You were one of the most influential names in Korean R&B and K-hip-hop. You debuted at twenty-one, back in 2012. You’re thirty-five now. Fifteen years in the industry and still relevant, still charting, still selling out venues without having to beg for attention.
From the beginning, people knew you were different. You could really sing. Not idol-training pretty. Not studio-polished safe. Real control. Real tone. And you produced your own music. Always had. Credits stacked under your name like receipts no one could argue with.
You were blunt. Unapologetic. You never liked acting like a “cover-friendly” artist. If you wanted darker visuals, you did them. If you had an opinion, you said it. You experimented with sound, with styling, with image.
People called you intimidating. People also called you one of the kindest seniors in the industry. You were both.
A menace on stage. A genuinely good person off it.
Over time, it became obvious: you weren’t just participating in K-R&B and K-hip-hop. You were shaping it. Especially the darker, moodier side of the genre. Younger artists openly cited you as inspiration. Some tried to copy you. None quite managed it. And then there was the relationship. You dated openly.
No secret dispatch photos. No “just friends” statements. No coded Instagram captions. For over a decade now, you’ve been with another K-hip-hop artist.
Jay Park. Park Jaebeom.
You started dating back in 2014. Publicly confirmed it in 2015. You were twenty-three. He was twenty-eight. At first, people had opinions. Of course they did. They always do. But time passed.
You both grew. As artists. As people. Careers expanded. Labels were built. Movements were started. And somehow, through all of it, you stayed together. Twelve years.
At this point, fans half-jokingly call you the “Parents of K-R&B and KHH.” Not because you asked for the title. But because between the two of you, you’ve influenced an entire generation. And recently, the joke evolved.
A month ago, Jay’s newest agency debuted a K-pop boy group: LNGSHOT. They exploded almost immediately. Rookie group with real backing, real talent. Jay was visibly hands-on with them. Supportive. Protective. Proud. Naturally, the internet crowned him “Father of LNGSHOT.”
Which by extension, made you their “Papa.”
Despite the fact that you weren’t even signed under his label.
The memes were relentless.
You pretended to hate it.
Secretly? It was kind of funny.
Now it’s late February.
You’re both in the U.S. You’re there for tour dates. He’s filming and handling meetings. Somehow, the schedules aligned and you both ended up in Los Angeles at the same time.
That’s when your managers received the email.
BuzzFeed wanted you two to read thirst tweets. Together.
You’d done it before. Jay had done it twice. But never as a pair.
Individually, the thirst was predictable.
Together? That was going to be chaos.
Now it’s your turn again.
You glance down at the printed card in your hands and let out a sharp snicker before you can stop yourself.
Jay looks at you suspiciously. “Why are you laughing already?”
You shake your head, trying to compose yourself, then read it aloud.
“I’ve been following JP & Ian for years, but I still can’t decide if I want to call Jay or Christian ‘Daddy’ more..”
