제65회 

Today is the day where wedding bells are ringing for the joy of uniting Yuna and Jaejin in holy matrimony. Okay, I sound like a priest. Moving on... Parents of the bride and groom were all smiles greeting their guests who came to congratulate the newlyweds.

The girls divided themselves in tasks; Eunjin serves as a make-up artist, Yuri works around Yuna’s bridal wear and Yejin manages her brother in the opposite room. She stood in front of Jaejin, fixing his bowtie but with a sullen expression during a blissful day. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Yejin asks, still focused on completing the knot though she was aware of her brother's intention.

"Were you really sad to let me go?" She silently nodded, reacting as he pinches her cheek like he used to do when they were little. It was rare to see their affection these days given they’re now living in different cities. “Yeah. Eunjin and I can’t have a date with you anymore.” She confessed, sounding dramatically sad at it. He will be living with Yuna from now on as husband and wife.

Jaejin could not help but to smile. They may be adults now but the three of them spent most of their lives together, now knowing each other inside out, regardless of age their affection remain the same.

“Good. Find a guy and ask him out.” He placed both hands on her cheeks, pressing her face deliberately for the sake of pleasure teasing his younger sister.

He should be overprotective and say “No guy can take my baby sister away. I’ll kill him!”, things like that. This is cheating. “Oppa, I can’t let you go! Don’t leave me….” Yejin quickly wraps her arm around his torso, securing him tightly as she can. We play like this. Her dramatic ‘cry’ echoes within the four walls, alerting Eunjin from next door as the youngest sibling rushes in waving makeup brush in her hand.

“Cut it out! You’re wrinkling his tux!”

I’m just kidding. I’m happy my brother is getting married. Yuna is a great girl. She’ll make him happy.

I know what you guys want to know. About last night, I rather not talk about it right now.     

“Congratulations,”

She lifted her gaze towards the visitors- she had not realized she had been looking at her feet for thirty minutes- finding Joohee with a guy unfamiliar to Yejin instead of Woohyun as her company. The latter kept the thought to herself, noting the comment was irrelevant, hence she chose to brush it off. “Thanks,” Yejin replies on behalf of the bride though her curiosity lingers than it should. 

I may sound negative on this one but what is she doing here? As far as I know and I am positive she’s not in the guests’ list.

“You came,” Yuna beamed, adding radiance to her bridal glow as she greets her guests pleasantly. Jaejin has left the room to greet other guests with their parents at the hall entrance yet it wasn’t a problem, they probably have met him beforehand. Aside from Yuna, the rest were curious of how the bride knew Joohee and the guy she came with, especially Yejin.

Yuna, Joohee and that guy know each other. How?

"They are the reason Jaejin and I got together." Yuna, as if reading her mind, explains her acquaintance with Joohee and Kyungsoo, however unaware the two has already met days before.

Joohee faces Yejin directly, greeting with her warm smile whereas the latter chose not to look so awkward in her place.

"We actually met a year ago." Joohee said. "You came to the hospital carrying your sick friend, and then you collapsed after that. I even called Woohyun over, remember?"

Hospital? Hospital, hospital, hospital... Ah, hospital!

"I thought you look familiar." Yejin replies subtly, now remembering the time Woohyun came running to the hospital imagining the worst happened. That must be when they first met, thanks to me. She quickly deduced, mentally frowning as well.

Joohee glanced subtly at Kyungsoo, hinting what she’s about to do as he reassures her to pursue her intention. "Yejin-ssi," The doctor called, finally linking her arms with the man beside her. "This is Do Kyungsoo, my fiancé."

Eh? Come again? Yejin's eyes doubled in size, sorting and processing the information she just heard.

"Fiancé?" She repeats.

Rewind!

She’s Woohyun fiancée. She’s marrying Woohyun with a diamond ring on her finger, I clearly saw it, and she’s also marrying this guy?

What the heck?

Kyungsoo gives her a nod, sharing amusement seeing the look on Yejin's face with Joohee. The poor, innocent girl seems truly lost.

“Though she’s nothing but a plain girl, everyone in the town adores her. They call her Rosé for she wears a single pink rose on her hair every day.” He narrates the beginning part, softened by texture of petals of the rose in his hand. “Some call her Candy for she loves everything sweet. Others like to call her Sunshine because her smile is as bright as the sun.” Woohyun defines beauty of the main character of his story.

He’s no stranger to children in Ward 3B and the staffs. His visits are routine; every Tuesday, Thursday and sometimes Saturday, getting frequent after returning from Busan.

Tomorrow is the day he flies to the States for one year training at Eun Group’s New York branch and to commemorate his farewell, he tells them a story for one last time.     

“The prince likes how Rosé treats him indifferently regardless of his royalty status. She’s not as pretty as the princess yet he always finds her lovely.”

“The knight fell for the princess at first sight, however, he lost his chance when the princess’s heart won by the prince. He lost hope for a happy ending but he found bliss in Rosé’s company instead.”

“The traveller had a different story. He came from a faraway land, going one place to another, determined to move on from his past.” He continues, picturing Hoya’s image and character when they first met. “He settled in an empty hut next to Rosé’s, but instead of getting along with Rosé, he chose to stay away. Still, he sees her every day and soon he began to grow fond of her.”

A little girl among them, Yoojung raises his hand curiously. “Oppa, who did she fall in love with?”

“The prince! Prince Charming is the hero.”

“No, the traveller! She bakes him delicious cake all the time.”

“The knight is the bravest of them all. He’s not in love with the princess, he likes Rosé.”

Minhwan, Sohye and Rian each state their candidate, pressing their pick is the best choice of all three and the rest follows with a side to take on. They look rather innocent without knowing the true reflection of the characters in his life.  

Chan, the youngest of them all, approaches Woohyun. The boy tugged on to his sleeve, blinking shyly while holding on to his favorite teddy bear, wanting to ask Woohyun.

“Who did she choose?”   

Pause!

“So you’re saying, he told everyone- no,” Yejin paused, quickly rephrasing her deduction. “He asked you to act as his fiancée in front of me?” Joohee answers with a calm nod. “Why?” Yejin asks again.

Yejin is quick to notice but not in these things, she remembered Woohyun said once. She is an interesting person as Baekhyun quoted a few days ago. “Why do you think he did that?” She repeats.

Why? Yejin paused for a thought. Why did he- Oh. The pieces matched in her head.

“Because… He liked me?”      

Joohee shook her head quickly, confusing Yejin once more. Then, what? Wasn’t that the drive to go such lengths such as making other people’s fiancée his and sending roses- wait, that was Myungsoo’s doing- anyhow purposely doing things to take her on an emotional roller coaster ride? He wants to get even for being turned down a year ago. It was the only reason Yejin could think of.

“He saw you with Hoya and assumed both of you were together, about to get married to be exact.” Kyungsoo added. Baekhyun was the eyewitness. Woohyun deviated from the truth completely after spotting her with the wedding planner a few hours later.

Claiming Kyungsoo’s fiancée as his in front of Yejin was unpredicted but later it gave their mission an upper hand. “It’s because he liked you and he still does.” He corrected Yejin’s sentence.