The Stars (GTOP)

Chapter Twenty Five: By the Sea

~May 21~

Jiyong was sitting in a large room in the Pantai Inn, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Late morning sunlight was streaming through the curtains. The ocean was sparkling like diamonds. He was both nervous and excited. It was a warm, sunny day, and the beach looked beautiful. He was sitting alone, not sure what he was supposed to do. There was hair products and sun cream on the vanity in front of him. He was staring at his reflection. His hair was still damp from his shower, the scent of his rose shampoo lingering.

He was brought out of his daze when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." He called out.

His mother walked into the room, closely followed by his father. "How are you feeling?"

"Excited, but still nervous. Is today really happening?" He said as he turned away from the mirror to face them.

She smiled lovingly at him. "It is. You've waited a long time for this. Do you want me to help you get ready?"

Jiyong nodded. "Yeah, I have no idea what to even do. My hair needs to look good and, well," He held out his hands to show they were shaking. "I don't know how well I can do much of anything."

She put her hands on his shoulders. "Take a breath. You've been through scarier things, you are strong. Just breath, it'll be alright."

He took a slow breath in, held it a moment, and slowly let it out.

"Good." She smiled. "Let's figure this out."

She began fluffing his hair, deciding where to part it. After a moment, she opened the hair gel and scooped a small glob out. She worked it between her fingers before she started running it through his hair. He closed his eyes, letting himself relax. Before he knew it, she had finished his hair. He looked over his shoulder into the mirror.

"Do you like that, or do you want it more up?"

"I like it. I need to put on moisturizer and sunscreen still. I wonder how Seunghyun's getting on with this."

"He's probably nervous and excited like you."

Jiyong smiled. "I wonder if someone helped him do his hair."

His parents laughed. "If I see his mom, I'll ask. We'll leave so you can get dressed."

His mom touched his cheek. "I'm so happy this is happening for you."

He smiled up at her. "I am too." He stood up and hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

She stepped back, looking emotional. She offered one last smile before she left the room.

Jiyong looked at his father, still feeling some butterflies, but more relaxed after speaking with his mom.

"You know how proud of you we are, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"You've done amazing things, and made this life for yourself. I'm so happy that you get to share it with Seunghyun."

Jiyong smiled and felt tears sting his eyes. He hugged his dad. "Thank you. That means so much."

After his father left, Jiyong let out a sigh and sat down. He scanned his face in the mirror as he reached out and picked up a tube of sunscreen. He carefully smeared it onto his face and neck, making sure he didn't mess up his hair. He patted his skin for a moment to help it soak in faster. He looked around the desk until he found the tinted moisturizer and put it on as well.

Jiyong stood and walked across the floor to the wardrobe, opening the doors to retrieve his tuxedo. The jacket and pants were fitted, the pants were black and the jacket a brilliant white. The shirt was a soft silk, off white button down, while the vest was a high quality black velvet. He was slowly buttoning his shirt, making sure he didn't miss any with his shaking hands. Jiyong checked the time on his phone, 10:47. The reception would start at 11, so he pulled a small pouch off a wall hanger and took the black bowtie and a mauve pocket square out.