Jiyong stared at her. Ahn Sohee was getting married-why torture himself by witnessing the event? He simply couldn't attend. "Sure, I'll be there", he heard himself say.

Sohee manufactured a shaky smile for the small crowd gathered in the chapel on Friday evening. "I'm sure Khun will be here any moment. The weather must have delayed him."

Hurricane Roy had run aground on coast, sending torrential rains inland. Seoul was being pounded, and several guests had already rescinded their RSVP for the ceremony tomorrow. Her parents' flight had been rescheduled for morning arrival. If Sohee were the superstitious type, she might believe the storm was a bad omen.

Good grief, where was her groom?

Looking for an ally, her gaze inadvertently settled on Kwon Jiyong, sitting in the back of the church with her brother Wooyoung, his arm draped casually along the back of the pew.

Jiyong wore an amused expression, as if he thought the gathering was much ado about nothing. Exasperation pumped through her every time she thought of Suzy inviting Jiyong as her . Sohee was already jittery enough without the knowledge that Kwon Jiyong , the only man without a medical degree to see her a la naturale, was observing the practice run for what no man could put asunder. He had invaded her dreams all week with tempting might-have-beens.

The wedding director, a man who reminded her of a nattily-dressed goat, strode toward her. "The organist and the minister have to leave soon. We simply must start."

"We can't start without Khun ", Sohee protested.

The man pshawed. "The groom is the most expendable person in the ceremony, my dear." He clapped his hands twice. "Everyone, places."

Sohee acquiesced - not that she had a choice. The man was right, she supposed. Khun  only had to stand in place and do what the minister said.

Khun 's mother walked next to Sohee as they filed out into the vestibule. "Khun 's father went to call him again." Mrs. Horvejkul frowned. "Did the two of you have a fight about...anything?"

"Of course not." In truth, she and Khun  hadn't exchanged enough words this week to spur an argument.

Her future mother-in-law smiled. "He's like his father, such a hard worker. The time probably got away from him, that's all."

She bit her tongue. Khun  was a workaholic, yes, but forgetting his own wedding rehearsal? The bad thing was, Sohee wasn't really surprised.

Wooyoung came up beside her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Don't worry, sis - he'll be here. Darn good to see Jiyong again, isn't it?"

Sohee swallowed a retort, appalled at the tears threatening behind her eyes. The director clapped his hands again for attention and began to push, prod, and pull people into their appropriate positions.

Everyone filed in slowly to the music and took their places, leaving only Sohee and her brother waiting.

"You're shaking", Wooyoung said. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, afraid to speak. Did every bride experience this prickly, scared-out-of-her-mind sensation at the rehearsal?

"That's our cue", her brother said, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and leading her down the aisle. Sohee realized she was the superstitious type, and that the absence of her groom at the altar was an omen.

The heat of Jiyong's gaze touched her as they passed his pew. His energy pulled at her, practically immobilizing her. Wooyoung shot her a strange look, and tugged her the rest of the way to the altar.

"Stop", the director shouted suddenly, wagging his head and hands at the same time. "You can't stand there, or the photographer won't have a clear shot. Step back. No, over to the left. No!" The man sighed, his expertise clearly put-upon. "We need a groom." His gaze swung over the chapel and landed on Jiyong, the only person who wasn't taking part in the ceremony.

Sohee's heart pounded in premonition, and with good reason.

"You there, in the back", the director shouted. "How about filling in for the groom?"