case 02

chapter 16: you should've

There were no centerpieces. There were no ice sculptures, no champagne towers, no ivory tableware, no gossamer sashes falling from the ceiling. There were no dress codes, no fuss, no fanfare, no lights and cameras to capture any action – if there would even be any.

Irene didn’t want any. She wanted it to be an ordinary day at a small café in the middle of nowhere, she told Wendy. No one would know, and no one needed to know.

“You’re so brave,” Wendy sighed, pinning one of the only flowers in the room on Irene’s hair. “I could never elope.”

Irene chuckled. “We’re not eloping. Johnny’s parents are here.”

“Yes – only Johnny’s parents. And us.”

“And that’s all I need,” Irene replied, a smile curving on her lips. She looked so radiant, so beautiful, but for some reason, Wendy felt a little sad. Irene noticed the wistfulness hinting on her expression and squeezed her arm reassuringly. “I mean it, I’m fine. I can walk myself down the aisle.”

Wendy heaved a sigh. “Are you sure you don’t even want to call them?”

“No,” Irene said, shaking her head firmly. “I haven’t called them in years. I ran away at eighteen, remember?” Her reminder only seemed to render Wendy sadder. “Don’t worry – I’ve already called my brother. He wasn’t able to get here, but I know he’ll find a way to send some flowers. That’s good enough.”

Wendy shrugged in defeat. Her gaze wandered to the other end of the room, where Seulgi spoke in hushed tones to someone whose absence was probably certain, as well. Wendy knew who it was. Seulgi’s faltering eyes were a clear, tell-tale sign.

“Everything alright?” Wendy asked as Seulgi approached them, tucking her phone into her skirt.

Seulgi nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah.” She turned to Irene. “Yixing sends his congratulations. He’s really sorry he can’t make it – he’s still stuck on a case in Changsha.”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s a busy man, let him work,” Irene assured. “Though, who are you going to walk with?”

As if on cue, three tall, lanky boys swung into the room, tripping over each other as they did. They were garbed in identical dress shirts, their hair swept back to reveal their bright, mirthful eyes. It was the first wedding among them, and they were b with excitement.

“Aren’t you gorgeous?” Yuta gushed, stepping over and admiring Irene, who was dressed in one of his latest creations.

“You mean, isn’t the dress gorgeous?” Irene remarked.

“Oh, hush,” Yuta waved, “it’s not the dress that makes the girl. It’s the girl that makes the dress.”

“Spoken like a true fashionista,” she laughed. Yuta reciprocated, and their laughter floated in the room like bubbles in the air. “Yuta, can you walk with Seulgi, since you’ve got no one to walk with?”

“Jaehyun can do that – his girlfriend bailed. Or he bailed on his girlfriend, I don’t know.” They turned to Jaehyun, who shrugged his shoulders. “And who says I’ve got no one to walk with?”

Irene arched her brows. “Who are you walking with?”

“You, of course!” he exclaimed. “I have to hand my daughter off to her future groom, no?”

“What?” Irene threw him an incredulous look. “You do remember that I’m older than you, right?”

“You do remember that I made your dress, right?”

They laughed again, and this time the rest of the room joined them. Mark peeped his head through the doorway, giving them a knowing signal. Wendy grabbed Jungwoo’s arm, Jaehyun placed Seulgi’s hand on his, and Yuta held out his arm to Irene, a toothy grin spread across his face. Irene took it, eyes tender and grateful.

The troupe proceeded down the narrow aisle, two by two. Mark was on the makeshift podium, announcing their arrival in jumpy, non-committal breaths. Taeil and Johnny’s parents flanked the walkway, breaking into wide smiles at the sight of the entrants. But no one smiled more brightly than Johnny, who stood at the end of the aisle and gazed at Irene like she was his whole world.

Yuta and Irene finished their descent down the aisle, with Yuta handing Irene to Johnny with an exaggerated little sniffle. It was for dramatic effect, but it made both Johnny and Irene chuckle. He ducked back to the seats, earning himself a swat from Wendy.

Johnny’s eyes were still on Irene. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Irene asked.

“I just… I just wanted to give you something better than this,” Johnny admitted. His eyes trailed over the bare, mostly empty café, and wondered how she settled for that, how she settled for him.

He looked slightly deflated, so Irene slung her arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss. The watching crowd hooted and hollered. As she pulled away, Johnny looked at her with widened eyes.

“You’re not supposed to do that!” he scolded.

“Who cares?” she laughed. “We’re breaking all the rules anyway.”

Johnny watched the blinking neon numbers change on the grimy floor indicator. He subconsciously grazed the skin of his ring finger, feeling the cold emptiness stream through his limbs. As the elevator came to a halt, he sighed and stepped into the dark corridor, dragging his feet like a cripple who didn’t really want to go anywhere.

He was returning from a meeting with Victoria, and though he probably thought he was doing the right thing, his stomach didn’t feel too good. And it usually felt that way when he wasn’t doing the right thing.

At some point, people were going to find out. Changmin would find out, Seulgi would find out – the entire office would find out that Johnny Suh, ex-corporate lawyer and law school hotshot on track to make Partner by the end of year, had stabbed his boss and best friend in the back for someone he had spoken to less than ten times in his life. Sometimes he wished he were a bit more like Seulgi, who could unapologetically go with her gut for even the most senseless of decisions and still find a way to defend herself. Gut feelings were fickle things, and for Johnny, they were stupid and flimsy, too.

He reached his unit and rested a hand on the knob. He could already hear the muffled cacophony of voices on the other side of the door. The initial flood of comfort was obstructed by his slew of lingering thoughts. Sighing again, Johnny slid his key into the door.

“–but this is a bad idea on so many levels! If I up, Johnny and Seulgi could be fired!” Jungwoo’s hollering usually didn’t faze him, but for once, Johnny winced. It was a strange line to come home to.

Johnny dropped his briefcase at the entryway and himself on the nearest couch. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

They looked up and stared fixatedly at him, like he was the man of the hour. Johnny wondered if they’d found already. If so, he was in deep .

“Johnny,” Seulgi enunciated solemnly, and Johnny readied himself for a beating, “Changmin-sunbae made an enquiry to Jaehyun and Jungwoo’s clinic. He wants to make an appointment.”

Johnny didn’t know whether to sound the alarms or heave a sigh of relief. The pieces fit, given the information he had. At the same time, it also didn’t fit. How can you go for relationship therapy when one side is adamant on ending the relationship? Johnny wrinkled his nose at what was a classic example of dramatic irony.

“Oh, well, interesting,” he said, trying to act at least slightly surprised, “but it’s quite common for couples with years of marriage under their belt to go for therapy, no? Did he ask for Jaehyun or Jungwoo?”

“That’s the thing.” Seulgi crossed her arms, deep in thought. “He didn’t. He left it up to the clinic.”

“I see,” Johnny nodded slowly – Jungwoo’s line made much more sense. “So, you guys are trying to decide for him?”

“Yes,” Jungwoo said, before any of the others could cut in, “and that’s why, for once, you should take my side.”

Jaehyun chuckled from the other end of the room. “Johnny will not be your tiebreaker. He makes us an even-numbered group, for ’s sake.”

“Yes, but at least he evens the odds,” Jungwoo said huffily. He was making wild, desperate gestures to accentuate his point. “Look at this way, Johnny – if I take Shim Changmin as a client, and for some reason he and his wife find me unsatisfactory– no, straight up horrible, you guys could be ed. This is your career on the line!”

Jungwoo’s words hit a little too close to home. Johnny coughed. “It’d be the same if Jaehyun did it, no?”

“No. Jaehyun has rich boy immunity – even if he did , Changmin would keep his mouth shut. He’d be too wary of Jaehyun’s background to say a word.” Jungwoo cast a glance at Jaehyun, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

Yuta waved his hands between them, annoyed by the incessant back-and-forth that had been going on for the past hour. “This is a waste of time. Let’s just put it to a vote.”

“But there’s six of us – if it’s three-three, we’re back where we started,” Wendy pointed out.

“We should’ve invited Mark or something, ,” Yuta groaned, frustrated. “Then we’ll just keep voting until then someone flips. I’ll go first – I’ll go with Jaehyun.”

Jungwoo exhaled. “Thank you,” he emphasized. He raised his hand. “I’m voting for Jaehyun, too.”

“I’ll vote for Jungwoo,” Wendy said. Jungwoo gave her a you look, which Wendy immediately returned. “It’s a compliment! It means I think you’re good for this!”

“And you couldn’t think of a better time to express this?” Jungwoo spat. “Whatever. Jaehyun, go.”

“Well, obviously I’m voting for you,” Jaehyun said, curled up on the other end of the couch.

Seulgi frowned, deep in thought. “I’ll go with Jungwoo,” she said, finally