#since1765

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Village Council Room
City of Jeonju - North Jeolla Province

“The Ceremony of the First Mating symbolizes our sacred calls to the gods. Tonight, Kwon Jiyong of Gyeonggi Province, and Kim Taeyeon of North Jeolla Province, shall mate and be one,” explained Grandpa Kim.

Kim Taeyeon swallowed, then completely froze the very next minute. The moment just had a natural capability of debilitating her body and mind of proper functioning. Did the more than twenty of her elders, most of whom were strict and superstitious, just openly discuss mating her with Kwon Jiyong? As she thought harder and deeper, she once again felt her father’s touch, pushing her to react to what she was just told. Her senses came back, and she looked around the table. Jiyong was still wearing mischief on his face, and when he saw Taeyeon’s face, he grinned. How dare he grin? He did not just grin. He chuckled, as if mocking her! Then, she looked at the elders, all of whom were looking back at her, expecting her to say something.

“I assume the kids are ready for the ceremony, seeing as there are no questions or concerns coming?” asked Grandmother Kim.

“Oh I’m always down and ready for such kind of ceremony,” replied Jiyong, still snickering.

When he eyed Taeyeon, he saw her make a face that said, “You’re a maniac! Shut your erted mouth up!” This only caused him to laugh even more. It was fun teasing the young woman, especially since she was wildly reddening in front of everyone. In truth, Jiyong was just playing her. Although I really wouldn’t mind the . I mean, she’s Kim Taeyeon after all. Never mind that his fiancé was SNSD’s leader. Even if she wasn’t, she was still very attractive in his eyes.

“I'm sorry, respectable elders, but I can't do this!” Taeyeon finally exclaimed, her voice a little louder than normal. She was completely flushed and sweating, still in disbelief about the current topic of discussion. She mustered all courage, and fueled by her annoyance of Jiyong’s erted laughs, she finally said, “I say this with humility: I don't want to do this. Not just the mating ceremony, but everything associated with this pact.”

She almost shouted her announcement, and this was followed by complete silence. Taeyeon saw that her father bowed his head, as if avoiding eye contact with any of the elders. Of course, Kim Seungwoo knew very well Taeyeon’s decision. He was just waiting for his daughter to finally have the bravery to reveal her defiance to the council.

“Me neither,” said Jiyong, which caused another deafening silence.

This shocked not just the elders, but also Kim Taeyeon. She thought his face screamed agreement, and yet what he said was the contrary. When she looked at him, he winked at her, as if assuring her that she wasn’t alone in disobeying the elders in the council.

“Kim Seungwoo, what is your child saying?” Finally, Grandpa Kim found the words to say.

“Kwon Younghwan, what is this?” and so did Grandpa Kwon. The two village elders both confronted their respective sons. Obviously, the younger elders weren’t ready to be on the spotlight, as both avoided looking their fathers in the eye.

After clearing his throat, Taeyeon’s dad said, “Father and dear elders, my daughter has something to confess.”

“So does my son,” added Jiyong’s dad.

All the elders were confused at this point, but the leaders Grandpa Kim and Grandpa Kwon weren’t dumb. They knew what was going on, and so they waited for their grandchildren to come clean. Meanwhile, Jiyong and Taeyeon were surprised to hear the other one’s father say the same thing their father did.

Taeyeon spoke to Jiyong using her eyes, mutely asking, “You don't want to marry me either?”

“Heck no,” Jiyong replied in his mind, sending the message with just his facial expression. Again, the two understood each other perfectly.

“Why can't you consummate the pact tonight?” one of the Gyeonggi elders probed.

“Maybe my grandchild is just tired,” pondered Grandma Kim. “She looks a little pale.”

“We can postpone the Ceremony of the First Mating,” suggested another Jeonju grandma. The other elders agreed and gave their comments.

“Taeyeon has to rest and recharge.”

“They both need all their energy when mating.”

Their words just made Taeyeon all the more uncomfortable. The grandmas and grandpas actually spoke about her body needing full energy for . The horror, my goodness!

“We can do it tomorrow night instead.”

“Surely, the kids don’t mind putting off the mating for one night.”

 “Of course, if it’s better for our children.”

“I can't have with him!” Taeyeon exploded, unable to bear one more word from the elders regarding she and Jiyong having . She was breathless and overwhelmed, and her next words were said with much intense emotion and volume. “I don't want to sleep with him, okay?” she pleaded. Then, she addressed Jiyong and said, “I'm so sorry, no offense to you, but you're a stranger to me. I can't go through with this.”

“None taken,” replied Jiyong, shrugging at her. “I'm not the type to have with a woman who doesn't want me.”
 

The collective comments and cries from around the table just confused the two young adults. One by one, the village elders reacted so ardently, awe-stricken at what they just heard from the two. Each of their interjections made Jiyong and Taeyeon’s foreheads crook.

“WHAT?”

“S-?”

“Dear god, these kids.”

“What vulgar mouths for such young adults!”

“Who said anything about s-?”

The elders couldn’t even say the 21st century term for that act without stuttering.

“There's no such thing happening until you both get married!” yelled Grandpa Kim, just as scandalized as the rest. “How can you even think of such a sinful thing?”

Taeyeon was now in a state of total confusion. She looked at Jiyong, and he was just as confused. Then, she addressed her grandpa and said, “But you said we should consummate the pact, and mate tonight...”

“Oh, these children today, thinking everything is about ing,” Grandma Kim commented, finally understanding Taeyeon’s behavior. Pretty soon, all the elders also understood. Some nodded in complete understanding, and Grandpa Kim even caught his head in disbelief.

It was Grandpa Kwon who found the calmness to explain. With a little smirk on his face, he faced Taeyeon and Jiyong to say, “Consummate, in this context, means to complete, to perfect, to execute, and to finish. The gods do not require the two of you to e before the wedding ceremony.”

It couldn’t be any more possible to get redder than Taeyeon already was a minute ago. Yet clearly, it was. She flushed a deeper shade of coral, and she felt the heat warm her whole body. Now it finally dawned on her that all along, she and Jiyong interpreted the elders’ words incorrectly. ersely. Filthily. Shame covered her, and she wished more than ever to become invisible.

“The Ceremony of the First Mating merely entails coupling emotionally and spiritually,” Jiyong’s grandfather further expounded, which only caused Taeyeon to get more embarrassed. “The heir and heiress would share a ceremonial dinner together, and say a prayer to the gods together, as a couple intending to marry.”

Oh burn! That had to hurt. Jiyong thought, and he pursed his mouth in an attempt to hide his laughter. He was suddenly very glad that of them two, it was Taeyeon who first mentioned , and it was also her who got defensive about mating. He looked at her, then he pinched his lips, because he really was about to burst out laughing. He did a poor job hiding his teases, as Kim Taeyeon just looked at him with much fury.

“Shut your face G-dragon! God this is embarrassing,” Kim Taeyeon silently muttered, gesturing and eyeing the naughty young lad across him. She wanted to kick him under the table. Unfortunately, her short legs couldn’t even reach him.

“So why can't you go through with this, Kim Taeyeon? Why did you say you can’t and don't want to do anything associated with the pact?” asked Grandpa Kim sternly.

The moment of truth has come. This temporarily made Taeyeon’s shame diminish a little. Instead, she bowed her head down and just stared at the table, unable to find the courage to say the next words to her grandpa’s face.

Quietly, she announced, “I respectfully decline this arranged marriage.”

“Oh dear lord!” some grandmothers gasped, emotional at her words.

“And I respectfully decline too,” followed Kwon Jiyong. Taeyeon hated that she always had the first words, and Jiyong seemed to ride on her courage. Man up, jerk.

“Mapsosa,” the other grandfathers reacted, shaking their heads.

“I’m very sorry, but I don't want to marry Kwon Jiyong,” Taeyeon continued with much emphasis, and she chose to eye Jiyong as she said those words with so much intent.

“And neither do I, Miss y.” Jiyong thought to himself, then he told the elders, “I don't want to marry Kim Taeyeon either.”

“Whatever, jerk,” Taeyeon hissed using her eyes, shooting Jiyong with a rather sharp stare. Their eyes gave off angry vibes at each other for a very long time.

“On which grounds?” asked Grandfather Kwon.

“Grounds? What grounds?” Jiyong asked his grandfather back. Taeyeon became curious too.

Grandpa Kwon explained, “We are a fair council, and we understand your initial denial to take on this role. We'd like to know what makes you ineligible to offer yourselves to the god and our country.”

The two young adults didn’t expect to have to explain so soon. They thought the elders would insist on their marriage, completely shutting down their decision. They looked at one another, signaling the other to speak first. Neither did.

“Errr…”

“Uhm…”

“Are you adopted?” asked an elder, aiding the two of them in processing the acceptable grounds.

“No,” both said, and they answered together the next set of questions.

“Are you sick and dying soon?”

“No.”

“Are you not the eldest Kim daughter of Hongil, and the eldest Kwon son of Itaewon?”

“No.”

“Are you already married to someone else?”

“No,” again, both said in unison.

“Then you have no valid grounds to decline the roles. The gods are calling you, and it is the gravest mistake to deny your calling,” Grandpa Kim said with firmness.

“How about that I don't love this man? I don't even know him!” cried Taeyeon, finally able to explain herself, although emotional. It wasn’t the best answer, and it surely wasn’t an acceptable ground for the elders, yet it was all the reason she had.

“Kim Taeyeon,” her father called her out, reminding her to calm down and lower her voice.

“I may not be married, but I'm deeply in love with someone else,” Kwon Jiyong also aired his sentiments, not meeting any of the elders’ stare. Like Taeyeon earlier, his eyes was glued on the table. “I intend to marry this woman someday.”

“I'm in love with someone else too,” Taeyeon added, not wanting to lose to Jiyong’s public profession of love.

“So as you can see,” concluded Jiyong, now looking at Taeyeon to get her support. “The two of us are in the same situation. Evidently, we're not meant to be the sacrificial lambs.”

“Have you been proposed to?” Grandma Kim asked Taeyeon.

“W-what?”

“Have you proposed to this other woman?” Grandpa Kwon asked Jiyong.

“No,” the two said in unison. Once again, they answered the same thing together in the next set of queries.

“Is there any proposal coming soon?”

“No.”

“Have you and the person you love discussed any marriage plans?”

“No.”

“Are you even sure this person would actuall