Someone to Love

Forty-Three

"Ara!"
I really have no idea what is happening with this engagement party, considering I am the bride and all, but this happened to be a big get together and everyone wants to talk to us. We haven't even started yet, the guests just kept coming in and at this point, I don't even know where Lucas is, it's like he has been swallowed by a sea of Koreans. And to think they're even talking in unison probably, and I couldn't even understand a thing.
"I didn't know Dr. Seo knew a lot of people." Katherine said to me.
"Neither did I. Considering that some of the attendees are celebrities, he pretty much knows some of them at least in a personal level." I said
"I was informed that uh, the Duke of Sussex is attending." Kate said
"What? Harry's coming?" I said
"Yeah-" she was cut off when I saw my third cousin, the Duke of Sussex walking towards me.
"Amara!" He exclaimed.
"Oh my god, Harry! You came!" I said as I hugged him.
"Yeah, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. And why wouldn't I attend my cousin's wedding?"
"That's true. Your wife isn't here?" I said
"While she wants me to send you her regards, she couldn't actually come because of the baby."
"Oh my god, yeah! I think I should pay you guys a visit when we go to London-"
"You think? It's more of you should. William would be thrilled to see you, it has been a while since we saw each other. Now, where is the lucky man? I hear he is a doctor?" He said
"Yes, a neurosurgeon actually. Uh, Katherine?" I said as I faced her.
"Yes, Miss Hayden?"
"Would you please find my fiancé? I'm sure he's around here somewhere." I said
"Right away." She said
"I have to say, I am really surprised that you're here."
"Why? You didn't think that I'd make time for you?"
I smiled.
"I just figured that you were busy with your work and the new baby." I said
"I wanted to see you finally you know, get married. It's kinda too bad that Art wasn't here to see you."
I grew up with this man, he was good six years older than me, my third cousin, a member of the Royal Family, and he and I had a brief thing or fling for a while. While yes, we are still cousins, it's the third degree or whatever, I couldn't take the idea that I am going out with a cousin. He was pretty good at making out though, but he we were still related, actually it was still being debated upon if we are third or fourth cousins. But everybody is related to everybody at some point.
"Hello." Harry said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Hi, uh, hello, Your Hi-"
"Harry, I am here as Ara's cousin." Harry said as he offered his hand.
Lucas stared at it for what I think is good 4 seconds.
"Oh wow, it's really good to see you, I'm Lucas, Ara's would be husband in a few hours. You might get confused if some people call me Lee Kyung but that's my Korean name. Lucas and Lee Kyung are the same person." Lucas said
"Duly noted. I'm kinda shocked to see that you have this much of invitees. And to think this is just the engagement party." Harry said
"Yes, well, Ara and I decided to have this huge gathering so that we can actually end tomorrow's celebration quite early."
"Ah, going somewhere else?" Harry said
"Yes, Paris actually."
"Ah!"
"Well, Ara and I have to meet and say hello, to believe it or not, all of these people. Is it okay if-" Lucas said
"Not at all. I'll-" Harry started.
I turned to Katherine and asked her to lead Harry to his table, which was of course, the family table in which he gets to sit next to his aunt, my mother.
"Where were you? I've been looking around for you." I said
"No, you've been looking for me with your eyes. And got stuck with the Prince, whom by the way happened to be related to you?" He said
"He's my third or fourth cousin, they weren't quite sure with that. But yes, we were close."
"How close?" He said
I looked at him.
"Are you okay? You look a bit green." I said
"What? Am not." He said
I smiled.
"Oh my god, that's what it takes you to be jealous? You weren't that weird with Will before." I said
"I am not weird." He said
"And to think I was actually gonna marry Will."
"Why, did you have some sort of history with that prince?" He said
"Yup."
"What?! Isn't he like a cousin of yours?!" He said
I rolled my eyes.
"Third or fourth cousin. That's pretty far and in England, everybody is related to everybody some how." I said
He held my arm and stood in front of me as if I was gonna disappear or probably saying something absurd.
"You dated him?" He whispered
"Who? Harry? We had a fling but not dated. He was a bit older than me. And I never stayed that long in London, when given the time we don't take up a month, at most was I don't know, three weeks?"
"That's plenty of time-"
I have to say, I am really enjoying jelly Lucas.
"I was sixteen and he was what, twenty-two? It wasn't anything. I was underaged. And he was more of a cousin to me than anything." I whispered
"You sure? Because if you leave me for him-"
"I won't and he won't leave his wife and son for me. We grew up, that's it." I said
He nodded.
"Is this how you normally react when you're jealous?" I said
"I wouldn't know, I never have felt this way before."
We then went table to table, said hello and received some of their congratulations or hugs. Lucas' side of guests were quite warm and yet again, these are all famous actors and actresses, they could be just acting this way for the press.
Jae Kyung hasn't arrived yet but he will in a while, Katherine was told that his plane would be landing in less than 45 minutes.
Lucas' mom approached me after a while.
"Ara." She said
"Hello, eomma."
"You doing great?" She said
"Yes, Lucas is socializing with the-"
"He was actually very close to them. And I'm guessing that he misses speaking the language."
"Oh."
"Have you ever thought of learning the language?"
"To be honest yes, I speak Mandarin, a bit of Cantonese, French."
She nodded.
"I really hope that you and Lee Kyung go a long way. I could see that he really loves you and would do anything for you."
"You raised a good son, Miss Choi."
"I know, he is my favorite of the two."
"Oh."
"And that's why I hope that I prefer you more than Ji Hyun."
"Miss Choi-"
She smiled and then walked away.
"What was that about?" Lucas said
"I honestly don't know." I said
"Do you know how many people are here?"
I shook my head.
"300."
"Fuck?"
"One would assume that 150 of the guests are yours and 150 are mine but, 200 are technically mine and 100 are yours."
"Wow."
"And to think we just finished going table to table to have photos taken."
"This really is one unnecessary big event, seriously."
I have to say, that event while still unnecessarily big, turned out great. Everybody is having fun, the hall was noisy. But apparently, it's time for Lucas and I to give our speeches. I made Lucas go first, well because he is the groom and technically his family is paying for the wedding and it seemed proper that he go first.
"Do you think I should do it in English?" He said
"What do you mean?"
"I'm pretty sure majority of the attendees could speak and understand it. Do you think-"
"I'm doing it in English. I don't think I speak Korean that well anymore."
"You do you." I said as I handed him the microphone.
"Uh, hello. Good evening, my name is Seo Lee Kyung, or some of you know me as Lucas, and some of you might actually know me as just the groom-" the room laughed.
"-I honestly didn't think that I'd actually get married and well, fill a room as big as this. I really did not expect my family, especially my mother to go all out with this. I think this is by far, the grandest engagement party I have ever been into, and I'm one that is being celebrated.-" I zoned out a bit after that because I think I saw my father enter the hall.
I think Lucas also stopped talking when he realized that I was just staring blankly at my father, who was also looking at me.
"-it uh, really means a lot to me and my soon-to-be wife, oh my god, I really can't believe I just said that, but yeah, that all of you made time to at least have dinner with us the day before our wedding, given that all of you have busy schedules. It's really a miracle that Ara and I are here because we both are really busy. It's a good thing that I didn't need to open up heads for a few days. So, uh, enjoy the rest of the night and thank you." Lucas and I did the bow that most Koreans do and exited the stage.
"Was that who I think it is?" Lucas said
"Did you also see my father enter the hall?" I said
"Well, that was what I was thinking. What is he doing here?"
"I have no idea."
"Miss Hayden!" Katherine shouted.
"Kate!" I said
"Mr. Hayden just arrived."
"I know that, did you know that he was coming?"
"I didn't actually, in the first place. But Lily literally just called me the moment you guys went on stage!"
"Where is he?"
"First table."
"He's with my mother?!"
"Screw that, he's with my parents?!"
"Hey!" Jae Kyung suddenly appeared and hugged me and Lucas.
"Jae Kyung!" I said
"You're finally gonna be my sister!" He said
"I know!"
"But you're late." Lucas said
"I told you I was coming from Europe-" and then they began speaking in Korean.
"Does that happen very often?" Kate said
"Which one?" I said as we moved a bit to the side.
"The code switching?"
"Oh yeah. I'm used to it."
"I think I should enroll you to Korean language lessons."
I smiled.
"While that is a good idea, I just don't think I can squeeze it in with our busy schedule."
"You should hear your schedule when you get back in New York."
"Oy, that bad?"
"I scheduled it in a way that you can have an additional week off."
My eyes grew wide.
"What?"
"Well, I couldn't give you anything, per se. I thought real hard and well on what to give to a girl who has everything. But then I realized, you didn't have that much time, so I got you time."
I hugged her.
"Thank you, Katherine." I said
"And I also talked to Mara, and she cleared Dr. Seo's schedule too."
"You're the best." I said as I let go. 
"I have no idea how will you deal with your father right now, but I'm guessing he wants to walk you down the aisle."
I breathed.
"He never really was there for me. And now he wants to play daddy." I said
And then Lucas and Jae Kyung went to us.
"I hear Mr. Hayden just arrived?" Jae Kyung said
"Yeah, it really shocked me, Lucas, Kate, basically some of the Hayden invitees." I said
"I ran into him out the hall, and while I didn't get a chance to talk to him because he was basically demanding entry to the hall-"
I frowned.
"You let him in?" I said
"Why wasn't your father on the list?" Jae Kyung said
"Woah, Jae Kyung, you could have told me that earlier!" Lucas said
"I didn't think it concerned you, hyung. Plus, I don't think he's gonna make a scene. I'm starving." He said as he walked away.
"I'm so sorry he did that." Lucas said
I shook my head.
"It doesn't matter. Wanna eat?" I said
"That would mean we sit at table one." He said
"I'm not eating on stage." I said
"Right."