Now and for the Last Time

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"Do you want a tissue?" Wooyoung asked Eomma, in an attempt at humor. He nodded at Mrs. Jeon's purse, where a tissue was indeed poking out, at the ready. "Because I know where to find one."

In response, Eomma just blinked, trying to hold back the tears of frustration that were brimming in her eyes. Just moments earlier, she'd found out via text that the next week's wedding, for which we'd done tons of legwork and put down a lot of deposits, had been called off. Then, as she was absorbing that news, Mrs. Jeon came and unloaded a loud scream about her sudden, strong dislike of  the tulle bows tied on the backs of the chairs, which had been her idea in the first place. It was the latest in the long day of similar takedowns over small details; anyone else would've cracked hours earlier. It took Eomma until now, almost 8 p.m. and three hours past the ceremony, but finally, she'd gotten there.

As Wooyoung patted her shoulder, moving his hand in that soothing circle, I forced myself to take a deep breath. I hated to see Eomma upset. Mostly because it never happened, so it was of scary, like the world - or my world - was breaking apart.

"Suzy, I'm fine," she said to me now, clearly aware of this. "I'm pissed, not sad. And it's mostly about the Anh Solbin cancellation. At least now we know why she bailed on the photoshoot."

"Being yelled at about the chair bows did not help matters, though," Wooyoung said, moving his hand in the other direction. "Considering we were clear we were against it from the start. Who wants their chairs wrapped? And then she takes her bad decision out on you? Unacceptable."

"I hate this wedding," Eomma grumbled, wiping her eyes with the tissue not taken from someone's purse.

"And I hate that woman," Wooyoung told her. "But let's look at the brighter side, shall we? There's no Anh wedding next weekend means we can actually go on that free trip to check out Kyushu for the Bae Wedding."

"Omo," Eomma groaned. "Are you still even thinking about that? We don't do out of town weddings. And now you want to try one on an island?"

"Correction. I want to take a free trip to an island under the consideration of an wedding being there," he told her. "Just think about it. Beach, clear blue water, cocktails with tiny umbrellas, all expenses paid. If you didn't already deserve it, you definitely do after tonight."

As if to worsen this, Mrs. Jeon began at that moment to lay into a member of the staff. The woman, startled, moved back, a tray of empty glasses falling above her. I looked over to the head table, where Jeon Somin was huddle close with her new husband, their heads together, both of them smiling. While part of me wished she'd take responsibility for the tornado that was her mother, I had to admit she looked awfully happy. And who knew she probably deserved it. We'd only dealt with Mrs. Jeon for a few weeks. I couldn't imagine an entire life.

As I thought this, Sehun walked up to our little group. "All clear on the fainting junior bridesmaid," he reported. "I just checked on her again and she's fine."

Hearing this, I looked over at the head table, where the teen who'd passed out during the vows earlier was now with one of the flower girls. We were used to people getting dizzy, if not blacking out altogether. It was why Eomma always gave her "don't lock your knees and standing will be a breeze" speech at the rehearsals, especially when it's hot outside. On the other note, we had a few people go down, and this girl had done it in spectacular fashion, falling into a flower arrangement and taking it with her. When she came to and realized what happened, she was so embarrassed she burst into tears.

I'd led her into a sideroom, water in hand, prepared to stay with her there until the ceremony ended. But it was Sehun who proved to be crucial in the moment.