After everyone had filed out of the ceremony venue, I looked for Siyeon among the countless guests. My search was fruitless, and soon the two brides emerged, which meant I would have to put my mission on hiatus so that I could join everyone in congratulating them. I figured Siyeon must have been helping put away the sound equipment she used in her performance. I would just have to hunt her down later so that we could talk.
I continued to keep an eye out for her as the bridal party was dragged away for photos. I figured she'd have to be included in the group shot since the brides had gotten her a pink dress like ours, but apparently I was mistaken. Time continued to pass with no sign of Siyeon. Had she ditched in fear of actually having to face me? That was all I could think about as time drew nearer to the wedding reception. With the way things were going, it would be hard for me to have a good time. How was I supposed to enjoy the night with so many unresolved feelings lingering in the air?
Before I knew it, it was time for the reception. The entire afternoon had passed with no word from Siyeon. I found myself brooding alone in a cloud of anxiety while everyone fluttered around me in excitement. I wanted to be happy with Yoohyeon and Minji over their newly cemented marriage, but it was hard to do so when the girl I loved was ghosting me. How could everyone act so calm when Siyeon was MIA like this? Did they all know something I didn't?
On our way into the reception venue, Minji pulled me aside. I had been so focused on brooding and staring at the ground that everything else escaped my attention. I wasn't even aware of her approaching me until she physically grabbed my arm and dragged me away.
"Lighten up, buttercup. You look like you're at a funeral instead of my wedding," she teased.
"Minji, you know why I'm upset. Siyeon said she wanted to talk and then vanished without a trace. What am I supposed to do now? Am I gonna run into her at the party? Are we supposed to discuss our feelings while doing the "Cha Cha Slide" on the dance floor? She probably chickened out and is ditching because she doesn't wanna reject me during your wedding. This sucks! I wish she'd just grow a pair and face me so I can drink myself numb and forget any of this ever happened," I grumbled.
Minji nodded sympathetically as she listened to my griping. This was her wedding day and here she was listening to me bitch about my stupid feelings that only happened because I tried to sabotage her marriage. I really didn't deserve her.
"Minji, why are you even putting up with me right now? This is your day, and here I am ruining it with my drama. Go be with your new wife. I'll get over this on my own. I'm a big girl," I told her, giving her a shove.
Minji giggled, "Despite your tiny size, you've always been tough as nails. I know you'll get through this. I may not know Siyeon well, but I don't think she's flaking out on you. She probably has a way she wants this to go. Just be patient and have fun in the meantime, okay?" she comforted me.
She might as well have told me to climb Mount Everest in an hour. Forgetting about Siyeon and trying to have a good time would be just as impossible at this point. Still, I forced a smile on my face and followed her into the venue.
~
All around me, people were having the time of their lives. I felt like I had a tiny rain cloud hovering over my head, isolating me from all the joyous partygoers. I had staked out the primo location at the bar and was ready to drown my sorrows with my favorite antidote for a broken heart: a good drink.
I had yet to see Siyeon. Dinner was going to be served soon, and I was beginning to worry. Was she not going to show up at all? Who ditches their good friend's wedding reception after singing at the ceremony? That girl was still such an enigma to me.
Gahyeon, Handong, and Yoobin had all made it a point to come by and check on me. They were probably doing it at Minji's behest, since she was unable to get a moment to herself amidst the barrage of congratulations. Gahyeon had hugged me and told me that Siyeon had no idea what she was missing out on and then went off to dance with a group of her friends whom Minji had also babysat as children. Handong told me she was willing to listen while I vented my frustrations over a round of drinks. I think she was grateful when I thanked her for the offer and dismissed her. Yoobin was the one who gave me the tough love I needed.
"Siyeon stood you up so you're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself at the bar? You should be hunting her down and demanding an explanation! Either get your ass up and figure this out or power through it and have fun because you're bringing down the mood of the party. Nobody wants to watch Minji's maid of honor sob over tequila shots. Get over yourself and get a move on! I know you're tougher than this so act like it!" she barked, yanking me off my chair and shoving me out the door.
~
I barely had a moment to protest before I was thrust out into the chilly evening air. My phone and belongings were all in the reception venue. I was out here with nothing. I was about to storm back in after Yoobin, but something caught my eye. There was a scattering of flower petals and candles leading back towards the guest house. I knew for a fact that Minji and Yoohyeon had not arranged this. Their plan for after the wedding was to leave for a hotel near the airport and then fly off for their honeymoon tomorrow morning. Whoever had done this was going rogue from what the brides had ordered. I decided to investigate.
As I followed the trail, I realized I was heading into an isolated location all by myself. Everyone else was at the reception. If a serial killer with impeccable romantic taste decided to off me, my screams would be silenced by Minji and Yoohyeon's party playlist. I had already gotten into enough trouble this week. Still, I had already gotten this far. There was no backing out now.
I eventually reached an area near the swimming pool of the guest house. This was the spot Siyeon and I had spent that fateful evening that began our messed up time together. I peered around the corner of the house, trying to keep from being spotted by the mysterious trail leaver. Lo and behold, Siyeon herself was sitting there, holding a guitar. I wonder if she had planned a surprise for the happy couple before they left. It was nice that she was at least being considerate to some of the people involved in this wedding. Siyeon seemed to be practicing a song, silently singing to herself as she strummed the same chord over and over again. I found myself falling for her all over again, despite my anger.
Actually, now was as good a time as any to confront her. It was just the two of us, and the reception would be going on for several more hours. I marched out from my hiding spot, making it a point to stomp loudly towards her. Siyeon's head jerked up at the sound, and her face brightened at the sight of me. She jumped up to greet me, but hesitated when she registered the icy glare I was giving her. She shrunk back to the ground, holding onto her guitar like a nervous child clutches a teddy bear.
"You know, most people don't take too kindly to being told that someone wants to talk to them, and then being ignored by said someone for hours without any indication of their presence. I don't know what you're pulling with this vanishing act of yours. If you wanna reject me, just do it already! Quit playing games with me, Lee Siyeon!" I fumed, putting my hands on my hips and stomping on one of the flower petals out of spite.
Siyeon pouted, "Hey, those petals took hours to put down!" she whined.
I scoffed, "I poured my heart out to you only to be ghosted and all you care about are stupid flowers? I couldn't even enjoy my best friend's wedding reception because of you! It's nice that you can plan an elaborate surprise like this for Minji and Yoohyeon, yet meanwhile you treat me like I don't even exist. Remember when you called me a cold hearted bitch? Looks like it was a classic case of pot meeting kettle! You know, I deserve to be treated with respect and given closure. If you can't do that for me, you were never worthy of my feelings in the first place!" I ranted, balling my hands into fists.
Siyeon's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Good, it seemed that I had gotten my point across. I was ready to storm off in style (and then cry over copious amounts of liquor), but Siyeon frantically jumped up and grabbed my hands. She was clearly freaking out.
"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot! I thought surprising you would be romantic, but all I did was make you upset. I'm so sorry, Bora, Yoobin was right. At least she kept up her end of the bargain and got you outside," she spoke, mumbling the last part mostly to herself.
"What are you talking about? Are you saying you did all of this for me?" I realized, putting a hand to my mouth.
Siyeon nodded, grinning sheepishly. I shrieked. Well, there went my chances of ever being with her. She had done something chick-flick worthy for me and I had screamed at her and called her a coldhearted bitch. I groaned and put my head in my hands.
"Is there any way we can have a do-over?" I whimpered.
Siyeon chuckled, "I would like that very much," she agreed.
I nodded and scurried back behind the house. I then strutted out in a much happier fashion than the first time around. Siyeon laughed and stood up to greet me once more.
"Oh my, what could this be?" I gasped, putting a hand to my chest in an exaggerated acting attempt.
"Okay, you can tone it down a little there. I gotta admit, though, that was an Oscar-worthy performance. Anyways, now I can say what I had intended to the first time you got here. Bora, what you said to me last night took so much courage. Courage is something I thought I lost after the night I almost killed that man to protect Yoohyeon. I didn't know who I was anymore, and I was too afraid to face the things I did know, like my feelings for her. Then you came along, and showed me that you can still do brave things in the midst of feeling like a coward. Despite hiding from your feelings for Minji for so long, you took a risk with me and did something awful. Sure, it almost ended in disaster for everyone, but we made it through. Coming out of all of this, I've realized that you're the exact type of person I want to be with. I was scared out of my mind to confess all of this, which is why I decided to surprise you tonight. I wanted time to mentally prepare myself and make sure I did things right. I'm sorry for being so vague and putting you through all of that confusion and sadness. I don't know what else I can say to convey my feelings, so I actually have a song to sing for you. I hope it can do justice to how much you've come to mean to me," Siyeon confessed, positioning her guitar and biting her lip nervously.
She was able to strum all of two notes before I grabbed her face and smashed our lips together. Sparks flew in the evening air as we held onto each other, our bodies meant to be beside each other. We stayed like this for as long as we could, my arms around her neck and hers around my waist while we made out. Eventually we had to come up for air, and I nestled my head in the crook of her neck. I took in the smell of her perfume, a scent I wanted to be able to inhale forever.
"Wow, I didn't even have to serenade you. To think I practiced until I got blisters on my fingers all for nothing," Siyeon breathed, running her fingers through my hair.
"You're welcome to sing for me now. If you still have enough breath in you to carry the notes, that is. That was one hell of a kiss," I chuckled.
Siyeon smiled, putting her arms around me and lowering both of us to the ground. I was laying on top of her, her arms wrapped around my smaller frame. All of the bad things that had happened this week went away when I was in her embrace. I wanted to stay like this forever.
We may not have been there forever, but we did spend several uninterrupted hours alone in our bliss. Siyeon and I sat side by side on the ground, her strumming her guitar and softly singing to me while I gazed at the stars and silently thanked them for bringing us together.
We were debating whether the bushes or the swimming pool gave us enough privacy to take the next steps in our relationship when we heard a chorus of familiar voices approaching.
"Please tell me you weren't seriously considering getting it on in my family's hedges or our swimming pool," Yoohyeon groaned as she came around the bend with Minji, Gahyeon, Handong, and Yoobin.
"Aw come on, they're so happy together! Need I remind you that we too have done it in some interesting locations?" Minji giggled, prompting Yoohyeon to turn crimson while the rest of us snorted.
"I'm glad everything worked out and I could be of help. Then again, you two would have worked things out on your own. You've both proven that you're pretty good at scheming," Yoobin chuckled, giving us a thumbs-up.
"You were an awesome actress. I really thought you were yelling at me earlier," I complimented.
Yoobin shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a sucker for romance. When two people are meant to be, I wanna help 'em get together," she explained.
Siyeon smiled, putting her arm around me before speaking up, "Not that I don't appreciate this little celebration of me and Bora, but this isn't really our day. I still can't believe you guys threatened not to invite me to the wedding if I didn't resolve everything. Don't you guys want to focus on yourselves? You're the stars of this show," she pointed out, gesturing to Minji and Yoohyeon.
The newly married couple shook their heads and smiled at each other.
"The spotlight has been on us all day. We've enjoyed our wedding, but it makes us even happier to see the people we love be happy. Besides, if you two get married we totally reserve the right to steal your thunder just a little as payback," Minji told us with a wink.
"Whoa there, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The two of us just became a thing!" I spluttered, my cheeks getting hot.
"Oh my god, I haven't seen Bora blush like that since we were kids! This is so cute! She's so in love! Siyeon and Bora sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Minji teased, bringing me back to our childhood.
"Do you really wanna spend your honeymoon with a black eye? 'Cause you're seriously asking for one right now!" I threatened, holding up my fist.
Siyeon just laughed and grabbed my hand, holding it to hers. I buried my head in her shoulder to hide my blushing face. Everyone cooed at the adorable sight. It was mega embarrassing, but I had to admit it was nice to be in a relationship like this. Minji was right, I hadn't had a wholesome love for anyone since my crush on her. With Siyeon, I finally had everything I had ever wanted. My tough exterior melted the minute she told me she loved me back, and now I was hopelessly infatuated with her.
"You know, guys, the reception is still going on. We came here to make sure that you two finished any unsettled business so that we can all party together! Come on, I put in a request for your go-to song once you hit the dance floor, Bora!" Gahyeon squealed, grabbing onto me and hoisting me up.
The seven of us ran back to the party, giggling like a bunch of giddy schoolgirls. We had all linked arms and pranced through the grass, not caring if our dresses got dirty. We finally looked like the joyous bunch we were meant to be all along. We burst into the venue and the party instantly livened up. Everyone could feel the joy radiating off of us. The minute my feet hit the dance floor, that was where I remained for the rest of the night. With Siyeon by my side, I was finally able to let everything go and truly enjoy myself. I danced the night away in her arms and hoped that was where I could stay for the rest of my life.