Finding the Right Words

Chapter 123- A Moment of Heat

"Aaaawwwww, Eonni, eres muy bonita!" I remarked, fiddling with a fold in Eliz's dress.

"Mel! I don't speak Spanish!"

"Sorry," I replied, standing straight up. "So, you ready to go meet your groom? I bet he looks dashing."

"Who uses 'dashing' these days?"

"I do. I live in Korea, remember? My English vocabulary's a little outdated. Now shush."

I looked at her again, thinking. "Hmmm... something's missing..."

"You are not splatter-painting my dress."

"Aw, come on! That would have been AWESOME! Besides, it's just a TV show."

She was silent.

"It's just a TV show... right?"

I tried to be a distraction. "Oh, I know!" I pulled a dark pink ribbon from the hair stylist's table and tied it around the waistline of the dress. "Ah, much better."

"Now it doesn't look like a wedding dress! Just because you don't like blank white, Mel..."

"Shisus, Eliz. Just look at yourself."

She turned to look in the mirror, muttering, "did you just say 'Shisus'?"

"Of course I did. We must always pray to Holy Shisus in times of great change."

She looked at herself a long time. She looked quite lovely, her hair fixed in an elaborate pattern of braids and pins that Lela had been all too happy to help with. A single spiraling lock of light brown hair hung loose, to frame her face.

Finally, she nodded, turning and heading out the door. I grinned, brushing any tiny molecules of dust off of my bridesmaid's dress, then followed her out.

"Ah, there she is. Pink. Who knew?"

I punched Zhou Mi in the shoulder. "Just because I'm not a huge fan of pink doesn't mean that I don't look fantastic in it."

Suit. Tuxedo. Look away. I was going to start blushing.

"Something wrong, Niuwang?"

"N-n-no. Should we go?"

"The bride is long gone."

"Oh, shoot!" I'd gotten so distracted that I hadn't even noticed Eliz completely not wait for me. I took off down the paved path, yelling, "EONNI WAIT FOR ME!"

I arrived on the set, looking around at the "wedding" venue. It was small and quaint, with pretty flowers. The camera crew was already set, ready to film our entrances.

Technically Ali and I were the only bridesmaids, since Jacklyn was practicing a collab with some LOEN artist, and Em was being interviewed for a small role in a drama.

The more shocking thing was that neither Ali nor I had come alone. I looked from her, to Hanbyul, back at her, back at him, until I was starting to get dizzy. "When did this happen?"

"After the concert," Hanbyul answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, when you were in your own little world," Ali added, narrowing her eyes.

I reddened. "Sorry. I had other things on my mind. Sure you want to go public? I mean..." I motioned to the cameras, and they both shrugged. 

"Better to let it out now rather than have it come out later as a big scandal, right?" Hanbyul asked, laughing a bit. "Besides. It's just TV."

"What about you guys? Not worried at all?"

I laughed. "People have been suspicious ever since I wrote that duet."