The house was beautiful. It wasn't a particularly fancy apartment; relatively new flat of three years, near enough to a neighbourhood with good snacks yet the buzz doesn't quite get to the place. The layout was exactly like how I would have imagined my own place to be. When I maneuvered myself through the empty space, I felt like I was reliving a dream. Each turn felt like my body had learnt it from ages ago, and each door opened felt like a reminder of the adventures in my own heart. The kitchen was perfect for baking, maybe even a feast my colleagues or whole group of friends.

The cabinet I wanted for my DVDs would fit right in the corner of the spacious living room, where I'll pack it with movies of my favourite Japanese anime and of course, a special top shelf dedicated to Kyungsoo's works.

The bedroom is the perfect size and shape. The king-sized bed would be right in the centre, that lava night lamp I saw in the stall would be situated on either sides. I'll sleep on the left side, if she is agreeable.

When I bought it, I know I bought not a house, but a home.

Yet they always said home is where the heart is. This place was tugging so strongly at my heartstrings, away from the old.

My old home where my old friend will return to everyday.

I rehearsed my lines over and over again, how to tell Jisoo about my decision, yet they never seem enough.

I asked myself when I saw the smile on Mijoo's face when I told her I wanted to try settling down, whether it was worth the pain I had to go through to say those words.

It was not the sharp, acute kind of pain when you experience losing someone.

It's a frustrating one. Something more powerful, a giant spring compressed in my body yet denied the moment to break free. It's more enduring and non-removable.

Maybe it was because I expected her to flip, and Jisoo decided to prove me wrong. She decided to give us her blessings.

I moved out a month later.

I also took a month after that to stop going home that way.

-------

I hadn't expected my first visitor to be Lee Taeyong.

I thought she might come, at least once. She didn't, and to be fair I wasn't sure if it would be awkward for me to welcome her into my apartment as guest after living as housemates for that long.

Mijoo swung by before, and she liked the way the house was decorated. She didn't impose her ideas, and just accepted them as I had designed. Was dating always something this peaceful? Was moving and moving into a house, or someone's heart, always this easy? Was Mijoo like that with her ex-husband too?

Taeyong didn't come in when I invited him to, and he just completed the single task my friend let him do - delivering the clothes for the wedding. The young male's expression was unreadable when I opened the door to greet him.

I also don't understand why his parting words to me were, "Jisoo-noona is doing well."

It was great to hear that she was surviving on her own, after all the times we joked about her possibly setting the house on fire with her own cooking.

It's just that there's a bit of bitter aftertaste in my mouth hearing it from Lee Taeyong.

He didn't have to sound so concerned and sincere.

--------

The long-awaited moment was finally here - Oh Sehun, dawned in his suite and bow, suddenly losing his mischievous glint as he gets styled in the groom's waiting room.

"You're a bag of nerves," Minseok said, resting a hand on the younger's shoulder to calm him down.

"Just relax man, I'm sure she will marry you even if she is regretting it now," I said, looking at Sehun's reflection in the mirror. "I'm going to spend much longer than you on stage and I'm not even panicking yet."

Chen and Chanyeol, as usual, were stifling a string of laughter in the corner as they observed Sehun chew on his lips for the umpteenth time, worried about the proceedings of his own wedding. His brother was nowhere to be seen, because that man was a perfectionist and had pit himself to the task of making his sibling's special day absolutely perfect. His only gamble was well, basically Sehun's choice of having me as the emcee.

"If it calms you down, you're not the only one this anxious," Chen declared from the couch at the corner of the room, "apparently so is bride-to-be."

"How would you know that?"

"From the beloved bridesmaid of course. Live updates right in our hands. She's promised us that if Irene regrets now, she won't help her escape," Chanyeol declared, flashing his toothy grin at us.

I raised a brow.

"She's updating you guys?"

The two looked away suspiciously, mumbling something along the lines of "ya, on the group chat". The more important thing though, was that Sehun did seem comforted by that fact and was now breathing again.

"Can I talk to her," he tried turning to reach for his phone.

"No," a familiar deep voice intervened, "it's bad luck to contact your bride before the ceremony."

Jisoo and my favourite actor in the world, our friend Kyungsoo, sauntered into the room and bagged Sehun's phone on the table without a second of hesitation. His evil smirk did not go unnoticed by me.

"You're the best," Chen said out of nowhere.

And we all agreed.

-----

The first words I told her, when I met here again after all these while, was the lamest opening lines of all.

"How are you?" What's that supposed to ask about?

Her health? She looks fine, as ever. Slightly thinner maybe, but fine.

Her work? She is always fine with that.

Hope that she elaborates more on the changes in her life? Yeah. Maybe.

The only thing we talked about was the ill fate of her dress, destroyed during the course of delivery. She could've told me about the turquoise dress! I do have a tie of that colour. Imagine all the Instagrammable photos we've missed because of bad luck.

The conversation between us was short because of our respective duties. Even when we were settled down at the table with our ex-classmates to eat, there wasn't much. There was no catching up and updates.

"You know, I think you should go back and help Jisoo with the post-party admin," Mijoo said in the car when I was driving her home, "I can go back to my own place from her, it's near enough."

"You sure?"

"You're supposed to be helping Sehun along with Jisoo, don't shirk your duties," Mijoo smiled, "besides, you need your catching up time."

When I went back to the hall, I saw her sitting alone in the empty ballroom.

I'd never seen Jisoo so small before. She'd always been confident, fearless and frank. She wasn't supposed to be here, against th