Six Months Later
Ga Eul was fixing his tie, straining her neck despite wearing heels. She got the feeling that Yi Jung had messed his tie on purpose so she could do it for him, and she obliged either way. He could be a little childish sometimes and she adored it.
"I hate weddings." He complained.
"Well, you have to suck it up for your friend." She replied.
"Woo Bin's whining somehow made weddings even more intolerable."
"Imagine how bad it is for the actual bride and groom." She tried reasoning with him.
"All I care about right now is that if I hear Woo Bin stressing about this whole marriage again, I'll gladly shoot his brains out."
"You have to admit the situation is pretty sticky. Jan Di already heard the future mother-in-law throwing a tantrum in the dressing room. Poor girl." She shook her head.
"That's why Woo Bin isn't going to settle in the family mansion."
"Good for them. I don't think the girl will hold out for much longer if this continues."
"I have the worst headache." He groaned.
"Nobody told you to drink all night." She fixed the collar of his shirt.
"There. It's perfect." She wiped imaginary dust from his suit.
"If you had been to Woo Bin's moaning and bitching party, you'd have done the same."
"He's feeling guilty that's all." She shrugged.
"That's the thing! He has nothing to be guilty of. He acts as if he's going to hurt the girl by being in the same room as her." He checked himself out in the mirror before them.
"The girl, Hee Jin, is probably scared out of her mind, and he's afraid to scare her even more."
"And she's going to stay afraid if he doesn't speak up. It's his job to make her understand that she's safe, yet he's hiding from her like a coward. Ever since we arrived in Seoul a week ago, he's been asking us if he should talk to her, or if he should leave her alone. I swear I'll give him a good kick in the nuts as a wake-up call."
"Do you think he likes her? Why would he care so much? Do you know he talked with me and Jan Di a few days ago asking us to make her feel welcome?" She said.
"Ha! The sucker. He has feelings for her. But I can't tell what these feelings imply. The two don't know each other properly. Either way, he feels heavy responsibility for her. This marriage has the potential to become the biggest shit show ever. What was his grandfather thinking? Marrying Woo Bin to someone like Hee Jin. People thought Jan Di and Jun Pyo's story was a fairytale, but they're not going to be as cordial about this. Hee Jin isn't just a commoner. She didn't have proper documentation or an ID until a month ago."
"Good grief. This wedding is going to be a battlefield." She sighed.
"Enough with Woo Bin and his misery. I've heard enough of it for the next lifetime."
"Show some compassion for your friend." She lightly hit him on the shoulder.
"It's because I love him that I'm taking a break from talking about him. How am I supposed to feel bad for him if I can't stand to hear him whine? Instead, I want to talk about something else."
"We can talk about it after the ceremony. I have to fulfil my promise to Woo Bin and go to the other dressing room." She said.
"I haven't seen you in six months. How can you be so cruel to your fiancé?" He hummed, playing with the satin fabric of her dress.
"It's only for the next hours. And you're not my fiancé just yet." She leaned into him.
"I'm your fiancé in all the ways that matter."
"Not officially." She retorted.
"Please, that's a trivial matter that could be solved in a minute."
"But we shouldn't because right now isn't the appropriate time, so get your act together." She smirked.
"I see. You love playing with me."
"Who said anything about playing?" She raised her eyebrows mischievously.
"Enjoy it while you can because once my ring is on your finger, I won't sit back idly anymore."
"And what is that that you're going to do?" She challenged.
"I think we both know."
"I haven't the faintest idea." She sung the words, playing dumb.
"You think you're so coy. Playing with me, telling me you're not mine yet but wearing my favourite dress. I didn't know you had it in you, Ga Eul. However, don't start things you can't finish, love. We both know you're all bark and no bite."
"I think I can handle you." She played with his suit.
He drew closer to her until she was pressed against the cool tile wall.
"Really?" He chuckled softly, tilting his head as he looked down into her eyes. "If you knew how much I've been holding back, you wouldn't be so nonchalant. You think you're winning now, but believe me, if I choose to entice and tempt you. If I choose to say all the things that are going through my mind, would you still be willing to play? I've been a gentleman up till now, Ga Eul. Don't test my patience. Because it won't be pretty if I lose my temper, and not even you could stop or hold me back."
Her breath hitched. Sometimes it was easy to forget who exactly Yi Jung is. Most of the time, he's so tame and docile with her that it somehow deluded her that she could fuck with him a little. She thought it'd be fun to watch him suffer a bit, but being pushed into a corner with Yi Jung looking at her like he was on his last straw made her realize how out of depth she was. Embarrassing as it was, he did have the upper hand in this area in particular. The push and pull. The mind games. The stolen glances and the so-called accidental touches. These were all his expertise. Just one tug from him and she'd come undone, and in front of her was a starving man who wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty and putting his expertise to use if pushed another second.
"Don't worry, I won't bite. Not yet, at least." He gave her a winning smirk before pressing a long kiss on her forehead.
"Go see the girl. I'll see you after the ceremony."
"Why did you leave me alone for so long to mediate between the two? And why are you beetroot red?" Jan Di whispered frustratedly while they were waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle.
"Really? It must be the heat." Ga Eul placed her palms on her cheeks, hoping for the flush to miraculously disappear.
"I was with Yi Jung in the other dressing room. I was helping him with his tie." She explained.
"Yeah, right. With his tie." Jan Di rolled her eyes.
"I was!" Ga Eul exclaimed.
"Whatever you say. I'm not one to judge an engaged couple." She put her hands up in defeat.
"Hush! And we're not engaged, yet. Not officially, at least."
"He asked and you said yes. You both are definitely engaged." Jan Di said.
"That's not entirely true. You have to factor in the fact that only you know he proposed, and we're a long way from tying the knot."
"Alright, fine. I'm not one to judge what happens between an almost engaged couple." Jan Di replied.
"I hope you choke on that expensive champagne." Ga Eul blurted out while Jan Di was taking a sip from her glass causing her to spit it out, laughing.
Ga Eul's frame shook beside her as she tried to stifle her cackles.
That earned them a few disapproving glances, and suddenly they were grateful they weren't placed on the same table as Jun Pyo, Yi Jung and Ji Hoo.
"I've been to funerals more cheerful than this." Jan Di said.
"Tell me about. Everyone here looks like coerced."
"Not more than the bride and groom." Jan Di said.
"Who would've thought Woo Bin would be the first of us to get married? I always thought it'd be you and Jun Pyo."
"Me too, but then medical school happened." Jan Di huffed.
"You could still get married while you're studying. I doubt Jun Pyo would wait until you finish your studies."
"I don't want to think about it. I do want to marry him, but I'm not in a rush. It'll happen when it'll happen. But enough about me. When are you two going to be official?"
"We're waiting for this whole fiasco to die down. He proposed right after Woo Bin broke the news. It would've been insensitive. I only told you because I couldn't keep it from you." Ga Eul said.
"You could share the happy news when Woo Bin and Hee Jin get back from their honeymoon."
"Let's hope things have calmed down by then." Ga Eul said.
"Are you leaving right away?"
"Yi Jung and I will stay for another week." Ga Eul replied.
"And where will you head off this time?"
"England. I'll probably spend a few weeks there then head to Scotland."
"That's cold and gloomy. Why can't you just settle back here? You've already been away for a year and a half." Jan Di whined.
"I think I'm getting close to settling. But it won't be here."
"No way. Does Yi Jung know, yet?" Jan Di asked, catching up on her meaning.
"I'll tell him today."
"I think the poor man is going to lose his mind. Look at him." Jan Di pointed it out.
Yi Jung was staring at her from the other side of the aisle.
Ga Eul laughed, and he smiled back at her.
"Are you going to stay with him till he graduates?" Jan Di asked.
"That's the plan. Then, I think we'll return to Seoul."
"I am so excited for that day already."
"Me, too. I think about you every day. Life isn't the same without you." Ga Eul pursed her lips.
"No one gets me like you do. I have Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo with me all the time, but they're not my best friend."
"Stop it, you're going to make me cry." Ga Eul nudged her arm.
"But, it's true! You won't believe the amount of jokes that fly over Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo's heads. It's like these two don't understand humour."
"Right? Do you think it's a side effect of being uber-rich? The guys are funny in their own right, but they never take a hint sometimes. This whole wedding feels like a hostage situation and they're not even batting an eyelash." Ga Eul said.
"Maybe it's because they've gotten immune to these types of events."
"I did go to my fair share of similar events in my childhood but not ones so intense as this. It feels like we're the only sane people here." Ga Eul said.
"Do you think when we get married we'll be as boring as these people?" Jan Di wondered.
"Goodness, I hope not. This isn't how I want to spend the rest of my life. But, if we're being logical here, it's most likely to happen to you. You're dating the richest man in the entire country."
"If that does happen, just hand me the gun. I'll know what to do."
"That went far." Ga Eul remarked.
"Oh, look. Here she comes." Jan Di said as the door to the wedding hall opened, revealing Hee Jin in her white dress. She was clutching on Chairman Song's arm for dear life.
She slowly marched before them, the live music band playing Canon in D.
"She looks like she's going to pass out any second." Jan Di commented.
"It's going to be fine, I hope. Look at Woo Bin. I don't think he'll let anything happen to her."
"Do you think so, too?" Jan Di softly asked.
"Yes, I do. Yi Jung isn't too sure, but I can see it happening." Ga Eul whispered, cutting her before she got the chance to continue.
"See at the way he looks at her." Ga Eul said.
Ga Eul knew that look all too well. She'd seen it beforehand on Jun Pyo when he first started dating Jan Di. Maybe it was too early to tell, but there was something in his stance. Like he would do anything just to protect her.
Some men willingly got married and didn't look at their brides the way Woo Bin looked at Hee Jin. It could've been wishful thinking on her part, seeing that Woo Bin was forced into this, but she had a feeling she was right. Jan Di did too as they both exchanged a glance.
Yi Jung and Ga Eul joined the swaying bodies on the dance floor. They'd been separated, each supporting the bride and groom respectively and it was time for them to have some alone fun time. He had stolen her hand for a dance while she was with Hee Jin and Jan Di after the ceremony.
"The only redeeming quality of this wedding is the food and Hee Jin. A bit rough around the edges, but once you get her to warm up to you, she's a sweetheart." Ga Eul said.
"I see you and Jan Di have adopted her." He said, twirling her around as they moved lazily with the music playing.
"We did it at first for Woo Bin, but Jan Di and I love her already. I feel bad that I'll be leaving in a week. But, she'll be in Jan Di's care."
"You're worried about leaving the girl but not me? I'm wounded. The competition for your attention is getting at an all-time high." He complained.
"I won't be leaving you for too long." She mused, looking up at him.
"Ga Eul, what are you saying?" He asked, dumbfounded.
"I was thinking about settling with you in Sweden. Not right away, of course. But I think I'm ready to settle in one place again. I don't want to hide away anymore. I had enough freedom and solitude to make me crave being in one place. I want to live with you in Sweden until you finish your physical therapy and education. I might apply to a mechanic apprenticeship program while I'm there. Not sure what my plans exactly are, yet. But I want to have a garage of my own one day."
"I don't think I could handle pranks. Regarding this matter specifically." He said, voice shaking.
"I don't do pranks. What's the matter? Getting cold feet and don't want to live with your fiancée anymore?" She teased.
"Ga Eul, I swear one day you'll be the death of me." He muttered, hugging her. She giggled as she reciprocated.
"You never learn your lesson, huh?" He whispered in her ear.
"I only took a few pages from your book. You're not the only one who enjoys leaving the other speechless. So what do you say?"
"What do I say? I have been hoping and praying for this. Every second away from you is torment. I have been preparing mentally this past week knowing I'll have to leave you again so soon, then you surprise me with the second-best news of my life." He beamed, placing his hands on the small of her back, and gently balanced the weight of her torso downwards. Ga Eul squeaked, laughing, surprised by the sudden movement before he quickly held her upright again.
"What's the first?" She asked, breathless.
"You saying yes."
"That was hardly a surprise." Ga Eul said.
"It is. Everything about you still feels like a dream. Life before you could hardly be called a life. I merely existed. Now, that you're in my arms, it still feels surreal. I don't know if I deserve it, but I know I can't let you go. I'm much too selfish."
"All the other girls here probably think otherwise. They think I coveted you and will never let go. And they're right. I'm taking you home with me, Yi Jung. That's if you'll have me." She said, pressing a kiss on his left cheek.
"I'll always have you. Always." He held her eyes, intense and brimming with warmth.
"That's good. Because soon there'll be no getting rid of me." She placed her head against his chest.