Yoonji had been optimistic the whole day. After countless weddings without the little boy from her past showing up, she had come to dislike weddings, but her mother assured her that he would be here this time. When she offered to tell her his name, Yoonji declined the information, believing that she could recognize him.

It had been 15 years since then, though. Yoonji wondered why the little boy hadn’t appeared even once. Was it because she didn’t dance well? So she begged her mother to sign her up for dance classes. Was it because she wasn’t pretty? So she began to take care of herself better, from her hair to her skin to her body. And here she was, sitting at her assigned table in a cute cream ruffled dress that fell right above the knee, wearing minimal makeup, and long black hair cascading behind her.

“You know, I’m not going to sit here the whole night again.”

Yoonji was thinking about the little boy again, when her best friend’s voice brought her out of her reminiscing.

“Well, I’m not stopping you, Woohyun,” she said, after turning to him. The little boy who had stepped on her shoes on the night she was thinking about had grown to be quite a man: tall and handsome.

“But I want at least one dance with you~!”

Oh, and greasy. It was one of his charms, Yoonji decided, after meeting him at every wedding since that fateful one. Their parents were high school classmates, so naturally, they grew up seeing each other a lot, and they became self-proclaimed best friends.

With a playful smile one her face, Yoonji pointed to the group of girls at the table next to them. “I don’t think those girls mind dancing with you.” The girls giggled when Woohyun faced them.

“And you do?!” he exclaimed. “I only stepped on your shoes that one time! I got a lot better at dancing - admit it!”

Woohyun had scooted closer to Yoonji to attempt his bunny aegyo on her, but she stopped him by claiming that his hair was messed up and pushed back the imaginary stray strands.

“Yes, I agree that you did,” she answered, adjusting his tie and smoothing out his collar as well. “But go dance with someone else first… I’ll dance with you later, okay?”

He was about to protest, but again, Yoonji stopped him.

“Oppa, I promise~!” She held his hands down and wiggled her shoulders as she looked at him with her big brown eyes.

Woohyun smiled and squeezed her hands in his before getting up. Yoonji returned the smile, knowing that he was willing to do anything for her when she called him oppa. Sometimes, she forgot that Woohyun was a year older than her.

She briefly watched her best friend talk up the girls at the other table before her eyes fell on the dance floor again. It was about 8PM; the night was still young. The DJ had played many current songs, waltzes, and even a few old time classics.

Yoonji thought about earlier, when her cousin had her first dance as man and wife with her husband and wondered if she would be as happy as they were. Sometimes, she would find herself giving the little boy from her past a persona so as to convince herself that he was out there looking for her too. Her cousin’s first dance was Baby Baby by 4men, and though it was the couple's first dance at many of the weddings she had attended, she never tired of the song.

“May I have this dance?” The guitar riffs of a popular song from the late 90s had begun playing.

Yoonji half-expected to see Woohyun in front of her, but she was met by a vaguely familiar pair of eyes that matched a head of raven black hair. His right hand was extended towards her. She looked towards Woohyun, who was watching the scene unfold before him intently as the girls continued to fight for his attention. She contemplated rejecting this handsome stranger, but it was as if by gravity that her hand placed itself in his. He gave her a small smile before pulling her up from her chair gently and leading her to the dance floor.

She still had to look up at him even with her heels on, and she blushed when she noticed he hadn’t stopped looking at her. The stranger clasped at her left hand softly as she placed her right hand on his shoulder, and he brushed her bangs away from her face before he rested his left hand lightly on her hip.

The strands in your eyes, that color them wonderful, stop me and steal my breath.

They swayed back and forth to the music, Yoonji looking over his shoulder, while the stranger continued to study her face. The two were only about a foot apart, but she heard his soft whisper into her ear.

“Is this uncomfortable?” he asked.

And emeralds from mountains, towards the sky, never revealing their depth.

“It’s n-not,” she stuttered, cursing herself internally for it. It wasn’t every day that a handsome man came up to her (except for Woohyun, but he doesn’t count).

“Could you look at me?”

Tell me that we belong together. Dress it up with the trappings of love.

She did so hesitantly and studied his face - clear skin, strong jawline, and pink lips - before she held his gaze.

I’ll be captivated. I’ll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.

He smiled contently at her before she placed his left hand on the small of her back and pushed her body softly flush against his. Their gazes didn’t falter, as he sang the chorus of the song to her.

I’ll be your crying shoulder. I’ll be love’s suicide.

Yoonji felt her cheeks heat up as her suspicions were proved correct and leaned her head on his shoulder to hide her face from his view.

And I’ll be better when I’m older. I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.

“I’m glad I finally found you,” he whispered into her ear, and they continued to sway together in time with the music.

Yoonji managed to find the courage to start a conversation with him during the rest of the song, finding out that his name was Myungsoo, that he’d be attending the same college as her in the upcoming school year, and that he missed how she smelled of roses.

“You remember how I smell like?” she asked, a bit creeped out but mostly flattered.

“Of course,” Myungsoo answered. “I’m sure you remember the smell of the only person you wanted to dance with.”

Yoonji blushed for the third time that night, while she confessed that she remembered that he smelled like vanilla and still did.

When the song ended, Myungsoo continued to hold her hand, even when they sat down at the table. They were still talking to each another when they were interrupted by Woohyun, who had arrived for his dance.

“I assume you were the little boy that Yoonji was waiting for,” he said, in protective oppa mode.

“Woohyun…” Yoonji warned, trying to pull him away from being so close to Myungsoo.

“And I assume you were the little boy that stepped on Yoonji’s shoes,” Myungsoo replied with a smirk.

Woohyun was at a loss for words, and the three ended up laughing at the memory. After exchanging pleasantries, he left the two for a little bit, vowing that he’d be back for Yoonji later.

Seeing how long she had waited to meet him again, Yoonji decided that, maybe, she didn’t hate weddings after all, as Myungsoo pulled her up from her seat for another dance.

----------

I'm so sorry for the late update! This almost turned into a shortfic, so I had to do some massive editing. Like I said in the foreword, this came to me while I was at a wedding. If you were wondering, the song is "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. & "Baby Baby" is one of my favorite songs!

Please comment! I'm only starting to write again, so any feedback is appreciated. I hope you all enjoyed this! :)