Structural Damage

Chapter 6 - The Wedding

Jeong Hyeok shrugged on his suit coat and made sure he had the key to the hotel room in his pocket. He then led Se Ri out of the hotel room and toward the elevator bank so they could go to the Grand Ballroom for the wedding. The wedding was a decent size, 225 guests, most of which were milling around the lobby and Grand Foyer before being seated for the ceremony. Se Ri began to bristle as they made their way through the crowd, she recognized a few faces and began to worry that people were staring at the two of them.

"So, who exactly is getting married and how do you know them?" She whispered as they moved toward the windows to take in the city view and get out of the throng of people.

"My friend Pyo Chi Su and his fiancé, Na Ri. My buddy Chi Su and I grew up with him in the same neighbourhood. They both live in LA but when they decided to get married they agreed to do it in their hometown. Her parents are affluent as you can see, and they picked this hotel."

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I recognize a few faces, lawyers and council members, is her dad in politics, maybe?"

"Possibly, honestly, I don't know. She's a lovely girl, but I don't spend much time around her. Actually, I haven't seen Chi Su that much lately thanks to my shooting schedule."

Se Ri began to look around the room, she was getting a little uneasy and nervous, but she was trying not to let it show. The guests were starting to file into the ballroom, and Jeong Hyeok reached for her hand to take their place in line. She realized they were being seated up front, and she felt as if all eyes were on them. Of course, they would be, Jeong Hyeok was a superhero, and he was beyond dashing in that blue tuxedo. While they were seated in a row towards the front, Jeong Hyeok had moved down so they were seated towards the outside of the row versus the aisle.

They had not been seated for long when the music started, and the wedding procession began. As anticipated, Na Ri was a beautiful bride and Chi Su, quite dashing as he watched her walk towards him. Se Ri loved watching the reaction of the groom as he saw his bride for the first time. It was a precious moment, and she wanted a man to have his eyes well with tears and have a visible lump in his throat as he realized he was about to be given the opportunity to pledge his love. She didn't have that with Cheol Gang, and she should have realized then that there would be issues in their marriage. His eyes didn't dance when he saw her walk towards him, and he didn't seem to be overcome with emotion. But Chi Su did for Na Ri and, to her surprise, it made Se Ri misty-eyed over it.

She held herself together, and as the wedding proceeded, she found herself trying to wipe away the tears. Jeong Hyeok reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her without a word, only a sweet smile. She took the tissue, dabbing at her eyes, then she felt his arm around her shoulder.

"I promise not to tell anyone your secret," he whispered into her ear, "I know you wouldn't want anyone to know you have a soft spot for weddings."

****

As the ceremony ended, the guests were led back to the Grand Foyer for cocktails while the Grand Ballroom was converted from the ceremony set up to the reception configuration. Jeong Hyeok and Se Ri took their station against the window once again, surveying the city as the sun began to set and the lights started to make the city come alive for the evening.

"Tell me, Yoon Se Ri, why do you work so hard to show this tough exterior to the world instead of letting people see your softer side?" Jeong Hyeok asked, knowing he could very well ruin any relationship he was starting to build with her.

She didn't answer him immediately, she wanted to choose her words. She continued to look out the window, unsure if she could look him in the eye as she spoke, "Do you know the biggest complaint against women in the workplace? It's the fact that women have emotions. It isn't just that women will cry but that they will show any sort of emotion. Emotions terrify men. In business, for some reason, emotion is seen as a weakness, and you can't have weakness in the boardroom," She took a drink, she was trying not to sound bitter but to be a matter of fact. He wanted to know why she was stone-cold all the time and what better way to explain it than to display it.