As you can probably guess, the conversation between the two brides was not a happy one. While we couldn't hear everything, the bits we picked up made it clear that everything was not sunshine and rainbows at the moment. Eventually, us bridesmaids had gotten sick of eavesdropping and went to find other things to preoccupy ourselves with. Siyeon and Yoobin had the bachelorette party to finish planning for tomorrow, assuming everything was still on schedule for this week. Handong and Gahyeon, bummed out about how their event had gone, decided to watch a movie to take their minds off of the shower. Not knowing where else to go, I just headed for my bedroom.There was too much happening, and I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. I needed to be alone and think. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling and desperately trying to rid myself of my troublesome feelings.
Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. I kept quiet, hoping that whoever it was would assume I was sleeping and head on their way. Unfortunately, Siyeon, the source of the knock, let herself in anyways. I groaned and buried my head in the pillows. I really didn't have the strength to deal with her right now. Everything wrong with me was essentially her fault. Siyeon seemed confused by my actions, but sat down on the bed next to me.
"Dude, what is up with you? I sensed something was off when you went after Minji. I mean, you should have been ready to do a jig based on how perfectly today went. What's the matter? Don't tell me you're going soft. I know it sucks to see your best friend upset, but did you think she was gonna be twirling around singing Disney songs while her marriage falls apart? Talk to me, I want to fix whatever's going on," she spoke up, poking my cheek.
"I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about. Don't you have a bachelorette party to plan?" I brushed her off, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Yoobin and I are taking a break. Anyways, you don't sound fine," she insisted, staring me down.
The way she looked at me got my heart fluttering once again. Against my will, I could feel my cheeks reddening. Damn it, what was wrong with me? Why was I making everything so much more complicated? What was it about Siyeon that got me like this anyways? I mean, sure her voice could make anyone's panties drop, and the way she carried herself made me feel small and delicate as if I could slip into her arms and she could protect me forever, but was that any reason to disregard a crush I've had for over twenty years? Damn it, Bora, pull it together! I began slapping my cheeks furiously. Siyeon's eyes widened and she grabbed my hands to stop me.
"Bro, what the heck are you doing? You're acting so strange. Why won't you just tell me what's bothering you? We're teammates, and dare I say, friends, now. You can tell me anything," she insisted, still holding onto my hands as she gazed into my eyes intently.
I decided to give her at least half of the story in order to get her off my back. I would leave out the part involving my unnecessary, blossoming feelings for her. I was hoping that part would go away soon enough. After all, she was clearly still dedicated to winning Yoohyeon's heart. Not to mention, it's not like I no longer loved Minji. There was just a new, unforeseen complication in the mix.
"I'm okay, really, I am. Your first guess was right, it just really killed me seeing Minji so upset. When we were alone in her room, she was telling me what a good friend I was. How can I just let her say that stuff when I'm out here trying to ruin her wedding?" I explained, giving Siyeon a sad smile.
Siyeon nodded, "That totally makes sense. Eventually the guilt would have set in sooner or later. I'm sure I'd have felt the same way if it was Yoohyeon who had been torn apart like that. Still, you just gotta remember who you're doing all of this for. Minji's tears today are nothing compared to the lifetime of smiles you can promise her when you're together," she consoled me, rubbing comforting circles on my back.
Her soft touch sent shivers down my spine. I bit my lip to keep from making any noise and just wordlessly nodded at what she had said. She was right, I had to look ahead and focus on the future. Everything happening now would be a thing of the past when Minji and I got together. We could laugh about all of this on our wedding day. These feelings for Siyeon were clearly a product of my stress and guilt culminating this week, and would eventually disappear. I would just have to grow a pair and power through this.
"You're right, Siyeon. I'm gonna be fine. I know you and Yoobin are wrapping up things for the bachelorette party today, but let me know if there's anything I can do to help," I said, sitting up so that we were now at the same height.
Siyeon grinned, "Attagirl! I'm glad to see you picking yourself up. I'll text you to keep you in the loop about me and Yoobin's plans for tomorrow. That way you can help me come up with ways to make it extra interesting. The party will be the perfect opportunity to really blow a hole in Yoohyeon and Minji's relationship, which is already on the rocks. I put my ear on the door a little while ago, and heard them arguing. It sounds like they are putting the wedding planning on hold and taking the day to spend time together. I think they blame the stress of this week for tearing them apart. Why don't you follow them on their little couple's recharge and see what they end up doing? We'll need to know the status of things between them to keep planning effectively," she instructed.
I fake saluted, "Aye aye captain! You can count on me. I'll be grateful for something to do so I can stop laying around and getting lost in my thoughts," I admitted.
"Well then, there you go. I gotta go back to Yoobin. She's waiting for me in her room. Keep me updated on your mission and I'll do the same for you. Catch ya later," Siyeon told me before returning my fake salute and heading out the door.
The moment she was gone, I balled my hands into fists of encouragement.
"You can do this. Stay on track," I cheered myself on before getting up to go find the brides.
~
I made sure to hide a safe distance away from Minji and Yoohyeon's room so that I could watch them leave and follow without being seen. It didn't take long for the two to emerge, both of their eyes red from crying so much. I felt another pang of guilt knowing how much pain we had caused them. Still, I had committed myself to this, so I carried on. I texted Siyeon to let her know that the brides were heading out and I was on their trail. She texted back a thumbs up emoji and a GIF cheering me on. The text brought a smile to my face. I looked up from my phone to see my targets on the move, getting further away. I raced to keep up with them.
I noticed that they were headed away from Yoohyeon's family's estate. I had figured they would opt for a staycation and would do face masks and braid each other's hair in some fancy sauna that I'm sure existed on the property. I had to admit, I was relieved they were out and about. I drew the line at voyeurism, and I assumed they would have the decency not to do anything obscene in public. I kept a close eye on my surroundings as I followed them, knowing that I would need to make it back to the house before they did.
Eventually, the two stopped to sit in a bench located in a park several miles away from the mansion. I could see why they had chosen this spot. The scenery was incredible. The colorful array of trees and flowers against the backdrop of blue sky and golden sun made my heart feel at ease. A delightful breeze blew, scattering flower petals through the air. Geez, even mother nature was setting a romantic mood. I found a hiding spot behind a well-sized tree and waited to see what would happen. I made sure to be close enough so that I could hear them as well.
"Well, what do you think? Isn't it beautiful? I used to always come here as a kid whenever I fought with my family. I find being in nature quite healing," Yoohyeon spoke up, grabbing Minji's hand and gazing around.
Minji nodded, "I think it's perfect. We can just sit here and spend time with each other. No talking about anything related to the wedding. This time is for us to be together without any distractions," she declared.
Another breeze passed by, making the two of them look like living shampoo commercials. The two stared at each other, saying nothing. Yoohyeon leaned in, and Minji let her put her lips on top of hers. The two pulled apart after several seconds, smiling lovingly at each other.
"Minji, you make me the happiest woman on earth. I'm so lucky to be marrying you. I don't care what anybody says-not even your exes, or my family. Being with you is all that matters to me," Yoohyeon insisted.
"Aww," Minji and I cooed simultaneously.
I clamped a hand over my mouth while the two brides scrunched their eyebrows in confusion and scanned around for the source of the noise.
"Huh, must have been a bird," Minji speculated before continuing, "Yoohyeon, I love you. Today was terrible, but having you by my side makes it all okay. No matter how scared I am, I know you and I will work everything out. We're so lucky to have great people by our side too. Bora and Gahyeon are like sisters to me, and you have Yoobin, Siyeon, and Handong who care about you lots. I don't know what we'd do without our bridal party."
I bit my lip at her words. Why did she have to keep vouching for what a good person she thought I was? Aside from that, why was I so touched by what Yoohyeon had said to her? Just two days ago I would have puked at her words, but right now all I could think about was what a cute couple Minji and Yoohyeon were. Sure it was an impulsive decision to get engaged in another country after only a few months, but there was real love between them. Maybe my jealousy had made me too biased against them to see that.
The two continued their conversation, but I turned my attention away from them when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. It was Siyeon giving me a play-by-play of her meeting with Yoobin. She kept sending goofy closeups of the other girl, who was clearly unaware of her taking them. She inserted captions beneath them to turn them into memes. I had to put a hand over my mouth once again to muffle my laughter. I sent back a laughing GIF to communicate my amusement at her sense of humor. She asked how things were going with the brides, and I replied that I was currently hiding in a tree eavesdropping on them. Siyeon replied by calling me "Squirrel Bora aka Squora" and I almost fell to the ground. I was so wrapped up in coming up with a witty response that I almost missed the brides getting up from the park bench. Thankfully, at the last second I noticed their moving figures and raced to follow them, quietly cursing to myself for losing focus.
~
The next placed I ended up following the brides to was a creek just past the park. There were no benches in sight, so the couple stood on the bridge above the creek to gaze down at the running water. Yoohyeon grabbed a few stones and handed some to Minji while keeping the rest for herself. I crouched behind a large boulder that was the perfect distance for spying.
"Have you ever skipped stones before? This is something I loved to do as a kid. Since my parents were awfully picky about who I hung out with, I didn't have a ton of friends. Playing out here helped me pass the time," Yoohyeon explained as she flicked her wrist.
The stone she'd tossed skittered gracefully along the water, making several ripples before finally going under. Minji applauded her skills, prompting Yoohyeon to take an exaggerated bow which reduced both of them to giggles.
"You're such a dork, but you've got game when it comes to skipping stones. It's really nice to see so much of your childhood. I'm really getting to know you in a new way. I mean, getting engaged while abroad certainly keeps things mysterious, but I feel more at home with you now," Minji confessed, leaving her stones on the ground so she could put her arms around Yoohyeon.
My vision misted with unshed tears, this time not of sorrow, but of admiration. The way they looked at each other made my heart swell. Here I thought spending the entire day watching Minji and Yoohyeon fix their problems would be torture, but I actually got the front row seat to an adorable romance. Was I supposed to be bitter that me and Siyeon's hard work was being ruined and they were still going strong? Probably, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to hate what I was seeing. Heck, I was almost urging them to get married right on the spot. I felt another buzz in my phone pocket. It was Siyeon asking how things were going.
'The brides-to-be are making up. Ooh, and now it likes like they're making out!' I texted back, glancing up to see the duo all over each other.
Siyeon's response was a frustrated emoji, but she assured me that this wouldn't last and that she had more tricks up her sleeve. She added a GIF of a magician which made me grin. I sent back a halfhearted thumbs up emoji and went back to watching the brides. In the past, watching Minji tongue wrestle with anybody would have made my blood boil. I almost punched someone's lights out at her fifteenth birthday party when they got too handsy for my liking. Now, though, I was secretly rooting them on. I had to be delusional or something. Was the heat getting to me? What happened to over twenty years of wanting Minji to be mine? What could possibly have just made all of that passion vanish? Just then, my phone buzzed once more. It was Siyeon.
~
I kept on Minji and Yoohyeon's trail for the entire afternoon leading up into the evening. They walked to various spots of significance in Yoohyeon's life, taking time to say heartfelt things to each other and then bringing the PDA to the max. While most of these encounters were cute, there was one instance in a secluded spot on Yoohyeon's favorite walking trail where clothes had almost come off. I paid attention to the couple when I wasn't texting Siyeon. I probably would have gotten bored and ditched the mission if she hadn't kept talking to me. Eventually, I heard the brides decide to call it a day. I made sure to give myself a head start so that I would beat them home. There was no need for anyone to question where I had been all day.
I got back to the guest house in record time, careful to sneak in so no one would notice that I had left. I entered my bedroom and tried to look casual, grabbing a magazine. I texted Siyeon that I was back and the brides would be home shortly. She had been awfully cryptic about her and Yoobin's plans for tomorrow night. I hoped she was just holding out so that she could give me the lowdown in-person tonight. I may have been starting to find the brides cute together, but I still had a plan to go through with, and I was no quitter. My lack of jealousy today didn't mean I wasn't interested in Minji anymore, right? Siyeon had warned me that the guilt and stress would mess with me, that had to be it.
~
Once they got back, Minji and Yoohyeon summoned everyone for a quick meeting in the parlor. The two sat at the head of the room, both cool as cucumbers. Handong and Gahyeon looked like dejected puppies, probably expecting to be chewed out for how the shower had gone. Yoobin was twiddling her thumbs, clearly anxious to know what was going on. Siyeon sat beside her with a poker face. I wondered if she was pissed about the brides being back on good terms, or if she was excited about the mischief she had in store for tomorrow night. Her mysteriousness both scared me and excited me. I was trying to focus on the brides, but my eyes kept flicking over to my partner in crime to see if I could gauge what was going through her mind. Minji cleared her throat and launched into what she wanted to say.
"Everyone, thank you for being so patient with us. I know today was incredibly awkward, and I'm so sorry you all had to witness that. Yoohyeon and I just wanted to let you all know that we are working things out as best as we can, and for the time being, we want to keep moving forward with everything on schedule. Don't let today get you down. Let's all keep our heads up, okay? Nothing was anybody's fault, and everything else will be smooth sailing from now on," she assured us, giving her million dollar smile and linking arms with her fiance.
"Oh, what a relief! I was worried you'd be mad at me and Handong for how everything went today. I'm so glad you two are alright," Gahyeon cried, running to hug both of them.
Handong began bawling, chasing after Gahyeon and copying her actions. Pretty soon Minji and Yoohyeon were motioning for a group hug. Yoobin, being a good best friend, obliged. I got up as well, squeezing in beside Gahyeon, since her hugs are notoriously awesome. Siyeon was the holdout, and everyone turned to look at her and urge her to join the party. Siyeon breezed over and wormed her way into the hug, the same unreadable expression on her face.
~
It was nearing bedtime, and Siyeon still had not given me any information regarding the bachelorette party. I decided that if she wasn't gonna come to me, I'd go to her. I knocked on her door and waited for permission to enter. Several seconds passed with no indication that she was even in the room, so I decided to just let myself in. She had done it to me multiple times, so it was only fair. I saw her sitting on her window sill, staring out at the night sky. She turned to see who was interrupting her musing, and relaxed when she realized it was me.
"How can I help you?" she asked, returning her gaze to the moonlight.
"Wow, you're awfully casual for somebody who has left her partner completely in the dark about her plans. Do you expect me to just wing it tomorrow or something? Didn't you get the memo that the brides are back on track?" I snapped.
A light chuckle escaped her lips and she turned to look at me. She was surrounded by the glow of the moon and stars, making her look like a shadow. I felt my breath hitch at the impish expression she gave me.
"Don't you worry, tomorrow will be a blast. Consider it our chance to play after working so hard these past few days," she said.
With that, she went back to looking out the window. I took that as my cue to stop asking questions and head on my way. Once I'd closed her door, I caught my breath and sunk to the floor. I left Siyeon's room feeling less ready for tomorrow's events than when I had come in. Whatever game Siyeon was planning on playing, the stakes had been raised on my end.