Flowerbank Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company that was established in 2012. It was originally founded as MysticMusic in 1990 by Lee Joonshik as a music distribution company. However, the company didn't debut its first idol group until 1995, with the formation of "Electric Angels," a three-piece girl group comprising Soojin (20), Eunji (17), and Lizzy (15). Although they were successful, they never became a household name and disbanded in 2000. After the disbandment of Electric Angels, the company would debut the rotational girl group Allume, which would remain their only artist until 2012.
After Lee Joonshik's death in 2012, Lee Iseul, also known as Lizzy, inherited MysticMusic and became the CEO. She immediately began transforming the company, firing more than half of the staff and ultimately closing down MysticMusic. The company re-emerged a few months later under the name Flowerbank Entertainment, promising to usher in a new era of idols.
Lee Iseul was born in 1980 to Lee Joonshik and Lee Yuha in Seoul, South Korea. Always having dreams of being a dancer, Iseul had the upper hand in the industry due to her father being the CEO and founder of MysticMusic. Iseul would go on to debut under her father's company, her debut being her 15th birthday present. Despite it being her dream, Iseul quickly learned that the industry was cruel and unforgiving, especially towards young girls.
After the disbandment of Electric Angels, Iseul would attend college and begin studying law and business. With endless funding from her father, Iseul was able to obtain three degrees in Business Management, Business Law, and Entrepreneurship. She would inherit MysticMusic after her father's untimely passing in 2012, becoming the CEO at just 32. She would begin immediately rebranding the company to fit her vision of what she wants the idol industry to be.
Iseul has been described as a "tough boss but a caring boss" by her artists and co-workers. Though her exterior is tough and cold, she has a love and dedication to all the artists under Flowerbank and works tirelessly to provide a safe and caring environment for all.
portrayed by ... sandra oh
Carmen Bae was born in 1984 in Colorado to Mindy and Sam Bae. Carmen was very popular in her small hometown, being captain of the cheerleading squad as well as student body president. She would find herself in South Korea once she graduated high school, wanting to spend more time with her grandmother and get in touch with her culture.
Carmen began attending university a few months after her arrival in Korea, meeting Lee Iseul in her business management class, where the two became quick friends. The pair learned quickly that they worked extremely well together, getting class projects done in a matter of hours while their other classmates needed day. They were dubbed "the dream team" by their professor and the name seemed to stick with them. The pair would eventually move in together during Carmen's senior year of college.
As she was studying for her master's degree in 2012, Iseul offered Carmen the position of Co-CEO and CFO of the newly established company Flowerbank Entertainment. She would take on the position as creative director of the company, overseeing all their groups from 2012 to 2015 as well.
Carmen is highly regarded for her compassionate and empathetic nature. She has the ability to lend an ear to her artists and offer a supportive shoulder to lean on. As per the artists at Flowerbank, they find Carmen more approachable and easier to talk to than CEOs. Therefore, they usually prefer to take their concerns to her instead of Iseul.
portrayed by ... tiffany young
Bahng Taeu was born in 1989 in Busan, South Korea. Taeu was always described as kind and caring when growing up. He was often called a "saint" by his mother, taking care of his three younger siblings and running tutoring services for kids in his grade who needed extra help.
Tragically, during Taeu's first year of university, his father passed away, leaving his mother with very little financial support. He would take the mantle of being the sole provider for his family, working any job he could find while also attending university. During this time, Taeu would begin modeling for a quick paycheck. Under an exploitative company, Taeu was forced into doing a lot of acting and modeling gigs he was not comfortable with but would do for the money. Once Taeu graduated from college, he continued to work for the company until his contract expired in 2014.
Once his contract expired, Taeu found himself working with Stormedia as a creative director and consultant. Proving himself to be innovative and fresh in the scene, Flowerbank Entertainment would quickly get into contact with him and hire him as creative director of the company, overseeing all their groups since 2015.
In 2020, Taeu was promoted to COO but still remains one of the main creative directors in Flowerbank Entertainment.
Taeu has been described as a joy to work with by the artists under Flowerbank, always ensuring the idols are safe and comfortable as well as giving them as much creative freedom as possible.
portrayed by ... kim mingue
Moon Haemin was born in 1992 in Daegu, South Korea, but would live in Melbourne, Australia, from the time he was 6 to 18 years old. Being the youngest in his family, Haemin was described as quiet and shy, often leading to him getting picked on by kids at school. Haemin didn't have a lot of friends while in Australia, opting instead to play video games or draw in the safety of his room.
Once graduating high school, Haemin would go and study in Korea. Haemin seemed to flourish once in Korea, double majoring in social sciences and business and making a bunch of new friends. During this time, however, Haemin ended up getting one of those new friends pregnant, and they would welcome a daughter two months after they graduated from university in 2014.
Though the pair never married, they lived together and co-parented up until 2020, when they decided to live separately while still co-parenting their daughter, Chungyi. After the split, Haemin would find himself being hired by Flowerbank Entertainment as their HR manager. He'd later be promoted to HR director and Program Director. He also works as the manager of the girl group ALLUME.
The artists at Flowerbank don't say much about Haemin except that he's a hardass and cold if he doesn't like you. While he does his job well, he isn't the most favored employee at the company.
the sixth instalment of my musical translation series — adapted from antonio buero vallejo's play of the same name, this musical questions the binary nature of ideologies through the lens of attitudes toward disabilities.
the videos are not mine, but all translations are my own.
musical: in the burning darkness (타오르는 어둠 속에서)
cast: [carlos] park jungwon, yang heejun, noh yun • [juana] han jae-ah, ju daon • [ignacio] jeong jaehwan, hong seungan, yun jaeho • [doña pepita] lee youngmi, moon hyewon • [miguelín] lee jinhyeok, hwang seongjae • [elisa] jeon haejoo, sun yuha • [lolita] kim dowon • [esperanza] kim hayeon • [andrés] jo minho • [alberto] park joohyuk • [swing] kim dongjun, lee jiwoo
synopsis: in don pablo's school for the blind, the students walk around freely without canes. this is their utopia, where nothing in the world — especially not their lack of sight — can hold them back. then a transfer student by the name of ignacio arrives, clutching his cane like a lifeline. refusing to accept the idealistic facade of don pablo's students, ignacio denounces their misguided ideology. "you call yourselves sightless, trying to ignore the reality of your disability," ignacio says, "but in truth, you're all blind. we all are." while ignacio rationalises his suffering through his unfair lot in life, the students' leader carlos upholds optimism to disavow the limitations of their unseeing eyes. clinging fast to their own belief systems, carlos and ignacio inevitably clash — and their conflict heralds a chaos that will shake the very foundation that the school has been built upon.
production: new production (twitter / youtube)
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youtube
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모두 장님이니까 – because we are all blind
jeong jaehwan as ignacio
No matter how brightly we carry ourselves
Or how neatly we dress
Some part of us will always look strange
Because we are all blind
At times, we wear dark sunglasses
Is it to look cool? No
It’s to conceal our eyes,
which have lost their focus
Other people’s disgust and pity,
We all know it through experience
The fact that our deadened eyes
Cannot gaze at each other
No matter how we try to wear a smile
Or how confidently we walk
Or how we act as if nothing’s wrong
In the end, we’ll always look strange
Because we’re all blind
Caught up in a futile world
We believe the darkness is light, but that’s not it
Unable to see anything at all,
That’s us
Caught up in a futile world
We believe the darkness is light, but that’s not it
Unable to see anything at all,
That’s us
Because all of us are, ultimately,
Blind
[ studio version and original korean lyrics here. ]
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youtube
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내 자리 – my place
noh yun, yang heejun, park jungwon as carlos
My place, which has disappeared
Amidst the trembling of my body
And the passing wind
Everyone has left
While I remain alone in this abandoned place
Amidst the nightmare that whips past
And the dizzying darkness
Everything has turned on its head
While my exhausted footsteps lose their way
All that I had grown used to
Now feels unfamiliar
Even if the truths I’ve always believed in
Are said to be false
I will protect my place, for you
In this nightmare, you find me
In this darkness, you call my name
I will square my chastened shoulders
Once again, for you
Even if everything is an illusion
Even if everything is a shadow
Here is the place I must be
Even if everything shatters
Even if everything disappears
Here is the place I must protect
By your side
I must find my way to it again
Pode sugerir fcs coreanas entre 1995-1999? Quero fazer uma muse coreana, mas não conheço tantas fcs assim.
Claro que posso sugerir, pompurin! A lista ficou gigante, então vou deixar depois do cut, temos 150 mocinhas que são conhecidas e "desconhecidas", mas são todas lindas e merecem uma chance! Muitas contam com uma gama de fotos, enquanto outras não, mas espero que encontre uma que agrade.
Ghost Mask: Scar – original title: Gôsuto masuku: kizu is a 2018 Japanese-South Korean mystery horror film photographed, edited and directed by Takeshi Sone (Bloody Wedding; photographer of One Cut of the Dead) from a screenplay by Etsuo Hiratani. The movie stars Yurika Akane, Yuha Lee, Sou Hirosawa and Sayuri Itô.
the fifth instalment of my musical translation series — entering an elite academy amidst shrewd lies and shocking truths. will friendship endure, or will betrayal tear them apart?
the video is not mine, but all translations are my own.
musical: eli (일라이)
cast: [lyon] yu taeyul, ki sejung, noh yun • [eli] bae nara, hong seungan, park jwaheon • [sophie] lee seoyoung, lee jiyeon • [alice] im yejin, seong minjae • [yulia] baek yeeun, sun yuha • [justin] shin hyucksu (shin subin), hong kibeom • [headmaster] jeong jaeheon, byun heesang
synopsis: in the prestigious brixton academy for the rich and elite, the scholarship student lyon and his best friend eli are lauded as role models for the student body. that is, until the transfer student sophie upends the status quo alongside whispers and rumours. amidst the burgeoning distrust, the students defend themselves with lies upon lies that shake the very foundation they've built themselves upon. everyone has secrets, yet everyone seeks the truth — but is the truth they yearn for truly the real truth? and is there even a real truth at all?
production: new production (twitter / youtube)
[ this musical will be streaming online here, here, and here (different cast each day). hyuckstin and nyun lyon!! ]
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하나만큼은 – at least one
+ 바람 rep. – wind (reprise)
noh yun as lyon, park jwaheon as eli
[Lyon]
What are you doing?
[Eli]
I have faith in you. Whatever comes your way, you’ll pull through. That’s who you are.
The real problem is me. Nothing interests me nowadays.
As expected, the righteous path of law ought to be treaded upon by someone like you. A righteous person, like you. Not someone like me.
[Lyon]
What do you mean by that?
[Eli]
Hey, should I just flunk an exam? Or perhaps I'll withdraw from the moot court? That way you’ll definitely get in, regardless of what Sophie does.
[Lyon]
What do you think you’re saying?!
We promised to enter the same university together.
Look, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. You were the one who led me into this world. That’s why we have to keep going together, till the end!
[Eli]
Lyon… I’m sorry. Calm down, okay?
[Lyon]
…I’m sorry.
[Lyon]
From a certain point
Not a single thing has been going my way
Not my grades, nor my evaluations, not even my emotions
The words that surface endlessly in my mind
Perhaps the image you have of me
May not be the real thing
Scared, fearful, unfamiliar, anxious
These feelings, this side of me
This isn’t who I am
I don’t want anything to change
I’m going to live as I planned
[Lyon]
When I’m with you, I can stay true to myself.
The me whom you believe in. That side of me.
[Lyon]
The future that I dream of
I can’t let it crumble
Can’t just this one thing
Turn out the way I wish for?
Without anything changing
Even if it’s just the two of us
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[Lyon]
Hey, that’s dangerous. Come back down—
[Eli]
Lyon! You remember, right?
You told me so — as long as I hold fast to my balance, I won’t be swayed!
[Lyon]
I did..?
[Eli]
Do you still remember?
The day we first came to this place
A school we’d never aimed for
A dream we’d never harboured
As if wearing ill-fitting clothes
We were nothing but stifled
[Eli]
C’mere. Ah, c’mon!
[Lyon]
Coming.
[Eli]
Ah, it’s refreshing!
[Lyon]
Ah, it’s refreshing.
[Eli]
Lyon.
[Eli]
Do you remember that day?
You told me, who felt trapped
Not knowing where to head towards
Or what to pursue,
To feel the wind
[Lyon/Eli]
Feel the wind
If we feel it with our hearts
Even without flying, we can soar
As long as we don’t lose our balance
We can be free, anywhere
[Eli]
Hey, grab my hand! Grab it, grab it!
Lyon. Shall I tell you a secret?
[Lyon]
I have one too. A secret.
[ alternate pairings here (yu taeyul, bae nara) and here (ki sejung, hong seungan). ]
Almost all these Comfort Station managers / owners were Korean
They had taken Japanese names, but from their place of birth their nationality is easy to determine. The Unification Church does not reveal these facts. The UC use the Comfort Women controversy to blackmail Japanese members.
These Korean managers periodically returned to Korea to recruit more women, or to purchase them from Korean human traffickers. It was easier for the Korean men and women who ran the Comfort Stations to manage the Korean women.
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The Asahi Shimbun published a series of fabricated articles on comfort women in the 1980s. Based on these articles, the anti-Japan lobby Chong Dae Hyup was formed in South Korea in 1990. Then out of nowhere a woman named Kim Hak-sun came forward in 1991 and claimed she was abducted by Japanese military. There is clear evidence (recorded tapes) that suggests she was coached by Chong Dae Hyup to give false testimony. If Korean women were indeed abducted by Japanese military, it is rather odd that not a single woman claimed anything for over 45 years after the end of World War II.
Former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo said in an 1993 interview with Bungei-shunju, “The Asahi Shimbun created the comfort women issue out of nothing, provoked Korean nationalism and infuriated Korean people.”
It is ironic that 99% of Westerners fell for Chong Dae Hyup’s (North Korean) propaganda and believe 200,000 young girls including Koreans were coerced by Japanese military while the majority of South Korean scholars (Professor Park Yuha of Sejong University, Professor Lee Yong-hoon of Seoul University, Professor Ahn Byong-jik of Seoul University, Professor Jun Bong-gwan of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Professor Han Sung-jo of Korea University, Professor Lee Dae-gun of Sungkyunkwan University, Professor Choi Ki-ho of Kaya University, Professor Oh Seon-hwa of Takushoku University, Professor Chunghee Sarah Soh of San Francisco State University, etc.) and a good number of South Korean public agree that Japanese military did not coerce Korean women and that the number of women (Dutch and Filipino) coerced by Japanese military was less than a hundred.
Only a small number of fanatics with loud voice (South Korean leftists with close ties to North Korea and radical left wing Japanese scholars such as Yoshiaki Yoshimi, Yuki Tanaka and Hirofumi Hayashi also with close ties to North Korea and China) falsely claim 200,000 young girls including Koreans were coerced by Japanese military. Westerners must realize that North Korean and Chinese operatives are using the comfort women issue to drive a wedge into U.S.-Japan-South Korea security partnership.
Chart of Korean Comfort Women Activists and the North Korea Connection
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Understanding Sun Myung Moon’s attitude to sex by taking a look at Korean history
Psychological Terrorism by The Unification Church at Cheongpyeong
Excerpts from Korean comfort woman Mun Ok-chu’s memoir
Koreans who experienced the Japanese annexation of Korea explain some facts
Thousands of Korean men and women tricked, kidnapped or forcibly abducted Korean girls to be ‘comfort women’.
“About 100 Korean women were abducted by Korean prostitution brokers but were rescued by the Japanese military police.”
Japanese woman recruited by the Unification Church and sold to an older Korean farmer
6,500 Japanese women missing from Sun Myung Moon mass weddings
Human trafficking by the Unification Church is despicable