October 12, 2010

You sighed.

You took a peek at your phone.

7:26

He should have been here twenty-six minutes ago.

The restaurant was a constant rumble of utensils scraping against ceramic dishes, people murmuring across tables, and waiters shuffling across polished floors, under dimly lit lights. You sat alone at a round table decorated with a white tablecloth and a candle in the center, waiting for your blind date. You began to wonder whether you should call your parents and tell them that the man they had set you up with had bailed.

Those thoughts had vanished when a sudden, unfamiliar voice said, “I’m sorry for making you wait.”

You looked up.

A man, just a tad bit taller than you, with twinkling brown eyes and lips upturned into an everlasting smile stood before you, wearing black trousers and a white dress shirt with a tie. He was handsome.

Very handsome.

You watched, eyes wide with interest, as he took the seat across from you.

“You waited for a while, right?” he asked, still smiling. “I’m sorry. Something urgent came up at my workplace.”

You shook your head. “It’s alright,” you lied.

“I’m Kim Jongdae,” the man said, the constant smile never disappearing, “but everyone calls me Chen.”

“I’m _____,” you said.

The evening ended in a light conversation shared over a bottle of wine, good humor and shy smiles exchanged between every few words.

~~

“How did it go?” your mother asked upon your return from your blind date.

You collapsed on the couch and ran your fingers through your hair, tousling your neatly styled locks. “Great,” you breathed.

“Are you going to meet him again?”

“Definitely.”

April 21, 2011

A midsummer sunset curtained the sky- red and orange hues seeping into the blue of the afternoon. With your feet sinking into the fine sand, you watched the rolling waves, crashing and eroding the shoreline.

“_____?”

You turned around.

Chen was approaching you, holding a picnic basket in one hand.

The evening ended in hushed murmurs and thoughts drunken on wine, resting upon a blanket. It had been approximately seven months since the first meeting, and you were hopelessly in love. Though there haven’t exactly been intimate moments besides the genuine conversations, you presumed that he, too, was hopelessly in love.

You watched as Chen stood up.

“Is something wrong?” you asked.

He simply shook his head and responded with, “Let’s take a walk.”

The two of you plodded along the shore, waves lapping at your bare feet. You were surprised when he stopped in his tracks, right in front of you. Before you could ask, he got down on one knee.

A gasp escaped your lips.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but you swore, a look of despair on his face and a moment of hesitation passed before he pulled the ring out of his pocket.

“_____,” Chen said, “will you marry me?”

You nodded, tears forming in your eyes.

~~

Chen stormed into his mansion, his footsteps echoing throughout the grand hallways. He walked into his living room, to find his father resting comfortably in a leather armchair with a newspaper in his hands.

“Did you do it?” his father asked, his eyes never leaving the paper.

When Chen does not reply, his father lowered the newspaper, stern gaze travelling from the printed words to his son.

“I hope you’re happy,” Chen growled between clenched teeth.

“This marriage,” his father said, “is for the future of you and our family company. Though you may not like it now, you’ll be thankful in the future.”

Chen snorted. “Why should I be the one to do this if I’m not the one who’s going to inherit the company? If hyung is going to inherit the company, why should I be the one to give up my happiness and marry someone who I’m not in love with? I’m just going to remain a pathetic financial accountant-“

“I’m doing this for you,” his father said, glowering.

Chen left, heading toward his room. His father had said those words, possibly thousands of times.

“By the way, we’ve arranged for you to find a suit you’d like for the wedding,” his father said, quite casually.

Chen balled his hands into fists.

It was unfair.

May 28, 2011

A month passed by in a blur- visiting wedding halls, sitting at low wooden tables to prepare wedding invitations, and constantly clothed in suits and fair, white dresses.

You found yourself, clad in a beautiful dress of silk and lace that trailed along the ground behind you. Your hands and legs were trembling, anxiety reverberating through your bones. Your father walked into the empty room.

“Are you ready?” your father asked, a dim and sorrowful light glittering in his eyes.

You nodded.

Your father held out his arm, and you took it.

A torrent of applause entered your ears as you walked into the wedding hall. Chen stood at the other end of the aisle, with neatly styled golden curls and a black suit. Soon, you stood face to face with Chen.

The officiator began, “Do you, Kim Jongdae, take _____ to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you apart?”

The answer came, without any thought or hesitation. “I do.”

“Do you, _____, take Kim Jongdae to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you apart?”

The words rolled off your tongue, almost unfamiliarly. “I do.”

“You may kiss the bride.”

You closed your eyes.

And you felt his lips, pressed against yours, soft and gentle. This was the first time his lips came into contact with yours. The cheering of the spectators was drowned out by the steady thumping of your heart.

From now on, everything would be perfect.

Right?