Chapter 12

Ji Hye pulled the heavy velvet curtain back exposing the light of the main room. The long fabric of the white dress whispered against her feet as she stepped from the small dressing room. She looked around the gallery space, but Ye Joon was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a few mannequins lined the edges of the shop, showcasing the store's newest arrivals or the most popular items of the season. One mannequin, however, stood naked in the middle of the storefront window looking out onto the rest of the mall. Ji Hye had been lucky that the mannequin had been exactly her size. She couldn't imagine the nightmare of having to dig through the racks of dresses along the front of the store that were so tightly packed together that it would be nearly impossible to pull one out without the rest coming with it in an avalanche of wedding dresses.

Disappointed Ye Joon hadn't been there to see her big reveal when he was the one that had convinced her to try it on in the first place, she walked over to the side of the room where a large mirror stood.

Upon seeing her reflection, her breath hitched, and she felt her chest tighten. The heavy velvet curtain of the dressing had blocked most of the light coming through the window, so she hadn't really known what she looked like. But now standing there, under the pale blue light of the skylight that was flooding in from the wall window, she was beautiful.

Despite the grime and blood, she had smeared on it while she dressed, it still glowed just as it had done in the window when she first saw it. The white satin sleeves of the dress extended just past her elbows. The squared neckline and tight puckering of the sleeves helped to fill out her narrow frame, so she didn't look quite so small. A small pearl studded belt was wrapped around her waist and below that the tight fabric that clung to her torso dropped loosely around her legs making it easy for her to move around in.

She had tried her hardest to keep it as pristine as possible while changing, but with hands as dirty as hers and floors that hadn't been cleaned since the invasion, soiling the untouched dress had been inevitable much to her disappointment. The hem was lined with brown and little smudges were streaked in other various places. A small patch of red was forming at the neckline near her chest from a cut she had gotten during her tumble in the woods. Other speckles of red were showing up in various locations, places she hadn't even known had been injured.

Despite her bruised and battered face, her greasy hair and all the smudges, she was still in awe of her reflection. This was something she had secretly dreamed about and now it was real. Sure, she hadn't pictured it this early in her life and she had always wanted her family and friends to be here, but she was glad Ye Joon had pushed her to do it. Her mom probably would have been beside herself if she could see her now.

"If only you could see me now, Mom," she said, quietly, and she felt the pin pricks of tears sting her eyes.

Behind her, a curtain, a few stalls from where she had dressed, was pushed aside. Ye Joon stepped out in a newly pressed black tux and white button down. His head was bowed low as his right hand messed with his left wrist as he tried to connect the cufflink.

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get dressed when there is no light and one good ey–" he trailed off as he looked up and saw her standing in front of the mirror. A gentle smile touched his face but even from there she could see the shine in his eyes, "I told you you would look beautiful."

Flustered, she looked away from him. It was one thing for her to think that about herself, but something completely different when he said it.

"But," he continued, "I think it's missing something."

She looked down at herself, bewildered.

"What? What am I missing?"

He continued to smile as he walked towards her and with each step he took, the little shop transformed. Color bloomed under his feet spreading throughout the store, the lights overhead flickering to life. The gems on the more ornate dresses glittered under the warm bright light. The deep velvet blue of the dressing curtains gave the small shop an elegant ere especially when partnered with the gold ornamentation lining the walls of the store.

Before reaching her, Ye Joon went to one of the sidewalls that was lined with varying pieces of gauzy fabrics. Some had gems woven in, so they glittered under the light, some were short while others were as long as she was tall. Ye Joon plucked out one of the more simply ornamented ones.

With the veil fluttering behind him, he stepped up onto the platform behind her, careful not to step on her dress despite its already grimy edges. He slid the veil into place, and she felt the teeth of the comb catch on some of her tangles holding it in place.

"Now, it's perfect," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine and she felt her pulse speed up. He stepped back letting her take in the whole view.

She slightly turned away from the center mirror and Ye Joon so she could get a better view of the veil in the side mirror. It was beautiful. It was a simple white veil that hung just slightly past her shoulders. A large white silk bow sat at the comb and both tails hung down as long as the veil. She couldn't keep the wide grin that spread across her face. He had been right, it was perfect.

Holding out her hand to him, she pulled him back up onto the platform. They stood next to each other; hands clasped looking into the mirror. She gently rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in the perfect moment.

Out of the corner of her eye, a flashing light caught her attention. It was small but persistent. Lifting her head from Ye Joon's shoulder, she turned to look at what was making the flashing light. Across the hall were the flashing lights of photobooth store.

"Let's go over there," she said, tugging on Ye Joon's hand.

He looked down at himself, "I have to change first."

She looked down at him, in the well fitted tux like it had been tailor made for him then back up to his face, "absolutely not," and before he could protest any farther, she dragged him from the dress shop.

She pushed aside the white curtain, pulling Ye Joon into the small booth with her.

"Let's see," she looked over all the options going through the motions she knew so well. Any time she and her friends went out and did something noteworthy they would come to one of these places and memorialize the occasion.

"Okay, ready?"

"Uh," Ye Joon stood there looking around at the room like he didn't quite know what to do. She had forgotten he had probably never come to a place like this since he hadn't had many friends growing up.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling, "just be yourself."

The camera flashed.

"Damn," Ji Hye cursed, "we already missed the first photo."

Their first photo reel was awkward. She spent the whole time trying to make Ye Joon loosen up, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, pinching his face to get another expression besides the confused vacant one he currently wore. By the start of the third photo reel Ye Joon was laughing and began suggesting poses of his own.

They took the classic wedding photo, her arm wrapped around his as they both stared sullenly into the camera. But that didn't last long as neither could contain their laughter as they burst into a fit of giggles. She grabbed either side of his face with her hand, her fingers gently pressing into cheeks as he puffed out his lips in a pout. She smiled against him, pressing her cheek against his. The camera flashed.

He broke free of her grasp moving towards the camera, so almost his entire face covered the screen.

"I do look good, don't I?"

"Hey," she laughed while playfully punching him on the shoulder. The camera flashed again, ending the photo session.

She stepped from the booth grabbing the little polaroids that printed.

"Wow," she said, handing one of the copies over to Ye Joon. "You can't even see my face in the last one, you asshole," she laughed.

"I don't know. The photo looks pretty good to me," he let out a bark of laughter as she hit him again.

He slipped the small photo reel into his jacket pocket, smiling.

"Let's try these," she said, walking over to a bookshelf stacked high with an assortment of props. There were wigs of all styles and colors, large glasses, goofy hats and a variety of other things. She plucked a few items out, handing them to him as they walked back into their small photo booth.

She didn't know how much time they stayed there, but the photo strips were endless as she continued to take money from the register to use.

However, their fun was brought to an end as her stomach let out a pitiless grumble. She stared sheepishly at Ye Joon; she always had been the one with a bigger appetite.

"Well," he said, "every wedding needs a reception." Taking her hand, he guided her out into the wide hallway heading back the way they came.

They sat on top of the bar of the restaurant they had turned over earlier both digging into their separate cans of food. They had been lucky to find any kind of edible food, with restaurants as high class as these they tended to shy away from non-perishable foods. But right then, the unbaked canned beans were some of the best things she had ever eaten.

"How would you decorate this place if it really was a reception?" Ye Joon said, looking around the room, swinging his legs back and forth as they hung from the counter.

She stared around the room at the dark interior and barren walls.

Putting her empty can of beans down, she held her hands up and began to move them around the room and in her mind's eye the room transformed.

"I would line the walls with white gauzy fabric and along the top and edges of each sheet, there would be red and white balloons. And that's it. Something simple that wouldn't take too much effort to set up or cost too much. But," she held her finger in a waiting gesture, "there would have to be music. Lots and lots of music."

"Then let's go find some then."

"What?"

"We're in a giant shopping mall. There's got to be at least one music store here. I bet that vintage store has an old stereo or something. Let's go find out." He gave her a mischievous grin as he hopped off the counter and proffered his hand, leading her out the restaurant.

Music poured from the boombox, filling the small vintage shop with upbeat music. She had been amazed they had found enough working batteries in the store to bring to life the portable stereo. Now, she couldn't help but stand there and soak in the beautiful energetic sound that was truly real, being reminded how amazing life could still be.

Ye Joon danced around the room waving his arms about as Ji Hye stood at the center laughing at her ridiculous friend. On his pass around the room, he went and hit each power button of all the small box TVs lining the wall, but of course nothing happened, but to both of them, each tv turned on with a pop of static, their screens displaying gray and black fuzzy lines jig sawing across the screen. He danced around the room hitting every power button he could find, until the room was a glow from various buttons and screens.

"Join me," he said, twirling and holding out his hand to her. She smiled but vehemently shook her head.

"Come on, it's been ages since we've heard music."

It was true, but she still felt so self-conscious when she danced, "you know I don't dance. I never have."

"Oh, come on," there was a slight whine in his voice as he pouted, "dance with me." His right arm moved towards her, and she saw a flash of color before she felt a soft impact on her left shoulder. She looked down and saw a small circle of dust on her upper arm, soiling the beautiful white fabric. In his hand, he held a chevron patterned blue and white pillow, but the white was more brown than white now.

The look she gave him caused him to take a step back, his hands held up in a warding gesture trying to keep her at bay. His face was a mirror of his regret as he let out a little laugh, grimacing with guilt.

As he stepped away from her, she saw the small sitting chair that had been tucked away between two shelves of records she had missed on their first trip to the shop. Another pillow sat there, a compliment to the one Ye Joon now held in his hand.

"Ji Hye," he said, still retreating. "Sorry," he said in English, but it came out more like "saury" and she knew he only did that when he wasn't sorry at all.

"Sorry, my ass," she grabbed the other blue and white pillow from the chair, swinging it at him. He dropped his head, his arm pulling back to protect his body as he curled slightly inwards on himself.

The pillow bounced harmlessly off the side of his head, leaving a patch of brown dust in his glossy black hair. He looked up at her in shock which was further amplified by the random strands of hair now sticking up every which way.

It was her turn to take a step back with a grimace. He lunged for her with his pillow, and she shrieked darting away, but she wasn't quick enough and his pillow hit her on the back. She whirled, swinging her pillow back at him but he moved just out of her reach. He laughed, continuously moving just out of her reach until she got a lucky lunge in and smacked him on the arm.

The room was filled with laughter as they chased each other around. At one point Ye Joon snagged his pillow on the corner of a metal television stand, ripping it and sending feathers everywhere. Pretty soon he stood there swinging an empty piece of fabric, feathers fluttering all around the room. Taking advantage, she counterattacked with fervor, only to get her pillow stuck on the furniture as well. Feathers exploded into the air, joining those still floating around. Their pure white color shimmered with varying colors as they reflected the light of the blinking technology all around.

As the last of the feathers settled on the floor, Ye Joon went to the register and grabbed the large stereo system, lifting it to his shoulders and carrying it like he was in an old 90s film. Walking to the door he grabbed a large reusable bag off the shelf. He pushed the door open and held it open for her.

"I think there's a reception we need to finish," he said, smiling.

As they walked back into the restaurant, Ye Joon put the large stereo on the bar. He pushed at the top of the large box making the CD compartment pop open. He switched out whatever CD had been playing, she assumed the one from the vintage store, and put in a new one. Cranking the volume all the way up, he let the song fill every nook and cranny of the restaurant.

It was a slow song. One from an old-time artist whose only backup was an acoustic guitar, back before synthetic music got in fashion. The man's voice that came out was low and raspy, something she felt like she would hear as background music in one of those upscale jazz bars.

"Do you know this song?" she asked, genuinely curious. She had never heard the song in her life.

"Nope. I've never heard it before. But I know my mom loves this singer."

"Loves" with that simple word, the beauty and light of the restaurant was plunged into darkness as she was thrown back into reality. She could see through the mask to the dirty tables, shattered dishware, and cobwebs and dust.

He said loves, not loved, she thought as her heart wrenched in her chest. Guess it hasn't really sunk in with us yet that everyone we love could really be gone.

"It's kind of weird when you think about it," Ye Joon said, looking down at the CD case in his hand. The grime on his suit fit in perfectly with the restaurant as if he always belonged here.

She caught sight of her own reflection in the mirror behind the bar. The dust covered bottles did little to hide her own filth. Her dress was no longer the shimmery white it had been in the window. Although only pieces of it were streaked through with browns and yellow the entire dress now just looked old and used. She shouldn't have been surprised due to what she put it through, but she was saddened, nonetheless. A couple patches of dark brown stained it from where the blood from earlier had dried. Along her side and arms new splotches of bright red were forming marring the white fabric. She must have opened previous wounds in her pillow fight with Ye Joon.

Her face wasn't in much better shape than her dress. Red angry scratches cut through her lip and cheek coupled with gray streaks that ran over her face at random angles. Her hair was tangled and greasy, not suitable for the beautiful veil that fell behind her.

"This man has a beautiful voice, and the guitarist compliments it so well," Ye Joon's voice pulled her attention back to him. "So why do you think this music fell out of fashion," he asked, looking up at her. She could now clearly see his rumpled dust-streaked hair but that was still somehow pulled neatly back exposing the scar over his eye as if in mockery to what he experienced.

As the song ended and the next track began, he held out his hand to her with a wide grin. His eyes scrunched at the corners in pure delight and even with his cloudy white eye, she could see the warmth and happiness that filled them. She felt that warmth and love spread throughout her entire body.

He can see past the horrors and terrors of everything that has happened, she thought. Despite having faced even more horrors than me, he is still able to smile. Still able to keep fighting. And if he could do it, then so could she.

She took his outstretched hand, smiling. She never would have made it this far without him.

As his hand clutched hers, the room transformed back into the bright twinkling room it was, only minutes before. He pulled her close, his hand wrapping around her lower back. Their fingers intertwined as they swayed to the music. She closed her eyes, soaking in the moment.

They swayed like that for the better part of three songs. Then, slowly he detached himself from her.

"You know it's not a party unless there's karaoke," he gave her a mischievous grin and walked over to the boombox. Switching out the CDs, he pressed play and Block B's "Very Good", poured from the speakers. She burst into laughter. The last time she had heard this song was from their previous karaoke session, and come to think of it, was probably the last karaoke session she'd had.

They both danced around the room singing their hearts out. When one song ended the other would choose another CD from the stack Ye Joon had grabbed from the store. As they finished a duet together, a smattering of applause filled the room.

The black silhouettes were back, but this time they applauded and cheered for her and Ye Joon, screaming for an encore.

Ye Joon grinned at her, "well we can't let them down." It took him a minute to find the song he was looking for. Slipping the disk into the CD player, he pressed play.

Soft piano music rippled out from the speakers of the large boombox, and Ji Hye couldn't stop herself from swaying to the beautiful music. She held up her hand in a makeshift microphone, closed her eyes, and began singing "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're The One" by AKMU.

Her eyes flew open as Ye Joon joined in when the male part began. She had never heard him sing in earnest, always joking around during their karaoke sessions, but leaving the serious singing to her. His voice was soft and deep and blended perfectly with the song as she harmonized with him.

He began to walk towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. She held his stare, looking into his dark honest eyes as they sang together. As her next verse started, he took her hand, looking down at it as he brushed his thumb over the back of it. She almost missed the next note as her stomach exploded with butterflies.

But as quickly as he took her hand, he released it, walking away. She turned away from his receding figure and looked around at the room trying to calm her racing heart. White gauzy drapes lined the entire perimeter of the room with small red and white balloons hanging over them. All the tables were draped with thin white tablecloths. The only dots of color in the room were the small bouquets of flowers on each table. Overhead sparkly plastic streamers hung from the ceiling which might have been tacky if the spotlights weren't emitting a bright white light that reflected off of them and made the entire space sparkle. The dark figures sat in their seats swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song and she found herself swaying with them.

Behind her, she felt a warm solid presence. She turned to find Ye Joon standing a foot away, a small flower in each hand. He held them up to her like he was wanting her to choose one. She felt her eyes wrinkle with her smile as she looked at the tiny flowers that had been clearly taken from one of the tables.

Taking a step towards him, she plucked the small yellow daisy from his hand. She lifted her left hand and slid it around the back of his neck while with her right hand she brushed back his hair and slid the flower behind his ear. He looked down at the red flower hand still in his hand and she found her fingers playing with the small soft hairs at the back of his neck.

Looking back up to her, his eyes shimmered with an intensity she had only seen a couple of time and it took her breath away. He slowly lifted the flower and, just as she had done to him, brushed back her hair and slid it behind her ear. His hand dropped to her waist, and he held her close.

With her heart racing in her chest, it took all her willpower to lift her hand in the makeshift microphone again and continue to sing. At his part he leaned in, their foreheads touching as he shared her hand mic.

She matched Ye Joon's smile with her own. The music swelled, reaching the climax of the song and his grip on her tightened slightly. She heard the quaver in her voice under that touch as she tried to sustain the long notes. Looking up at him, she stared into his wide eyes, one glossy white and the other a deep warm brown. She loved those eyes.

No, she thought, I love him. I've always loved him.

She didn't know when it started, it could have even been the first day they had ever met. But she knew that every part of her being loved him and wanted to be with him. With this man that made her happier than anyone ever had. Someone she could always rely on and talk to no matter what. Her best friend and man she loved.

As she opened her mouth to tell him, a soft humming pierced her ears as the room was plunged into darkness. The only light was a soft blue glow that emanated from a cube that had just emerged through the doorway.

Panic rushed through her. How had it found them? But the time for questions was later. They had to escape, now. The warmth of Ye Joon's hand fell away from her as he stumbled back, shock and fear clearly written all over his face.

The cube had fully entered the room now and continued to float towards them. It was smaller than all the other cubes they had seen, shorter than herself by a foot or so, but that made it no less menacing as its glowing face advanced towards them.

Ji Hye hiked up her dress with one hand and grabbed Ye Joon's hand with the other as she took off in a dash. They skirted around the cube before the glowing could get any brighter. She took off down the hallway, not knowing where they were going, only caring that it wasn't there. The final piano chords chased them down the hallway slowly fading away.

Maybe we could escape into one of the shops and hide there, but the cube was right behind them. If they wanted to do that, they would have to lose it somewhere in these halls, so it didn't know where they had gone. But she didn't know the mall well enough to shake the tail.

Stupid, she thought. I should have been better at scouting this place. I got too complacent.

They continued to run down the dark hall. They passed the photobooth shop blinking with lights and the wedding dress shop, the mannequin in the window now bare making it look like all the other lifeless shops around. They didn't stop, instead pushing forward into the unknown area of the mall.

The humming of the cube wasn't loud, but it rattled Ji Hye to the core. They couldn't stop. It was still right behind them.

They passed a large window to a lounge and through it she could see the city beyond, and the sight made her blood run cold. Cubes were everywhere. It was no longer one or two floating over the city but dozens. Maybe more. And she flashed back to the fateful day where they blew one of the monsters up only to have accidentally created more. And now, as she looked at all those cubes, she couldn't help but think they were a primary reason the city was flooded with cubes.

The stairs, she thought. They had to get to the stairs and try to get to the entrance.

She saw a red exit sign at the end of the hallway glowing with a small arrow pointing to the right. They almost slammed into the back wall as she took the turn at a dead sprint. In front of her was the balcony that opened into the giant atrium and next to it was the door to the staircase.

Slamming open the door, it banged against the wall, but she couldn't care less about the noise they made. The cube knew where they were. As the door swung shut behind them, she checked on Ye Joon. His face was pale, and he was breathing hard from their mad dash, but otherwise he was alright.

He met her eyes, wide with fear, but he shook his head.

"Don't stop," he panted and that was all the confirmation she needed before pulling him down the stairs.

She pushed open the door to the first floor and all was quiet. They sprinted towards the entry, their feet pounding on the hard concrete, her own heart thundering in her ears. As they reached the towering pile of clothes she could see the wide double door, the fading evening light streaming through its window. They were almost there; it was just a little farther.

The cube dropped from above a foot in front of her, making them stumble back. She turned to pull Ye Joon in the other direction, but it quickly moved to block that retreat too. It wouldn't let them escape. And she realized it had only been playing with them earlier, a predator wanting to play with its prey before it feasted.

But she wouldn't go down without a fight.

From the floor, she grabbed a long metal pipe that was partially hidden by the pile of clothing. Pushing Ye Joon behind her, she held it up ready to swing. The cube advanced, but right before she swung, Ye Joon took the pipe from her hands with a cry. He ran at the cube screaming, swinging the pipe down and colliding with the cube with a metallic clang. The scream that ripped from his throat was raw and full of defiance like the battle cry of a man who knew he was going to die but still looked death in the face and said not today.

She could only stand there, horrified, as he swung the pipe over and over again, his scream never letting up, but it was clear his attack did little to the cube.

The scream died in his throat as the cube floated forward with a warning flash, the crystal blue light morphing into an angry red. The pipe tumbled from his hand, and he stumbled back, landing on the floor. She crouched down behind him, one against his head, pulling him close to her while the other arm snaked around his heaving chest as he tried to take in terrified gulps of air. He clutched her hand in a vice-like grip as they stared at the cube floating towards them.

Slowly, she moved her hand from his head, down to cover his eye, his sightless white eye continuing to stare out. She didn't want the last thing that he remembered in his life to be this monstrosity, so she began talking, whispering quietly into his ear.

"Meeting you was one of the best things to ever happen in my life." Under her, she felt his trembling calm, his breathing starting to slow. "All of my favorite moments in my life are with you, like dancing in the art room, or the time you surprised me at graduation with that bouquet of flowers." She chuckled softly at the memory of the broken flowers from Ye Joon's run to surprise her. She could feel dampness on her cheeks and her vision blurred but her voice didn't waiver as she continued, "You brought so much color and happiness into my dull world and I'm so glad I got to spend every moment of this past month with you."

The cube was right on top of them now, glowing a bright red.

She turned away from that light, shutting her eyes and pressing her forehead into the side of Ye Joon's head, breathing him in one last time.

"I love you, Ye Joon," she whispered, then darkness engulfed her.

In the eerie blue light, a wedding dress, stained with brown and red floated in the air. Next to it, seeming to hang suspended, were the dark pants and jacket of a dirty tuxedo. They landed with hardly a whisper on top of a mountain of clothes, their fabric just overlapping with one another in a gentle touch. Another memory of a life added to the pile of those long gone. As they settled, a small piece of paper fluttered down landing face upright on their joined sleeves. A married couple, happy and laughing, stared out from the small photo reel. Despite being dirty and broken, their faces were lit up with laughter and love as if to say that despite the atrocities happening in the world, one could always find joy.