A walk down to...

(Girl, it’s been a long long time coming… Yes it has…

But I… But I know it’s been worth the wait…
It feels like spring time in winter, It feels like Christmas in June…)

Ji hadn’t seen her since yesterday and knew he was wired with so much tension.

They talked over the phone way past midnight until T.O.P. had to separate him from his blackberry and ordered him to sleep but his excitement was driving him nuts.

He didn’t like it but couldn’t complain because all his brothers guarded him throughout the night as the 2NE1 girls did the same to Dara.

Dae, with his angelic smile, kept reminding him “This will be the last night that you guys are separated hyung… tomorrow will be the beginning of your lives together” but he couldn’t seem to sleep at all and wanted to at least take a peek at how Dara was.

Seung-ri, who he often successfully bullied, would not budge, though. The maknae guarded him like a German Sheperd under T.O.P.’s and YB’s orders.

“You’ve got to relax man” Young Bae, his best man, looking svelte without his signature glasses and cap, thumped him on the back now as he obviously was finding it hard to breathe “Relax because Dara’s going to walk down that aisle soon and you want to remember that moment all your life.”

About to answer that he had no plans of missing that at all, the doors of the small chapel opened and in walked three little boys holding white cushions that cradled symbols of love that will forever bind two people together.

Joon, Se7en and Han’s eldest son led the two others, proudly carrying the bible much to his mother’s glee. Their whole family flew down from California to be with him and Dara.
Hae So, Ji’s one and only nephew followed suit – trendy as his mother Dami and cute as a button like his father – carried the veil and candles with a seriousness that Ji remembered so resembled him when he was a child. He took orders seriously and was always irritated at himself should he make mistakes.

Last of the bearers was Aki, Teddy and Mai’s six-year-old son, who looked as though he was trying his best to show a brave face despite being forced by his mother to exchange his loose shirts for today’s very formal mini-suit.

Ji remembered Teddy saying a while back as he laughed at the scene that Mai and Aki made that when he gets sons of his own, it won’t be such a laughing matter.

He looked at the people waiting along the aisles and saw all of the women dabbing at their eyes while the men were giving him a “Go for it!” look.

There was no turning back now. This was what he had always been waiting for.

(It feels like heaven has opened up its gates for me and you…)

As he focused back on the aisle, he saw Minji – the 2NE1 maknae who has now bloomed into such a beautiful woman, begin to walk.

She smiled at him widely and mouthed “Go Ji-oppa!”

He responded with a fighting sign and mouthed thank you. She, along with all his brothers and the rest of 2NE1, helped him and Dara through so much that he couldn’t even begin now how to let everyone know of the number of times they had shown their support for the both of them.

As Minji reached the end of the aisle, Bom, who looked like a model out of a fashion magazine doing a theme on cherry blossoms strode next. Mouthing a “You better make sure you take care of her” to him, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Bom always found ways to make sure he did the right thing. And with his T.O.P.-hyung always making sure that he follows Bom, it was a difficult combination to beat.

But he never regretted anything that both of his friends advised him to do because more than most they had been right and if not for them, a lot of things might be different now. They had strengthened him and Dara throughout all those years.

The next and final friend of Dara’s who began her walk down the aisle was CL, smiling with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She had been one of his and Dara’s main shields from fan speculations – always willing to go the extra mile for the two of them. CL, Ji had always said, is like his twin sister who came out a better product than he was. Despite being younder than both of them, she was one of their toughest defenders.

However, she had her hair down today, making her look more feminine just as he and Dara requested – and he was sure, just as Seung-ri always wanted. CL, before joining the other maids of honor (for Dara insisted in having all three of them), walked towards him and gave him a hug.

“Make each other happy oppa… make each other very very happy” she told him and let her tears fall down. Ji knew she was really really glad for the two of them like everybody who shared this special day with him and the one woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Mirae, Gummy and Danny’s four-year-old daughter who had volunteered to be the flower girl for Uncle Ji and Auntie Dara was the last one to walk down the aisle before his bride.

The young girl was smiling like a cherub and was throwing flowers down the aisle in perfect timing as both her parents coached. Ji smiled down at the young girl and gave her a kiss on the right cheek as soon as she walked towards the end.

“Auntie Dara looks like an angel” the girl told him brightly and he looked up to see the loveliest woman in the whole world for him.

(And everytime I close my eyes, I thank the Lord that I’ve got you and you’ve got me too…
And everytime I think of it I pinch myself coz I don’t believe it’s true…
That someone like you loves me too…)

Oblivious of all the things going on around him, Ji couldn’t take his eyes away from her face as she walked slowly towards him.

Unable to help himself, he knew that if his face could only split in half because of his smile it would have by now. He had dreamed of this before but to see her at this moment and know that it wasn’t just a dream made his heart beat so wildly he tried hard not to scream and jump in the air with his fist held high.

Inspite of not being able to clearly see her face because of the veil that covered her, Ji could not break contact with her eyes that seemed to say “We’re finally here…”

He agreed with her for after everything that’s happened, he’d been blessed so much.

Reaching him, Ji met her brother’s and Father’s eyes – two men who had secured from him an oath that he will love her until his death.

Sanghyeun turned to give his noona a hug and then shook hands with Ji. Mr. Park, a man of few words, then ceremoniously shook his hands and gave his daughter’s hands for him to hold.

“Hello there little girl” Ji told her – b with more to say but felt that for now that was enough.

“What little girl?” Dara answered feistily but smiled with so much bliss, bringing them both back to that faithful night years ago when she hid behind a bush and listened to him rap – the first ever night that they had met each another but didn’t know even have a clue that the one right in front of them was the person they will love for the rest of their lives.

Glorious cheering suddenly erupted and they both looked at all the people they love gathered around them, as excited as they both are for this new and wonderful life they were going to have.

“Let’s do this?” Ji asked her, kissing her right hand – a promise of more to come.

She nodded and did the same to his hands, letting him know that she was going to keep her end of that promise “Let’s become Mr. and Mrs. Kwon Ji Yong.”

========== THE END ==========