Author's Note:  I revised Chapter 3.

The wedding day got closer.

It was Sunday; Arin & Shiah were getting ready to go to Seoul, waiting for the car sent by Minhyun.

The bell rang.

Arin went to open the door and she saw Jiho standing there.

Why is she here?

“Uhm, I’m here to pick you up” Jiho answered as if she heard Arin's thoughts. Shiah saw Jiho, “Arin-ah, what are you doing? Let Jiho come inside.”

“Oh, please come in.”

Jiho smiled and came inside. Shiah made coffee for Jiho.

“Jiho-yah, aren’t you tired? You don’t need to come all the way to pick us up. We thought your dad will send a car.”

Yes, it took 2 hours from Seoul to Yangyang. And the last thing I want to do is to show her that we are living in this shameful semi-basement apartment. Arin never wanted to show others how she was living.

“Not at all. Dad wanted to come here but he is taking care of our house reconstruction so I came instead. Sorry to tell you that you have to stay at the hotel for a few days.”

Jiho answered and took a sip from the cup, Arin’s cup to be exact. It’s her favorite cup got from her dad as a birthday present. It’s childish but the most beautiful one. Arin didn’t mind one bit since the one using it was someone as elegant as Jiho.

…………………………………………

So beautiful. Arin was looking at the view outside the car. She hadn’t had a chance to travel outside Yangyang for 4 years and she was so much enjoying the ride but her neck hurt a bit so she decided to look at the front.

Then, Arin saw Jiho who turned her head to look at her from the passenger seat, the smallest smile playing on her lips. Jiho had been checking Arin’s face since they met and Arin knew it.

“I’ve been to Yangyang before I met with you,” Jiho started the conversation out of the topic, “I had good memories there. There was a friend who helped me when I was in a panic situation before. I wanted to meet her again since then.” Arin suddenly remembered someone she met before.  That one person she met last summer, the one who gave her the first letter that makes her heart flatters, the one she couldn’t meet and said goodbye before they left.   

“So, did you meet her again?” Shiah asked with curiosity.

“How can I say? I don’t think she remembers me, so we didn’t meet?” Jiho answered hoping Arin remembered something but Arin was too deep in her own thought and didn’t recognize Jiho was waiting for her response.

………………………………………..

It was a wedding in the morning.

Arin was with her mother in the waiting room. Mom looked a little pale from nervousness but still beautiful.

“Eomeonim (mom), you can do it. You just need to breathe,” Jiho comforted Shiah with an assured smile. That’s Right. Jiho was with them too. Jiho was trying to cheer up Shiah, Jiho looked like her daughter more than Arin.

It’s time for Shiah to walk down the aisle. All eyes were on Shiah. Minhyun was waiting at the end of the aisle, looking as nervous as Shiah. Finally, they both stood in front of the priest. The priest asked, “If anyone objects to the marriage speak now or forever hold your peace”.

As assumed, no one said a word. The priest continued to pronounce the groom may kiss the bride.

Looking at her mom getting married to the man who is not her father, in a hall full of strangers, Arin almost felt like crying but stopped when a hand holding her cold one.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” she heard Jiho said.

………………………………………….

“… our Grandma. The man beside her is her oldest son, Uncle Shinwoo, and his wife Aunt Sooyoung and their son Shindong Oppa…”

To Arin, that day felt like an eternity. She felt exhausted but it’s the family dinner party after the wedding so she was there. Such a big family. Mr. Kim’s brothers and sisters, his first cousins, second cousins, Jiho’s first cousins, second cousins, third cousins, etc.

“.. and there’s Joohyun unnie, Aunt Mijoo’s daughter, she just came back from the US last week..”

Jiho stopped her introduction as soon as she noticed Arin struggled to memorize all her family members.

“Should I go and greet them, Ms. Kim?” Arin asked with her head down as Jiho stopped her chant.

“Oh, right. Let’s go and greet Grandma,” Jiho grabbed her hand and led her to Grandma.

“Grandma! This is Arin. Arin, Grandma. Say hello.”

“Uhm… Hello. I am Arin, Choi Arin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Arin greeted with a 90-degree bow.

“Oh~~ Woori Jiho sweety… Come to grandma…” Grandma said to Jiho, ignoring Arin. Grandma hugged Jiho and then turned to her relatives and said how much she felt sad for his son’s remarriage, how much she wanted her son to meet some high-class woman, and now she even worried for Jiho if she got married to some random poor guy.

Both Jiho and Arin got shocked. Jiho’s usual smile disappeared as soon as she heard her grandma. It’s the first time Arin saw Jiho’s face go blank.

But Jiho tried to fix her face, “Grandma, isn’t my dress beautiful? I didn’t know what to wear so I asked Eomeonim and she chose this for me.”

Grandma’s face got straight as Jiho mentioned Shiah as her mom.

“Look at my nails too. Isn’t the color cute? Eomeonim bought it for me,” Jiho showed off her blue nails. Jiho helped Shiah and Arin a lot before the wedding so Shiah bought blue nail polish for Jiho as a present and she put them on the wedding day.

The eyes of other family members who sat beside Grandma were on them. No one can say anything because of the tension between straight face Grandma and bubbly Jiho.