"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"
This was the scream that left your mouth along with your shame as you brazenly kicked open the door, striding down the aisle in quick and heavy stomps over flower petals; stares following you down until your very last step before the bride and groom. Taking off your left shoe and raising it in the air to throw, you paused to hold in tears. The groom didn't turn around and the bride remained under her veil as if they were afraid of what was coming next.
"How many times have I been there for you that you would do this to me..?" you started, muffled and choking back on tears. "He's a snake and I can't believe you used me just to get to him. You were my best friend. Now.. and now, you didn't even invite me because I hate this man?" To this question, they began to turn around-- you lowered your gaze so as to hide your weakness. Finally pulling your arm back to launch your shoe into the bride's brain, the groom grabbed your wrist.
"By chance," he started. "Do we even know you.. ?" He looked at you with question, his narrow eyes and eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliarity of your face. "This is the Im wedding.. Do you have the wrong one?"
Your eyes widened. And a cheshire cat laugh stood out in the pews, echoing in the walls of your vacant mind. Your eyes flew up to see a man with two moles on his eyelid, a sharp nose, and a slim face-- this wasn't the man that you hated. He was strikingly handsome compared to the bastard you had in mind. And looking at his bride, that wasn't your best friend either, with their black hair and bangs.. You were interrupting the wrong wedding. Faster than you stormed in, you bowed to apologize, limp running with one shoe on outside of the hall.
In a corner, between endless banners and wreaths that say 'Im Jaebeom & Dahae wedding', you sat facepalming and muttering words of disrespect to yourself. 'How did I get the wrong damn wedding?...' An almost inaudible chuckle found its way to your ears, leading you to look at a man standing atop the steps with his arms half crossed with one hand attempting to cover his mouth in laughter. His cheeks rose and his half-moon eyes elevated themselves on whiskered clouds; a playful feature really, with hair lazily slicked back. He caught your gaze and pursed his lips as if to ask what you were looking at. You were already embarrassed enough, and that pushed you off the edge so you got up to leave and -- while exiting the building -- you saw the correct wreaths for your friend's wedding at the venue next door.
----
A couple days later, you set up a meeting with your best friend to discuss and ask why she decided to get married without inviting you at a coffeeshop near the venue to make it easier to find. You ordered, told them you were waiting for a friend to pay the bill later, and sat down by the window. In waiting, you picked apart your bag to find your copy of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' to catch up on some reading. An stranger's hand made a light smack on the table with your cup of coffee and slid into the seat across from you. The only thing that went through your mind were Kundera's words:
"Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us."
You didn't speak-- instead you sat blinking with your mouth slightly hanging open. He, with a smirk and a small salute, got up to pat the table as a signal of leave and all you heard was the bell of the door announcing his exit. On your cup, while ignoring the giant "p" for paid, was his business card slipping out of the cardboard sleeve.
"Park Jin Young."
The next thing you knew you had all of your things spilling back into your bag and you were off to chase him out the door. Finally getting him by the sleeve after a couple yards, he stopped to give you an indifferent look, first down at your hand and then your attempt at gaining back your breath. The corner of his smile peeled and he gave you his full attention, coffee in one hand and the other in his pocket with his head slightly tilted to the side, anticipating what you'd have to say. It was the first time you had the chance to get a good look at him-- he was the man laughing at your pathetic mishap the other day. You closed your eyes in annoyance and placed your arms on your hips teapot style.
"Listen," there was no way you were letting him belittle you. "I don't know who you are, why you paid for me, or why you think you could just leave me your card but I don't think it's okay for you to keep following me like this. My life is sad and laughable. I get it. I honestly already get it."
All he did was laugh, look down, and then shot a mischievous glance in your direction.
"But I know who you are," he said. "The one that almost ruined my best friend's wedding."
In a panic you hurried to explain that you thought it was your best friend's wedding. And that you ravaged into the wrong venue. Then of course that you were blind with rage because of betrayal. And he was listening to everything. You're not sure why you spilled it all to a stranger in the middle of the sidewalk on a random day as if there wasn't an appointment you had to attend. After your long winded explanation, he only answered with a smile and a click of the tongue.
"I got it." That was it. That's all he said. And he just left.
----
A day goes by and you remember that you have his card.
A week goes by and the card is always sitting next to your handphone.
Another week goes by and his card is sitting on your forehead as you played heads-or-tails with a coin to decide whether or not you should contact him.
It was heads several times for you to send a message. But you never did.
----
Your university friend, Yaeyoung, was getting married this week to a man named Youngjae. Seeing as you went through a lot together, she asked you to be in her bridal party despite your busy schedule and the fact that you didn't know any of her husband's friends, it was something you could do for her in lieu of a major gift.
Reading books like you normally do when you're waiting, this time for the rest of the party to take wedding photos, the familiar tone of someone clearing their throat shot through the still air-- it was him. It was Park Jinyoung again.
He offered up a smirk and a slight bow. "You look pretty." And, as patterned with aforementioned times, you didn't answer with words but with a blank face. He filled your silent response with his light laughter. There was no way you could have known that you two ran in the same circle of friends with how parallel your lives seemed to be with your schedules.
"Ah, this is Park Jinyoung!" Yaeyoung exclaimed popping out of the corner, dressed and beautiful as ever, bringing you up by the arm to give an introduction. The two of you exchanged bows, acknowledging that you'd be partners in the ceremonies. He scratched the back of his giant ears, grinning wildly.
----
As the only single in the bridal party, Yaeyoung gave you the bouquet. And wanting to follow one specific American tradition, she and Youngjae fulfilled the leg garter ceremony. As Jinyoung was the only one single among the groomsmen, he was given the garter.. And you were naturally chosen to sit in the chair to receive it as his party partner. The only thought going through your head, walking to a chair that seemed scarier than death itself, was just 'what kind of fate is this?'
You could see him shaking as he made his way over and onto his knee at the rim of your dress, a slight hesitation as he lifted to reveal your ankle. He closed his eyes like a scared child and it made you feel relieved, allowing a bold laugh to leave your chest, causing him to shoot an irritated glance at you-- gripping his fingers tightly around the lower half of your calve. It caught you off guard and he knew this; a sweltering gulp took place in your throat in nervousness. Quite the actor, he was, tracing his fingers softly with garter laced in between to the curve of your leg before lifting it to slide the garter around your foot. He belted out a laugh that you'd never forget, cringing at himself, because he was too afraid to place the garter any higher than your ankle. Even more relieved than he looked, you felt.
He looked disappointed at the other end of the table for a while after that, interacting only when Youngjae would involve him in groomsmen things. You pulled out his card from your purse and decided it was a good time to finally send him a message.
"Thanks for saving my virtue. Ha ha ha." His phone light illuminated his plush facial features, bright enough for you to see a small smile form from his lips.
"Would you like to return the favor and save me from Youngjae? Meet me on the patio."
You don't know for sure, but you're pretty sure actually, as to why that made your heart stop so abruptly that day.
The patio was filled with lanterns, where stray petals decorated the wood flooring, and he sat waiting in the middle of the floor. Taking a deep breath before diving into the unknown of the enigma that was this stranger, you plopped down to give him one of your best looks.
"Is it fun?" you asked, looking up beyond the lights to perhaps find a star, where in the same moment you could feel his pinky find it's way to yours-- almost locking together. He looked down, letting an obvious grin take over.
"It is now."
----
[Sorry this was so long! If you enjoyed this, please let me know! I love all of you! You're the best for putting up with me and my crazy imagination!]
-Admin S.
