Jinli stared at herself in the mirror and wondered what she was doing. Out of happiness, her father had awarded her with a beautiful blue sapphire necklace. “Something blue, and something new. You just need something old and something borrowed.”

            Lili had given her the garter she wore for her wedding. “Wear this one high, on your upper thigh,” was her best friend’s devious advice. Her aunt had bestowed on the new bride the heirloom hairclip that had been in her mother’s possessions.

            The makeup artists fussed over her face, drawing on the eyeliner and carefully applying the eye shadow. “Very pretty,” they commended when they were almost done. The women bustled about when it came time to put on the wedding gown. It was a slim number, with a corset top and a smooth train. Jinli looked down and her heart constricted.

            Ever since she was young, she had imagined her wedding day. She had pictured the dress and everything had been going the way she had always thought. The only ones missing were her mother and the man of her dreams. She thought about Daehyun and thought about the way he had flippantly treated her during the rehearsal dinner. She understood that it was difficult for him to come to terms, but his behavior was downright hatred.

            Her father walked in just as they finished adjusting her gown and he beamed. “My darling girl is really all grown up.” His face softened, a rare sight and he ran a thumb carefully over her cheekbones. “My daughter is really all grown up.”

            Jinli stared at him and she gave him a wry smile as he placed the necklace around her neck and her aunt clipped in the hairpiece. “You’re going to make your mother proud. You look just like her.” Then he choked, for the first time, showing genuine emotion to her in a long while.

            She blinked back the tears at the mention of her mother and she forced a smile. It had been said to be bad luck to cry away the love on your wedding, and she needed to preserve as much as she had. “Dad,” she started. “She’s watching us right now, and I think I can feel her smiling.” It was a lie; was it okay to lie on your wedding? But she looked at her father and decided it was okay if the lie would make him feel better.

            Mr. Cho took a step back and the women overtook her as they made last minute touches. “You’re one of the most gorgeous brides we’ve seen in a while,” they complimented her.

            Daehyun’s mother walked in and Jinli tensed. Even though the woman had been nothing but caring to her, there was still a feeling of pressure, or anxiety whenever she saw her. Jinli always felt like there would be a moment where she would be found incompetent. Mr. Jung’s face was unreadable as she stepped forward.

            Then she pulled the veil over her face. “Dear child, we’re very fortunate to have you in the family.” She kissed Jinli’s cheek and smiled reassuringly. “Daehyun’s waiting and the ceremony would begin soon. I will see you outside.”

            The next few minutes were tense and when the strains of the piano reached her, Jinli had to hold tightly onto her father to keep from shaking. Her feet felt wobbly in her heels and she didn’t know how she was going to go forth into her new life.

            The walk down the aisle was long and a blur. She only remembered looking around at the decorations she was never able to take part in, at the guests, half of them whom she barely knew. Jinli knew how to smile gracefully; it was an art learned from childhood. When she saw the row of family, her heart ached when she saw the empty spot, purposely left for her mother, and forced herself to look ahead.

            Daehyun was there. He was only half-turned to her but he wasn’t looking at her. There was no spark of love, of happiness on his face and she swallowed. This was what she had to live with; it was something that she needed to get used to. As she swept by, she heard whispers, “The bride is simply radiant.” Her heart calmed a little. If Daehyun couldn’t act, then she would be the actress for their relationship.

            Her father squeezed her hand and she stared at him, thinking about how this man was the reason for this and he melted back into the crowd. Her betrothed stepped forward and took her hand. They were cold and he didn’t grip her hand very tightly. She turned to him and he stared off to the side, not exactly looking into her eyes. Jinli held her breath and voluntarily turned toward the minister first. Why prolong the inevitable?

            The vows were said dryly but she tried her best to sound chipper. There was no need to make it obvious that this marriage would be a total failure. He slipped his arm around her waist, a gesture that was unnecessary and her head twitched of its own accord. There was an almost amused half smirk on Daehyun’s face as he repeated his final vows.

            “I now proclaim you man and wife. Daehyun, you may kiss your lovely bride.”

            His grip on her waist tightened as he took charge and steered her into his space. Jinli tilted her chin and he pressed the side of . She heard the minister make a noise of muffled surprise and she opened her eyes to see him looking arrogantly back. He slid his lips over hers for a brief second before pulling away. The entire church burst into applause and he smiled winsomely at the crowd. He leaned down and whispered from the corner of his mouth, “Might as well go greet these people.”

            She clenched her jaw, still hurt from the stunt he pulled earlier. It took a lot of self-control to keep the smile pasted on her face but she moved an inch away from him, letting him know that she was upset. Daehyun, despite being one of the densest people she know, rolled his eyes. “That was a joke. I kissed you, didn’t I? I can’t believe you can’t even take a tiny bit of humor, sheesh.”

            Oh. So it was a joke, wasn’t it? Youngjae’s head shot up, clearly having overheard and their eyes met for a second before Daehyun pulled her away into the crowd. Jinli steeled herself. muscles were beginning to hurt from all the fake smiling.