DESCR!PT!ON
Chuanli is a very soft, sweet soul. most would probably compare Chuanli to a puppy. he is someone who surrounds himself with a lot of different people of various personalities and backgrounds. because of his easy-going demeanor, he makes friends quite easily and doesn’t struggle to get along with others. he isn’t the showy type or the loud and annoying. more reserved and soft, capable of sharing intimate moments with others. he is naturally very in-tune with his emotions and intuition. Chuanli lets his intuition lead him, connected to his gut feeling/reaction to what he thinks is right or wrong. with his intuity, he can often sense when something is amiss even before being told, and sometimes before others even realize it as well.

Chuanli has a strong sense of empathy and emotional capacity and forms very deep and meaningful bonds with others. if he cares about you, then the emotional connection runs really strong. chuanli has a very high tolerance and compassion for others in general. he’ll give you the benefit of the doubt over and over and let slide too many times, doing things people ask of him that he might not want to just because he wants to make you happy. he’ll go to great lengths for others that he loves, although he doesn’t expect the same back. instead, he prefers to keep his own problems to himself and deal with them alone, even if he struggles. it’s just easier that way than putting his faith in others. he’s the ideal friend for many people.

chuanli feels really caged in and confined when he can’t use his creative expression. he’s the type of person that uses his mediums as a way to let his childish, wild imagination release. it serves as a healthier way than crying hysterically into a tub of ice cream on the couch, that’s for sure. when chuanli gets an idea, he’ll definitely just jump into action and roll with it, leading to many random song lyrics and various stray cords jotted in his notebook. he has a vast imagination and really enjoys being creative as a way to escape reality and have healthy outlets.

he does seem a bit like his head is in the clouds most of the time and can get lost in his daydreams. he is a dreamer at heart, always following the crazy notions of his mind, and gets easily disheartened when he’s told his dreams cannot be reality. these crazy notions make him pretty spacy at times, seemingly in his own little world. he will always pick imagination over rationality any day, so keeping him on track is sometimes difficult, especially when it comes to coursework. chuanli can also get overwhelmed from being stuck in his head, sometimes not being able to see a solution which results in a very frazzled and overwhelmed chuanli. he needs quite a bit of help to get himself out of that headspace at times to offer up a new perspective.

despite being an academic intellectual, poor baby is far from the sharpest knife in the kitchen when it comes to common sense, which is super ironic. sometimes when he does something absolutely absurd, it’s kind of like, “is this guy okay? how did he end up getting an academic scholarship?” but he gets by...albeit chaotically. Ironically, he's more booksmart than street smart, and has a great school track record, a big contrast to his naivety or outright shortage of common sense… but he tries his best okay! so it really comes as a surprise that chuanli can be wise beyond his years about emotions and human nature, and academics. really, this takes a lot of people by surprise because he can give the best advice or be the most understanding human being, as well as spouting random facts or talking about his years in the top percentile of his classes during high school, but he’s also kinda dumb?? it’s an anomaly. Don't let this fool you though, Chuanli is an intellectual at heart. He loves learning and has a pension for literature, language, and science. Chuanli is very smart and academically inclined, having a studious approach to most obstacles. He utilizes his curious nature as a driving force for his desire for learning. He has a different, intuitive way of looking at things, and that creative sense of out of the box thought is probably a huge key to his intellect.

little things make him laugh, and he’s happy to just enjoy the most minimal childish glimmers of excitement in the world. chuanli has the power of being able to see the beauty in the mundane, like that of a true artist. stuff that might seem stupid to others is significant to chuanli. he can be deeply moved by just about anything. chuanli also has a very playful sense of fun spawned from his childlike heart. he loves playing funny jokes on his friends, being stupid and silly, and is never concerned about looking cool to others. chuanli loves laughing and making any mundane situation seem much more fun paired with his general happiness. he’ll do stupid things to make others laugh or laugh at himself. he doesn’t take things too seriously, for the most part, able to live and let live. chuanli likes being a goofball and finding joy where it might be overlooked. he might seem easily amused, but really that’s just his easy-going attitude.

chuanli doesn’t mind being by himself sometimes but tends to enjoy being around company the most, except when he’s feeling overwhelmed. chuanli just feels at peace and content when he’s in the presence of his friends, so he doesn’t hesitate to tag along for literally anything. he can be kinda clingy in this aspect but knows when to give others space. although, despite his almost needy tendencies, chuanli is actually a very guarded person and assumes people don’t understand him, especially with the fact he's a foreigner. he tries not to let that get to him, but at the same time, he’s also the cause of not allowing himself give others a chance. he just prefers to keep his feelings to himself, even if he is emotional. he’ll go off to cry, not one to do it in front of others because he doesn’t want them to know. it takes a lot for chuanli to feel comfortable enough to open up around others, so it’s definitely rare for him to share his worries or feelings. he also has the tendency to be pretty closed off to new people in general and even cold. it’s just his way of guarding himself before getting involved with anyone. this definitely translates over to enemies as well. after all the chances he gives someone, you best believe he’ll be cold once he drops you. he can be pretty icy to people he hates openly.

it’s pretty noticeable how much of a hopeless romantic chuanli is as well. the boy just loves love. he, by nature, is a very loving person and is very devoted to the people he cares for. he’s the tender one in a relationship, very gentle and loving and generous. however, chuanli isn’t someone who can just have some flimsy one-night stand or fleeting romance. instead, he has to feel a real emotional connection to others in order to open up and establish trust. this goes with friendship as well. he is super gentle and caring, the type to lend an ear when you need it and cuddle you in bed crying along with your woes because he can’t help but feel swayed by others' emotions. when he loves, he loves, hard. and when he hurts, he hurts even harder. he’s very sensitive and little things really warm or crack his heart. being swayed by others' feelings is pretty standard for him. if you’re upset, he can’t help but feel the same. seeing someone cry will automatically make chuanli burst into tears. at times, it might seem like chuanli only lives to please his friends, but that’s not always the case. he just cares a lot and really wants those important in his life to be happy, so he’ll always try his best to ensure that’s possible.  


H!STORY

Chuanli was born the youngest of the Zhang family in Shanghai, China. The Zhangs were a humble family, not very financially sound, and his parents struggled to make ends meet to take care of their three kids but thankfully had the help of Chuanli's dad's parents to raise them. Nevertheless, Chuanli had a good childhood, filled with love and care. He and his siblings tended to play outside because of their lack of toys, but this only developed chuanli's creativity. He spent long days playing pretend, gazing at the stars at night, and following around his siblings. The only channels their worn down tv had were cable which included a Korean network that his parents typically watched at night, leading to Chuanli becoming super familiar with Korean dramas and older classic Korean media. Considering he and his siblings weren't allowed to watch television during the day, watching these strange, foreign shows at night before bedtime was a nice treat. His siblings would sing along to the songs on the dramas or the occasional music video, and chuanli absolutely loved it. The music was different from the classic Chinese folk songs his grandparents listened to and instead had a fresh and exciting vibe that he enjoyed. Some of his absolute favorite memories were of sneaking into the living room during the night to secretly watch adult comedies along with his parents after he was supposed to have already gone to sleep; or chilling on the couch after school at his grandparents' house to watch the cheesy Korean romantic dramas his grandmother enjoyed. His life seemed to subtly revolve around Korean culture, and he found it fascinating. It was his secret dream to one day venture to Korea. Maybe he'd have enough money when he was an adult to make that happen, but it was just a childish fantasy for now.

Chuanli was a pretty shy kid and had difficulty branching out and making friends so he tended to keep to himself a lot at school. As a child, chuanli wasn't aware of his family's situation, much like any child is oblivious to the deeper aspects of humanity, but his parents always taught chuanli to work hard and endure. That if you gave something your all, it would turn out okay in the end. As he got older, Chuanli became more aware of the reality, learning of his financial situation, which made him want to do exceptionally well in school in order to lift his parents' spirits a little. If he did well, they would have one less thing to concern themselves over. They had always wanted the best for their children, and ensuring a prosperous future was top priority, so they were pleased to know chuanli made the first step in that direction with his good grades. Going to college and getting a good job was instilled in the Zhang children from the get go, so Chuanli knew the end goal he must complete.

His life didn't have any significant changes until middle school when chuanli performed the best in school that he ever had and as a result, earned top marks conseculatively. Little did Chuanli know that he did so well that he would get recognition from more than just his middle school. So when he was set to graduate from middle school to high school, chuanli was offered the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to study abroad for high school in Korea, all expenses paid due to his excellent academic record. Chuanli was shocked at the offer, never once assuming he'd be able to leave Shanghai ever in his life, especially not as an almost 14-year-old. Sure he was proud of his forthcomings, but leaving China to go to a new country without his family? That sounded very scary. But at the same time, this was Korea! The place that he'd watched on tv since he was little. The place he always wanted to vistit. The elusive, magical country he found fascinating. This had to be a dream come true! And, of course, his parents thought so too. Chuanli's exclusive offer to study abroad was too good of a chance to pass up. Moreover, it would nearly guarantee their son entry into a good university that they had no other way to pay for without a scholarship. So before Chuanli knew it, his parents were signing him up to stay with a family of strangers for four years in Seoul, South Korea.

Chuanli had never actually stayed away from his family for very long before. They didn't have enough money to go on vacations or really leave his home, so the thought of going to a whole new country, ALONE, really freaked him out. Chuanli knew it was technically safe since the host family he'd be staying with had passed all the safety screening processes, but he was a timid kid…and what if they didn't get along or he hated them? Chuanli was set to move in with the Choi's during the last few weeks of summer to give him enough time to settle in before the new school year began. He had already started his tutoring in the Korean language, which was set to continue once he moved. Still, Chuanli spent the entirety of his summer worrying about the most significant change in his life. Not only that, but Chuanli was able to start exchanging letters to his new 'host-brother,' the kid that would be in the same year and serve as his only lifeline of some form of familiarity once he got to Seoul. Considering Chuanli's family was too poor to afford the internet or computers or make long-distance calls to Korea, he had no other form of communication with Choi Haneul except for letters. 

Chuanli was highly anxious about this Haneul kid. Chuanli knew he was an introvert at heart and struggled to step out of his comfort zone at times, but he didn't know if Haneul was the same way. Or at least, it was hard to tell through a letter. He enjoyed the safety of familiarity, but he had no clue who Haneul actually was. What if they couldn't get along? What if Haneul actually ended up hating him? What if he didn't want to help him learn Korean? What if Haneul made school life exceptionally difficult for him? Chuanli had many concerns that ate away at him. He seemed nice and friendly, at least interested in Chuanli's life in china and possibly making friends, but it could all be a front. The two fourteen-year-olds exchanged letters up until Chuanli was set to fly out to his home. His family tried relentlessly to cheer him up to no avail, and belatedly, he worried if this was the best choice to go through with? But it was too late. Before he knew it, Chuanli was on a redeye flight to his new family in Seoul.

When Chuanli landed in Korea, he didn't expect the reality of Choi Haneul. But the kid was the literal human personification of the sun. He was so bright and energizing, genuinely fun to be around overall. The Korean boy was a dancer, a member of a dance club outside of school, and an absolute star in the making. But he was a lot to deal with, and Chuanli was super timid at first. Secretly, the Chinese boy was relieved the other was so friendly and could possibly help guide him through school, but chuanli was a bit overwhelmed. It was already a huge change, and Haneul's chaotic energy intensified everything. Chuanli learned quickly that Haneul's family was relatively well-off, a stark contrast to his own, and was given his very own laptop and cellphone by the generous family. Chuanli was so shaken by the sheer amount of wealth and kindness that he felt apprehensive about his expensive presents and keeping them cared for. He'd never owned something so expensive before that probably cost more than the tiny home he shared with his family, but Haneul was so nonchalant about the gifts, telling Chuanli not to be afraid to use them and helping him figure the electronics out. 

During the weeks leading up to his first day of school, Haneul spent a lot of time out with his friends or at his dance club practices rather than with Chuanli, so the Chinese boy spent most of his days learning Korean and keeping to himself. Chuanli secretly worried that Haneul didn't actually like him or want to be friends, so he tried his best to avoid the other boy to avoid getting on his nerves. During this time, Chuanli listened to a lot of music. Music was a huge escape from his loneliness and a cure for homesickness. He downloaded old songs from the dramas his family watched and discovered new Korean music as well. Music kept him company through this considerable period of change, and Chuanli considered it his only real friend. He didn't want to worry his new 'host brother' with his own anxieties so he mainly kept them a secret, leading to Chuanli spenting many nights crying in his new room, missing home and his family. Sure the Choi's were charming people, and Chuanli liked them a lot, but he still missed the comforts of China. 

When the semester started, Chuanli started to get super anxious, worried that haneul would be too busy with his own friends to help him out and he'd be an outcast in a new country. But surprisingly, before their first day of high school, Haneul ditched his friends to hang out with Chuanli. The two tried to warm up to each other and dissipate the awkwardness between them, hopefully squishing the language barrier and weird vibes, and before he knew it, Haneul became his absolute best friend. His first year was ruthless with stress, what with being the new kid and all, but Haneul helped him to make it through all the struggling, even staying up late together to help practice Korean, which turned into watching tv and youtube together, chuanli teaching haneul how to skate, and just hanging out together in general. Slowly, Chuanli became super attached to Haneul. The two did everything together and couldn't be separated. Sure Haneul was the more outgoing one and pretty popular at school, but that never got in the way of their friendship. 

It didn't take long for Chuanli to adjust to life in Korea, and a sense of belongingness made his heart clench in his chest. He liked it here, enjoyed his new life and his friend. Everything seemed perfect, really. During the summers, Chuanli took Haneul to visit his family in China when he had the time to take off from his dance club. In turn, Haneul opened up Chuanli's eyes to an entirely new world of music, unlike anything he'd seen. Haneul was…amazing. He was so talented and stopped the show at every recital. Not only was his dancing polished and fluid, but his personality ruled the stage. Chuanli felt lucky to be friends with such a fascinating person and really admired Haneul's hard work. While Chuanli struggled to keep up with his studies for his scholarship, Haneul balanced their friendship with school and his dance club. Haneul wasn't nearly as studious as Chuanli, so the Chinese boy had mercy on him and helped him to study for classes when his grades slipped and if he occasionally filled out Haneul's homework sheets after he passed out from a long day of school and practice, no one was the wiser. 

When they were 16, Haneul got an offer from Jellyfish Entertainment to join their company as a trainee, and the two were ecstatic. This was what Haneul had dreamed of and deserved, and Chuanli was so thrilled for his friend, even if that meant they'd inevitably spend less time together because of it. This was a fantastic offer, unlike anything else. Haneul took the chance and quickly became a trainee, working his off, while chuanli supported him. Although, Chuanli did miss his friend a lot, considering he was busy most of the time, which left chuanli alone a lot. Sure, Chuanli had made other friends by now, but none of them were his best friend, Haneul.

Nevertheless, they still managed to spend time together, and Haneul introduced Chuanli to even more music, groups, bands, and dance crews, showing Chuanli his own routines. Chuanli had always loved music and felt very inspired by Haneul to pursue music somehow. But really, it was just a hopeless dream. He couldn't dance like Haneul, and he didn't know how to rap. He sang a little to himself, but it wasn't anything impressive. And nor did his family have the means to support a frivolous career in music. That would be a selfish dream to pursue. 

Chuanli had already promised his family that he'd apply to uni in China, and once he graduated. He'd attend uni in his home country: That had been the original plan since he was little, and he couldn't change it now. It's not something he really wanted to do, but he wasn't haneul and couldn't just go out and become an idol like that. He wasn't even talented. Chuanli mentioned his dream in pass to haneul, and of course, the Korean boy had tried to encourage chuanli to go with his heart, but Chuanli knew rationally that he couldn't do that. But even so, In Haneul's absence, Chuanli again leaned heavily on music. During lonely nights when Haneul had to stay late at the company, Chuanli would even dabble in writing lyrics in a google doc on his laptop. He thought it was acceptable to do this as a hobby, and maybe he'd get it out of his system before he graduated and picked a reasonable career.

In 2019 during their last year of high school, Haneul became a contestant on Produce X 101. Damn, was this a turning point in their lives. They spent a lot of time apart, and this was one of the loneliest times in Chuanli's life. Being without Haneul at school or just at the house during the night was difficult, but he put those feelings aside in favor of supporting Haneul's lifelong dream. This was his goal, and he had finally made it on a popular broadcast that would only skyrocket him to notoriety. Haneul had become a fan favorite easily with his magnetic personality and musicality. He consistently placed in the top 10 in nearly every episode, and it was surreal to witness. Chuanli felt almost as if he was participating in the survival show, living through haneul every episode. Chuanli's heart ached when Haneul cried or showed even a glimmer of anxiety or fear of losing. However, when Haneul proved successful in the competitions, Chuanli, too, felt relief and pride. Every day felt like a rush to get through his grueling school day to make it home to the Choi's residence to stream Produce x 101. Without Haneul, chuanli didn't have too many friends at school, and those that we're friends with them both knew how stressed and worried chuanli was over haneul's participation, so they tried to give him space during this time. 

Although, their school was alight with the buzz of Haneul's pending success. Haneul's appearance on the popular survival show meant that people Chuanli didn't even know started to approach him at school and ask about Haneul, figuring that Haneul's host brother would know the most about his situation. It seemed like everyone, and their dog had a sudden newfound interest in Haneul's life, which by extension included Chuanli. It was super frustrating to see people who had previously not given two s about Haneul's interest in dancing now apparently care? Chuanli wasn't looking to have people interfere in his or his friend's life and felt extremely protective of Haneul's privacy. So the boy did his best to politely avoid everyone that he could. Haneul's newfound popularity surpassed his previous heights, extending outside of just their year but to their whole high school and eventually a good majority of Korea. Classmates and peers that Chuanli hadn't even known existed attempted to invite themselves over to the Choi's residence after school to find out more about Haneul from Chuanli, random people sending chuanli DMs, or posting on Haneul's social media to 'connect' out of the blue. But the Chinese boy successfully evaded the attempts, isolating himself from all the false 'interest .'Sure, Chuanli was overjoyed to see his friend blowing up all over social media platforms with fans of the show. He was becoming the star Chuanli always knew he could be at such a young age. All the talent Chuanli had seen in Haneul was being reciprocated by others, giving him the validation he had deserved.

But, all of Haneul's popularity seemed to run out when the final episode aired. Despite being a fan favorite, placing in the top ten consecutively, Haneul...somehow didn't make it into the debuting group. The public was outraged, claimed MNets rigging, voting fraud, and all the usual accusations, and Chuanli was shocked. One second, Haneul seemed like the next big sensation, but then, he was tossed to the side the next second. Haneul was..broken, unlike anything Chuanli had ever seen, and Chuanli's heart ached horribly. Haneul's fanfare died down just a few short weeks after the end of Produce x 101, and Haneul came home with his head down, absolutely defeated. People at school tried to comfort Haneul until his relevance simmered down, and Chuanli was one of the only ones left to pick up the pieces. People stopped reaching out to Chuanli and Haneul, the comments stopped flooding their social media and people stopped trying to approach them at school.

It was then that Chuanli realized Haneul was only as important in the eyes of his classmates as his public status. He didn't debut as an idol, so he was back to being nothing. Chuanli tried to be Haneul's rock through this time. Still, things only got worse when Haneul returned to Jellyfish entertainment after his short break to discover the company was debuting their next boy group without him, a mix of fellow peers Haneul had relentlessly trained with. The groups creation had been put into motion while he was gone and Haneul felt betrayed. He hadn't even been considered for VeriVery's lineup. that chance had been taken from him before he even knew about it. Everything he had worked for was in shambles... Chuanli was increasingly worried for Haneul's mental health as one thing after another piled up and Haneul tried his best to carry it on haggard shoulders.

The two graduated high school, but when Chuanli was set to return to China, he opted to stay with his friend for one last summer before he had to go back home, but Chuanli had already received the news that he was accepted to Shanghai University with a full scholarship in literature....But, He couldn't leave Haneul like this, with his heart crushed and dream ripped from his soul. Chuanli felt horrible and angry for Haneul. Mnet had done him wrong, Jellyfish had betrayed him, and neither company give a single about the dreams they'd destroyed. Haneul had always been so full of life, but now, he was withering into nothing, and Chuanli's gut felt like it had been punched. Haneul vowed to give up dancing forever, much to chuanli's shock and horror. He called up Jellyfish Entertainment and revoked his contract, offering to pay the settlement expenses immediately with his parents vast fortune, despite Chuanli begging for him to stop and give it another go. Haneul went through a phase of quitting music entirely, and it was just not like him at all. It was like the joy had been completely out of his friend, and chuanli refused to leave him like this, but he only had a little while until he had to go back to China for the first time since graduation before uni began. 

Watching haneul suffering was traumatizing. His best friend was like an entirely different person, zombie-fied, and chuanli hated it so much. He tried to keep haneul's spirits up but he could only do so much. He'd never seen Haneul react like this, but he was taking his group disbandment extremely hard. Although it was understandable, Chuanli's heart hurt just thinking about how Haneul must feel to have both chances of debuting ripped away. The chois were very concerned for their son, who insisted that he was fine, despite it being obvious he wasn't. Chuanli spent all of his time with Haneul, trying to cheer him up, and being the shoulder to cry on. It hurt badly to see Haneul crumbling before him, to watch him throw away his merch, and well-loved favorite pair of sneakers he used for dancing. Chuanli secretly kept the items Haneul tossed because he knew haneul wouldn't actually want to part with them. He tried endlessly to convince Haneul to go back to training but he refused. Finally, Chuanli had to leave for china, something they both really didn't want...but his classes were starting soon and it was inevitable.

Haneul took Chuanli to the airport, along with the Chois, crying hysterically into Chuanli's shoulder until he literally had to board the plane. going home was a huge regret. Haneul had acted like it was okay and that they could keep in contact, but it wasn't the same as being there with him. The new school term would begin soon at Shanghai University, but none of that really seemed to matter. Everything paled in comparison to being back at the Choi's with Haneul. Since Chuanli had returned to China, nothing felt the same. It had been so long since he'd actually lived there, and his parents' house no longer felt like home. 

When uni started, Chuanli couldn't focus and didn't honestly feel anything at all. For the first time in years, he felt homesick, but this time, for Korea... He felt so lost without Haneul and their life in Seoul. He and Haneul still talked every day, and the other was trying to settle into university back in Seoul, opting to still turn his back on dancing and try to be 'normal.' Haneul went as far as getting a ty part-time job on top of uni but both boys hated every second of it. Haneul did poorly, and his mental health was in shreds, while Chuanli felt so alone... Finally, he decided that enough was enough. He loved his family, but his heart was in Korea, and he could no longer go through being at college here. He needed to go back to be with Haneul and help him get through this tough time. Haneul needed him, and he'd be damned if he was going to turn his back on his best friend who had been with him for years, through literally everything. So Chuanli dropped out of uni, much to his parents horror, and immediately flew back to Korea.

Haneul was shook, to say the least, that his friend had come back instead of being the studious little rule-follower he had always known, and that's when Chuanli put his foot down and ordered Haneul to quit his ty uni life and awful job. For the first time, Chuanli was reckless but felt alive. So instead, he made a deal with Haneul, going along with the Korean boy's terms, that only if they both auditioned to a company and got in, then Haneul had to continue his dream, and Chuanli would put all rationality aside and chase his too. Haneul agreed, and the two searched for a place to audition to…finally coming across Prism Entertainment. Haneul and Chuanli both liked Rendezvous, Prism's only girl group who were still rookies. They showed so much promise and talent, and no doubt would go far in the idol world, so why not apply to their company? The girls were terrific, and despite the company being small, it was evident that they put as many resources as possible into their groups success.

Chuanli hadn't expected to get in, he really didn't have faith in himself. He loved to sing and had a strong passion for music, but he wasn't idol material. Haneul was though the company would be lucky to get someone as skilled as his friend as a trainee, but suddenly they were both being accepted, and Chuanli had to uphold his side of the deal. Seeing Haneul's brilliant smile of mixed astonishment and elation made up for his anxieties, and Chuanli silently agreed to give it a go.