So the day of our engagement finally arrived...

2 years ago

"Hyuny!! Yah!! You are not ready yet!! The party will start in an hours!! What to do with you?!" Mrs. Lee yells when she finds her 'daughter' at the food counter. "There are people to do these..."

HyunAe places the glasses and asks the servant to keep more handy. "Don't worry umma...I will be ready...It will take few minutes...I still don't understand why this party..." She looks at her awkwardly.

Mrs. Lee sighs, "Dear...You are moving on to a new life...It is a very happy moment so we should celebrate..." She gives her a side hug.

"But..."

"No 'buts' !!! Now leave all this and get ready!! The guests will be coming in less than an hour and the person of the evening is not readY?! Go, go, go!!" She pushes Hyunae slightly towards the stair. 

HyunAe shakes her head slightly and enters the bathroom.

She leaves the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror. She does not know how she is supposed to feel. To be honest, she really does not want to marry but thinking about her parents-in-law...She had said this to Jiyong but he assured her that nothing would change between them. They shall always be best friends and if they find their feelings be changing, only then they will move in an non-platonic direction...

She is lucky that Jiyong is so understanding...though she cannot help but feel guilty.

While drying her hair, she can see their wedding picture. How happy she and Seungri look in that!!

She wears the dress and takes the photo-frame in her hand.

"I wish you were here Seungri...I wish our son was here..." Tears pour. She closes her eyes and hugs the picture tightly to her heart. "I wish we were together..." She sniffs.

"Mama...mammmaaa..." A faint shrill is heard.

She frowns slightly and opens her eyes. There is no one in the room and she had locked the door to change.

She looks around and shakes her head sadly. She must be hearing things...If her Ri were alive he might have called her...She whimpers slightly.

The knock on the door makes her wipe those tears.

"Hyun...you in there?" Jiyong asks. He has arrived.

"Yes! Give me 10 minutes and I will see you downstairs." She quickly dries her hair and put some eyeliner and lipstick. She is about to leave the room when she notices her left hand. She almost chokes. It is her wedding ring. She has to take it off...She just can't...But...

"Hyuni!! You ready??" This time her 'mother'. 'The guests have started to arrive!!" She urges.

"Yes umma coming..." She closes her eyes, takes the ring off and puts it on her dressing table and leaves the room. She does not look back at the ring, or else she could not have leave it there...

"You look so BEAUTIFUL!!!" Mrs. Lee gushes."Were you...crying?" She asks softly.

HyunAe looks at her left hand and sighs. The older lady gets her answer and hugs her tightly, "Trust me darling, I know..."

Hyunae sometimes wonder how strong and bighearted her mother-in-law is. She has lost her only child, only grandchild and yet she is planning and preparing for a better future only for her daughter-in-law...

"Umma..." HyunAe sobs.

"Oh my!! What is wrong with you ladies?!" Dr.Lee calls from the stairs.

Also how can she forget her appa who has gone through the same and also being so caring and loving...

"No-nothing...It is just an emotional mother-daughter moment!!" Mrs. Lee wipes her tears.

Dr. Lee softly says, "Oh...well then hurry..." He sighs and goes downstairs, clearly understanding they must be recalling Seungri...He is missing his boy too much today, as well...

"Wow Hyun...you look... so beautiful..." Jiyong is awstruck.

HyunAe is dressed in a bright orange dress that falls below her kness and a simple pearl necklace set.

"Thanks..." She looks down.

"Hey! I am still Jiyong!! Why are you so formal?!" He bumps his shoulder to hers and smiles playfully. She looks at him and smiles a little.

"Mama...mamama....mamammmaaa....amamama...." The same faint shrill is heard. She looks around the hall urgently. There are collegues from their hospital and some people who work with Jiyong. None of them brought any child with them!!...A child...!! Yes!! It absolutely sounds like a child, a small one who is may be just learning to talk...

"Hey...Jiyong. Do you hear some sound like...mama...?" She asks when the sound does not seem to stop. She is disturbed now.

Jiyong looks at her weirdly, "Ummm...no who will say something like that?" He blows a raspberry.

The call does not seem to stop. On the contrary it grows louder and louder so muuch that she looks around helplessly but she sees that it is only her who is hearing this. Everyone else is talking and eating.

She covers her ears with her hand and escapes into the kitchen."Oh God!! Please stop this..." She is having a headache due to that sound.

"Hyuni!! You are here!! The dinner is over!! Everyone is waiting for you to get engaged!! Only then there will be dessert!! Come!!"

"Umma...there is a sound...I am having headaches..."

"Darling I know you panicked and sad...It will take few minutes...then I'll get you some meds..." Mrs. Lee almost drags her out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife and I are really thankful that you all have come here tonight. Our daughter is embarking to a new life and we are so lucky that it is with Jiyong whom we trust the most...Please bless the young couple..."

There is a round of applaud and still HyunAe can hear the continuous chant...

Jiyong puts his hand forward. They wait for her to give her hand. But she is not paying attention.

Finally Mrs. Lee nudges her and she looks around startled. The sound is beyond bearing now...but who will believe her?!

She puts her hand on top of his palm and he tries to push the ring on her finger. But cannot...

The ring seems to be too small which is shocking cause they bought it after the fitting was confirmed. Jiyong tries more but...

"Oh!!" HyunAe cries out in pain.

The ring has cut the base of her ring finger and it is bleeding. The blood flows down her hand, dripping on her dress.

"Get the first-aid box!!" Dr. Lee yells.

Mrs. Lee quickly gets one and the older man begins to examine her finger. The guests are all shocked and does not know what to say od do...

Jiyong is looking at her hand worriedly.

"The edges of the ring must be sharp...to get it treated we need to take off the ring..." Dr. Lee concludes.

"But..." Mrs. Lee hesitates.

Dr. Lee gives her an annoyed look.

"I think due to blood it is slippery now so..." Jiyong gently takes off the ring from her finger.

And immediately the chant begins to fade slowly....

The guests gradually saystheir goodbyes and best wishes.

The Lees and Jiyong are left. They have decided that he will move in with them.

They are trying to take this strange event as an accident.

"The cut is quite deep. Where did you buy such jewellery from?!" Dr. Lee rebukes his wife.

"But it is bought from our old family jeweller...and It was a perfect fit in her hand..." She justifies and Jiyong nods to her statement. 

HyunAe's still lost about the whole evening. At first that chanting and then this injury on her left ring finger that too due to such unusual reason...why?

"Whatever...the wound will take some time to heal...she won't be able to wear anything on it..." Dr. Lee points out.

"But that is not right..." Mrs. Lee says sadly.

Jiyong smiles, "Don't worry Aunty!! We are getting married so technically we are engaged. This is just formality..."

The older couple smiles back.

Jiyong takes HyunAe's  hand and mutters, "Don't worry. When you'll be fine, I'll get you a nicer ring!!" 

HyunAe hums half-heartedly, still lost in thoughts...

"So...you did not get engaged to Kwon Jiyong that evening, legitimately..." Seunghyun frowns, looking at the visible, round cut mark on her left ring finger. 

HyunAe follows his gaze, "Yes... and also never..."