father, who knows
stepfather, who cares
half-sisters, 8 and 5, adorable
Yifan's mother was only 22 and fresh out of university when she found herself pregnant with a son. He may never know who his father was and at this point in his life, he doesn't really care. All he knows is that the checks they recieved regularly meant that he had a comfortable, happy childhood. He spent a lot of time outside growing up, playing every sport that he could, and made it through elementary school surrounded by friends.
At 11 he was uprooted and relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and his entire life was turned on its head. His mother's new executive position at a lucrative company meant that they were financially better off than ever but socially, Yifan struggled. He became a withdrawn, quiet shell of the boy he used to be, and thanks to his face his shyness was often mistaken for downright rudeness. His only solace came in the form of basketball, where he was the captain of his middle school team and carried over into high school, not enjoying any of the popularity perks because the general population still thought he either couldn't speak English or hated them all.
Within two years Kris' (as he was now known) mother had remarried and was expecting her second child. Kris never connected with his stepfather, a white Canadian university professor, barely managing to keep a civil relationship with him. His younger half-sister, on the other hand, is the light of his life. Still, as time went on, Kris found himself increasingly uncomfortable and isolated, in both his home and at school. By the time his second younger sister was born, Kris knew he had to leave. He applied to several universities in his home country of China, dreaming of making a homecoming with fanfare, but ultimately it was the acceptance to Yonsei University's basketball team that kept catching his eye. His NBA dreams may have been out of reach, but at least he could carry on this way.
Eventually Kris had romanticized the idea of starting fresh in a new country, and it was off to Yonsei. Almost immediately he regretted it. It was a repeat of Canada all over again, he couldn't speak the language, he didn't know anyone, and he quickly began to retreat into his shell once more. His freshman roommate had the answer for him: rushing. At first Kris set his sights on Kappa Alpha Order, wanting to rub elbows with the elite athletes, but his roommate convinced him AGR was where it was at - more chicks, more fame, more glory. Kris was the one who was dragged along but it was his roommate that was sent home in shame, while Kris miraculously survived the rushing process. There's only one problem: his cool, confident, aloof asshole image is an act, mostly built on the first impressions people make on him based on appearance. Underneath, he's insecure, sensitive, almost entirely selfless and a bit of a pushover. Luckily, two years in he seems to be keeping images up.
tattoo of a borneo scorpion on his left shoulder
six piercings in his left ear, two in his right
fluent in mandarin, cantonese, english and korean
on the court he's in his zone, but off the court he's clumsy and often trips over his own limbs.
sneaker enthusiast, puts more effort than he lets on into his just-rolled-out-of-bed oversized fashion
has a horrifically lame sense of humor that often cracks through his cool act and baffles people
likes black coffee, green tea, coca-cola, beer, video games where you shoot a gun or a ball, self improvement books, sleeping in late, home cooked food, streetwear, hip hop, cartoons, superhero movies