118.
The third time on an airplane was still unfamiliar. The massive aircraft rose into the sky, and his heart fluttered. What had felt unreal all along was now drawing near.
‘We’re really getting married.’
While thinking this and staring blankly out the window, Choi Mujin took Haseo’s hand. He gripped it firmly as if he knew exactly what Haseo was feeling, bringing him back to his senses.
Haseo hadn’t been forced here. He was here because he wanted to be. He squeezed Choi Mujin’s hand back.
“If you regret it, we can still cancel now, it’s okay.”
Haseo examined Choi Mujin’s face. Then he spoke as if in disbelief.
“You’re lying.”
This man who usually controlled his expressions so well now had discomfort written all over his face. It seemed Haseo wasn’t the only one nervous about the impending marriage. Choi Mujin must be tense too. That’s why he was saying such nonsense. Haseo gently patted the back of Mujin’s hand with his other hand.
“Isn’t it too late to turn back even if I regretted it? Besides, I don’t regret anything.”
“…Right.”
“So stop saying strange things.”
Choi Mujin nodded silently. Realizing he wasn’t the only one harboring anxiety, Haseo’s attitude changed. He tried to be more proactive and enjoy the current situation. This continued until they landed at the airport in Denmark and met the local interpreter.
“Hello.”
The neat-looking man stood holding a large paper with their names written on it.
“Welcome to Denmark!”
After a brief exchange of greetings, they followed his guidance to their pre-booked accommodation.
“Wow.”
Seeing the lodging, Haseo unconsciously gaped. It was a large two-story house with its own private swimming pool.
“Don’t people usually stay in hotels when traveling?”
When Haseo asked, blinking his eyes, Choi Mujin smiled slightly.
“I was going to, but I found a better place. There are many rooms here, so guests can stay too.”
“And you’re planning to have them stay?”
“No. The invited guests will stay at hotels.”
What a shameless person. Haseo looked at Choi Mujin and smiled slightly. The interpreter guided them and then disappeared to one side of the mansion.
“Please call if you need anything!”
But there didn’t seem to be anything to call for immediately. The kitchen was fully stocked with food, and nothing was lacking. The pool also looked clean, as if the water had been freshly changed.
“Shall we eat first?”
“Sure!”
They stood side by side in the kitchen making sandwiches. Haseo filled his with vegetables, while Choi Mujin loaded his with meat. Afterward, they drank carbonated drinks to cleanse their palates and looked at the sky, feeling refreshed.
“Since we’re here, should we try the pool?”
“But I can’t swim.”
Haseo had never been to water places since childhood. He hadn’t even been to an indoor pool, so large bodies of water were unfamiliar to him.
“I’m good at it, so it’s fine.”
“What about swimwear?”
“We have that.”
What wasn’t here? Haseo put on the swimwear Choi Mujin handed him and sat by the pool. Meanwhile, Choi Mujin, who had changed first, was swimming across the water.
“He looks good.”
He muttered unconsciously and then tightly closed his mouth, afraid someone might have heard. Though Haseo had a brazen personality, he still had some shyness left.
Choi Mujin, after swimming a lap around the pool, raised his head in front of Haseo. His wet hair clung to his skin, and Haseo couldn’t take his eyes off it.
“Come in too.”
“I told you I can’t swim.”
“I’ll teach you.”
With that, he grabbed Haseo and pulled him into the pool. It wasn’t deep enough to submerge his head, and with Choi Mujin there, he came down without resistance.
“First, let’s practice floating.”
If you relax your body and stay still, the human body naturally floats on water. Floating wasn’t as difficult as he thought. But swimming was a bit different.
“Bleh!”
He didn’t know how many times he had swallowed water. Even with Choi Mujin holding his hand, he flailed unconsciously and water entered his nose.
“Is it that I have no talent, or that you can’t teach?”
At his grumbling words, Choi Mujin tilted his head.
“Am I not teaching well?”
Perhaps because he was so physically adept, he couldn’t understand the feelings of someone who wasn’t. Haseo looked at Choi Mujin with a sulky expression and got out of the pool. Then he began to inflate a tube that had been prepared in advance.
“I’ll do it.”
He was quick to notice such things. Choi Mujin inflated a large mat-shaped tube and floated it in the pool. After that, lying on it became comfortable. While floating around the pool like that, they got hungry and had snacks.
It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe that tomorrow was the wedding day. At least until that evening.
It was dawn.
“Huh?”
Haseo, who got up staggering, saw people already filling the house.
“Hello!”
Among them stood the interpreter. Before the interpreter could continue, several women clung to Haseo.
“Please wash up and come out quickly.”
“What? Okay.”
After finishing the shower as instructed, he immediately went into grooming. His hair was neatly combed back and fixed, and his skin was refined. For the first time in his life, he had light makeup applied, and was groomed from fingertips to toes. He endured in a half-asleep state from the middle.
“It’s finished now.”
The people who had swarmed in disappeared as quickly as they had come. And what remained was a neatly groomed new groom. Haseo stood in front of a full-length mirror and uttered a short exclamation.
“Wow.”
His pre-groomed self and his reflection in the mirror looked like completely different people. It was amazing how much one’s appearance could be enhanced just by human hands.
“I could be an idol.”
Then, a familiar voice was heard.
“Jeong Heejun!”
Jeong Heejun, who had arrived in Denmark late at night and stayed at a hotel, had come. Beside him was Ryu Jiyeon, dressed in a light dress.
“Hello.”
Ryu Jiyeon greeted with a gentle smile.
“Seeing you like this makes me feel strange.”
“Why strange?”
“It feels like I’m sending off my younger sibling to get married.”
“What? Hey! Are you saying you’re my older brother?”
“Oh? I guess so?”
As the two bickered, Ryu Jiyeon looked at him and laughed out loud. In that situation, Choi Mujin, who had gone through a similar process as Haseo, came downstairs. Even wearing the same color suit as Haseo, the atmosphere he gave off was completely different.
So even white could look this dangerous. The man with his hair slicked back raised the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes. It didn’t match the atmosphere a groom should give off on his wedding day. A dangerous charm overflowed.
“Both of you arrived.”
“Not just us. All of Haseo’s acquaintances are here too. We’re just the only ones who entered the building.”
Jeong Heejun spoke curtly, unlike how he treated Haseo.
“Then let’s move.”
Several cars were prepared. Before getting into the car, Haseo briefly greeted his friends, the grandfather, and Jung Nara who had come all this way.
“Wow, you look so handsome?”
Jung Nara admired Haseo.
“You’re more handsome than the idol I used to support.”
“How can you say that!”
“It’s true.”
Unlike the sly Jung Nara, the grandfather gave a brief compliment.
“You look good.”
“Yes, really good!”
“That’s right!”
Even friends from the same cooking academy added words. After that, they took cars to the venue where the ceremony would be held. The venue was outdoors with a beautiful landscape as a backdrop.
“Fortunately, the weather is nice.”
The interpreter in the same car said with relief. Since the wedding preparations were also handled by the company he belonged to, the clear weather seemed to please him.
“It’s a blessing to be able to get married on a day like this.”
The interpreter was right. The scenery under the clear blue sky, the small chapel beside it, the light breeze blowing—it all felt like a blessing for the two of them.
The wedding procedure wasn’t complicated. First, the guests entered the chapel, and after a time lag, Haseo and Choi Mujin moved. The officiant was a man with white hair, and fortunately, he was Korean. It was the result of Choi Mujin’s consideration, worried that Haseo might be nervous in a foreign country.
Still, the tension couldn’t be completely erased, so the brief blessing words given at the beginning weren’t properly remembered. What Haseo remembered clearly was the last words.
“Will you love each other forever?”
“Yes.”
Choi Mujin answered calmly, and Haseo also said, suppressing his surging heart,
“Yes.”
Finally, after exchanging a vow kiss, the wedding was over. The process seemed long, but everything felt like it passed in an instant.
When he came to his senses, Haseo was standing at an outdoor table, watching the guests eat.
‘Ah, we really got married.’
Haseo smiled, opening his mouth.
“Haseo?”
“Yes, husband.”
No, should he have called him ‘honey’? At Haseo’s words, Choi Mujin also smiled. The smile that cast aside his usual mysterious air looked truly refreshing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
