Jae Kyung looked over at the clock on her nightstand: 6:58 AM. She couldn't sleep at all last night, not when she knew that today, she was getting "married". For the past few days, her nervousness and insecurities about the plan were gradually increasing. Most brides probably experienced a similar feeling due to normal wedding jitters, but for Jae Kyung, these emotions were brought about because of guilt. This was the biggest lie she would be pulling over her family. Jae Kyung sat up in bed and exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. But she jumped and fell out of bed when her bedroom door opened and Hyo Joo entered.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Hyo Joo asked curiously.

"Uh…I was just stretching," Jae Kyung made up, proceeding to stretch her legs out.

"You must really be nervous if you're up this early on your own," Hyo Joo said with a chuckle.

"You have no idea," Jae Kyung mumbled to herself.

"Well it's a good thing you're up because we have so much to do!" she exclaimed excitedly with a clap. "We need to do your hair and makeup and then we're going to the venue where your dress has already been delivered. But you won't have to worry about anything because I'll be with you."

Jae Kyung softly sighed to herself. "Thanks, Unni."

"There's no thanks needed between family," Hyo Joo answered. "But you should go and shower so I can start on your hair."

Jae Kyung did as told and spent three hours under Hyo Joo's care getting her hair and makeup done before the two headed to the hotel venue. Her family was all there, helping with the last-minute preparations. Mrs. Song waited in the changing room for Jae Kyung and Hyo Joo to arrive.

"You're finally here!" Mrs. Song exclaimed as the two entered the room. "Come and get into your dress, Jae Kyung," she said, pointing to the dress hanging on a rack.

Jae Kyung's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight of the dress. "Mom, this dress…" It was the one that she had her eye on, but didn't want to wear for the wedding, at least not for this wedding.

Mrs. Song walked over and smiled at her. "Even though you said you didn't want it, I could tell that this dress was made for you," she explained. "Seeing you in that dress that day…I really felt like it was the one. I know I shouldn't have changed it behind your back, but…it just seemed like the perfect dress." Mrs. Song was starting to tear up at the thought of her daughter taking this big step in her life. 

Jae Kyung was slowly breaking down, her eyes tearing as well. Here was her mother, who was doing so much for her on her big day, and it was all a lie.

"Eomeonim, we can't have Jae Kyung crying. She's going to mess up her make up," Hyo Joo interposed.

"You're right. Sorry," Mrs. Song said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "We'll leave you to change."

Mrs. Song and Hyo Joo exited the changing room. Jae Kyung stood there with the dress in her hands, her expression showing conflicting emotions. Slowly, she stripped and put on the dress. As soon as she was done, she heard a knock on the door before Min Jae, her best friend, entered.

He smiled in amusement at the sight of Jae Kyung in her dress. "Wow, I never thought I would see the day when Song Jae Kyung would be walking down the aisle," he teased, glancing her up and down. Jae Kyung rolled her eyes at him. "So, you're really going through with this." Jae Kyung looked up to see Min Jae staring back intently before a small smile formed. "I've got to hand it to you, when you really want something, you'll stop at nothing to get it."

"Is that a compliment?" Jae Kyung asked with a raised brow.

"It's an observation," Min Jae shrugged before his serious expression returned. "Frankly, I didn't think your plan was actually going to work, but here you are, about to get married. I just hope that it's all worth it." Jae Kyung looked down, biting her lip. "I'll be honest here. I admit that I tried to set you up with some nice guys, in hopes that maybe you would like one of them enough to give up on this crazy plan. You're my best friend, Jae Kyung, and I don't want to see you making a mistake you're going to regret."

“Are you really trying to tell me not to do this, just before the wedding?” she asked with a shaky voice.

“I’m telling you that you still have time to change your mind,” he firmly answered. “You’re lying to your parents, your siblings, to everyone, and it’s something you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your life if you go through with this.” His words weren’t malicious, yet they still stung, and the guilt that had been eating at Jae Kyung for the past few days was again catching up to her.

The door opened again and Mr. Song entered. “Oh, Min Jae, you're here,” he greeted.

Min Jae forced a smile and greeted Mr. Song back. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He gave a quick glance at Jae Kyung before heading out and closing the door behind them.

“You look beautiful," he complimented with an affectionate smile. "Are you ready?”

Jae Kyung didn’t answer, but stared at the ground, still mulling over Min Jae’s words. He was right, she was about to commit the biggest lie of her life. And for what? So she could finally be independent from her family? But was that freedom worth all this guilt she was experiencing at this moment?

“Jae Kyung, are you okay?” her father asked, worried about her silence.

Jae Kyung looked up to find her father staring back at her with eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her eyes started to water at seeing him so worried about her, when in reality, she was deceiving him. “Dad, I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t get married.”

“What? Why not?”

Jae Kyung shook her head frantically. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” She kept repeating those words Her knees weakened and she sat down on a nearby chair as she started hyperventilating.

Mr. Song kneeled down in front of her. "Jae Kyung, what's wrong?"

The door opened again and this time Mrs. Song entered. Immediately, she noticed Jae Kyung's pitiful state and rushed over. "What's wrong? What happened?" she asked her husband.

Jae Kyung continued to repeat the words, "I can't do this," and Mrs. Song understood. She must be getting wedding day jitters, and this must have been what was bothering her at the bridal shop when they were picking out her dress. Mrs. Song was like this herself on her wedding day, and almost didn't go through with marrying Mr. Song because of it.

Mrs. Song turned to her husband. "Stay with her, I'll be right back." She left the room and headed towards the groom's changing room.

Jun Hyung was almost done getting ready. All he had left to do was put on his tie. His mother came up and smiled at him as she took the tie that hung around his neck and started tying it. "Ever since you started wearing them in middle school, I've been tying your ties for you," she noted with a nostalgic smile. "And here you are, 23 and you still don't know how to do it yourself."

Jun Hyung smiled softly at his mother. "I didn't have to learn, because I knew you would always do it for me."

Mrs. Yong chuckled softly and nodded her head. "You're right about that." Her smile faded and her eyes started tearing. "This is probably the last time I'll be doing this for you. Soon, it'll be your wife standing in front of you, like I am." Jun Hyung averted his gaze nervously. "Jae Kyung does know how to tie a tie, right?"

"I don't know," he honestly answered.

Mrs. Yong smiled with assurance. "Well, even if she doesn't, I'm sure she'll learn, just for you." Jun Hyung forced a smile. There was a knock on the door of the changing room door. "Come in," Mrs. Yong answered.

Mrs. Song came in, looking like she was in a hurry. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, but Jun Hyung, will you come with me for a moment?"

"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Yong asked.

"It will be, but I need you to come with me, Jun Hyung," Mrs. Song insisted. Jun Hyung nodded and followed after Mrs. Song. They arrived in front of Jae Kyung's changing room, and Mrs. Song turned to face Jun Hyung. "Jae Kyung is feeling a bit nervous about the wedding. I think you should talk to her."

"Me?" Jun Hyung asked in surprise.

Mrs. Song nodded. "You're the only one who can calm her down."

Jun Hyung was still a bit puzzled, but gave in. "O-okay."

"Good, do you have a handkerchief?" she asked. Jun Hyung stared at her in confusion, but still pulled out a handkerchief from his pant pocket and gave it to her. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride just before the wedding," she explained as she started covering Jun Hyung's eyes with the handkerchief and tying it tightly behind his head.

Mr. Song was still trying to console the panicked Jae Kyung when the door opened. He looked up to see his wife holding onto the arm of a blindfolded Jun Hyung as she led him toward Jae Kyung. He was surprised at first before he shared a smile with his wife, both remembering how he had done the same on their wedding day when Mrs. Song was in a similar state as Jae Kyung.

"Jae Kyung," Mrs. Song called to her daughter. "Jun Hyung is here to talk to you." Jae Kyung looked up and was surprised to see Jun Hyung, blindfolded, standing in front of her. Mr. and Mrs. Song left and closed the door behind them to give them their privacy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I don't really know myself," Jun Hyung answered as he tried to take the blindfold off him, but failed due to how tightly Mrs. Song had tied it. He gave up. "Your mom said to calm you down. What's wrong with you?"

Jae Kyung stood up and faced him. "I can't go through with this," she confessed.

"What?! What do you mean you can't go through with this? You've already agreed to it and you definitely can't back out now, when we're about to get married!"

Jae Kyung flinched at his yelling. Thank god he was blindfolded, because he definitely would have been more frightening if she could see the look in his eyes. "I can't lie to my parents like this," she meekly explained.

Jun Hyung ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm lying to my parents, too," he argued.

"And doesn't it make you feel guilty?" she asked.

Jun Hyung sighed. He had to admit that lying about something as big as this to his own parents didn’t exactly sit well with him, but they couldn’t back out now, so he had to reason with her. "Look, we both have our reasons for needing this marriage. And it’s only for a year. We just have to get through this one year, and then we won’t have to lie to our families anymore.”

Jae Kyung was still hesitant. “But will we even be able to get through a year? You aren’t exactly easy to get along with,” she argued with a pout.

Jun Hyung rolled his eyes behind the blindfold. He resisted the urge to make a snide remark, this wasn’t the right time for that. He felt around the air until his hands landed on Jae Kyung’s bare shoulders. Jae Kyung slightly flinched at the sudden contact. Jun Hyung leaned down until he could feel that he was close to Jae Kyung’s face. He couldn’t see, but Jae Kyung’s eyes were wide in alarm. “I, Yong Jun Hyung, promise to try my hardest to get along with you, Song Jae Kyung, while we are married. Is that enough?”

Jae Kyung stared at his face. It was hard to decipher if he was being sincere given that his eyes were covered. “What does getting along mean?”

“It means that I promise I will never hurt you. You and I are both living together, so we have to make things as comfortable for each other as we can. As long as you’re willing to do the same, then there’s no reason we can’t get through this contract easily.”

Jae Kyung thought about his words. It made sense. Of course she still didn’t like that she was conning her family, but it was only for a year. She was going to make sure that she made the best of this time and finally discover herself because who knew when such an opportunity like this would arise again if she backed out now. “Okay, I’m willing,” she softly answered.

“Good, now can you take me to someone who can take this damn thing off?” he asked in frustration as he again attempted to remove the handkerchief off his eyes.

Jae Kyung walked over and opened the door to the changing room, where sure enough, her parents were waiting outside.

“Are you okay now, Jae Kyung?” Mrs. Song asked.

Jae Kyung put on a small smile and nodded. “Thanks, Mom.” Mrs. Song smiled back and hugged her daughter while Mr. Song led Jun Hyung out and helped him untie the blindfold.

The wedding was soon about to start. The dichotomy of the guests in attendance was hard to miss. Jae Kyung’s immediate family, a few of her distant family members that could come on such short notice, and some of the family's close family friends were all in attendance on the bride’s side. However, the groom’s side was mostly filled with business investors and a few influential family friends, along with Jun Hyung’s own friends.

Jun Hyung waited at the altar for the wedding to start. The sound of the ballroom doors opening made him look up. He found himself staring in a daze, along with everyone else in the room, at Jae Kyung as she entered, holding onto her father’s arm. He had to admit, she looked dazzling as she walked up the aisle, but he attributed it to the dress that matched her well and the makeup and hair that probably took a lot of effort to make her look as beautiful as she did. However, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it would have felt if “she” was the one walking down the aisle towards him. No, it probably would have been different, better, more joyous. Jun Hyung loved “her”, but Jae Kyung was simply a stand-in until he found someone he would love again, if he ever found someone to love again.

Jae Kyung finally reached the altar and Mr. Song let go of his daughter’s hand and took a seat. The two faced the officiant who began the ceremony. “We are gathered here today…”

During the whole speech, Jae Kyung and Jun Hyung locked eyes with each other, as was customary. But both found it difficult and awkward staring at each other, though it wasn’t like they could look anywhere else. Otherwise they would look strange to everyone who had their eyes on the bride and groom in front.

“The bride and groom will now exchange their vows.” Finally, the speech was over and Jun Hyung and Jae Kyung could now turn to the officiant. “Do you, Yong Jun Hyung, take Song Jae Kyung, who you have promised to love and cherish, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Jun Hyung didn’t hesitate and firmly stated, “I do.”

The officiant turned to Jae Kyung. ““Do you, Song Jae Kyung, take Yong Jun Hyung, who you have promised to love and cherish, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Jae Kyung, however, didn’t answer as quickly. Jun Hyung gave her a side glance and saw her hesitation. He slid his hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. To the watchful Mrs. Song, it looked like a sign of reassurance and she smiled to herself, thinking back to her own wedding and how Mr. Song was just as reassuring to her. But in reality, it was Jun Hyung's warning for Jae Kyung to wake out of her daze and say something.

Jae Kyung gulped before finally answering. “I do.”

The officiant directed their exchange of rings before finishing off the ceremony. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Jae Kyung nervously looked at Jun Hyung. She had forgotten about the kiss and didn’t know what to do. However, Jun Hyung didn’t understand what she was bothered about. They had already kissed once before, and this kiss was nothing in comparison to the fact that they had just been “married”. With confidence, he cupped Jae Kyung’s face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. The guests all stood up and clapped at the endearing sight.

Author's Note

Alright, so they're officially married now...Finally! After 17 chapters! I'm sorry, I guess with my style of writing, I tend to dwell too much on the smallest of details...probably not a good thing on AFF, where most people like fast-paced stories...

The inspiration for Jun Hyung being blindfolded when he talks to Jae Kyung came from this wedding photo idea where the groom gives a pre-wedding kiss to the bride. I think the idea is so romantic <3. Too bad Jun Hyung and Jae Kyung were nowhere near as romantic :(

I should be able to update again soon. It's not the honeymoon yet, but hopefully it'll be funny?

11/20/12 8:28 PM