The Wedding of the World’s Greatest Bride
The wedding date was set, and once it was locked in, there was no turning back. Our marriage proceeded with the frantic speed of someone sliding down a frictionless floor, pushed from behind with added acceleration. We had visited a few places together, but we stumbled upon our dream hotel simply because a previous reservation had been canceled, and we managed to snag the vacancy. The pre-wedding preparations—the so-called Sdeume—were all handled through my father-in-law’s connections, and even the photoshoot went smoothly. Since Yeoeun was as accustomed to posing as an actress, the photos turned out beautifully, with her as the centerpiece. Seeing the photo of her with her hair slicked back, arms linked with mine, I felt like I had become an adult in a way that was entirely different from when I first started my job.
In the midst of all this, the formal meeting between our families was also completed with ease. It was the first time our parents had faced each other, but there were no serious objections—just a simple exchange of meals and drinks. My father-in-law, a familiar face who was already like a friend, had already spread the news of the wedding to everyone he knew as a fait accompli, and my mother-in-law simply conveyed that she supported her daughter’s decision.
To add to that, my family was incredibly nervous. They were already hooked by Yeoeun’s constant gift-giving, and feeling intimidated by the other family’s status, they just kept smiling.
My father had suspected it might be a scam a few times because the conditions were too good to be true, but he was immediately won over by Yeoeun’s fluttering charm. Ultimately, both sides wanted a quick wedding, so it proceeded without a hitch. The days passed in a blur, from finding our new home to buying the household goods, and the wedding day arrived in the blink of an eye.
It was chaotic. I was sweating bullets from the morning of the ceremony in my well-fitted tuxedo.
"Aigoo, Uncle, you’ve arrived? Whoa, Aunt Yulha is here too! It must have been hard coming all the way from Daegu, thank you!"
The wedding hall, an S-grade hotel, was in the middle of pre-ceremony preparations. Because there was so much to do, I thought the wedding was just about the pre-ceremony prep. I thought that once I finished the wedding I’d been waiting for while juggling my job, it would be over, but that wasn't the case.
'My back is going to snap…!'
My back was barely holding up from greeting the guests. We had decided to invite only up to cousins to avoid being a burden, but once you counted their families, the number swelled, and when you added friends and coworkers, it easily topped a hundred. But the real kicker was the bride’s side.
"Ahahahaha, you came? Hurry up and pay, quickly. Do you have any idea how much money you’ve taken from me in congratulatory cash over the years!"
My father-in-law was wringing people out like a towel. He was happy about his daughter’s wedding, which he had prayed so hard for, but he acted as if he were desperately trying to recoup all the money he’d spent on other people’s events over the years. He utilized his connections to the MAX, with the nuance of recovering the money he’d scattered, and the number of people was nearly triple the amount I had invited. It wasn't a result Yeoeun was particularly fond of, but we were so busy with everything else that there was no time to stop my father-in-law’s rampage.
"Congratulations."
"Ah, thank you!"
My back bent once more. Regardless, the turnout was so massive that even if I didn't recognize a face, I just bowed and shook hands briefly. My father said I didn't need to do that for everyone, but I stayed until the end, grateful to those who had traveled such a long way.
"Whew…."
After that, I went into a room 30 minutes before the ceremony to rest. Just as I was closing my eyes for a moment, wanting to be alone,
[The wedding of Son Seungwoo and Joo Yeoeun will now begin.]
"Ugh…? Eeeeeeeek?!"
I woke up the moment I closed my eyes at the sound of the microphone from outside. I hadn't even really dozed off, but the signal came too quickly, and as soon as the staff came in to ask me to prepare, I stood up and walked out the door.
[Alright. Everyone has waited a long time, so without further ado, the groom enters!]
I was exhausted, but I straightened my shoulders as much as I could from the entrance. Walking onto the carpet under the dazzling lights, feeling a sense of dazed fatigue rather than nervousness, I heard all sorts of things.
Clap, clap, clap, clap… The sound of polite applause.
- Son Seungwoo, you look handsome!
- Congratulations, you bastard!
The cousins cheering me on.
- Booooo! Is it just you getting married?!
- That’s right, introduce me to a girl you promised me soon!
The playful jeers of my friends. Since my tension had dissipated, it actually felt good. Hearing those things gave me strength, and my back straightened even more. Suddenly, a feeling washed over me that I had lived a decent life. If I wasn't careful, I felt like I might get choked up, and a humid warmth rose in my chest. But it was too early to show tears.
[Now, let’s move on to the main event! The world’s most beautiful—the bride enters!]
Unlike the bold trumpet blast when I entered, a calm background track played. The main stage, which was essentially the entire wedding, finally began on the carpeted platform. Yeoeun walked down the virgin road with her father, holding a bouquet. Like me, she held her back straight, her cheeks tinted with a slight blush from the makeup.
- ….
- ….
- ….
Unlike my entrance, where there was some playful banter, no one dared to open their mouths. It felt so sacred that even the jeers couldn't be uttered. An off-shoulder wedding dress. Yeoeun, wearing a veil that looked like a small crown placed upon her head. She was pretty. Beyond pretty, she was beautiful. It even went beyond that to noble. Personally, I had already seen Yeoeun’s wedding dress during the photoshoot. But under the brilliant lights, in the real-life wedding, even I couldn't take my eyes off her. I stared blankly, as if my soul had been stolen by my other half approaching me.
"Well then, I leave her in your care."
"Ye-yes…!"
Meaning his role was done, my father-in-law handed Yeoeun over to me. Now that I was holding Yeoeun’s hand and leading her, the fatigue melted away. With our hands clasped, a single smile from within her veil washed away all the hardships I had endured until now. I forgot the rest of the sequence and just stared at her, and Yeoeun, slightly hidden by the veil, smiled and asked.
"Hehe, am I that pretty?"
As if she hadn't been nervous at all, her eyes were full of mischief. Her plump, alluring lips whenever she smiled, and that mole on the lower left that always stole my focus. Suddenly, I remembered the time we met in the emergency room. Even then, I had been mesmerized the moment I saw her. I looked at her face, then her chest, then pretended I hadn't. I had only thought I was unworthy, so I hadn't looked up from the start. But it had only been a year since then. I never dreamed it would turn out like this in just one year.
Smile♥ I never knew she would smile at me like this. The reality of holding her hand felt infinitely distant, but when she pinched our clasped hands as if a fox were playfully biting me, I snapped back to reality.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"…Answer what?"
"How pretty I am."
I glanced around nervously. It felt as if time had stopped, leaving only the two of us, but the wedding was still in full swing. We weren't wearing microphones on our tuxedo and wedding dress, but the guests were all listening with their eyes and ears. They seemed to be waiting for my answer, having caught a glimpse of our conversation.
"……."
I hesitated. I hesitated because of the eyes of the guests who had come to offer their burdensome blessings. But I had to say it. I decided to tell everyone the truth that I could say a hundred times over.
"…More than anyone else in the world."
- Kyaaaaaaaah!
The women screamed.
- Ughhhhhh!
Some of the men cringed, calling it cheesy.
After I said it, I felt the heat rise a beat later. I regretted it a moment too late, but the wedding atmosphere was much hotter. Besides,
"……♥"
What did it matter if it was a little cheesy? My wife was so satisfied with my answer.
"I guess I… have to reward you?"
"Huh?! Wai—"
Smooch♥
- Waaaaaaah!!!
Satisfied, she pulled my face in and kissed me right there. Not content with just looking pretty, she showed off her toughness, even rising on her tiptoes to plant a deep kiss in front of everyone. We were flaunting our happiness in front of everyone. We wrapped up the wedding beautifully, promising to be happy forever—
[Excuse me… please follow the order. If you do everything in advance, what am I supposed to do?]
"Ah."
"Ah."
The officiant’s embarrassed voice and the soft laughter spreading among the guests. Although we had ad-libbed, the rest of the sequence proceeded by the book. The officiant’s address, the lighting of the candles, the marriage vows, and the exchange of rings.
"Heh~ You ended up putting in the effort even though I said it was fine."
"…I felt it would be empty if I only gave you the gold ring."
I had bought an extra diamond ring as a wedding ring. I felt something was off about just settling for the gold ring from the proposal, so I raised the price range. Yeoeun, who had added another ring to her ring finger, reflected it in the light. Then she conveyed her thoughts plainly.
"I still like the one you gave me at the Han River the best♥"
It sounded like a teasing remark, but it was a huge compliment. It meant that my heart at that time was worth more than the monetary value. Anyway, there was still more to do after the ring exchange. Commemorative photos after the ceremony, and visiting the guests eating to thank them.
"Whew…."
"Hah…."
It had finished successfully, but we were exhausted afterward. We threw ourselves onto the sofa in the waiting room where only authorized personnel could enter, and Yeoeun, having changed her clothes, collapsed on top of me as if she were drained.
"It’s finally over."
"Whew… yeah."
"Honey, they say a wedding is a woman’s dream… but I don’t think I could ever do this again."
"……? Aren't we only having one wedding anyway?"
"Yeah~ you never know."
Grin♥
"If you get a belly like your dad or lose the sincerity you show me, we might have to do it again."
"…Then I can never stop working out."
"Hahaha♥"
Even in this situation, she was a flirtatious fox. We giggled together at the familiar, sharp joke. Soon, Yeoeun—no, the person who had become my wife as of this moment—looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Now, the most delicious part is left, right?"
"Huh?"
"Honey, you have to be even more prepared two days from now, okay?"
She then swayed her hips as she lay on top of me. She flirted to her heart’s content and whispered suggestively. Unable to hide her anticipation, she even swallowed hard.
"I’m looking forward to what you’ll show me on our honeymoon…."
"Ah."
"I’m curious to see how much effort my husband, who legally possesses me now, will put in on our honeymoon. Hehehe♥"
"……."
Throb!
…I was already erect. We had sex here and there while preparing for the wedding, but now that the real honeymoon was approaching, my mindset was different. For some reason, I was even more turned on. Thinking that Yeoeun, that flirtatious fox, was 100% my wife made her even more adorable, and I wanted to do it with her over and over.
"Ah, not right now♥"
"Eek…."
But when I tried to hug her, Yeoeun slipped away. I thought the mood was good, but she hopped up from her seat, and with her signature eye-smile, she intentionally teased me.
"We shouldn't dirty the bride before we go on our honeymoon, right?"
"…We did it a ton yesterday, too."
"That’s a different story~ Now that I’m your new bride."
Humming a tune, she opened the door. After planting a ton of anticipation, she whispered one last thing, as if to tell me to wait for the honeymoon in two days.
"Fill up your fuel tank before we go, my husband♥"
Click.
And just like that, Yeoeun left. We would see each other again soon to clean up, but she had left first.
"……Ugh, ugh-heh… ugh-hehehehehe…."
A strange laugh echoed in the empty waiting room. I was just happy. It was worth it to have finished the chaotic wedding. A smile wouldn't leave my lips at the three syllables of 'Husband' that I had heard from my wife for the first time.