CHAPTER 28

YOU ARE EVERYWHERE

It was morning already and she was standing in front of the mirror looking at herself.

She was wearing that white wedding dress and Krystal was behind her, trying to tailor the ribbon on the back of the dress.

“Ok, done, Ssul… How do you feel? Is it too tight or too loose?” – Her Maid of Honor asking while busily picking up the bridal bouquet in on the table.

“It’s alright Soo Jung, thank you…” – She softly answered.

“Are you sure you still wanna make it? Are you sure you still wanna carry this plan on? ” – Krystal held the pearl crown on her hand, stopping putting it on her hair.

“I am, Soo Jung ah…”

…

And now, just like in her dream, she was sitting on a creamy white couch in the Bridal room.

She was in her white Wedding Dress. The White Wedding Dress she adored while standing outside the Wedding Boutique that day. That day she was 10.

It was 12 years ago when she told her grandmother she would want this wedding dress to be her on the day she gets married. And here she had it.

Victoria unnie hugged her and told her she was the most beautiful bride that she had ever seen in her life while Krystal whispered she looked like even more than a Princess. Amber took the pictures of the five of them together and Luna tell her the same thing she said in her dream that she has last night.

“You’re so beautiful, Sulli, our bride is so beautiful…”

Was it a real deja vu?

She was not a princess anymore, she was not a little girl anymore but why did she feel this way? Why did it have to be this way?

This wedding is for real, she looked like a princess, but no, she wasn’t. And a princess should marry her Prince Charming but she wouldn’t.

The man she would marry was not her Prince at all.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt the pain ache in her heart. How she desperately want it to happen as in her dream last night. She realized how she wanted it to become real. And that hope gripped her heart, it stung at her lungs, and she felt a cold sword was stabbing at her back, she couldn’t breathe at all with that thought only, it hurt her so bad that she just wanted to collapse.

“Everything happened was just in my dream, the wedding, and everything that happened after that was only a dream… Dream comes true, but only in fairy tale, and this ain’t a fairy tale, this is real life…” – She closed her eyes, holding the tears in, after all, she was never be a princess.

And this was not a fairy tale.

“Excuse me, Miss Sulli… I mean, this is the last time, someone calls you “Miss”, from the moment on, you will be Mrs. Choi. Congratulations on your Wedding day. Your father is waiting outside. The ceremony is beginning…” – The wedding planner came in and smiled, she helped her stand up and prepare.

Sulli got stunned a bit, why did it go on just exactly as in her dream? And even the Wedding Planner was hthe same?

She slowly went out of the room with confusion and the question kept playing repeatedly in her mind, her hands shaking in both the anxiousness and the hope, she still had that little hope when she heard the Wedding planner’s voice behind her back.

What was going on here actually? Sulli’s eyes grew wider as her feet set on the lobby floor.

At the lobby, her bride maids were in their gowns, smiling.

Victoria winked at her.

Luna thumped up.

Amber pouted, reminding her to smile.

Krystal, her Maid of honor gave her the bridal bouquet.

Rose. Pastel pink rose.

Everything was the same, just like a slow motion movie which was being re – shown in front of her eyes and her mind.

As if she saw the bride’s face became pale, Krystal secretly squeezed her hands under the bouquet and whispered “Hey, Bride, don’t hang that poker face on your beautiful face, or else, I would slap your until you cry. There’s no groom in this world who wants to see this face from his bride. You two have decided, and if you want, there’s still time for you to cancel the ceremony and run away. But once you take your father’s hand and come inside with him, please smile and be happy. Promise me, Ssul?”

She didn’t answer.

How could she answer Krystal? How could she tell her that every of her recent single word was just the same as the words she told her in the dream last night? became so dry that she didn’t even feel the taste in anymore. What was happening?

She got scared. She wanted to run away from this weird situation.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, a voice appeared in her mind telling her to keep on moving up. That strong voice pulled her back on her feet.

If this was not a fairy tale, why didn’t she follow her heart and step inside, no matter what happen, it was true that she could still make it real, wasn’t it?

Why couldn’t she give herself a chance?

If fairy tale was not real and was fabricated by human, why didn’t she make it herself?

“I know something’s gone awry but I feel like going on
I know I could be wrong but I also could be right…”

She took a deep breath and… simply nodded.

Mr. Choi whispered… “Are you ready, dear? Shall we come in?”

The big door opened.

Here came the Bride.

This was really a déjà vu.

She grabbed the bouquet tighter when the light from the grand hall shined on her.

The Bridal March played melodiously on her ears.

All eyes were on her. She could barely figure out where the parents were, and she saw her grandmother turned around to see her.

She smiled at her.

That smile, Sulli’s heart skipped a beat as she saw her grandmother’s smile.

It was different, in her dream, she didn’t turned around and smiled at her like this. Something was not right, and also this smile, but when their eyes met, Sulli felt at peace, and warmness covered her shaking hands, just like her grandmother’s hands were on her, holding it gently, rubbing it lovingly.

Sulli looked up when she went close to the end of the aisle, her heart raced in a speedy tune, her view became blur…

He was standing there at the end of the altar, he smiled.

That smiled, it was also different from the dream. Something in his eyes that sparkled and she couls barely see it through the radiant on his smiling face.

He shyly bit his lips when his eyes met hers.

It was also different from the dream.

She knew if his smile was the same as the smile that she once told him when they were young that “The groom will stand at the end of the aisle, with his big silly happiest smile waiting for me…”

Her heart beat faster when she realized that look on his face.

Was it real?

She looked into his eyes, all of her nervousness and worry just faded away.

“I know something’s gone awry but I feel like going on, I know I could be wrong but I also could be right…

And I feel the earth is turning faster before I saw you there, I feel the sky is spinning lighter before I saw you there…

And I see the things are not the same again, cause you’re here cause you’re there cause you’re everywhere…

Now I know how my times can be still in the way, hope this could last until we find brighter days
I know how my times can be still in the way… I hoping this could last until we fade away

I know something’s gone awry but I feel like going on… I know I need to say good bye for I’m off for the brand new days with you…”

All those words played soundly in her mind.

What’s wrong here, when she felt her father’s left hers and they were taken by another hand.

“Ssul?”

She stopped being spaced out hearing he call for her.

She looked up, and he smiled, again.

“Did I smile just like the way you want your groom to in the wedding day when he was waiting for you?” – He whispered, his eyes blinked when he glanced at her.

“Big silly smile…” – She murmured

“Now, Groom and Bride, please say your vows together…” – The host’s voice broke her thought

And she felt like she was on the cloud as he took her hands with both of his two.

He looked into her eyes.

“I, Choi Min Ho, take you, Choi Jin Ri, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow.”

Her eyes got misty. His eyes and his voice were so true, so loyal.

“I, Choi Jin Ri, take you, Choi Min Ho, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow.”

“Now I announce you as Husband and Wife… You may kiss the bride…”

Sulli gulped down…

In her dream, there was no part of the kissing scene.

She blushed and her heart almost stopped when she felt his two hands cupped her face, he lift up her head making her look at in eyes.

“Is my smile silly enough? Am I silly enough, Princess?” – He asked sweetly, amusing glint flashed through his eyes realizing how pink she was.

“You’re not… Oppa…”

“Not enough?” – He asked back

“…”

“Then I will make it up this time…”

And his lips descended on her soft lips in front of the attendants at the Wedding ceremony.

The kiss was gentle at first and it became sweeter and sweeter when Sulli took all of her brave to answer him, her hands held the bouquet onto his chest.

“Am I silly enough? Mrs. Choi?”

“…”

Sulli closed her eyes, she didn’t know what to say when his lips left hers.

He smiled as he whispered…

“I love you, Choi Sulli… I love you…”

“Oppa…”

“Grandma told me this last night… “Let your hearts flow… You’ll find the answer soon, my dear Min Ho… It’s time for you to move on, take her hands or not, it’s still the right time for you to move on and find the answer for the question you asked me on that January night, two months before her 15^th birthday…”…

And Ssul, I’ve found my answer, it’s you…”

…

Sulli opened her eyes.

He was there, right in front her eyes.

He smiled.

That big silly smile.

The smile that could melt her heart down.

The smile that never leave her mind foe all those years.

“Oppa…”

“I’m here…”

“Which one is the dream, this one, the one I’ve just had… or even the previous one? Which one is the dream… And am I dreaming?”

He just smiled and hugged her tighter.

“Even if it’s a dream, even though they’re all dream, I’ll still love you in those dreams…”

Her heart flustered hearing his words.

He kissed her sweetly.

“Really?”

“I have Yoo Geun here and this little Princess here to witness all of my words…” – He said, rubbing her round belly.

“How can I know it?”

“Because you’re here, and you’re there… And you’re everywhere…”