❛ i'm not doing that photoshoot . ❜ he tells the other , hues fixed on the screen as he sits on the hotel bed , back resting against the wall as zack plays his video games . ❛ i did that interview yesterday and that was boring enough , why do i have to do this shoot ? ❜
trigger warning : toxic relationships , both romantic and familial
isaac kim , also known mononymously as just isaac and by the moniker y.b. , is a korean–american singer , songwriter , record producer , dj , businessman , and media personality. he debuted as the leader and lead vocalist of golden hour in 2012 and two years into his career he was given the position of main producer.
he was born on august 17 , 1993 , in alpine , new jersey , the united states. being the great–great–nephew of the ceo of one of south korea's largest trading conglomerates and the son of the ceo of the company's american branch , isaac grew up grossly wealthy. he already had a promising future prior to being signed , attending private school whilst taking college classes at princeton , being on the tennis team , and playing viola as first chair in the new york youth symphony orchestra. according to old friends and classmates , he was likeable and popular even back then.
though he'd developed a love for music through playing classical instruments , he never considered being a singer until he was approached by a representative for seventh heaven while on vacation in seoul in 2010. before then , he was fully expected to follow in his father's footsteps and study business , and because their already poor relationship had been in a particularly rough place at the time , he accepted the offer almost in an act of rebellion. his father was enraged by this and the two kept minimal contact until 2016 , when isaac's success became undeniable and he felt less ashamed of his son's chosen career.
because he'd made the decision on an anger–fueled whim , it'd taken convincing from seventh heaven's then–ceo bada for him to go through with moving to korea full–time. under her mentorship , he learned to produce and , now , is credited for more than 70% of golden hour's discography. he also produces for other artists in the industry under the name y.b. and djs. in 2018 , he performed as korea's representative dj during the closing ceremony of the 2018 pyeongchang winter olympics.
though nationally renowned as an artist and tv personality , being labeled a "variety and cf king" , he was also a bit of a controversial figure due to how freely he used to date and how outspoken he was about toxic fan culture. since 2014 , he's had several confirmed and unconfirmed girlfriends and flings , the most notable of them being labelmate shimizu yumeko of myst , the two being in a very publicly turbulent on–and–off relationship starting in 2016. while in the beginning , with him telling fans to mind their business and touch grass , this was seen as courageous , it's slowly turned to him having the reputation of being a cheater and womanizer. famously , seventh heaven changed their policy regarding dating scandals due to his debauchery in 2019 , and now ignore them entirely for all of their artists.
in september of 2021 , isaac suddenly announced that he'd become a father and would be marrying his girlfriend , yumeko. this caused an uproar from fans and the public , as the announcement indicated that the child was born out of wedlock. though he wasn't placed on an official hiatus like yumeko , he was still made to lay low due to the backlash , going mostly silent on socials and leaving the variety show 2 days & 1 night after three years of being a regular cast member.
the past three years have been a masterclass in pr on his company's end , shifting the public's perception of him from a spoiled , womanizing party animal to a devout husband and loving father. presently , isaac miraculously remains one of the most popular members of golden hour. he's current a brand ambassador and model for ralph lauren purple label , gong cha , audemars–piquet , calvin klein , and laneige.
𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬
NAME. isaac kim
KOREAN NAME. kim youngbae
DATE OF BIRTH. august 17 , 1993
PLACE OF BIRTH. alpine , new jersey , united states
"wow, look at this view..." poppy expressed in awe, eyes bright and grin wide from the sunset the two were viewing from the bonfire the two were sharing on the beach. poppy had bought ingredients for s'mores for the two to share, and she cuddled up next to isaac, bundled up in a blanket as she prepared the ingredients. "i can't believe we actually pulled this off somehow." / @mccntower
" listen, b — " he lowers his sunglasses, squints a bit over the top of them. 'cause shit, he adores her, and he'd happily lay down on the ground and let her run him over with her car if it meant making her happy — but there's just some things that he can't abide by, and apparently this is where he's decided to put his foot down. " you don't gotta, like, love the tracksuit, yeah ? but you've gotta respect its power. "
the woman had to keep a low profile. emmeline was injured, had been in a coma for over two weeks in june yet had been bold enough to check her account balance to find millions in there. a reactionary individual, an email wasn’t going to cut it so she made her way, very slowly, to the firm that had been so loyal to her father. she wasn’t sure if he was still a client but if he was or was no longer one, it would create an interesting talk point.
her core injuries were still healing; her abdomen being the slowest to heal but her jaw, a fresh raw incision still very much visible - she could cover her wrists but there was no way hiding her palms. when she entered the firm, emmeline sat down when she felt faint, only to give her alias and for her to be told that maxine was out of the office. “shit.” the woman exclaimed as she looked around. a television interview airs outlining the monstrosities of essex house and the next minute, a large sum is transferred into his daughter’s bank account. “i just really need to speak to someone about this.” she mumbles as the office workers walk by, her gripping the bench she’s sat on as she attempted to steady herself.