Now and for the Last Time

4 장

Jongsuk asked me to dance at a wedding, too, and I said no. The first time.

But that was later in the story, this one I'd once told others so happily, and now could only repeat to myself, in my own head. You'd think in time would become linear, as if distance from events forced them to take their places. But something like this, I'd learned, was more flowy, as if the story was told repeatedly, in progress, whether you could bear to listen or not.

I was doing it again, jumping around. But it was so hard to start at the beginning when you knew how it would end.

It all happened at the Min Lee Wedding, the last summer. My mom didn't like doing out of town weddings and rarely took them on, maintaining her local community. Min Lee's grandfather, however, was friends with Wooyoung's mother. As the original benefactor of the business, Miss Jang had a certain influence even my mom couldn't deny. Aged eighty and in assisted living, she rarely asked for favors. But when she did, the answer was always yes.

So after ten months of long-distance planning with Min (in Busan) and her mother (in Hong Kong) we packed up for the weekend in the beach town of Sanya (where they'd vacationed as a family every summer of Min's life). The venue was a few flights away, not that you could tell this by how stressed my mom was or the amount of things she insisted we bring to ensure she'd have everything she required.

I'll miss Gayeon, who'd been planning to come along with me and hang out on the beach or in my room while I worked. This would have been the first for her, an entire weekend away from her family, and we'd both been looking forward to it. It wasn't easy for her family without her and juggle their two Rice & Swirl food trucks, which was why she usually ended being the substitute parent to one or all of her siblings. This weekend, they'd promised her a pass in return for a busy summer of driving the twins and Jae around, as well as changing endless diapers of Yun's. Two days earlier, Rice & Swirls had been one of the food trucks selected for a food truck rodeo at the capital celebrating small local business. It was a big deal, and they needed all hands on deck, so our vacation was cancelled.

So Gayeon would spend the weekend taking care of her siblings and working at Rice & Swirls register while looking for cute boys in a bigger city. Meanwhile, I'd go to Sanya, where I'd spend Friday night helping my mom and Wooyoung with the rehearsal dinner (seafood on the beach with a Tiki theme) and Saturday working the main event (formal, at a nearby hotel overlooking the ocean).

If I'd actually been a guest, this probably would have sounded great. As it was, all I could think about was the combination of food and sand and a important wedding taking place in a venue I'd yet to see. At home, we had notes on every place we'd stage ceremonies, detailing issues like hard-to-find exits, squeaky floors, or rattling noises. Out of town, we were everywhere for the first time.

At least it was a nice weekend, warm and sunny, and I would be at the beach. With this in mind, I went shopping earlier in the week on a new black sundress and gold-accented sandals for the occasion. As we flew, I could feel the work-related kink in my neck slowly relaxing. I could only hope the flight was having the same effect on my mom.

Once landed in Sangya airport, we were escorted to the hotel called Piers. The main building was so white in the bright sun that just looking at it makes my head hurt. Entering the building, I could already hear my mom complaining. So much for a relaxing flight.

"This sun!" she said to Wooyoung, instead of hello, as he walked over. As usual, he was perfect and unruffled in his khakis, short-sleeved top, and very clean Adidas. In contrast, my outfit, after three hours in the plane, looked like I balled it up in my hands a few times. There were a lot of things I envied about Wooyoung (just about everything) but top on the list was how he always looked serene and flawless, even under worst circumstances.