Hyejin was applying her lipstick, Rouge Allure Velvet, “you always look good in red,” Yongsun said one evening, while her arms were wrapped around Hyejin’s waist.

That was ten years ago.  Now Hyejin was in a creme-colored, sheer, skin-tight dress, her hair was a warm dark brown, swept and curled mostly to one side, but chin length, as usual.  Just that morning Yongsun had teased those curls with her fingers,

“you look so cute with bed head,” she murmured sleepily.  Hyejin was buttoning up Yongsun’s blouse, and Yongsun had her eyes closed, hands wrapped around Hyejin’s neck, tugging on the tangled ends of her hair, sending shivers down Hyejin’s spine.

All these memories of Yongsun made her fingers tremble.  She accidentally drew a streak of red on her cheek and she groaned.

“Wheein,” she moaned.

Wheein sat up from her throne (the very expensive sofa in one of the hotel lounges) and walked up to Hyejin, smirking.

“I told you you should’ve let me help.”

She her thumb and began wiping away the red gently.

Hyejin sighed.  Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, so she grabbed onto Wheein’s waist to anchor herself.  Wheein giggled.

“Don’t move or else I’ll mess it up again.”  She tilted Hyejin’s chin up gently, applying the lipstick again with a featherlight touch.  It was soothing.  Hyejin felt an easy warmth spread over her body.  When Wheein was done she rubbed her lips together and smiled.

“What would I do without you?”

Wheein smirked again.

“You wouldn’t survive.”

Hyejin rolled her eyes.  Wheein was only teasing.  She flattened out the imaginary wrinkles in her dress, staring anxiously at her reflection.  Wheein came up behind her, arranging her hair just so, and then wrapped her arms around Hyejin’s waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

“You look great,” she whispered.

Hyejin sighed again.

“Stop thinking so much.  You know you’re nervous for nothing, right?”

Hyejin shrugged.

Yongsun hadn’t seemed nervous that morning.  She kissed Hyejin goodbye as usual, no more or less nervous than usual, and at lunch she texted Hyejin “eat well!  we need energy for tonight!  <3 U”

Even after all this time she was still a little cautious around the word love but Hyejin knew.  At least, 99% of the time she knew -she was sure- that Yongsun loved her, but today was the one exception.  She had seen too many movies to believe that a wedding would go smoothly.  People got into car accidents, changed their minds at the last second, or an old lover would re-appear and complicate everything.  

She kept fidgeting with her dress so Wheein grabbed her hands and folded them over her waist.

“Yongsun loves you.”

“I know.”  Hyejin didn’t sound very convinced herself.  Wheein smirked again.

“I can’t believe that mochi makes you so nervous.  What happened to the great Ahn-Fatal?”

Hyejin let out a soft laugh.  “You know I’ve never really been fatal.  You know me Wheein-ah,” she sighed, long and dramatic, “I spent an entire night crying over the ending of UP.”

Wheein chuckled.  “I remember, I was crying with you.”

Hyejin smiled.  “So we’re both pathetic.”

“Well so is she.  Unnie cries when she sees a dead squirrel on the road.  Or when someone gives her a really sincere compliment,” Wheein started laughing, “or when she eats a really good burger, or when- hahaha.”

They both dissolved into laughter.  Wheein doubled over on the floor while Hyejin was trying not to rip her dress with the force of her laughs.  Wheein stopped laughing first.  She had to keep her composure.

She gave Hyejin the longest life-affirming kiss to her cheek, and then smacked her on the , and began to lead her out to the ballroom.  At first Hyejin was going to let Yongsun walk first; she was always the more traditional one.

But the day Yongsun had seen Hyejin in her dress.  It was 16 gowns in, and several glasses of chardonnay later, she opened her eyes blearily about to pass out, when she suddenly sobered up.  It was like she saw Hyejin in a whole new light.  Everything kind of glowed, yellow and pink, she got this tingly feeling in her chest, and wobbled over towards her.  

The saleslady gave her some privacy.  Hyejin was still fussing over her reflection, biting her lip, about to try dress 18 when she felt Yongsun’s hands around her waist.  She immediately pinked up.  She could feel Yongsun’s skin even through the fabric.

“Wow,” Yongsun’s breath tickled her neck.

“You’re beautiful.”

And so it was decided Hyejin would walk first.  

Before they entered the ballroom, Wheein cast a nervous glance at Conference Room B, where Yongsun and her bridal crew would be on standby.  She nodded at the ceremony coordinator standing outside, and they gave her a thumbs up.  The signal to inform Yongsun it was going to be her time to walk in 5 minutes.

Wheein linked arms with Hyejin, and the entered the ballroom.  It was decorated with flowers, roses, lillies, tulips, and there was at least one sunflower in each bouquet.  

“Because you’re my sun,” Hyejin had joked, and Yongsun punched her in the shoulder.  “I can’t believe you,” she cried with feigned annoyance, but sunflowers made it on the list.

There were white and creme fabrics criss-crossing the ceiling.  It took forever to decide on the decor, but they decided to go with classic/bohemian.  Hyejin only compromised on having a beach wedding, when Yongsun assured her the reception would definitely take place somewhere sandy.  Plus that way they didn’t have to host so many annoying extended family members who couldn’t make it out.  It’d just be them, and their friends, a ton of booze, and several hired limos to make sure their drunk asses all made it back to the penthouse suite they rented for the post-reception sleepover.

“I can’t believe Yongsun-Unnie is spending so much money on this,” Byulyi mumbled while the four of them were discussing the arrangements at a cafe.

Wheein shrugged, smiling softly when she saw Yongsun take a break from writing the invitation list to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Hyejin’s ear.

“I don’t know.  It seems a little unbelievable, but then again…” she pointed at the couple’s direction, and Byulyi laughed, seeing Yongsun splutter as Hyejin pressed a kiss directly on her neck.

They were now halfway down the aisle, the guests were all standing, some crying, some male cousins in the background whooping, and Wheein fought the urge to roll her eyes because she knew the wedding photographers were filming.  

Instead she whispered quietly behind a smile, “did you have to invite them?”

Hyejin giggled, lips still closed, and nodded slightly.

When she reached the altar Wheein couldn’t help pressing a kiss to her best friend’s cheek, and Hyejin hugged her for about a second too long.  The priest cleared his throat loudly and they parted sheepishly.  He smiled kindly at them.

“Who’s wedding is it again?”

“Ayyyy,” Wheein shot finger guns at him, remembered there were cameras rolling, then smacked herself in the head.  Everyone laughed.  Hyejin shot her an affectionate glance.

“Go,” she whispered.  Wheein moved to her spot behind Hyejin, now anticipating the second bride.

When the doors opened there was an audible gasp.

Of course Yongsun-unnie had always been pretty, but today she looked exceptionally gorgeous.  Her hair was dark brown again, long, and curled down to her s.  Her dress was traditional in some aspects, a large skirt, a veil, a train that had to be carried by two of Yongsun’s nephews.  But then the cut was a bit more modern, off-the shoulder, because there was nothing Hyejin loved more than Yongsun’s collarbones.

The dress was blindingly white, so to contrast she had worn darker eyeshadow, and an almost purple lipstick.  For a second Wheein saw what Hyejin saw.  Every girl was pretty in their own way, but there was this almost ethereal glow about Yongsun-unnie.  She didn’t look like the silly, little, mochi they all loved to tease.  Even with 50 pounds of silk and sheer wearing her down, she walked with her back straight, chin up high, confident half-smirk on her lips.

Byulyi was her , grinning, and Wheein was jealous for half a second, because even though she already got to walk the most beautiful bride down the aisle, she was greedy, and she wanted the chance to walk with Yongsun as well.

“This is the only thing I’m even allowed to do,” Byulyi complained, as Yongsun’s old school friend Eunha got the official title of being maid-of-honor.

Yongsun laughed and ruffled Byulyi’s hair.  “Trust me, if it’s the only thing you get to do, it’ll be worth it.  Plus we’ll look so good together with you in a tux.”

And they did.

Byulyi’s hair was slicked back, silvery blonde to match Yongsun’s accessories, and she had on a threepiece suit with a rose-colored pocket square, and gleaming silver and gold cufflings.  

Wheein heard Hyejin whisper “wow” as Yongsun took her first delicate step down the aisle.  If the first was delicate, then the second was disastrous, her whole intimidating stature crumbling as she struggled to keep balance.  Byulyi immediately wrapped her hand around Yongsun’s waist, catching her before she fell, and though she tried to resist, Yongsun’s loud, piercing, laughter broke out in relief.

Again the whole audience laughed.

“I’m sorry,” she said out loud, and Hyejin nearly passed out because her fiancee was so cute and beautiful simultaneously, and if Yongsun hadn’t tripped over her own feet, or sneezed in the middle of the vows, then she wouldn’t have been Yongsun at all.

When they were finally together at the altar, Hyejin couldn’t help reaching over and hugging her.  Before they separated, she kissed Yongsun quickly on the cheek.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I know that’s not traditional, but I just couldn’t help it.”

Yongsun smiled, a blush spreading prettily across her cheeks.

The priest said some words about love and God but they could only focus on each other, thumbs rubbing over each other’s knuckles, so in tune to each other the only sound was the clear ringing of each other’s heartbeats vibrating across their skin.  

Hyejin was already leaning in before he spoke the words.

“I now pronounce you, wife and wife.”

Her hands came up delicately around Yongsun’s face, and she pressed their lips together.

The priest laughed, though they needed no permission, he still said it for his own pleasure.  “You may now kiss the bride.”

Hyejin’s hands were all the way around Yongsun’s neck now, Yongsun was holding her by the elbows, her fingers over her skin so gently Hyejin thought she might melt right there on the spot.

“GET A ROOM” Wheein shouted, and then laughed, like she was waiting this whole to say it.

The bridesmaids started throwing their bouquets at the new couple.

“Yah!”

Yongsun broke away so she could throw Byulyi’s bouquet back at her, and then all hell broke loose.  The older guests were hurriedly escorted to the dining area, and all the 20 somethings were chasing each other with flowers

“Don’t tear your dress Unnie!” Wheein shouted teasingly.

“I’ll choke you with it,” Yongsun growled.

Hyejin beamed.

“You know you’re nervous for nothing right?”

Hyejin smiled again, softer this time, feeling infinitely light and in love.

“Yeah,” she whispered.  Yongsun had Wheein in a headlock, tossed her gorgeous hair over her shoulder and cast one giant -eating grin back at her now wife.

‘I love you’ Hyejin mouthed.

Yongsun laughed with delight.