Autumnal Equinox (JinJi)

Three

Flash Once, Flash Twice

Jinyoung slung the garment bag over his shoulder and used his free hand to twist the knob and open the door. A gust of cold air greeted him and Minji as they entered.

"Ugh, finally," Minji said, kicking her Louboutins off at the door. "Air conditioning."

He shut the door to keep the cold air from mixing with the air inside. The Parks' home was one of the newest houses in town and was built in an eclectic western style that made it almost identical with the nine other houses on their street. But it had a very distinct smell. Slightly burnt sugar and black tea. A scent he would forever associate with home.

"Hey, kiddo," said his second older sister, Boyoung, in the dining room. She was wearing denim shorts, an oversized white t-shirt and was sitting cross-legged on the chair. His other sister, Miyoung with her wild black hair and glasses, and Boyoung's fiancee, Yoshiki, were also sitting at the table.

"Got your tux?" Boyoung asked, a pen cap stuck between her teeth.

Jinyoung held up the garment bag. "Right here," he said.

"Let's see it, then," said Miyoung.

Jinyoung unzipped the bag and held it open to show his family what the tuxedo looked like. It was nothing special, just a normal, single breasted black tux. His sisters nodded their approval.

"What are you guys doing?" Jinyoung asked, taking a step forward and looking down at the mess of papers and ribbon on the dining room table.

"Your sister wants to rework the seating chart," said Yoshiki, Boyoung's very muscular Tokyo-native fiancee. He sighed as he shook his head. "Again."

"If you had taken care of this properly the first time I told you to, maybe we wouldn't have to do this," Boyoung said, playfully slapping her fiancee's wrist with her pen. Yoshiki shrugged.

"My bad," he thought. "But doesn't it just make sense to have your parents sit at the same table?"

Jinyoung flinched, as did both his sisters. He knew where this was headed.

"That's a hard pass," Boyoung said, casting her eyes down. "They'll just fight the whole time. Separate tables."

"But, Boyoung, if you separate Mom and Dad, people will talk," Miyoung said. Boyoung, however, was adamant.

"This is our special day," she said. "I don't need them ripping each other's throats out at my wedding. Separate tables."

Boyoung may have been the middle child, but her forceful personality made it seem like she was the oldest. And her word was law. Miyoung shrugged and erased their mother and father's names from the seating chart and waited for further instructions.

"We still have to talk to the DJ about song choices, too," Miyoung reminded Boyoung.

"Ugh, I forgot all about that," Boyoung said. "Do we have time later this afternoon? Can you come with me to meet him at that Italian place?"

"I have an online class in like two hours, and it's already—"

"Wait a minute," Jinyoung said, a lightbulb going off in his head. "Maybe Minji can help you. She's free this afternoon."

Minji wasn't the most well-versed when it came to music. She listened to whatever popped up on the radio and meanwhile, he knew that Boyoung and Yoshiki were particular about music. But he saw this as an opportunity for girl bonding time, and he was eager for his sisters to approve of his girlfriend. He wanted Minji to be able to spend more time with his family. This was perfect.