Not proofread. The much awaited final chapter! Please read the author's note.

“Talk to you again, hyung” he heard from the other end, and Sung Gyu cut off the line with a brief farewell. He was on his way to his parents’, early on that Sunday morning after his mother called him the previous night. He’d been too tangled up with everything else in his life that he hadn’t even the chance to talk to his sister for quite some time, and so after having been pleaded by his mother (seriously though, she didn’t necessarily have to go to that extent) Sung Gyu had decided to fix the burning bridges between him and his younger sister (and possibly Sung Jae and his younger cousins) for once and for all.

“Hello dear old brother” Jieun greeted as soon as he stepped out of the car. Sung Jae’s frown deepened as soon as he saw his cousins sitting out in the front porch, systematically playing as if they were wound up dolls, and Sung Gyu gave a quick, noncommittal wave at his sister who was out in the cold, her hands buried in the opened bonnet of his father’s old car. Only god knew what she was doing with it at this time of the day. Her two boys looked up at the new comers only briefly and with absolutely no interest, and so Sung Jae went straight to the front door and inside; he probably had made up his mind to stay confined to his father’s old bedroom for the rest of the day and avoid his cousins at all costs; which he might as well and Sung Gyu wouldn’t exactly mind. He, on the other hand, had no choice. Thus, even reluctantly so, he made his way towards the garage, wrapping himself further against the early winter cold, and quietly stood by his sister, watching whatever she was doing.

“So I heard” She said, completely out of the blue, and Sung Gyu realized that it was directed at him only when she looked up to meet his eyes.

“What?” He asked her.

Jieun started to tug violently at something in the car and smiled in triumph as some grease covered thing came out in her hand. “Your girlfriend”

Sung Gyu said nothing in response.

“It’s the baby sitter isn’t it” Jieun pushed on.

“Glad you stopped calling her the housemaid” Sung Gyu commented in response and folded his arms on his chest.

“Housemaid, baby sitter, same thing” Shrugged Jieun and set the piece she pulled out by her feet. “Anyway, what is the plan now?”

“There is something…” Sung Gyu started, and the words remained stiff in his throat as he thought further about it. “Well, I don’t know really”

“Mum told me” Jieun returned, serving with him an unimpressed look. “I don’t know why you look so unsure and what on earth did you tell mum?”

“Meaning?” Sung Gyu looked at his sister, conflicted by her question, and then as if to provide answers herself, his mother emerged from the doorway, a bright smile on her lips.

“Sung Gyu-ah, come in we have a lot to discuss!”

Sung Gyu looked at Jieun, Jieun looked back at him, and the expression she wore kind of made him feel cold sweats down his spine.

A few minutes later, Sung Gyu found himself seated in a kitchen stool, a great big journal that he had never seen for the life of him was opened wide upon the kitchen cabinet, with his mother explaining things that he could hardly follow. Inside his head, his brain was stewing. Truth to be told, he didn’t remember what exactly he had told his mother over the phone in a moment of unadulterated contentment and excitement, and now he vaguely remembered that he could have told her something misleading, perhaps, hence the great big journal laid in front of him.

“So, I’ve already talked to my friend, remember? The one who owns a wedding boutique? She’s got an amazing winter bridal collection and she said we could get a special discount!” Went on his mother animatedly, the shine in her eyes incessant and her voice loud and resonant in the quiet kitchen. Sung Gyu was speechless. He hadn’t really thought so far yet, as he wasn’t going to jinx anything until the plan they already had was…executed without anything going wrong. But in a moment of excitement he had told her everything that was about to happen, things which were going to change, and at that time he hadn’t, for once, thought that it could all go wrong. And now he felt terrible. How on earth was he going to tell her that she should probably…slow down?

So he started by calling “Mum” in a smallest voice possible which could still get through to her. But to no avail, she went on talking. “And as for the flower arrangements, we have these beautiful baby roses growing in the season, just like the ones in your garden but bigger-,”

“Mum” He tried again.

“-I’ve already spoken to the florist and she said we could make an appointment to discuss what’s necessary. Oh, and also I’ve already looked for a photographer, and-,”

“Mum”

“What?” She sighed, finally putting a halt to her talking. She took note of the expression he wore at that moment, something between discomfort and apologetic, and her frown deepened in response.

“Let’s not get so ahead of ourselves, shall we mum?” Sung Gyu told her mildly, trying his best to not to come off as rude.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked him.

“Means he doesn’t know what he’s doing” Jieun said, willingly inviting herself to a conversation which she wasn’t a part of. She was by the sink, washing her greasy hands and staining the bowl of the sink in ugly splodges of black oil. Sung Gyu glanced up at her albeit briefly and shook his head. “It’s just that….” He started and let out a heavy sigh.

“But you said you were getting married” His mother pointed out.

“I am” He agreed sternly. “It’s just that…this, this whole planning thing is too soon and-,”

“He hasn’t even asked her…” Jieun said, and the truth slapped him across his face like a wakeup call.

“You…haven’t?”

Sung Gyu sighed, yet again and ran his hands down his face. “I will, in due time” He told them.

“And when is that?” Prodded on his mother, and at that point, not wanting to reveal anything and jinx all that he had planned, he jabbed angrily at the journal in front of him. “What is this anyway? You don’t have to trouble yourself this much, mum, we can hire a wedding planner for all of this!”

“Yeah!” Said Jieun as she joined in, making herself comfortable on one of the kitchen stools. When she wiped her hand on a kitchen towel, it turned an ugly grey and nobody else took notice of it but him. “Mum you didn’t even make one for me”

“Eh I did” Retaliated his mother, sounding hurt. Wedding planning, as it happened, was his mother’s greatest suite. Having had supported with catering for wedding ceremonies of all sorts over the decades, she had an ample amount of experience, mingling with brides and grooms and their families and wedding planners. What’s the saddest thing about her strange fascination was that she’d never really had the chance to put her potential into work for her own two children.

“You didn’t want it” Added his mother sadly, her eyes down casted and Sung Gyu could almost physically feel that pain.

“Okay, fine, mum, we’ll do what you want” Sung Gyu told her to brighten her up, even the slightest. She didn’t look like she even believed him when she met his eyes, yet when he gave her one long, warm and reassuring smile, a tinge of contentment ignited in her eyes. He gathered the journal in his arms, heavy in his embrace and almost falling apart. He stood up and kissed her softly on her head. “Let’s just give it a bit of time, hm?” He told her, and with the journal still heavy in his arms, he went away.

It was still with him, even as he returned home that night after a hearty dinner with his family and fixing the burning bridges. He had unconsciously laid it out on the table of his study that night, once he had put Sung Jae to bed and sent a quiet voice mail to Eunji, reminding her that he loved her, and he smiled as he folded each and every page. Sung Gyu’s never been the one for big and extravagant weddings; he’d never even imagined himself to be one contemplating one of his own. Yet, as he turned the pages with sort of a magical coercion, he found himself imagining her in every single page. He turned to that one which displayed a drawn sketch of a wedding dress and sighed. He could remember that design almost too clearly even if ages had passed. It was the same one that Eunji posed in when they modeled for his mother’s friend’s wedding boutique. He trailed a finger down the sketch and smiled. Who would have thought?

As he went to sleep that night, he reminded himself, as always; ‘Five more days to go’

The next morning Sung Gyu walked into his office, a little too late than he should, only to find Junhyung seated in his table. There were two Styrofoam cups of piping hot coffee set on a pile of papers, the sweet aroma wafting around in the closed confines. He hadn’t expected to see him, not so early in the day, bringing him a warm cup of coffee at that.

“What brings you here?” Sung Gyu asked the other as he set down his suitcase and then rid himself off his coat.

“Nothing but a nice morning conversation with my good hyung” Junhyung greeted with a smile. “How are you, hyung?”

“Cut it out, Yong, I’m not your hyung” And then he added, with a crooked smirk at his direction. “And we both have kids, as it happens”

Junhyung’s smile didn’t waiver as he climbed up on his feet. “And that brings us to our topic for this morning” He said.

A few minutes later, Sung gyu found himself smiling warmly, engaged in an animated conversation with the other. It could be the first ever occasion where he was making plans for their children with a fellow single parent, and for the first time in his life, he felt himself in the element, and no longer the father who was looked down upon by the entire world and his life derailed. He was ever so genuinely content.

As it happened, Junhyung’s son, having been raised in an orphanage wasn’t exactly getting used to the generic social life. He had a hard time coming into terms with living in a house of his own, having a room of his own and worse of all, having a parent, a family. He constantly withdrew himself and hid in his own little shell, refused to talk much and didn’t find pleasure in anything he tried to do with him to please him. Although Junhyung’s parents had lovingly accepted him, the child was still wary of the strangers. The only people he got along, as it happened, were other children, his school mates for an example and now Junhyung assumed he’d get along with Sung Jae as well.

“Besides your son is…I feel he’s been raised so well. He’s very matured for his age…” Junhyung met Sung Gyu’s eyes, and he supposed he didn’t look quite so impressed that Junhyung quickly added, “At least that’s how I feel”

Sung Gyu laughed and shook his head in response. Junhyung’s son was only five for god’s sake. Sung Gyu recalled how his little boy was like when he was five years old, and the memories almost made him laugh hysterically. “Oh no, no, Yong. Sung Jae was uncontrollable when he was five, trust me” Sung Gyu said, and smiled remembering how he went ahead and smashed the intercom with a rattle with his tiny baby hands. The memory was so vivid, but it still seemed so far away. “I feel the only problem is that he’s taking his time getting used to a new life. After all, he’s been ed into it all of a sudden”

“Yeah” Junhyung sighed and buried his face in his hands. “Oh, I don’t know Gyu. I feel like I made a great mistake sometimes”

Sung Gyu stared at his colleague, quietly scrutinizing him and for a moment Sung gyu thought he could see himself in him. There was a time in his life when he had felt the same. Taking up single parenthood had been a challenge, the kind of a challenge which made you contemplate, somewhere through it, that you’ve made a big mistake. Myriad times he had found himself with his head in his hands, on the verge of giving up and losing himself in the process. But then, something would happen; Sung Jae would waddle himself over to him and snuggle up in his arms, tell him in his senseless baby banter a story so enthralling that its sheer joy would glimmer in his widened doe eyes. When that happened, he’d feel like his entire world revolved around him, and everything fell into place.

And Sung Gyu wanted Junhyung to feel that joy for once, experience all the happiness that the future held in store for him. His life could have changed for the best right now; it might seem uncertain, gone off the track even. But the journey through that would always be beautiful.

“Junhyung, listen” Sung Gyu said, leaned over and peeled his hands off his face. “Come over to my place tonight, bring your son along as well and I’ll show you how it can get better, hm?”

He agreed, albeit wordlessly, and left the room with a promise and a smile.

Sung gyu didn’t think, when he opened the front door that evening, that his invitation would actually work. He knew that there was so much going on in her life and that she hardly had the time to spare for him. Yet she was there, surprisingly so, standing in his doorway looking as beautiful as she’d ever be.

“You’re here” Sung Gyu said, and he was embarrassed by how his voice sounded dreamy, yet she didn’t seem to mind.

“Wouldn’t miss for the life of me” She told him and kissed him surreptitiously on his cheek as she moved past him into the house. “So, where are our guests?”

“Jae’s upstairs and Junhyung’s coming at eight” Sung Gyu said, making his way towards the kitchen where he’d already started. If he was to be honest, it was Missus Yoon who did the most before she left, leaving him and Eunji to handle the easy bits. The soup is already done and boiling away on the stove, the rice already cooking in the cooker, and he was struggling with the omelets, a task which Eunji took over without question. And it was a comfort for the both of them, the presence of each other and just how natural and domestic it felt to be in the kitchen together. Sung Gyu stole small glances at her, and his heart fell every time she appeared to be deep in her thoughts. He was this close to telling her the truth, just so it would make her feel better. But no, he couldn’t. He’d promised, and it was for a reason. It was for her. Five more days, he reminded himself once more.

Sung Jae, already made aware of his task, came down dressed in his best clothes and his hair done, appearing as if he was given the task to play the responsible father for the day. He ever so seriously announced that he’d cleaned his bedroom and even selected the best games to play. Eunji seemed to be stifling a laughter at the tone of his grave voice. Watching them banter, for Sung Gyu, was a pleasure although he was never a big part of it. It had always been like this. He hadn’t realized just how much it meant to him, until now.

Junhyung and his little boy arrived a few minutes past eight, just as they were setting the table. Sung Gyu greeted them at the door, and at the sight of the child, small and quiet yet his eyes filled with wonder, Sung Gyu warmed up to him. He was yet another child, just a little too confused by the sudden turn that his life had to take.

“Hey, aren’t you a smart little detective!” Sung Gyu greeted him with a warm smile. “Come on in! Our Sung Jae’s been waiting for you”

Dinner was a warm and pleasant affair, with Sung Jae animatedly leading the discussion for the most part, supported by Eunji who enthusiastically took part in the conversation. Junhyung seemed to be enjoying the dinner, he as well as Sung Gyu being silent bystanders. Junhyung’s little boy, named Hanbyul, spoke very little but had a wonderful appetite. Eunji took the pleasure in serving him as much as he requested, and with pleasure, the motherly instincts she’d always carried with herself kicking in whenever necessary. After dinner, Sung Jae convinced Hanbyul to come to his room, and Sung Gyu requested Junhyung to leave them at that. Sung Gyu trusted his son. He was the little boy who took care of the twins most of the time, and although he couldn’t be trusted with other kids about two years ago, he sure had changed, brilliantly at that, that it appeared as if he’s almost ready to be a big brother himself.

As the possibility raised, mostly in his heart, he stared at Eunji, his heart heavy with emotion. That day would come, and it would come sooner. There would be the day when he would ask her, she would agree, and then they would raise another child of their own.

“You’re sure he’d be fine, Gyu?” Junhyung asked for the umpteenth time of the night, dragging Sung Gyu back from his daytime reverie and he found himself dazedly looking at he other. “Yeah?”

“Hanbyul. Are you sure he’s alright? He gets a bit cranky when he’s left by himself, though”

“If he’s cranky, Sung Jae would have come down by now” Sung Gyu informed the other with a reassuring smile. “First rule of child rearing, Yong, is letting them have their space”

“And not too much space” Eunji added, setting down her mug of coffee as she did. “You need to let them know that you’re right behind them”

“And how do you do that?” Junhyung asked.

“Paying attention” Sung Gyu said, glanced at Eunji for clarification and she smiled.

Junhyung looked at Sung Gyu, at Eunji and back at Sung Gyu again. Then he let out a sigh. “Is rule two to get a baby sitter and get on with her?” He asked them teasingly.

“That would be the first rule for single fathering” Sung Gyu informed him, which earned a giggle from Eunji and Junhyung rolled his eyes. “You two are impossible…” A moment later, “Serious talk though, Is it important that I get a baby sitter?”

“I advise you do” Sung Gyu said, again in the same serious tone. “As it happens, it has its own benefits” And Eunji, at that moment was gazing at him ever so lovingly as if everything he said made great deal of sense. Sung Gyu looked into her eyes, and then at her lips. His face burned at the embarrassment of even contemplating him kissing her hard, right then and there.

“Ugh you two are seriously impossible” Junhyung groaned and buried his face in his hands. Sung Gyu chuckled, Eunji squeezed his hand under the table in response. Sung Gyu wanted to kiss her still. He wondered if he could steal a quick one off her lips while Junhyung had a battle with his own emotions. But then, before he could even execute it, he peeled his hands off his face. “Right. Fine. I want to see how Hanbyul is doing”

Hanbyul, as it turned out, was having the time of his life. They could hear the sound of the kids’ laughter even to the foot of the staircase and Eunji advised them not to interrupt them but check what they’re doing as quietly as possible. As it happened, children were like test subjects of a wildlife behavioral analyses. They tend to act different when the observers were around. Anyway, when Junhyung and Sung Gyu crept their way up the stairs, as quietly as possible as if they were going up to catch some potential criminals, they took note of an extra pair of voices, and Sung Gyu could almost imagine what could be possibly going on. The thought brought a smile upon his lips, and sure enough, yes, the twins had joined their play date from the window of the neighboring house, and they were happily throwing paper planes through each other’s windows. Sung Jae was giving a commentary on each other’s flights, sounding like an aircraft operator or something, while Hanbyul and Seojoon enthusiastically threw paper planes at one another. Mijoon on the other hand was happily collecting the paper planes and delivering them to her brother. The cycle continued.

“Wait…is that?” Junhyung started, but Sung Gyu silenced him, nudging his ribs in response. “Ssh, let them be. Come on” He whispered to him and dragged him back downstairs.

“So, how are the kids?” Eunji asked once they arrived back at the kitchen. Junhyung for once looked genuinely pleased as he smiled. “Hanbyulie…he-well, I have never heard him laugh like that before”

“He’d be fine” Sung Gyu said and patted on his arm upon witnessing the glassy sheen in his eyes. “He just needs a little time, is all”

Later that night, after Junhyung and Hanbyul left and Sung Jae was sent to bed, Eunji demanded that he took her to bed with him, which he did albeit gently, quietly and lovingly. Deep into that night he found himself lazily kissing along the side of her head, his hands caressing her shoulders and her waist. Her breathe was even as she leaned her back against his bare chest, her fingers playing a butterfly dance on his skin. Sung Gyu was deep in his thoughts. His mind was somewhere far away, as conscious as he was of her. At some point, she breathed deeply against his neck, and he kissed her, warm, languid and long. He pulled away from her, just a threadbare of a distance between them and he muttered onto her lips everything that’s been running in his mind the past few minutes. “Would you name our baby the first syllable of your name?”

It took a moment for het to grasp the sense of his question, and when she did, she pulled him towards her and kissed him more. “Why are you asking me this?” She wanted to know.

He thought about it for a moment and his lips. “You already know, Eunji” He told her.

She hummed, she only hummed as if there was not a yes or no answer for his question. Sung Gyu didn’t prod anymore on the topic, allowing the silence to dominate them instead. Regardless, the question had ghosted his mind for far too long not to be voiced out. He knew, if he ever married her (and which he would, by the way) that also meant she was taking the motherhood of a child whom initially wasn’t her own. As much as Sung Jae would take his time to refer to her as his mother, she would feel the same in return. And what he personally felt the solution would be was to have a child of their own. Sung Jae was almost ten now. He was indeed responsible, understanding and yes, he was ready for a little brother or a sister. It sometimes appeared obvious in his way through most things with his younger friends involved. The question was, however, was Eunji ready to have a child? Would she be, if they got married at the end of this all?

She did give him his answer just as she was about to leave. That evening, before she’d come to his place, she had had to do their photoshoot for the wedding. Sung Gyu tried not to think too much about it. After all, he would soon get his chance as well. She couldn’t stay over, so he helped her into her clothes and saw her to the door. That was the furthest he could possibly accompany her on that day, and Eunji insisted that was all he should, as to not to leave the sleeping child alone at home. As they waited for her taxi to arrive, she put her arms around his waist and kissed him on his chest for a moment too long. “Are you okay?” He asked her and kissed her on her head. She hummed in response, burying herself further against him. “Eunwoo for a boy, Eunhye for a girl” she said, her voice small and muffled into him.

Sung Gyu thought he wasn’t hearing her clearly so he pulled her away from him. “Hm? What was that?”

“Eunwoo for a boy and Eunhye for a girl…does it sound good to you?”

Sung Gyu stared at Eunji for a moment, his heart heavy and his mind so light, wondering if he could possibly love her even more than he already did. “Oh sweetheart…” He muttered, pulled her closer to him and kissed her on her head. “It sounds perfect to me”

And when she left him behind that night, carrying the promise of seeing him again, he had walked back into the comfort of his bed which still smelled so much like her; sweet strawberry and a tinge of forever in it. He breathed it in and laid his head on the pillow he shared with her, and he smiled. The clocks had struck twelve just a moment ago, welcoming the dawn of another day. ‘four more days to go’ he reminded himself, as always before he drifted off to sleep.

*

“Four more days to go” Eunji muttered to herself as she got out of her makeshift bed that morning, waking up upon being greeted by the warm sunrays seeping through the windows. It was almost like a routine, this countdown every morning and night, and as the day drew closer and closer, the more agitated she felt. She knew that things were certainly going to change. Sung Gyu had a plan, just something he refused to divulge in her. Whenever she would ask, he wouldn’t go any further than telling her hat he was going to keep his promise, and at this point she was almost convinced that he was going to do something completely unexpected that could possibly land him in jail. (Otherwise what could there be to it to hide so much?) Regardless, she went through her days, went through her pre planning just as Sung Gyu had asked her to. Today, she’d be buying the groom gifts for the gift exchange that would take place the day before the wedding, and after work she was going to fetch their hanboks prepared for the wedding. If anything, she felt as if they were tossing money away on things that didn’t even matter anymore.

Howon’s mother was getting better hence also getting better at making her life a living hell. She always had a reason to; some totally insensible primitive reason which, this time around, was completely related to the impending wedding which she didn’t even intend to be a part of. She demanded that she was taken to the venue to have a look at, and she had thousand different complaints just about anything and everything about it. There were million different bad things to say about the catering, the flowers, the guests and all of this while having to fly to Busan and then dealing with her emotional turmoil was literally driving her up the wall. The only comfort she had was that they had only four more days. Four days more, and everything was about to change.

Eunji went to work that morning and went through the day with exhaustion induced stupor. The school was giving her hell, what with the year end preparations and whatnot which she didn’t even want to be involved with. After school she went out with Eunmi for the purchases for the gift exchange. As she was supposed to buy house hold items, Eunji and her sister did lazy rounds2 around the department store and bought what they thought were essential. Somewhere in that time, the two were taking a break over some coffee and scones, and Eunmi asked her, a knowing smile on her lips;

“Shouldn’t you be buying gifts for Sung Gyu’s family as well?”

The insinuation made her cheeks burn, yet, it was true. Whatever Sung Gyu had planned, the end result would be them getting married, and whenever or however it would happen, she would have to do everything she’d been doing for the past few days once all over again, but with a happier mind.

Howon and his mother was already there when they went to the Hanbok rentals, his mother already in a traditional blue one while Howon uncomfortably stood by her, listening to her complaints. Eunji greeted him, albeit briefly and didn’t wait to listen to whatever his mother had to tell her. She already knew she was cross with her for the somewhat modern styled Hanboks Eunji had requested for Howon and her. She supposed it didn’t matter anymore. The post wedding ceremony probably wouldn’t even happen anyway, and they’d be throwing money at something which wouldn’t even come into use. As bad as she felt for Howon, upon scrutinizing his stricken expression, it almost looked as if he’d rather run away than getting married, in that Hanbok at that. Eunji was accompanied by her sister and they were in a mutual agreement to not to show Howon’s mother the one they’ve already selected but go out in one that they assumed she’d approve, just so they could save themselves an earful. And it worked, since all the old woman had to say was that she didn’t look good in red, which she obviously couldn’t help as she was supposed to wear red whether the woman liked it or not.

The day ended with all of them going out for dinner. Eunji hadn’t much to share with Howon, but they talked, just for the sake of it and pretended to be concerned by his mother although she hardly felt a thing for her. She did, though, indeed feel sorry for Howon. He appeared as if the wedding had drained life out of him. If he decided to run away from the wedding on the day itself, she wouldn’t blame him. He sure did look as if he’d skip on it altogether, yet with his mother, he was trapped in a situation he just simply didn’t want to be in.

She was relieved as the day came to an end. Howon drove Eunmi off to her place and the three of them made their way back home, the quietness in the car so deafening as if none of them were alive. As soon as they returned home, Howon returned to work to catch up on everything he missed out on during the day. He had a couple of serious cases running and he simply couldn’t afford to be off work. She realized it was taking a toll on him too. Eunji sure did hope all of this ridiculousness could end soon enough. He was going crazy, his mother was driving both of them insane, and worse of all, everything they did was just a candid dance, a heap of pretense, a futile attempt to make something work, knowing it fully well that it wouldn’t.

That night too, she went to sleep with Sung Gyu’s sweet voice filling her ears. There were nights when they both had the time to talk, and then there were nights she could only afford a simple voice mail from him, one that said that he loved her, and she’d repeat it in her ears and her mind until its soothing tone and warmth sent her drifting off to sleep. That night, it was of the former kind. She spoke to him, as Howon wasn’t there to catch her infidelity and as his mother was so exhausted that she’d gone to sleep early. She let him mutter sweet nothings to her, she told him about her day. He made her laugh, giggle quietly under the quilt lest Howon’s mother would hear, and she made him hum slowly, whisper softly and tell her everything that she desired to hear. She didn’t feel the time pass, it was almost as if the world had moved on as the two of them took on their own languid pace. She didn’t realize she’d been on the phone for too long until his voice grew slurry and sleepy. He fell asleep even before she could greet him goodnight, and for a long time, she could hear his soft, even breathing on the other end. She imagined him sleeping, curled under the duvet, snuggled warmly in its heat like a child. She thought about the day when she’d finally be able to wake up to it every single day of her life. When she glanced over at the clock, it was past twelve in the night. Another day has arrived. Three more days to go.

*

Day three passed by almost too soon, and so did day two, as it happened, which brought them to…

*

With just one day remaining before the big day, Sung Gyu found himself strolling alone in Myeongdong, waiting for Woohyun to arrive. It was early in the evening; and the usual hustle and bustle of the shopping district, even in this weather, kept him in company. He walked along, reveling in the pleasure of being lost among a swarm of strangers, lost in his own world. Just one day, he had just one day to go, and it was like skipping over a hurdle; a massive, slightly questionable hurdle at that, and then everything was going to be fine.

He and Woohyun was supposed to be dealing with the last missing detail of the plan. He hadn’t gone ahead with it for two reasons. One was that he wasn’t certain, until the end of that time, how exactly what they’d planned on, was going to work out. He was confident, only because he had to be, but a part of him was dubious, horrified, even. It wasn’t that it would eventually lead him to jail or anything. But he was certainly going to break so many hearts, and he hated to be the one doing it. The other reason was that, well, despite his age and experience (or lack of, in this case) he didn’t think he had a great taste in this sort of…selections. The last thing he wanted to end up doing was getting one that would make him regret for the rest of their lives.

Woohyun was at the end of the street, by the entrance of the subway, waving a hand in his direction. He was dressed warmly for the evening, and his face was glowing, definitely having gained a bit in the happiness of his married life. Sung Gyu greeted him with a quick embrace, and Woohyun led him along down the same way he came. There weren’t many places where they could buy what they were searching for. He supposed the main point of the evening was to catch up on the things they’d certainly missed out on, the best friends outing that they much needed. They discussed just about anything under the sun, and Sung Gyu confided in him on everything that he needed clarifications in. After all, out of the two of them Woohyun probably knew Eunji a lot more than he did, and he had to accept that. Other than the fact that he would have to take her dog into his immaculate home, everything else pretty much tallied with him, and he didn’t really mind. Through their talks and the stretch of the evening, Sung Gyu and Woohyun finally made it to a shopping complex where Woohyun led him to exactly where he wanted to go, the highlight of the meeting.

The brilliant white light reflected in by the glass walls were blinding them, and it took him a while to adjust his eyes to the intense glow. There were lines and lines of glass cabinets, gold and silver pieces of all sorts magnificently out on display. It was safe to admit that it was his first time in a jewelry store. He hadn’t ever really had the need or a purpose to visit any, and he was duly amazed by the varieties that he was supposed to choose from. A pleasant young girl jovially asked for their inquiries and soon led them across the store towards a massive and glossy glass display of hundreds of designs of wedding rings. Behind the cabinet was a young man in a suit, his smile as brilliant as the gold in the glass display.

It wasn’t exactly a fun feat, choosing a wedding band. He had initially wanted to go for a custom made, but then he was pressing of time as they needed at least two weeks of an advanced order, so it was out of question. Then the two of them were presented with dozens of arrays of gold, silver and platinum wedding bands, organized methodically in velvet display trays. Each ring was different, unique with intricate and exquisite details; some were adorned with splendidly carved stones of various colors, and the rest with such beautiful and utterly meticulous designs that it was making it quite impossible for him to choose from. He wanted it to carry deep meaning, something special, something unique, something which had a story to tell. Woohyun would point at particulars time to time, but for a long while, Sung Gyu could find none that caught his attention. However, after much careful and timeless searching, his eyes fell upon exactly the one which he was looking for. It was simple, if anything, yet there was something about it that made him feel as if carried great meaning; for him, at least. Woohyun didn’t seem to understand when he tried to explain. He didn’t think it carried the semblance of a brilliant star in the night sky and Sung Gyu didn’t blame him anyway. The story about the stars, the love heart, the constellation; they were all going to be tales that Sung Gyu would never share but cherish his entire life. It was a little secret of their own, and the ring would be the symbol of it all.

Later that night, the ring securely weighing in his hand, Sung Gyu and Woohyun had their last round of drinks before Sung Gyu would most probably put an end to being an eternal bachelor. It could have been celebratory, if they would put it that way. But in the warm and cheerful atmosphere of the bar, Sung Gyu felt much carefree, the weight of the upcoming events in his life momentarily filtered away. They didn’t talk about the next day, or about Eunji, or Howon or anything vaguely related. Instead, for the first time in his life, Sung Gyu was bonding with Woohyun over the perks of parenthood. And Sung Gyu himself found it fascinating to hear the feat of pregnancy, something he himself hadn’t experienced despite being a parent. Bomi had constant mood swings, as it happened. And it could even go to the extent where she’d lose her temper and even slam a door on his face. But Sung Gyu could see the pleasure and happiness inflicted in his face as he spoke of her. It wasn’t easy, Woohyun told him, and it was especially difficult for her as she carried the weight, not only physically but also in her heart. Sung Gyu tried to not think too much about it, lest he would slip off to the unchartered waters. He had moved on from that point a long time ago. Fatherhood had come to him in unlikely circumstances, and he had come a long way since then. He was yet to experience pregnancy, still, and though it made him blush intensely at the thought of it, he’d willingly take up that challenge one day, and he’d protect her with everything he had.

That night, he returned home with a slight buzz in his head, yet light as a feather on his feet. He had thought he wasn’t ready, and his nerves were trembling at the thought of what the next day beheld. As the day progressed, however, his confidence grew, and he nurtured through it. Towards the end of the day, even as the occasion drew closer and closer, he became more and more confident, all until he couldn’t wait for the time to lapse.

His mother was already in by the time he returned home. He didn’t remember inviting her over, not that he minded anyway. It was a comfort to have his parents around, to talk and calm his nerves before the big day. His parents promised to stay at his place and take care of Sung Jae while he travelled to Busan for a night. He had initially planned to take the child with him, but then again, he didn’t want to have Sung Jae involved too much in his adult affairs. Sung Jae was finally getting the mother he deserved, and that, he supposed, was as far as he needed to know. He wasn’t certain of how things would turn out to be. In case he wanted comfort, probably in a situation he returned home on the verge of bawling his eyes out, he needed his mother awaiting him. Yet he also knew she wanted to be there, for more reasons than one.

She prepared a suit for him. He had pleaded in the beginning that it wasn’t going to be much, and he probably didn’t even need that anyway. He hadn’t planned on being there in a suit. In any case, it would look like he’d come with another purpose in hand if he did. His mother insisted he wore a suit still, and he had to try everything that he could possibly do to convince her, and in the end, he did. Sung Gyu then pulled out a black turtleneck and a tan cashmere jacket, a get up, he reckoned, suited a man to steal the show. He didn’t want to overdo it either way, but he agreed, reluctantly so when his mother insisted he pinned a flower on his coat. It wasn’t going to be much use anyway.

He packed a day bag, just in case, although he hadn’t the plan to stay overnight. He was taking the train to Busan early in the morning the next day and he hadn’t really had the time to prepare. His mother prepared dinner for them while his father and Sung Jae hung out in the kitchen, taking in hushed whispers about something or the other, of which he definitely wasn’t a part of. He had talked to Sung Jae, yet again, about ow exactly he felt about the new arrangement. Not everything is exactly planned; but the end result was going to be the same either way. Sung Jae was hesitant in the very beginning. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Eunji, certainly so. It was only that he was a little dubious of having a mother. His idea of a mother had changed completely since his real mother came into his life, and it appeared as if he wasn’t entirely ready to have yet another in his life. But he made it a point to claim that yes, he liked ‘babysitter’very much, and that he really would love to have her living with them. And Sung Gyu in return had to point out that she wasn’t going to be his baby sitter anymore, and really hoped that Sung Jae himself would find a way to cope with this new change. In any case, he had both his parents to ease him into this new life. And Sung Jae was happy about it. He was delighted, and there wasn’t anything to worry so much in that sense.

He had quite an eventful dinner with his parents, with Sung Jae dominating the conversations and the three adults laughing and responding to his cute antics. He was turning ten soon, and as soon as he passed that age, his teens and puberty would come along quicker than he could blink. Sung Gyu realized that, for this process he needed to have a mother by his side. For now, Sung Jae still was the cute and bubbly little boy that he had always been.

After Sung Jae went to bed, his parents wanted to talk to him. They’d done much talking recently, and he had to assure them that he knew what he was doing quite a dozen of times. It wasn’t that they were convinced. Rather, they were just worried sick if their only son would end up with yet another heart break. But Sung Gyu knew better of himself now. There’s never been any other woman in his life for whom he’d felt so strongly for. Eunji made him stronger, yet again weaker at the very same time. She protected him, and he also had an intense sense of protectiveness over her. It was like a dance, their relationship, and he was happy, incredibly so, by how it was playing out for them. Things would change, he promised his parents as they both held him in a long, warm embrace. Things would change for the best, and they would all be happy. All would fall into place.

That night he went into a brief but comforting sleep, but not forgetting to call Eunji before he did. They were already in Busan, as it happened, where they’ve done the gift exchanges and finally meeting her mother and all that. They couldn’t speak for long as she and Howon were in a hotel together. He’d gone to sleep early, and she was out in the balcony, speaking to him in a low voice in the chilly oceanic wind. Their conversation was brief, but he didn’t forget to mention to her that he loved her and that things were about to change. She hummed, she remained quiet in so many occasions than one, and unbeknownst to him he’d drifted off to sleep, as he had in many of his nightly conversations. He never got around to apologize to her for doing this, and never had she brought it up herself. Little did he know that she too, from the other end of the line drifted off to sleep at the sound of his gentle breath.

*

D-day came a lot sooner than she expected it would. Soon, she was in the sunny coastline of Busan, in a small wedding reception in an even smaller and cramped dressing room, clad in a rented wedding dress, her hair being dealt with and wearing the most unenthusiastic face a girl could ever sport on her wedding day. She had met her mother the previous day, and though she’d imagined she would have changed one bit, no she hasn’t. But it was quite an emotional reunion as she was crying so hard as she was learning only then that her youngest was tying the knot. But that was as far as her sentiments went before she launched into diverting the conversations to revolve around her, and wedding talks pretty much died in that point. So did even a single iota of affection that she had for her mother. She supposed that was one of the many reasons why she hated even coming here. She was surprised to meet the rest of Howon’s relatives. Not many people were there from his mother’s side and even those who did come were from poor circumstances that they were adamant to take part in the occasion (or his mother’s smugness drove them away). Those from his father’s side were supportive, loving and understanding. Certain of his aunts even went to the extent of muttering in her ears their blessings for her future with an absolutely insane woman for a mother in law. And everything else went by in a flash. She wasn’t certain she even kept track on them, and eventually, here she was, dressed up and ready to get hitched.

Howon opened the door to the cramped dressing room, already clad in his suit and his hands in glowing white gloves. He didn’t look any better if she was to be honest. It was as if they were both being forced into something they both didn’t want to be in. Yet, he greeted her with a smile, she greeted back and took her leave from the dressing room after one last touch on her hair. She didn’t deem they should care much anyway. Sung Gyu had planned…something, and although she didn’t know what exactly it was, she was pretty sure there won’t be anyone getting married on this fine day.

Howon led her to the narrow hall where they were to do the photoshoot. Both their mothers were already inside, prepared to get it done and over with. Howon’s mother’s Hanbok was a lot elegant and expensive compared to her own mother’s and it was obvious, given that they hadn’t exactly the time to purchase for both and follow the traditions as they should. But her mother didn’t really mind. She didn’t seem like she was paying attention to anything anyway. More often than not she’d mutter something or the other about her dozens of pets left at home, and whenever this happened Eunji would acutely ignore; she wanted the whole thing to be done and over with as much as her mother did. Her mother and Eunmi posed for the photograph together, but it appeared the bridge between the two had certainly burnt and ceased to exist. They were followed by one with Eunmi, Woohyun, Bomi, Boohyun and little Yeri. And then they were done with the photos. Eunji glanced over at the clock hung ahead of them in the narrow hallway. It was almost time for the ceremony, but still not a word from Sung Gyu.

As she approached the massive front doors to the reception hall, Howon joined her. His face was stoic, unreadable, but when he realized that her eyes were set on him, he soon morphed into a smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes and squeezed her hand. It was obvious that they were both trying their best to appear excited, but it was inevitable; they were both anxious as they were, apprehended by the possibilities which were still beyond their reach. As music started playing inside the hall, Eunji’s heart jumped to . She looked around the hallway surreptitiously for any sign of Sung Gyu, but she couldn’t find any, not a spec of a person that she knew, except for the staff of the reception who watched them with barely interested eyes. The doors opened soon and music started playing as they made a step ahead, both of them almost in sync. The crowd gathered for the reception wasn’t much. There were about forty at most but she could have been wrong. In a haste, she scanned the crowd from where she stood, hand in hand with her husband-to-be. Dozens of faces, known and unknown to her were staring at them, watching them with great interest. There was Bomi, recording the entire event on her phone and she waved quickly when Eunji met her eyes. Eunmi was up in the front, eyes brimmed with tears and her mum, mild fascination clouding her usually bland features. Howon’s mother hadn’t even bothered to spare a glance, looking up ahead, a wisp of darkish grey hair nastily done and her scalp visible underneath. Woohyun was up at the podium, as promised, taking his role as the emcee for the day by heart. She smiled gleefully at the gathering, and then even wider upon meeting her eyes. The music went down the slightest in order to give way for Woohyun’s charming, silken voice. It echoed throughout the hall as he announced the arrival of the bride and the groom. Howon’s arm tightened around hers, and by the corner of his mouth, he asked her “Are you ready?”

Eunji nodded and they make their way down the carpet laid before them, taking each step careful and slow. As they did, she smiled the brightest although her face remained covered behind the obscure net. Howon was close to her, and soon he was speaking to her, still maintaining his smile. To the others it appeared to them as if he was happily muttering sweet nothing in her ears. But with what she was hearing from him, she wondered if she could even keep her face straight. It was with much effort that she didn’t stop walking, and her face was hard, smiling so phonily despite the nerves wracking inside her. “Eunji, things wouldn’t be exactly as planned” He told her, and they still had a long way down the carpet. “This is probably not the right time to break it to you, but I’m going to break off the engagement”

It took everything of her to stop herself from looking at him. On the other hand, she was not so surprised. It was almost as if she saw it coming. She’s inclined to ask him what took him so long, but he beat it to her. “I will tell you. Later. Either way, it will happen, and Sung Gyu hyung is coming to get you”

She was engulfed by a rush of warmth and relief upon the mention of his name, and she tried her best to keep smiling, keep looking as if she was about to face what could be he most unexpected moment in her life. They were just two steps away from the altar, and Howon was still talking to her. “I’m sorry, this is the best we could do” He told her, on an end note, and she couldn’t stop herself when she muttered in response, looking over at him; “We?” Her face had perceptibly changed; she didn’t need to have a look in the mirror to tell as much as it was all reflected on Howon’s face. He didn’t seem angry or agitated, still. He was calm, poised, yet there was a great weight in his eyes. “Ssh, good luck” He whispered to her, the two stopped right before the altar, facing straight ahead and the ceremony proceedings began.

It was at the end of the vows that he launched the bomb. Howon was the first one to claim the vows, to say that he will, and Woohyun up on the podium and Woohyun who certainly knew whatever this plan was, was patiently watching as he waited to make the next announcement. But instead, Howon said that he will not. Nobody heard at first, nobody except for Woohyun, her and the one reading the vows, thus Howon repeated it, loudly and firmly that it echoed throughout the expanse of the hall, falling over the forty something of people gathered for the occasion; “I will not”

At least three dozens of people collectively gasped, and many more mobile phones raised in the air at the alert of an occasion that they deemed needed to be preserved. Eunji slowly raised the veil over her face, gaped at Howon in mock befuddlement and then glanced at Woohyun, who, despite his stricken expression was definitely enjoying the show.

“Howon” Hissed Howon’s mother from her seat. Howon glanced briefly at her, and then at the crowd, not one bit deterred by the thousands of cameras flashing in his eyes. “Mum, and everyone else. I understand that it’s too late to let you all know that I have decided not to go forth with this marriage”

Another set of collective gasps followed, and murmurs, buzzing louder and louder as if it was a hive of disturbed bees.

“But why?” Shouted a woman’s voice from the crowd, and whom it was, she couldn’t really tell. Along with her, so many voices followed, repeating the same question in different forms; it was vaguely like them being surrounded by a swarm of journalists; poking at the matter with a great enthusiasm in every way they could.

Howon reached for her, all of a sudden and she stiffened by the reaction. He urged her to face the crowd, so many faces which now seemed unfamiliar to her, so many expressions she couldn’t possibly decode. “I hope you wouldn’t understand it wrong. Eunji is lovely, she makes perfect company and I couldn’t imagine a better partner myself…” a moment of silence as the buzz quietened, and Howon met his mother’s eyes, disgruntled and full of rage. His hand dropped from her waist. “But as lovely as she is, I realized that I was not ready to take over this responsibility yet…I’m not ready to get married” He smiled as he said this, and Eunji was terrified to look in his mother’s eyes.

“What are you doing!?!” Hissed his mother in response. She was murderous, there was no question in that. And she was also clearly embarrassed, very much so, to have summoned a congregation to this special occasion only to have her son’s marriage called off…by the son himself. But Howon didn’t seem to be affected at all. He continued, as confidently and jovially as he could.

“Marriage is a big decision for me. And for a long time, I was pressured into it, to the point that I decided to get it over and done with. But it was after meeting Eunji and having decided to tie the knot with her, after much coercion at that, that I realized it was simply not something I could get done and over with. It was for life. And I didn’t want to put her into that place. I was emotionally detached from her, solely driven by the idea of getting it off my back, but it wasn’t fair for her. I don’t want her to spend her life with someone who thought it was something he could get away with. It was after considering so many things that I made this decision”

Another roll of buzzing, and Eunji took a step back, feeling as if she was about to collapse. The truth was, she certainly knew that something would happen on that day. Something. But she never in her life imagined that Howon would take one step ahead and exclaim to the whole congregation that he was marrying only so that he could stop the pressure he received from his mother. She never knew he’d have the confidence to do it, she didn’t think anyone did. But he was proving her wrong; Howon was a steady as steel, his voice overflowing with confidence, which she assumed he had accumulated over his time of being continuously detached from the world.

“What about Eunji then? Did you care for what she had to say?” Exclaimed a voice from Eunji’s side, and she was duly surprised. She hadn’t maintained her relationships with her extended family once she left to Seoul so many years ago, and she was surprised enough to have them accepted the invitation and being here. There weren’t so many of them, and she realized the one who had asked that question was one of her co-teachers, although the rest agreed in unison.

“Well…” Howon drawled, and this was the point where he smiled, he actually smiled and stole a glance at her direction. Someone gasped, another round of a buzz started, and behind her she could almost feel Woohyun whooping from the podium. “It’s safe to say that although I’m certainly not prepared to get married, she certainly is…”

“What?” Boomed a voice in the crowd.

“What the hell?” Did another.

“This whole thing is a bloody mess”

And someone from Howon’s side climbed up on their feet to leave the hall.

“I didn’t think I ever deserved her, not as much as he did. And Eunji too deserve so much of happiness that I can possibly give her-,”

“What’s he sputtering now?” Screamed the voice of an old woman. And some more agitated murmuring bounced off the walls of the closed confines. Eunji’s side was almost as embarrassed, keeping quiet, certain curious as most other gazed at her with mock sympathy. Eunji stared at the front door hopefully, waiting for it to burst open any moment now. She glanced over at Woohyun, quietly pleading him to somehow smoothen the mess. But he too was hopefully staring at the door, quiet as ever, all until the sound of the doors pulling open echoed inside the hall. It was soon followed by yet another round of gasps and exclaims of utter belief. Chairs stopped being dragged, people stopped raising from their seats midway. The phones raised in the air, pleased at the situation taking a turn, turned towards where the new interest of the crowd lied. Eunji immediately averted her attention to where the entire congregation had turned, and she held her breath.

Emerging from the doorway was him, Sung Gyu, charmingly making his way along the carped laid out before them, and much to the gathering’s curious eyes, carrying a bunch or red roses in his hands.

Eunji’s hands trembled as she raised them to cover , and she was acutely aware of all the scrutinizing glares, the murmurs, the loud and unimpressed comments, but she simply didn’t care anymore. Sung Gyu was there, just as he had assured her, looking as impeccable as ever and the promise of forever clutched in his hands.

Woohyun then finally took over the matter into his hands. Howon was by his side, smiling gleefully for the first time since forever, and both genuinely enjoying the turn of events. He said something or the other about waiting for the reception and the feast prepared for the guests. Not many people paid attention to him, certainly uninterested, agitated at the fact that they were invited to a wedding which didn’t happen, and the others were more interested in the moment unfolding before them, an unlikely yet enthralling circumstance.

Eunji took off in a run. She no longer cared for what happened around her, what sort of trouble she would be in at the eventuality of this all. She had waited for this moment for so, so long, a hope that’s been stewing inside her like a trajectory. As soon as she realized that her hopes and dreams had finally come true, Eunji lost all her good reasons. She picked up her skirt and the train of her veil, let her bouquet roll off onto the floor and ran straight into the arms of the man she loved.

“You came!” She squealed as soon as she found herself in Sung Gyu’s embrace. He hugged her back, intensely so that he simply swept her off her feet and twirled her around, the white taffeta of her skirt engulfing them in a massive silvery white cloud. “I promised you, didn’t I?” He replied, laughing as he set her back on her feet. It was a storm around them. Arms with unknown owners holding phones in their direction, certain leaving the hall with angry fits and certain others gathered in small circles, discussing what could be their next piece of gossip during breaks at work. They couldn’t hardly care less. Eunji heeded them no attention as she ran her hands around his neck, pulling him close to her. The rough folds of the paper graced her skin as he held the bouquet of roses behind her, and amidst the crowd of all dispositions he pulled her into a warm blissful kiss.

Woohyun cleared his throat onto the microphone, grabbing the attention of those who were left; the cameras didn’t move although the heads certainly did. Sung Gyu pulled away from her, further away yet his free hand rested around her waist.

“So here we have the pair off to be married soon!” Woohyun exclaimed, gesturing at the both of them. He didn’t get many impressed, enthused responses. There was quietness, and some complaining groans along with lots of conflicted stares. A couple of teenaged girls from Howon’s side squeaked, and the rest of the congregation stared at them, then back at Woohyun in distaste. Woohyun was still smiling, undeterred by their response, or in this case, the lack of it. Still smiling politely, he leaned towards the mic once more. “Everyone, like I said, the buffet will still be open for you to feast on, please do help yourselves and have a nice day!”

Another set of groans, whines and complains, a buzz of suddenly interested voices as the video recording still continued. Both Sung Gyu and Eunji watched as the wedding collapsed before it could even progress. Only a few stayed back to watch the rest of the eventful day, camera at a ready while the others filtered out of the hall towards the dining room. Howon and Woohyun finally stepped off the stage. Among the still remaining audience was Eunmi, Boohyun, Bomi and Eunji’s mother, and on the other side was Howon’s mother, sitting all by herself, looking as if her world collapsed.

Howon’s smile fell as he caught the sight of her. Eunji truly hoped that he had considered everything in his life before he made that decision. Despite how she felt towards her, Eunji certainly didn’t want the old woman to fall ill again. At this very moment, she was all Howon had. She and Sung Gyu and rest of his friends might be able to comfort him, but nobody was as close to him as she was. Howon’s mother was quietly crying. Her tears fell without a sound of a sob, rolling down her frail cheek and landing on the stiff material of her hanbok. Yet she could almost feel the sound of her breaking heart. After all, it was not entirely her fault, or anybody’s. That was just how Howon’s mother was, and there was probably someone out there who would be able to mesh and connect along with her. That just wasn’t Eunji. She’d had troubles with mothers herself that she didn’t think she could tolerate yet another. She truly hoped they could fix their broken ends soon.

“I’ll…catch up with you later” Howon said, turning away; but he before he could leave, Sung Gyu reached over and gave him a quick hug. “I hope all will be well” He muttered to him, and Howon patted on his back with a somewhat sad smile. “Congratulations hyung”

She could only smile in response as he moved away from them.

Once he’d gone away from them, Woohyun came over, squeezed Sung Gyu’s shoulder and winked at Eunji with a smile. “That didn’t go exactly as planned, did it?”

Sung Gyu looked around himself; the video recording feat had ended, and the crowd has finally begun to dissipate, chattering loudly amongst themselves and no longer battering an eye at those who previously piqued their interest. He pouted with a sigh. “Well, I thought it would be quite romantic and all”

Eunji gazed at him, traced every inch of him and it took her a moment to hit her; he’s finally hers.

“It didn’t go that bad” Woohyun assured and patted on his arm. “Anyway, Hyung. We’ll go and join the buffet, meet you there!”

And then quietly, hand in hand, Sung Gyu and Eunji watched as the last of the crowd in the hall filtered out the door. Afterwards, it was eerily quiet. They could hear the benevolent chatter of the other patrons echoing inside the empty hall, and the sound of their own breath was resonant in their ears. Sung Gyu took Eunji’s hand, she looked over at him and smiled. They weren’t alone. Not in a large room full of people, not in a place as empty as deserted as where they were standing right at that moment. A chapter had closed, they’ve turned a new leaf, and Eunji couldn’t wait to see how this new chapter would go on.

“Before I forget” Sung Gyu old her, then, turning around to face her. She gazed up at him, allowing her eyes to linger solely in his. They crinkled as he smiled, and soon he was gently pushing the bouquet into her hand. She stared down at the breathtaking bundle of red roses and baby’s breath smiling up at her, her fingers slowly graced the soft petals, smooth as baby skin, acutely aware of Sung Gyu’s eyes observing her. “I happened to realize that I’ve never given you flowers, Eunji” He told her, softly and his lips so close to her, his breath fanned her skin. “Hm? But you’ve given me more…” Eunji told him, moved up and left a lingering kiss on his lips. “You’ve given me your heart”

Sung Gyu smiled, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment,

but that didn’t stop him from returning the favor to her. He too, leaned down and kissed her more.

“I love you” he whispered to her.

“I love you more” She whispered onto his lips and slipped her free hand into the warm one of his. “Now come on, let’s get out of here”

The two of them made it down the empty corridors and then towards the cramped little dressing room where she could barely move around with her dress. They remained there, almost squashed between the cupboards, the dressing table and cloth liners, holding each other as if they couldn’t be any closer than they already were. Sung Gyu reached over and pushed the silken veil which kept falling onto her face, and Eunji put her hands around his neck. “So, what were you going to do, exactly?”

“Hm?” Sung Gyu raised his brows as his arms her up and down her waist.

“What you thought would have been romantic?” Eunji raised a brow herself and smiled lovingly at the way his ears turned red in embarrassment. “Oh…that”

“Well…”

“Yeah?”

“What was it?”

Sung Gyu brought one had up along her waist, cupping the side of her neck while the other pulled her closer to him. “It isn’t much” He muttered to her.

“I’m sure it meant a lot, still” She said encouragingly. And then, for a moment, he gazed into her eyes, that one hand on her neck slowly stoked her skin. She smiled at him, he smiled back and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “You wouldn’t want to know”

“Try me”

And he did, by pulling her against him, further into his embrace, tilting his head to a side and kissing her. His lips nipped and tugged onto her, prying hers apart, and she responded, fluttering her eyes close and running her hand up his chest, grasping his lapels and reveling in the utter bliss. A moment later, he slowly pulled away. She didn’t even realize that one of his hands had buried deep into the inside of his jacket. He moved and kissed her on her nose, which instinctively made her close her eyes. When she fluttered them open again, he was holding a little beige velvet box in his hand.

“Oh…oh” Eunji covered with both her hands. He snapped it open, the box; and the glow of the beautiful silver band welcomed her with a glint of a smile. “Oh god…”

“Do you like it?” Sung Gyu whispered, lovingly peering at her.

“Yes! It’s so pretty…and-,” She trailed off, unable to form another word, one that was coherent, in her mind. It was absolutely breathtaking. There was a small love heart, a diamond glowing in the middle like a little star, and as it caught the sun seeping through the parted windows, it shined vigorously like a quiet secret of their own. In her silence, Sung Gyu slowly reached out and tugged the ring off its casing. He placed the box on the dresser behind her, and the ring still between the tips of his fingers, he gazed at her.

“Well?” He started.

“Hmm?” Eunji responded, eyes welling up. She knew this would happen, one day that it certainly would. But she never thought she would be this so immensely happy on that day, to the point she couldn’t say a word through her trembling lips and her eyes filling with tears. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he carefully took her hand, and she chew her bottom lip to stop herself from breaking into tears.

“Eunji-ah…” He muttered gently, his thumb rubbed the back of her hand. “I know this is long overdue, I should have asked you sooner…but right now I think the time is perfect, and…and I…” He swallowed hard and met her eyes. “I love you, so, so much that words can’t describe…and I haven’t been the best, but I promise you, from now on, I would do anything to make you happy and give you everything you deserve…”

“Sung Gyu…” Eunji muttered, her voice breaking the slightest, and he smiled at her softly, his eyes glimmering in bliss.

“So Eunji…Will you marry me?”

Eunji brought her hand to her face, her fingers trembling incessantly, and dropped it to her side.

“Do you even have to ask?” She muttered in response.

“Shall I take it as a yes?” He grinned, and Eunji nodded vigorously in response.

He laughed softly as he averted his eyes onto the hand he held, and gently he slipped the ring on her finger. It caught the late morning sun, shining like a beacon, and seemed to hold thousand many stories, weighing on her hand like she held the world within it.

“It’s…it’s so pretty” She muttered, gazing down at the incessant shine on her hand, and then looked up at him. For a quiet moment, she traced every little detail of him. The way his eyes returned her gaze, long, beautiful and overwhelming of love, the way they caught the brilliant morning sun, the way his hair fell softly over his eyes, the shape of his lips, the light tint on his cheeks, his everything. It took a moment to occur to her that from now on, all of him was hers. This is what she was going to wake up to, every morning, this is what she’d drift off to sleep with. Every little detail of him would define her entire life, and she’d be inevitably a part of him as much as she was his own.

“Are you okay?” He asked her, and she didn’t even realize that her eyes were moist and there must have been a strange stance in the way she gazed at him. She nodded, and then before she could stop herself; “I love you, so, so much…”

Sung Gyu stared at her for a split of a moment. “Oh sweetheart” He muttered, moved towards her and brought her into his warm embrace. “I love you too…”

And he kissed her, for a long, long time. They didn’t realize the time ticking away. As the sun hid behind the thick grey clouds, taking away its shine, Sung Gyu and Eunji basked away in the bliss, the happiness they had always deserved. Sung Gyu propelled her backwards as he kissed her, parting her lips and exploring her, and her arms s around his neck threading through his hair and she hummed into his lips. There was a clutter as everything on the dresser fell away, her fingers curled against the edge of it, her other hand running down his chest, feeling him. His fingers had their own dance along her waist, ascending up her back, feeling her soft, warm skin.

And then, he helped her out of her wedding dress; so did the other things come off. It didn’t really matter anyway in the cramped old dressing room. They were quiet, gentle as their hearts still communicated everything that they were.

*

When they finally entered the dining room, it was bustling with people. Sung gyu had initially thought, judging by the way they reacted, that most of the wedding-goers would leave the premises, fuming on their feet for wasting their precious time. Now he could safely say that nobody missed out on a nice free meal. Beside Sung Gyu, Eunji stood quietly scanning the hall. She’d changed out of her wedding dress into something more casual, but her cheeks were red, eyes glassy for reasons he wouldn’t want to talk about. His hand was grasping hers, and as she looked through the hall, he gazed at her.

“Who are you looking for?” he asked her.

“Eunmi, my mum…Howon…” Eunji slowly listed out. And Sung Gyu wasn’t surprised that she was looking for him. Although she hadn’t really talked about it yet, he and Howon still had a bit of explaining to do.

By the corner of his eyes, Sung Gyu caught the sight of Howon, Woohyun and Bomi seated in a table together, chattering away. “Oh there they are!” Sung Gyu gestured over at them and proceeded to lead her towards them, but they were soon stopped by an unfamiliar voice calling Eunji’s name. Her hand tightened around his, and he felt a shift in their atmosphere. Sung Gyu glanced over at where her eyes were set, only to see Eunmi and a presumably Eunji’s mother, judging by her hanbok and similar features, making their way towards them.

“I don’t want to do this” Eunji muttered under her breath and Sung Gyu rubbed her hand with the pad of his thumb. “We’ll be okay” He assured to her, and this, somehow changed a bit of her clouded expression.

“Eunji-ah!” Exclaimed his mother in a voice of a person who’s forcing herself to be delighted to see someone. Then she looked over at Sung Gyu, slowed down and her smile fell. “Oh…”

Sung Gyu felt Eunji’s hand tighten around his own. She knew for a fact that she had a bad relationship with her mother, but to what extent, he could never tell. He had never seen her, never heard her talking much about her but malice, yet as he sensed that things were about to go awry, he intervened.

“Hello, I’m Kim Sung Gyu. You must be Eunji’s mother”

Eunji’s mother’s expression changed, she softened a bit and greeted back. “I’m very confused by what happened” She told him.

“Mum” Eunmi sighed. “I told you already…”

“Well, Eunmi-ah, I do not know faces, do I?”

“But you know the names” Eunmi said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t remember them” She replied nonchalantly, brushing her away, and Sung Gyu was beginning to understand why Eunji disliked her so much. Sung Gyu still maintained his smile, still holding hands with ever quiet Eunji. Her mother turned to face him. “Aren’t you very nice! I didn’t like the other one, he looked unpleasant and his mother is a bit-,” She raised a hand and stirred the air near her temple, a gesture which appeared to say that she was not right in the head. Sung Gyu wondered which mother she meant. And then she laughed, a loud, open mouthed, boisterous laughter, and Sung Gyu could only watch her uncomfortably.

“Mum!” Eunmi hissed once more.

“What?” Her mother glanced at her. “I’m only telling the truth” She turned back to Sung Gyu and touched his arm with a single finger, like he’d possibly contaminate her. “Anyway, you’re a dapper one, I like you!”

Sung Gyu chuckled softly and bowed his head. “Well, thank you” He didn’t think the complement made him feel any better about her. Still he remained, calm and poised, even as she reached over and touched Eunji’s cheek as she would touch carved marble. “Well done sweetie, you got a good one!” She told her as if Eunji just made a rare discovery, and she remained still and cold, the expression which clouded her face seemed to explain just how much she was holding in. In the end, she exploded, but not in the way Sung Gyu feared she would. “Come on, they’re waiting” She muttered to him, and dragged him away by his hand. But still Sung Gyu didn’t forget to greet her mother goodbye before he left.

As the two of them made their way towards the others, Sung Gyu rubbed Eunji’s hand with his thumb once more. “I met the parent according to tradition, I suppose” He told her softly, and she looked up to meet his eyes. “Don’t mind her…” and averting her eyes, she added; “You handled her pretty well”

“It was a strange encounter” Sung Gyu replied, smiling, and squeezed her hand. “And you too…you were amazing, as you’d always be”

He wanted to take it as lightly as possible, since Eunji had always been sensitive about her mother. Now he understood how, and he wasn’t sure what he should make of her behavior. He supposed it only came down to what he felt about his own. His mother had been with him through thick and thin. She’d been his greatest strength and he loved her immensely. He’d easily view any other mum in the same perspective that he did his own; the comparison was inevitable. There was a way that he felt about Howon’s, and now Eunji’s. He realized that the best way around this was to not to talk about it.

“Hey you two!” Woohyun greeted as soon as they approached the table. The atmosphere in their small circle was jovial, welcoming. Even Howon, who had now changed out of his suit, was in a mood a lot better than he’s been seen with the past couple of weeks. He greeted the two of them, raising his hand in the air. Bomi was sitting between them, sulking as she could only get drunk on measly mocktails. The three of them made room in the table for the two new comers.

“Where were you guys anyway?” Woohyun asked conversationally as he poured him a glass. Eunji had immediately fallen into a conversation with Bomi, who was complaining about her current predicament on alcohol restrictions, her listening attentively as if it was a grave matter. Sung Gyu shrugged, accepting the glass he was served. “Waiting for Eunji to change, and we met her mum and stuff”

“Took you long enough” Woohyun replied, looking at him suggestively over the rim of his glass, and Sung Gyu threw him a glare despite his burning ears.

“Anyway” Eunji jumped in once she had soothed the sulking Bomi beside her. “Howon, how is your mum?”

Sung Gyu glanced over at her, a tinge of worry in his heart. Still, Sung Gyu thought that her kindness and perseverance was absolutely remarkable. Even for hose who treated her the very worst, she’d always retaliate with kindly, compassionately, trying her best to be understanding and empathetic, a trait of her that he’d always found beautiful in her, like the rest of her existence was. He struggled his urge to reach over and squeeze her hand underneath the table. Not that he could, anyway. She was right across from him.

“She’s alright” Howon told them, gazed down at his glass for a moment and when everyone in the table fell silent, he looked up as if he just came to, and he chuckled awkwardly as if to dissipate the silence. “Seriously, she’d be okay, we’re alright”

Howon was the other one he was deeply concerned about. As much as he loved Eunji, Howon was someone that Sung Gyu genuinely cherished. True their relationship hadn’t been smooth in the beginning, with his being his senior and the flicker of frustration that he had had towards it. But still, Sung Gyu treasured him, not only as a colleague but also as a close friend. When he had talked to him that night, it was the very thought of possibly losing him which gnawed at him the most. But then, he spoke to him and everything changed.

“What…happens now?” Eunji asked him, her voice soft and careful as if she was walking on eggshells. Howon looked over at her, a reassuring smile donning his lips. “Honestly, I’ll be okay, Eunji. I’d live my life like I always did”

Eunji nodded, her lips and lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry” She muttered and Sung Gyu really couldn’t rip off his gaze from her. He fought the urge of reaching over the table and pulling her into a warm embrace.

“Eunji-ah, you don’t have to” Howon went on, patting her hand. Bomi gazed at her sympathetically, then reached over and squeezed her hand. “besides, you did hear what I said, right? I’m not…ready. Marriage is a big responsibility. I was standing on the edge with the decision, and I didn’t want to drag you along with me…” A moment of silence, and he added. “You deserve so much better than that”

“Like me” Sung Gyu said jokingly as he poured himself another glass, and he earned himself groans and rolling of eyes from those in the table.

“Is that…truly how you feel?” Eunji pushed on.

“Of course” Howon went on, the nonchalance in his tone seemed to confirm his response. “It’s like…well, I guess the only reason why I wanted to marry was to make mum feel better. She always…bringing it up, every occasion possible and it was more of a weight on my back that I desperately wanted to put away…”

“Oh…” Eunji went, sounding unconvinced. A moment, and; “I hope it’s not because of me and your…” she left it hanging there, but everyone in the table know what she was implying even with her not having to word it out for them. Howon shook his head in response. “To be honest, Eunji, I thought about a lot of things, and what I realized was that I was putting you in a bad place, just because I wanted to get it done with, you know. It felt like an obligation to me, rather than…”

Eunji remained silent, so did the entire table.

“It’s like-,” Howon sighed and took a large gulp of his drink. “I did like you, a lot. There’s nothing not to-,”

“Oh Howon…” Eunji muttered, and Howon held up a hand, stopping her. “But that changed a lot when the pressure of marriage came about. You get what I mean? I liked you, but not enough to settle down with you. And I simply got emotionally detached from you as soon as that pressure really got to me…”

Eunji nodded, still seemingly unconvinced. At this point, appearing quite helpless, Howon turned to face him. “Hyung, I think we should tell her” he said.

“What, tell me what?” Eunji perked up.

“It was Howon who wanted to break it off…” Sung Gyu told her, recalling the night that they met. That’s what Howon told him back then. That he didn’t want to go ahead with it, that he felt so pressured and agonized that marriage suddenly felt like a huge burden to him. Although he felt he liked Eunji in the beginning, it soon changed when his mother made it sound like an obligation to him. She was pressuring not only him, but Eunji as well. And he said that it was obvious that his mother would intervene in everything to do with their married life. It was inevitable. He couldn’t stop her. She was frail and old and Howon simply couldn’t bring himself to stand against her. If he would marry now, whether it was Eunji or somebody else, it was evident that they would be deeply unhappy.

And it was at that point that Sung Gyu had broken it to him, that he and Eunji were still so much in love, and he broke it to him as gently and nicely as possible. Sung Gyu had initially thought their friendship would be over at that point. But instead, Howon had reached out to him and said, “Then help me hyung. Take my place”

And thus the whole plan of him crashing the wedding came about.

“I don’t get it” Eunji went on, there was doubt still clouding her eyes. “If its something you both agreed on, why was it kept from me?”

“It’s simple” Said Howon. “You would have gotten too excited”

“And the whole thing wouldn’t go as planned” Sung Gyu added, and Eunji pouted in response. “I can keep a secret”

“I wanted to keep it from mum” Howon explained to her, making her pout deepen even more. “She’d have, you know, done something outrageous”

“Besides, its easier to break the news that way” Sung Gyu added helpfully. These were the things they considered as the two of them weighed their options. If Howon had gone and called off the wedding, it would look bad on Eunji even before he could explain things. The matter would have become messier, leaving no space for explanations, so although they’ve basically wasted a heap of money on a wedding which never happened, they’ve saved themselves a lot of trouble this way.

Howon nodded in agreement. “And now I feel…good. I feel better. I’ve explained to mum. She’s sad, but she’d be okay. I want to…be by myself for a bit. I don’t think there’s anyone who can deal with mum as much as I can…besides, I’m all she has”

The table fell quiet at this, as if everyone was contemplating his last statement. Sung Gyu took this moment to look around himself. Despite the events from earlier that day not going as planned, everyone seemed to be having a good time. He and Eunji had given them something good to talk about, and although there was no wedding, with the feast everyone was attending to, nothing much has gone to waste. Howon’s mother was no where in sight. Howon had told him earlier that she probably would be a lot upset than he imagined, so he’d fixed a way for her to spend time with their extended family instead. He wasn’t sure how that worked out. But as always, Sung Gyu held onto his positive thoughts. Things fall into place eventually. They always do. All he hoped for Howon to have is a better, happy and fulfilling life, and he was sure it was coming on his way.

“Anyway” Howon started in a much brighter tone this time, dragging Sung Gyu’s attention back to their small circle. “What about you guys? Hyung? Eunji?”

Sung Gyu gazed at Eunji, smiling as her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. She was happy still, the glimmer in her eyes said everything she wasn’t putting into words. She looked up, met his eyes, and they held their gaze for a long time.

“Come on, you two, quit it” Woohyun groaned, reaching across the table for a bottle of beer. “Get married already, we’ve had this going on for years now”

Howon chuckled, pouring himself another glassful, and Bomi laughed too, all before it turned into a pout and she stared at her half full glass of juice like it was offending her.

“I thought you guys have noticed already” Eunji suddenly piped up, and he took a moment to realize that their quiet, enigmatic exchange had ended a while ago.

“Noticed what?” Woohyun inquired, not looking up from his drink.

“This!” She exclaimed, holding her hand up. The little diamond heart glowed vigorously under the brilliant yellow lights, and it looked breathtaking on her slender finger, as if it was exactly where it belonged. Sung Gyu felt a flicker of warmth in his heart. It was something to with how genuinely happy she was, the way her eyes had so much of life, and how she seemed to have so much of energy than the past few days combined. He realized then, as everyone in the table flocked around her, gawking at the new wedding bad glimmering on her hand, that the one thing which made him the happiest after his little Sung Jae was making Eunji happy the way she deserved.

“This…this needs a toast” Woohyun said, his voice cutting into his thoughts. “Do you guys have any idea how much I, his best friend suffered with their drama? God, never again” Everyone laughed, and Sung Gyu shoved him away with a little too much force than he intended to.

“To a very happy ending!” Howon said, holding up his glass.

“A very happy ending!” Said Woohyun, and then looked over at Bomi who was huffing and twirling her glass around. “Sweetheart, you can still have a toast?”

“A juice” Bomi corrected him with a frown. Ï can have a juice” It didn’t seem like Bomi’s early pregnancy mood swings hadn’t changed much over the days. He glanced over at Eunji, the thoughts from their last nightly encounter still fresh in their minds. It was as if she had read his mind; her eyes were on him, cheeks a beautiful shade in embarrassment, but he was almost certain that at that very moment, the thoughts in their minds were almost the same.

Sung Gyu picked up his own glass at that point, so did Eunji. And the five of them together toasted for a very happy beginning of their own.

Sung Gyu stayed over in Busan for the day. He had checked into a hotel that morning anyway, and he didn’t think there was much of a point of returning as he had already paid for a single night. The hotel was a bit to the sea side. Howon had suggested that he enjoyed the early winter splendor of the coastline while he was there, and he had to agree, it was indeed a beautiful day.

Eunmi and her family returned to Busan the same day, except for Woohyun and Bomi who decided to stay over a night and enjoy the brief vacation while they could. Eunji hadn’t a place to stay in Busan anyway, despite it being her hometown, not that she had to, anyway. The two of them spent the entire day together, basking in the bliss of finally and officially coming together. Howon on the other hand left to spend the rest of the day with his family.

It's been ages since Sung Gyu last came to Busan, so he was amazed at how much the city had changed. Eunji took him around on a small tour, enjoyed street food, visited the most iconic attractions and as the evening approached, huddled in enough layers of clothes to keep them warm, the two of them strolled along the sandy beach. It wasn’t crowded, the waves were lingering and slow, kissing the shore in a gentle dance. The night was as bright as the day, hues of gold, red and lavender stained the sky from the horizon. Underneath, the silvery mass of the ocean remained. Hand in hand, they walked on, speaking sweet nothings to each other, recalling their days together. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride for them. With ups and downs and smooth, quiet flows, Sung Gyu couldn’t believe how long they’d taken to come to this point. Through that journey, however, they’ve grown. They’ve changed. He’d changed so much from whom he used to be. Two years ago, he couldn’t have even imagined having another woman in his life let alone marrying one. His life’s been too monotonous to let any sort of color seep into it, all until Eunji came along and opened the door to an all new life. Little did he know, on that fateful day two years ago, when he had accepted Woohyun’s offer as a mere favor o his best friend, that Jung Eunji would come along and change his whole life.

Life, he supposed, worked out in the strangest ways.

Later on that day, once they’ve returned to their hotel room, the first thing Sung Gyu did was calling his mum. It was Sung Jae who picked up the phone, and hearing his voice even was overwhelming for him at that point of time. They spoke a bit, Sung Jae told him how his day has been, his time with the twins and his grandmas encounter with the other Sung Jae which has been a rather hilarious affair. Then he wanted to talk to Eunji. Sung Gyu watched their quiet and prolonged exchange, warmth filling his heart. Once his mother came to the line, Eunji passed the phone back to him, and the first thing she asked the moment she heard his voice was; “What happened?”

His mother’s voice was calm, yet he could tell by instinct that she was exhilarated, waiting to jump into it once the opportunity comes. He smiled at his phone, although she couldn’t even see it, and told her; “Mum It’s safe to say that you can pull out that wedding journal now”

There was a sharp intake of breath, and sobs, tiny happy sobs which came one after the other without a word. “Oh mum…” he muttered, prodding the pillow in his lap with his fingers. “Mum don’t cry…”

“Oh Sung Gyu-ah…. I’m sorry” A sob “Oh my, I’m so happy…finally you’re-,”

“You saw it coming anyway” he said cheerfully, glancing over at Eunji who was watching him, and he smiled at her. “You had that great big journal prepared and everything”

“But still!” another sob followed, and she was talking off the phone. “Darling! It’s Sung Gyu! He’d finally proposed!”

Proposed. The word had a strange ring to it in his ears, a pleasant kind of a ringing, as if he had made the next greatest achievement in life. He gazed over at Eunji, who was gleefully returning it, and he thought, perhaps he has. “Sung Gyu-ah, you’re coming home tomorrow, right?” She asked once she returned to the phone.

“Yup. First thing in the morning”

“Then bring her along. It’s been so long since I last saw her…”

“She’d love to” Sung Gyu said, looked at her and saw her nodding as if she’d already agreed. “Mum do you want to talk to her?” Sung Gyu asked from the phone.

“Yes of course, sweetheart”

After passing the phone back to Eunji, Sung Gyu sat back, a bottle of chilled beer in one hand, the other propped up on the headrest of the plush sofa seat watching her. Eunji was serene and quiet and beautiful, even with a simple, every day task as answering the phone. He watched the way she nodded slowly and hummed and smiled with every word. She didn’t say much except for a quiet laugh and one worded answers he could barely hear. It was as if the two of them were sharing their own secrets. He recalled when she told him how she liked his mother so much. It occurred to him, then, that along with their marriage, Eunji would get herself the kind of a mother that she truly deserved. And that made him feel all the better. Finally, everything was falling into the rightful place.

“So?” Sung Gyu asked her once she put the phone away. They’ve had an early dinner at a seaside restaurant. Ut was cold out and they were dying to get in and warm up in each other’s arms. Now it seemed like the perfect time to take on from where they last stopped. His skin prickled warmly at the thought of her.

“Hm?” Eunji moved closer to him, turning to face him, her bare feet folded delicately upon the sofa seat. Sung Gyu took a deep sip of his chilled beer to calm his pounding nerves, and then she moved towards him and kissed her sweet and long on his lips. She tasted of booze and mint and something sweeter, and he reveled in the warmth of her engulfed in his arms. The lights in the room was dimmed dark enough for them to see and feel each other. He breathed her in, she muttered sweet nothings onto her lips, grasping them with a warm, boozy breath. She was undoing his shirt as he sat propping one hand against the headrest, his fingers in her hair while the other still held the forgotten bottle of beet with its neck, when his phone began to shrill on the coffee table once more. Eunji pulled away from him, her hand halfway down his bare chest.

“Let’s leave it” He told her breathlessly, but she shook her head.

“What if it’s your mum?” She asked him worriedly glancing at the phone.

“She wouldn’t” he shook his head.

“What if it’s Sung Jae?” Eunji went on, already picking up the phone, and Sung Gyu sighed, shaking his head and smiling. She was a stubborn girl, not that he minded, anyway. He’d love her all the same.

“It’s Woohyun” She announced, and Sung Gyu rolled his eyes, already moving to toss the phone away when she answered it.

There was Woohyun’s loud whiny voice coming from the other end, making a lengthy comment on one thing or the other. Eunji laughed rolled her eyes and urged him to go on. Then Sung Gyu watched her reactions. Her eyes widened, both her hands grasped the phone and soon she was smiling; a mixture of surprise and mild fascination. “Link it to me! Gosh, I never thought…yeah, yeah I will, sue thing” She muttered excitedly into the phone and cut off the line.

“What is it?” Sung Gyu asked her. Instead of replying, she kissed him softly on his lips and leaned her back into his chest, placing her legs along the length of the sofa. Then he watched as her fingers worked swiftly upon the screen of his phone. Soon she was led to a news site of some sort, and there it was, a video footage from that morning’s commotion. Looking at it now, it looked rather absurd, like it’s been picked straight out of a sappy weekend drama, but it was only a little more realistic with the crowd reacting exactly the way a crowd would react in such a situation. Eunji gasped, staring at the phone in surprise. “Ooh! Look I found it in a news site, we’re going to be famous!”

“It’s ridiculous” Sung Gyu commented, watching the video over her shoulder. “It looks like a weekend drama gone wrong”

Eunji laughed, replaying the same scene over and over again, that one occasion when he picked her up and swirled around on the isle. It felt romantic, heroic even, at that point when he did it. Now that he was watching it from a third eyes it seemed absolutely ridiculous. No wonder the wedding comers were totally fed up. If it was him, he would be too.

“Is this why Woohyun called? To tell us we’re embarrassing ourselves in a greater scale?” Sung Gyu told her.

She was barely paying attention as she looked the date up on Naver along with various possible key words, and sure enough there were a couple of blog articles written on their strange wedding encounter. In a country where weddings were hardly a great public interest, a drama-like ludicrousness certainly did catch the people’s eyes. He watched her as she went though various articles, watching the video of themselves taken from different angles. He was starting to lose his mind a bit. This was not what he wanted to do. If not for Woohyun calling at the wrong time, they’d have made love about two times in five different places by now. Instead, they were sitting and watching the same embarrassing forage over and over again. He made a mental note to thank Woohyun in a later time.

She was loudly reading the comments on one article when she suddenly paused, her voice lowered, and she was staring at the phone for a long time. “What’s up?” He asked, pushing her hair to a side to have a better look. He was not surprised to see a heap of malicious comments. What’s worse was that everyone, almost everyone was directing their hate towards her, making false accusations, the kind that need to be wiped straight off the internet and also those who made them need to be prosecuted. “Oh” she muttered, staring at a long, heartless comment in particular, and that was the point when he reached out and slowly took the phone away from her. “Let’s stop it here, okay?” he told her mildly, turned off his phone and placed it on the coffee table. And then, for a long time, they were contemplative and quiet.

“They still hate me, I didn’t do wrong” Eunji muttered a moment later. Sung Gyu knew the mean comments would soon lead her to doubt herself. He’d mentally prepared for it, even before the wedding happened. The world they lived in was full of hypocrisy and malice. He wished he and his little family could live their lives away from the world’s judgmental eyes. But they couldn’t, as they were a part of it themselves. Sung Gyu leaned into her shoulder and breathed deeply against her skin. “Eunji-ah…”

She remained quiet, and he put his arms around her; one over her chest, the other around her waist and he slowly rocked her, side to side. “It doesn’t matter whatever they say. They know nothing, they saw nothing beyond what happened today, and so anything they had to say about you or me is invalid. Do you get what I mean?”

She nodded slowly, and he kissed her neck. “You see, no matter what we do, the world always has something bad to say. It doesn’t matter to them whether it made someone upset, whether it broke their heart. It doesn’t matter what truly happened, or they intended it or not. The world always has something bad to say…But Eunji, the trick is to listen to ourselves, block out everything they tell you and listen to what your own heart and mind has to tell you…now,” he turned her the slightest so he could look at her better. “we’re happy with each other, aren’t we? We’re happy with whatever happened and whatever the out come we had. So it doesn’t matter, as long as we’re happy, it doesn’t matter at all” He kissed her again, from her ear and downwards, long lingering kisses along her neck and her shoulder, and she raised her hand, cupping the side of his face. “I’m so glad I have you” she told him, and he smiled against her skin. “So am I Eunji, so am I”

The next morning they took the first train home, back to Seoul. Sung Gyu’s parents were already waiting for them, all bright smiles and tears in their eyes. Sung Jae hugged his baby sitter and mother-soon-to-be in a gleeful hug, yet soon got embarrassed and moved away. The child was growing up fast. The next thing he’d know would be Sung Jae having a deep voice, and troubles in his young life. If it was two years ago, the very thought would have scared him, but now he had someone to support him, all throughout the rest of the journey of their lives. Sure enough, his mother had pulled out the journal, and soon he and his sister were arguing over menial wedding related things as his mother and Eunji watched them helplessly, an amused glint in Eunji’s eyes. His mother was delighted that she had straight ahead gone and contacted her wedding boutique friend. They were summoned to look at the packages and everything they had; when it was time to select the wedding dresses, Sung Gyu was surprised to see her coming out of the very same dress that they had modeled together with. Back then he wouldn’t have thought for the life of him that they would be coming here, a wedding of their own in hand. The recollections of their past almost brought tears to their eyes.

A month later, on a cold, cold winter morning, just a couple of days ahead of the Christmas day, Kim Sung Gyu married Jung Eunji. He wasn’t sure who was the happiest on that day. Eunji was glowing, so were his parents. Eunmi, for once, looked genuinely proud of her little sister. Her mother wasn’t there of course, promising to be there for the post ceremony, but Eunji had previously told him that she truly hoped she wouldn’t make it. It didn’t matter anyway, because everyone whom they wanted there were there for them watching them from the sidelines, every step of the way. And then there was Sung Jae, so happy and so loud and keeping everyone entertained; it was almost as if he was the star of the day. Sung Gyu was delighted that he was taking the new change in his life a lot better than Sung Gyu had imagined he would.

The wedding ceremony was held in a small but elegant wedding hall somewhere in Seoul. Both Sung Gyu and Eunji weren’t big fans of weddings anyway, and they didn’t want another set of malicious, judgmental eyes getting to have a say in the decisions they make in their lives. Only the closest were invited, which included their respective families and friends and work place colleagues. The hall wasn’t full to the brim, but that was good enough. They were happy.

That morning, Sung Gyu found himself surreptitiously watching her from the doorway of the dressing room as she watched herself on the mirror. She was beautiful, she’s always been. Her bangs were delicately fallen over her glimmering doe eyes, her lips a pale pink and her cheeks blushed, if it was the makeup or the cold, he couldn’t really tell. The one who dressed her had left her to herself to cam her jittery nerves before the ceremony started, and he too was letting her have her time as he had his own, watching her from behind, loving her even more. Finally, she climbed up on her feet, her dress a pearly white mass surrounding her. She turned towards the door, caught her watching him, and then gave him a long blissful smile.

“Ready?” He asked her, held out a hand in her direction, and she made her way towards him. “Ready” she said. And on they went.

After the photo session ended with much of a commotion with the kids from his previous agency, they finally made their way to the ceremony. The two of them were finally standing by the door to the hall, still closed shut, and entire congregation waiting inside for their arrival. Eunji took one last look at herself on a mirror wall in the corridor, urgently fixing her dress. “Do I look okay?”

“Beautiful” He said, smiled, and reached over to the headdress, crooked to a side by the weight of the veil. As he fixed it, she watched him with eyes filled of admiration and love, which he was certain she’d claim she couldn’t put into words. He gently moved away once the head dress was in place. “Perfect”

“Thank you” She muttered, gazing up at him. He returned it with a smile. And then there it was, finally the moment. The large planks of doors were pulled open, making their way into the hall. Sung Gyu held out his arm, Eunji’s hand held onto him without a moment of hesitation. He glanced down at her for one last time before he kissed her softly on her cheek.

“Alright?”

“Mmhm” She smiled.

And together, almost in sync with their feet and their hearts, the two of them finally made it down to the altar, turning an all new chapter in their lives.

*

Christmas came around a lot sooner than she imagined it would. It snowed heavily outside. She remembered someone mentioning it, that there would be a cold wave. Not that she minded, really. All the more a reason to stay in the bliss and warmth of her home, their home; Sung Gyu, Sung Jae and her.

The thought of them naturally brought a smile upon her lips, and warmth in her heart. It’s only been a couple of days since she moved in, but there wasn’t a semblance of unfamiliarity, as if she’d always, always belonged there. For the first time in her life, she was having meals with parents and a family, she was being a part of a whole new world. Her days were brighter, happier, and every night she went to sleep, looking forward for the next, and every morning she woke up for the adventures that the new day beheld. And today, on the Christmas day (which also marked a year since their first kiss, that she wouldn’t forget) so many things were already waiting for her. The previous night the three of the had decorated the house together. She and Sung Jae had spent an entire week preparing hand-made decorations for the Christmas tree. He really wanted to do it, although he found it so frustrating at many points than one. But Eunji took her place as his mother the best she could, walking him through every difficulty with much patience and kind words. He soon got hang of all the things he grew frustrated with, and by last night their house was glimmering with the brilliance of all the decorations they made by hand. Sung Gyu was delighted, he made them pose with them and took photos in every possible angle, posted them on every possible SNS available, and once Sung Jae’s gone to bed, he and her placed his Christmas gifts under the tree, sneaked back into their room, and he made love to her all night long.

And Sung gyu…the thought of Sung Gyu sent warmth and pure contentment coursing through her veins. There’s been not a day that he hadn’t been on her mind. She woke up to the sight of him, warmly snuggled under the duvet, sound asleep like child, a sight which always kept her from getting out of bed (and sometimes running late to work, as Sung Gyu himself went to work a little later than she did) and went to sleep, engulfed in his warmth, his breath fanning deliciously against her skin. Her life had changed so much with him beside her. The two of them pretty much made up her entire world now, and there was nothing, nothing which mattered to her anymore than her little family did.

The things which didn’t change were that she still worked in the school she worked at, and there was no way she could get a transfer until the end of the school year, which meant another nine months of long sweaty commutes in the subway. But fortunately Sung Gyu made a detour all the way to Gangnam to drop her off when work wasn’t urgent for him, and that saved her from so much trouble. Then there were her two dogs who were not so warmly welcomed into the house. He no longer climbed up on the tables to protect himself from possible dog attacks. Still, he was a bit vary of them, and she sure hoped he'd warm up to them, which he still hadn’t, although she’d assured to him they were most unlikely to attack him again. She still kept contact with Howon, they both did. Howon was happy, and he’d proved to them that he was. He travelled when he could, had a couple of relationships behind his mother’s back and experimented with new things in life. The other constant in her life was that, well, she seemed to be falling in love with Sung Gyu, more and more, every single day.

That, and, well-,

“Err…” came a familiar voice from behind her. She finally looked away from the kitchen window and towards the doorway where Sung Jae was standing, scratching his cute bed head, appearing lost. He was the next thing that hadn’t changed in her life. He and his natural habit of calling her baby sitter and finding it difficult to calling her anything else. Sung Gyu had made it a point to him that he started calling her mum now, albeit gently, they both easing him into his new life. But it wasn’t easy. He was a child, and everything that happened did happen so fast that it didn’t leave him much space to change himself. In the beginning he continued to call her baby sitter, and through time he dropped the use of the word entirely, now he addressed with nothing at all. She felt it, and she understood it. Sung Jae hadn’t exactly been fond if the idea of a mother that his own mother had given him, and naturally his brain was not ready to accept it. Time and gentle coercion. That’s what he needed the most.

“Good morning Jae, and a very merry Christmas!” She greeted him and kissed him on his head. “Washed up? Brushed your teeth?”

Sung Jae nodded obediently, and she patted on his hair. He’d grown a lot taller than she remembered. Now he was almost up to her shoulder. “So what shall we do for breakfast?” she asked him.

“Presents before breakfast” he said, a smug smile on his lips.

“Ah the priorities” Eunji replied.

“Did I miss opening the presents?” came another deep, groggy voice from the hallway, and she smiled, as always, that familiar warmth coursed through her whole being.

“Not if you have any” Eunji called from the kitchen. Sung Gyu walked inside, his hair in a mess, eyes narrowed as sleep hadn’t still entirely left. “Sure am not in the naughty list” he told her and ruffled Sung Jae’s head.

“Merry Christmas, Jae!”

“Merry Christmas, dad”

And to her with a sleepy smile, “Merry Christmas, Ji”

She held his gaze for a long, long time, and felt her heart burst like the fireworks on new year’s eve.

“So presents?” Sung Jae asked, interrupting their exchange, and soon they shifted into the living room, sitting under the Christmas tree. By the two large French windows, the dogs slept like two large rocks. Sung Gyu wouldn’t want them to wake up as they sure did know how to wind him up, his ears and all and every morning he nearly lost his patience. But not today, and it was almost as if they knew it, that they glanced up with no interest and fell back into their long sleep. Sung Gyu and Eunji, of course had exchanged their presents already. What was more important was to watch Sung Jae opening his own. Under the tree lied two large boxes. One from each parent. He squealed happily as he planted himself before them and Sung Gyu and Eunji sat on his either sides, watching him. He opened the biggest box first, which was a remote operated ship. He marveled at it with great interest, telling them both how they could try it out in the summer or if they happened to go on a trip someday. And then, Eunji watched with her heart in as he reached for the present from her.

He undid the wrapper carefully, and pulled out a large set of canvas, paint, brushes, and all the art supplies that he needed along with a complete guide to comic writing. It was a pleasure to watch as his face bloomed wit happiness. Sung Gyu met her eyes, soon filling with tears. So did hers, at that point. It was their first Christmas as a family of three after all.

“Oh! Oh!” Sung Jae mused as he took out each and every item, one after the other. “I could do so many things with these! I’ve been wanting art supplies for so long!” He opened the box of acrylic paint, ran his fingers gingerly along the tips of the brushes and leaved through the comic guide with fascinated eyes.

“So, do you like it?” Eunji asked him.

He didn’t even look at her, yet with his eyes still going through the things in hand, he exclaimed; “I like them so much, mum, thank you so much!”

She looked at Sung Gyu, Sung Gyu looked at her. She didn’t realize her tears have rolled down her cheeks until Sung Gyu surreptitiously reached over and wiped them away. It came so naturally, he didn’t even have to try. It’s like he’s been practicing in his mind all this time, and to know that he’d put that effort into it, for her…it took her everything to not reach over and hold him in her arms.

“So what do you have for us?” Eunji asked him, then, trying to avert her emotions before they could break through.

“Me?” He asked, pointing at himself and then made a thoughtful face. And then he smiled. “Nothing except for myself” He said cheekily and started to gather his things in his arms.

“Jae” Sung Gyu rolled his eyes, Sung Jae laughed and climbed up on his feet. “Dad are we going to see grandma and grandpa today?”

“Yup!” Sung Gyu nodded in response.

“Right!” Sung Jae balanced his presents in his hands. “We have to get there, and fast before the two meanies take my presents too”

Sung Gyu laughed and sent him on his way, yet once he was out of ear shot, his face morphed into something between pure contentment and amazement, as if he’d experienced the greatest phenomena of his life. And that could be it too, as she felt as if she just won the entire world.

“He called me mum” Eunji told him, her voice only a whisper lest she broke into tears. He gazed at her for a long, long time; his eyes carrying the universe, his smile a quiet promise of her own. “Eunji-ah, come here” he whispered in response, moved over the mess of ripped papers and clutter and brought her into his embrace.

“He finally called me mum, Sung Gyu” She muttered, now against his shoulder through her tears. “He really did”

“Ssh now, sweetheart, we knew that it would happen one day, didn’t we?” He asked her, soothingly rubbing her back.

She pulled away, only a hair thread of a distance lying between them.

“How?” She asked him, and he slowly rubbed his nose over hers. “Because, Eunji, he finally got the mother that he truly deserves” he replied.

Author's note.

With 985 pages and 595029 words, yet another story of mine comes to an end. Thsi story has been a roller coaster of a ride. I suppose everyone who's been with me through this journey would know, and it's bitter sweet to finally bring it to an end. Yet, as all the good things did, Life is Well has as well.

It was in 2015 September that that started writing this story. I was inspired by a dream. I still remember what I saw in the dream. Sung Gyu was a secret agent, he had a baby, and somehow he ends up leaving the baby with my dad and taking me along with him to god knows where (I don't know where as I remember waking up at that point) and that has somehow come a long way. This is simply the longest story I've ever written, and I grew with it. This is a story which hold so many stories of my own. In 2015, I entered university. and this year, the year this story came to an end, I am graduating. Funny how time could pass so fast.

During these three years, so many things happened. It's been a saviour for me for my most difficult days, brought so many precious people into my life, whom i love so dearly. It was also this story which kept me alive, and then it was this story which made my dream of finally seeing Sung Gyu come true. SO basically,  I owe three years of my life to this, and yes, to you too. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Last but not least, I want everyone to do a little favor for me. There is no pressure, really. Just something of a little collection I want to keep for myself. If possible, please let me know in anyway you like (comments, DM, anything) how this story has helped you through the past three years. I had shared with you a part of me, and for the last time I would like to hear a part of you, your side of this story, this journey of three years we shared together. It will be very, very important to me too.

I will continue to write. I can't promise how things would turn out to be in the next stories I write for you. But I would, as this is the only thing that gives me meaning, keeps me alive. See you in the next story!

Loads of love,

Achini.

Ps: I am planning to give you a bonus chapter too, so stay tuned!