Seoul, 1998

Joonmyeon stared at the mirror. He looked great in white suit, at least he thought so. He turned left and right, making sure that his hair was neatly combed. He stared at his reflection again and sighed. “I look good,” he kept telling himself, brushing the fabrics to make sure there was no wrinkle.

“Come on Joonmyeon, you’ve got to get ready,” his mother said while holding his tiny hand.

She then brought the seven-year-old boy to the groom’s room where the whole family already gathered. Joonmyeon gasped when he saw his cousin Kyuhyun.

“Hyung… You are wonderful,” he shouted enthusiastically, jumping around encircling Kyuhyun. His grandparents laughed, his other cousins did too.

Kyuhyun was tall with pale skin and dark brown locks. His almond shaped eyes were beautiful, Joonmyeon thought, and he believed those eyes could tell a thousand words even without Kyuhyun saying anything. In Joonmyeon’s eyes, Kyuhyun looked ethereal in his white wedding suit.

The groom chuckled to see his cousin’s hyper action. “I’m handsome, not wonderful Joonmyeon.”

“But hyung, if you are handsome then what about Siwon hyung?”

Kyuhyun laughed while fixing his cufflinks. He sat down on the couch and motioned the boy to sit next to him. He patted Joonmyeon’s head. “Siwon is… What should I say? Siwon is ultimately handsome. I guess there’s no one out there as perfect as he is, don’t you think?”

Joonmyeon nodded. He lost interest in the conversation as he found some chocolate bars on the coffee table. He was busy chewing until he saw crumbs fell on his white suit. He gasped.

“Mom will be angry,” he shouted.

 But before he could tidy himself, his mother barged in into the chamber and shook her head when seeing little Joonmyeon stand up, one hand was busy brushing his suit while another still held the half-eaten chocolate bar.

She said nothing but dragged him out of the chamber.

The wedding ceremony was about to begin and Joonmyeon listened carefully to his mother’s explanation. He was shocked. His mother just told him that he would bring a basket of red, white and pink rose petals. Rose petals??? Flowers????

“NO! I’m not going to bring flowers. I can’t be a flower boy. Mom, please,” he begged and whined and pleaded.

But his mother shook her head.

Then the music began.

Joonmyeon wanted to cry but when he saw Kyuhyun walking slowly to his direction with one of his arms linked to Uncle Cho, he knew he had no choice but to walk ahead of the groom.

A tall boy stood next to him and his mother said that they should walk together in the same pace.

Joonmyeon walked slowly while throwing the rose petals along the red carpet heading to the altar. He could hear whispers from the guests praising his cousin. Some of them said quietly how cute he was. Cute? He could not help pouting.

He moved forward steadily until he was only a few steps away from the altar. And his mother gave him a sign to step aside so Kyuhyun could be united with Siwon. He stared at the bride and groom. Wait! They both were grooms. Joonmyeon knitted his eyebrows and pursed his lips. He did not understand why Kyuhyun would marry Siwon while they both were male. He just shrugged it off because it was none of his concern.

“The ring please,” he heard the priest said.

He looked at the tall boy, who previously stood next to him. He just had a closer look at the boy. He was definitely taller than him and looked slightly older too. He had darker skin and a stoic face. The taller boy’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. The boy stepped forward and stretched his arms carrying a tiny pillow with a pair of rings on top of it.

Siwon took one of the rings and put it in Kyuhyun’s ring finger. Then Kyuhyun did the same. And Joonmyeon felt so happy – just like all the guests – when the priest announced them “man and husband”. They all cheered, laughed, smiled and some were seen crying.

Except that tall boy.

The ring bearer just stared blankly at the crowd.

Jonmyeon flashed a smile, hoping to make a new friend. But the ring bearer stared back at him without blinking until Joonmyeon averted his gaze.

Joonmyeon chose to ignore the tall boy and joined his cousins for meals. He widened his eyes when he saw lots of strawberries, cakes and ice cream. He gulped. Those foods looked delicious and he believed he could eat a lot. He happily munched one of the cakes when his eyes spotted the tall boy.

They just stared at each other. Joonmyeon smiled to him but there was no response except that intense gaze. Somehow, the tall boy terrified him. Joonmyeon made a mental note that he would never ever want to meet that boy again.

***

Beijing, 2012

Joonmyeon sat silently at a bus shelter. He looked at the map in his hands but it would not do any good. He definitely could not speak, moreover read, Chinese. He turned his head around, hoping he could find two familiar faces.

He got separated from his friends Minseok and Luhan in this huge city and his stomach was growling.

He had not had any plan to go to Beijing at all. Until Minseok came to his house during summer break and asked him to come along. His best friend’s puppy face melted his heart and besides, he never visited China before so he easily said yes.

They arrived three days ago and stayed at Minseok’s boyfriend’s house. At first he had imagined that they would cramp in Luhan’s small apartment. Apparently, the Chinese was filthy rich and he lived in a mansion within walking distance from Tiananmen Square.

They travelled around Beijing for sightseeing, dining Chinese cuisine and shopping, of course. Luhan pampered them with luxurious and expensive items that Joonmyeon would never thought of buying before. But Luhan was extremely generous and it was so difficult to refuse all those gifts. Joonmyeon believed that he and Minseok would have to pay for excess baggage on their way back to Seoul. But Luhan just laughed when he voiced his thought.

They just had lunch at a famous Chinese restaurant in Wangfujing area when Luhan dragged Minseok into one of the stores. Joonmyeon was too immersed in looking at surrounding that he completely lost his friends. He tried to call Luhan’s mobile phone but it could not get through.

So here he was, sitting alone at the bus shelter.

He watched people come and go. He only heard them speaking Mandarin. There were a dozen foreign tourists but they spoke in English and he was not confident with his language skill.

Then, a man sat next to him.

From the corner of his eyes, Joonmyeon could see that the man was really tall, perhaps taller than Siwon, with a pair of long legs. The man was wearing a pair of jeans and Air Jordan sneakers – presumably the latest model.

Joonmyeon kept staring at the map but his body stiffened when he heard the man, who sat next to him, speak in Korean. He turned around and stared at the said man, who was busy talking on the phone.

“Yes Andrew, I will fly to Seoul next month. I still have to fly back to Vancouver next week before I can go there,” the man talked over the phone.

Once the man hung up, Joonmyeon stood up.

“Excuse me, I hope you can help me,” he said.

The man looked up and raised his eyebrows.

Joonmyeon stared at that face. Somehow, he had seen it before but he could not remember. That man was handsome with thick eyebrows, pointy nose and plump lips. His hair was blonde and rather long and he was wearing a few earrings on both ears.

“Hi!” The man waved his hand in front of his face and Joonmyeon was startled. “You said you needed help. What can I do for you?”

Joonmyeon slyly smiled and showed him the map. He pointed to an area being circled in red pen by Luhan. “I was lost. I couldn’t find my friends. It’s his house but I can’t read the map. Can you show me the way?”

The man took the map and read it. He stood up and Joonmyeon had to crane his neck because that man was damn way taller than him.

“I can show you the way but you’ll still be probably lost and you won’t find anyone speaking Korean near here,” the man mumbled. He looked at Joonmyeon. “Come on, I’ll take you to this address. It’s not far anyway.”

Joonmyeon flinched when suddenly the man held his hand and literally dragged him to walk along the sidewalk. “Is it okay for you to take me there?” he asked.

They just met and he had no idea about Beijing. What if this man was a criminal? Judging from his look, though, Joonmyeon believed that this man was nice.

So he started the conversation and found out that the man’s name was Kris. He just graduated from university and was looking for a job. He lived in South Korea for six years and that was why he could speak the language.

“This is it,” Kris said when they stopped in front of a familiar mansion.

“Thank you,” Joonmyeon said. He wanted to invite Kris to come in but it was not his house. Before he could do anything, the door was wide open and Minseok immediately hugged him tight.

“Where have you been? We were about to report to the police station,” his friend shouted.

Joonmyeon was about to answer when he saw Kris and Luhan hugged each other.

“It’s been a while,” Luhan said.

Kris nodded.

“Do you guys know each other?” he asked them.

“We went to the same university. We both just graduated,” Luhan answered. “So, have you decided on what to do next?”

“My cousin asked me to help his company in Seoul. But I’ll go home first and meet Mom,” Kris said.

Kris finally joined them for dinner. The four of them shared a lot of stories. Luhan did the talking most of the time while Kris responded here and there. Joonmyeon and Minseok stared at the two friends in amaze because they kept switching between Korean and Chinese languages.

“Well, it’s almost 10. I’ve got to go,” Kris said while standing up. He and Luhan bumped their chests while bidding goodbye. The tall guy bowed slightly to Joonmyeon and Minseok. “I hope I can see you later in Seoul,” he said while shaking their hands.

Joonmyeon smiled. Kris smiled back.

There was something in Kris’ face. Something familiar but Joonmyeon could not find what. He just shrugged it off, thinking that it would be just a one-time encounter.

***

Seoul, 2013

Joonmyeon sat in front of Kyuhyun. It was their first meeting after he earned his bachelor degree last month. His parents sent him to his cousin to get a job. He rebelled at first, thinking he could find a job on his own. But in a fierce competition in the workforce, he doubted his own knowledge and capability.

Joonmyeon looked at Kyuhyun who carefully read his CV and copies of his diploma and other certificates. Lucky he did great during his university days. At least, he gave a reason to Kyuhyun to consider accepting him.

“Accounting? Very well then. We have a vacant position in the accounting department. When can you start?” Kyuhyun asked him.

“Oh…” Joonmyeon was surprised. He thought he would have to wait for a month or so. “Well, as soon as you want me.”

Kyuhyun stood up and extended his hand to shake Joonmyeon’s. “I’ll see you next Monday. Welcome to the company Mr. Kim,” he said with a wide smile.

Joonmyeon was enthusiastic. It would be his first job. He went back home happily and despite of having few days left, he eagerly opened his closet picked his best suit for his first day at work. Suddenly, his eyes spotted some photo albums.

He took them and started to open one of them. It was some of his pictures at Kyuhyun’s wedding ceremony. It felt like yesterday when he threw the rose petals and without him realizing it, it had been 15 years ago. “No wonder Kyuhyun hyung had grey hair and wrinkles in the corner of his eyes,” he thought.

His eyes stopped to a certain picture.

It was a picture of him standing while eating a chocolate cake. But there was something else. There was a tall boy staring at him in the picture.

Joonmyeon remembered.

The tall boy who did not smile, that was what he called him.

Joonmyeon opened more albums. He smiled when he saw pictures of him, Minseok and Luhan on the Great Wall of China and the Tiananmen Square. And there was a picture of the three of them with another guy.

Kris Wu.

He remembered.

He wondered if Kris lived in Seoul already.

He accidentally put the two albums side by side. He did not see it at first. He stared at those two particular pictures. Then realization hit him.

Kris was the tall boy who did not smile. Kris was the ring bearer.

***

Monday finally came and Joonmyeon happily welcomed it. He arrived at his new office half an hour before the working hour began. He waited in front of Kyuhyun’s office, chatting with his cousin’s secretary named Yoona.

When Kyuhyun came, he was introduced to the head of the accounting division named Lee Hyukjae and he would work with some eight other accountants. He widened his eyes when he spotted Minseok in the room. He almost squealed but he had an image to take care of.

They finally had a chance to talk during their lunch break. Having Minseok working in the same office, somehow, eased Joonmyeon. He could not prevent gossips spreading around that one of the executives’ cousins would be joining them. He had to prove himself worth being an employee there.

The days passed by quickly and without him realizing it, he had been working for 10 days and surprisingly he enjoyed it very much. His colleagues treated him nicely and he believed they were sincere. His work was praised by Hyukjae – of course there were times when his supervisor needed to correct his work but it was normal, wasn’t it?

He was having a lunch break with Minseok when his friend kicked his foot.

“Remember him?” Minseok asked while his head showed him two tall men talking to each other while entering the office dining hall.

Joonmyeon recognized the slightly shorter one. He was Siwon, Kyuhyun’s husband. How could he forget? Then he averted his gaze to the man standing next to Siwon. He gasped.

“Kris?”

Minseok smiled. “I just found out that he worked here last week. He’s in marketing department and that’s why we barely see him.”

 It was when Siwon spotted them and approached them with a wide smile, showing off his dimples on both cheeks, while his hand was carrying a tray.

“Hello Joonmyeon. How’s work? Do you enjoy joining the company?” Siwon asked while sitting next to Minseok.

“Oh hi Joonmyeon,” said Kris, who followed Siwon to their table. “Finally we meet again.”

“I forgot that you’ve met each other before,” said Siwon while staring at both Joonmyeon and Kris. “It was during my wedding, right?”

“Yes but we didn’t know each other back then. We met again last year in Beijing,” Kris said, explaining the situation to Siwon until Kyuhyun joined them.

And the conversation rolled on, reminiscing the wedding day and how they finally decided to pick Kris and Joonmyeon as their ring bearer and flower boy, respectively.

“Kris was short-tempered since he was little,” Siwon explained. “That’s why we picked you as our flower boy.”

“But Andrew, can you imagine me throw rose petals? Come on!”

“Excuse me… Andrew?” Joonmyeon asked him. “So, you were calling Siwon hyung at the bus shelter when I heard you speak to him in Korean. If only I knew…”

“You did not talk to me when we were little.”

“Excuse me. How can I talk to you when you did not smile back and you just frowned?” Joonmyeon reasoned.

Kris did not respond. He just bit his lower lip instead and that made Siwon chuckled.

“Don’t tell me you already had a crush on Joonmyeon on my wedding day,” Siwon said with a mocking tone. But that successfully made Kris’ face red.

Joonmyeon knew he was red too when Kyuhyun rubbed his back. “He could smile, you know,” his cousin . He just remembered that he had complained to Kyuhyun on Kris’ stoic face before.

Joonmyeon stared at Kris and they both broke into smiles.

He believed he would see Kris’ smile more often.

***

Vancouver, 2015

Joonmyeon was looking at his reflection in the mirror. He looked great in his tuxedo with a white rose on the collar. His hair was neatly combed. His hands were sweaty though, a sign of him nervous.

There was a knock on the door and Minseok came in. “Are you ready?”

Joonmyeon nodded. He took a deep breath. “How do I look?” he asked his best friend.

“You look great. Relax, Joonmyeon. Everything is going to be alright.”

His father came and Joonmyeon linked one of his arms on his father’s. They walked slowly entering the church. He saw Siwon’s and Kyuhyun’s sons served as the ring bearer and flower boy. His memory travelled to the only time he became a flower boy. That sole moment apparently brought him to his soon-to-be husband.

Kris finally moved to another company after they officially began dating a year ago. Although Siwon objected Kris’ decision but he finally accepted it. Joonmyeon found comfort in Kris, who was three years older than him. He got along well with Kris’ mother and his best friends including Luhan.

Joonmyeon blinked his eyes repeatedly. Life was kind to him. He barely had problems during studying, finding a job and he was about to marry the love of his life.

He saw Kris standing at the altar. He was breathtaking as always, especially in his all white tuxedo. His blonde hair was neatly combed too and he did not put any earrings. Kris smiled when Joonmyeon’s father handed him over to the Chinese Canadian male.

It was like a déjà vu.

But to Joonmyeon it was a walk to remember. He could still clearly remember how Siwon and Kyuhyun exchanged their vows. And now he did the same to the man he loved.

When he said “I do”, when Kris put a ring on his finger, when Kris kissed him, Joonmyeon knew that he made the right decision to walk down the aisle with Kris again.