Kathy is Cynthia’s younger sister and her best friend. Kathy, or “Mathy Kathy” (called by her co workers and students), teaches middle school students; an age group that most teachers dread to teach. From her career, Kathy has developed an abnormal level of patience and she is able to deal with 25+ crying prepubescent students with ease. She carries this quality in her relationship with Cynthia as she handles all of Cynthia’s constant complaints and unfiltered comments.It is safe to say Kathy knows Cynthia better than ANYONE.
Kathy and Cynthia always dreamt about being each other’s maid of honor. And the day has finally come as Cynthia will have her best friend, Kathy, beside her on one of the biggest days of her life.
Cynthia and Diana met at a sorority rush event in Syracuse University, eventually joining the same sorority. In the following year, Diana transferred out but distance never stopped the two from remaining close. When Diana visited Cynthia, she would always bring cha siu pork (Cynthia’s favorite chinese food) all the way from New York City! Diana has a huge heart, cheeky sense of humor, and an optimistic outlook on life, something Cynthia always appreciated throughout their eleven years of friendship. Similar to how they stood next to each other in their sorority, Diana will again stand next to Cynthia as her maid of honor.
Stacey is Cynthia’s youngest sister (9 year difference), smallest (5ft tall on a good day), and the most balanced of the Kim’s. Stacey is currently in the NYU Nursing Program and a teaching assistant. She holds her own office hours to provide mentoring and academic advice for incoming and current freshmen. On top of her academic commitments, she always finds ways to keep busy whether it’s picking up a part time job (baby sitting, working at an ice cream shop, or working for her dad), going to the gym, or creating a systematized organic meal schedule. Her family applauds her ability to both balance her academic and personal life while maintaining a 3.8 GPA.
When Lena and Cynthia met, both thought the same thing, “wow, this girl is quiet and I think we will get along.” However, both were VERY wrong. Yes, they both got along handsomely, but NO, both were not quiet. Jin and Calvin have labeled the two duo “the s*** talkers” because once they get together, the gossip never stops. Cynthia and Lena always have something to talk about, whether it is about fashion, girl gossip, Lena’s son Landon, or how to annoy their significant others to the brink of chaos.
Diana is Cynthia’s older cousin, but she embodies the older sister that Cynthia never had. Diana is a compassionate lawyer, utilizing creative methods to litigate her cases. Diana applies these same characteristics in her daily life. Whenever Cynthia is in trouble, Diana will drop everything to listen to her “little sister” and provide advice. Diana’s creativity extends into the kitchen. It is a family tradition to celebrate thanksgiving together and Diana, the family head chef, will research new ways to make the turkey and stuffing more flavorful and juicy.
Cynthia met Allison through their sorority. Allison would always jokingly say “you Koreans are so dramatic.” However, both were so close that Allison received a lead role in the Korean drama called Cynthia’s life. As lead, Allison would deal with all of Cynthia’s Korean drama within the sorority. Allison always helped others and listened to their issues, especially Cynthia. She always took an objective and rational view on everything. Cynthia always admired Allison’s analytical demeanor and even today Allison gives her life advice and helps her with vacation and honeymoon planning.
Dr. Calvin Eng is a loving father, a devoted husband, and the best man. Calvin and his wife, Lena, have gotten to know Jin and Cynthia very well throughout their five year relationship, attending outdoor excursions, ski trips, and camping trips together. For one trip, Calvin and Lena decided to take Jin and Cynthia on an overnight camping trip along the Delaware River. The campsite was ten miles away and the fastest route was canoeing down the river … for eight hours. Poor Calvin encountered two unfortunate events during the trip. First, Lena became tired within the 1st mile so she encouraged/forced Calvin to row the rest of the way by himself. Secondly, Calvin had to listen to Jin sing the Disney classic “Just around the RiverBend” for the entire eight hour trip. Even worse, Jin only knew the first two lines of the chorus, so he repeated the same part with the melody for eight hours straight. Needless to say, Calvin never wants to go on an overnight camping trip with Jin again.
There are people who exaggerate, people who bend the truth, people who “troll” others, and people who are Theo Lee. His close friends would describe him as a manipulator of the truth. For example, when Theo received a new job offer, he ecstatically offered to buy his roommates a nice dinner. For most people, a “nice” dinner might include a bottle of wine, a classy dish, or a stunning atmosphere. For Theo, a “nice” dinner meant a can of Coke and a bowl of pho at the dingiest Vietnamese restaurant.
Despite his shortcomings, Theo is Jin’s most dependable friend. He ALWAYS prioritizes for Jin, regardless of the situation or location. For example, Theo had several bachelor parties and meetings planned during Jin’s 30th birthday weekend. For most people, it would be easier to skip the birthday over rescheduling the other events, but Theo is different. Without hesitation, he “manipulated” his other friends and employees to change the dates so he could prioritize Jin’s birthday.
Jay Lin and Jin became close friends in the summer of their freshman year. One hot summer day, Jay persuaded Jin to come to Flushing, developing their ability to navigate the “streets” and engaging in conversation with the locals (aka talking to girls). Throughout the summer break, Jay improved on skills necessary to become a successful New York City realtor, eventually becoming the #1 realtor for his firm. Other than his gregarious nature, Jay is direct ... but others would describe him as rude. Once in high school, he wrestled a friend and one of the dean’s told Jay to “keep his hands to himself.” Without hesitation, Jay replied “keep your eyes to yourself.” As the comedian Dave Chapelle describes it, Jay “keeps it real.”
Derek Jung has two great loves in the world; his wife Joanne and water tubing down the Esopus Creek. Joanne has never been happy about water tubing because she personally experienced the unruly rapids of the creek and felt it was too dangerous. Despite her concerns, Derek took his roommates, Jin and Theo, water tubing and both guys quickly understood Joanne’s concerns. As the group drifted down the creek, Jin popped his tube while Theo fell backwards down the world’s smallest waterfall. Even after the two accidents, Derek smiled and laughed the entire time, making Jin and Theo realize why he loved water tubing. Eventually, Derek told Joanne about Theo’s exaggerated “near death” experience and she immediately prohibited Derek from waterturbing again. Despite his love for water tubing, Derek loves his wife even more so he’s cool with “a happy wife equals a happy life.”
A few days after graduation, Danny and Jin drove back to New York City in his brother’s Nissan Altima. They stuffed all of their belongings and embarked on a twelve hour drive, bonding and reminiscing about college. On the drive back, they encountered heavy thunderstorms, bright sunshine, and one massive 18 wheeler. The tractor trailer was going seventy miles per hour and it sideswiped them. Not sure about Danny, but Jin thought it was all over. Thankfully, the two made it out alive and there was only a slight white dusting from the truck. Everytime Danny and Jin go roadtripping, they always remember that time. By the way, Danny still owes Jin $92 for gas and tolls.
Gin Hong is the older brother of the groom, Jin Hong. Confusing? Yes! In elementary school, it became too confusing that Jin got tired of being called “Gin” so he unofficially changed it to “Jimmy.” As for Gin, early in life, he aspired to become a famous actor, hopeful to follow in the steps of Jackie Chan. Currently, Gin is working for the hit TLC show, 90 days Fiancé, traveling all over the world, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Korea, to help other couples with their engagement process.