In the days leading to the Hymeneal, the whole capitol city, and even the whole kingdom itself, became busy. It was due to the fact that the King announced the upcoming Hymeneal on all possible media outlets. The kingdom was very happy with the fact that the last pro-merger Paragon family was increasing in number. Streets were decorated with the Princes and their soulmates' banners. Streamers, flags and other decorations filled the whole kingdom. With the Hymeneal's announcement, public attention increased on the soulmates.
"Congratulations on your upcoming Hymeneal, guys!"
"Best wishes to everyone!"
In fact, even the whole Adore University, most especially Section Rose Quartz, were greeting the thirteen every now and then. Thankfully, the soulmates were already expecting this kind of attention.
"And so, since the Dreamies are going, we have decided to invite the rest of the section to our Hymeneal," Jeonghan announced as he flashed the six invitations for Zico, Jessi, Chungha, Jieun and Sunmi.
"Yes!" Jessi exclaimed. "But why are there six invitations?"
"So that Jieun-noona could bring her soulmate with her," Chan explained.
After the final school day before the Hymeneal holidays, the Princes and their soulmates each went on a different path. Starting from tomorrow, everyone will not be able to see each other in preparation of the upcoming Hymeneal.
The next day, the Princes were summoned to the palace's living room.
"What? What is it, father?" Seungcheol asked with slight annoyance in his tone.
"It's time for your fitting. You need to look decent for the upcoming Hymeneal, you know?" the King retorted.
With the help of the royal professionals in the field of clothing and fashion, the Princes were styled according to their preferences one by one. The tedious cycle of wearing and taking off the clothes were inevitable as the Princes looked for the outfit that best suited them. Minutes turned to hours. The Princes became extremely meticulous with their selections; they want to impress their significant others on the big day after all. The fitting and selecting lasted for almost four hours before the six Princes were able to find their preferred combination of clothes for their Hymeneal.
On the other hand, the Consorts were also looking for their outfits separately, together with their families. The King did promise to shoulder all expenses for the Hymeneal, including the soulmates' and their families' clothes. Of course, with their growing popularity, many store owners were approaching and convincing them to shop at their ateliers and boutiques as they pass by.
Jeonghan was shopping with his parents and his younger sister together with Joshua and his parents. The two families decided to shop together since the two of them have the same soulmate. As the soulmates of the Crown Prince, many were trying to get them and their family into their stores until one boutique caught Jeonghan and Joshua's attention.
"Welcome to Pretty U Boutique," the male owner greeted. "Am I right in assuming that everyone is here to shop for their Hymeneal outfits?"
"Y-yes," Joshua bashfully answered.
"Okay. So let's start with the Crown Prince's two good-looking soulmates," the owner pulled them to two adjacent fitting rooms. "Just wait for a while. Let me work my magic."
After half an hour of trying and showing it to their parents, along with ideas on what they wanted to wear, the owner was finally able to hit the spot for the two.
"This is perfect!" Jeonghan gasped.
"Oh, I like this look," Joshua's eyes widened.
"We'll take this," Jeonghan and Joshua told the owner.
Along with their complete set of Hymeneal clothing, their families were also able to find theirs in the same boutique, including a light blue gown for Jeonghan's younger sister.
Two hours after Jeonghan and Joshua shopped for their outfits, it was Minghao and his parents who arrived at the mall. Similarly, the stores competed for their attention until Minghao saw something of his liking. As if being pulled by something, Minghao entered a store with his parents.
"Good morning. Welcome to Night and Rain, Prince Junhui's soulmate and family. How may I serve you today?"
Minghao blushed on how the store owner addressed him, "Uhm, may I take a look at that?"
The male store owner followed what Minghao was pointing and realized, "Oh, for your Hymeneal outfit? Sure, sure. I can also select other articles that will harmoniously blend with the one you want."
The store owner led Minghao to a dressing room and made him sit.
"Any particular colors you want to work with? Any articles or accessories you want to try?" the owner was asking for Minghao's preferences.
"Well..."
With the help of Minghao's preference, the owner was able to come up with combinations that will perfectly match the one that Minghao pointed from earlier.
"Minghao, why don't you try that with this?" his mother suggested.
"Is there a darker color for this?" his father asked the owner.
Minghao tried to mix and match everything until he found the perfect combination. With the approval of his parents, he purchased the outfit. His parents were also able to find their attires on the same store and they left the mall just before lunch.
An hour after noon, Jihoon and his parents were in the mall to look for their Hymeneal garbs. Recognizing Jihoon, the storeowners once again battled to persuade Jihoon to enter their shop. One particular store caught the attention of Jihoon though so he decided to go there.
"Oh, my goodness. It's Prince Soonyoung's soulmate. How may I help you?" the female storeowner said.
"Do you have anything that I could possibly wear for a special event?" Jihoon shyly asked.
"You mean for the Hymeneal? Certainly, please follow me," the female owner led Jihoon to a large dressing room. "Please wait while I pull out some outfits."
Five minutes later, the female storeowner wheeled in a plethora of articles of clothing. Jihoon himself was surprised with what the storeowner brought in.
"Do you have anything in mind for your outfit?" the storeowner inquired.
"Actually..." Jihoon replied.
With Jihoon's idea in mind, the storeowner did her best to give Jihoon a cohesive outfit, trying out different colors and combinations. While Jihoon was looking his outfit, his parents were also on the adjacent rooms, searching for theirs. But it seems Jihoon was having trouble since his parents were able to find their clothes before he did.
"What's wrong, son? What's taking you so long?" his father asked.
"I don't know what's best for me. You know I'm not really into fashion," Jihoon whined.
"Ok, how about this?" his mother helped him.
With the help from his mother, Jihoon actually liked his current look, "I look... good somehow,"
"Do you want that for your Hymeneal?" his father asked.
"This will do. I hope Soonie will like it," Jihoon sighed.
"Don't worry. Soonyoung will like anything you will wear. I'm sure of that," his mother reassured him.
The next day, Mingyu, his parents and his younger sister were all at the mall early. And like what they did yesterday, the clothing shop owners all tried their best to convince the family to shop in their store. Mingyu and his family entered a store full of formal clothes.
"Prince's Wonwoo's soulmate! Good morning," the male store owner stated. "Welcome to Snap Shoot. Shopping for something to wear for the Hymeneal, I guess?"
"Yeah, do you have something I could try?" Mingyu gently asked.
"Sure. You have plenty to choose from," the store owner said as he accompanied Mingyu to the fitting room.
"Any ideas I could work on?"
"Just make it simple but fit for the occasion," Mingyu laid out.
"I'll be right back," the store owner closed the door.
The store owner returned with three sets of clothes for Mingyu to choose from. Thus, began the meticulous matching for his Hymeneal attire.
"How about this?" the store owner made Mingyu turn around to let him see his fifth option on the mirror.
"Ooh. This looks great. I'll buy this set," Mingyu happily said.
With that, Mingyu purchased their outfits for the upcoming Hymeneal, including a light red gown for his little sister.
After Mingyu and his family left, the mall became peaceful up until Seungkwan, his parents and his two elder sister arrived after lunch hours. The store owners frenzied to grab their attention. Unfortunately for them, Seungkwan's family had a trusted boutique in the mall – Love & Letter.
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Boo! Good to see again," the female boutique owner hugged Seungkwan's parents. "Are you here to look for your Hymeneal clothes?"
"Ah, yes. All five of us will need something to wear for the occasion," Mrs. Boo stated.
"Alright, then, please follow me," the owner led the family to a hidden lounge inside his store.
One by one, Seungkwan's mother and father found their outfits among the store's vast choice. Currently, his two elder sisters were trying light violet gowns. Satisfied, his two sisters agreed on getting the gowns.
"Your turn, Prince Hansol's soulmate," the owner addressed Seungkwan.
Over the course of the next minutes, Seungkwan did not find his outfit yet. Not to mention his two meticulous sisters explicitly voicing out their comments.
"No, not that. You look like fat snowman," his eldest sister said.
"I don't think the colors match well," his other sister shook her head.
The difficulty ensued for more minutes until Seungkwan finally found a look that he liked.
"Oh, this one looks and feels great," Seungkwan looked himself on the mirror.
The owner opened the curtains to let Seungkwan's sister see their brother.
"Oh, wow," the younger of the two sister mumbled.
"That's it. Do not move. That one... I like very much," the eldest sister dramatically stated.
"I know, right? It feels natural somehow," Seungkwan muttered.
"You look so handsome," his mother had tears in her eyes. His father nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, mom, dad," Seungkwan smiled at his parents.
"So, are you saying yes to this dress?" his two sisters copied the line of a popular TV show.
"It's not a dress, but yes," Seungkwan confirmed.
The Boo family happily ended their search and went home. Two hours after them came Chan and his family. As soon as they entered the mall, the store owners became frantic. But since Chan wasn't really that particular with what he wore, they entered the first boutique that grabbed their attention.
"Welcome to Happy Ending. Are you perhaps looking for something to wear at the Hymeneal?" the female store owner warmly welcomed them.
"Ah, yes," Chan responded. "I need clothes for me, my parents and my younger brother."
"Okay. Please follow me," the store owner told them. "Do you have any image or style in mind?"
"No. I just want something that simple yet decent," Chan mentioned.
Since Chan wasn't sure of his style, his parents was able to find theirs first before him. Even his younger brother was able to find a nice light yellow suit and slacks pair.
"Okay, how about this?" the lady owner told him for the tenth time.
Rotating himself so he would face the mirror, Dino smiled as soon as he saw himself, "This is it. I like this one."
Chan finally made up his mind. The family purchased their attires and left the store. Finally, everyone's wardrobe for the Hymeneal was ready. All that remained was the big day to arrive.