Chapter Text
It has been a year since Jungeun proposed to Jiwoo. The couple went through arduous and lengthy preparation, and now that the most awaited day is about to come, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of Jungeun’s shoulders. Jungeun likes everything to be perfect – more like straight-laced, lint-free type of obsessive compulsiveness when it comes to organizing events. Besides, it’s what she does for a living. Being an event coordinator for years gave her a sense of security in life – financially and literally – making a name on her own in the industry and being widely respected by the general public and those in the ranks as well. That’s why choosing Jeon Heejin as her best woman might be the first one who will tarnish her flawless record because of her speech in her bridal party.
“Usually, I have to beg to be a part of weddings. And if I do get into the wedding, of course, they've postponed it and it's overseas somewhere, and they've canceled my passport and I can't be a part of it, and it's ridiculous and all for naught.”, Heejin snorted, making the crowd laugh as well. Jungeun just shook her head.
“Well, thank you. I take this very seriously.”, Heejin cleared her throat. “It's a gift to be the best woman. They say that once in your lifetime, someone comes along whom you're absolutely meant to be with. Everything feels great, stars are aligned, body and spirit are in balance. For my best friend Kim Jungeun, that person… was me.”
The crowd burst into a laughing mess, including Hyunjin, Heejin’s girlfriend, thinking how the fuck she ended up with this dork. Jungeun threw a ball of tissue to Heejin’s direction, earning a dirty little finger from the speaker.
“Okay, kidding aside, y’all know Jungeun and I were sisters from another mother. We were friends since freshman year. I watched her go out with woman after woman–“
“Yaaah!”, Jungeun interrupted, making Jiwoo shoot a smirking glance at the blonde.
“Let me finish my sister! Ehem, as I was saying, she went with woman after woman and she’d always come home crawling…crawling back to me!”
“It was embarrassing.”, Jungeun covered her face. “It’s okay, Love.”, Jiwoo whispered, placing her hand on top of Jungeun’s.
“You loved it though!”, Heejin snickered, and then continued her storytelling. “But then one night she came home and things were different. Her adolescent dream of becoming a documentary filmmaker was a thing of the past.”
“Thank God.”, Jiwoo playfully answered.
“She hardly even responded to my playful yet tormenting flicks of my finger against the soft part of her skull as she studied for finals. And that is because she had found her: The woman she was meant to be with.”
Jungeun clasped her hand with the girl beside her, and gave her a gentle nudge. The people around them buzzed, filling the room with ‘oooh’ cheers.
“And if anyone is qualified to know when she met his soulmate, it would be me…her first wife.”
The crowd once again cackled at Heejin’s spiel.
“She's smart, she's funny, she's beautiful. In short, she's the kind of woman that any person would dream about. And I think we all have.”
Jungeun held Jiwoo’s hand a lil bit tighter, then Jiwoo looked back at her, giving her the sweetest smile she’s seen so far.
“So it is with sadness, and fond, fond memories, that I raise my glass to the new Mrs. Jungeun Kim.”
Heejin raised her champagne glass where everyone followed suit and let put boisterous cheers and applause.
“Aww~”
“Hear, hear~”
“To Jiwoo.”, Heejin cheered.
“To Jiwoo!”
“Cheers to both of you!”, Heejin clinked her glass with Hyunjin and then sipped it all in one gulp. The crowd followed and gave a toast for the couple that is about to be wedded.
“How drunk is she on a scale of one to ten?”, Jiwoo asked to Jungeun.
“Twelve.”, Jungeun answered.
“You think we’ll ever out-romance the Rabbit and the Cat?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them fight.”, Jungeun chuckled as she linked her arms on the smaller girl.
“Me neither.” Jiwoo smiled back at the blonde, giving her a light tap on the cheeks.
Time went by so fast and now they’re gathered in front of the hotel to bid goodbyes to their peers and folks.
“We have a pomegranate soufflé at home, which is amazing and is better than the sorbet…”, Jungeun’s mom offered.
“Listen, we’d love to join you guys but Hyunjin has to wake up early tomorrow so I gotta be good.”, Heejin said. “Jiwoo, listen to me, it’s not too late to back out.”, she added followed by a wink.
“Yah, fine, go home, stop brainwashing my fiancé.” Jungeun playfully pushed the tipsy girl towards their cab and shot an apologetic look to Hyunjin. Hyunjin just laughed it off. “Good night, Heej. Take care on your way Hyunjin.”
“Yup, I gotta send this dork to bed.”, Hyunjin bid her goodbye to the group. And now what’s left is Jungeun and Jiwoo with their parents.
“Come here dear.” Jungeun’s mom summoned her and she obliged. She was welcomed by a hug and a pinch on her cheeks.
“Ahh, mom. I need to snuggle more.”
“Hey, are we getting emotional right now? Listen, you’re wonderful my love.”
“Good night, mom.”
“How about me?”, her Dad asked. She then turn to him and slid her arms around him.
“You too, Dad. Be careful while driving, okay?” Jungeun took one last squeeze with his Dad and then send him off to their car. “Don’t worry about us. Take care, Jungeun.”
Jungeun went back to Jiwoo and saw her bidding farewell to her parents as well. That’s when Jiwoo’s father turned to her.
“You sure you don’t want to join us for some wine?”
“I hate to say this but I gotta go home too. I gotta get up at 6 in the morning.” She sighed. “My day is crazy tomorrow.”
“It’s just one drink that’s all.” Jiwoo’s father insisted but Jiwoo interrupted them.
“Dad, he doesn’t have to come. It’s alright.” Jiwoo shot them a consoling smile which convinced them easily.
“Alright, we’ll go ahead, Jungeun.”
“Yes, take care Mr. Kim.” Jungeun and Jiwoo bowed. “After you, I’ll follow you Mom and Dad.”
Jiwoo then moved closer to Jungeun and placed her hands over her neck.
“You okay?”
“Hmm, yea.”
“See you in about…”
“20 hours…”, Jungeun answered breathlessly. Their foreheads now touching each other.
“You better be up later.”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because I’m gonna come home…and get undressed…”
Jungeun’s tipsiness wasn’t helping at all when Jiwoo inched a little closer until their noses touched each other.
“Uh-huh, and then?”
“-and climb into bed…act like we just got over a terrible…fight.”
In an instant, Jungeun placed a sweet kiss on Jiwoo’s lips, trying to enjoy the little lovey-dovey time they had for the first time this day.
“See you later, babe.”
Jiwoo kissed her one last time before pulling away and run towards her parents car.
Jungeun feels like she was in an endless cloud-nine with all that has happened today. She couldn’t believe it that all the hardwork she and Jiwoo had done for the past months for their wedding is about to payoff.
Not until now when she walked down the streets a few blocks from their hotel and saw Serendipity café. She’s surprised but also she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of nostalgia. She stood in front of it, trying to reminisce a certain girl with a navy-blue hair. Jungeun thought her fate cannot stop on mocking her because for whatever it’s worth, it never fails to remind her how fucked up she is right now.
- - - - - -
“Reading is good for you.”
“Reading?”
“Hold on, hold on. Listen.”
“I read it a long time ago.”
“Okay then, i’ll throw in the screenplay of The Bridges of Madison County.”, Jinsol reached for the CD across her table and handed it to her client.
“I already saw that movie. It was great.”, answered by Kenny who is fidgeting while sitting in front of her desk.
“Okay and–“
“And nothing. I mean – I mean, I did nothing. I- I just let her walk out of the party and I didn’t say anything to her. And now, she’s gone forever.”
Her client’s ramblings sounded familiar to her, and it twisted something inside her but she quickly shrugged it of and shifted her focus to Kenny.
“I mean, she was my soulmate.”
“Woah, Kenny, I honestly think it’s dangerous to use the term ‘soulmate’.”
Kenny looked at her quizzically.
“It implies that there’s some…magical element that we have no control over, like fate or destiny. And I think holding on to beliefs like that stops us doing the real work.”
It was as if she’s saying those things to herself, trying to convince herself once again.
“And the fact is, if your therapy stays on track, I think you’ll find there are many, many people out there you could easily be happy with.”
“You truly believe that, Sol?”
“Yeah, I really do.”
Jinsol took out a paper and signed it off before giving it to Kenny. She heaved a deep sigh afterwards. “There you go, buddy.”
“Thanks as always.”
Jinsol leaned back to her seat and rested for a little while. After all these months, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at herself. Associating everything that has happened to her for the past year into her counseling sessions was good boost to her credibility as a psychologist. Besides, what’s a better teacher than experiencing it at first hand? But doing it did not help her one bit at forgetting a certain blonde from Seoul. That girl flipped her principles a total 180 and now, she’s questioning things that she once believed as real – such as her relationship with Mingyu.
It was already 9pm when she arrived at the bistro Mingyu had asked her to come and have dinner with him. Deep inside, she asks herself ‘who the hell eats dinner at 9pm?!’ but she choked it down when she was welcomed by a room of people who stared at her arrival, then suddenly divided like a sea – as if she is the arc Noah has built to save the humanity – and in a flick of a finger, she’s now under the spotlight among the stillness and sudden quietness of the place.
A soft violin starts to play and from it’s melody, Jinsoul couldn’t help but smile to herself.
‘I know this song…’
As the melody went on, the piano accompaniment surfaced and it just made everything better. From there, Jinsoul might have known who in the world would have prepared this surprise, which is an understatement to describe what was happening right now. She continued to walk towards the stage then suddenly, a mellow male voice started to sing along with the tune.
Moon river, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way
Two drifters, off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end
Waitin' 'round the bend
My huckleberry friend
Moon river and me
A man in all-white tux has emerged from the stage, holding a mic on her right and a bouquet of white roses on her left hand. His fully waxed hair and fresh-shaven face, matched with his usual arrogant but attractive smile made Jinsoul wanna run and dive into his chest on the stage, but the lovey-dovey mood was cut-off by a loud feedback from the mic just because Mingyu jumped of the stage and did a back-dive, landing off in front of Jinsoul. The act wasn’t amusing at all to Jinsoul but then again, she ignored it, overwhelmed by the guy who is now kneeling in front of him.
“Is it a yes or no?”
“Uhm, you gotta ask the question first.”, Jinsoul smiled, although painfully.
“Ah fuck, scratch that.” Mingyu cleared his throat and then asks again. “Will you marry me, my one and only Jung Jinsol?”
Mingyu took out a velvet box from his pocket and laid a 24-carat diamond-beaded ring to the navy-blue haired girl in front of her.
Jinsol said fuck it and “Yes…”.
And then the crowd went wild. Cheers, hoots and applauses were all over the place, the once serene place has turned into a fiesta. Bright lights mixed with the heavy booming system made Jinsol a little light headed, but she was grounded to Earth by the man who took care of her for the past 3 years. Their relationship was far from perfect, but Mingyu is such a caring gentleman to her. And if there’s anyone in the world who can she live with for the rest of her life, it’s him. Or maybe it’s too early for Jinsol to say that.
Mingyu hugged Jinsol with all his might and then proceeded in putting the ring to Jinsol.
“Wait a second.”
“Ow!”
Migyu slid off the ring on Jinsol’s ring finger but it can’t get past a centimeter on it.
“Let me—“
“Ah, ow! Ow! Ow!”
“I got it, I got it Honey.”
“Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Hon!”
Jinsol winced from the pain but instead of getting annoyed, she find it cute…and hilarious.
“Hey, okay. You’re not gonna read into this, right, Jinsol? I mean… it’s just an accident, nothing more.” Mingyu got frantic but Jinsol pulled him in and kissed him.
It was a chaste kiss – quick but it’s something you’ll get addicted with the moment you stay one more second pressed on it.
“No, silly.”
“Oh god, don’t worry, we’ll get it refitted.”
“It’s beautiful, I love it.”
Mingyu softened at her reply and gave her another bone-crushing hug.
“You-You get changed. I’m gonna call Chaeyoung, tell her you said yes.”
“Why? Was she worried?”
“Not about you. About the tour, Hon.”
Jinsol’s face turned grim from hearing it. Just when things are going smoothly, Mingyu has a knack for always ruining the mood.
“She’s hoping to fit the honeymoon into the schedule. How does Jeju sounds? Very very sexy, isn’t it?”
“Whatever…fits your schedule, Hon.”
Jinsol blandly replied and then stormed out of the place as fast as she can. Mingyu was confused but he seemed to be completely clueless with what had just happened. Thinking that it was just Jinsol being her usual tired self, he lets the thought off her mind and partied with the people in the bistro-turned-club.
As usual, Jinsol’s disappointed but not surprised. It was not about his clumsy proposal nor the ring that didn’t fit her, it was Mingyu’s denseness that frustrates Jinsol, on how he still chooses his career over his personal life above all other things — including Jinsol.
Then maybe, just maybe, the reason why the ring didn’t fit her was because it wasn’t suppose to?