#and*roma:feb20

[rkmiya]

leap of faith ;

sunmi had mentally checked out with the rest of nova following the conclusion of the sueprnova project. it had been a strenuous time: draining both physically and mentally. the mind games played, the favouritism, the dramatics; sunmi was more than ready for it to end. not to mention that after that, they weren’t even given much time before pushing them into dorms. sunmi had to then pack everything she brought with her plus more in order to move to the and*roma dorms. then it was many, many months of waiting until and*roma’s debut.

that means she didn’t maintain contact with yongsun (or bambam) since the competitions conclusion. although she at the very least had dinner with bambam and they regularly text. because of the timing of yongsun’s addition to nova, sunmi didn’t really have a lot of time to get to know her. the production was the bulk of the time they’ve ever spent together. ultimately, they ended as acquaintances. maybe that’s why sunmi hadn’t seen much of her since.

but when she does see her, it’s on her way to the cafeteria for lunch. sunmi didn’t feel like spending an excessive amount of money and nova offered pretty good meals for all of them. her eyes catch yongsun on her way back, her tray filled with food and dishes (she was super excited for the selection of kimbap). she takes a detour, sitting across the other with a wide smile. “hey stranger,” she greets, pushing back her now dark hair out of her face. it was barely brushing her shoulders now. not long enough to toss up into a ponytail just yet. but getting there.

“how’ve you been? good, i hope.” she starts transferring her food from the tray to the table. “what have they kept you guys doing for evaluations?” a part of her missed them -- when they were good, that is. it was a time to interact with other trainees in other companies. sometimes they were doing some really cool stuff. “i hope you’re not doing just basic covers.”

@rkyngsun

[rkwendy]

Though My Heart Tells Me

AND*ROMA Gyeoul February 2020 Schedule Practicing and Recording “Though My Heart Tells Me” (Love Poten OST) 

When their manager calls in Wendy for a meeting, she isn’t quite sure what to expect. There’s so many things that could happen. It could be about her re-entry to Yonsei, something she did... God forbid she got in trouble. However all those fears are laid to rest as soon as the bomb drops on her. 

It’s the soundtrack for a web drama that will be airing soon, and someone in the team wants her to sing it.

Holy shit. 

This has to be some joke right? She almost says as much to the manager, but she keeps quiet. For a rookie like herself, she hadn’t expected to catch the eye, or in this case, ears of any producers. She It doesn’t feel real until the lyrics and the audio demo are handed to her. She can’t help the giddy smile she lets slip once she confirms that this isn’t a dream. 

This is the first time she gets to do something on her own, without the other girls. She has to represent the team well. 

Holy shit intensifies. 

Recalling her list of goals for this year, one of the items on her list was to record an OST. After all, that was one way to get her name (and her group’s) out to people who don’t pay attention to idols. She wasn’t exactly skilled at variety and wouldn’t be the first choice for acting roles. Besides, singing is what she does best anyway. Wendy has always wanted to sing for dramas. Although this is a web drama, she’s assured that she’s heading in the right direction. 

She listens to the demo as she studies the lyrics. It’s a sad, emotional ballad about a love that’s trying to be saved. The more Wendy listens to it, the more she wonders how the drama will go. Apparently, it stars Royal subaenim of CONVEX and her friend Sejeong. She makes a mental note to send Sejeong a congratulatory email, in case the other girl still doesn’t have a phone.  

She gets to work on mastering her lyrics, both for the soundtrack and their comeback single. It can be a bit confusing mixing up both at first. There had been instances wherein she accidentally sang the lyrics of “Cushion” to the tune of the soundtrack... leading to comedic results. Sometimes, it had been the other way around, to even more bizarre results. 

On recording day, Wendy brings over energy drinks and food to give to the song’s producers and the drama staff present at the recording. After all, she has to make a good impression on them. She asks both the producer and the drama staff as many questions as she can just to get a better feel of the song’s story and message. However, when she asked for any potential spoilers, all Wendy got was a shrug from the song producer and a secretive smile from the drama crew. 

If Wendy thought memorizing and getting the song right was the challenge, she ended up being proven wrong. She had been focused on singing the song correctly that she hadn’t had time to internalize the feelings required for her to sing it. “I know you can do it,” the director says. “Imagine yourself going through a difficult relationship that you think is still worth saving. You’re desperate, but you’re still strong.” 

It’s particularly difficult trying to capture the emotions of the song, as it’s not exactly something she has experienced. However, Wendy likes to think she has enough imagination. Wendy blinks as she tries figuring out what the producer is saying. All relationships are difficult, aren’t they? 

However, it suddenly hits her. It’s difficult to have a relationship with her line of work, isn’t it? She realizes that one day, Hugo oppa can wake up and decide that he’s tired of her. After all, she isn’t the easiest to love. She’s not affectionate. She can’t express her emotions well. Wendy is cold, rational, and realistic. She lacks the warmth and softness required to be a good girlfriend despite her best efforts. 

“We can’t break up, we can’t get farther apart” she sings to the producer, trying to imagine she was saying it to Hugo oppa. 

“That’s the feeling we’ve been looking for!” the producer says, relief evident in his voice. “Keep going. You’re on the right track.” 

Wendy lets out a sigh of relief. At least they can finally record the song without her having to overthink the emotions. Now that she knows how she’s supposed to sound, she confidently steps back in the live room. 

Wendy completes recording the song after a few changes, restarts, and technical difficulties. One take had her laughing when the producer accidentally shouted into the microphone after a drama staff member stepped on his foot. 

It’s difficult imagining herself in the shoes of the song’s persona, but the thought of losing Hugo oppa scares her more than she’d like to admit. Wendy’s always tried being more affectionate and loving. It’s something she has to consciously practice. 

No more, you can’t know about this Even if you’re a bit far away, that’s enough for me Because my precious love, my hidden love Resembles you so much Even though my heart tells me

“And that was perfect! No more. We’re done here!” the producer says as soon as the last notes of the song fade away. Wendy smiles in relief as she finally lets go of the sad and heavy emotions she had been keeping with her while recording the song. 

Wendy finally steps out of the live room, bowing in thanks at everyone who helped with the recording. She makes sure to thank everyone for their hard work, expressing her best wishes for the upcoming web drama. 

“Royal sunbae, fighting! Sejeong sunbae, fighting! Love Poten, fighting!” 

[rkwendy]

@seulgirk

If it were up to Seulgi, February 21st would be an international holiday.  That might sound extravagant, and maybe a bit unnecessary, but again, if it were up to Seulgi, the day that her best friend was born would be just that.  Wendy really meant the world to her, probably more than Seulgi would ever be able to convey in words to the other.  They had met when Wendy had first moved to Korea and had practically been inseparable ever since.   University had pulled them apart, but only in time spent together, as Seulgi was always so proud of just how intelligent her other half was.  Seulgi wasn’t dumb by any standard, but her grades were not good enough to make it into the same schools Wendy had been able to.  That didn’t stop anything.  That was one of the reasons that Seulgi loved Wendy so much, another one that she wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to fully voice.  Wendy had never once in the entire time they’ve known each other, made Seulgi feel dumb, even at the times that Seulgi may have felt that way on her own.  She always took care of her, even though Seulgi was the older one.  (Granted only by 11 days, but still.) Now they had the chance to debut together.  It was crazy how things worked out that way, kismet if you asked her.  Seulgi knew she had to do something special for Wendy on this day, even with how jam-packed their schedules were with preparing for the group’s first comeback and the first performances with Seulgi and Jiwon.  Finding Wendy in their shared room, she pulled out a box and handed it over to her best friend.  “Happy Birthday to my wife!"  she grins, waiting until the other opens the gift to explain a bit more.  "As they say, great minds think alike~” not that Seulgi thought she was a great mind by any means.  “It has the letters SWG engraved with your birthday because no matter what name you go by, Seungwan, Wendy, or Gyeol, I love you always and forever~”

It had been a fairly busy day for Wendy, as preparations for their comeback have officially begun. Then, there was the song for the Love Poten OST that Wendy had to master. On top of that, she was fixing her papers to go back to school as well. It was time for her to get that overdue diploma. It was rather difficult to watch her friends and classmates graduate without her. Despite moving on to bigger and better things, Wendy had promised her mother that she will finish her education. Hence, Wendy trying to make everything work. 

Wendy had been rehearsing the lyrics to the Love Poten song in her shared bedroom with Seulgi when the aforementioned best friend enters the room. She doesn’t think much of it until Seulgi marches up to her and hands her a box. Wendy almost wonders what it’s for until she remembers all the messages she had received earlier that day. She chuckles as she puts down the lyric sheet and accepts the box. “Waah! Thank you, Seulgi!” She gently puts the gift down and tackles Seulgi in a hug. “It’s beautiful. And honestly, having you in my life is probably the best birthday gift ever.”