“How does this one look, Seunghyun?” Bom asked, pulling the thread curtains apart to walk through.  

She stepped into view and posed with a strong confidence, leaning on one foot, and placing her hand on her fair waist. Seunghyun’s eyes drew upwards from her heels all the way up her legs and rested on Bom’s face. He let his thoughts drift, wondering when this young and innocent friend of his had grown into this beautiful and independent woman in front of him. Unconsciously he left his strong and steadfast gaze on her face. Bom’s eyes fluttered from shyness, and he laughed lightly with relief, glad to see a glimpse of a girl he knew from long ago. 

“It’s good. I guess everything looks good on you; I mean you did work out hard for your body. Listen, are there any other wedding night lingerie sets you want me to see? We should look at them all now and then quickly make a decision. You have an appointment with the caterers and chefs at 4:30. We can’t be late for that. Especially since we have to drive all the way out to their main kitchen in Busan.” 

Bom walked back into the changing area of the private viewing room, and drew the curtains close. 

She spoke from behind, “God, I forgot about the caterers. I swear could not have found a better person to be my Maid - I mean Man of Honor!” 

He heard her laughter, and the curves of his mouth raised out of habit with them. 

“For all I know Bom, I may have tons of hidden enemies between your girl friends. All plotting my demise, or worse a broken arm the night before the vows, so they can take my place. I will not lose to them though, even if I have only been your friend since college. I have to prove my metal! Especially to your annoying cousin Chaerin, who seems to doubt my absolutely perfect taste.” He said, humoring her.

“That you must, Seunghyun. I have high hopes for you. Because if you screw up my wedding... you’re finished. And I mean that. You remember that it’s the most important day of my life, right?...Right.” Her voice took on a deadly tone.

“Right,” he replied nonchalantly, writing down details of the lingerie boutique into his newly donned wedding-planner/agenda. He rolled his eyes with exaggeration, after glancing at the weeks events. Marriage is such a hassle, he thought, and pushed the book on the table further away from him. He leaned back on the sofa seat and rested his head on right hand. This wedding  would drive him crazy. He had already mentally prepared himself for her stress-levels to rise and for the dates to all merge together into one big blur, but he couldn’t help wonder if he would be alright sending his best friend off. They did absolutely everything together and after April 21st, all that would be left in his life would be an empty void, waiting to be filled. He took a sharp intake of breath, and adjusted his expression. She couldn’t see his exhaustion and confusion now, it would only worry and confuse her further. That was the last thing he wanted his soon-to-be-wed friend  to feel. Confusion. It wouldn’t be fair to her. After all, he lost the right to pursue her heart the day she returned from her trip to Japan. The day she returned with a ring on her finger. The day he lost the race to win her. The day he silenced his true feelings.

‘Hey Seunghyun, how about this one?” Bom asked cautiously.

He glanced up from the maelstrom in his mind. With one look, all his thoughts vanished. She stood strong wearing a black french lace lingerie piece, with woven magenta roses bordering her corset and and a thin see-through robe that flowed behind her flawless body. Seunghyun felt a heat coursing through his body, and his hands slowly crawled into fists. He felt himself rise to his feet, and he took his steps slowly towards her, ignoring the pain his heartbeats caused him. He stood in front of her, eyes unwavering and raised one hand to her face. He reached for her cheeks, and his hand approached with a wary hunger. What a dangerous feeling, his head said. How long are you going to have this right take this opportunity, his heart screamed. He snapped back into reality from the fervor of emotions that drowned him. He stopped short less that a centimeter from her cheek and raised it to a loose strand of hair. He tucked it into place, and smiled at her convincingly.

“This is the perfect piece. Jiyong is going to love it. Forget looking at the others Bom, pack this piece. I’ll wait for you in my car.” Seunghyun turned to leave, wanting nothing more in the world than to breathe something other than Bom’s fragrance, when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He glanced to his right, unmoving, to see red hair beside him. Bom’s forehead rested on his shoulder. 

“Thank you for being there for me Seunghyun. I know you’re tired from work and from planning with me. But I know I can trust you with this. You’re my best friend, my only true friend and the only one in this universe, with who I can place my hopes and dreams into a bottle and place in your hands. I’ll drive to the caterers, you rest in the seat beside me okay?” She raised her forehead from his shoulder and Seunghyun turned around gracefully. He didn’t say anything but smiled after a long silence, and Bom saw a look on his face that she couldn’t decipher. He left the room, and Bom went to change her clothes, thinking deeply.

The minute Seunghyun reached the car, he sat inside shotgun, and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep to better dreams. 

Bom returned to the car, and smiled at the peaceful look on Seunghyun’s face. She belted him in, and took the throw from her backseat to cover him. They drove out of the complex, and headed on the highway. Unaware, that the journey would be longer than ever imagined.