WARNING: LONG CHAPTER COMING UP ^.^

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How the rest of the week passed by, Ae-young would never know.  But finally, the eve before the wedding had arrived.  Ae-young soared through the hallways of the university building so that she could get home on time.  A limo would be arriving shortly to take her family and her over to their hotel suite.  Ae-young wanted to prolong the wedding for as long as she could, but she finally came to the terms with herself that there was no use fighting it.  She was going to get married even if it was against her wish, and at this stage of the game, there was no point in fighting it.

 

As she approached the corner of one of the hallways, she felt a force crush into her.  Recovering from the impact, she looked ahead to see Park Jessica, one of the most popular girls in school.  She was a snob, alright.  All she cared about was her hair, makeup, nails, and of course, guys.  She had a sweet spot for the guys that were difficult to get.  But once she got them, she dumped them.  She’d had more boyfriends in a week than the amount of exams she’d passed in her entire life.  People with money could do anything they wanted.

 

“Hey you brat!  Watch where you’re going!” she screamed, completely opened in disgust.  “How dare you touch me!”

 

“What are you talking about?  You’re the one that came crashing in through that corner!” Ae-young retorted in protest.

 

“You better watch what you say punk!  Or you’ll hear from my dad.”

 

“I don’t have time for this,” Ae-young muttered as she brushed past Jessica.  She walked quickly, knowing that Jessica would never be able to catch up to her even if she ran at full speed with that miniskirt and stilettos on.  Ae-young smiled evilly as she heard Jessica’s shrilly voice curse her out from afar.

 

Back at home, Ae-young was pleased to see that her parents had preserved their sanity in the fact of all the recent events.  One suitcase with her parents’ and Hana’s clothes was fully-packed and patiently stood at the front door.  Ae-young’s suitcase was being placed into the limo’s backside by the driver.  Ae-young smiled at him as he bowed to her.  She ran inside and grabbed a few more things from her room only to run into her younger sister, Hana.

 

“Hey, where have you been, Hana?  I haven’t seen you around,” she asked, surprised her sister was even at home.

 

“I decided to skip soccer practice today for you.  Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss living out in the hotel suite!” she exclaimed.  “Besides…I feel bad about the whole arranged marriage thing.  The least I could do is support you.”

 

“Thanks…” Ae-young replied, not sure whether she needed the pity.

 

Hana looked around the room.  “So how do you feel knowing that this is the last time that you’ll ever be in this room?”

 

“Hana, I’m just getting married.  It’s not like I’m gonna die or anything.”

 

“You may as well,” Hana replied sarcastically.

 

“Whatever, let’s go or we’re gonna be late,” Ae-young replied, ushering her sister to get out of the house.

 

With the family’s dingy luggage safely placed in the limo and the family all boarded inside, the driver drove them to their hotel where they would spend the night before the wedding.  The exact wedding location wasn’t known to them but it had to be within close proximity to the hotel.  Along the ride, Ae-young’s parents laughed and joked about what they would eat at the hotel.  Ae-young’s father insulted her mother’s cooking and they imagined what having a quality dinner would actually feel like.  Hana remained silent and took in all of the settings around her, staring out of the window through the tinted glass.  Ae-young enjoyed the sight of her family…even though they were crazy and difficult to manage, they were the people who had brought her up.  She couldn’t trade them for anything in the world.  She laughed at her father’s corny jokes, knowing fully well that hearing them in the future would be a very rare experience.

 

Upon arriving at the hotel, concierges took their baggage and escorted the family to their rooms.  The hotel was magnanimously designed, its silhouette built to touch the skies.  The lobby of the hotel was plastered in sparkling ceilings and tiles.  The people within the confinement of the hotel were as beautiful as the building.  They held an air of prominence about them about men peregrinated along in expensive designer suits and women flaunted their prestige through the size of their delicate handbags.  As her family and her walked along the red-carpeted hallways, she couldn’t help but feel that they were out of place—they didn’t belong here.

 

One of the concierges who had accompanied them thus far turned to Ae-young’s father and handed him a set of keys.  “Sir, this is your suite,” he said as he bowed and motioned to them the door of the suite they would be staying in.  “We will be placing your luggage inside.”  The concierge then turned to Ae-young.  “Miss, I’ll leave these keys in your possession.  This here is your own suite.  I will leave your luggage in your care.”  The concierge handed the keys to her and bowed.  Ae-young accepted the keys, but was puzzled that two separate suites had actually been booked for her family.  Did she really need such a luxury? 

 

As she inserted the key into its suitable compartment on the door and opened it, Ae-young was tackled by a familiar friend.

 

“Aeya!  You’re finally here!” said Sang-hee, as she practically crashed into Ae-young for an embrace.

 

“Sang-hee, you’re here!” Ae-young screamed in happiness as the two girls jumped up and down full of giddiness.

 

“Of course, you didn’t think I’d miss out on being part of the bridal suite, did you?” Sang-hee asked with enthusiasm.

 

“I knew you were coming to the wedding, but this was a total surprise to me.  How did you get here?” Ae-young asked in amazement.

 

“By limo, what else?  Yah, whoever it is you’re marrying, he’s treating you well.  Think about how good life will be after marriage!”

 

“Let’s not talk about that now, Sang-hee.  I want to live my final hours as a single woman in peace,” Ae-young replied as she set her suitcase down on one of the twin beds in the room.  She wanted to forget about the marriage and live life like a normal girl for once.  Finally getting a chance to take a look at the room properly, Ae-young noticed its spaciousness.  The suite consisted of two rooms that were connected by the same bathroom.  There was a mini dining area with a small table and four chairs neatly placed around it.  Each of the rooms had two twin beds in it, meaning that the suite was meant to function as a family suite.  The walls of both of the rooms were plastered with images of vines and roses running along the edge of the ceiling.  Each of the rooms also had a television set, a built-in computer, as well as a mini-fridge.  Ae-young was already excited.

 

“Yah, Sang-hee, what do you think about heading down to the spa?” Ae-young asked, already sure of what her friend’s reply would be.

 

“OMO!  There’s a spa here?  Let’s go!” Sang-hee exclaimed while grabbing Ae-young’s arm.

 

The two girls spent the rest of the evening in bliss as they caught up on all the fun and exciting activities they had missed out on as young children.  They visited the hotel’s private movie theater, took a trip down to the pool, and even visited the bar.  They were told to leave though when the bartender found out that they were underage.  They felt as though they had never laughed so much in their lives before.  For once, stress was not a concern of theirs.  When nightfall was upon them, the girls went back up to their own suite and enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa which was brought up to them by the request of room service.  The girls received celebrity-styled treatment from the hotel staff and were looked after well.  They received phone-calls every once-in-a-while from the hotel’s receptionist about whether any services could be offered to them.   

 

 “It’s weird…being treated like this and all…” Ae-young mused while she reclined on her bed.

 

“Yeah…I know what you mean.  But get used to it, Princess,” Sang-hee joked as she chucked a pillow from the bed she was resting on over to Ae-young. 

 

Sang-hee looked over at Ae-young.  When she saw that Ae-young wasn’t responding, she made the effort to ask, “Hey Ae-young…you nervous?”

 

“Hmm?” Ae-young asked, distracted in her own thought-process.  She looked over at Sang-hee.

 

“You know…about the whole marriage thing.”

 

“I don’t know…am I supposed to be nervous?” Ae-young asked.

 

“Well, that’s how it is in the movies.  I guess marrying someone in real life is totally different from the movie romance.  In the movies they talk and laugh, and before you know it, the guy proposes to the woman.  But I guess in reality it’s not like that.”

 

There was a long moment of silence before Ae-young responded.  “I suppose that some people aren’t fortunate enough to experience that kind of ‘movie romance,’ Sang-hee…people like me,” Ae-young said, chuckling at the end so that she wouldn’t worry Sang-hee.

 

“You’ll get through with it fine,” Sang-hee said.  “This will all come to pass.”

 

Ae-young accepted Sang-hee’s words of reassurance but she couldn’t help but doubt them.  Would this really all come to pass?  Could she really learn to live with someone that she wasn’t even in love with?  It sounded simple enough, but she didn’t want her heart to be stifled.  After all, she had just experienced heartbreak upon Jaejoong’s rejection.  It felt like it was too soon to try to rebound off of that and all of a sudden marry someone.  Life as she knew it would never be the same…a new house, new people to have to deal with.  And if this guy was as rich as everyone was making him out to be, how would she have to change as an individual in order to maintain his reputation?  She couldn’t just be any ordinary wife.   

 

Ae-young turned over on her side and switched her lamp shade off.  Sang-hee did the same.  Ae-young prepared herself for a good night of rest…her last one for a while anyway.  In the darkness of night, in barely audible whispers, you could hear the two girls speak to one another for the last time until the rays of dawn would wake them.

 

“Good night Aeya.”

 

“Good night Sang-hee.”

 

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Morning hit Ae-young like a bullet.  It only seemed as though she had closed her eyes for mere seconds before she had to open them up again.  She awoke to the commotion of strangers running in and out of her room with packages and supplies towered up in their arms.  From somewhere in the room, Ae-young could hear a woman’s high-pitched voice command instructions on what to do.  As she cleared her eyes, she saw a table that wasn’t there last night appear out of nowhere.  On the table was a mountain-load of makeup brushes, eye-shadow palettes, and miniscule bottles of colorful liquids that Ae-young wouldn’t be able to identify for her life.  Next to the table was a stool that also brimmed to the top with hairsprays, curling and straightening irons, special brushes, and other supplies that would be used to keep her hair in check.

 

“Rise and shine sweetheart!  Ready to get married?”

 

Ae-young looked up from her bed to see Michelle Williams, the woman from The Wedding Palace, standing right by her bedside with a bright smile on her face.

 

Boy, she doesn’t get the meaning of arranged marriage, does she? Ae-young thought.

 

“Nooo…I wanna go back to bed…Leave me alone,” Ae-young groaned as she scuttled underneath her pillow and pulled the covers back over her head.

 

“Doesn’t every bride?  But honey, we gotta get everything set up.  We’re only a couple hours away,” Michelle reminded her and went off.

 

“ARGH!” Ae-young screamed as she got out of bed and went into the bathroom to escape all the noise.  She showered and dried off her hair.  As soon as she got out of the bathroom, she felt five pairs of hands grabbing out at her.  They were all women who were hired to make her look pretty for her big day.  They seemed to be foreign women for they conversed in some language that Ae-young couldn’t pick up, and they certainly didn’t look Korean.  For about twenty minutes, she watched as the women poked and prodded her skin and argued about something.  The women were showing each other different containers of skin foundation brands and trying to agree on which one would best suit Ae-young’s skin.  Finally, they all gave their consent on a particular product and spread the liquid over Ae-young’s skin. 

While the women waited for her skin to adjust to the serum, the hairdresser, also a foreign woman, combed through Ae-young’s hair and settled some hairspray into its locks.  Working with agility and pure skill, the woman conjured up a hairstyle in about half an hour.  It was a hairdo with Ae-young’s hair rolled into loose curls, but with the addition of a simple messy bun.  The hairdresser was careful to let some strands of curls fall out of the bun, giving Ae-young the gentle and feminine look of a bride. 

Within a couple of more minutes, Ae-young’s makeup was complete and it was time to put the dress on.  With the help of Michelle and two of her correspondents, Ae-young was fitted into the dress.  As the hem of the dress touched the floor, Ae-young knew that its magic had been worked—she finally looked like a bride.

 

Sang-hee peeked into the room just in time.  “Ae-young!  You look amazing!” she practically screamed in disbelief.  She ran up to Ae-young and gave her a light hug so as not to disturb her hair placement.  “You already look like an amazing bride.”

 

Ae-young couldn’t help herself and blushed.  “Thank you,” she said.  “Is it time yet?”

 

Sang-hee shook her head.  “Not quite.  You still have a couple of more minutes.  I’m gonna go and see how’s it’s going.  I’ll see you soon!” Sang-hee ended with a squeal.  She squeezed Ae-young’s hands and ran off.

 

Ae-young was left to herself now for her last moments as a free woman.  Anxiety crept through her bones as she shuddered at what was to come.  As she sat silently, trying to cope with her nerves, she heard the door to her suite creak open.

 

“Aeya…may I come in?

 

It was her mother.

 

Ae-young nodded, thankful for the company.

 

Ae-young’s mother sat down on the same bench as her daughter.

 

“You look beautiful,” she said as she smiled.  But it looked like a painful smile…like one of farewell.

 

“Thank you Umma,” Ae-young replied as she watched her mother.

 

“You know Ae-young, when you were born, Appa and I weren’t ready to have a child.  We married right after high school, but we still didn’t have any work.  Money was so scarce.  I always regretted not giving you what other parents were able to give their daughters.”

 

“What do you mean Umma?  Appa and you gave me the best years of my life.  I wasn’t happy all the time, but I don’t regret anything.  I wish that I didn’t have to get married today, but what else can we do?” Ae-young solemnly replied.

 

“Aeya…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry that I couldn’t give you what you really deserved.  Please…please don’t hate Appa and me.  We only wanted what was best for you.  Please don’t…hate us,” Ae-young’s mother choked as tears ran down her cheeks.

 

“Umma…” Ae-young began, only to find herself at a loss for words.  She pulled her mother into a tight hug.  The two women embraced one another for what seemed like eons until they were disturbed by a knocking at the door.

 

The head of one of the hotel attendants peeked in through the door.

 

“Ladies, it’s almost time for the wedding ceremony to begin, and your limo is ready to take you to the location.”

 

Ae-young wiped her mother’s tears and helped her to get up off the bench.  The two women were led to the limo by which they would be taken to the wedding venue.

 

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The limo stopped behind the wedding venue so that none of the guests would get a peek at the bride before the actual ceremony.  Ae-young’s mother kissed her one last time and wished her good luck while she scurried to take her seat at the reserved bench for their small family. 

 

Ae-young was led by several people to the front gate of the venue.  The entire location was embroidered with beautiful flowers of all kinds.  The theme seemed to revolve around pink carnations entwined in vines.  Ae-young’s eyes grew wide at every post that was set up, each one blossoming with nature’s seeds.  Finally, she was inside the venue.  She could see beyond the set of double doors ahead of her hundreds of people seated within the confinement of the hall.  She tried to find a familiar face, but with no prevail.

 

It’s okay Aeya…Umma, Hana, and Sang-hee are somewhere in there…you’re not alone she tried to reassure herself.  Finally, to her relief, she spotted her father.

 

“Appa!” she exclaimed as she ran over to him.

 

In her heels, she was even taller than her father. 

 

“Aeya…you’ve grown into such a mature woman!  I…I think I’m gonna cry...” Ae-young’s father said as he pretended to tear up.

 

“Appa, save it for later.  The ceremony’s gonna begin.”

 

“Right, let’s go,” Ae-young’s father said with resolve as he straightened up.  As if on cue, right after he was ready, the wedding march began to play.  Ae-young saw bridesmaids and flower girls already inside, walking down the aisle and leaving behind a trail of fresh flowers.  Finally…Ae-young knew it was time for her to make her much-awaited and feared entrance.  Ae-young’s father took his daughter’s hand and began to walk her down the aisle.  Ae-young’s veil covered her entire face, and although everyone else could see her, she couldn’t see anyone else.  She could make out obscure outlines of people and objects, but besides for that, she was limited in her eyesight.  Butterflies flew through her stomach as she considered what would happen if she were to trip and—no, that just CAN NOT happen!

 

Ae-young felt a million pairs of eyes on her as she made her death march.  The fact that she kept hearing camera flashes only made her more nervous.  Why are there so many photographers here? she thought.  A normal wedding only needed one at the most.

 

To her dismay, Ae-young realized that she reached the front of the hall, right by the priest and another man who was standing next to him.  She couldn’t make out the man’s face.  All she knew was that he looked tall.  Ae-young’s hand was forced to let go of the safety of her father’s hand as he symbolically and literally “handed her over” to her future spouse.  The tall man took Ae-young’s hand in his own and from there the ceremony began. His hand wasn’t warn like her father’s though; it wasn’t warm nor comforting.  The hand of the other man seemed like it was holding her own hand out of being forced to do so, and not because he wanted to protect her.  It made her feel uncomfortable.

 

Ae-young didn’t pay attention to the ceremony in the least bit.  Even when it came down to the vows, she just stood like a statue and waited for when she had to do something.  Even without a dress rehearsal, she was pretty keen on these kinds of things.  Regardless of being the hopeless romantic she was, she still watched her fair share of wedding shows and knew what to say and when to say it. 

 

Finally, it was time to “seal the deal” and have the two say “I do.”  The man next to her had a gruff voice that she couldn’t help having heard somewhere else…but no, she shook it off and assumed that it was just her imagination.

 

Ae-young also said “I do” when it was her time to do so and with that, she heard the words that she dreaded the most but had tried to push out of her mind for days.

 

“You may now kiss the bride.”

 

Ae-young’s mind went into a panic attack as the man who was standing before her unveiled her face by picking the veil up.  As he reached in to dissolve his lips into her own, Ae-young realized that marriage would only be the start of her problems.

 

She recognized the man.  He wasn’t your average celebrity who could be found sauntering down some busy city lane, or stuck in traffic in a limo.  But he was a celebrity nonetheless, and one that she had seen many times on television.  He was none other than Kim Seunghyun, Jaejoong’s father.

 

♥-♥-♥

 

 

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YES! Finally T.O.P has been introduced into the story. I just realized how dragged out this story has become so the pace is going to quicken up, but at a realistic pace of course. Thank you to all the readers for your patience and please continue to read. Thanks :)