Every minute leading up to the bachelorette party was filled with dread due to Siyeon's cryptic behavior lingering in my mind. She had been so nonchalant about her plans for the evening, but it all seemed so ominous somehow. My feelings already scared me, and not knowing what Siyeon had in store made me even more afraid. The day flew by as I spent it preoccupied with my worries. Avoiding Siyeon had been at the top of my agenda, and everything else was a blur. Thankfully, I had managed to survive up until it was time to get ready and head out for the party.
Siyeon and Yoobin had left early to make sure the venue was ready for us.The party was being held at a nearby club since Minji knew the owner as well as most of the people who worked there. I was surprised Siyeon had given in to Minji's suggestions about the venue and allowed her to flex her social standing. Maybe she was picking her battles. It sure seemed like she was ready to have the last laugh tonight with whatever she had planned.
The rest of us were helping each other look fabulous for tonight's events. Minji, as usual, looked stunning. Her dress was short, showing off her legendary legs, and it clung in all the right places to showcase her figure. Of course she had chosen to wear red, a color that would make her the center of attention. She completed the look with a stunning pair of heels and a flirty lipstick. Yoohyeon would have one hell of a time keeping people away from her fiance tonight. Then again, she looked pretty good herself. She had chosen a classy looking cocktail dress in silver. The sparkly design of the dress lit up the room along with the expensive accessories she'd chosen to complement it. Both brides were sure to be the belles of the ball, or in this case, the hottest girls in the club.
Those of us who were not the main focus of tonight still looked good, of course. Handong looked elegant as ever in a navy blue velvet dress, and Gahyeon had gone with a gold dress that suited her well. As for me, I had chosen my favorite clubbing dress: it was black with cutouts in the waist area and a plunging neckline. It was the most revealing of all the outfits, but that was expected from me at this point. After all, sex appeal was my secret weapon. This time, though, I wasn't sure Minji was the one I wanted to use it on.
"Alright, we seriously need to head out right now. Yoobin will nag me relentlessly if we leave her waiting. Is everybody ready? The car should be waiting outside for us," Yoohyeon called over her shoulder as she grabbed her and Minji's purses.
Everyone squealed and followed her to where our chariot awaited. Gahyeon and Minji had linked arms and were buzzing about what fun tonight was going to be. Handong was helping Yoohyeon adjust her hair so it looked even more perfect as they chattered excitedly. I hung back, trying to seem relaxed even though I was internally freaking out. The minute we arrived at our destination, we would be entering right into Siyeon's trap. The worst part was that I felt just as clueless about her intentions as everybody else.
~
We pulled up to the club and filed out of the car as gracefully as possible. The driver helped each of us out, making me feel like a celebrity. Heck, the five of us might as well have been famous based on the way we were greeted by the club staff. Minji looked like a pageant queen as she strutted along to the VIP entrance with the rest of us in tow. The bouncer removed the velvet ropes and ushered us through as if we were the most important people in sight. We had barely arrived and the night was already off to an impressive start. Still, the sinking feeling in my stomach only grew worse as we got closer to where Siyeon and Yoobin would be waiting.
"Wow, I never realized I was marrying club royalty," Yoohyeon joked as we made our way inside.
Minji giggled and blew her a kiss.
"I'm happy to welcome you to my kingdom. Come on, let's find Yoobin and Siyeon. I bet they planned something really great!" she urged, grabbing mine and Yoohyeon's hands and dragging us towards the spot we'd been told to meet the duo.
As we made our way through the club, I clung onto Gahyeon and Minji's hands in hopes that no one would get lost in the blinding lights and rambunctious crowd. I had been to many hotspots throughout the course of my life, as had Minji, so the two of us had no trouble raising our voices to be heard and charging past people to get to where we needed to be. Yoohyeon, Gahyeon, and Handong, however, were less experienced in the world of partying, and stuck to us like scared rabbits. Thankfully, all five of us made it to the area that had been zoned off for our private party. Yoobin and Siyeon were there, along with a collection of bottles so impressive it made everyone's jaws drop.
"Welcome to your bachelorette party! You're a few minutes late, but given the crowd, I'll let it slide," Yoobin joked, checking her watch before going on to say, "You know these types of places are seriously not my thing, but tonight is your chance to let loose and enjoy your last few days of freedom. I think it's only fair that all of us should get a little crazy tonight. That's why I let Siyeon convince me to buy bottle service for tonight's events. Go wild, okay?"
Yoohyeon pulled her best friend in for a hug, overjoyed that Yoobin had stepped out of her comfort zone to throw one hell of a party. Yoobin smiled once the hug was over and handed both brides a sash and tiara. Minji and Yoohyeon jumped up and down in excitement before setting to work on opening their bottles of choice. The rest of the group followed their example, eager to get the night rolling.
While everyone else was making their first drink, I noticed Siyeon head over in my direction. I felt my heart begin to beat faster. If I had thought she looked good at the bridal shower, this was a whole new level. She was wearing a black romper with a neckline that rivaled mine in terms of how revealing it was. The look was complete with long, black boots that flattered her incredible legs. Her hair was down in wild curls which brushed my shoulder as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. I shivered at the sudden contact on my exposed skin.
"You'd better be careful, or it won't just be Minji who's gonna want you. You seriously look way too good for it to be legal," she murmured.
I swallowed nervously at the lust in her voice. I really didn't need her to be coming on to me right now. It wouldn't take much for me to be putty in her hands. I had to play it cool.
"Thanks, you look pretty hot yourself. Any chance you wanna finally clue me in on your plans?" I whispered back.
Siyeon chuckled softly, "You just heard them from Yoobin. It's simple, really. It's a bachelorette party at a nightclub, so of course people are gonna drink. I'm just making it easier for them to do so. The more wasted people get, the more they lose control. I have a fun game planned for tonight, and I'm banking on everyone being drunk enough to go along with it. You'll see, I've got it covered. Don't worry about a thing, just let loose and have fun," she reassured me.
I took a deep breath and tried to do as she said. At least now I knew there was nothing too elaborate going on behind my back. Still, what could this game possibly be? I was afraid of what she had in mind. Whatever, if all she wanted was for everyone to get hammered, I could certainly do that. In fact, I was more than ready to forget all my worries. I poured a generous serving for myself from one of the bottles and got to work.
~
Alcohol flowed like water, and soon all of us were starting to feel its effects. Yoohyeon was the biggest lightweight I had ever seen in my life. She was draped over Yoobin's shoulder and giggling madly about who knows what. The poor thing could barely walk in a straight line, so everyone silently agreed it was time to cut her off. Handong was clearly inebriated as well, hiccuping daintily from time to time. She was too cute. Gahyeon held her own pretty well, but was louder than usual and incredibly giddy. I got a kick out of watching her shriek in excitement at every song the DJ played before dancing like her life depended on it. Yoobin, as expected, was not the partying type. Unlike Yoohyeon, she at least had the discipline to limit her drinking, but it didn't take much to loosen her up. I liked her better this way, it felt less like she could stare into my soul and read my mind.
Minji, Siyeon, and I seemed to be the most coherent. Minji was reaching the stage where she got clingy and touchy, but she was still keeping it together. Siyeon had probably slowed her drinking on purpose, in order to make sure she was in the right mindset to follow through with her plans. As for me, anxiety was the only explanation I had for why I wasn't mind numbingly drunk. I had gone out of my way to drink as much as I could in as short a time as possible, but my worries about Siyeon's intentions were keeping me on high alert. I welcomed the distraction when Minji asked me to dance. One of our favorite songs had come on, and we were notorious for tearing up the dance floor at any club.
Being under the strobe lights and following the intense beat, I felt my worries melt away. Dancing always made everything better. I was drunk on the adrenaline of moving my body and enjoying the music. I felt myself relax as Minji and I moved our bodies in perfect synchronization, grinding against each other. A flock of admirers had gathered to watch the two hot girls dancing on top of each other. I welcomed the attention, not caring who watched us. Yoohyeon seemed too drunk to care that her fiance was all over somebody else. She clapped along to the beat and told everyone nearby that the one in red was her fiance, as if it was a badge of honor or something. The other girls were by her side, moving to the beat and cheering us on with the rest of the club. Siyeon was the only one not making any noise. From the corner of my eye, I saw her watching me. Her eyes seemed to eat up the sight of the way my body moved. My dress already left little to the imagination, but it felt as if Siyeon was taking it off in her mind. Somehow this brought me more satisfaction than I had felt having Minji's body pressed against mine. I felt myself loosening up even more, her eyes on mine more powerful than any of the cocktails I'd consumed. The song finished and Minji and I returned to our party who were applauding us wildly.
"That was amazing, you two are so sexy!" Gahyeon exclaimed so loudly that nearby patrons heard and voiced their agreement.
Minji grinned in embarrassment and put her hands on my shoulders.
"We really know how to get people's attention, don't we?" she chuckled.
I smirked, "Don't try to act humble now. You know you enjoyed being the center of attention as much as I did," I teased her.
At that moment, Siyeon cut in abruptly. I hated how much it bothered me that she changed the subject so quickly. Just minutes ago, I had savored the feeling of her eyes on me. Oh well, she was a woman on a mission. Who was I to stop her? After all, I was still her ally.
"That was a wonderful performance, Minji and Bora. I'd say the night has really heated up. Now then, who wants to play a little game of spin the bottle to really take things to the next level?" she offered, holding up one of the empty bottles.
"Spin the bottle as in the kissing game? Are you trying to get us to make out with random strangers in this club? That's ridiculous! Some of us are getting married this weekend, you know!" Yoohyeon snorted, her words slurred.
Siyeon smirked, "What makes you think we were gonna play with strangers? I was thinking we could just keep it between friends," she told her.
"You want us to play with each other? Won't that make things awkward?" Gahyeon shouted.
"Oh come on, this is a bachelorette party! It's a night to do fun, wild things. This is just something we can all laugh about as part of our drunken adventures. The game has no strings attached. It's just kissing," Siyeon insisted.
She looked to me for help. My blood ran cold. Clearly, she was going to rig the game somehow so that she could kiss Yoohyeon and I could kiss Minji. I should have been jumping with joy at the prospect of finally getting to do what I'd imagined doing so many times. Unfortunately, I was more terrified than anything else, and it wasn't because I was nervous to kiss Minji. Still, I knew I needed to say something. I took a deep breath.
"Siyeon's right, you guys! It's just a game. Let loose and live a little!" I chirped with false enthusiasm, slinging my arms around Gahyeon and Minji.
"Yeah, let's do it! It'll be fun!" Minji giggled.
Yoohyeon grinned, "I hope my spin lands on you," she slurred, drunkenly stumbling over to her fiance and placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
With the two brides on board, everyone had no choice but to agree. Gahyeon, Handong, and Yoobin shrugged their shoulders in resignation. The three of them were probably too drunk to protest much anyways. Siyeon's eyes lit up at her plans falling into place. She set the bottle on the table and summoned everyone around it. I stared at the object nervously, aware of the power it had to ruin everything.
"You all know the rules, right?" Siyeon asked the group and everyone nodded.
"Perfect. Well then, who wants to go first? I think it should be one of our honored brides-to-be," she suggested.
"I'm too nervous! You go first, Minji!" Yoohyeon squealed, burying her head in her fiance's shoulder.
Minji smiled and accepted the offer. She laid the bottle down in a position to where she could spin it and gave it a generous push. As it whirled along, I felt Siyeon's hand grasp mine beneath the table. She was handing me something. I recognized the cold, metallic feeling of a small magnet. My hand froze, the magnet resting in my closed fist. Sure enough, the bottle came to a stop right in front of me. Everyone let out squeals and shrieks, while Minji just beamed at me.
"Looks like we get to pick up where we left off on the dance floor. I heard a few people begging us to kiss, now they get what they wanted," she joked.
I chuckled nervously, "Heh, yeah. Well, are you gonna stand there all day or are you gonna pucker up?" I tried to sound confident as I stared at her.
Minji chuckled at my challenge and leaned in. Our faces drew closer together while everyone watched. Handong and Gahyeon stared at the sight with wide eyes, while Yoobin was checking on Yoohyeon to make sure she was okay with what was happening. Yoohyeon, still incredibly intoxicated, was grinning like an idiot and seemed unbothered. Siyeon's expression was the only one I couldn't pick up on. She was the one who suggested this, yet she was keeping a poker face while the two of us kissed. I refused to get my hopes up about her reason for being this way, figuring she was just trying not to look too excited to avoid looking suspicious. After all, to everyone else in the bridal party, Siyeon and I were just acquaintances. In fact, that was probably all we were in Siyeon's eyes as well. This thought stung, and I found it difficult to focus on my impending kiss.
Minji's lips were so close to mine they were almost touching now. This was supposed to be the best moment of my life. I was finally kissing the girl I'd been in love with for over twenty years. I'd imagined this scenario happening across a variety of situations, but I had never expected it to be during the week of her wedding which I was actively trying to sabotage. I should have been bursting with anticipation, but all I could feel was the dull ache of thinking how little I probably meant to Siyeon. I was just her accomplice, and maybe a friend. That was the best I could hope for. Why was she on my mind at a time like this? Feelings are so unfair! Before I even knew it, the kiss was over. I hadn't even felt Minji's lips for the several seconds they were there. Everyone was squealing and shrieking about our kiss, while I just sat there staring into space. Minji waved her hand in front of my face, laughing good-naturedly.
"Earth to Bora! Are you alright over there?" she joked.
I blinked, "Uh, yeah, that was just unexpected. You're as good of a kisser as everybody says. Anyways, we shouldn't hog all of the attention tonight. Whose turn is next?" I changed the subject.
"Ooh, me, me! I'm the other bride so it's my turn!" Yoohyeon insisted like a child.
As Yoohyeon stood up and gave the bottle a wobbly spin, I felt Siyeon's hand grab mine to retrieve the magnet. I looked up at her to see her wink at me and mouth, "You're welcome." I gave her a tense grin, trying to pretend I was grateful, like I should have been.
Moments later, the bottle stopped in front of Siyeon. I pretended to look as surprised as everyone else did. Yoohyeon giggled like a schoolgirl, while Siyeon tried to look relaxed. I had a feeling she was secretly jumping for joy or else having an internal mental breakdown. She had gotten her way and was finally going to lock lips with her crush. I tried not to let my disappointment show. I was supposed to be thrilled for her, just like I was supposed to be over the moon about my kiss with Minji. I watched with the others as Siyeon leaned forward, waiting for Yoohyeon to close the distance between them. Yoohyeon clumsily made her way forward and grabbed the back of Siyeon's head, pressing their faces together. I saw the way Siyeon's eyes closed as she gave herself in completely to the kiss.
Much to everyone's surprise, including my own, I pounded my fists on the table and stood up abruptly. Realizing that everyone was staring at me, including the two who had broken their kiss apart at the sudden interruption, I felt my cheeks get hot. I could feel a lump forming in my throat and tears of shame forming in my eyes. What the hell was happening to me? I smiled, both to ease the tension and to keep myself from crying like an idiot in front of everyone, especially when I had no business being upset.
"Whoops, guess I'm drunker than I thought. What a noisy way to get up from the table. If you'll all excuse me, I need to use the bathroom," I excused myself, grabbing my purse and racing off.
I blew past the sea of people on the dance floor, desperately trying to keep my emotions in check. I burst into the ladies' room and ran to the nearest sink. I gripped onto the edges and stared at my reflection in the mirror overhead. I glared at my own face staring back at me, willing myself not to cry.
"You're being ridiculous. Get it together!" I yelled at myself.
The door opened moments later to reveal Siyeon who looked confused and concerned. She must have followed me to see what was going on. She was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. I tried to will my tears away, but they were threatening to come at any minute. Alcohol and emotional control rarely went hand in hand.
"Bora, what's going on? Are you okay? Why'd you storm off like that? Is this because I didn't go over the plan with you beforehand? Look, I'm sorry, but I figured kissing Minji would be a nice surprise. How was it by the way? Was it everything you'd dreamed it would be?" Siyeon inquired, her tone becoming whimsical when she mentioned Minji.
"I'm not mad at you. I'm okay, really. I'm just drunk and need to pee," I insisted, trying to get rid of her.
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm glad you're not mad. It was a good plan, wasn't it? I gotta tell you, that kiss with Yoohyeon was unreal. I think she liked it too. I thought I heard her moan my name-"
Siyeon was cut off when I slapped her. Hard. The sound of the impact reverberated off the bathroom walls, and was the only thing either of us heard for several seconds.
When I registered what I'd done, my hand hung limp at my side and the waterworks began. I cursed myself for how pathetic I must have looked in that moment. Siyeon, once she recovered from the shock of what had happened, put a hand to her cheek and glared at me.
"What the hell was that? What is going on with you?" she demanded.
"Do you really wanna know? Well, I guess it dawned on me that we are ruining a marriage! On top of that, all you can talk about is getting the girl who is marrying my best friend to moan your name when she's too drunk to even properly function. I guess it just hit me that we're both terrible people, and probably only deserve each other for what we've done. There, are you happy now?" I yelled, my voice getting louder as more and more rage fueled my words.
That was the final straw. I burst into sobs, a mixture of shame, anger, and sadness welling inside of me. I was angry that I had had to develop feelings for Siyeon, sad that I had ever gone along with this charade she suggested, and ashamed that I was too much of a coward to confront her with my real feelings. Here I was trying to hold moral high ground, when I was just a pathetic girl who could never reveal her heart to the person it belonged to. At one time that had been Minji, but after kissing her, I knew that wasn't the case anymore. Watching Siyeon kiss Yoohyeon, on the other hand, had made it clear to me that the feelings I'd tried to brush off were a hell of a lot stronger than I'd anticipated. I was in love with her, and I hated both her and myself for it.
"Bora, what's gotten into you? You really want to try and act all high and mighty right now? You were just on board with this plan as I was all of two days ago. Besides, are you trying to imply that I'd take advantage of Yoohyeon? You know how much she means to me. How dare you accuse me of trying to hurt her when you've done some pretty awful things yourself. I thought we were a team," Siyeon spat, clearly pissed off by my actions.
"I guess you thought wrong. I'm done helping you. Don't worry, I won't rat you out or anything. I'm just hoping I can erase any of the damage I've done and start being a real best friend to Minji, like I should have been doing all along. Anyways, I'm not in much of a partying mood. Besides, I have a rehearsal dinner to plan, a real one. I'm taking this one seriously, and I'm not going to let you do anything to ruin it. Tell the others I went home with a stomach bug or something, I don't care. See you later," I decided, grabbing my things and storming out of the bathroom.
I didn't turn back to see Siyeon's reaction to what I had said. I just wanted to catch a ride and go home. I hoped tonight's events wouldn't destroy things between Minji and Yoohyeon once they sobered up. They had certainly screwed things up for me and Siyeon, I didn't need anyone else caught in the crossfire. I was sick of other people getting hurt. At least I deserved it. That was all I could think of as I rode back to the guest house, leaning against the window of the car and letting my tears fall.