I had never been so nervous in my entire life. Here I was, freshly 26 years old, standing in a wedding dress. No matter how much I disliked it, I was preparing to join with a former dickbag for the rest of my life. “Jay? You ready?” There was a slight knock on my dressing room door before it opened only slightly. A familiar head of blonde hair peeked in, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. I waved my hand frantically, motioning the girl to come inside before I started pacing. “Eonnie calm down, it’s going to be fine.”

“Fine? Amber.” I whined out her name a little bit as I clenched my fists, trying to refrain from tugging at my fancy curled hair. It was bad enough that I had to have my hair down, but curled as well? These people were trying to kill me. “Marriage is a big deal. We’ve only seen each other once since I’ve been back!” I finally threw myself onto a chair with a huff.

“Eonnie, you know I love you, right?” I nodded at her words. Amber had been my friend even before I’d moved back. Appa had hired her because he was reminded of myself, and connected us that way. She’s seriously one of the greatest people in my life. “This is good for you. Get out of your shell. Shed the image that wall of yours made in NYU. This is a real opportunity to grow and learn. Plus, he’s not that bad of a guy anymore. He’s actually helped out quite a bit.” I gave an annoyed groan, knowing that Amber was right. She was a wizard, swear to God.

“Fine. Let’s go get this thing over with, then.” I shook my head with a huff, standing up from the chair. Amber gave a final check of my dress, making sure everything was in order before she checked her own. I knew she felt uncomfortable, since she usually didn’t wear dresses, but we were in the same boat, there. Once all the checks were made we left the room behind and made our way to our waiting stations.

I think my soul must have left my body. I don’t remember my walk down the aisle, or the reciting of vows. I don’t even remember the ring exchange or kiss. I only came too when Hoseok led me out of the church and to the car that was waiting for us. I blinked a few times before opening the door, wondering just how in the world I had gotten there. “I noticed you spaced out. This must be a lot to handle.” There was a sad smile on his face, and for some reason I felt bad. We were legally husband and wife, now, and I’d actually zoned out while that happened. “Get in, Jay. We’ll get you calmed down before the party.” All I could do was nod at the considerate tone of his voice before I got into the front seat of the white car, making sure the mass of cloth that was my dress was completely in the vehicle.

He quickly got into the driver’s seat, and I rolled down my window to wave at those wishing us farewell. For some reason I found it hard to keep the smile on my face. I couldn’t explain it, since I hadn’t wanted to do this in the first place, but I truly felt horrible for spacing out for the entire ceremony. As soon as he started up the engine I rolled my window back up, and finally sent a shy glance his way. It was difficult to even look him in the eye, and I ended up staring at my lap. “I’m sorry, Hoseok-ssi. I don’t know what came over me to space out like that. I guess it is just a lot for me to handle.” Much to my surprise, the man grinned, reaching over to pat the hands I had clenched together tightly.

“It’s alright, really. I completely understand. You had an entirely different life only two weeks ago. You had friends, and school, and that kid who’s practically stuck to you.” I couldn’t help but snort out a laugh at the mention of Kookie. “You didn’t really tell me much about him during the dinner.” Ah. From the tone in his voice, I would have thought he was jealous, but I figured he was simply curious about my life before returning to Korea.

“Well...His name is Jeon Jungkook. He transferred to NYU at the beginning of my final year. My roommate was completely obsessed with him, so she dragged me around everywhere, trying to catch a peek.” I took a moment to laugh, shaking my head as I remembered just how much of a stalker Tara actually was. “Perhaps...Five months ago or so I had gone over to Chim’s apartment, for his birthday. I found out that they were living together. After I had left Korea, Jimin and Jungkook met in High School. They were practically inseparable.” I glanced over at the man I had to call ‘husband’, and he nodded for me to continue. “The three of us spent a lot of time together. It was usually when Tara was in class or working, since she was a bit obsessive. Then around three months ago Kookie and I...Well we just sort of started seeing each other. It was strange how it happened really. It was nothing big at first. We’d be at the apartment watching movies, and it was just natural for Kookie to hold my hand, or hide my face during the scary parts.” I bit down on my bottom lip slightly as memories from the past flooded my brain. It was still fresh for me, so it was a little difficult to talk about. “We never actually came out and said we were together. Actually we kept it a secret. For a very long time, to keep suspicion away, I pretended to date Jimin.” This time the both of us laughed, and since we were pulling into the parking lot for the venue, it was a nice note to end on.

It surprised me just how much of a gentleman Hoseok was. He rushed out of the car first to open my door for me, and even held my dress while I walked up the stairs so I didn’t trip. He accompanied me all the way to my dressing room, and waited outside of the door so I didn’t feel lonely. It was a bit hard to admit it to myself, since I’d been so against the marriage at first due to our past, but I guess Hoseok really was a good guy. Sure, he could have been doing all of that just because we were married, and he was trying to build up a good image for himself, but I didn’t sense that at all. He seemed truly genuine in his actions.

As I changed into a lighter dress made of lavender fabric, I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Amber was right. This was a good opportunity for me. It was time for me to grow up and let go of the past. I had to become the woman I’d always dreamed of. Of course, I knew it would probably take some time. Old habits died hard, but with Hoseok by my side, I actually felt like I could accomplish anything.

“Are you finished, Jay?” I jumped at the use of my nickname being called through the door, and I gave myself another once over. The dress was actually quite nice. It wasn’t too revealing, and it almost had an edgy feel to it. I was even able to pair it with some of my spiked bracelets and headband.

“Ah! Yes, I’m sorry! I’ll be right out, Hoseok-ssi!” I shouted my reply before I smoothed out the dress and slowly opened the door. He was still waiting for me in the hallway, leaning against the wall in his tuxedo. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting, go ahead and get changed now.” I tried my best to give him a smile, but he seemed stunned for a moment as he took in my outfit. I honestly didn’t know how to react. Was he mentally teasing me in his mind? I had always been a fat kid, but I tried my best to change that as I grew older. Even though I was still a little thick in some places, I honestly wasn’t that bad. I didn’t even think I was really bad looking. Appa always told me that I had a certain rough charm that reminded him of my mother.

“Hobi.” I blinked a bit, confused at the random word. It wasn’t one I’d heard before, or maybe I really had just forgotten a lot of Korean. “Call me Hobi, it’s my nickname, and it’s a little easier to say.” I blinked again before a smile tugged at my lips. He must have noticed that I had a hard time with longer words during our dinner the other night.

“Alright. Hobi it is.” I couldn’t help it, then. His grin was infectious. It sounds cheesy, but it was honestly like a ray of sunshine. He had one of those smiles that just made you happy, no matter what mood you had been in before. “Go on and get changed, Hobi-yah. I’ll wait here for you.” We parted ways after a quick bow, and I took his spot leaning against the wall. Amber and I would have to have a heart to heart sooner rather than later. I didn’t understand what was going on in my head. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I found myself already warming up to my new husband. Ever since the dinner, he hadn’t really given me a reason to be angry anymore. He’d even apologized for being such a in school. Could I really blame him for being a kid? Sure, he’d done some pretty horrible things, but peer pressure wasn’t easy to overcome. I knew that first hand. He’d been nothing but nice to me since my return, and I felt that being an wasn’t the right thing to do in the current situation.

Thankfully Hoseok didn’t take half as long as I had, and he re-entered the hallway with a grey sweater and khaki pants. I couldn’t help but snicker as he reached my side, and he raised his eyebrow at me. “You look like a six year old in daddy clothes.” I continued to giggle as I said it, and the male just rolled his eyes as he bumped his hip into mine.

“At least I don’t look like an angry cat who got thrown into a tub.” I faked a gasp, whipping my head around to see a bright, slightly infectious, grin.

“Rude, sir.” My smiled matched the one he wore, though, and it was a nice feeling to be smiling with my new husband as we walked down the stairs to join everyone in the banquet hall.

Amber was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, and Hobi let me go, allowing me to rush to her side. “Don’t get into too much trouble. Keep her in line, okay Amber?” He nudged the blonde in the ribs, and I had to fight to fake an angry face as he walked away.

“What’s this, now? Is that a smile I see? Is someone actually enjoying herself?” A hip bumped into mine, and like a child I stuck my tongue out at my friend. “Come on. Let’s go be proper hosts and greet people.” I let out a loud groan, but allowed the woman to take my arm and lead me into the banquet hall.

A little short, but I like the interactions in this chapter. I know it's not that great, but all of these interactions and mind frames are going to be useful in order to understand the main story once it comes out!

Jay <3