Misery Loves Company: the Duets

Battle of One: Dom + Ji-hyun (Part 2)

Battle of One

A Misery Loves Company Spin-off

By: theinkslingerr

Dom hadn't been my first kiss.

No, that box had been ticked two years earlier by the Choi twins.

Not at the same time though. What a shame.

The milestone turned into an experience that took place over the course of two summers at my aunt Shin-hye's picnics. She'd been having them every summer at a big park for as long as I could remember. She invited family and close friends, and it was fun until I got older and realized they were just a way for her to keep tabs on everybody. Not to mention brag about my nerdy cousins.

It was annoying and manipulative, so I asked my dad why we went every year. He'd just smiled and stroked my hair. "It's important to your eomma."

My Korean may have been rusty, but my eyes worked just fine. My mom cared about appearances and our position in the family. As the middle child, I took great pride in stressing her out, but only I was allowed to. Not aunt Shin-hye who liked to imply she did something wrong, because Jeni, Jae, and I had no interest in becoming doctors or lawyers. We were all artistically inclined, so it made us the black sheep of the family; subject to gossip and ridicule.

My dad supported our dreams, but my mom didn't. The frustrating thing was I didn't know if she truly believed we'd make good doctors or lawyers, or if she just wanted bragging rights like her older sister. Either way, I hated the picnics, because my parents usually argued after them.

One summer, I really didn't want to go, but as usual my dad made me. It was hot, and my aunt was running her mouth as usual when I saw a new face. A cute face.

"Who's that?" I asked Jeni.

She looked over at the boy talking to one of our cousins. He was lanky with broad shoulders, a long torso, and defined calves. A total swimmer's bod. Every time he smiled, white teeth flashed against tan skin, and he didn't have what my mom called ssangkkeopul (double eyelids).

He was breath-taking. I just had to know his name.

In the middle of my sister saying she had no clue, I stood up.

"Ji-hyun!" She knew me so well. "No."

But it was too late. I was already strolling over to my cousin and the boy. It was time for some introductions. In a matter of minutes, I found out his name was Kevin Choi. He was sixteen, and wanted to be the next Michael Phelps. He was friendly, funny, and a black sheep just like me. After a while, we broke away from everyone else to take a walk by the lake.

We talked until sunset and I managed to goad him into stripping down to his boxers to take a dip in the the lake. We raced and splashed each other with the cooling water. When the pinks and yellows and reds of the setting sun reflected off the surface like a Monet painting, I leaned in and kissed Kevin. It was just a soft press of the lips, but he jerked back, blushing. I smiled and tucked wet strands of hair behind my ear coquettishly, and he decided to move closer and return the kiss.

We kissed in that lake until our fingers and toes pruned.

Kevin lived six hours away in Virginia, so I thought it'd be romantic to exchange addresses instead of social media and write letters to each other.

I'd be the heroine of To All the Boys I've Kissed Before.

When I got back in the car with my parents at the end of the night, my mom was suspicious. "Where were you all day? And why are you wet?"