May 27, 2013

The music was very loud outside but Seul-ki couldn't even move her head properly to look outside of the litter. She groaned and moved a bit, causing the litter to shake and someone knocked on the litter and asked her to sit properly. How could she, she asked herself! That Jokduri thing on her head already made her wanted to tumble out of the tiny litter. And why should she travel in this thing anyway?

"I can walk, you know." She said, a bit too loud.

"Said something?" A man's voice appeared near the side of the wall, surprising her.

"Nothing." She muttered.

Seul-ki was kept to talking to herself while being in the litter. She felt like it was only yesterday that Sunggyu had come to her house and was introduced as her future husband. She felt like everything was just a dream but the day before, with everyone making fuss on her, scrubbing her skin, made her hair and waxing her mercilessly, she really felt like she couldn't really run from the fact anymore. She was getting married, she said to herself, and to Myungsoo and Yu-rim who came all the way to Sunggyu's village. They looked just as dumbstruck as she was, with no one knowing what to say.

Halmeoni was teaching her this and that, giving her advices on how to be a good wife. She could only listen to her, and nodded promptly. She kept on looking at Halmeoni's face which looked somehow tranquil and at ease, smiling to herself while telling off stories about her own wedding many years ago.

"Halmeoni, won't you come and live with me?" She asked, holding Halmeoni's hand.

She laughed a bit, tapping Seul-ki's hand. "I will be staying with my in-laws from now on. What more could I ask for? Besides, I don't want to disturb a newly wedded couple."

"Halmeoni!" She cried out, almost wanting to throw a tantrum but she held it all in.

"Aigoo, our Seul-ki is getting married. God bless me for letting me live to see this day." She smiled, holding Seul-ki's face with her palms, looking at her from the top of her hair to her chest and her eyes again. Seul-ki could only smile.

Seul-ki knocked her head against the litter, wanting to scream and the people outside told her to keep still again. She remained stiff until they started to drop her onto the ground and that was when she stopped breathing. Someone pushed the curtain aside and looked at her, holding out a hand. Seul-ki looked at her and shook her head a little and the old lady had to grab her hand and pulled her outside. It was rather hard to even get up; as hard as getting inside it. Once she was outside, Seul-ki shrank at the loud music and the crowd that was looking at her.

Who are these people? She wanted to smile but her face was stiff and she couldn't move because of the thing on her head again. The old lady helped her to walk, holding her arm and made her walked but Seul-ki didn't want to as she kept on shaking her head. She looked down her grand red han-bok and her hands clasped under her large sleeves and felt like she wanted to cry.

Half-dragging her, the old lady then was pulling her to walk but she didn't really give much cooperation, causing the old lady to frown at her. She flinched and had to obey, looking at the horse that was standing nearby, asking help from it in her heart. The horse was only looking at her, as if understanding her but too bad it was strapped to a pole. Seul-ki then saw a traditional house, a real Hanok and Seul-ki had never seen one for real so it was really something for her. It was as if she was in some kind of historical drama and she was half-wishing Kyungtak** would come and snatch her from there...

Inside the house, Sunggyu had just handed a wooden goose to Halmeoni, who took it with a faint smile across her face. Halmeoni took it from him and went inside the house. Sunggyu felt surreal, doing those things, and when someone announced that the bride has arrived, he took a deep breath, calming himself down.

There was a table in the middle of the yard, with a mat on both sides of the table. Seul-ki who had just stepped into the large yard looked around the unfamiliar faces around her, looking for Myungsoo and Yu-rim. When she spotted them, she wanted to wave but her hands were being strongly held by the old lady and the other old lady who came out of nowhere. They walked her to the table and then she saw him.

Sunggyu was dressed up in a blue han-bok, with a samo on his head, making him looked like he was some sort of a minister or maybe perhaps a eunuch dragged out of some drama. They walked closer and Seul-ki wanted to have a look at him but they made her held up her sleeves up to her face, and told her to look down on her feet. The old lady on the right washed her hands, much to her surprise and Sunggyu's hands too were washed by the ahjussi near him.

Someone was announcing something and Seul-ki felt her back becoming stiff when the old ladies made her bowed to Sunggyu. She felt like everything attached to her head was going to come off though they actually didn't. When they pulled her up again, she caught Sunggyu's eyes looking at her coldly and at that moment, she became nervous again. They made her bowed again and pulled her up again. Then Sunggyu bowed once to her, and Seul-ki felt like crying again. Then she had to bow for two more times and Sunggyu bowed curtly once. Carefully, they made her knelt down facing Sunggyu who was also kneeling and finally they both got the chance to see each other's face.

Is he wearing a lipstick, she asked, looking at Sunggyu's pinkish lips. Sunggyu was looking at her strangely too and she felt embarrassed, looking at how glowing Sunggyu's face was that she looked away. Sunggyu blinked rapidly to himself, after seeing Seul-ki red dots on her cheeks and how she looked rather beautiful in her han-bok.

Seul-ki was looking down on the ground, with her arms still being held by the helpers and when they released her, she was then offered a drink from half a gourd. She looked at it, rather with greed since the last drink she had was about 2 hours ago.

"You can't drink it." The old lady whispered.

Seul-ki widened her eyes and whispered back. "Why not."

"It's wine."

Seul-ki felt like crying again. Even her right to drink was taken away! She pretended to drink the wine but during the second time, she actually sipped a little, and made the old lady looked at her as if she wanted to hit her. Seul-ki kept a straight face and when they exchanged her gourd wit Sunggyu's, she watched as Sunggyu sipped it quickly, as if wanting the whole thing to just end. Seul-ki sipped from gourd a little, and bit her lips, feeling a bit down.

Then they finally went inside where they had a lot bowing to be done; first to Sunggyu's parents who smiled graciously at them, and then to Halmeoni and from then on, Seul-ki failed to recognize to whom she was bowing to. Sunggyu poured some wine into the cup and Seul-ki, stiff, offered them to the elders, and they were only nodding and smiling at them. She felt like her back was going to break anytime soon, with her neck stiff but there were so many people to bow and offer wine to! When it was over, they sat behind the table and people started taking pictures.

There was also some talk by Sunggyu's parents. It was mostly Sunggyu's mother who talked that day and Seul-ki listened attentively.

"It's nice having you as our daughter-in-law, Seul-ki-ah. Our Sunggyu is still young and has a lot of flaws but with your cooking, I'm sure you will be able to keep him behaved."

"Eomma!" Sunggyu protested, an