Jennie
"Do you, Bambam Bhuwakul, take Mina Manoban to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Bambam is going to have to get surgery to remove that smile. He can't seem to stop grinning. He takes Mina's hands in his and says, "Heck yes!"
A ripple of laughter runs through the crowd.
"And do you, Mina Manoban..." the pastor continues, "... take Bambam Bhuwakul to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Mina is on the verge of happy tears, but she smiles and says, "I do."
"Does anyone object to this union?"
I glance back at Irene sitting on the other side of the aisle. I hold my breath, praying that she'll stay seated. When she shifts in her seat, I nearly lunge at her and pin her to the ground just to protect the wedding. I relax, however, when I see her pull a tissue out of her purse and blow her nose.
"Very well." the pastor says. "By the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
This is it. My heart patters wildly in my chest as Bambam tilts down and presses a single, sweet kiss to Mina's lips. The audience interrupts in wild hoots and cheers.
Now it's my turn to cry. I should've known to bring tissues. I dab at my eyes and whimper, "It gets me every time."
"Come here."
Lisa pulls me against her jacket and gives me a place to cry. I cry, not because I'm sad, but because it is so beautiful and my heart feels so full. It's overwhelming. Lisa supplies me with a small soft handkerchief, and I make a mess of it.
The ceremony finishes up, and everyone crowds around the now happily married couple to give their congratulations. I pull myself together enough to get back to my feet. I'm sniffling when I tell Lisa, "I've got to... go make sure that everything's okay."
"Jennie." she says, and I turn to face her.
Those deep eyes look intensely vibrant now. "Thank you." she says sincerely. "For everything. This wedding is perfect."
I can't help the grin that spread across my lips now. "It's what I do." I give her chest a small pat and then pry myself away.
I zip past the crowd to meet up with Ren and Nayeon again. My feet, however, come to a quick stop when I see him. Oh no. And this whole wedding day had been going so smoothly.
Taehyung stands behind a white chair. When his eyes lock on mine, he smiles.
No. This won't do. I can't have him here. His presence is toxic, and I'm afraid that if he's here even a second longer, he'll ruin what's left of this beautiful day. I walk toward him quickly and hiss, "What the hell are you doing here!?"
"I had to see you." Taehyung's blue eyes flicker between mine. He takes my wrist in his hand. "I couldn't leave for Seoul... not with our conversation on my mind."
"What is there to think about?" I say, feeling totally exhausted. "Taehyung, I'm working. You can't be here."
As if out of nowhere, Ren and Nayeon appear on either side of me suddenly to back me up. "Taehyung." Ren clucks the word against his mouth. "I'm sorry, but you didn't make the invitation list. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"I'm Jennie's plus one." He smiles, with that bright white smile that could get him anything he wanted. "Don't worry about it."
"No." I say firmly. "You're not."
"Is everything okay?" Lisa steps to my side suddenly, as though she smelled trouble. The tension is thick, and she must know that something is up with Taehyung, because Lisa is staring daggers at him.
This is bad. Lisa is wound tight right now, she's having trouble processing real, true emotions for the first time. And this idiotic Taehyung is like a lit match to Lisa's explosive gasoline.