“No, the flowers don’t go there,” Jessica sighed, “They’re supposed to be next to the altar.  Dara sshi strictly told me to have those lilies there!”

      The worker picked up the lilies and nodded as he walked towards the altar with the lilies in his hands.  Jessica was overly stressed.  She had been up since six in the morning just to make sure that everything was going according to the schedule that she had made.  She her lips as she saw a few workers setting up the chairs for the wedding guests. 

      “Ahjussi, please make sure that there are ten chairs in each row, please!” Jessica reminded them.

      “Calm down.  You need to relax,” Tiffany frowned.

      Jessica was startled to hear her voice.  It was already nine o’clock in the morning, and the wedding was set to take place at noon.  Tiffany handed her a paper cup filled with coffee and creamer.  Jessica willingly took it and sipped it.

      “Thank goodness you bought me coffee,” Jessica muttered.

      “Did you miss breakfast again?” Tiffany questioned.

      Jessica nodded, “I completely forgot to eat breakfast.  I’m just so stressed with the wedding.”

      “Don’t stress about it too much,” Tiffany assured her, “I’m here to help you.  Remember that we’re partners in business, okay?”

      Jessica looked at a few workers set up the chairs.  Her eyes were analyzing whether or not the chairs were in a straight line.  She narrowed her eyes as Tiffany took a sip of her own coffee.

      “How did you even know I was here?” Jessica asked as she distractedly watched the workers set up the chairs.

      Tiffany answered, “I went to Yoona’s house this morning.  She told me that you texted her this morning that you were going to be at the venue to oversee the activities and setup.”

      “How’s my sister?  Is she getting ready for the wedding?” Jessica asked.

      Tiffany nodded, “Yeah, she showed me the dress that she picked out for herself.  I felt kind of bad for her because she had morning sickness and she was throwing up a few minutes later.  She was cursing at Seunghyun like there was no tomorrow.”

      “I’m not surprised,” Jessica finally smiled.

      Tiffany grabbed Jessica’s wrist when Jessica was about to walk away to talk to the man that was going to set up the fountain.  Jessica raised an eyebrow as Tiffany stared intently into her eyes.  Tiffany was her best friend and she knew that Jessica was hiding her pain.

      “You don’t need to do this,” Tiffany whispered, “I know you still love him.  It’s more than enough that you’re planning his wedding, but you don’t need to watch the ceremony.  I know it’s going to hurt you.”

      “I’ll be fine,” Jessica choked, “I can watch the ceremony.  What kind of wedding planner leaves during the ceremony?”

__________________

      “Oppa, wake up!  It’s your wedding day!” Yuri exclaimed.

      Jiyong’s eyes opened, and Yuri knew right away that he had a few drinks before he went to sleep.  His eyes were red, and he held his head as if he had a migraine.  Jiyong scratched the back of his head as he yawned loudly.

      “What time is it?” he groggily asked.

      “It’s already 10:30,” Yuri informed him.

      “Oh,” Jiyong murmured, “I’ll be getting ready now.  I’ll get ready for the beginning of the end of my life.”

      Yuri looked at her brother to see how remorseful he felt over the whole wedding.  She knew that he still loved Jessica and the only reason why he was pushing through with the marriage was because Jessica didn’t want him back and he had a debt to pay to Dara and her family.

      “You really don’t have to do this,” Yuri sighed, “You can back out right now.  I’ll be on your side no matter what.”

      “What’s the point?  Jessica won’t take me back,” Jiyong breathed, “I might as well pay off this stupid debt to Dara’s family.”

      Jiyong checked his phone and was expecting a text from Dara.  He was expecting a cheesy text about their wedding and how excited she was, but he didn’t receive a text from her.  He put down his phone and closed his eyes as he remembered the morning of his wedding with Jessica.

_________

To: Kwon Jiyong

From: Jung Jessica

Good morning, oppa!  I hope you slept well.  I’ll see you at our wedding! ^_^ I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.  I love you, Kwon Jiyong! <3

      Jiyong read her text to him again and again.  He closed his eyes as he pressed his phone to his chest.  He was going to miss her.  He was going to miss every single thing about her.  He fought back the tears as he shakily texted her back.

To: Jung Jessica

From:  Kwon Jiyong

I love you, Sica.  No matter what happens, just know that I love you.

      He pressed the send button and took a deep breath.  He hated what he was about to do.  He stared at the suitcase he had packed the night before.  It was time to set his priorities and take responsibility for his family.

___________________

      “I’m so nervous,” Dara panted, “What if I can’t go through with this?  I have much on my mind.”

      Her bridesmaid replied, “Dara, you’ll be fine.”

      “Chaerin, I have so much on my mind!  Don’t tell me that everything is going to be fine because I know it’s not!” Dara cried out.

      She was close to tears, but because she didn’t want to ruin her makeup, she held it back with all her might.  She looked absolutely breathtaking in her dress.  She wore a white gown that hugged her slim figure.  Her hair was pinned back and her veil covered her perfect face.

      Her other bridesmaid, Bom, began to adjust the train to her dress as Dara stared at herself in the mirror.  She imagined her special day differently.  She thought she was going to be filled with so much happiness, but that was the complete opposite of what she felt—she felt empty.  She then looked at her own eyes through the mirror.  Why didn’t she look happy?  She was supposed to look cheerful.  She was supposed to be excited that she was finally getting her happy ending. 

      Her friends began to notice the change in emotions that she was feeling.  She quickly pulled off a smile and then threw her arms up in the air.

      “I can’t wait for the ceremony!” Dara forced a smile on her face.

________________

      Jessica was getting ready in Yoona’s house after she looked at the preparations for the wedding.  Yoona and Jessica were in the master suite while Seunghyun took a shower.  Yoona had put his tuxedo in the bathroom so that he could dress in there.

      Jessica began to apply mascara on her lashes while Yoona carefully put on her lipstick.  After they were done putting on their makeup, they stared at themselves in the mirror.  The wedding had a peach color theme, so the were forced in wearing the pastel color.  Jessica wore a peach mini dress and a pair of beige heels.  Yoona wore a peach maxi dress and a pair of light brown heels. 

      Seunghyun emerged from the bathroom with his tuxedo on.  Of course, he looked handsome.  He frowned as he pointed at the bow tie around his neck.

      “Why is my bow tie pink?” Seunghyun asked.

      Yoona corrected him, “It’s peach, not pink.”

      “It looks pink to me,” Seunghyun scowled, “It does not look good with my suit.”

      “ it up!” Jessica teased.

      Seunghyun glanced at Jessica and gave her a hopeful smile.  Yoona had warned him earlier to be nice to her.  The man that she loved was getting married to another woman, and she had to plan it. Seunghyun nervously swallowed and patted Jessica’s shoulder.

      “You’re a strong woman,” he told her, “I’ll respect your decision—even if you decide to stop the wedding, run off with Jiyong, and live happily ever after with the love of your life in a nice home with a mini Jessica and Jiyong.”

      Jessica rolled her eyes and brushed his hand off her shoulder.  How obvious can he be? 

      “Seunghyun ah, let’s not be absurd,” Jessica glowered.

      “I was just putting a possible decision out there,” Seunghyun pointed out.

____________________

      Jessica pushed the earpiece in her ear that connected to Tiffany and a few other staff members.  She watched Dara and Jiyong’s guests fill in the seats.  She saw Yuri and Jisun walking towards their seats until they spotted Jessica.  They walked over to her and gave her a warm hug.  Yuri looked absolutely lovely, but Jisun looked frail and weak.  She was using a cane because her joints had gotten weaker.  Jessica was actually surprised that she wasn’t in a wheelchair.  Jisun was always a strong person, so it wasn’t a surprise that she had forced herself to walk even if it meant she needed the help of a cane.

      “It was great seeing you,” Jessica smiled.

      “Yeah, me too.  To be honest, I wish it was you in that wedding dress,” Jisun winked.

      Jessica nervously laughed, “You’re always joking around.”

      “I’m not kidding,” Jisun’s smile faded.

      Yuri sensed how uncomfortable Jessica was and hurriedly led her mother to their seats.  Jessica swallowed and waved at them.  Every single second she was there, she was getting more nervous.  She wasn’t even the bride. 

      She saw Jiyong enter the venue with his tuxedo and a pair of aviator sunglasses on.  She rolled her eyes because she knew that he was suffering from a hangover.  He needed to shield his red eyes to avoid controversy.  She didn’t think it was going to look good if he went on with the ceremony with a pair of sunglasses on his face. 

      “The ceremony is on in five minutes.  The bride is waiting in her limo,” Tiffany informed her through the earpiece.

      “Thanks, Fany,” Jessica said, “I’ll need the band on standby.  Dara sshi is going to make her entrance soon.”

      Those five minutes felt like an eternity for her.  Jessica fiddled with her fingers as she continued to avoid eye contact with Jiyong.  She knew that he was looking at her; she just chose to ignore it.

      “It’s time,” Tiffany informed the staff.

      “Cue the band,” Jessica spoke into her earpiece.

      The band began to play the wedding march as the ring bearer and flower girl started off the entrance.  Soon enough, the bridesmaids and groomsmen had walked the aisle.  Everyone stood up to see Dara making her way down the aisle.  With her father by her side, she forced a smile on her face.

      Jessica’s heart rate doubled as Dara let go of her father’s hand and took Jiyong’s.  Jiyong and Dara walked to the altar and joined their hand together.

      Jessica pressed her lips together as she saw Dara and Jiyong looking at each other.  She felt jealous that she wasn’t the one in Dara’s place.  She felt as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

      “I can’t do this,” Jessica whispered in her earpiece to Tiffany, “I thought I was strong enough, but I just can’t do this.  I can’t watch them get married.”

      “I understand,” Tiffany responded immediately, “I completely understand you.”

      Jessica murmured, “I’m going to go now.  Can you handle the reception on your own?”

      “Yes, I can.  I’ll tell Dara and everyone else that you felt sick,” Tiffany retorted, “Jessica, I’m here for you.  Call me if you need anything.  Only the Lord knows what you’re going through right now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

      Jiyong stared at Dara as Dara looked back at Jiyong.  He knew that she was forcing a smile.  He had been her friend for many years, and he knew that she was faking that smile on her face.  Sadness was shown in her eyes. 

      “Do you, Park Sandara, take Kwon Jiyong to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part?” the priest asked.

      “Till death do us part?” Dara bit her lip.

      The priest was surprised, “Uh, yes.”

      Dara continued to bite her lip as she stared at the crowd.  The first person she saw was her father.  He was looking at her with that stern expression on his face.  He was the one that wanted this marriage.  He had convinced her that if she got married to him, all of her dreams would come true.  Kwon Jiyong was handsome, smart, and well mannered.  He was the perfect show husband.

      Dara pushed her hands away from Jiyong’s hands and took a step back. 

      “I’m sorry, Jiyong, but I don’t love you,” Dara confessed, “I love another.”

      The crowd began to gasp and talk among themselves as Dara took her engagement ring off her finger and gave it to him. 

      “Woohoo!” Jisun hooted from the audience.

      Yuri blushed heavily as Jiyong covered his face in embarrassment.

      “I thought it was a good idea to marry you, but now is not the time, and you’re not the right person,” Dara swallowed, “I thought you were the man of my dreams, but I can’t marry you.  I don’t know a single thing about you even if we have dated for years.  I was just in love with how jealous people got when they saw us together.”

      “You should have said this before the ceremony,” Jiyong said in a coarse whisper.

      Dara bowed her head, “I’m sorry that I’m such a coward.  I know that you don’t want to get married to me either.  I recently found out about your first love.  I guess I can’t mention her name right now because we’re in front of everybody, but I know that you want to be with her instead.  I’m actually surprised when I found out.”

      “How did you know?” Jiyong questioned.

      “I’ll explain everything to you later on.  I think we both need to leave and find the loves of our lives,” Dara smiled.

      For the first time, they had agreed on something.  They faced the audience and got on their knees and bowed to them.  With their forehead pressed against the floor, people began to gasp out in shock and distress.

      “We’re sorry,” they both apologized.

      He looked around in hopes of seeing Jessica, but she wasn’t there.  She was probably waiting in the parking lot because she didn’t want to see the ceremony. 

      Jiyong stood up and offered her hand to Dara.  Together, they ran out of the garden and into the parking lot.  Tiffany took the courtesy in calming the guest down and discouraging them from getting up from their seats and following the runaway bride and groom.

      When the two reached the parking lot, Jiyong let go of her hand.  Being the gentleman he was, he offered to let Dara have the limo.

      “Thank you, Jiyong,” Dara smiled, “I’m going to find Onew now.  I need to tell him that I love him.  I hope I don’t have to face rejection, and I hope that you and Jessica will end up together.  Even before I found out about your past with her, I could already tell that you were in love with her.  I was just playing stupid.”

      “So it was Onew that you really loved,” Jiyong realized.

      Jiyong looked around the parking lot and saw that Jessica was nowhere to be seen.  He tilted his head as panic filled his mind.  Where was she?  Did she actually leave the ceremony?

      “You need to look for Jessica.  One day, we need to clear up everything,” Dara waved.

      Jiyong closed the door for her and watched the stretch limo drive away.  He waved and then took the cellphone in his pocket out to call Jessica’s phone.  He grunted after he was forwarded to voicemail.  She had probably turned off her phone.  He dialed Tiffany’s number, and she answered right away.

      “Tiffany, do you know where Jessica is?” Jiyong asked.

      “She didn’t tell me where she was going, but she informed me she was leaving the ceremony,” Tiffany revealed.

      Jiyong grunted, “I need more information than that!”

      “Well, the last thing she told me was that she needed to get air—,” Tiffany was cut off.

      “Airplane tickets?  She’s going to leave?  Really?  She’s so foolish!  I’m on my way to the airport!” Jiyong cried out and then hung up. 

He put his phone on silent and dropped it in his pocket.  He quickly stopped a taxi that was driving by and got in immediately.

      “Please bring me to the nearest airport,” he told the driver.

Author's Note:  I hope you guys liked the update!  In the last chapter, I said the end was near, but it's not here yet.  This story will end in a few chapters.  I hope you guys anticipate it! :D