One Fine Day
By Jo-Ryan Salazar
No one couple defined the meaning of golfing buddies than that of Nuri and Hana. They had been more than friends for quite a long time, as they had earned their Pangya Island citizenship months ago. Known for their club control and youthful ambitions, Nuri and Hana had won so many trophies to the point where they had reached Infinity Legend I rank, according to the system set in place.
Nuri loved Hana, and Hana loved Nuri, and their love would withstand the tests of time. But because of their age, they could only cohabit until the age of 18, and even so, they needed parental consent. They were only 14, going on 15. Well, that was what Hana and Nuri thought. Both their parents gave consent already because they knew each other, and they were also golf partners as well. Hana came from a family of fashion designers, while Nuri came from a family of martial artists. But it was the game of golf that united both families. It married both families.
And with that said, the prospects of Hana and Nuri tying the knot was not too far away, but both of them did not understand that the marriage laws of Pangya Island were far different than that of Korea, where they hailed from. They were about to realize the facts very soon. It was going to hit them like a hurricane. A nice, lacy, white, snowy hurricane of fanciness.
"Ahhhh, beaten again by you," Nuri said, yawning after another rough day at Wind Hill. He was in his street shirt, shorts and shoes, slowly floating on his G-Line EV-0. "+3. Only because I triple-bogeyed 18. Rough going on this course."
"I only got a -4, and that's from a couple of eagles on 1 and 4," Hana said, dressed in her heart top, denim skirt and signature Brown Wings. "I was lucky to par 18. These windmills can be the death of you if you're not careful."
"Tell me about it. I had a few birdies here and there, but they got canceled out. This is like Pebble Beach. Have you ever been to Pebble Beach?"
"Oh, it's that course in the States where they have that Pro-Am thing, right? I want to try hitting Pangya at Pebble Beach, but it would be difficult. But I think the wind is consistent all around, not like here, where you have a different wind for every hole, you know?"
"Very true."
"How about this: since I won, I will buy dinner over at the Wiz City Cafe. I want to talk about something."
"You're paying?" Hana produced two large pang pouches, 10,000 in each pouch. "I guess you are." As she grabbed a flower to fly to Wiz City, Nuri sang a song.
"On the other side of the Blue Lagoon
You were feeling over the moon.
I thought, that's way too soon
And it's too good to be true, now.
We were rolling in Pink Wind,
And Ice Spa and Sepia Wind
And the Mine to rub it in, you see.
Oh but at Wiz Wiz,
You holed and I missed.
I couldn't par, though. Where was my mojo?
Man, was I overwhelmed and felt strange, you could tell
Because I want to be with you.
Oh, I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na.
Just a golf guy, looking for a four-ply
Big Papel to hold my clu-u-u-u-u-u-ubs.
Like a movie, look, it's her with Nuri!
They don't like it, sorry!
Truly, madly, deeply!
Oh, I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na!
On the upside on a downward Spike,
You were the one I liked.
And I loved you every eagle you put away.
And now here you are again
At Lost Seaway, on the mend.
You know that we are more than friends at last.
Oh but at White Wiz,
I holed and you missed.
Could only par though. I need my mojo.
I still was overwhelmed and felt strange, you could tell.
I really had to be with you.
Now I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na.
Just a golf guy, looking for a four-ply
Black Papel to hold my clu-u-u-u-u-u-ubs.
Like a movie, Hana's cool with Nuri!
They don't like it? Sorry!
Truly, madly, deeply!
Oh, I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na!
Such a tease, I'm on my knees,
I really aim to please, so let's be two
And take some time to put it all together, too.
On the other side of the Blue Lagoon
You were feeling over the moon.
I thought, that's way too soon
But it just had to be true, cause...
Oh, I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na.
Just a golf guy, looking for a four-ply
Big Papel to hold my clu-u-u-u-u-u-ubs.
Like a movie, Hana marries Nuri!
They don't like it? Sorry!
Truly, madly, deeply!
Oh, I'm here for you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with Hana-na-na-na-na!"
"Very nice, did you write that?" Hana asked as the two of them arrived in Wiz City.
"I wrote the words but this guy named Patrick came up with the melody."
"Who's Patrick?"
"He's a man from San Francisco that composes and performs with his band called Train. They're a great group of singer-songwriters."
"I see. But can they golf?" Hana asked.
"They're more into playing music. They can't."
"Well, the important thing is that I asked. Speaking of music...is that...surf music?" Chantays. Pipeline.
"You hear that in the Libera region but not here," said Nuri. "A lot of radio stations play that, as well as some reggae and reggaeton, as well as some Latin music."
"Are there any places that serve Cuban food?"
"Cuban food? You're asking me? Well..." He pointed to the restaurant in front of them. "There's this restaurant called Mo Ritmo. Maybe they serve that."
"Only one way to find out..." They opened the door and heard the strains of Don Omar's "Zumba" blaring out.
"Yeah, this place serves Cuban food," they both said as they took a seat.
"Welcome to Mo Ritmo," said a familiar face to the two of them. Can I take your order?"
Nuri was dumfounded. "Lolo? What are you doing here?"
"Apparently, my father is telling me to find some work so I can earn more pang, so I am working as a waitress," she said.
"Well. Are you guys that not...well off?" asked Hana.
"No, actually our tribe is receiving a lot of tourism revenue. Dad just wants me to gain work experience." Hana and Nuri were not impressed. "Come on, he said so!"
"No, we believe you Lolo," Nuri said, waving it off. "We're just surprised, that's all."
"Also, this restaurant is the first in Wiz City to serve Liberan cuisine, which is similar to the type of cuisine served in the Caribbean, and other island regions. All right, enough talk. What would you like to order?"
"We'd like to order the Cuban Sandwich combo with plaintain fries and two...WizChatas? What are those?"
"It's a horchata made with Rednose Wizberries," Lolo said. "Our best-selling beverage yet."
"Is there an alcoholic version?"
"Nuri!" Hana scolded. "We're too young to drink you know!"
"I was just asking!"
"We don't have an alcoholic version of the WizChata," said Lolo. "All of our beverages are nonalcoholic. But you have an option to add guarana powder for extra zip."
"Ooooh!" Hana squealed. "Gimme three teaspoons! Three! One, two, THREE!"
"No shots for me," Nuri said with a giggle.
"Okay, anything else?" Lolo asked.
"That's it," Hana said.
"I'll have your order ready in a bit. Gracias."
"De nada, senorita," Nuri said. "See, Hana? I know a little Spanish." Hana giggled and stared at him for the longest time. "Um...¿que?"
"Have you ever thought about us getting married?"
"Huh? Why do you ask that?"
"I always thought we were ready for that next step. I can take care of me, you can take care of you, but we need to learn to take care of each other. You get what I'm saying?"
"But Hana, we're too young to be married. I'm only 15 and you're only 14. Couldn't you wait a few years?"
She shook her head. "No, I want to be able to take the next step. Or..." She paused for a bit. "At least I want to pretend like I'm married to you. Just to experience what it feels like to be together with you, and be...intimate...with you..." She was blushing wildly because she couldn't believe she was being that honest with him.
"Well, we need to ask someone that knows, first."
"That would be me," said a voice.
Nuri looked behind him. "Quma!? What are YOU doing here?"
"Eating. Some caddies are people too." Soon after, Hana's and Nuri's orders arrived. "So you ordered the Cuban sandwich?"
"Yeah, we did."
"It's really good. Have a bite. So," Quma said as the couple ate, "what's this I hear about marriage."
"Well, you see, Quma, Hana is thinking about..."
"Quma~~~~!" Hana exclaimed. "What's the legal marriage age on this island?"
"15."
"NOOOOOOOOOO~~~!" she wailed, despairing as she fell on her knees. "Oh, why, why~~~~? I was so close!"
"Well, what's your birthday?"
"April 9?" she said with a sniffle.
"And today is?"
"February 1," Nuri groaned.
"Yes! YES! Oh God Yes!" Hana said, excited. "Just a few more months and we can be married! Hallelujah! Ohhhhohohoh!" Everyone at the restaurant looked at her with disgusted looks. Needless to say, Hana put herself to shame. "Uh, ehehheh?"
"Get back to your seat, Hana, and let's eat," said Nuri, embarrassed as well. "So, Quma, we have time to talk to somebody to arrange the whole thing, because this is on short notice, you know?"
"Well, the first thing that needs to be done that you have to decide where to have the wedding. This city here would be one place, but all golf courses on this island are capable of hosting wedding ceremonies. But before that...are you two engaged."
"Do our Promise Rings count?" Nuri asked as he and Hana showed them to him.
"I guess that will work."
"Hana, will you marry me?"
"I will," she said.
"Well, that was already after the fact," Quma said, "but now that you are engaged, which course will you be having the ceremony?"
"Blue Lagoon," they both said.
"Here's what I'll do," said Quma. "I will go ahead and post an announcement saying that on Apr. 9, you two will officially be married. But you need to go to a Bridal Registry at the Pangya Shop here and list what gifts you want from your guests, such as clubs, active items, other passive items, etc. Then you need to arrange a wedding party and gather people to fill specific roles."
"Got it," Hana said.
"I will also call Pippin to help you further with this because in addition to hosting golfers on tour packages as a caddie, she is also the chief wedding planner here on the island. The Chrono Cross Fairies have a reputation for organizing these things on the side because this place, Pangya Island, is used for weddings more often than Gretna Green or Las Vegas."
"Are you serious?" Nuri asked him.
"You should ask Pippin herself at the meeting tomorrow. She knows."
"Last year," said Pippin back at Pink Wind on a simple walk with Nuri and Hana the next day, "we had 1 million couples tie the knot here. Give or take. So it's pretty popular. And every course was used. We've had couples marry at Deep Inferno, some got married at Ice Spa, others tied the knot at Wiz Wiz. Every course was used because we cater to everyone."
"So this place is not so much about the golf as it is about getting married, right?" asked Nuri.
"Destination weddings. That's what this island is now used for. Out of all the island destinations available, Pangya Island is No. 1 on the list."
"Well," said Hana, "we wanted to ask you if you could arrange our wedding because we've been here for a while, I've had a wonderful relationship with Nuri, and we decided it's time for us to really be together."
"I have done a lot of weddings on this island and I've had a great reputation. I will be more than happy to assist. Let's go inside the clubhouse, we can talk some more." They entered the living room, where A.H.M.I.E was serving tea and cakes made with Love Chocolate. "Thanks, A.H.M.I.E."
"Acknowledged," she said, bowing. "Enjoy your meal. You may request more food if necessary. Activating Standby Mode." She retired to her quarters.
"So," Pippin said, "there's a lot of things that need to be check out. First, off, Quma and Lolo are already preparing the first notice that you will be together on Apr. 9, which is your birthday, right Hana?"
"Yes."
"You are an independent, self-determining couple now, correct?"
"Our parents gave us consent to do what we want when we left for Pangya Island," Nuri replied.
"Since you are residents here, you are taken care of in terms of financials. When you golf here, you earn money, and that helps to pay bills, clothes, food, clubs...those things."
"I just want someone to confide my future in," Hana giggled.
"I want a golfing body whose arms I want to die in," Nuri deadpanned.
"Whoa, Nuri! Too extreme. I don't want that to happen to you!"
"We live very long lives here, so I don't think you have to worry about your life being in danger," said Pippin. "How much are you budgeting for this wedding? Is it a high amount? How much Pang are we talking about here?"
"I think we are looking at 34 million for the wedding itself," Nuri said.
"That's a lot of pang right there," Pippin said. "Is this going to be that elaborate?"
"Well, we're having a celebratory golf tournament preceding the wedding party, that's why," Hana explained. "So a lot of it is cash money."
"Okay, that makes a bit more sense. So, budget is taken care of. Now for the attendees. Who will be attending?"
"Some of the best armchair golfers will be attending," said Nuri. "It's basically, come for the wedding, stay for the golf. We're not going to take part, though, but we'll be handing out prize money."
"All right. And the venue for this is?"
"Blue Lagoon."
"My team of Chrono Cross fairies, in conjunction with the Titan Tribe, will do the catering, photography, videography and will also do beautifian, floris and baker work. The Libera region is known for their flowers, so are you going to award attendees with the Libera Flower Set as a participation reward?"
"That would be nice, no?" Hana told Nuri. "Give them a souvenir to take home if they don't win any prize money."
"And they never lose their fragrance, even after years of use, so there's that," he added.
"The Titan Tribe and Wingtross Tribe will be doing the coordination of deliveries and services. Since you live here, no legal documentation and translations are needed. Do you have a back-up plan?" They both shook their heads. "Oh dear. You need to know where to move the wedding if there is bad weather."
"I think we'll have it here at Pink Wind," Hana said.
"All right. Well, I'll go ahead and organize it with my team. You need to meet with the others golfers to arrange the wedding party and also you need to find wedding outfits. Wiz City should have some shops that sell them."
"Awesome," said Nuri. "We'll get to it."
"All the best, and I will talk to you later." And with that, Pippin was off.
"I'm due for a talk with Kaz, Max and Azer at Shining Sand in an hour," he said to Hana.
"You're leaving now?"
"I would imagine you have some business with the girls. So I'll let you go and I'll see you later."
"All right..." Hana hesitantly saw her lover off as he zoomed out on his skateboard. A few minutes passed and Hana decided to take off. She summoned her flower to bring her to Wiz City Hole 18, where the girls were waiting.
"So what I've heard from my scouts is that you're getting married to Nuri?" asked Cecelia as she, Hana, Arin, Kooh, Lucia, Nell and Spica walked down the street, a tall purple cat with an oversized hat following them.
"That's correct," she said.
"Congratulations!" Spica exclaimed. "On my planet, we celebrate the act of marriage with a series of parties and events. It's a really big deal where I come from."
"I would imagine so."
"You're so lucky," Kooh grunted. "I'm only 11."
"Don't worry," Arin said. "In a few years, you will be able to marry someone you like, too."
"Man, I want to be able to marry as well. But I can do things by myself because my dad told me that I need to take care of me."
"Marriage is a hard thing for me," said Lucia. "If I were to marry, I would have to drop my idol status. You understand the idol industry, right? Idols can't marry unless they want to exit the business."
"But you're dating Kaz, right?" Arin asked. "Aren't you two doing well?"
"Sometimes I have to tell him to forget about Karen. I even cosplay as her so that he leaves it all behind him. But he still talks about her, and that just...you know..."
"Sorry to hear that," Cecilia replied, adjusting her glasses.
"But really though, Kaz is someone I like. We do share a lot in common but he's hesitant to take it one step further because of Karen. If only I had the power to reconcile with her and let her know that he is mine now...and what's done is done..."
"This is like something out of an anime drama, those love triangles that you see out there saturating your television set," Kooh deadpanned. "Ugh."
"You watch a lot of anime?" Hana asked.
"Are you kidding? On the Lunar Tomb, I have an extensive collection of BD-DVDs of shows past and present. 666,666 hours of anime. It's unbelievable. So, yeah, I watch too much anime."
"Just don't make it too much of a habit."
"This store is it, right here," Arin said to the girls. "Everything for a wedding."
"Whoa, look at all these dresses," said Spica, wandering through the aisles of mannequins. "This is just like what they sell on Planet Zephyr. Exactly what they sell, even!"
"I think what needs to happen now, Hana," Arin said, "is that you need to find a dress that you like and stick with it."
"Choose with your heart, and not with your head," said Nell, stroking Pepper.
"I will," Hana said.
"I appreciate that."
"Can you move for a bit?"
"Yes." Nell got out of the way.
"This is it, everyone, the dress."
"The Gold Butterfly Package," Cecelia reads. "Includes Gold Butterfly Dress, Gold Butterfly Gloves, Gold Butterfly Shoes and Baby Tulip Veil. Price: 500,000 pang."
"No way," Spica said. "Hana, are you sure you're making the right decision to buy a dress like this?"
"Spica, a wedding, to be fair, is an expensive venture," Cecelia explained. "Of course, these clothes are going to be pricey."
"Still...Hana, are you really going to buy this?"
"I have to," Hana said. "I'm putting it on my Pangya Visa. I put all my pang into this card. There's millions in this."
"MILLIONS!?" they all exclaimed.
"You haven't been hacking the system, have you?" Lucia said to her.
"Everything was earned. You must understand that I won a lot of pang fair any square throughout my time here. At every course. This was thousands of tournaments in the making."
"And I thought I was the rich one here..."
"At our jobs, Azer and I make a lot of pang, too, so we're good," said Cecelia.
"That's right, you two are married already, correct?" asked Arin.
"For about a few years, and Azer's been a fantastic husband. I'm thinking about retiring from the military so I can settle down and be a full-time mom as well."
A few shop attendants were taking down the Gold Butterfly Package and placing it in a large box, and putting that box in Hana's Big Black Papel. "Looks like Hana is buying her dress, but what about the bridesmaids?" Nell asked. She then noticed that other attendants were removing the bridesmaids dressed and placing them in boxes, and putting that in the Big Black Papel. "Oh. It looks like they are accounted for," she said with a flat gaze.
"So I have room for maybe one more dress," Hana pondered, looking around.
"Is there anything else you would like, Miss Hana?" asked the shopkeeper as Hana paid him in full.
"Hmmm...I'll take this one."
"The Black Widow Set, Miss?"
"Yes. I want to wear it for a special someone."
"Hana, it's not Halloween yet!" exclaimed Spica, stamping her foot.
"Don't sweat the small stuff," Hana said as she gave her friends their respective bridesmaid dresses. "Any outfit can be worn any time on this island."
Arin frowned. "For someone who likes fashion..."
Lucia finished her off. "...you sure are one big spender."
"Next month, over the links, all of us will discuss the wedding plans over a round of 18 at Blue Lagoon," Hana said. "Valentine's Day. Save the date, guys." The others left as Hana went back to the shopkeeper. "This is the Bridal Registry, right, sir?"
"Yes," the shopkeeper said.
"I am planning to be married to Nuri in April, and this are the items we want." It took her an hour to prepare the list of items requested.
-OOO-
"Oh man, I'm so bushed," Nuri said, returning to the Pink Wind clubhouse to rest after a round with Kaz, Max and Azer. "Kaz beat me by one stroke. His Spike shot was on the money." He opened the bedroom door and suddenly he got hard. Hana was dressed in her Black Widow outfit. "H...Hana!?"
"Hi, Nuri," Hana mewed, biting her lip naughtily.
"Why are you in that outfit? Are you gonna get married wearing that?"
"No, this is just an outfit I wanted to try on for Halloween, or when I feel really...lewd, you know?"
"Oh Hana, that's going to really get me going," he said as he went to the bed to lie next to her. "So, what did you do at the shop with the girls?"
"Bought some clothes for the girls and as for the guys, their suits will be mailed to them. And I already placed us in the registry and listed what items we would like from all the golfers who want to take part in the tournament."
"Nice." Nuri ran his hands through the folds and intricacies of Hana's black dress, causing Hana's breathing to be hitched as he caressed her body. "I think all we need to do is find a presider to officiate the ceremony. Then we need to register with the court here to say that we're legally together."
"Mmm-hmmm..."
"This is a really nice outfit. It makes me want to...you know..."
"I want you to...but not yet," Hana whispered. "Let's just stick to foreplay for now." The night was spent between the two of them engaging in sweet talk and sweet dreams before they were due to meet someone they knew quite well.
Alex Seed of Wingtross Corporation was one of the top masters of improving the stats of golf clubs of different builds and makes. But he also did other jobs on the side. Hana and Nuri were going to find out all about it.
"So what's this I hear about you two finally wanting to be together?" Alex asked the two of them at his office.
"Well, Alex, we wanted to know if you could preside at our wedding because I am planning to marry Nuri and he's fine with it," Hana said.
He came in a little closer. "You know this is going to require a lot of commitment between the two of you, right?" he whispered.
"We know," Nuri replied with a gulp.
"Rest assured, aside from my fine work here with Wingtross Corp., I'm also an ordained minister. I have presided over 8,000 weddings on this island, most of whom are couples from abroad. I've done same-sex marriage ceremonies, commitment ceremonies, you name it. I've done it all."
"How do you do all that and still help improve the design of our golf clubs?" Hana asked.
"Us Wingtross tribe members are known to be solid multitaskers. We do a lot of things in a short amount of time. We're very efficient and highly skilled. That's why our reputation is known the world over. I do club leveling up as my job and marriage presiding as a job on the side. So you can call me Rev. Alex, if you want."
"Okay, Rev. Alex," said Nuri. "Can you preside over our wedding on Apr. 9 at Blue Lagoon?"
He looked at his calendar. "Actually, that falls on a weekday. However, I do have Apr. 12 available, 10 AM. How does that sound?"
"I think that looks like a great idea, and it will allow all the golfers to arrive and stay the night before, perhaps to do some drinking and dancing," Hana replied.
Nuri nodded. "We'll change our date to Apr. 12."
"Be sure to save the date," Alex said. "You have my contact information if anything goes haywire. All right, with that out of the way, we should be good to go. Congratulations in advance, you two. I'm sure there will be nothing but happy times for both of you."
"Thank you!" they both said, bowing before they left his office, all smiles.
April 12 finally came. It was decided that Hana's birthday would coincide with the wedding at Blue Lagoon. Already, the island was full of golfers from around the world, some who were playing on the island for the very first time.
"This tux looks a little bit tight on me but not too tight," said Nuri, adjusting his tie before slicking his hair back inside a holding room for the groom's party.
"I think you look fantastic," Quma said, wearing his traditional outfit but with a suit over it. Quma, Azer, Kaz and Max were the groomsmen, with Kaz being Best Man.
"Consider yourself blessed to have someone you can love forever until it's your time to depart," said Kaz, reflective as ever. "Having a wife is a privilege, not a right."
"This from someone who's only engaged and yet to go the extra mile."
"Yes, but...Karen..."
"Forget the past, Kaz," Max said, adjusting his glasses. "You are living in the present and you live for now."
"Concur."
In the other room, the bridesmaids—Arin, Lucia, Cecilia and Spica—were fixing up Hana, who was wearing her Gold Butterfly Package.
"You look so hot in this outfit," Lucia said, gawking at the design. "It's as if you're wearing nothing at all!"
"Well, I guess so," Hana said, blushing.
"This is going to be a fantastic wedding," said Arin. "I love taking part in all this."
In a corner, Kooh was holding a tall basket of flowers. "I feel so little," she grumbled.
"Don't worry about a thing, Kooh," Cecilia said. "Just do your job and let the event take care of itself."
"Really, you guys make me look younger than I really am."
"How old are you?"
"10."
"That's young."
"Mou!"
"She really needs some humble pie, Kooh does," Spica said. "High-maintenance much."
"Speak for yourself," Kooh added, sticking her tongue out.
"Grrrrr!"
"Ladies, ladies, let's be proper women of character and quit fighting amongst ourselves, especially in these dresses," Cecilia said, an anger vein on her head.
"Yeah, after this wedding, we can all golf with the others after this," Hana added, still holding her bouquet of white roses.
"Oh, we really know what you're gonna do," Lucia sneered with a flat gaze.
"Mou, Lucia, you know me too well!"
"You don't need to golf today," Arin said. "You and Nuri get the day off. It's your wedding day, after all."
Hana could only smile. The moment was coming, and fast. Ten minutes later, in front of a packed crowd, they exchanged vows.
"Do you, Hana, take Nuri to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Alex asked, now in a frock and thick glasses, looking somewhat menacing.
"I do."
"And do you, Nuri, take Hana to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Then, by the powers invested in me, and in the presence of those gathered here today on Pangya Island, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may...huh?" Nuri and Hana were already French kissing. "It has been done!" he exclaimed to the heavens as the crowd roared in approval. Soon after, Nuri was princess-carrying Hana to the clubhouse, leaving the bridesmaids and groomsmen behind, ending the service after only one hour.
"Well, that was quick," Lucia said to the others, who quickly nodded.
"A happy couple is a happy couple right?" asked Arin.
"Right!" they all said.
It was going to be one happy consummation for the two of them as the golfers got set to take part in the tournament that followed. Nuri and Hana would be too busy being lewd as lewd can be in their bedroom with nothing on and nothing to lose as the day wore on. That's what the Chiffons would call 'One Fine Day.'
"One fine day, you'll look at me
And you will know our love was meant to be
One fine day, you're gonna want me for your girl..."
ONE FINE DAY
THE END