now that he can’t seem to get rid of sooah. her act seemed to be going on well, but the grumble of her stomach is what makes kael relax as laughter takes over.

 

the room is filled with his fits of giggles and breathless gasps, and it amounts to even more when sooah exclaims, “hey! i’m a princess, you know. don’t be like that.” he giggles and tries to speak buy his voice is high-pitched, engulfed in enjoyment. kael manages to straighten up in the next few minutes, a blanket of silence falls over them upon realizing what sooah had just said. “wait… honestly, what did you mean by that though?” sooah is quick to save herself by saying, “oh, i just meant that you shouldn’t laugh at my tummy like that! i’m still a woman, you know. i just forgot what the word was in korean, so i said princess!” kael seems to buy it, given that sooah is taking a language class. “ok then, princess. i’ll get pizza and we can eat here until we go home, yeah?”

 

 ACT III GOODBYE SUMMER 

sooah doesn’t know why she’s so stricken by the fact that kael has stopped teaching at the centre. she already knew he was a volunteer for the few months of summer, yet her emotions couldn’t help themselves. she couldn’t help herself from becoming too attached to some boy, who may never return to jeonju. kael had about five days until he was off to fly back to vancouver. the past few days, sooah and kael have tried to meet up and hangout outside language lessons, but schedule clashes make them either impossible or extremely sparse of hours together.

 

two days before he leaves, kael and sooah sit outside the centre on one of the benches. sooah’s face can’t help but show sadness, and she couldn’t believe kael’s was adorned with his lopsided smile. she faces the other way, unable to look at the boy as she asks “are you happy to go home, mr. subak?” kael laughs. it’s deeper, more comfortable and chill compared to his overly hyper and nervous ones from earlier in june. “of course i am. but this has become home too, sooah. don’t get upset now~” followed by sooah’s “i’m not UPSET!” and completed with more of the boy’s lion laughter.

 

the mood turns serious when sooah manages to look at kael, surprised that he’s been facing her direction the entire time. the proximity is nothing like she’s had before. kael talks before she can, and for once, she’s thankful. “i’m coming back after a year. then.. i’m never leaving.” met by silence, he continues his speech, “i’ll teach here with pay, fingers crossed. aaaand.. maybe you’ll let me see your debut, if time is so kind?”

 

something about this scene feels like a movie. when sooah says, “time can never be kind,” kael feels his heart drop to his , ready to debate with her in good-natured existential conspiracy. until she continues, eye to eye with him and that sooah smile on her lips, “..but i am! so yeah, you should come.” sooah figures that one year won’t feel too long if she’s spent more than a decade under the grave and still feels like an eighteen year old today. all she has to do is keep her faith in kael, possibly the most challenging thing next to household chores.

 

 ACT IV SUNFLOWER 

young sunflowers will follow the direction of the sun. to kael, the sun in korea will always be his most favorite (maybe because the rain in vancouver would never permit him a peaceful, sunny day). as he peers over the lights at night on the window of his airplane seat, he thinks of himself as a sunflower heading to the right way home. to sooah.

 

to realize one's feelings, one must actively seek out for them. for kael, they lurked throughout his final year at ubc, hit him like an isekai truck of doom, when he attended a seniors party and couldn't stand being in vancouver for another few months. that was a lot different from the patriot who adorns a red vancouver printed shirt to bed, four out of the seven nights of the week (sometimes even for a grocery run). he thinks it's simply a major missing of korea. it is quite beautiful, and a refreshing place after being abroad for so long. he knows his parents are set to retire when he finishes college, so maybe.

 

the memories that make it to the final cut of his memory reel in justifying why jeonju was replacing vancouver's number one spot was fully plagued by sooah. of course, it would logically be impossible not to include her, given that kael had seen her almost everyday of june, july and august in the centre (and some..). but it wasn't going to cut it at that. he's a tutor, it's a different sentiment to miss all your students, but to profoundly long for one? he's glad this isn't illegal! it's a relief kael can admit to himself that, yes, he does like sooah (before his flight back, at least) — an open book with most pages incomplete or scribbled from vision, and others entirely empty. there is much to adore of sooah, and much, much more to discover of her. 

 

as kael comes back to jeonju, it may feel as if nothing had ever changed between the two. but while kael is working up the courage to tell sooah about his feelings, she's oblivious to the fact that her's even exists.

STATUS tutor & tutee. summer friends. secret pining!!!
ENDING mutual pining,,, 21st century courting!! #miso ^__^ ?!

 

   ❁ personally i think it might take a lot of time for this ideal ending to happen just cuz of miscommunications between kael and sooah about their feelings, her hesitance to try and trust, inexperience and stuff. i mean i love a good slowburn tho!!! i can expand more on this if needed!

 

JUST #MISO THINGS 

    ❁ TROPES  slowburn strangers to friends to almost lovers to lovers? academic setting romance-ish. coming of age. inexperienced s <3 summer lovers. happy golden retriver kael vs small but deadly chihuahua sooah.

       ❁ #MISO  their unofficial shipname. they don't even know it. kael finds out first and likes the reference to soup.

   ❁ occasionally calls sooah 파인애플 (pineapple) to match his assigned nickname 수박 (watermelon). she’s pineapple because she urged him to get a hawaiian pizza the night the stayed in the classroom.

   ❁ both of them are very oblivious to the growing romance in their dynamic, but kael is definitely the one who wants to profess his feelings towards sooah and then begins to see why people assume they’re dating. sooah is a bit more dense, especially since she has no previous signs to tell her that she’s in love. she is more likely only to realize from jealousy, if someone did try to pursue kael, or if he pursued someone else.

   ❁ even after confession, sooah isn’t really the type to date as soon after. she’s thankful that kael is open to the idea of a courting period.

   ❁ kael and sooah may find a lot in common, but their character traits are quite opposite. kael tries to be very frugal and asks sooah to attempt to do the same, though finds it difficult to compromise her lavish taste. kael is also too trusting, whereas sooah tries to prevent the poor boy from getting scammed.

   ❁ their dynamic is very princess sooah the boss and malewife kael doing what she wants (most of the time). roles reverse when kael gets in the zone though (e.g. emotional conversations, theories, language class).

 

PLAYLIST 

ivy, frank ocean.

goodbye summer, f(x) & kyungsoo.

like real people do, hozier.

every summertime, niki.

your dog loves you, colde & crush.

wings, soyoon & phum viphurit.

entropy, daniel caesar.

rose colored boy, paramore.