Guests poured in as the date approached. My maternal family, my paternal family, all coming in a little at a time. Cousins, aunts, uncles, even my grandmothers and grandfathers, happy to live long enough to see me married. I don't think they cared about anything else. Like his English.

"So how did you propose to Melissa?" My Aunt Sandy asked, looking up at him.

He hesitated, looking at me, but I nodded, encouraging him.

"I had... a lot planned... but I ask Tiffany to help me pick da ring, and press saw... it was a big mess. Niu-- Melissa-- saw it and was really scary. So I tell her--"

"Told her," I corrected,

"I told her the truth."

Nobody seemed bothered by his flubs even in the least. Grandpa Steve went and put an arm around Zhou Mi's shoulders. "Well, he seems like a nice kid. Where are you living after this?"

"Korea," we both said together, then laughed. 

"It's tomorrow, huh?" Grandma Cherie asked, "The Fourth of July?"

"My favorite holiday," I admitted, sheepishly. "I wanted to see the fireworks."

"I just wonder, when did you guys start...?" Grandpa Henry began, and I turned pink, and looked at Zhou Mi, then at Aunty Jackie, who looked away and pretended she didn't see anything.

Grandpa Henry followed my gaze. "Jackie?"

She walked briskly away, trying to escape.

I laughed for a while, then saw the people all approaching me.

"Guys! Finally, you're here!" I remarked, throwing my arms around the nearest person, who just happened to be Tessa. 

She hissed at me until I let go of her. "Why did you have to get married in Hawaii?!" she yelled, scrunching up her face.

I'd told people so many times it was automatic. "So we were a fair distance from both Wuhan and Wisconsin."

"That ticket was expensive," she chided, but I was hugging my sister, and my brother, and the girls from Rstory.

"Mel! You're getting married!" yelled Em, pointing out the obvious.

"I am! And you guys brought dates!" I waved to Kevin and Hanbyul, shoving Minho in the shoulder. Because you know that's how I show affection to my Sunbae.

"We came at the same time, actually... on different flights," Kevin admitted, but his arm was around Eliz. "A lot of us from Korea."

I grinned, welcoming everyone. And the actual ceremony wasn't until the next day.

Min Hee came, with James and Aron in tow, saying that he'd come since I'd invited him, and he was thinking he shouldn't, but she insisted that he should. "Because there are pretty girls here he should meet," she'd said, winking at me.

And best of all? Every single one of my Oppas had re-arranged their schedules so they could be there. 

Even Henry, who didn't come alone.

As soon as I saw the girl, hiding behind him with bright red cheeks, I squealed and ran to hug her. "Oh my god, you're so cuuuuute! Henry says you're an ELF?!"

She looked up at me, startled. I broke away, realizing I'd probably surprised her. But then her eyes got big and she screamed, hugging me back.

"Eonni, you're so awesome!" she cheered, and we instantly bonded, telling her how I wasn't older than her, launching into conversation about fandom colors, and the time I'd changed the fanchant around from Only13ers to support Henry and Zhou Mi. I don't think Henry knew what to say. But come on, we all know that mutual ELF=instant friend.

The Lau family, my adoptive family, all came, and everyone mixed together so well, putting cultural differences aside. It made me so happy, I thought my heart would burst.

I spent that last day and night on the beach in a pair of old shorts and a t-shirt, enjoying the Hawaiian sand and sunshine with all of my friends. 

It made me think of my bachelorette party back in June, when, after a performance of "Don't Ever Call Me Baby' had ended, I had gone backstage to see a lot of girls from the industry all waiting for me. Apparently Min Hee had set it all up, cake and all. I remember the number of them that had gotten drunk, turning into giggly idiots, singing badly at the top of their lungs.

I anticipated that my wedding would be much of the same. My family comes from Wisconsin. They drink a lot. And I mean a lot.

"So how's the big girl doing?" Jacklyn asked, sitting down next to me.

I shrugged. "I'm excited. Nothing seems to come fast enough. Everyone's here, and getting along, and I suddenly realized just how many characters there are in my story. It feels like every part of my life has been separate until now. Until now, it was like two, three different people, and this is the first time it's all one story. All of the characters meeting each other."

Jacklyn nodded. "No cold feet?"

I nudged her with my shoulder. "Coming from the only one of us who's single..."

She made a face, and I laughed and continued, "No, I don't think so. I have no hesitation, I just... I don't know what to think of it all."

"So let's get this straight... you handled auditioning for a Kpop company, debuting, becoming a Kpop star and winning an Oscar, and you're nervous about this?!" She couldn't seem to believe it.

I raised an eyebrow. "who ever said I can't handle it?"

"Lela, stop crying; you're making it worse!" I commanded, feeling completely helpless. My coordinator, who was supposed to be helping me become a beautiful bride, was hopelessly in tears, not getting anything done very quickly.

"I'm-- I'm sorry, Minsung, I just... I didn't think I'd be getting you ready for this. Are you really sure you want me to help you with this?" she asked, wiping her eyes for the thousandth time.

I nodded. "Of course, Lela. You've done my makeup and hair countless times before. No one else knows how to do it like you do. If I can't trust you to do it, then who should I?"

She nodded, blowing her nose. "Okay... I'm okay. Just give me a second..."

When she finally calmed down, I watched her transform me, one step at a time, like always. Making my eyes stand out, using a specific color of eyeshadow to bring out the green in my gray eyes.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the mirror, while she fiddled with the ribbon on my dress. I looked straight at myself, swallowing. This was it. This was the day. Finally.

I wondered if I looked beautiful to everyone else, if people would think that I looked like a princess from a fairy tale. My dress was fitting to my curves, showing the curves of my hips before gracefully belling out just enough to drag behind me, but not enough to feel suffocating in the humid Hawaiian heat. At the waist it was dyed a very light blue, giving the folds of the fabric definition. It was sleeveless, the top laced up in the back with blue ribbon to hold me in.

Lela stood up, brushing her own dress off, then smiled at me, but before she said anything, I looked at her through the mirror and asked, "Do you know what the 'death' tarot card means for women?"

She seemed shocked. "Death?"

I smiled, looking again at myself in the mirror, at the contours of my face, at the curl of my wispy hair around my face. "It means marriage. Because when she gets married, she dies. The person she was disappears, and she takes on the role of a wife. The woman she was when she was single dies. Independence dies. Spunky women calm down, fragile women become strong. It's the death card."

I turned around to look at her, smiling. "I think I'm ready to die, Lela."

She laughed and sighed at the same time, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "God, Minsung, you can be so dark sometimes. I thought you were getting cold feet!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Cold feet? Come on, Lela! We're in Hawaii! My feet are sweating!"

She made a face and pushed me out of the door, yelling at me about scaring her and taking things literally, and then she was crying again, all the way to her seat, where she would wait for the ceremony to begin.

"It's not too late to turn back," my dad said when I came out, taking his arm.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere, Dad. You should be honored. I was thinking of letting Henry do this instead of you."

He looked sufficiently insulted, and I had to concentrate to prevent myself from biting my lip. That wasn't a good way to start the ceremony. "I just mean, Dad... I'd hoped I could be happy, with your support. Even though I knew you didn't approve, I wanted you to be proud of me when I became an idol. I'd hoped that when I won an Oscar, I could show you that back then I really had made the right choice. I actually do love you, Dad. But I'm going down that aisle, with or without you. I'd just hoped it would be with."

 I looked up at him, waiting. The music wouldn't begin until they saw us coming, so everything was up to Dad. 

My family, though they never show it, had a history of unhappiness. On both sides. History of insanity, of cancer, of adultery and lies, of divorce and tragedy. My father was not a happy person. My mother was not a happy person. But over the years I think it had become too much for my dad. He didn't even know how to see the world in a good light anymore. I wanted to think that I had made him proud. That I could have been the one thing in his life that made him happy, even if it wasn't the way he expected it to be. I wanted to know that, as his daughter, I had been the first one in my family to make my future a happy one. 

He nodded, taking me by the arm and patting my hand. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. We were walking, my dress trailing in Hawaii's red dirt.

I think the real reason we generally keep the tradition of fathers giving their daughters away is because they're the ones for whom it's the hardest to let go. No longer is it because a daughter is her father's property until she gets married, but because her father is the one who won't know what to do without her. And that's exactly why he has to be the one to do it. 

I stepped carefully down the path, keeping my eyes down, looking at my flowers. White lilies, mixed with forget-me-nots and goldenrod. My bridesmaids had bouquets just like it, but smile.

At the very front was my sister, looking lovely in her sapphire blue dress. Yes, I had picked that color for the dresses. But i thought it was a wonderful decision. So many bridesmaid dresses are awful colors to make the bride look prettier. But blue looks good on most everyone, and it meant something to me. More than anything else.

My sister was a very pretty girl, and I hoped that someday she could find her way to success, like I had. Whatever made her happy. I would have loved to be her bridesmaid for her own wedding, but I wanted her to be happy. However that was, I hoped her the best. She had always been the best sister.

I walked by row after row, my family, my friends. I passed Lela's seat, by Alexa's, by girls and guys from the cast of Twelve. No Liam or Shay, but they'd been busy. I stepped past my grandparents and the Lau family, past a scattering of Super Junior members and Han Geng, past the Zhou family and past my mother, waiting next to an empty seat.

I raised my eyes, smiling to meet the gaze of my handsome soon-to-be-husband, unable to contain myself. He didn't look shocked, or even surprised. He just smiled back at me, like he knew I'd be beautiful, and hadn't even though twice about it. 

Behind me, my cousin Mason almost ran into me, close to dropping the rings. Everyone laughed behind me, loving how cute he was. 

I let go of my father's arm, winking at my sister and taking Zhou Mi's hand. When I turned to face him, I could see Henry behind him, standing as tall as he could, grinning at me, wiggling his eyebrows. I laughed, and the priest looked like he didn't know what to do.

The ceremony was like a dream, passing by me in indiscernable patterns, the words coming out of me of their own volition. I felt the ring slip over my finger, reached over and rubbed Mason's close-cropped hair, laughing when he looked annoyed.

"You may kiss the bride."

And he did. Oh god, he did. He picked me up and swirled me in a circle, almost taking out the altar. I was dizzy long before he stopped.

 "Ali, can I ask you something?" I asked my bridesmaid, frowning, "Is Eliz... drunk?"

We both looked up at our elder friend, watching the way she stumbled from table to table, asking if she could take anyone's order. Kevin was trying to grab her and tell her to sit down so we could hear speeches, but she was being very stubborn about not sitting down. 

"Uhhhh..." Ali's wordless response said it all. Eliz was pretty far gone.

"Jesus, you guys, did you go barhopping or something?!" I seethed under my breath, but Zhou Mi heard me anyway.

"Bar-hopping?"

"Remember when I told you that in my family it's common for the guests to be drunk before the reception even starts?" I asked, shaking my head at Eliz and looking at Kevin with sympathy, "Well, that's because of a tradition called bar-hopping. They go to various bars in their dresses, and drink away. I never even guessed that Eliz would be..."

He looked at her, then started laughing. "I want to go get a picture with her," he whispered, and walked off, leaving me to shake my head after him, but unable to avoid smiling at him. Still mischievous.

Eventually we were all sitting down, and people were sitting patiently, waiting for their supper. The residents of Hawaii had been gracious enough to hold a lu'au for our reception, with a traditionally roasted pig and all. The center of the celebration was a giant fire pit that gave light and heat.

"So, I know you're all hungry," I started, and heard a bit of drunken laughter. "But I wanted to thank all of you who made it today. I think of every single person here as family. It doesn't matter if your Irish," I heard my paternal family cheer, "or Hawaiian," my Mahi relatives chipped in, "or if you just practically adopted me..." I saw the Lau family mile and wave. "...Or the SM family, and all of my friends. All of you are my family."

I reached over and laced my fingers through Zhou Mi's. "And now Mimi's family is mine, too." I smiled at him, feeling all melty again.

"Just kiss already!" someone yelled, and people started tapping glasses.

"Okay, one rule, people! No tapping glasses! Instead of tapping glasses, you have to wave your napkin in the air!" I yelled. And in a second, blue napkins were waving, and I knew my family was going to cause chaos. A kiss it was.

While we ate, we listened to our friends tell stories about us, how they felt about everything, and how they'd embarrassed us in the past. Jackie talked about how we used to play outside as kids, and how we always used to joke that I'd get married first, and how it had come true. She talked about what it was like, being my older sister, and have my husband (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) be older than her. She joked about how she'd always known I'd marry an Asian, and she told the whole wedding party that Tessa had told me to him as soon as she'd seen a picture of us together.

Then it was Min Hee, brushing her bangs out of her eyes and telling a story of how FASE had plotted to get me my first boyfriend, and how she'd been the holder of the list for all possibilities. But the plan had backfired, and they'd decided to let fate run its course. 

And after Henry took a turn and told everyone about how great of a cook I was, and how I was so comfortable with both of them that I'd walk right into their dorm unannounced, Eliz came up.

"Congratulations, Melly!" She burbled, giggling. "But I have something to say, and it's about Emily!"

I tried not to laugh.

"I know we're all here for Mel, and that's all very important, but Emily! EMILYYYYYYYY!!!!!"

I leaned into Zhou Mi's shoulder, trying to pass my laughter off as a cough.

"Emily... iz... a man stealer!" She slurred out, pointing straight at her friend.

"I am not a man stealer!" Em yelled back.

"YES YOU ARE! YOU MAN STEALER!!!!"

Some of my family looked white-faced, but most were laughing their butts off. 

"He was... my Minho... OPPA!!!!!"

Poor Kevin tried to pull her down, but she shook him away. "You should be happy I have Kevin! If you weren't my friend, I'd... I'd..."

She looked like she'd forgotten what she was about to say.

"You'd WHAT, Eliz?! COME AT ME, BRO!" Em yelled back, making more people lose it.

Finally Kevin was able to get her down, but by then Eliz had sufficiently embarrassed herself.

There was lots of dancing, long into the night. I danced with my cousins, with my sister, with Min Hee, to songs in five different languages. I polka'd with the SuJu members, remembering the fair, when I'd taught them how to polka. I danced to Kpop songs, and to American ones.

But it had started with the father-daughter dance, an age-old tradition I had entirely forgotten, but Min Hee had not. And I think even my sister was crying, at least a little.

"Thanks Dad," I said, just before the song ended. "I'll make you proud, I promise."

He sighed, patting my head. "You have, Honey. I'm sorry if I never said that."

I hugged him, tears in my eyes.

My family drank, Zhou Mi's family drank, and the SuJu members definitely drank. And then, when everything was really, really dark...

Fireworks.

Off of the ocean, we could see the night sky light up with sparkles, feel the explosions through my bones. Red, white, blue, violet, every color. I leaned against my Mimi's shoulder, watching the light, as happy as I could ever feel. I was married to him. It had happened, it was real. I loved it, more than I could possibly ever say.

"Happy Independence Day," he said to me, and I laughed. Of course. Because I was still independent. Because I was still me. I was still the American for whom the Fourth of July was my favorite holiday. I was still the Wisconsin Girl who insisted on cheese curds and the Mahi who loved my family history. I was still the ELF who would have her bridesmaids wear sapphire blue. I was still the SM trainee that was best friends with her roommate. I was still Queen Be, who was strong and stubborn and opinionated.

But now, my name was Melissa Zhou.

Our honeymoon was spent in Hawaii, when I showed my dear city boy the magnificence of the Hawaiian volcanoes. The grandeur of volcanic caves, the brilliance of sugar cane fields. We took the ferry over to Kauai and had lunch next to waterfalls, and I visited a he'iau for one of the old Hawaiian gods. A lot of Hawaiian culture had died, I noticed. Much of what existed now was modified for tourism, and there was a lot missing.

We said goodbye to his parents, his kind mother who thanked me for taking her son. Not that I would have had it any other way. But she kissed me on the cheek and told me that she would take good care of me, maybe teach me how to be a good wife. 

I was fairly sure her definition of a good wife would be different from mine, but I smiled and thanked her anyway, and gave my respects to his father. They returned home, and we had the rest of our time together on the island to ourselves, where I decided to let him make the decisions.

Of course, asking a man to make decisions only ends in staying in that day, which turned out to be a good decision because it rained that day, a good, heavy rain that drenched the ground and soaked through the stones. Which meant that it was great for staying in. And... 

Well, it was our honeymoon.

 There was a lot to do when we got back to Korea. I had songs to write, people to thank, a radio show to run, and a mini-album to record. We were both busy bees, him working with his group, and me just trying to keep up with everything. I had lots of love calls to answer, lots of programs to go on, a few commercials to film, and dramas to do.

Some of the strongest calls, though, were those from Hollywood. I rejected them time and time again, saying that I was a newlywed and wanted some time on my husband's continent, but they were extremely persistent. The company was pressuring me to accept one. 

Finally I actually answered one of the calls with, "fine. I'll do it."

"You will?! That's wonderful! Queen Be, we could have it--"

"IF," I added, cutting her off, "if my husband, Zhou Mi, is given a role as well."

"I-uh-I-I-I'm not sure I can-uh..." she stammered, and I felt my lips pull into a firm line.

"I won't accept anything else. That is my only condition."

She hung up, not even bothering with any more.

Soon enough I was answering all of the calls that way. Most didn't know what to say. Some tried to talk me out of it. Some tried to offer me a higher payment. 

Over time, I think my response was becoming common knowledge, so they would actually begin with it, but no one accepted it. At first, it was just funny for me. After that, it was starting to infuriate me.

"Why won't they take you?! I don't understand!" I complained to Zhou Mi, plunking on the couch with my glasses on my face and my cat in my lap.

He shrugged, looking at his schedule for the day. "Maybe they don't have a role for me?"

"Bulls***. There's always a role for tall, handsome men." I didn't even think about saying it, it just popped out of my mouth. It wasn't an opinion-- it was a fact.

"Not everyone thinks the way you do," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I made a grump face. "Well they should. Stupid... babo... baka!"

He laughed, waving to me as he went through the door, calling, "maybe I'm not a good enough actor for Hollywood!"

"Mimi is a great actor! I told you, I've seen your dramas! You were fantastic!"

Silence. 

"I'm right and you know it! If I can work in Hollywood, then so can you!"

I heard him laugh, and then the door closed.

Just as soon as he was gone, my phone rang.

"Hello, is this Queen Be?" a voice speaking American English asked.

"This is," I sighed.

"We'd like to offer you a role in the upcoming movie--"

"Not unless--" I began.

"--Unless we offer your husband, Zoo Mi--"

"Zhou Mi," I corrected.

"Yes. Jo Mi. Unless we offer him a role as well."

"That is correct."

"The director was insistent that you take this role. Is it necessary that, er... your husband-- be in a romantic role with you?"

"Of course not. I just don't want to be separated from him. We've spent enough time apart as it is."

"Yes. Well, in that case, we would be willing to offer you both roles in the upcoming film--"

"Excuse me, I didn't ask this-- who is calling?"

"I'm a representative of Marvel Studios, Ma'am."

I bit my lip, thinking. That would be an awesome job. Probably wouldn't lead to any Oscars (the Academy was just like that), but it would be pretty darn awesome.

"I will consider your offer. However, I'm currently preparing for an album release in Korea that will take a few months to promote for, and for certain programs we'll have to return to Asia. Will that be a problem?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I can take it up with the director. Should I call back later tonight?"

"No, if you don't mind, I'll call you. I have to talk to Mr. Zhou about it."

"Of course. We'll keep in touch, Queen Be."

I hung up the phone, then grabbed my keys and ran out the door.