#00 Prologue: Bells

A pair of deep brown eyes wandered around the living room, following three younger women running around, searching for hair clips and rearranging a bouquet of rosé-colored gerberas. Her lips curled up slightly as she felt a small brush tickling them.

"So Eun? Please hold still, otherwise it will be pretty difficult for me to apply the lip stick."

"I'm sorry, mother. I'm just too nervous to sit still." So Eun relaxed as she saw that smiling face she had known for more than 23 years now.

"Oh, dear... I felt the same. Believe me, that's just the beginning. Back then, the day I married your father... I nearly fainted as I stepped into the church."

"M-Mom, how about applying the lipstick? I still need to put on my dress!" She knew that her mother tried to be funny and lighten the mood, yet... all she achieved was that her daughter grew even more nervous.

"Okay, okay... just that edge... and you're ready. Oh my, you're so beautiful!"

"You really are, Eunnie. If I was a man, I'd marry you on the spot!" The assistent of her mother cried out, only to receive a reasuring look as a response.

While her mother's face grew sour, So Eun's features softened. "Thanks, Unnie. I appreciate you helping me today, as well."

Her friend -her name was Han Eul- smiled widely, carrying a beautiful glim in her eyes as she spoke. "Oh, you called me Unnie! I knew that today would become a good one! Even though you're marrying that-"

"Han Eul, could you help me with the gown instead of nagging about my daughter's husband?"

"Su-sure, Madame, I'm sorry..."

As So Eun carefully removed her slippers and the towel she had wrapped around her body for the last two hours, her feet now touching the cold ground, she stood up and stepped into the milky-white dress her father had been working on for the last two weeks. While her mother zipped the dress, the young bride admired the hand-made details, starting at the ruffled fabric at her hips and ending at the self-crocheted lace covering her shoulders.

Well, it sure was nice to have a stylist as her mother while her father provided bridal fashion among the high society of Seoul.

~-~-~*~-~-~

"Oh my, oh my... Where did I put it...?" So Eun tried to breathe steadily as she got out of the car, taking her proud father's hand to prevent her from falling. According to the plan they had worked out all together, she was exactly 15 minutes too early. Yet, there was no time to be happy about that fact, since something important was missing. Something very important.

"Honey, what's up? Are you that nervous?" She felt her daddy's eyes on her, surely all worried and questioning.

"My... the flowers..." she mumbled, still thinking about the place they had been located the last time she saw them.

"The what? Honey, please. Your daddie's ears aren't the best anymore."

"Dad, the flowers! My bouquet, it's missing!"

"Oh...really? It's not in the car, next to your seat?"

"It isn't, I already searched for it all around the car..." Seeing his daughter standing on the edge of tears, Mr. Kim caughed slightly and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, how about becoming the first woman who didn't hold a bouquet in her hands while marrying the man she was destined to?"

"D-DAD! That's not a situation to joke about. Mother will be angry at me again..." With that, she was referring to her soon-to-be mother-in-law. From the first time they had met, she had never even given So Eun a chance to prove herself. How would she react if her daughter-in-law forgot to bring the bouquet to her very own wedding ceremony?!

"I know, I know... well, Honey, look what's over there." So Eun raised her head, looking directly at the now slightly opened door of the church. Something in her brain started working as she saw a young man approaching them, dressed in a simple black suit- yet all she could concentrate on was that bunch of flowers he was carrying.

"My Lady?" So Eun felt her cheeks burning as she took the flowers offered to her, secretly taking in their sweet scent.

"Thank you, thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't turned up now..." Holding on to the flowers, she bowed deeply. "Thank you very much." The young woman slightly twitched as she saw his hand reaching out to her and touching her chin, slowly raising her head up in the progress.

"There's no need to thank me now. I did what I wanted to do as I saw your mother standing there, looking pretty helpless as she saw the flowers in her hand." Somehow So Eun sensed that he didn't speak the full trouth, but... there was no reason to ask any further. Not now. "Also... the only man you should bow to today should be your husband. In... six minutes?" She noticed his lips forming a small grin as he spoke.

Did he just try to deride our schedule?

Before she even got a chance to talk back to him, her father stopped his daughter in her actions. "How about you? Shouldn't you get ready, too? It's your first time performing in front of an audience since... five years, isn't it?"

So Eun saw the young man nod at that. "You're right." A last glance at the beautiful woman infront of him... After unconsciously shaking his head, he smiled again. "Please excuse me. I'll go in first."

And with that, the bride saw him walking back to the church's gate, slipping a little because of caring less about the icy stairs for a moment.

As So Eun was about to ask her father who that young man was, she heard the bells chiming slightly. Three times- that was her sign to enter the building in front of her.

~-~-~*~-~-~

I really wish for you to be the one, do you know how I feel about you?

Her mother hadn't been lying. Sure, it had been exciting to get a make-over this morning, to stepp into the wedding dress and these breath-taking high heels- but now, all she wanted to do was run away. Far away. Suddenly, the thought of marrying that man seemed totally crazy. For how many weeks did she know him? And why did she even have to marry him? At the height of winter. She wasn't even too old to hope for a man marrying her out of love. 23 years surely were a perfectly fine age for beeing single.

Okay, calm down. As mom said, this is just the fear before the "yes". Just wait a few minutes, and your cold feet will be gone, So Eun. Calm down and walk on.

As her ears caught a few lines of the song played while she walked down the aisle, her mind laid itself to rest on its own. Somehow, that song reminded her of a day, far far away. A day she barely remembered- a day she barely wanted to remember.

Because my love for you is like the breath I take, there's no chance to hide it.

No, don't think back, she thought, shaking her head without anyone noticing it. She had been waiting long enough- five years, to be exact. Five years of hope, pain and tears.

That time had stopped running the moment she had met her husband in college. He had been a well-known senior of hers, a man acknowledged for his talent as a young actor, treated like a bar of gold. To her he had been a normal student. Her senior in college. Her captain in the volleyball club she attended.

Maybe she had developed a small crush back then, but love...? Until now, there had been only one man she had thought of as her lover.

"Dear?" She suddenly heard his voice. This soothing one which drew her in whenever she listened to it. She blinned in disbelief and turned around, only to see that she had walked down the whole aisle. Way too fast, since the young man, who had rescued her earlier, was still sitting at the piano. Singing.

Even though you're turning away from me now, I won't let you go.

"Dear, don't you want to marry me anymore?" She looked back at her betrothed, as the audience laughed slightly.

"O...of course I want to, but... I was walking too fast. I'm sorry, your mother will be mad again..." she mumbled, at least loud enough for him to hear. As she slowly raised her eyes, she saw him smiling, even holding back his laughter as he took her hand in his.

"Dear, that's okay. The two of us getting married took so long already... I'm glad about you and me becoming husband and wife two minutes earlier." Other women would have thought of that as insincere, yet So Eun believed in his words. She believed in Geun Suk beeing the man she deserved after waiting for someone who broke his promise of coming back to her.

Even though it hurts- because of you, I'll say "Goodbye" for now.

Hello everyone, it's me again. x,D

Welcome to my "new" story. It's the first story I'm not using "You" as the main character, so I was even more nervous while writing the prologue.

Well... how was it? I tried to let one of the guys So Eun met to be rather prince-like, yet I think that characteristic hasn't been visible that well until now... Hey, we're just getting started! /laughs

Anyways, thanks for reading! Please tell me if you enjoyed the prologue or not. I'm appreciating tips! :,3

Have a nice day!*