isfp ・ gryffinclaw ・ 4w3 ・ true neutral ・ libra sun ・ pisces moon ・ virgo rising

 

POS easygoing, sensible, individual, observant

NEU ambitious, bold, sensitive, reserved

NEG unfocused, superficial, secluded, insecure

 

like... kat hernandez, euphoria. janet kim, kim's convenience. barbara minerva, dc's wonder woman. 

 

PERSONALITY 

where a friend group will have a mom friend, they must also have a cool aunt. baek nari fills that gap almost perfectly, with her laid back approach to many situations and her rather relaxed outlook on life. that's not to say she's lazy, but living in the present comes easy for lily. she's not one to worry about something that's even just a few years away (which is whole other downfall altogether..), preferring to enjoy the moment or drown in her current sorrows intensely. her sensitivity allows her to feel everything so profusely, but lily isn't one to overshare. just enough to keep someone invested, and sometimes humored, but not enough to compromise her.

 

despite being an introvert with a particularly reserved character, lily definitely has a good way with words. not just how she phrases her sentences while scoring an approving nod from their manager, but she knows what to let out and what to keep a secret. observant and able to read the room almost immediately, lily's the type to think fast and act spontaneously. paired with her sensibility, most outcomes of her unplanned agendas result in successes. on the spontaneous side, lily is very bold and creative. she's open to experiments and loves the dynamic sway of music, which is why she loves to write their songs and pitch into production. her ambition lies greatly in these areas.

 

when it comes to her sense of self, lily isn't one to falter. she knows who she is and only conforms to her own standards rather than society's or anyone else's. although, that idea was planted deeply by her father, so that's an exception. her upbringing distinctly set her own values and morals, to which she stays true to up until today. perhaps, it's one of the reasons love her personality a lot. despite wanting to maintain a persona, she often just stays close to how she truly is off-camera. not talkative, but a good conversationalist. doesn't really need to hog the camera to grab attention either. she'll still take the opportunity to look prettier, though. aesthetics and all. some people may find her superficial for her love for beautiful things, as well as her tendency to withhold information, seeing it as "shallow" or "fake."

 

her insecurity comes to haunt her for more tangible things as compared to her personality. things that matter, especially because she took the idol path. her talents and all the marketable traits she has; she seeks validation for her idol characteristics and skills. lily could actually care less if people didn't like her off-duty persona, that's not what they're bargaining for. so, when she's finally out of the filler member slot, lily wants to do all she can to keep it that way. who wouldn't? times like this make lily hopeful, but also losing grasp on her chill personality and more onto her ambition and less objective side. it may sound like a people pleaser response, but it's far from it. it just seems like she wants to prove herself to nobody in particular. this can sometimes impact her relationship with the members, since she loses parts of her sensibility to insecurity. during those times, lily would rather be passive and avoid everyone until she cools down. though, if it piles up too much, she's bound to be sharp with her words.

 

 

BACKGROUND 

early life (1999-2005)

baek nari was born to a lower to average middle class family. not a lot of money came by, but just enough to scrape a tolerable way of living. her parents were just twenty-four when they had her; an autumn surprise that they were not prepared for. it was obvious in the way that her father still lived off of his university high, her mother still wide-eyed and unknowing, and the lack of wedding bands gracing their fingers while she was in her mother's womb. at the time, the couple was earning just enough to carry themselves. haru, her father, still worked part-time at a record shop and did band gigs for most of his living. her mother, naeun, was a call centre agent working late night shifts. not a lot changed after nari was born, they lived under naeun's parents' house. haru worked longer hours, started job searching and gave lesser time to the band. four years after nari's birth came another sweet girl, nabi. the pair had decided to move out of their parents' house by the time nabi had turned two, seeking to move to central seoul for better job opportunities and a better upbringing for the girls.

 

childhood → teenagehood (2006-2016)

when the four-piece moved to seoul, nari had already begun schooling while nabi remained at home with a family friend who was living with them, cho jayoung. she brought along her son, jaewon, who quickly grew closer to the baek sisters, treating them like his own younger siblings that he never had. 

 

during this time, nari began learning about instruments from her father (and the help of some of his bandmates, at the time). the first instrument she learned to play properly was the guitar, hence her inclination towards it. though, she had a special place in her heart from the drums due to her father's specialty in the instrument. she continued to learn guitar, even alone, while taking in a bunch of other instruments like piano and drums. although she did learn and practice the others, nari feels more confident and intimate with the guitar.

 

throughout her childhood, and her entrance into teenhood, nari had always felt a strong connection to music. it began with her father's teachings, but it steadily grew into something of her own. she kept little diaries of songs and poems, written to distract her from the boredom of math class. when she was thirteen, she also started busking during holidays, weekends and some days after school with her father to not only practice her skills, but build some confidence around a crowd.

 

later on, nari's confidence pushed her into joining theatrics and plays at school, especially the musicals. she would often be suited for behind-the-scenes roles, such as instrumental recordings, or if she was on-stage, she'd be playing the songs live. she'd only danced once for a play, and while nari didn't do half-bad, it was a... challenging experience for a thirteen year old.

 

high school went on and nari continued to mature. by the time she was sixteen, she had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted to be. it came as no surprise that the daughter of a band member wanted to pursue something in the music industry, though most would assume a front-runner would also produce a spotlight-hogger. conversely, nari wanted to work behind the thrill of the stage as a producer and lyricist. this only began to deepen as she continued to busk, this time with just her sister. during their performances, her younger sister would carry the frontline vocals while singing songs made by nari. however, as a young teenage girl with not a lot of resources on the larger-than-life entertainment industry, she wasn't really sure on how to get to her dream.

 

due to her lack of knowledge on how to achieve a straight track to her desired career path, nari began looking into related work that could open doors for her dream. she was feeling as if she were trapped by a dead-end, until she confided in her younger sister. of course, at the time, the advice of a young teenage girl to another slightly older teenage girl wouldn't be worth much to an outsider, but nari took her sister's words quite seriously. nabi had once suggested becoming an idol and nari couldn't get the thought out of her head. it's not like she had the immediate talent to be one, but she could be good enough, right? the intricate thought of teenage nari was concerned about pursuing the production route through the idol pathway. she thought: if idols can become actors, can't they become idol-producers? the thought, of course, didn't seem far-fetched at all, especially during the times of the third generation.

 

teenagehood → idol trainee (2016-2019)

when she had brought up the idea of auditioning to her mother and father, expecting utmost support like in any other musical endeavor she's had prior, nari was shocked by the disbelief and outrage caused by her honesty. in fact, she was in greater sadness that her father, the man that influenced her into music, shook his head angrily, in disapproval of her plan. her mother passively tried to talk her out of it, but her father had said something that she couldn't wrap her head around until this day. something along the lines of “idols are not real musicians. they're not authentic and are so commercialized. it'll stifle your real talents!” but what truly struck her the most was: “you'll be an embarrassment to our family—even more so, me!—if you become an idol, nari.”

 

the conversation ended there, as nari hung her head low and walked into the bedroom she shared with her younger sister. she wasn't overtly passionate about becoming an idol itself, but she felt disappointed by her father's prejudice and lack of belief in her own authenticity. it made her want to try out even more. 

 

two weeks after the discussion, nari eventually managed to convince her parents to allow her to audition, at least. part of her thinks that they only let her because they didn't believe she stood a chance towards getting accepted, but low and behold, she was. nari auditioned at a handful of agencies; a lot of them small companies, with just a few big-name ones like cube and pledis. it wouldn't be a surprise that she got rejected from the big agencies, but it was all okay once she found out she got into ag entertainment. her auditions mostly consisted of an average vocal performance, surely acoustic since she always brought out her guitar to sing along with. 

 

when nari informed her parents of her acceptance, shey could tell they were astonished by the results. clearly, they were sure that nari wouldn't have been able to do it all by herself. since nari was still a minor at the time, they wanted to check on how true the agency was to ensure that nari would be in safe hands rather than be exploited. while her parents were not entirely on-board with the idea (heck, nari was only half-sure, too), they let her begin training. of course, under the condition that she graduate high school while doing so.

TRAINEE LIFE baek nari auditioned for ag entertainment in 2016 for a vocalist position. she was taking chances at any place she could, with a guitar strapped behind her back and a bunch of shaky vocal abilities from her childhood. it was a miracle that she passed, although she wasn't immediately put into her section of choice. unlike other.. more definitive trainees, nari was put into general training for all positions until she excelled into specific categories.

 

nari wasn't a shining star from the very beginning; trainees were very rarely above and beyond unless scouted from talent competitions or in-front of performing arts academies. she never really felt that she even reached a peak with her performances in ag, with her evaluations often just hitting the mark. or, if she was lucky, she'd score a B+ or something. that's not to say nari was ever terrible; just average and not debut-ready. after her years in practice rooms, though, she eventually found her specializations: rap and dance. although she auditioned as a vocalist, she already knew she wouldn't be the strongest contender. her vocal tone was darker and huskier, making it a more unique tone suited for rapping, but very unique for a kpop vocalist. fairly decent, but unfitting for a conventional lead position. she enjoyed rapping since it was more dynamic for her, and sometimes, she would get to exercise some creative freedom through freestyle sessions. as a trainee, nari kept journals of lyrics and sketches of notes for future songs that she could hopefully release - it didn't really matter if it was through her own work, the group, or even for others. 

 

nari felt similarly for dance; she loved rhythm and melodies and melting into the music. she never expected to be good at dancing, but hard work and fluidity really benefitted her. by the time the agency was trying to put together a debut line-up, nari was growing into her craft and was deemed fit to take up lead positions for rap and dance. a surge of anxiety and confidence simultaneously overcame her when she was included for debut. however, all that depleted gradually as more details on song distribution and creative liberties were discussed.

 

of course, she knew that she couldn't take a seat in the producer's chair instantly, but getting very minimal lines disheartened her. nari's gradual build-up of skills only took a few objective sentences to crumble; it just seemed like she was no match for everyone else on the line-up, feeling rather out of place with what seemed like a bunch of natural-born performers, and her: a manufactured idol who thrives better behind album tracks and within studio rooms. though, she gave her agency the benefit of the doubt and simply digressed, convincing herself that lesser lines during her debut might get her less nervous. she only began to feel better when they were allowed to contribute to their debut b-side track, where she was an active participant in lyric-writing. 

 

POST-DEBUT THOUGHTS as a trainee, nari lily was passionate and strived her best to keep up with others. now, as a debuted idol, she still maintains her trainee attitude, though she seems to have garnered more ambition for bigger things. this is especially true after being moved to bighit, knowing that larger opportunities are just out there for her to take advantage of. creative liberties were more welcomed at her new agency, so lily was incredibly grateful to be part of it. her happiness and satisfaction were greatly showing, because rather than being stuck in a slump between comebacks, she was using most of her time frequenting studios for behind-the-scenes action and the practice room for sharpening her dance skills. her work paid off quite a bit since her skills had improved drastically by the time subzero was to release their third ep, scoring her much more lines than she did previously. a domino effect occured; she was getting a lot more public recognition outside the fandom and her own solo fans. although it wasn't enough to keep up with other popular members, she was still eternally grateful. from that, she already felt very content from the love she received in return for her dedication. however, moving onto the bad boy era really solidified her popularity as a member. it was also more prominent in the way their manager would book her into more shows due to her easy-going personality that didn't risk their image. lily was already quite a fan favorite on talking shows, but she had never appeared separate from her group, which she would be given the chance to upon her boom in publicity. if she thought it was cut-throat in those squeaky practice rooms, lily was entirely wrong. the idol world is all about bringing in the people, and perhaps that made her feel better about herself. while she still had music production as her dream career, she wasn't hating every waking moment she has as an idol. she does admit it all sounds quite messed up, but her moral compass is yet to denounce her for the swell of joy she feels when someone says "lily's my favorite!"

 

PRE-DEBUT ACTIVITIES 

❋ busking (2012-2016) nari used to busk around seoul with her father when she was in her early teen years, which was around the first half of her time busking. during those days, her father would play drums and sing in harmony with nari, who played guitar and meekly sang along. eventually, when her younger sister was old enough to join, she tagged along as well. during the later years of busking, nari would often play her guitar (or if the time calls, a keyboard) and sing backing vocals for her sister (the lead vocalist). their father wouldn't have much time that allowed him to join them, so from 2014 and so forth, it was just the two girls. by the time it was 2016, nari stopped busking due to the beginning of her training period.

❋ ag girls (2019) this was the year she found out she was going to be part of a debut line-up and participated in the pre-debut performance video released by the agency in september.

 

FUTURE ACTIVITIES

❋ vlogs (2020-202x) vlogs and own-content with the subzero girls on their youtube channel. this is where fans get introduced to lily and her personality that others have grown to love. maybe her own section of content like johnny's communication centre (nct) or something like that!

❋ subzero reality show (202x) somewhere in the near future with the subzero girls! nothing set in stone, maybe a healing trip or behind the scenes reality show for their 1-year comeback? i also imagined the scandal about gianna and lily came from here due to clashes in creative opinion (lily wanting to be more risky and experimental vs gianna being business-minded, etc.)

❋ producing and writing songs (2020-202x) lily already has songwriting credits registered into komca since 2020, their debut year. she'd like to expand more through exploring lyricism in subzero, as well as producing or being part of the production team for their own tracks as well to push it up a notch. in the near future, when she feels ready, she hopes to do the same for other artists, and maybe even for herself.

❋ sm station collab with haechan・ and july (2021) after securing her spot as one of the popular members, lily's agency pushed her into larger projects outside the group. this would be one of her first major musical projects alone. she participated in tweaking the demo lyrics and production, alongside nct's mark.

 

ARTICLES 

❋ this idol's fancams went viral one year after debuting! (jan 2021) this headline refers to the time when subzero came back with bad boy for their first year as an idol group. lily's gradual rise to the front spots also caused a sudden increase in views to her fancams during previous eras, even their pre-debut performance video from 2019.

❋ subzero's lily joins nct's haechan for a duet produced by co-member mark (july 2021) an article that addresses lily's first major solo music schedule. 

 

SCANDALS

❋ subzero lily and nct mark seen together in a restaurant late at night (2021) this scandal was released into the depths of twitter and naver, swarmed by knetz and international fans alike. it seemed out of the blue because the photos were leaked in june, just a month before their sm station collaboration was announced. it was later addressed by both sm and bighit that it was a friendly celebratory dinner with the other co-producer, haechan and lyrics team. a lot of people theorize that this scandal was specifically a publicity stunt for the new single.

❋ a clash between subzero members gianna and lily concern fans (202x) as mentioned in the reality show activity, it could be possible for the girls to have some conflict with difference in perspectives and beliefs. however, the scandal headline exaggerates maybe like.. 5 mins of conflict. the nature of their relationship is kind of awkward as well so...

esfj ・ hufflepuff ・ 6w7 ・ chaotic good ・ leo sun ・ aries moon ・ scorpio rising

 

POS tender-hearted, loyal, chivalrous, patient

NEU emotional, ambitious, frugal, humble

NEG rigid, overbearing, workaholic, awkward

 

PERSONALITY

mark lee 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 idol career, there's not a speck or flaw in his record, packing songwriting credits and charts under his belt — the guy you're gonna want to take home for life. despite his highs, mark 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, mark 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; mark 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. mark is indeed a people person, in spite of his regular need to be alone with his thoughts and tunes; 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 mark 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. not a great stress reliever, he mostly uses practice and work to release the stress that has come from the same thing. it's not hard to see that mark is a bit of a workaholic. on top of that, he's often overworked, taking advantage of his fuel and passion for performing. sometimes, his work gets in the way of more personal things, but his loyalty and conscience will always prioritize his family and loved ones.
 

LOVE STORY

april 2021

spring was quickly approaching its end and nari's label had granted her the opportunity to capitalize off of the hype for summer songs. when she had heard of it, she felt excitement, that's a given; but when she learned that it would be an sm collaboration, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. she was fairly intimidated when she entered the studio with just one other co-producer. 

 

it's no surprise that the first time nari meets mark, he's being clung onto by her apparent duet partner, haechan. with the two best friends were present in the studio that beautiful april day, everything seemed to be going far smoother than expected. haechan's more playful outgoing-ness influenced mark's friendly disposition, making the energy in the studio a lot more welcoming to little introverted nari. you can bet she breathed a sigh of relief that her partners were of her age.

 

the next few weeks of the collaboration were mostly work and less of play, though she did want to get to know the two boys. it takes a while for mark and nari to actually call themselves anything apart from colleagues, whereas haechan's some levels above, with nari unlocking the part where he just playfully greets her every time they meet in the recording booth. with mark, nari knows her place. she bounces off his ideas, adds onto them until they're both in a state of euphoria, pupils dilated as if they'd met the loves of their lives. the high from creative rhapsody and successful collaboration fueled the rest of their relationship, shifting their studio-exclusive ‘friendship’ into something blossoming beyond the producer's seat and scribbled writing on notepads. 

 

of course, april was barely over, and they had a bunch of work left to do before the song could even be approved to be launched by the summer. nari would say there was one specific day that mark had grown inevitably closer to her; one where haechan was taking a backseat in the talking, forcing more chilled-out mark to drive. eventually, haechan had to leave the studio for another schedule, a -eating grin subtly placed on his face accompanied by a snarky hand gesture of goodbye to the two. mark throws a punching gesture into the air, bottom lip stuck between his teeth as he playfully bids haechan out. nari laughs heartily, waving at the younger boy as he walks out.

 

a blanket of silence falls over the remaining pair, thrown off by mark's voice. “good riddance!” nari's startled by his playfulness, usually the more rigid of the three. never in an irritating or intimidating way, but he was evidently the most serious and focused about the project. his phrase bank often consisted of “ok guys, let's focus!” or “what if we do it again?” or some variation of the sort. nari had always admired the way he was so into his craft. in a way, she'd always hoped to be like that on a lucky day. breaking out of her thoughts, nari's giggles make mark flush a bright red, shying away from his previously bold comment. he has to admit though, making her laugh brought upon a different swell to his mind compared to making one of the boys laugh.

 

mark is quick to move forward, but awkwardness seeps out of his lips with small talk reigning over their non-existent conversation. “so.. how are you..?” he almost forgets the formalities at the end of his question, his politeness running after his words a minute too late. nari stares at him, “you do know we're the same age, right? you don't have to talk formally to me, mark.” he stares back at her, doe-eyed and coming down from the flustered state he was previously in. he feels it creeping back every time nari speaks, low voice and all. “did you not know that after three weeks together?” nari asks, a hand placed over her chest in fake hurt, an ironic offense coating her words that mark clearly does not catch onto, proven by his panicked response. eyes wide, pupils shaking as he proceeds to defend himself through stutters. mark's eyes shift to see her lips flash that nari smile he's grown too familar to over the weeks, something stupid spontaneously spilling out of his mouth. “this is sounding like a sad romance drama..”

 

“oh, do you like those?” she questions, “it would make sense. love lyrics seem to come easy to you, dude.” mark responds, initially leading with “w-what..? no way!” then a swift defeated sigh, “okay, yeah. maybe..”

 

that day, mark and nari fought over how great (mark's defense) and how horrible (nari's offense) the notebook by nicholas sparks is. the rest is history.

 

INTERACTIONS the sm station project recording and approval process was completed by the middle of may, though nari saw mark and haechan less and less between the weeks due to their preparation for their first full album for nct dream. after their little notebook debate, things were much less awkward for nari and mark, though they both couldn't say the same whenever they were caught on camera for behind vlogs. it was mostly mark slipping back into his shy skin, being filmed with a girl and everything. but.. that didn't mean he would never acknowledge her! in music shows, they give each other knowing glances and shy smiles. award shows are a bit different, more subtle with clapping and fighting the urge of screaming some stupid inside joke they texted each other about during toilet breaks and under the table. as for physical interaction, the two of them are a bit wary about it. mark is especially careful since nari is considered a rookie idol, afraid of any consequences that fall heavier on her shoulder. he did bro fist her once during a behind vlog for the sm station though. in private, the two act like close, same-aged friends. a bit of banter like any pair of friends, but the two like to engage in sometimes existential conversations or pointless debates (like the notebook one). the two still feel a bit distant sometimes, as given by a newly-formed friendship, and one between a male and female idol at that. 

JUST #MINA THINGS 

❋ tropes slowburn strangers to friends to best friends to lovers. coming of age. very high school musical-ish with all the songwriting, music and creative energy. workplace lovers. inexperienced kids <3 golden retriever bf, munchkin cat gf.

❋ #mina ship name made by fans and pushed onto them by haechan. it combines the first syllable of mark's korean name (mi) and the first syllable of lily's birth name (na).

❋ mark doesn't actually have any nicknames for nari. he often playfully uses her full name while she uses markie more often than anyone.

❋ in this case, mark will probably be the last person who figures out his feelings because of how dense he truly is. and because he probably has no idea how a relationship starts in an idol setting, a great difference to the slice-of-life romances he consumes. the growing romance in their dynamic is very subtle because they already act like lowkey lovers as close friends.

❋ dreamies often tease mark for the special treatment he gives nari. he backs himself up with the “you gotta treat a woman right!!!!” and haechan doesn't believe any of it.

❋ mark is the first idol that has ever seen the lyrics nari writes in her little diaries. they often try and work on them together, with mark on the guitar and nari on piano. his lyrical suggestions are nari's greatest help and she'll definitely be crediting him when she's able to release her songs.

❋ it's not uncommon to find the two on facetime overnight and just dropping the call early in the morning before a schedule, or later at noon if they're not busy.

❋ they teach each other songs on the guitar. 

❋ mark invites nari a lot to the studio, just to brainstorm and so on.

❋ they like to take instagram pictures of one another, but often times, they don't post them officially because it may cause controversy or be mistaken as a couple post.

 

STATUS friends, colleagues.
ENDING mutual pining!!! maybe lowkey dating? 

❋ but i am kind of under the impression that the two of them are the type to take things super slowly and are initially so frightened to make any public moves, especially because it feels like their careers are just beginning and they both value that so much.