The woman who was not chosen

Epilogue

Four years later.

Sitting upon a plush, velvet chair, a woman winced as she felt her hair being tugged in all sorts of directions. There were enough make-up supplies on the vanity to last a lifetime and maybe even open a cosmetic store.

Women scrambled around in the room, all of whom were rushing to get the beautiful woman in white dressed up and ready.

"Where's Ye-rim's new perfume? Yes, yes, the one that was endorsed by that celebrity—" Ye-rim anxiously browsed through the metal case she brought with her.

"We need the pin tail comb, this is the fine-toothed comb!" Bommie huffed while adding the hundredth layer of hair spray onto Dara's hair.

"Should we go with the golden leaf hairpin or the pearl one? Oh, maybe this white bouvardia would look better! It matches the bouquet she will be holding later." Xing said while holding the black satin box filled with hairpieces.

"Oh for the love of everything holy, please do not put pearls on her hair, that's so old-fashioned!" Bommie retorted, tugging Dara's hair in annoyance.

"Oh, Bom, my hair—"

"Wait wait, speaking of old, do we have something new, something blue, something—" Jielan Kwon spoke up, scrambling to find the pieces.

"Okay, nobody panic, but I finally found the sapphire earrings that Jiyongie had gifted her during their petty gift war. Wait, isn't it still going on?" Bommie said, pointing to the discreet box that sat at the edge of the vanity.

"Hm, from my tally, President Kwon is in the lead—" Kiko began, glancing down at her tablet before placing it down and puffing the end of Dara's long-train dress.

Dara's wedding gown was a lovely shade of white ivory — clean and chic. It hugged her body, with lace and satin decorating the off-shoulder dress. Embroidery of small features and crystals spread from the chest-line, curving around the sheer and loose sleeves that became more form-fitted once it got to the cuffs of her wrist. The dress billowed out from the waist down in tens of layers that created an effortlessly long train. Lacey vines that were a mixture of silver flowers and leaves stemmed from her waist, blending perfectly into the fabric of her gown.

Her neck was left bare, except for a speckle of highlighter that brought out her thin collarbones, like a dove spreading her wings. Her hair was in a simple bun with slightly wavy strands framing her small forehead and revealing her milky white, swan neck.

A pair of diamond and sapphire earrings dangled from her ears, the only pop of color that was in a loving contrast to her lips. It was lightly painted to mimic the color of peach blossoms that survived the long winter and the specks of pink flowers in her bouquet enhanced everything about her appearance. It was needless to say, all of the hard work from the ladies in the room had paid off.

"My lady, you mustn't run in your newly tailored dress!" The voice of a frantic maid called from outside of the ravishing room. The sound of small pattering feet could be heard, followed by, "Young Master, please do not encourage the young miss to run!"

The door was pushed open through the collision of two small bodies of similar height, stature, but completely different appearances. A bright-eyed girl, whose features perfectly resembled her overbearing father, but with hints of graceful femininity, tumbled into the room.

Her tiny burst of giggles jingled like finely made bells. It tickled the hearts of the people in the room. She dropped her woven basket of white and pink rose petals, all of which were tossed over her head when she nearly tripped but was caught by a boy. He was half a head taller than her, but his face resembled his mother, refined, but with the roguishness of his father. When standing side by side, the father and son were a devilishly handsome pair that drew attention with each step they took.