Ai thinks part of her heart has been shattered when looking at the invitation. She has known this day would come. She has always known. But now? Ai is not prepared for this. He’s only 25 and Nari is even younger than him. Ai has not found herself someone she truly loves yet, someone who can replace Sehun in her heart. Why now?

She can’t even bear to give it a glance one more time.

Here come those days when she cries until she falls asleep. Pride tells her to calm her own mind, to reassure herself that everything will be fine. But the vulnerability of her heart is manifest. Ai is losing herself at an incredible speed, which she has never thought would happen. She used to take pride in her rationality but now Ai knows she is no stronger than other women in love she has been told about.
-
Ai returns to South Korea 2 days before the wedding and rents a hotel room. She doesn’t want to face her family and acquaintances, knowing all of them will be showering her with questions. She doesn’t have time to answer them. To Ai, what she needs to do now is strengthen her mind and heart for a real heartbreak.

But on second thoughts, does she really need to go there? If she can’t stand it why does she have to force herself to go? Ai is a free spirit and never did anything she didn’t want to do, why does she have to do it now? No, she will not go, having her there will also do Sehun no good. Perhaps the best thing she can do is fly back to Tokyo and wait until they have eventually tied the knot and cry to her heart’s content in her own apartment.

But against her better judgement, just 2 days later, Ai finds herself standing in front of Exodus Hotel, where Sehun is gonna marry the love of his life.

It’s already 9.30 AM. The wedding was supposed to take place an hour ago but she hasn’t stepped into the venue yet. She has received 20 missed calls and nearly 10 messages from him.
[Are you done dressing up for the wedding? Don’t be late will you?]

[I can’t believe it, I’m finally getting married and seeing your face after 8 years. Travel safely!]

[Why aren’t you answering?]

[Lee Ai, get your here before I decide to never forgive you.]

[Damn it, Ai. All I’m asking for is seeing your face. You’ve never been to any of my matches and cheered for me. You didn’t even go see me when I was in Tokyo. I never complained. But now this?]

[At least reply, Ai, so that I know you’re safe. Did something happen to you? Why haven’t you shown up yet?]

[Just so you know, the wedding is not gonna start until you’re here.]

Standing in front of the mirror of the restroom, Lee Ai is struggling to fight back her sobs. Suddenly, a middle-aged lady comes in and as soon as Ai catches her eye, the woman turns to her with a concerned look.

“Young lady, did anything happen to you?” The lady’s voice shows a special kind of sympathy that Ai find hard to ignore. It’s also surprising that the former knows she’s feeling terrible. Ai is good at pretending, especially in the restroom, where there are always strangers who she does not wish to show her real self to.

“Thank you, madam. But nothing, really.” Ai replies, as politely as she can.

“Darling, I’m old enough to be your mother and I have lived long enough to know when one young woman is trying to look strong. Tell me and maybe I can help you. We don’t know each other so it’s probably easier to share your feelings with a stranger, right?”

Ai silences for a while. The pain in her heart has been so enormous that it is unbearable, that she feels like if she holds it in any longer, She will explode.

“Can you promise me to not tell anyone about this? Even if we don’t have mutual acquaintances. I find it shameful to have my situation known by others, whether they know me or not.”

“Yes, honey. I promise.”

As reliable as the lady looks, Ai has learned one thing during her 25 years of existence. To never trust women to keep a secret. She, however, is in a situation where she has to tell someone. She can’t conceal it anymore.

“I’m in love with a guy and he’s marrying another girl today. In this hotel.”
There, she said it. She has finally told another that she loves a man.

“I’m very sorry, honey.”

“I don’t want to go see him start spending the rest of his life with another girl, obviously. But I want to see his face so bad. And he wants me there, too. I am running late but he keeps calling and texting me, demanding my presence. We are best friends and haven’t met each other for almost a decade.”

“I think I can imagine how painful it must feel like.”

“Yes. I think I want to die on the spot. I don’t know what to do…wait, he’s calling again.” Ai says, pulling out her phone.“But I can’t even answer him.”

“In my opinion, you have three choices.”

Three? What option does she have besides leaving and going in?

“First, you can crash the wedding.”
Ai chuckles lightly. She will not do that, never.

“I’m being serious here, honey. This is the most selfish and reckless action of the three but it’s not impossible. Or you can at least call him and tell him how much you love him. He’s still calling you so he’s not married yet, right? You still have time.”

“Given his personality and position, I assume he will not cancel the wedding for me even if he loves me, let alone he doesn’t.”

Ai says, tears already streaming down her face. This shocks her, actually, she’s crying in front of a human being, not the reflection of herself in the mirror. But Ai guesses she has reached her limits.

“The second choice is you leave this place. This is less selfish than crash the ceremony, but it still is since judging from the way he pleads you to be there, your absence will hurt him a lot. However, you will not have to see for yourself how happy and in love they are. And the third one, is you step in there, pretend to give them your blessings with the happiest face you can put on. But I highly doubt you can make it since you’re already looking terrible here. It’s hard to act happy with all that pain in your heart, almost impossible, I know. I don’t think anyone can do that. If you decide to go in there, you can’t show any kind of sorrow or desperation.”

“How can I do that? I haven’t seen them personally and already I’m in floods of tears.”

“That’s why I think you should choose the first or the second. You attending the wedding may please the man you love. But anyone choosing to go in must be incredibly brave, selfless and strong. You’re too young for that in my opinion. But it’s your choice actually. Okay, I think that’s enough. I have a wedding to deal with myself. Don’t know why they still haven’t started yet.” She says, looking at Ai once more.“Young lady, look at me.”

Ai looks at her in the eye. “I don’t know who you are, but I know that you’re one kind, loving and smart woman and I wish you the best.”

“Thank you.” Ai nods, watching the woman exit the restroom.

Just then, she tries to stop the tears for a while to focus on what to do next. She will not do the crashing thing, not ever. Ai is a human being with tremendous self-respect and so is Sehun. Irrespective of what his feelings for her are, Sehun will never forgive her if she does that. Neither will she forgive herself. She’d rather lose him than her pride.

Should she leave or step in? She should definitely get the hell out of here. But Sehun is in there, he is in there and wants her there, giving him and his bride her blessings. She hasn’t done anything for Sehun since the day he left. Never has she been there for him all these years.

And this might be the last chance to do something for him.

So even though it will kill her inside, she will go in.
–

Opening the door to the wedding venue, Ai recognizes many of the faces.

Mr and Mrs Oh, Sehun’s brother, his boy friends. Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Junmyun, Minseok… They’re all here. And they’ve changed a lot. His parents are a lot older compared to the last time she visited them, which is about 6 years ago. His brother no longer has the bad boy aura, instead he’s having a little boy who looks exactly the same as him sitting on his lap, who Ai assume is his son. Baekhyun and Chanyeol do not look over-enthusiastic anymore, they instead carry themselves more maturely. Kyungsoo, well, doesn’t resemble a primary schoolboy like he used to, he has grown up to look like a real man with those muscles and mature facial features. Junmyun and Minseok’s aura is pretty much the same, just that they’ve aged a bit, tiny wrinkles appearing in the corner of their eyes.

And they’re all looking at her. With utter shock.

“SHE’S HERE! SHE’S FINALLY HERE. START THE WEDDING RIGHT NOW!” Shouts Chanyeol, seems like his character hasn’t changed as much as his looks.

And from nowhere, a familiar male figures turns up in front of her, making her gasp in disbelief.

“Sehun.”
Barely has Ai finished calling his name when Sehun pulls her in for an extremely tight hug. His scent has never changed. It’s still the scent Ai loved so much.
They stand there embracing each other for what seems like an eternity before pulling out. Now Ai finally has the chance to take a good look of him in person. Sehun is looking more dashing than ever with his black tux, his hair combed backwards, showing his bright forehead. Sehun is gorgeous.
“You’re finally here.” He says.“I nearly died when I thought you wouldn’t show up.”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Ai says, trying to get rid of the thought that he’s looking so beautiful for another girl.
Suddenly, Sehun touches her forehead with his, whispering.“Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. But don’t you have a wedding to start?”
The male chortles heartily before answering.
“I almost forgot.” And he turns to the host right after.“Let’s begin.”
-
Ai is being torn apart watching Sehun watch his wife-to-be walking down the aisle with such fondness. She knew it was gonna hurt, but not this terribly. It feels like someone has stabbed her heart with the sharpest knife they could find and then washed the wound with salted water. But she can’t cry. Instead, Ai is biting her lips harshly, preventing any sob from coming out of . If Sehun took any notice of her, he would know she’s acting happy, but he is busy getting together with his bride.
Ai successfully looks at the pair when they say their vows without changing her facial expression. But then the sentence “You may kiss the bride” springs up and she knows she can’t look at them anymore. Ai turns her face to the side, avoiding the heartbreaking scene, only to recognize another familiar face.

The woman in the restroom. Who is now looking at her with equal amount of surprise.

Ai doesn’t say anything. The girl simply stares at the woman for a while until the bride and the groom have done kissing and turns her head back to the front.
-
The guests are invited to enjoy a small dessert party, where Ai is currently sitting. People have been making speeches, either to congratulate the couple or to tell embarrassing stories about them. Her table is full of unfamiliar faces, who claim themselves the couple’s common friends.
When Ai is paying attention to the chocolate cake in front of her, Baekhyun shouts out for no reason.
“Ai hasn’t said anything yet!”

And immediately, she realizes that all eyes are on her. Sehun also turns to her before grabbing the microphone and speaking up.

“And I think we’ll save the last speech to the most precious friend I’ll ever have in my entire life, Lee Ai. Yes, you heard me, she doesn’t have a middle name.” Light laughters fill the room and he continues.“She is, apologetic as I am towards my mom and my beautiful wife, the woman who helped me bring light to my boring life. You know, when I decided to travel to Paris to begin my professional career, everyone protested. My parents, teachers, and almost all of my friends. But Ai, with her absolute fearlessness and selflessness, helped me get on the airplane and that’s why I’m standing here today, being who I am. Furthermore, she, despite the fact that during our 8-year separation, we didn’t call each other more than 7 times and this is our first reunion after a god damn long time, has always been my tower of strength with her optimism and great sense of humor. Ai, can you stand up and say something?”

Sehun is now looking at her, full of adoration. Ai is at a loss for words, to be honest. What will she say? That she loves him and loathes seeing him marrying another woman? Or that they should get divorced as soon as possible although even if that really happens Ai herself will never stand a chance?

Still, she manages to choose the nicest of her thoughts to share.

“Well, first and foremost, I apologize for the delay I caused a few hours ago. It was very careless of me. Now I would like to say something to the groom.” Ai says, head turning to Sehun, whose attention is now fully on her.“Sehun, to begin with, I apologize. I am not half as kind as you said. All I did was take you to the airport when you got grounded and that’s about it. All those years, I never attended any of your matches, I never called you when you won or lost one. You say I gave you encouragement but that’s only when you call me and tell me about your problems, or else I wouldn’t bother to find them out myself. It’s not that I don’t care, Sehun, believe me when I say that I deeply care for you, but truth be told, I haven’t done anything for you ever since and I’m sorry.”

“But at the same time, I’d like to thank you. For not changing one bit. I was so scared that you had changed, money and fame and the world of celebrities had made you change but turns out you haven’t. You are still the courageous, clever, honest and down-to-earth Oh Sehun that I’ve always adored. And thank you for not forgetting me. After almost a decade, you still remember this plain, average Ai and I’m totally grateful for that.”

Ai smiles bitterly when seeing Sehun mouth “You’re not average at all” and diverts her gaze to the bride.

“I also have something to tell you, Nari. You may not know me and that’s perfectly fine but can I tell you this?"the younger lady nods, letting Ai go on."I’ll not say you’re the luckiest girl to marry Sehun because please, you’re not. I may not have seen him in 8 years and he may have got rid of some of his bad habits but some of them, I believe, will be there forever, especially his addiction to video games.” The guests once again laugh lightly.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re unlucky either. I trust Sehun to be a reliable and loving husband and father and even when he was still young, his sense of responsibility never ceased to amaze me. I am in no place to tell you how to treat him right because I myself failed to do that for him, and seeing you two today, I understand that you’ve been doing a great job at that. So thank you for that, and please, continue whatever you’re doing to him, keep making him happy."Again, Ai is fighting hard to not let out any tear.

"Above all, I wish you two a happy, healthy life with a lot of beautiful children. Thank you.”

When she has just finished her sentence, Sehun is already standing behind her, wrapping his arms around her tiny figure.
“I’ll never forget you, remember that.” Whispers Sehun.
–
The dessert tables has been removed, saving space for dancing. Catching the sight of the couple showering each other with affection, Ai decides that she can’t stay anymore and will leave. She waits until the opening dance has finished to grab her things and make her way out but an arm pulls her back just in time.

“Sehun.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have some work to cope with so gotta leave early.”
The male sighs, probably sick and tired of his best friend being a workaholic.
“At least let me take you for a dance.”

Ai can’t say no, knowing this might be the last chance to dance with him like this.
-
“Your dancing hasn’t improved at all! Oh my gosh Ai, you’re even more terrible than in high school.”
“It’s not my fault you asked for a dance!”
“Whatever, just try to not step on my feet.”
Instead of trying to dance properly like other pairs, the two decide to do nothing but moving their feet to the music.
“This is the first time I see you in a dress.” Says Sehun, breaking the silence between them.
“Yep. Might as well be the last time.I look ridiculous.” The girl responds uninterestedly.
“What? No, you look great in this dress. I don’t mean you are not pretty without a dress, I mean you’re always beautiful but…”
“Oh please, where did you learn to sweet talk your own best friend? I thought you never changed. You obviously learned new things didn’t you?” Ai says, scoffing, causing the guy’s expression to tighten.
“No, Ai. I’m not buttering you up. I’m stating the truth. You’ve always been beautiful in my eyes. You may not see me as a man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see you as a woman.”
“I don’t see you as a man? Where did that come from?”
“4 years ago. When I called you after the Wimbledon final."Sehun replies in a matter-of-fact tone.

Then it dawns on Ai that she really did say that.
"At the time, you were not a man, Sehun. I was just stating the truth, it didn’t necessarily mean you were not strong. You were actually the manliest 21-year-old guy I’ve ever met.” Explains Ai.“But now you are, you are a determined, passionate and brave man who has just got married. You are a man, Sehun.”

His expression soon turns into something unreadable, even to Ai.

And probably she will never have the chance to figure out what it means.