I am so sorry if this chapter seems rushed. I explained in a blog post but for those who don't know, my laptop crashed a few weeks ago and I lost all my documents from the last 4 months, including a chunk of this chapter. I want to finish this story because it's precious to me but so much has happened while I've been writing it that it feels like it's cursed, so I'm going to try to do the story as much justice as I can while wrapping it up as quickly as I can. So without further ado, anjoy the update!!

Chapter 6 : A New Beginning

“I can’t believe you’re packing already,” Yoona said for about the tenth time that morning. “Don’t you want to enjoy the beach?”

“I can’t enjoy it if I haven’t packed,” Krystal said. “My seashells are precious, I have to make sure they all get home safely.”

Yoona shook her head. “Suit yourself. But if you’re not out by noon, I’m dragging you out by your wing tips.”

Krystal held her hands over her heart. “I’ll be out soon, I promise!”

As soon as Yoona had gone, Krystal dove for her bedside table and took out the box with her pearls. She had gone diving with Tiffany again that morning, and now she had three more pearls in her collection, all of them white. While Krystal was sure she’d find more white ones, she didn’t think she’d ever find another black pearl. Even so, she didn’t want to keep it for herself. Knowing it’s value, she wanted to give it to someone precious to her. Her first thought was Jessica, but she had gotten a pearl as an engagement gift. Her next thought was Kris, and it was a really good thought. The pearl looked just like the feathers on his wings, but each time Krystal tried to imagine giving the pearl to Kris, it wasn’t her mentor’s face she would see in her head.

Krystal had tried not to think about it, but the fact was she had a crush on Minseok, and had for quite some time. She thought it was just a little girl’s fantasy of meeting Prince Charming, because Minseok was quite charming and so worthy of being called a prince, and she had kind of been hoping to grow out of it. He was her sister’s mentor after all, and so much older and more worldly that Krystal could ever see herself becoming. She even hoped that the year apart would help her get over her crush, but it seemed that the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” was in fact true.

Krystal tried to imagine herself giving Minseok the pearl. The image made her feel almost giddy, but how would Minseok feel about it? Would he know what it meant to her, giving him something like this? What would happen if he refused it? What if he accepted it, but didn’t see the meaning of it? And what if Kris found out and got offended? Of all the scenarios, Krystal thought the most likely one was Minseok accepting the gift, and doing so by patting Krystal’s head and calling her a sweet kid. After all, what was she to Minseok? Every moment she’d ever shared with him stood out in her mind, but how could it possibly be the same for him? Krystal couldn’t help but think that she was such a kid compared to him, compared to all of the older Guardians, really. After all the years the twelve Guardians had spent together, was it even possible for them to see another Generation as anything more than a group of kids to mentor? Questions like this had plagued Krystal for years, or as much as they could plague her while she refused to even think about them. Nope, she totally didn’t think about things like that.

Krystal wrapped a rubber band around her box of pearls, rolled the box up in an old t-shirt, and buried it at the bottom of her bag. She could get another box for any other pearls she found, she just wanted to make sure the really valuable pearl was safe, even if she never decided what to do with it. With that she decided to stop thinking about it and go join the girls on the beach.

It didn’t hit Krystal until she was halfway to the beach that she hadn’t packed a single seashell.

Nana and Sooyoung had the brilliant idea to raid nearby homes and shops for old clothing to cushion their treasures with. Of course a lot of the clothing was in ruins, but due to the dry and warm climate, most of it was in usable condition, if not wearable condition.

Once they were back in their room and wrapping up their shells, Nana turned to Sooyoung and confessed, “I keep getting this strange feeling, I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels like chills down my spine even though I’m not scared.”

“What brings it on?” Sooyoung asked.

“Just…thinking about how Jongin and the others were here. While we were in the stores I kept wondering if they were here too. I had the same feeling on the beach, in the pool, in the dining hall…they were here, back when they didn’t know what the future would hold and when they would meet us…” She shuddered visibly and dropped the shirt she was holding to rub her arms. “I just got it again! And the funny thing is, I almost never think about the other people who must have been here. Only when I force myself to remember that our mentors weren’t the only ones who used to come here.”

Sooyoung tried not to think about how now she was getting that same feeling. “It’s probably because this place is so empty. We’re not like them, we didn’t spend years and years living as the only people on an entire planet, so being alone like this, in a place that makes it seem like we are, it plays tricks on your mind.”

“Ghosts,” Nana said suddenly. “That’s what it feels like. Like I can feel ghosts around me.”

“Alright now you’re freaking me out,” Sooyoung said. She reached for another shell and wrapped it hastily, hoping Nana wouldn’t see that her hands were shaking. “Let’s just get these things packed up, yeah?”

But that night they kept the light on and neither of them slept much.

Jessica knew she ought to pack, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. It would make it so final that they were leaving, and she hadn’t anticipated how deeply she would come to love the beach. Especially this beach. She would miss the sunsets, the smell of the ocean, the feeling of wet sand under her feet…and she would miss sharing it all with Tiffany.

“We’ll come back, you know.”

Jessica sighed and leaned her head on Tiffany’s shoulder. “Yeah, but it won’t be for a while. Everything’s going to change when we get back. Who knows what we’ll have time for?”

“We’ll make time,” Tiffany said firmly. “And if anyone tries to keep us from having that time to ourselves, I’ll throw them into the lake.”

Jessica laughed, and she knew just how serious Tiffany was when she said that. “And do you think we’ll have time for a wedding?”

“Absolutely. You know the guys will be beside themselves when we tell them.”

Jessica sat up. “Should we tell them before, or after we explain the whole collective soul thing to them?”

“Oh god, if we don’t tell Minseok and Kyungsoo straight away that we’re engaged, they’ll have our heads for sure.”

“Good point. But you know, we can only tell them if we see them. We can’t do it over the phone.”

“Is that your way of telling me to go pack?”

Tiffany got to her feet, pulling Jessica with her. “You know it is. Come on, I’ll give you a hand.”

Hyoyeon was armed with leftover shrimp, a sheet, a flashlight, and a backpack. She was hopeful that her mission wouldn’t be too difficult to carry out, but she was aware that things could take a turn at any time.

Stray animals were common in abandoned towns like this, and even though these pockets of stray packs had been left alone for hundreds of years, it wasn’t enough to undo thousands of years of domestication. If the animals were taken in at a young enough age, they could be perfect pets. Hyoyeon had been keeping an eye on a litter of kittens and their mother for a few weeks, and she thought that she had finally gotten the mother’s trust. Now that she was faced with the prospect of leaving the beach, she knew she couldn’t live with herself if she left these poor cats behind. If she could get the mom, she could get the babies with no problem.

Hyoyeon reached the old shed where the cats had made their home. She sat down with the sheet in her lap and opened the container of fish. Soon enough the mother cat came trotting out of the shed. Hyoyeon just called her “Mama Kitty.” She seemed young, and she was completely black. She approached Hyoyeon confidently and began to eat the fish out of the container. Hyoyeon her back gently, and moved the sheet into position. Heart racing, Hyoyeon threw the sheet over Mama Kitty and scooped. Sand went flying and the cat let out a startled yowl, but she was good and caught. Hyoyeon tied the corners of the sheet together, making a small sack. Mama Kitty mewed pitifully, but Hyoyeon turned her attention to the babies. She knew there were three, and she got one easily—a black kitten who was the mirror image of his mother, and the least shy of the bunch. Hyoyeon found him in the shed doorway and scooped him into the backpack. Next was a black and white kitten who Hyoyeon caught as he tried to run past her. The last kitten was a gorgeous little calico, and the only girl. Hyoyeon found her curled up behind a shovel, she hissed as Hyoyeon reached for her, and when Hyoyeon picked her up she could feel the kitten shaking.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” Hyoyeon cooed, “You’re going to be alright now.”

On the way back to the hotel, Hyoyeon ran into Sunny. In her arms Sunny carried a large cardboard box, and Hyoyeon could see two wagging tails over the edge of the box.

“You found puppies?” Hyoyeon asked.

Sunny came over and let Hyoyeon peek in. There was one puppy and one dog who seemed older, though still small. The smaller one had a long body, floppy ears, and brown fur. The bigger one had pointed ears and curly black fur. “They’ve been following me around all week whenever I leave the beach,” Sunny explained. “I don’t think they’re siblings, so they must be friends. I just couldn’t leave them here. What have you got?”

“Kittens and their mom,” Hyoyeon said, showing Sunny the kittens in the backpack. “I’ve got a decent sized dog crate in my room, I’m going to put them in it.”

Sunny sighed. “Tiffany’s going to lose her mind if we end up bringing home more animals than people.”

“What are the odds that anyone else is bringing home an animal?” Hyoyeon asked. “Right now, it’s only six animals, and they’re all pretty small.”

They continued along their way and soon heard a voice from behind them call, “You guys found some, too?”

They turned around and saw Luna leading a huge dog along on a makeshift leash. The dog came up to her waist and was white with grey and brown patches. Jinri was behind her, carrying two kittens in her arms.

“What kind of werewolf are you bringing home, Luna?” Sunny asked incredulously.

“Don’t be silly,” Luna said. “He’s not a werewolf, I know exactly what he is. An Australian shepherd and Great Pyrenees mix. I did the research and found out all about the breeds. They’re super friendly and relaxed, and he’s just about the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet.”

“That’s not a dog,” Hyoyeon said, “That’s a small horse. At least the rest of our new pets will look like butterflies in comparison to yours. Tiffany is going to lose her mind when she sees what you’re bringing home.”

Luna folded her arms and gave Hyoyeon a determined look. “Well I’m getting Teddy home one way or another, even if means I have to walk him home with me.”

“Teddy?” Jinri asked. “Like Teddy Bear?”

“No, like Theodore Roosevelt. That’s his full name.”

It ended up being that Teddy greeted Tiffany with a wagging tail and happy yelping, and rolled over for belly rubs the second he got close to her. When she had been buttered up, Hyoyeon offered Tiffany the little calico kitten as a peace offering and she accepted. In the end, nobody had any problems with the animals that were to be brought home.

That last night, they sat out on the beach for as long as they could. They watched the moon rise and the sun set, they watched the stars come out and they named as many constellations as they could. Amber told them about the first time she had seen stars after living underground for her first few years, how she thought the sky was a big blanket and the stars were little holes where the light poked through. They gathered a bunch of wood and lit a fire, they speared leftover fish and even some fruit and roasted it over the open flames for a late night snack. Tiffany finally said that she needed to sleep if she wanted to be conscious enough to drive the next day, and the others decided to follow her inside.

In the morning they all showered and dressed, brought their bags and animals downstairs, and ate breakfast together. Tiffany brought the RV to the front of the hotel and they began to load their bags into the storage space. The last thing to go in was the ancient suitcase full of shells, so that it would be the first thing they took out. Next to be put on the bus were Hyoyeon’s cats. The crate was placed in the RV’s bathroom, in the shower stall. It was a close fit, but it was sure to be quiet and keep Mama Kitty from getting too stressed. Jinri’s kittens were in a smaller carrier and would sit on her lap. The dogs would roam free, luckily Sunny’s puppies got along very well with Teddy. Just as the girls were discussing a final trip to the beach, there was a shriek and a flurry of feathers as a large, white bird landed on Sooyoung’s head.

Tiffany looked ready to spit fire. “What is that?”

Sooyoung looked sheepish. “Er...it’s…it’s…um…”

Nana cried, “It’s her booooooooyfriend!”

“It’s just a bird I’ve been feeding,” Sooyoung said sheepishly. “It’s a cockatoo, and I don’t know if it’s a boy or not!”

Tiffany threw up her hands. “Get rid of it or get it in a crate, I will not have that thing flying in my face.”

After several failed attempts to get the bird off Sooyoung’s head (she lost quite a few strands of hair in the process), Amber held a small crate in the air and the bird flew into it. Sooyoung whined about not wanting a pet bird, but Nana cheerfully told her that the bird clearly wanted to be with its girlfriend, and she didn’t have much of a choice.

“So many freaking animals,” Tiffany muttered, “It’s all the Tree’s fault, I just know it. Darn spirit animals showing up when we have to drive hundreds of miles in a rusted old hunk of junk.” She kicked the wheel of the bus and stormed up the stairs and into the drivers seat. “Well, I’m leaving before we end up bringing home a beached whale. Anyone who doesn’t want to walk, on the bus now!”

The girls scrambled onto the bus, and they were off.

By some miracle, it only took two days to get home. Tiffany drove for twelve hours straight before she allowed Amber to take over, then Victoria drove after her, then Nana, and then Tiffany took the wheel again. Stops on the side of the road only lasted long enough for all dogs to be walked and for a brief breath of fresh air. When the RV pulled up outside the Sanctuary, Tiffany threw it in park and was the first one off the bus, with Jessica right behind her. The two of them raced through the gates, yelling for their mentors. By the time the rest of the girls caught up, Tiffany and Jessica had already found Minseok and Kyungsoo. They were all hugging and crying, and yelling congratulations loudly enough for the Tree itself to hear.

Soon the other mentors were out in the yard, and then it was complete chaos. Krystal flew straight at Kris and hugged him so tightly she lifted him off his feet.

“I missed you,” Krystal sobbed into Kris’ shoulder.

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Kris said, Krystal’s hair. “We all did.”

After everyone had been hugged, Nana disappeared and reappeared in seconds, carrying the ancient, battered suitcase with her. “Look what we found on the side of the road!”

There were shocked cries from the mentors and they all fell upon the suitcase. They pulled shells and coral from it and each one started to talk about what they remembered from their last trip and how they couldn’t believe the suitcase had lasted. It was incredible to see them all so excited and wistful, and it struck the girls again just how much time their mentors had spent alone on the planet.

Krystal took a closer look at Kris. She could see just how much he truly had missed her. He looked worn and tired beneath his happy expression. All the guys had a similar look about them. It must have been difficult, after so many years living with a new Generation of Guardians, to be alone again. Krystal knew right then and there that the next time they went to the beach, it would be together. She wasn’t going to accept anything less, and she knew the rest of the girls wouldn’t either.

After a while, Lu Han finally asked the question the girls had been anticipating. “What are you all doing back early, though? Didn’t you enjoy the beach?”

“We did,” Amber said, “We really did. In fact we…we found it very…” She glanced at Krystal, who nodded and took over.

“It was very spiritual,” Krystal said. “And something amazing happened to me, and then to all of us, and we knew we had to tell you all about it in person. You see, it’s about our souls.” She paused. “Maybe we should sit down, this might take a while.”

The twelve mentors meditated together first. They went to the lake and stood in the water. The girls stayed behind to unload the RV. They unpacked, got their new pets settled, and waited in the meeting hall. They waited in there for half an hour before their mentors came back. It was clear that each of them had been crying, but they had smiles on their faces.

“You were right,” Suho said to Krystal. “It was absolutely amazing.”

“Life changing,” Jongin said quietly. He glanced at Minseok. “Even if it doesn’t mean I’m willing to jump to forgiveness.”

Minseok nodded and put his arm around Jongin’s shoulders. “I know. You need to heal, and you need to heal your own way.”

Krystal cleared . “Could we possibly…meditate together, all of us?”

Kris grinned at her. “I think that would be amazing.”

And when they all joined hands and found that spiritual connection, it was the most amazing thing any of them had ever felt.

One Week Later

Krystal knew that there were no more secrets in the Sanctuary aside from her own. It was hard to keep a secret after sharing a soul with 23 other people, yet she couldn’t bring herself to tell Minseok about what she was feeling. She told herself that it was too soon after Jessica and Tiffany’s engagement announcement, right now the attention should be on them. They were preparing for a wedding, a traditional Earth wedding. They would wear western wedding gowns and exchange vows next to the Tree of Life, with their mentors officiating them. Krystal had been asked to make a speech before the exchanging of the vows, and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. That was probably a much more pressing issue, considering that she only had a month to prepare.

She was trying to clear her head by going for a walk, but all she ended up doing was finding some kittens to play with. She had no idea how long she sat there for, letting them roll over her lap, but at some point she realized she was being watched.

‘It would be Minseok,’ Krystal thought to herself.

“What brings you out here?” Krystal asked.

“I saw you walk by,” Minseok said. “I waved, but you must not have seen. I didn’t follow you at first, but I wondered what had you so distracted.”

Krystal looked away sheepishly. “Trying to think of what to say at Tiffany and Jessica’s wedding. I didn’t think it would be so hard to write it down.”

“Can I sit with you?” Minseok asked.

Krystal nodded, and he sat across from her. One of the kitten scampered into his lap and began to gnaw on his finger. Minseok paid it no mind as he said, “I know how much you love Jessica, and I think maybe your problem is that you’re trying too hard to write something perfect. This is your sister, anything you say to her is something she’ll love. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t even have to be a particularly long speech. It just has to come from your heart.”

Krystal felt her eyes start to sting with tears and she rubbed them.

“Are you alright?” Minseok asked.

Krystal sniffled. “Yeah, I am.” She cleared . “Actually…there’s something I’ve been meaning to give you. Are you busy right now?”

Minseok shook his head, looking a little puzzled. “Something for me?” He echoed. “I mean, no, I’m not busy right now.”

Krystal nodded and stood up. The kitten mewed indignantly, but she wasn’t paying attention. “Come with me, I’ll give it to you now.”

They walked to the girl’s sleeping quarters, and Minseok paused outside, but Krystal beckoned him in. “They’re all busy right now, and if anyone is inside they’re not paying attention to us.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Minseok muttered, but he followed Krystal inside. Krystal walked quickly to her room and peered in, relieved to see that she had, in fact, put all her dirty clothes in the hamper rather than leave them on the floor.

“Sit anywhere,” Krystal said as she rummaged in her dresser for the box. When she turned around, Minseok was sitting on the very edge of her bed. Krystal sat next to him, the little box cradled in her palms.

“I found this while we were at the beach and…and I want you to have it.” She didn’t know what else to say, so she handed Minseok the box.

He opened it slowly, and for a split second his face showed pure confusion before it morphed into surprised. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped a little. He tipped the black pearl into his palm and stared at it.

“Krystal this is…it’s beautiful. How on Earth did you find it?”

Krystal told him probably a bit more than he needed to know. She started with the first time she saw a black pearl when she helped Tiffany shop for Jessica’s engagement gift, told him about diving for pearls, and how her first pearl oyster had a black pearl.

“For some reason, from the first moment I saw a black pearl, I thought of you. I thought about this for a long time, if I should give it to you, and now I know that I want you to have it.” She was probably rambling, and even though she hadn’t looked away from Minseok’s face since she sat next to him, she couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking or feeling.

“I…I don’t know what to say except thank you,” Minseok said quietly. “And I can honestly say…I’ve never received anything like this before.” He put the pearl back in the box and closed it.

“Do you like it?” Krystal asked.

“I do, very much,” Minseok said. “I’ll treasure it.” He hesitated. “Krystal, what about the pearl made you think of me?”

Krystal gulped. “Your…your eyes.” To her shock, Minseok blushed. Krystal felt like she had been struck by lightning and she gasped. “Oh!”

“What is it?” Minseok asked.

In all these years, Krystal had never once realized it, but it hit her then—Minseok had never been in love. He had even said it once before, when all the mentors were talking about love and crushes. All this time, Krystal had thought of Minseok as so unreachable, but he was just like her when it came to matters of the heart. No personal experience, nothing to compare to, a blank slate. She felt her hesitation start to ebb, replaced by nervous excitement.

Krystal took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me.”

Minseok’s blush faded and he smiled. “I would like that.”

The time for a proper date wouldn’t come for a while. In addition to preparing for Tiffany and Jessica’s wedding, the girls were still adjusting to being back after vacation and preparing to become full-fledged Guardians, and on top of all that it was becoming increasingly clear that plans needed to be made for getting back to the mentor’s home planet to dispose of the Darkness once and for all. Even with all that on her mind, Krystal was giddy. Every time she looked at Minseok or even thought about him, she would feel like she was flying. If this was how Jessica felt with Tiffany, then Krystal could finally truly understand her sister.

And it was no secret that Minseok and Krystal were a couple, no matter how many times they both insisted that it wasn’t official until after they’d had a date. Whenever Krystal talked about it with Jessica, her sister would insist that with the feelings Krystal was experiencing, it was official in all but name. There was quite a bit of giggling from the girls every time Minseok’s name was brought up in their late night conversations, and Krystal knew that Minseok was getting much the same treatment from his brothers. She also knew that Kris had actually cried once, and when she learned that she had gone straight to her mentor and given him a long hug.

“I’m so happy for you,” Kris had said. “I just…didn’t realize how mature you’ve gotten. I mean I knew but at the same time…”

“Like me and Jessica,” Krystal had said.

“Maybe not as intense,” Kris admitted.

Krystal had responded, “Well I would say that next to Jessica, you know me best and you’ve known me the longest. You really are more than just a friend and mentor to me. More than a brother, even if not quite a father…I wish we had a name for it.”

“Godfather?”

Krystal had laughed. “Sure, let’s go with that, I think it fits.”

Kris had given her a serious look. “No matter how old you get and how many other Guardians I help train, you’ll always have a special place in my heart, and I’ll always look out for you. You can talk to me about anything, even though I may not have all the answers.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

And once he said that, Kris took those words to heart. Krystal was even tempted to change his title to fairy godfather.

A few days before Jessica’s wedding, Kris knocked on Krystal’s bedroom door and told her to put on some jeans and grab a sweater, he had somewhere to take her. Krystal did as he said and followed him to the Sanctuary’s gardens. There she found a patchwork of white sheets set up as a tent, inside of which stood a table full of snacks and a huge pile of cushions. A fire crackled nearby, and next to that Minseok was waiting with Jessica. Minseok looked just as surprised as Krystal felt.

“What’s all this?” Krystal asked.

“It’s your date,” Jessica said. “You and Minseok have the night off, so enjoy it, and the Tree help you if we see you back before sunset.”

Kris ruffled Krystal’s hair. “Have fun!”

When Kris and Jessica ran off, Minseok asked, “Did you know about this?”

Krystal shook her head. “Did you?”

“I didn’t have a clue,” Minseok said with a smile. “We have some pretty amazing friends and family.”

Krystal smiled. She was a little unsure of how to go on, but Minseok took initiative. He held out his hand and Krystal took it, and they sat at the table. “I have something to show you,” Minseok said. He pulled a chain from under his shirt collar. “Tiffany helped me with it, we just finished this morning.” He had strung the pearl on a gold chain.

“It’s beautiful,” Krystal said.

“There’s one more thing,” Minseok told her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the same box Krystal had kept the pearl in. “This is for you.”

Sure that it wasn’t an empty box, Krystal opened it, and she gasped. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was a gold chain from which dangled a blue-white gem wrapped in gold wire. The gem was flanked by two smaller purple gems.

“On my planet, we have a gem that we literally call an ice crystal. It’s used to identify Guardians gifted with ice. This piece broke off from the chunk I carry with me, and I’ve wondered what to do with it for a while. Truthfully I don’t know much about Earth gems, but I know that I’ve always liked…how purple looks on you. Apparently the purple gems are called amethyst. Anyway, I couldn’t think of a better person to give that piece of ice crystal to, and I couldn’t think of a better way to thank you for the pearl.”

“This is beautiful,” Krystal said. “And I’m so honored. I can’t imagine how precious this must be to you.”

“As precious as the pearl must have been to you,” Minseok said.

Krystal took the necklace from the box. “Will you help me put it on?”

Minseok nodded. His fingers shook as he took the necklace, and Krystal rested her hands on Minseok’s shoulders as he fastened it around the back of her neck.

“How does it look?” Krystal asked.

“Beautiful,” Minseok said, looking at her eyes.

Later, Krystal would tell her sister that after Minseok gave her the necklace, the two of them talked for a while, then they built up the fire and roasted marshmallows until the sun went down, after which they walked down to the lake and watched the stars. That was all true, but she left out what happened between the necklace and the talking. After all, her sister didn’t really need to hear about all the kissing she and Minseok had done.

“Hold still,” Krystal admonished for the tenth time in as many minutes. The makeshift dressing room, a hastily built shed, was not at all the best place to be styling a fidgety bride.

Jessica whined, “I’m trying! Let’s see you do the same on your wedding day!”

Krystal rolled her eyes and gingerly held a thin band of her sister’s hair against her scalp. “I will not be blamed if you bleed. Pin!”

Yoona handed Krystal a bobby pin and Krystal carefully slid it into place. Jessica had wanted a sort of “gently windswept” look, so Krystal had lightly curled her hair and pinned it so that it would cascade down her back in artful layers. It had so far taken her two hours. If Krystal ever got married she was going to throw a flower in her hair and be done with it. After Jessica’s hair was finally done, Krystal and Yoona helped her into her dress. She had found a lace dress that she had worked hard to bring back to life after years in a garment bag, and it looked beautiful on her. But on her wedding day, was it possible for her to be anything but radiant?

“You look like a bride,” Krystal said.

Jessica was glowing. “I can’t wait to get out there! I can’t believe the day is finally here! Oh Krystal, I’m going to cry!”

“So cry, that’s why you’re not wearing eye makeup!”

Jessica laughed, and hugged Krystal tightly. “I’m so happy you’re with me.”

“Like I’d be anywhere else,” Krystal said.

Then Minseok was knocking on the door, Yoona was leaving, and Krystal was linking her arm with Jessica’s left arm, and Minseok with Jessica’s right arm. Outside, Jongdae began to play the keyboard, their cue to come outside. Jessica and Tiffany had agreed to walk out of their makeshift dressing rooms on opposite side of the garden and meet in the middle, at the Tree, that way there was no single aisle for them to take turns walking down. When Jessica saw Tiffany, she began to cry, and Tiffany was quick to follow.

At the Tree, Krystal kissed Jessica’s cheek and stood towards the side with Minseok and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo and Minseok both spoke about how much they loved Tiffany and Jessica, and wished them a happy future. Then it was Krystal’s turn. She hadn’t prepared anything, instead she spoke from her heart.

“Jessica, you are the single most important person in my life. No matter what, I want you to be happy. I know that Tiffany will make you happier than either of us could ever imagine, and I know you’ll do the same for her. How could the two of you be anything but happy together? I’ve seen you grow up together, and I know that aside from me, there’s no one you love more than her. And Tiffany, you’ve become like another sister to me over the years. Sometimes I can’t believe how much I’ve come to love you. I wish you both happiness, love, faith in each other and yourselves, and I wish for you to always find the best in each other.”

Then Krystal gave them each a hug and kiss on the cheek, and she stepped back. Minseok put his arm around Krystal’s shoulders and kissed her forehead. Jessica and Tiffany exchanged vows, and then they signed a marriage certificate. Minseok and Kyungsoo signed as witnesses, and then announced that in the presence of the Tree of life, they had been united.

‘That’s going to be me someday,’ Krystal thought to herself. She was really looking forward to it.

Jessica's wedding dress

Tiffany's wedding dress (even though I didn't talk about it)

So was this worth the wait?!?!