Yeah! My first story on AFF~ I kinda fell in love with Big Bang recently so... my lovely brain child has emerged! Hope you enjoy, you!

-0-

I don’t believe in love.

I know what you’re thinking. Me, a girl, not believing in love? Blasphemy! Well, I hate to disappoint, but it’s true. I just don’t think my knight in shining armour would come galloping down the streets of Seoul and whisk me away to our happily ever after.

It’s not because of some traumatizing relationship like you think it would be. Well, unless you count my parents’ relationship.

You see, my parents divorced when I was eleven. The thing was they seemed like the perfect parents. Loving and caring, they didn’t fight at all. If anything, I’d say our family was pretty perfect. Well, it was perfect, until my parents divorced. It came as a big shock to my little eleven-year-old mind.

Thus, my aversion to love and marriage. I mean, if it ends up in divorce anyway, why bother?

When mom and dad divorced, I stuck with my mom and little sister while my older brother stayed with dad. We visit every weekend and stuff, but it’s not the same. Since my dad and brother weren’t with us anymore, I took on a lot of responsibilities as the eldest sister. I grew up to be the strong one. So that meant no crying, no complaining, and no nothing.

I’ve always been the strong one. I’ve seen how love beat down my friends and sister when they broke up with their exes, and I vowed to myself I would never turn into a blubbering mess over a guy. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be a shoulder to cry on when needed. I was pretty much the shoulder to cry on. I wouldn’t judge them and I was always the first person to suggest beating up whichever douche broke their hearts.

I don’t mind other people getting married though, oddly enough. In fact, I’m ecstatic for my little sister. Kang Daesung had better realize how lucky he is to marry Kyung Mi!

I sighed as I sat down outside the dressing room. My dear little sister dragged me to go wedding dress shopping with her, since I’m the maid of honour and everything.

Let me get this straight: I absolutely hate shopping. I will avoid having to go out shopping. I’d rather clean Ssulja’s litter box.

I don’t get why she didn’t just wear mom’s wedding dress. I tried to convince her to wear it instead when we went for our Hwang female brunch with mom, but she just smiled at me.

“You’re going to be the one wearing it, eonni,” she replied, a cheeky smile on her face.

“Take the infernal thing,” I told her. “I’m not getting married.”

Then, mom gave a gasp so loud I thought she was going to have a heart attack. This followed by her regular spiel about how a woman my age should be in a steady relationship by now and getting ready to settle down, yada, yada, yada. Then I retaliated by saying I was only twenty-eight and I still had my whole life ahead of me. It blew up into the age old debate of my decision to never get married. You know, just a normal Sunday morning.

“What about this one?” Kyung Mi asked, emerging from the dressing room.

I scrutinised the white dress. It was strapless and floor length, with a pretty long train at the back. It was made of satin and accentuated her curves. It was gorgeous and affordable.

“It’s nice…” I said, ruffling my fringe slightly as a small frown wrinkled my forehead. I’d continue, but this must be the, what, fifth dress I rejected?

“But?” she prompted, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “Don’t start anything you can’t finish, eonni.”

I circled her. “But… it’s not you.”

She rolled her eyes slightly as an exasperated sigh slipped past her lips. “Eonni, you know I love you, but this is the seventh dress you’ve rejected!”

Oh, wow, that many? I grinned sheepishly at her. “Yah, do you want the perfect wedding dress or not?” I asked.

“What’s wrong with this one?” she asked me back.

I circled her. “Well, it just doesn’t scream Hwang Kyung Mi, does it? You deserve better.” I pretended I was thinking before I snapped my fingers. “I know! Why don’t you just take mom’s wedding dress?”

“Aniyo, eonni,” she sighed exasperatedly. “I told you. It’s for you! If all the dresses I picked aren’t good enough, why don’t you pick one?”

“Arasseo, arasseo,” I said, walking off and looking for a dress.

I may not believe in marriage, but Kyung Mi does. She’s practically been planning her perfect wedding ever since she met Daesung. Heck, even before she met Daesung.

She’s always wanted a winter wedding. Not a spring wedding or a Valentine’s Day wedding – she found them too cliché. Bless Daesung for suggesting them though. At least he’s showing that he’s trying.

I browsed through the racks, trying to find the right dress. It was a winter wedding, so it should be something that fits the theme… I pushed another dress to the side and smiled.

The dress I found had sleeves made of lace that would stop halfway down Kyung Mi’s forearm and the material of the gown was soft. Soft enough that it would be comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It had a mild V-neck, showing off Kyung Mi’s collarbone, but not her cleavage. It had a short train and the skirt had a smattering of blue glitter on it. Perfect.

“Oh Kyung Mi,” I sang. “Look what I found!” I held out the treasure I found in front of me, seeing her appraise the dress. There was approval in her eyes, but being the stubborn girl she is, she refused to admit that I found her the perfect dress.

A small smile was curving her lips as she turned to try on the new dress; the only bit of approval she’d show.

As she changed into the gown, I leaned against the wall, staring out the window. There were dark clouds gathering in the sky, indicating the coming storm. Oh, joy. What wonderful weather (insert sarcasm here).

When I heard the door open, I turned, smiling at my sister. She looked beautiful in it. She looked so beautiful and so grown up. She wasn’t just my baby sister anymore. No, she was an adult.

“It looks great, eonni,” she said, looking in the mirror and giving a slight twirl. The skirt was light enough that it twirled out slightly before settling against her legs.

“Oh, my dongsaeng looks so grown up,” I exclaimed, walking up behind her and putting my hands on her shoulders. We shared the same wavy brown hair, except mine stopped mid-back and hers was almost to her waist. We had the same facial features and could have been mistaken for twins, except for our eyes. I had mom’s hazel eyes while Kyung Mi had dad’s dark brown eyes that had flecks of gold in them. “I pick nice dresses, if I say so myself.”

She rolled her dark brown eyes, elbowing me slightly. “Yah, don’t let it get to your head.”

“I won’t,” I promised, “but you have to agree you love this dress.”

She grumbled a little, but it was half-hearted. “I love it,” she admitted. “You always pick nice clothes for me, but you never pick nice clothes for yourself.”

“That’s because I don’t need pretty clothes and you deserve them,” I answered, tapping her nose. She wrinkled it and I laughed softly. “So, you’re buying the dress, ne?”

“Ne,” she agreed and looked at the mirror again.

“You look so grown up,” I whispered, giving her a hug. I heard her sniffle slightly as she held onto me. “Yah, why are you crying?”

“I’m worried about you,” she answered. I pulled back slightly, looking into my sister’s tear-filled eyes.

“Waeyo? I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

“I know, but who’s going to take care of you when you forget to take care of yourself?”

“Hyun Jung, Min Hee and mom,” I replied cheekily before pulling back slightly and cuffing her on the head lightly. “I can take care of myself just fine. I’m not forgetful like you.”

“I’m not forgetful,” she protested with a pout.

“Jjinja? You’d forget your own head if it wasn’t attached to your neck,” I teased. Then, my grin grew softer. “Remember when we were little and we used to play wedding?”

She laughed softly. “You always insisted on being the bridesmaid or wedding planner, but never the bride. You didn’t like the thought of marriage back then.”

“And you were all for it,” I shot back. “I remember we’d always drag Ssulja to be your groom and oppa would be the best man.” I laughed, remembering how we managed to get our elder brother to play best man. “How did we get him to do that?”

“Blackmail,” she replied, laughing slightly as I swiped a stray tear away.

“Oh yeah.” Ah… Dae Jung oppa always managed to get himself in trouble. Usually we covered for him, but being the nasty little sisters we were, we kept his secrets at a price. They usually included playing wedding with us. Yeah, we’re evil.

I squeezed her one last time before letting go and pushing her toward the dressing room. “Go change out of this gown. We’re meeting your darling yeobo soon.”

“Arasseo, arasseo. I’m going.” She turned and went to change. She didn’t have to say it, but I saw it flash in her eyes. The excitement to see the one she loved.

Ugh, there it goes. That pang of wistfulness that didn’t have a place in my life. I didn’t need love. I had my family and my friends, and that was all I ever needed and ever will need.

As Kyung Mi made her way to the cashier to pay for her treasure, an awesome guitar riff filled the quiet store. I fished my phone out of my pocket and grinned at the name that flashed across the screen.

“Yeoboseyo,” I answered, only to pull my phone away from my ear moments later.

“Girl, where you at?” a voice sounded loudly from my phone, audible even from a distance.

Enter my best friend, Min Hyun Jung. She’s tough as steel on the outside, but a soft teddy bear on the inside. There’s pretty much just one word to sum her up: insane. It shows from her crazy style to her crazy ideas. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who can talk her away from her crazy schemes. That doesn’t mean I’m successful all the time. Half the time, I end up getting dragged into whatever scheme she thought up.

We’ve known each other since high school. Trust me, considering what we’ve been through, that is a really long time. We work at the same magazine and I can’t remember a time when we’ve ever been apart for more than two days. More often than not, if you can see one of us, the other is somewhere close.

“Hyun Jung, inside voice,” I said into the speaker, a grin spreading across my face. “Besides, you know where I’m at.”

“Well, I just called to tell you Min Hee and I are gonna meet you at The Cafe later.”

My grin widened as I leaned against the wall. “Awesome.”

Now, onto Jeon Min Hee. She’s my best friend next to Hyun Jung. She looks timid and stuff, but her personality could not be anymore opposite. The other half of the crazy stuff we do is Min Hee’s ideas. It might not be all that believable, but I’m actually the most level-headed of our little group.

“What kind of friends would we be if we left our best friend to suffer alone?” she said, a hint of smugness in her voice.

“Arasseo, I get it. I owe you one for this.” I looked out the window. Rain was beginning to fall in light drizzles.  “Thanks for this though. Jjinja.”

“I won’t let my best friend suffer with that babo for goodness knows how long,” she replied. “I can’t have you in jail for manslaughter.”

Don’t get me wrong. I like Daesung. I really do. I like his friends too. Well, I like Seung Hyun, Yong Bae and Seungri. His best friend though… I don’t like him at all. Who’s he’s best friend, you ask? Well, it’s none other than resident playboy, Kwon Ji Yong.

How can I describe him? He’s an arrogant . That pretty much sums him up. I don’t like him. At all. I always feel like stabbing him repeatedly in the eye with a rusty fork whenever we talk, to put it mildly.

Unfortunately, I’ve also known that babo since high school. You see, he was Kwon Ji Yong, the popular jock and kingka while I was just little ole Hwang Soo Min, the geeky girl who wore glasses and never spoke to anyone other than her family and closest friends. When I put it that way, it’s obvious that I would become his favorite toy to pick on.

However, I wasn’t the timid geek that he thought I was. The moment he tried to make fun of me, I just scrunched up my fist and decked him. Sure, I got bruised knuckles and an earful from the principal, my brother and my mother, but it was so worth it. I sure wish I had a camera to take a picture of the look on his face when my fist made contact with his jaw.

So, here we are, years later, ready to lunge at each other’s throats the moment we spot each other in the same room. I have no idea how a sweet and funny guy like Daesung ever became friends with that devil from the very pits of hell, let alone best friends. In fact, that creature is his best man.

Just gag me and hang me over a vat of boiling acid. Or maybe not. I’m sure that’s what Kwon hopes will happen to me.

Since he’s the best man and I’m the maid of honour, we’ll have to spend more time than can be good for me. Please, I can barely stand being in the same room with him for five minutes. Now we’ll have to work together? Been there, done that, so not looking forward to that again.

Let’s just say, our science teacher tried to get us to do a project together and it ended up with us yelling at each other in three minutes right in the middle of class with our stuff flying toward each other. Suffice to say, we were never partnered for anything else for the rest of high school.

But, this is for Kyung Mi, so I’ll work with him. Just this once. Then, hopefully, I’ll never have to see his face.

You know, hopefully.

Not only am I the maid of honour, but I am also the wedding planner, just like all those years ago. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either. It probably helps that I’ve known what Kyung Mi’s perfect wedding is for years and that I work at Korea’s most famous wedding magazine, Seoulful Bliss.

I know… ironic, isn’t it? I, Hwang Soo Min, self-proclaimed spinster, working at a wedding magazine? Blasphemy!

Well, it isn’t. I really do work there. Just because I don’t believe in love doesn’t mean I have to tear everyone else’s views on marriage. It’s a good job and I enjoy doing it.

 “Thanks, Hyun,” I said sincerely, my grin widening ever so slightly. “I really appreciate this.”

“I know you do. I’ll meet you at The Cafe in twenty minutes?”

“Ne. And try not to antagonize Seungri any further, okay? He’s hard enough to deal with without you picking on him.”

“Pffft… the kid should be used to it by now,” she scoffed, and I could picture her rolling her eyes as she studied her metallic purple nails. “See ya later, Soo Min.”

“See ya,” I said, hanging up just as Kyung Mi made her way over to me with the gown in a nice paper bag. “Come on, Kyung Mi-yah. We have to start making our way to The Cafe or we’re going to be late.”

“Hurry, what are you waiting for? I want to see Daesungie!” she exclaimed, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out to my car. A light rain had started up, splashing against my skin as we walked out to my car. Between the tugging and the driving around I’ve been doing lately, I don’t what I feel like more; a chauffeur or Ssulja.

“Arasseo, arasseo,” I said, tugging my wrist out of her grip as she quickly made her way into the dry interior of my car, placing the gown gently in the back seat. I hurried into the car and started the engine, letting the engine run for a little while before I set off for The Cafe.

The place I’m talking about probably has a big fancy name, but students from my high school go there so often that we just call it The Cafe. We know the place we’re talking about, and that’s enough for us.

When Kyung Mi gets excited to see her fiancé, she really gets excited. It doesn’t matter that she’d seen him only a few hours ago or talked to him an hour ago. Whenever there’s a chance for her to see Daesung, she’ll rush there and act like she hasn’t seen him for weeks. It just pretty much means that she was pestering me to go faster despite the rain and stoplights.

It’s almost cute the way those two always act as if they haven’t seen each other for weeks whenever they see each other. They don’t do over-the-top theatrics or anything, but you can tell that every moment they spend with each other was important. I say almost cute because it is not cute when my sister is telling me to risk my license so she could see her fiancé earlier. They live together! It’s not like they never see each other…

Dae Jung oppa and I are just thankful the two of them don’t do PDA. It’s not that they don’t touch. In fact, they’re almost constantly in contact; shoulders brushing, hand to the back, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. It’s cute, but not to the point of being sickeningly cute.

I still felt like kicking her out of the car and making her walk there by the time we were two blocks away. I love her and everything, but I have my limits too. I swear if she tells me to hurry one more time, she’s walking!

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw The Cafe in view. There is only so much I can take of “Eonni! Can’t you hurry? We’re going to be late!” when there’s still five minutes to the clock.

I like to think that my sister and Daesung are head over heels in love with each other, but I can’t help feeling… skeptical. Hey, look at what happened to my parents! Then again, Kyung Mi and Daesung do have it better than mum and dad did.

I barely had the time to park the car before my little sister was dashing into the warm cafe. I couldn’t help but stare after her, wondering how she managed to run that fast in high heels. I shook my head and began making my way into The Cafe at a slightly more leisurely pace than my sister.

The rain was beginning to pour, as it was wont to do during autumn in Korea. When I finally reached The Cafe, my sneakers and hair were soaked, but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. As I wrung the excess water from my hair, I heard laughter from one corner of the room.

I smiled when I saw the big group of people sitting in the booth at the back. The big group of us having been using the same spot since our high school days and it was almost always empty just for us.

I know what you’re thinking. How the heck did the kingkas and my group of friends manage to snag seats within a fifty metre radius? Well, it was really crowded that one day and we just ended up sitting next to each other. Because Hyun Jung, Min Hee and me were with oppa, who is friendly with the kingkas (yes, including Kwon. Blech), they didn’t mind us sitting near them. Kwon and I were careful to keep as much distance as possible when our tables were next to each other. Believe me; it’s harder than it looks.

I don’t know how, but sitting at the exact same place every single time became a sort of ritual for us. About junior year, my group sort of integrated with the kingkas. I mean, it’s not like we were queenkas or anything. God forbid I have to be close to that excuse for a human being for long periods of time. I’d probably break out in hives or something. Our little group was well-known for coming up with crazy schemes (*cough*Hyun Jung*cough*) and I guess we gained a little popularity over the years.

We definitely weren’t unpopular, but we didn’t exactly rank at queenka, not that we wanted to. We were just struggling to get through high school. So, yeah. Those two tables at the back became our spot. We didn’t really have any claim on it, but it was kind of unwritten. People just tended to avoid sitting there.

I don’t mean to brag, but we’re pretty well-known, even after we graduated. Okay, granted it was because me and Kwon could get into pretty epic and memorable fights, but that’s not it! At least, I think that’s not it…

Everyone knows those two tables are ours, so they don’t sit there. If they do, they usually end up moving if either one of us come in.

“Look what the cat dragged in; a drowned rat!” I heard the most annoying voice in the world call out. I gritted my teeth as my eyebrow twitched. Now, now Soo Min. Don’t react. That’s exactly what he wants.

“What are you doing in here? I thought animals weren’t allowed in,” I asked, looking deceivingly innocent. His eyes narrowed and I snuck my hand back so Hyun Jung could give me a high five.

“Makes me wonder what you’re doing in here then,” he shot back.

“Unlike you, I’m a normal human being,” I sniffed, turning away from him to take my seat next to Hyun Jung.

“Hey, that’s my seat!”

I looked over the chair then at him, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t see your name on the chair, Kwon.”

“My things are all there, Hwang.”

“So move them.”

“How about you move?”

“How about I don’t?”

“How about I give you a push out of that chair?”

“How about I give you a black eye?”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“My pleasure.”

As I went to stand up, Kyung Mi tugged me down while Daesung stopped Kwon from lunging at me.

Yong Bae glanced at his watch, commenting, “Wow. They haven’t even been in the same room for five minutes and they’re already at each other’s throats.”

“That’s a new record,” Min Hee commented.

“Eonni, try and get along with him,” Kyung Mi pleaded, sitting me down.

I looked at her incredulously. “Have you lost your mind?” I asked. “You expect me to get along with that thing?”

He scowled over at me and I scowled at him right back. I. Hate. Him.

She sighed exasperatedly. “At least try not to kill him.”

“No promises.”

“Eonni…”

“Just get him away from me.”

“I don’t exactly want to be near you either, Hwang,” Kwon sneered.

“I didn’t ask you,” I sneered back.

“This is going to be a long night,” Kyung Mi sighed.

It already is, Kyung Mi. it already is.