yeosang is a firm believer of things not having to look dangerous to be so and the simple fact that a smile can hide an immense amount of pain. as he is an example himself.

as it's not something that comes up easily or at all in conversation, yeosang makes it seem as though he doesn't remember his childhood. even though he does, and very well at that.

Yeosang still remembers growing up in hong kong quite well, considering he's sure it was a more out of the ordinary experience. before he was born, his mother had traveled from korea to study abroad. it had turned into her returning to hong kong once she'd finished her studies and graduated. she'd missed the time she'd spent in the city and was eager to visit the first chance she got. it was during this trip back that she met the man of her dreams and they fell in love. things seemed beautiful and all too easy which, in reality, they were neither. it wasn't until he started to consider marriage that he felt the need to be honest with her.

this man that she had fallen for was a member of a triad in the city, a lower level member - enforcer, to be exact. he had never wanted to be apart of it - which was why he'd never gone up in status - but his family had ties. it was to the point that he had blood ties to the much higher ranks, including the dragon head, or the leader. she had wondered for a long time why she never met his family and he admitted he was worried that introducing her would bring their attention to her. it was sad but he felt much more at ease, happier and safer with her not on their radar. She could tell that it was tumultuous for him internally but she understood and simply supported his wishes and continued to stand by his side.

the couple had a small wedding and he did his best still to keep his personal life and work life as separated as possible. when she bore their first child, her sister and brother-in-law came to visit for the first time. it was what seemed to be the first bout of true normalcy the couple had gotten since they started dating, the first time they'd been able to spend time with family.

yeosang's birth wasn't hidden for long; it couldn't be. he was but a toddler when he first met his uncles and older cousins, specifically the ones that were tied to the triad. they'd gone to meet him and his mother behind their father's back. it wasn't too long after that yeosang was learning the ways of the triad to which his father belonged, again behind his father's back.

as yeosang reached his double digits, he began to realize something was incredibly wrong. he wasn't just learning about "the family business;" he couldn't be if these men that were his own so-called family threated to harm his parents should he say anything at all to them. he gave in and told his parents, told him who'd he been spending time with and how scared he was that they would get hurt with him telling them the truth. angry, hurt and betrayed, his father's first thought was to protect his family. he half-expected to get killed but they went after his wife instead. they had expected to go after yeosang as well but his parents had just sent him to korea to be with his aunt and uncle.

it took a lot of adjusting once his aunt and uncle finally allowed him to go to school. he was only 12 and hadn't learned nearly enough korean since his younger years to make the culture shock any easier for him. it was even harder to adjust to an actual school setting since he'd spent his earlier years homeschooled. eventually, thanks to the immersion, he began to get the hang of the language and everything else followed.

he's careful to talk about his childhood, even after all of these years, almost acting as though it doesn't exist. thanks to his aunt and uncle being in fashion and beauty, he naturally fell into the world himself. taking the more specific route of modeling, he has experience in various areas of fashion and beauty through helping his aunt and uncle with SY and takes great pride in his work.

Styling. Homemade meals. Dressing up. Dining out. Hanging out with friends. Mocktails. Smoothies. Chinese incense. Reading about traditions of different cultures.

Sudden loud sounds. Handling sharp objects, aside from pens and scissors. Meeting disruptions. Broken schedules and appointments at the last minute. Broken promises.

Cooking. Reading. Mixology. Clothing Design. Makeup. Jewelry Design.

His aunt and uncle are all he knows now.

yunho // known the longest. probably the first friend yeosang made in korea. is still quite careful around him but relies on him a lot. is always eager to help him out.
hongjoong // thankful to have someone remind him what it means to have fun. wishes he could help lift the weight of his family and the general public always judging him.
wooyoung // finds his energy and affection to be very warming. may not seem like it but does enjoy being in his presence and care. admires how carefree yet kind he is.

// his birthname is shoi-ming, meant to mean a life of sunshine. even before birth, his parents had wanted the best for him.

// yeosang is his korean given name by his birth mother and he feels honored to use it. kang is his mother and aunt's family name.

// his aunt is thankfully fluent in chinese and will sometimes use it to talk to him, which does often times bring him some warmth; his uncle tries.

// the general public thinks that yeosang is a child that his aunt and uncle had in secret and the three of them live as if that's so; he never asked the details but he is aware that they had trouble having kids and is more than happy to be as best a son as he can be for them to show his gratitude for their unwavering and unconditional love and support.

// his aunt and uncle had a full discussion with him about him being the heir of sy and he accepted, honored that they would even consider him to ever take over.

// he wasn't with the triad for long but they put enough training in him to scare himself as some things are muscle memory; he can handle blunt objects as weapons such as pipes, bats, and the like. he wouldn't say he had enough training to fight but he can defend himself.

// although he's not sure, he feels deep in his heart that both of his parents are dead and he still blames himself for it. he also feels that they may have been dead before he even got to korea but he knows he can't go looking for any information without bringing attention to himself. 

// he has three ear piercings: two right lobe and one left lobe.

// he has four tattoos that he tends to keep pretty well-hidden: ((x)) - left shoulder blade across back to right hip, some petals over right hip and top of thigh; ((x)) - inner right forearm; ((x)) - left ribcage; ((x)) - outer right ankle