Two and a half hour later, I was busy untangling yet another tulle bow from a chair. It was 10:30, long last the originally projected end of the Jeon wedding, and we'd just seen the last of the guests out the doors to their cars. This was a full hour after the departure of the bride and groom, which, despite the happy cuddling I'd seen at the head table earlier, did not - as far as my system went, anyway - bode well for their union. While the guest threw birdseed and confetti (great for pictures, awful if you didn't want it on you and your clothes forever), Somin and her groom came out to the limo to make their grand exit. They smiled for the camera and their friends and family. But in the final view I caught a glance that she was pulling her skirt as if he'd sat on it, her annoyed, while he sat back against the seat, rolling his eyes. For them, I wihed for forgiveness.

Maybe, I realized, I believed in wishes after all. At least for other people. Thinking this, I looked over at Sehun, who was collecting the big flower arrangements from the tables and carrying them to Mrs. Jeon's car. What she planned to do in her hotel room with 20 towering vases of flowers was anyone's guess. She'd made it very clear, however, that she would be taking anything the family paid for with her when she (finally) left. For the time being, Sehun and I were the only ones left to hear them, however; Eomma and Wooyoung had taken their ritualistic toast and commentary elsewhere.

"And these programs," I heard her saying now, grabbing the stack I'd brought from church after the ceremony and put it on the table. "Are the serving pieces ours?"

"No, they belong to the caterer," Sehun told her from behind a wobbling iris.

"Oh." Mrs. Jeon looked around. "Well, the cocktail napkins, then."

She picked them up, then headed my way, toward the exit. I made a point of bending down deeply over the chair  in front of me, as if untying the bow there was on the level of splitting an atom. Even so, she said, "I'll want all this fabric from these bows, as well. Tulle isn't cheap."

"Will do," Sehun said happily. I shot him a look, which he didn't see, too busy trying to keep up with her as she walked across the grass. Not for the first time, I wondered how managed always to be so good natured, especially when my own patience had left.

By 11:15, all that was left were the tents, tables and chairs, which the venue would deal with (although I did see Mrs. Jeon, on one of her final checking, studying them as if considering whether they, too, would fit in her car). It wasn't until she drove off, the car packed to the ceiling, that Eomma and Wooyoung reappeared. They were in a much better mood, red-cheeked and giggly. What Mrs. Jeon gives, champagne takes it away.

"Ding-ding-ding, the woman is gone," Wooyoung said, as her tail-lights turned out of the lot. "That was one for the record books."

"Mark my words," Eomma said, "I will not deal with that woman again. If she forgot something, one of you has to get it for her."

I doubt that's going to happen," Sehun told her. "She took just about anything not nailed down."

"But the question," Wooyoung said, pointing at him, "is did you take anything?" 

Eomma and I looked at each other, not understanding. Then Sehun, smiling, reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of tissues. "Yup."

"Damn!" Wooyoung laughed. "I owe you 20000 won."

"Am I drunk? I don't think I'm drunk," Eomma said to me. "But I don't understand."

Wooyoung was still chuckling, pulling out his wallet, while Sehun carefully folded the tissues. Then, suddenly, I got it. "You took those from her purse?"

Hearing me say this, Wooyoung busted out laughing again. Eomma, trying to look stern, said, "Okay, despite her behavior, that is not appropriate."

"Oh, I think it's very appropriate," Wooyoung said, handing the wons to Sehun, who took it with a smile. "She basically had them in full view, like a tissue dispenser. Don't tell me you weren't tempted."

"I was tempted to punch her in the face," Eomma said. "But I guess this is the next best thing."

"And the next best," Wooyoung said, "is us finally being done with this event for good. Next weekend, Kyushu."

"I haven't agreed to that," Eomma said.

"I already called Dr. Kang, who contacted his travel agent. We leave Friday morning."

"What?"

"Soojung." He put his hands on her shoulders. "When was the last time we got to go anywhere in mid-summer, much less an island? I need this. We need this. We're going."

Eomma, exasperated, looked at me. I said, "I think it sounds great. You totally should do it."

"See? Even Suzy thinks so." He dropped his hands. "Oh, I can't wait. I'm going to buy a straw hat for the occasion. I'll get you one, too."

"I don't want a straw hat."

"You'll change your mind," he said easily. "Now come on. Let's finish that bottle at your place. Then we can go online and order resort wear."

Eomma still doesn't looked convinced, but she followed him to the van, climbing into the passenger seat. To be honest, I couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a vacation, and never during wedding season. Everything was different this summer.

As they drove off, my phone beeped. It was Mark. Already. Interesting.

KNOW YOU MIGHT BE STILL WORKING BUT I WAS THINKING LATE NIGHT BREAKFAST. IHOP?

"Well, that's romantic," Sehun, who was somehow looking over my shoulder again, said. "Pancakes? That's a seriously awesome first date. You have to do it."

I just looked at him until, slowly, he took a step back. "Why are you so interested? You were on us like a chaperone earlier."

"I'm a curious person," he said, like this was an excuse. "Also I have a lot invested in winning this bet."

"I thought you said you had it in the bag. That Tzuyu makes it easy."

"I do, and she does. But now you're bringing in pancakes. I have to stay observant."

I looked back at my phone. It was late evening, the whole night ahead of us. Pancakes would be a great start. And yet I knew I wouldn't. I'd had the most epic nights once. Things like that didn't happen again.

WISH I COULD. TIRED. TEXT ME TOMORROW?

The little dots appeared: he'd been waiting. SURE. SLEEP GOOD.

"What?" Sehun said. I looked at him. "You just made a face."

"Did I?"

"Yeah." He read the screen - of course he did - then clicked his tongue. "And I don't get it either. That is good play he's giving. Pancakes? Telling you how to sleep? How can you not be into that?"

I put my phone back in my pocket. "It's not him."

"Then what is it?"

I looked at him, trying to figure out how to answer this. In the weeks since we'd gone to Kimmy's together, I'd been waiting for the subject of Jongsuk to come up some other way between us. A passing mention from Eomma, or Wooyoung, or even Gayeon. But it hadn't. As far as he knew, I'd just had a bad breakup.

"Just too much like a first date I had with someone else," I said. "Nobody wants to be pale imitation."

He studied me a second. Then he said, "That boyfriend of yours must've really been something. If the split ruined pancakes for you and everything."

"Yeah," I said. "Plus, I'm tired. But don't worry. Mark and I will have a great date this week. Don't count me out yet. I'm still on track to win."

I expected him to laugh at this, or respond in kind with his typical way. Instead, he said nothing, just stood there until I was acutely aware of his silence. "Okay," he said finally. "We'll see."

I smiled, shifting my bag to my other arm. It seemed a weird way to leave things, heavy in a sense I couldn't explain. Without thinking, I reached forward to his jacket inner pocket, pulling out one of those folded tissues. "Sorry," I smiled. "Couldn't resist."

"Must be going around," he replied.

A car pulled into the lot then, curving around to stop in front of us. It was Tzuyu, in a black tight dress and silver bracelets, her hair is loose waves. Vivi was in the front seat, panting, his signature bandana - mint green this time - tied around his neck. "Hey," she said. "All done here?"

I slipped the tissue in my pocket as Sehun answered. "Yup. Let's go."

She waved at me as he climbed into the front seat, Vivi jumping in the back and just as quickly poking his head up between them. Just one big happy family, I thought, as they drove off. On my own way home, I passed IHOP, lit up and busy as it seemed to be all times of the night, and wondered if I'd made a mistake. Just as quickly, though, I'd passed by, and it was behind me.