Entranced

Mistress Yoon

The wedding solemnization had been a blur; it was held at the church they always attended and apart from the sheer beauty of it, Hyejeong remembered nothing else.

She did not want to remember the scratchiness of the wedding gown that her mother had chosen: a pure white dress with flaring skirts and a neckline that showed off her shoulders. There was barely any detailing, which was why Hyejeong didn't understand her mother's contempt for all those gowns she had rejected. This was the plainest she had ever laid her eyes on, despite the cost, and she wondered if her mother had wanted her to be invisible at her own wedding. It clearly seemed likely.

For the first few moments following her entrance down the aisle, her father by her side, she had lowered her head and stared at the red carpet beneath her gown. The merry tunes of Here Comes the Bride on the organ, the smiles on the guests' faces, and her mother's satisfied expression contrasted against the pounding of her heart, which sounded like the ticking of a time bomb.

She felt her eyes sting with tears of hopelessness, and blinked furiously under the veil; her makeup had taken hours to complete, she wasn't going to ruin it now.

Her hand was limp in her father's, and whatever words he was trying to tell her were swiftly forgotten following each step toward the altar.

Shi Yoon was there, and despite the civilities between them, Hyejeong wasn't close with him. She chose to look upon Hyejin instead, who was waiting for her.

They stopped just as they reached the altar, and Hyejeong gazed at her father through her veil, waiting soundlessly as he tried to say something and failed. In the end he cleared his throat and passed her hand to Shi Yoon, who helped her up onto the platform to stand in front of the pastor.

The solemnization had been exactly what she had expected, and by the time Shi Yoon lifted her veil, she had composed herself enough so that she was actually smiling as he bent down to kiss her.

Never mind that in her mind, it was not him who had kissed her but Taewoon instead.

***

The grand reception was held in the Le Rose, the hotel she always celebrated her birthdays, and she was seated in the dressing room for some freshening up and reapplication of makeup before parading in the same scratchy dress.

Her neckline area was red, her skin irritated by the fabric. She had tried putting talc to soothe the itchiness, but it wasn't helping, and she had asked for it to be taken off while she allowed herself to be free from it for a while.

With her makeup done, she leaned back in the chair for a few minutes of solitude, thankful for the silence despite the faint sound of music and conversation from the hall outside. At least she could breathe somewhat.

However, the moment was promptly broken when the door opened.

She suppressed the urge to snap. "I thought I said to give me ten minutes," she said calmly, refusing to open her eyes.

"Sure, why not, love," came that startlingly familiar voice.

Hyejeong's eyes shot open and she gasped. "Kyung!" she cried, getting to her feet just as the man took her in his arms.

"Hyejeong," he said back, wounding his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground.

"I've missed you so," she said, shutting her eyes as she revelled in his touch. Had it really been so long since she had been his, and he hers?

His hair was dark as night, making his face look pale. Come to think of it, he was pale, and she wondered if he had been eating well, because he looked thin too. The burgundy coat hung onto him like it was two or three sizes too big for his frame, and she held onto him like he was something precious.