Blessed with an abundance of luxury and wealth that anyone else could only dream of, Joshua Hong was raised to be the heir to the Hong Conglomerate — one of the wealthiest and most powerful family clans worldwide, its homebase at Los Angeles, California. There was no other path left for him to take. As the only child, the business would fall entirely upon his shoulders the moment he graduated of college. A genius prodigy who basked under the focus of a spotlight, popular for his visuals and gentlemanly demeanor — truly, Joshua Hong felt too much like the perfect boy that everyone else wanted to be.

However, Joshua didn't want the spotlight.

He felt too pretentious. Growing up, he was surrounded by parties, business meetings that a boy of his age shouldn't have been exposed to just yet. All he had to do was plaster a smile, a few sweet words here and there — and he would get a deal. He was taught how to be an actor. He was taught how to fake it until it became real. He was taught how to wear a mask effectively. And it was one he wore wonderfully — Joshua Hong the prodigy child; Joshua Hong, and insert any other nickname other people had thought up for him—

He was growing tired, and fast.

He was only sixteen when he first realized that the life he lived felt too empty. In high school, the smiles that people wore around him all looked like masks in his eyes. The same, old, plain mask that covered their true intentions, but he could see right through them. He could hear their whispers when they thought he wasn't looking. It wasn't that hard to come to a conclusion to what they really thought.

But Joshua didn't push them away. He kept them at arm's length, but not too far that he'd seem lonely. It was far too easy to buy their time, after all. He only had to give gifts, and they would come flocking and sticking to him like moths to a flame. It didn't fill the void that Joshua began to feel, and so he started giving out more gifts, treated his so-called friends more and more—

Nothing. Nothing worked.

At home, his parents would only ask about his progress. How's school? Are you still the top student? How about your marks? Still perfect? Failure was never part of the options — they simply thought it was impossible for him to fail.

Same words were spoken around the same time of every day — and Joshua is tired. Too tired. This wasn't the type of life he wanted. It was empty, far too empty—and he hated the strings that were attached to his wrists and ankles. He hated the way he felt like a marionette dancing above his parents' palms.

Yet he was unable to cut his strings. He wasn't sharp it enough to cut it himself—he needed something else. He needed an opportunity.

This opportunity came in the form of a threat. Age 19, and he was suddenly meeting a girl that he was supposed to marry. Lee Yeoreum, under the skies of Beijing. Lee Yeoreum, whom Joshua quite often referred to as a chain in the form of a woman. She was younger and cute but he couldn't see himself being tied to someone he barely knew at such a young age.

So he ran away.

His first stop was France, in hopes that his parents would leave him alone. But of course, the Hong family had eyes everywhere — and every place Joshua went to, they followed: Greece, Japan, Thailand. Money was not an issue — until they froze his cards.

That was what brought him back to Los Angeles, dragged away by the men his family had sent for him. Age 20, and this was the first time he had talked to his family with honesty. He didn't want business — he wanted to be able to choose something of his own this time. He wanted to take his future within his own hands.

It was a bargain. If Joshua wasn't successful in the field he chose, he would go back to Los Angeles and inherit the business. With confidence, Joshua took it — after all, Joshua Hong never failed.

And so, he flew to South Korea to live with his relatives. It had been easy to get into Haneul University, and to spite his parents, he took Political Science, while he dabbled in film-making every now and then.

PERSONALITY Joshua is a gentleman through and through. He views himself as a calm person, and is hard to anger or fluster. Whenever he speaks, he speaks softly and always with a polite tone. Most of his responses to those he interacts with are on auto-pilot, and he tends to lie with a straight face and without shame. Sincerity isn't an emotion one would find with him, and he puts everyone at arm's length, still, never allowing anyone to get closer to him than he's comfortable with.

He is bad at dealing with emotions, and has a reputation of being a heartbreaker among his peers. Regardless of him making it known that he isn't one for commitments, many people hope for it anyway. While he is bad at dealing with emotions, he does excel in logic. He is both calculative and manipulative, if the situation asks for it. However, he is rather playful with those he becomes close with, though he still avoids being honest.

LIKES Films — Flowers — Novels — Coffee, particularly Americano and Cold Brew — Sweets, pastries, and anything sweet — Vanilla flavor — Fashion — Anime — K-Drama.

DISLIKES Nosy people — Unwarranted curiosity — Unwarranted concern — Unnecessary noise.

HOBBIES Watching movies — Making flower bouquets — Travelling around the city — Shopping — Watching anime & k-drama.

SECRETS None at the moment.

FEARS Being chained back to the Hong Residence.

QUIRKS Fun facts about them.
— Political Science major!
— Junior!
— Works at his relatives' flower shop!
— Has three piercings and a helix on his right ear; two on the left!
— Has a tattoo on the upper right part of his back, which he got when he was in Japan!
— Knows 5 languages: English (Native language), Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and French. Studying Latin for fun!
— Can play the piano and violin!
— Nicknames: Josh, Shua!
— Alias(es): Flower Boy, Golden Boy!

Pellentesque eu convallis neque. Quisque ut nisi gravida, porta ante vitae, fermentum sapien. In commodo erat nec risus dignissim laoreet. Mauris egestas, sapien eget convallis porta, arcu enim feugiat nisi, vel consectetur tellus risus ac lectus. Quisque ultricies sit amet orci quis facilisis. Etiam vel tempus ipsum. Aliquam ligula neque, dapibus feugiat posuere dapibus, fermentum et dui. Ut ac neque vel ante commodo auctor. Phasellus eu finibus orci. Mauris tincidunt diam ac diam hendrerit vestibulum in tristique erat. Proin accumsan lacus vel nisi varius bibendum. Suspendisse vitae augue justo. Donec ornare finibus est, dignissim scelerisque nisi accumsan et. Nam auctor magna quis est vestibulum iaculis. Mauris sed tortor a felis efficitur pulvinar a id augue.