For Kyu-Hwan, Orion, & Dawn

We met on a cruise. The Royal Caribbean, if we’re getting down to the details. Let’s back track a bit.

This trip was random. My parents were going, Chi Mi and her family were going, but Meagan and Leilani concluded that they were staying home. It worked out that I had gone, because after the cruise, I stayed in Florida. That was my official move out of California to start a new chapter of living with my sister, and also working for her.

June 26, 2022, the second day of the cruise is when I met you. Oh how lucky we were to have met on only the second evening of this eight-day cruise. We definitely have the absolute cutest, most picture-perfect meet-cute. I’ll never ever forget it. How could we?

Chi Mi and I were walking around the boat, looking at the potential places we can hang out and enjoy our drinks. We noticed the jazz club right across the club, and we thought to go in just to check it out. We went in, giggly from our ongoing buzz, and quickly found two empty seats in the second to last row of the room. Not long after, two boys—you and Justin—came in and sat in two seats… right. behind. us.

This was something that I noticed, and in my mind I thought, “Was this intentional? Or simply a coincidence?” I remember wanting to look back to get a better look at their faces, but I felt it would be too embarrassing and noticeable that I had noticed them. Playing dumb felt like the least-embarrassing option.

That evening, Chi Mi and I had one too many drinks and were having probably the most fun in that silent disco across the hall that evening. I couldn’t help but notice a large group of guys who I assumed were around my age (thanks, Tyler, for being so tall and standing out to make me notice you guys. It also wasn’t until later that I made the association that the two boys in the jazz club are also, part of this group). I remember thinking, “Hm…intimidating,” given that I am a girl on this cruise trip with her parents, her sister, and her sister’s kids. My role on the cruise was to be an auntie, I wasn’t there with my friends like these guys were. It was nice though, to see that this group of guys was just as into this silly silent disco as my sister and I were. Things like this are fun with the right people.

“Umbrella” by Rihanna played and in an instant, everyone in that club was screaming the lyrics out word for word. You can see what others were listening to, based on the color of their headphones. As I am screaming the lyrics to the top of my lungs, I end up making eye contact with you. You were pretty much serenading me at this point, and I of course serenaded you back. I couldn’t help how funny and perfect this moment was. When the song ended, I remember you walked up to me and that was the first time we spoke. You asked me for my name, how old I was (because you were VERY careful, knowing there were families on this boat hahaha), and if I was leaving. I told you I was just going to grab another drink. I continued the night in that club with Chi Mi and eventually, we were ready to call it a night. You caught me before I left, and asked me for my Instagram.

I remember leaving the club that evening and you asked me if I wanted to meet you later that night. It was pretty late, but I wanted to see you again. We met up at the elevators, and you had a wine bottle and two glasses in your hand. We spent the rest of the night talking by the pool (when we weren’t supposed to be there). I remember I needed to pee so badly at one point that I had your hand in mine as I dragged you around to help me look for a bathroom, and we ran everywhere, laughing a bit too hard at this situation I found myself in. At the end of the night, you walked me back to my room, we had our first kiss, and I went to bed.

We spent nearly every night (and occasionally, day) on that cruise playing shuffleboard, kissing, walking to every corner of that boat, and talking for hours on end. When it came to the last day, I remember you gave me quite a heartfelt goodbye. One I honestly did not expect. You wished me well. In everything and in detail. You wished me well on my move to Florida. You wished me well on my new job. You wished me well with my family. You wished me well in every little detail I shared with you about myself and my life.

You remembered.

That last day, I remembered I gave you my number, and hoped that you would text me. Never did I imagine myself meeting my partner the way that we did, given that we were from two completely different countries and on the complete opposite ends of them.

Fast forward, our anniversary of making things official is October 29, 2022. I was so lucky that you surprised me that visit when I had missed you so much. We found ourselves doing long distance with one another.

I cannot fathom how fortunate I am to hold a real-life memory and now-story like this one. Our story will always live and breathe through me.

Kyu-Hwan, you have changed my life in ways I never imagined and you remind me what it means to be human. To be human is to share our vulnerabilities with one another in order to overcome fear and collaboratively alleviate each others’ struggles. There are countless things I have learned from you and countless healthy habits I have developed from you. I deeply admire your outlook on life and there’s nothing more that I love than seeing you on your path of self-actualization. You move through life courageously with how you graciously navigate life’s adversities—with light, love, and vulnerability.

Like I have always promised, I will always, always, always find you in every lifetime. I will do my best to find you sooner each and every time. I love you, Kyu-Hwan—in this lifetime, and every single lifetime to come.