[ 𝕊𝕃𝕁𝕂 ]　▸　 #15 tyler 　▸ #mlsm | #fff1d4 #f1b945

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birthname　Tyler Min
birthdate　June 8, 1999
birthplace　Charleston, South Carolina, USA
hometown　Seoul, SK
ethnicity Korean

faceclaim Felix (SKz)
backup New (TBz), CYA (Onewe)
height　173 cm
weight　53 kg

languages　

△ English ; (98%) this is his native language, and the one he speaks with the most fluency and comfortablility. he's a little sketchy with slang on occasion, since he’s no longer living in America and therefore isn’t as exposed to the adjustements in the language (like how “yeet”, “GOAT”, “finsta”, etc kind of just appeared overnight)

△ Korean ; (90%) technically his other native language, though Tyler's Korean skills were actually pretty rusty when he first came to Korea; in his defense, however, it's because he mostly spoke English at home, and only spoke Korean to his extended family that lived in Korea (aka grandpa and grandma, the super traditional aunts and uncles, etc.); since coming to Korea, the immersion has helped greatly, and he’s right up there in his fluency again, though he’ll occasionally have Red Velvet Wendy moments where he’s saying something in English and realizes he has to Korean it up and he deadpan stares at people because they know what he means and they’re teaisng him and [ ex ]

△ Japanese ; (40%) this is a language that Tyler knew only the basics of before becoming a trainee, thanks largely to watching anime and listening to music in his youth. While basic, it did help lay the groundwork for eventual Japanese lessons at SM Ent, and at the time of MLSM’s debut, he can handle most work and fan-related conversations. He has good memory for vocabulary, but a better memory for specific phrases, which means learning songs and phrases for fan events is much easier for him. (Grammar is his weakest point. Additionally, within a year or so, or with more targeted Japanese lessons, his fluency should rise rapidly.)

△ Spanish ; (15%) 1 basic year, taken during middle school because it was required (American school are a hot mess, man); luckily only had to do the one because bLESS GOING TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY YO! In short, he remembers greetings, basic phrases, the alphabet song, the song for countries and their capitals, and how to swear.

other names

△ Min Taehyung ; Taehyung is, in fact, Tyler’s Korean name, and one that he answers to only approximately 3% of the time simply because he’s American and he grew up hearing Tyler, even from his parents, not Taehyung.

△ Taylor ; Tyler’s alternative English name, doled out to the male due to an unfortunate but still hilarious misunderstanding where Tyler introduced himself (in English) as Tyler and, with his heavy Southern accent, was misheard as saying “Taylor” by dancy boy Sam Lee. It’s not a huge issue, and he’ll answer to it if he’s feeling it, but it’s mostly just a massive joke, especially among the MLSM boys.

△ Ty, Tyty ; common English nicknames, but also his stagename [see below!]

△ Ty ; Tyler’s stage name is Ty (instead of Tyler) because Tyler is a mouthful and a half when romanized, but Ty is simple and easy to pronounce, short and sweet, and also much easier to remember.

△ Tyler Min ; while not a nickname, it’s important to note that Tyler is the name he’s gone by over pretty much the entirety of his career in dancing. When dancing in America, when dancing in Korea, when teaching or helping do choreos, anything and everything he’s had a hand in that’s dance-related? It’s all under the name Tyler Min. Tyler is his name, but it’s also his identity. (As such, he has a number of fans that refer to him as Tyler instead of as Ty because they followed his progress as a dancer through his dance activites long before debut.)

△ Freckles ; one of Tyler’s defining physical traits -- arguably his most defining physical trait -- are his freckles, which he wears as proudly as possible, like badges of honor, the stories of his time under an unrelenting sun on the beaches of beautiful Charleston and sunny Los Angeles. As such, back in the states, he was sometimes known among his friends as “Freckles”, not that Tyler minded.

△ nickname
△ nickname
△ nickname

Tyler Min | 타일러 민 | Tyler

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personality

ISFP-A, Earthbender, Raven(rin)claw, Dauntless, Instinct
Chaotic Good

charming, passionate, optimistic, problem-solver
sensitive, competitive, earnest, observant, stubborn, independent
unpredictable, anxious, messy, gullible

optimistic, cheerful

One of the things Tyler is most known for, traits he’s taken care to nuture over the years and that make him not just a good co-captain to the Hail a good co-captain to Hua in particular, is Tyler’s indomitable optimism. He’s an eternal optimist, always choosing to look on the bright side of things and seeing each and every glass as half-full and with room to fill. He finds the best in people, even when there may not necessarily be good to be found, and he’s a firm believer in the idea of second (and third or fourth) chances.

earnest, charming, passionate

Tyler is also known for his passion, his dedication, and his earnest sincerity. He loves what he does, and his enthusiasm for not just being an idol, but for performing, for dancing, it adds to his charm. He’s a delight to be around and on stage, imbued with a certain sort of energy that those around him can feel and draw from. Another of the charms is his sincerity. He’s honest with those around him, but kind about it, sincere and genuine and so wholesome about it that you can’t help but like him all the more for it.

gullible, sense of humor

Tyler’s got a great sense of humor. He doesn’t mind poking fun at himself to make others laugh, or being the of someone’s jokes on occasion if it’s funny and not offensive. Which is a good thing, of course, because Tyler is also a bit gullible. It’s easy to get the drop on him, spooking the boy with horror movies, jump scares in videos and in person, and scary stories told in the dark. It’s easy to tell him jokes that he’ll take too seriously because he thinks they’re real. But rather than being upset or hurt about it, 90% of the time, Tyler laughs it off, smiles, and continues on without missing a beat.

observant, sensitive

Another of Tyler’s more notable traits is the fact that he’s sensitive to those around him. Emotionally, but also mentally. He’s sensitive to shifts in mood, in the cadences of voice, in the flinch of someone averse to touch. He sees it all and catalogues it, and works to discern not just why, but how to cope with it. He’s observant to a fault, sees damn near everything. He tucks most of it away, chews on what he’s learned and repurposes it to help the boys. It’s what makes him a good co-captain -- arguably a great co-captain -- and it’s what makes him a good choreographer as well. He’s attentive to detail, and he’s good at taking those details and helping to teach them to the others.

competitive, independent, anxious

Growing up overseas helped to build Tyler differently. He has a foreigner’s mentality, an independent drive that pushes him to be more self-reliant and self-sustaining. It helps him, makes him more capable of functioning without outside interference. There’s a competitive edge to things, too. Tyler knows he doesn’t necessarily have to be the best, but he does push to simply do better, be better, be more. He’s competitive, and the SLJK program breeds a drive to improve, which works well in Tyler’s favor. But all that independence, that inability to rely on others for too much or too often, it’s not always the best thing. It puts a lot of pressure on Tyler’s shoulders, too much at times. He gets anxious, sometimes hyper focusing on the small things, the details, and sometimes on bigger things that he has no control over. And sometimes it’s all too much for him, and he worries unnecessarily over things outside of his control.

stubborn, problem-solver

Tyler is incredibly stubborn, prone to stupid, tenacious tendencies that range from standing up alone for what he believes in all the way to demanding another five minutes in bed as his alarm clock snoozes. It gives Tyler that extra little umph he needs in order to stand up for himself as Hail’s co-captain, but also provide him with more to dig into when the going gets rough during practice, or when Hua, Liam, or Ian need backup during MLSM practices. Tyler may be on the younger age range of things, but he’s still a force to content with when he wants to dig his heels into the ground. Alternatively, he’s good at working his way around problems like that. Someone’s being stubborn? No big. Tyler can be stubborn, too, but he can also work his way through the issue, problem solving and working with the tools at his disposal in order to get things done. As a lover of puzzles and challenges, Tyler’s good about taking a situation and finding a workable resolution. While not everyone will be happy, he’s good about pleasing as many people as possible, or at least being fair and just in his responses.

unpredictable, messy

Unfortunately, Tyler is... Well, he’s a hot mess. And while he’s a good balance to Hua in many other ways, leveling Hua’s pessimism with his own cheerful demeanor, Tyler’s also a messy and otherwise unpredictable thing. He’s prone to acting impulsively, to seeing somehting and going for it just because it sounds fun. He’s the easiest of the captains to sway to your side because all you have to be able to do is give him a good argument about why something’s a great idea, and he’ll at least consider letting you do the thing. And because he’s just as messy physically as he is metaphorically, Tyler has a bad habit of disorgaization. His room is a mess 90% of the time, and not because he has no time to clean. He does clean. He just get distracted and will set his books in random places, leave his figurines and collectibles wherever there’s room, rehome plants to every available surface and then complain to the plants when he runs out of space. He means well. He does. He has a system in place to clean to. He just... at thr execution of it.

background

[ 1999 - 2002 : the beginning ]

Tyler Taehyung Min is born June 8, 1999, to Min Hongseok and Min Taeyeon. He’s the second child of the pair, with his elder sister, Victoria, being born in 1997. Living in Charleston, South Carolina, Tyler grows up with his sister in the sun and surf, practically living on the beaches at the edge of the ocean. His parents are busy during the week, hard at work, but on the weekends, the family spends their days on the beach and in the sun.

On January 5, 2001, Harper -- Haeun -- is born. And on November 15, 2002, Hayden -- Hyunjin -- is born.

Despite their family having grown rapidly, Hongseok and Taeyeon take to the increased responsibility well, taking on extra hours and additional chances to make money. For a while, Taeyeon and Hongseok are often busy on the weekends as well, leaving the children in the care of a babysitter. They end up on the beach more often than not, with the younger trio lingering around the sitter as Tori runs off to play in the ocean. Sometimes Tyler joins her. But more often than not, Tyler remains behind, building castles with his siblings, watching as his sister learns to swim and fights the waves. (When he’s old enough, it’ll be him out there, he just knows it.)

[ 2002 - 2008 : sunny paradise ]

For the next couple years, things continue in that manner. The children spend the majority of their days on the beach, enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. When Tyler is big enough, he joins his elder sister in the waves. But where Tori had taken to surfing like a fish to water, Tyler takes to swimming and diving, and even tries his hand at kite surfing. The two spend more and more time in the water, with Tyler becoming more and more knowledgable and skilled with diving and swimming. But where Tori takes to competitions, Tyler’s interests remain more passive and exploratory.

As Harper and Hayden age, they join Tyler and Tori in the water, but they don’t take to it as easily and spend more of their time on land, walking the line between sand and surf, collecting shells and cheering their elder siblings on.

It’s during this time that Taeyeon and Hongseok begin spending more time at home with their kids, taking them on adventures through Charleston and the surrounding area of the state, visiting other beaches and hotspots, and going so far as to arrange a vacation for the family in late 2007.

That vacation is to Los Angeles, California, and despite the similarities between home and their vacation destination, the children immediately fall in love.

[ 2008 : the resettling ]

In 2008, Tyler and the others discover that the vacation they’d gone on the year prior was not just a vacation. It was, in fact, their parents way of scouting the city in search of a home close to their new jobs.

In 2008, the children find out they’re moving.

Hongseok’s company has offered him a better paying position at their new location in California, with room to grow within the company. And while Taeyeon’s job won’t be able to relocate her, she does find a new job in California that’s only a short distance from her husband’s. They set a time table for themselves and get to work.

It’s not a quick affair. They have to keep their home otherwise spotless and routinely vacate the premises as an agent brings families to loong at their home in order to sell it. And in the meantime, the family packs what they want to keep and either donates or sells the rest as they wait for their offer on a new home to go through.

As much as Tyler likes the idea of moving to California, he’s reluctant to leave behind the familiar beaches of his hometown, and his free time is spent either at the beach or on the trails, wandering and committing their childhood playground to memory.

Too soon, their parents’ bid on a home is accepted, and they pack their belongings and begin the cross-country drive to California. (Unlike Tori, Tyler enjoys the drive, and spends the majority of it keeping Harper’s and Hayden’s spirits as high as his own with games like iSpy and finding license plates.)

[ 2008 - 2011 : eternal summer]

California is beautiful, and Tyler loves every bit of it, dividing his time between the new beaches and the new places to explore. But unlike in Charleston, Los Angeles allows the children to connect more to their heritage, with Koreatown just a short jaunt away. There’s Little Tokyo, too, and so many other Little and Town places, all with culture and cuisine and unique stories. Tyler loves it, loves all of it, but there’s something he loves more.

During a day of exploration, Tyler stumbles across a group of people busking on a street corner, freestyling to music from a battered boombox. While it’s far from the best side of town, the people are nice enough, and they welcome Tyler into their club, teaching the young newbie a thing or two about hiphop. Not too much later, on a routine exploration with Tori, Tyler finds the mall in Ktown that caters to the locals tastes, including the music store dedicated to Kpop. The store turns into Tyler’s gateway drug, and though Tori doesn’t quite understand his initial interest, Tyler sticks with it, popping into the store regularly to check out the new music and to talk with the clerks and owner before heading out to meet with the buskers he’d befriended.

Tyler sticks with busking and his routine music store trips for an entire year, developing an increased interest in kpop and dance, before Tori stumbles back into his orbit. In late 2010, on another routine trip to check out new artists at the music shop, Tori discovers kpop and finally, she and Tyler have a share interest they can work on together. Before, Tyler had been learning dances in his bedroom and posting them alone with help from his busking friends. After, it’s Tyler and Tori, peas in a pod and against the world.

For the next year, things go pretty smoothly. Tyler delves deeper into kpop, dragging Tori with him, and they begin taking dance lessons at a local studio, both expanding their horizons musically. And then at the start of summer in 2011, Hongseok drops a bomb on the family.

His job is expanding an existing branch overseas. They want Hongseok at the head of his own department. A pay increase, a really good one, awaits him if he accepts. the only catch? It’s in South Korea.

[ 2011 - 2014 : hello foreign soil ]

After much consideration by both Hongseok and Taeyeon, they agree that the job is for the best of the family. It’s not a move than be made immediately though, not by the entire family, but the job offer has an expiration date, pushing Hongseok and Taeyeon to strike a deal with themselves, and with their children.

In order to keep the job, and to search for housing for the entire family, Hongseok will go over first. Taeyeon will wait behind with the children, work on packing, and sell their home. Except Tori has an idea. And when she shares it with Tyler, they don’t see a reason to not at least try. They ask to join Hongseok in Korea when he moves.

Taeyeon isn’t exactly thrilled, but Hongseok finds their enthusiasm endearing, and it doesn’t take long before Tori and Tyler both have their passports and are preparing for the long flight to South Korea.

Landing in a foreign country for the first time is a little daunting, but no more so than the struggle to navigate to the hotel they’ll be living in until they find themselves new housing. Luckily, it’s summer, and while Hongseok is at work during the day, Tyler and Tori explore, wiling away the hours by looking into apartments for the family to look into with their father on the weekend. And in between apartment hunting, exposed to the rich, new culture and music straight from the source, Tyler and Tori dive right into music.

By the end of August, Taeyeon and the other children join the rest of the family in Korea. Tyler and Tori have also happily immersed themselves in music, convincing Hongseok to enroll them in a dance academy that they can walk to from home. Being in Korea also helps with their fluency, and it doesn’t take long at all for the duo to begin to flourish in their new surroundings.

By late 2013, Tyler is only fourteen, but he’s known for years what he wanted to do, and all being in South Korea has done is strengthen his resolve. In between Tori’s own attempts, Tyler helps to chip away at his parents’ resolve until they agree to let the kids audition. He’s a child, younger than Tori, and there’s no way a company will want him when he has so much time left in school, right?

...right?

[ 2015 - present : the big leagues ]

For an entire year, that’s true. For an entire year, Tyler attends auditions and sends in footage of himself dancing and singing and rapping, and at every turn, he’s rejected. It’s a little disheartening, if he’s honest with himself, but it’s also good motivation and he takes the comments he does get to heart, working to better himself as a performer and potential trainee.

In 2015, at an auditon at SM Entertainment that Tyler attends on a whim -- because it’s an open audition day, and because how coul he ever consider passing up an opportunity to be in the same company as the likes of Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk, and Shinee, and TVXQ -- he finds himself accepted. For his dancing, for his visuals and his potential in vocals and rap, Tyler finds himself with a place in SM Entertainment.

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