He took off his shades and looked around the old church. The wind brushed his cheeks as he made his way towards the entrance. It has been years since he was able to visit his hometown, and it felt good standing in the same grounds he used to walk with his parents during Sunday evenings back then. There were lesser trees outside but nevertheless the atmosphere remained cool. Yellow and blue flowers planted by the nuns outlined the church. At the side of it, a fountain served as a drinking pool for the little birds nesting near the place. Seunghyun smiled at the peaceful aura the place is bringing. How come he only went back here now?

The old wooden doors made a noise as he opened them. ‘I think I got to remind them to put oil on the hinges…’ Good thing there was no mass held inside or it would’ve been very embarrassing for his part to disturb it. But he was surprise to see the aisle decorated with white cloths and ribbons. The decoration was simple yet it looked elegant. A wedding must’ve occurred here earlier. He smiled and imagined how happy whoever the couple was. And then he thought about his future marriage. When he finds the right girl, he’ll treat her like a princess, give her the world, and finally ask her to be his queen. He’ll marry her in this church, make her wear the most beautiful gown and let her carry the bouquet of her favorite flowers. He’ll invite his and her family, friends and colleagues, even some of the townspeople. And at the end of the ceremony, he’ll kiss her again at the church’s entrance, showing the world that she only belongs to him and him to her.

‘Perfect, if only I’m in a relationship right now,’ he thought. He stopped on his tracks when he heard sobs coming from the far end of the church. His phase slowed down a bit as he tried to look for the source of the sound. Seunghyun cocked his head to the side and noticed a woman, wearing a wedding dress, seating at the pew behind a wall. Her face was buried in her hand and her shoulders shook lightly, giving him the conclusion that she was indeed the one crying. He went closer to her, but she doesn’t seem to notice him.

He coughed a little to make her notice his presence and said, “Miss?”

She looked up and her tear-stricken face startled Seunghyun a bit. Not because she was ugly, no, but the other way around. She was beautiful despite the slight smudges of her make-up, even too beautiful for her to deserve crying like this.

And as if his hand had a mind of its own, he grabbed his handkerchief and wiped the tears away from her cheeks, surprising the mysterious bride and himself. He felt a bit embarrassed for his sudden action and decided to just give her his handkerchief, which she accepted. “Thank you…” Her voice was soft and weak, fitting her fragile image that made him feel the urge of wrapping his arms around her and protect her.  

He sat beside her at arm’s length. “I’m Seunghyun, by the way. May I ask for your name? And uhh…” he hesitated at first, “What are you doing here?”

“My name is Dara.” She smiled weakly at him and continued, “And I’m supposed to be married today, but…” Tears fell again from her eyes as she put her hand on , trying to stop herself from sobbing. “…but he never came.”

He didn’t know what to say. He frowned seeing the broken woman in front of her and he can’t do anything to fix her. Should he apologize on half of whoever is the bastard that did this to her? Should he hug her and tell her soothing words? Or should he try something else?

“Dara, what did the digital clock say to the mother clock?” he said, unsure how the woman beside him would react.

Her sobbing stopped and she looked at him with confusion, “Huh? Excuse me?”

“I said, what did the digital clock said to the mother clock?” he repeated, this time more confident in what he’s trying to do seeing that she diverted her attention to him.

“What?”

“Look ma, no hands!” He burst out laughing because of his own joke while Dara just stared at him, mouth slightly opened, and one brow curved up. “Next! What did the firefly say to the other firefly?” He was smiling widely like a kid telling his new learned jokes to his mother.

“I don’t know. What?”

“You glow girl!” he said in a very girly manner and with matching hand gestures that even Dara can’t help but laugh. He grinned when he was finally able to make her stop crying. He stared at her, admiring her beauty when she smiles, loving the sound of her laughter.

“That’s probably the corniest jokes I’ve ever heard!”

“Yah! But you’re still laughing! Admit it, you found it funny” Seunghyun winked.

“Na-ah! I laughed because you were so convincing as a female” she tried teasing him back.

“Well I’ll tell you a secret... I used to be a girl” he said, putting one finger over his lips.

Her eyes widen even more as she looked at him from head to toe, “You’re a transual?!”

Seunghyun started laughing so hard, slapping his lap with one hand and holding his stomach with the other, “I’m just kidding you! How could someone as macho and hot as me be a transual?”

She can’t help but roll her eyes but nevertheless she smiled, “Conceited much.”

After the laughter died down, he looked at her with his most sincere smile. “I did a pretty good job.”

“Good job in what?”

“That…” he pointed to her lips, “Make you smile like nothing happened. A moment earlier I was really in panic not knowing how to act in front of a crying lady, but I see that my jokes worked really well.”

Dara looked away but the smile on her face didn’t leave. “Thank you, your corny jokes are probably what I really need now” she chuckled.

“Don’t underestimate my jokes it took me time to think about them.” He sat comfortably now knowing that the awkward atmosphere between them changed.

“If only we can take everything as a sick, cruel joke…” her voice trailed down. Her smile changed to a frown and her hands closed to fists.

“Hey, do you know that you’re like a firefly?”

“Is that one of your jokes again?”

He shook his head and faced away from her, looking at the altar. “You’re like a firefly for even if I only met you now, I can see that you’re a very bright person. And you glow, especially when you’re smiling and laughing. Never frown or cry because as much as you look cute doing them, they don’t justify your beauty.”

Seunghyun looked back at her and his fingers went to touch her frown. He then gently touched the side of her lips and curved them up. She was surprised again by his actions but smiled. “I know it’s hard to be in your situation right now, and I’m not in the position to tell you it’s all gonna be okay soon, but believe me when I tell you that you’ll learn how to move on. Maybe this marriage is not really for you. Who knows, God planned someone better for you out there. All I’m saying is that, don’t lose hope.”

Tears fell from her eyes because of what he said. He’s right it’s not the end of everything. She wiped her cheeks again using his handkerchief. Dara thanked him for the third time. “Thank you for everything, and I’m sorry if your handkerchief got dirty. I’ll try to pay you back somehow or have this washed first before giving them back to you…”

“No problem. Offering my handkerchief is the least thing I do. But…” he took his cellphone from his pocket and handed it to her, “…if you really want to pay me back, I think a date with me will do.”

She blushed and stared at him. Seunghyun, realizing how wrong it sounded, immediately regret what he said. “Wait! No, don’t think that I’m hitting on you! …I mean yes I like you but… No, I mean I like you as a friend, and I want to talk to you again so…” before he could finish, she took his phone already.

She chuckled while giving it back to him. “Calm down. There, I saved my number so just text or call me if you want to have your handkerchief back already.”

“Don’t worry, that’s my favorite handkerchief so you can be 101% sure that I’ll call you.” He winked, and both of their laughter echoed inside the church.