Genre: romance, sad Requester: /

 

I took a step into the room, my heels grazing the stone floor, making a small sound that echoed in the large church. Everyone’s eyes turned to me, including Ilhoon’s. I smiled gently and sat in a seat a few rows from the back. “Carry on.” I managed to muster. Everyone turned back to the loving couple. I breathed in, my lungs burning from doing so. It felt as if I was breathing in fire, as if my lungs were bleeding. I felt claustrophobic although I was in a large area. I closed my eyes. “Do you, Jung Ilhoon, take Lee Jooyeon to be your lawful wedded wife?” the priest asked. Ilhoon smiled brightly, the same smile I used to wake up to every morning. The smile that I had fallen for every single time I saw it. He opened his mouth. “I do.” It took just those two words to shatter everything I’d been trying to hold together in an instant. I wanted to curl up and cry. There’d be no tears today. I’d be strong for both of our sakes. Just for today. I’d cry about it later. The rest of the ceremony went like a blur to me. I just had to get it together and carry on. Everyone around me was cooing and smiling, even crying happy tears. I was just trying to think. All I could think about was us. Him holding me and kissing me. Telling me he loves me. He’ll always be there for me. He will marry me some day. He wants me to meet his parents.   Now I will watch another woman be his everything. His to hold, to love and to protect, always. I stood up along with everyone else, going out to the car. I stood awkwardly beside to car for a couple of minutes until I saw Ilhoon’s sister in her pastel pink bridesmaid’s dress running towards me. She looked at me with concern. “Mihyun-ah! Gwaenchanha?” she asked. I nodded and opened the door on my side to get in. “Are you sure you want to go to the after party?” she asked me, turning on the car engine and looking over at me. I sighed. “I have to. I want to be polite and not show him that I’m upset about this whole thing.” I told her. I unscrewed the lid off of my water bottle and took a gulp. “You shouldn’t have to pretend.” I hit my head back against the head rest of the seat, sighing and closing my eyes. “You don’t get it.” She looked at me quizzically. “This whole thing has been pretend. Our whole relationship was a lie.” She shook her head, taking off her heels and throwing them in the back seat of the car. “You’re wrong.” She stated boldly. “He really loved you, don’t you know? You were his first.” “His first lie. His first mistake. I know.” I replied half-heartedly. She looked away and started reversing. She didn’t look at me once while she drove away from the church to the road that would take us to the place where the after-party was being held. Parties. Fun. Happy people.   I wanted to be anywhere but there, but I had to do this. “You weren’t a mistake to him.” she muttered. I looked over at her, before turning my attention back to playing with my fingers in my lap. My fingers ghosted over the soft silver fabric of my dress, feeling the silky smoothness. The more I tried to hold in my tears, they soon started welling up in my eyes. “Mihyun-ah, don’t cry. He was stupid to let you go.” She spoke softly. I let out a ragged breath. I took a deep breath, feeling the tears in my eyes retreating. For now. I turned to her, a little angry. “Why are you taking my side? He’s your brother.” She hammered her fingers on the steering wheel. “Look Mihyunnie, he’s my brother, sure. We look alike. We have our good and bad moments. I’ve never in my life been mad at him for anything. That is… until he let you go. He’s such a pabo that I really want to strangle him for doing this, but it’s his wedding day and I really want some cake.” By now, my tears had vanished and I was cracking up. She laughed along too, smiling. “You’re such a piggy Minjoo unnie!” I . She turned her head to meet my eyes. I noticed her mascara was ruined slightly due to the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “I’d rather him marry you than her, but things don’t always go the way we planned, do