Yulsic’s Wedding

Jessica woke up alone for the first time in a long while and she was disoriented for a bit when she saw the beautiful wedding gown hanging on a rack in her room. Then it all came back to her. Yul’s sweet goodbye the night before. How he whispered the most romantic things to her before getting into his car to drive back to his apartment. And how reluctant yet eager she had been to let him go. She didn’t want to sleep without him yet, it also meant that she was a mere night away from taking on her official status as Yul’s wife. But as excited and exhilarated as she was, she didn’t take long to fall asleep. Perhaps, it was a blessing that she had such a good relationship with her bed.

Now, she was wide awake and more than excited for things to start happening. It was the day! This was the day! The day that she had been waiting for. The day that seemed like it would never arrive. It has finally come to be. It was her wedding day. Heol.

She bounded down the stairs and greeted her family and the chef in her cheeriest tone. Krystal couldn’t help but giggle at her while her mother simply gave her a beautiful smile. A smile that she had inherited and was blessed with.

“Someone is all ready to be a bride today,” teased Krystal.

“Is someone else ready to be a bridesmaid today?”

“All ready! Systems go!” chirped Krystal, sporting a wide grin.

Krystal raised her right palm and Jessica smacked it with hers in a sisterly high five style that they randomly started doing one day. Their father let out a sudden guffaw that set them off as well and all of them ended laughing just because. Just. Because.

~~~~~

“Can you not put that on my face?” Yul protested as politely as he could when the makeup artist tried to dab some liquid foundation on his face.

“You need to have all these done up so that you’ll look really good in the pictures later.”

“Well, just this. Nothing else please.”

“But—”

“No buts. I will give in but only to this extent. There’s no way I’m going to put as much makeup on my face as my wife.”

The makeup artist giggled and Yul looked at her as solemnly as he could.

“This is no laughing matter. I’m very uncomfortable with the makeup on my face.”

“No, no. I’m not laughing about your reaction to makeup. I giggled because you’re already calling Miss Jung your wife. That’s so sweet.”

Yul grinned. “She’s my wife. Whether or not it’s legally recognized, she’s my wife. All we need to do now is to put our signatures down in front of a couple of witnesses for it to be legally binding.”

The makeup artist laughed out loud. “Mr Kwon, you are so sweet and funny at the same time. Miss Jung is so lucky to have a husband like you.”

“It’s Mrs. Kwon.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Mrs Kwon is so lucky to have a husband like you.”

Yul’s wide grin could rival the Han river after that.

“So, about the makeup—”

“No. I mean it. Just that thing you call foundation. Nothing else.”

The makeup artist heaved a great sigh. “Don’t you want to look your best in the pictures?”

“I just want to look like myself. Besides, the highlight will be my wife. Not me. Her beauty will be enough for the two of us.”

“Aww…Mr. Kwon…I’m speechless. You’re too good with words.”

“It’s how I make my living, my friend. Hahaha,” laughed Yul. “And you can stop trying to butter me up. My stand remains the same. Just that foundation thing.”

“Okay. Whatever you say, Mr. Kwon.”

~~~~~

“I want more highlights on my cheekbones and chin.”

“Yes, most certainly, Miss Jung.”

“It’s Mrs. Kwon.”

“Yes, most certainly, Mi—Mrs. Kwon.”

“Good. And make sure the curls in my hair are as natural as possible.”

“They will be as natural as nature itself, Mi—Mrs. Kwon.”

“Alright. It’d better be. I want to be the most beautiful bride in the history of Seoul.”

“You already are, Mi—Mrs. Kwon. Even without makeup.”

“Now, that’s pushing it.”

The makeup artist giggled. “We’ll get started now.”

~~~~~

Krystal skipped into her sister’s room and when she saw her, she gasped. “Wow! You’re…you’re totally gorgeous! You’re gorjess!!!” she emphasized on the slang and grinned. “Get it? Gorjess?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “I’m not impressed.”

“Well, I’m impressed. How did I even come up with that. I must be smarter than I thought.”

“Soojung. Get out.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. But you really are very beautiful, unnie. I mean it.”

“Thanks.”

“Yul will be blown away.”

“Good. I want to bring him to his knees with my beauty.”

“And…your…inner beauty too?” giggled Krystal.

Jessica cast a sly grin. “I used the voucher yesterday. My inner beauty is ravishing right now.”

“Unnie!”

Jessica laughed. “Yul is in the palm of my hands for sure.”

“Unnie…you’re so lucky. I’m so happy for you.”

Jessica smiled. “Young isn’t too bad actually. One day…you can have this too.”

Krystal gasped and almost choked on air. “Unnie! Did you just approve of Young?”

“Approve? I don’t think any guy will ever be good enough for you but Young is pretty cool. Yeah. You can have some fun with him.”

“Unnieee!” Krystal was almost in tears. She was so touched to hear those words from her sister that she almost knocked into the makeup artist as she threw her arms around her sister to hug her.

Jessica hugged her back and patted her head affectionately. “Young didn’t mention anything to you…did he?”

Krystal pulled back and gave her sister a puzzled look. “Mention? Is there anything that I should know?”

“You don’t remember anything about my bachelorette night, do you?”

“I remember drinking a lot. And you made me dance with that guy.”

“Do you remember how you danced with him?”

“How I danced? What do you mean?”

“You should ask Young about it. He knows.”

“What does he know?”

Jessica smiled. “Ask him after the wedding. I think he’s a pretty cool guy after seeing how he handled things. He will treat you very well for a very long time, I think.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Ask him after the wedding.”

~~~~~

Tiffany was on the verge of bursting when Taeng rubbed and massaged her shoulders, calming her down instantly.

“Thanks Taeng.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything will run as planned. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Tiffany smiled fondly at the man who was smiling at her. He was so adorable that looking at him was enough to make all her troubles go away.

“All the flowers have arrived. And Yul’s brother has sent extra just in case. You don’t have to worry.”

“Okay. I won’t.” Tiffany kissed Taeng’s cheek and the man blushed. “Love you.” She flashed another megawatt smile at him before striding off to make sure that everything was going according to plan.

~~~~~

Young arrived at Yul’s apartment and whistled. “Man, I’m a guy and I’m drooling over you. You don’t have to look so good you know, Jessica is already yours,” he jested.

“If that’s the case, then maybe I should just wear my sweats and a t-shirt instead of this tux.”

Young laughed. “Save the sweats and t-shirt for your twentieth wedding anniversary man.”

“Thanks for the great advice, Young.”

“Anytime, anytime my friend.”

~~~~~

Jessica had never felt this way before. The mix of happiness, excitement, anxiousness, nervousness and a ton of other emotions that surged as she stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself in her wedding dress, was almost more than she could handle. She knew that she looked gorgeous with the dress emphasizing on her best features, exposing her sensuous collarbone and enhancing her s which were centralized by the grip of the corset that was built into the dress’ design. Waist down was a massive sea of fluffy waves and layers of top quality lace. It looked exquisitely royal and she looked exactly like a princess would.

“Sooyeon ah…” Her mother appeared in the doorway and breathed her name. “My beautiful daughter.”

“Mummy.”

They hugged. And they stayed that way for a long time. Mama Jung would not let go. Until a deep voice shook as it said, “My little baby girl has grown up.”

“Daddy.”

Papa Jung had tears in his eyes as he hugged both his wife and daughter. “My little baby girl…”

They hugged for an even longer time until Krystal emerged from the changing room in her pastel pink bridesmaid dress. It was form-fitting and simple. Elegance was the main idea and Krystal embodied it in every aspect.

“Soojung!” Papa Jung exclaimed upon seeing his second daughter. “My baby girls are so beautiful. The both of you.”

“Daddy,” the sisters cried in unison and it was a massive hug with both girls trying their darnedest not to tear, lest their makeup be ruined.

~~~~~

The wedding had originally been planned to take place within the Jung residence itself but somewhere along the way, they had changed it. After a lot of deliberation over the pros and cons as well as the possible consequences, they’d finally decided to hold their wedding in the park where they had first fought.

“Why the park?” Papa Jung had asked when they told him about their decision.

“That’s where we fought in the rain and Yul brought me to his place and we made up and it was our very first t—”

“ENOUGH! OKAY! THE PARK IT IS. THE PARK IS GOOD,” Papa Jung declared at the top of his voice which sounded extremely strained to Jessica so she stopped explaining their choice. Yul had remained silent all this while and he had the reddest face she’d ever seen when she looked at him. She thought he looked very adorable with the blush and couldn’t resist giving him a peck on his lips. At that point, her father let out a weird squeal and left the room while muttering to himself.

“What’s up with Daddy?” she asked.

Yul could only shake his head so she was still none the wiser.

Now, as Tiffany stood in the middle of the park and directed everyone to their positions, it was transforming into a dreamy, romantic wonderland with flowers everywhere. Seats were placed under the gigantic tent that had been set up in the large open space and the trees were nicely decorated with pastel pink ribbons.

Jessica had fought very hard to cut down the guest list. This was one thing that Yul had shared similar sentiments on. They both wanted lesser guests at their wedding. And with the location set in the park, her father had to relent and axe a huge chunk of people on the list. He was not pleased about it but Jessica had played her ‘this-is-my-once-in-a-lifetime-wedding-don’t-you-want-me-to-be-happy’ card and he had to concede to her preferences. She’d played the card in other situations many times before and more often than not, she’d emerge victorious.

As such, the wedding wasn’t as luxuriously grand as her father had wanted it to be but it was as dreamy and romantic as she could conjure up in her head, and more. There was a classy four-piece ensemble playing jazzy love ballads and the catered cakes, pastries and other types of easy-to-eat food were so intricately designed that guests were having trouble consuming—they were too pretty to eat.

Tiffany and Taeng laboured tirelessly before finally handing things over to their MIB co-workers when they had to change into their outfits for the wedding. They were very excited as they changed and Taeng’s eyes didn’t blink for the longest time when he stared at Tiffany in her figure-hugging tube dress that bared her beautiful shoulders. The pastel pink was easy on the eyes and the details on the dress set it apart from the others. The sloping hem of the dress revealed a fair bit of her thigh and Taeng was having a little trouble keeping himself together, from the looks of things.

“What’s wrong Taetae? Don’t you like it?” Tiffany teased the awestruck man who looked as though he had seen something fantastical.

Taeng nodded his head vigorously. Then, he shook it. And nodded again. Tiffany giggled. Taeng was confused and a confused Taeng was even cuter than a regular Taeng in her opinion.

“You don’t like the way I look?” She pouted.

His eyes opened even wider than before and he desperately tried to explain himself, “No, no, no. You’re too beautiful. Your hair is so perfect. Your everything is perfect.”

Tiffany giggled again. “And you’re very handsome, Taetae. You look very smart in your suit.”

“I think so too.” Taeng’s shy smile made an appearance and Tiffany wanted to kiss him till they were gasping for breath but she could not. Her lipstick would be ruined if she did. The breath-taking kiss would have to wait. Till everything was done.

~~~~~

Jessica got into her white limousine with a pounding heart. The moment had arrived. All preparations were done and she looked every bit the ravishing, gorgeous bride she wanted to be. Krystal entered after her, looking just as beautiful and elegant. Jessica smiled. This was going to be a wedding like no other. A wedding designed especially for her. And Yul of course. But it was her dream wedding with the man of her dreams. Literally.

Her long-time chauffeur turned around and smiled. “Miss Jung, you’re very beautiful. Your husband is very lucky.”

Jessica beamed from ear to ear. “Of course.”

Krystal could only shake her head. Her sister was one of a kind.

~~~~~

“Do you have the rings?” Yul asked in a panicky tone.

“Yes. They’re right here.” Taeng whipped out a velvety royal blue box before putting it back into his pocket and patting it.

“Good, good.”

“Yul.”

“Yes?”

“You look like you’re about to faint. Are you alright?”

“I think I’m about to faint too. But I’m alright. It must be the nerves.”

“You should sit.”

“I can’t. I can’t sit. My stomach is churning and my head feels like it’s going to explode any moment now.”

“Yul, are you having a panic attack?”

“Am I?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either.”

“Here, have a sip of water.”

“Thanks, Taeng.”

Yul sipped the water and took deep breaths. “Yul, you’re going to be alright. You can do this. You’re going to marry Sica in less than an hour. No sweat. Sure. You can do this.”

Taeng looked at Yul worriedly. His tall friend was talking to himself which meant that he was really nervous. All he could do was pat Yul’s back. Krystal had texted Tiffany to say that they were on their way. All he needed to do was the keep the rings safe and Yul sane for just a little longer.

~~~~~

“Yul, you look very good.”

“Thank you, abonim.”

“You have to take good care of Sooyeon for me.”

“I will, abonim.”

“Good. I know you will. I trust you.”

“Mr. Jung, you have to head to the carpet now. Miss Jung is arriving,” reported Jenny, a MIB staff.

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

~~~~~

“Dic, have all the guests arrived?” asked Tiffany.

“They’re all here.”

“Awesome.”

“The wedding officiate is ready too,” added Dic.

“Are we ready to roll?”

“Yes we are!” chorused her staff in unison.

~~~~~

The four-piece ensemble switched from jazzy to grand with the horn hitting the very first notes of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March. The piano and strings joined in after the initial all-too-familiar opening and all the guests rose to welcome the bride. The music sounded very grand and Yul in a stomach full of air when he saw the tent’s curtains parting to reveal his bride in her beautiful wedding dress.

It was a beautiful shade of violet that Jessica had asked for, defying the usual convention of the white wedding gown. It was even more special than white. It was lavender blush. The pale pinkish shade of lavender violet blended effortlessly with her skin, resulting in a timeless, seamless look. Jessica and her gown were one.

Papa Jung offered his arm and Jessica took it daintily with a classic toothless smile stretching across her face. Tiffany and Krystal were close behind, fussing over Jessica’s dress, ensuring that the bride could walk smoothly down the aisle.

Yul couldn’t breathe. He was barely aware of the fact that he was holding his breath as Jessica made her way down the aisle gracefully, smiling at guests along the way. She was breath-taking. Yes. She was taking all of his breath away. Breathe Yul! Breathe!

~~~~~

Jessica could only focus on walking as gracefully as she could. She tried not to break out into a frenzy over the fact that she was actually walking down the aisle with her father towards her dangerously handsome man who was to be her husband in a matter of minutes. She tried not to think about how much she wanted him. You’ll get him to yourself soon enough. Keep smiling. Keep walking.

She saw her good friends and many people from her social circle. Her mother and Yul’s mother looked just as emotional as each other so she gave them both wide smiles. At last, she got to the end of the aisle. She ascended the two steps that led her to the raised platform where Yul stood waiting.

Her heart thumped extra hard when her father took her hand and gave it to Yul who offered his arm to her. She slipped her hand around his arm and they smiled at each other. There was no need for words at this point. They understood each other perfectly.

~~~~~

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the wedding of…”

That was all Yul managed to register as he stared at the Justice of Peace. He knew him since law school and they stayed in contact all through the years, meeting up every now and then to chat over drinks. The Justice of Peace had only been too happy to agree to Yul’s request for him to officiate the marriage. It was all too surreal. He was really going to be Jessica’s husband!

“You may be seated.” The sounds of people taking their seat brought him back to reality and he blinked. Opps. He’d better pay more attention to the proceedings. It’d be terribly embarrassing if he failed to respond accordingly.

He felt Jessica squeezing his arm and turned to smile at her. He patted her hand gently before standing still again, his heart hammering away within the confinements of his ribcage.

“Yul and Jessica came to know each other in the most interesting of ways. Yul was doing his best friend, Taeng, who is also his best man today, a favour which in turn was a favour to Jessica’s maid-of-honour, Tiffany who was doing Jessica a favour. It was through this chain of favours that they got to set their eyes on each other. What is interesting is that they did not have a smooth start. Their differences were vast and neither of them liked each other. But love often has a way to get around differences. And as they stand here before me today, it is evident that love has indeed found a way to make their differences work.”

The Justice of Peace paused and smiled before continuing, “I know Yul to be the most disciplined and hardworking prosecutor in the office. But one day, a long time ago, I heard news from his co-workers that a gorgeous lady had turned up at the office, asking to see him. They then had sandwiches together at his desk. I was stunned. Yul. Kwon Yul on a date with a beautiful girl in the office. It was unheard of! But I welcomed it with both arms wide open. Most would agree that the Yul back then was not a truly happy man. He was focused, determined, but lacked the simple pleasures of life. The appearance of Jessica in his life turned it around and today, I see a much happier, livelier Yul before me.”

There was a murmur among the guests. No doubt, they were agreeing with what was said.

“As for Jessica, she has found love and security in the arms of Yul. She has found her shelter from the rain, hail and thunderstorm. It is also wonderful to know that her heart is pure and simple. She saw in Yul what was hidden inside, going beyond the surface to love him for who he is. To truly appreciate his strengths and accept his flaws.”

The Justice of Peace paused again and looked at the guests briefly before continuing, “And after almost two years, they’ve learnt how to depend on each other, how to comfort each other and stay together through all their ups and downs in life.”

He stopped and smiled warmly at the both of them.

“And with that…Yul, do you take Jessica to be your wife from this day forward? To stay together through the ups and downs of life? Do you promise to be her partner for the rest of your life?”

Yul inhaled lungs full of air. “I do.” And his breath rushed out right after saying that. A kind of awesome serenity was taking over his mind and he smiled.

“Jessica, do you take Yul to be your husband from this day forward? To stay together through the ups and downs of life? Do you promise to be his partner for the rest of your life?”

“I do.”

As Yul’s smile turned into a mile wide grin upon hearing Jessica’s answer, a muffled manly sob could be heard from behind and the Justice of Peace paused to smile kindly before continuing.

“The symbolic vows that you are about to say to one another will be your promise to your best friend, partner, lover for life. Yul, would you please?”

Yul cleared his throat and turned to Jessica. He reached for both of her hands and looked deep into her eyes.

“Now we’re here together. Yesterday has past. Life is just beginning, close to you at last. And I promise you, I will always be there. I promise to love you even more each day and I will stay with you forever, no matter what happens, no matter what becomes. I will be your wall, your shelter, your blanket and everything that you need me to be. I love you, Jessica Jung Sooyeon.”

“Jessica.”

Jessica bit her lip and looked at Yul shyly before saying, “I love you too, Kwon Yul. I will do my best to be the wife you need me to be. I promise to be with you, to always be there for you, to give you hugs when you need them, kisses when you want them and all the love that you desire.”

Yul blushed. Murmurs and suppressed giggles could be heard among the guests after Jessica concluded her vows and the Justice of Peace coughed awkwardly before continuing, “Yul and Jessica, please take each other’s hands and remember this: You’re now holding the hands that will be with you today, tomorrow and forever. These are the hands that will love and cherish you and reach for you till the end of time. You will now exchange rings, the promise of fidelity. As you wear the rings, remember that you have committed yourselves to each other.”

Yul and Jessica held both of each other’s hands and smiled at each other, love swimming in their eyes.

“Yul, please take Jessica’s hand and repeat these words. I give you this ring that symbolizes our marriage, for today, tomorrow and forever. Wear it as a symbol of what we have promised on this day and know that my love will always be with you.”

Yul repeated his words, his voice cracking slightly as he slipped the ring that Taeng hurriedly offered onto Jessica’s ring finger. Jessica looked just as emotional as he was.

“Jessica, please take Yul’s hand and repeat these words. I give you this ring that symbolizes our marriage, for today, tomorrow and forever. Wear it as a symbol of what we have promised on this day and know that my love will always be with you.”

Jessica repeated his words, her voice soft and gentle as she slipped the ring onto Yul’s ring finger.

“May these vows be forever cherished. May this marriage be happy and blessed with joy and laughter. May you remember the love that you promised today forever. And finally, may you always be more than enough for each other. By the power invested in me, I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Jessica turned to Yul immediately, a wide smile on her face and lifted her head as he came swooping down to claim her lips with a chaste kiss as the guests broke out in cheers and applause for the lovely couple.

~~~~~