A Traditional Korean Wedding?
"Is this a Korean traditional wedding?" I blurted out without thinking.
The staff member looked at me and said, "Yes, this is the schedule you two personally requested. Is there any problem?"
"Oh, I was just asking because I'm excited about the traditional ceremony," I mumbled, brushing it off.
I glanced at Conel's face—she looked utterly clueless. Fortunately, the traditional games turned out to be a harmless itinerary. We did things like kicking the jegi shuttlecock, seesaw jumping, and arrow-throwing that I'd experienced back in school.
"Honey, how is it?"
"Wow! This is fun!"
I acted absorbed in the Korean folk games as if seeing them for the first time.
Among them, tuho arrow-throwing was fun even after all these years. The arrow I tossed slipped perfectly into the narrow-necked bottle.
Thwack!
"Mr. Johnson! You're really good at this!"
"This is my specialty." I puffed up my chest, saying something Ben Johnson might've quipped.
Tuho was surprisingly intuitive—it felt natural in my hands. Every toss hit the mark, and the crowd reacted positively.
"Is he a celebrity? He's handsome."
"Aren't those the people from that video that got a million-six-hundred-thousand views? The Hollywood stars..."
...The good reactions weren't just about my skills. The video's ripple effect was massive.
Singclair noticed the growing crowd and said, "We should move on. The next event is indoors."
"Shall we?" The attention on Ben Johnson's looks was starting to feel burdensome anyway.
But another burden quickly approached.
"Now it's time to experience a Korean traditional wedding ceremony. Could the two of you change into these outfits?"
I took the clothes from the tourism board staffer. Somehow... they'd given me a women's hanbok.
As I hesitated, the staffer said, "Is something not to your liking? We prepared a size specially fitted for a man, per Ben's request for a fun experience."
"Ah... thank you."
Guess the culprit was the character I was playing. I headed to the changing room and put on the women's hanbok. It had been modified for easy solo dressing, so I managed alone.
When I stepped out, there stood Conel in a men's hanbok. She wasn't wearing the traditional groom's hat called a samo, but the outfit still made her look like an adorably handsome boy.
Conel blushed under my gaze and said, "D-does it suit me?"
"Looks good. You could get married right now and no one would bat an eye."
At my lame joke, Conel bowed her head deeply. Just as the awkward tension thickened, the staffer stepped in.
"Alright, now you'll do paebaek, a Korean traditional wedding ritual. Of course, not the full real thing—just a simplified version."
The staffer explained the procedures and significance of paebaek. She mentioned that the full ritual requires in-laws and taught us how to do the Korean bow.
"You bow really well!"
"...I saw it in a drama."
I reused my old excuse to wrap it up quickly.
The staffer brought jujubes and chestnuts, saying, "Normally, the in-laws toss them, but since that's not possible, Rosalyn, playing the groom, can toss them into Ben's skirt."
"Catch them well, honey."
I spread my skirt forward while seated. ...This felt vaguely familiar from Chasefield X.
Conel's jujubes and chestnuts flew toward me. I calmly maneuvered the skirt to catch them all without dropping any.
The staffer clapped at the sight.
Clap! Clap!
"You did amazingly! The jujubes tossed here symbolize sons, the chestnuts daughters. I've never seen anyone catch so many."
"...Is that good?"
Instead of answering, the staffer just smiled.
Next, we shared the jujubes and chestnuts by feeding each other. Having done it before at the market, I felt more at ease this time.
"Darling, ahh—"
Conel had adapted too, neatly eating what I offered. Our eyes met for a moment, and it felt like our minds connected.
...I just wanted to get this over with.
But the staffer wouldn't let it end there.
"For a photo, could the husband kiss the bride's cheek?"
"Me?"
"No, with the outfits reversed, Rosalyn is the husband now. Switch it up—that'll look better."
This time, I was genuinely tense. Conel drew close. The staffer even shoved a camera in for the kiss shot.
Conel whispered softly, "I'll just pretend."
"Okay..."
Since we were in disguise, faking it seemed feasible. Soon, I felt hot breath on my cheek. Time seemed to slow.
Mwah.
"Got it!"
"Mm..."
Something soft and moist had touched me. Brushing it off as imagination, I looked at Conel—her face was apple-red.
In the changing room, I checked the mirror. My face was flushed too, no less than hers. Conel and I, faces flushed like drunks, finally wrapped up the day's toughest event.
"The schedule's almost over."
"Is it? Such a shame," I said outwardly, inwardly thrilled, when the staffer added:
"Next up is tightrope walking, requested by Ben Johnson himself to experience directly, right?"
"Ah... yes..."
I couldn't bring myself to say no to the kindly smiling staffer. Like a pig led to slaughter, I trudged along.
The tightrope area already had a crowd of onlookers. As the foreigner approached the rope, murmurs rose.
"What's he doing? Joining the tightrope walker?"
"Wait, isn't that... the Hollywood actor from before?"
As questions buzzed, the emcee grabbed the mic.
"This is Hollywood superstar Ben Johnson! Give him a big round of applause!"
The introduction ignited the crowd. Before I reached the rope, Conel whispered, "If you can't do it, skip it. I can handle the fallout."
"Hm..."
Today's mishaps had piled up. But staring at the rope, it didn't look impossibly high. I said with confidence, "Trust me."
"...Don't get hurt."
I slipped on the straw sandals and took a fan. To climb the pole holding the rope, I had to tightrope up first. The thin sandals let me feel the rope's firm tension underfoot.
Managing to clamber atop the pole and step onto the rope, suddenly a figure appeared from the opposite side. He was tightroping with the other performer.
Wasn't this dangerous...? The crowd thought so too.
"Isn't this risky?"
"Ben requested it himself! No worries!"
...Apparently, it was already settled. Cursing Ben Johnson inwardly, I took a step.
"Whoa."
I slipped slightly, wobbling. The audience gasped. I twisted my body to regain balance. Returning to position, cheers erupted.
Woooah!
"Phew..."
After the first step, it felt more doable than expected. I matched the opposite walker's pace, stepping forward together. The crowd's reactions to my every move made it surprisingly fun. I even pretended to slip, or took two steps forward or backward to draw cheers.
...Had I gotten too cocky? The opposite walker, caught up in the excitement, jumped.
I tensed my legs instinctively.
Woooah!
Timing with his big leap and landing, I rebalanced. He didn't seem intentional—his face looked panicked. We met in the middle, arms nearly brushing.
"S-sorry. You were so good, I thought you were staff for a second."
"It's fine."
He seemed genuinely apologetic. Gesturing to the crowd, I said, "They're loving it—wanna jump again?"
"You sure?"
I prepped without answering. We leaped huge in sync. The thrilled crowd roared.
Landing back, something felt off. The rope underfoot was looser than before. I barely steadied when the walker ahead lost balance.
"Wh-whoa!"
"Damn."
The rope's rebound launched him. I lunged, grabbing his ankle. To avoid falling too, I spun my body.
Crack!
A ominous sound from my arm. Gritting my teeth, I whirled dramatically. Somehow, I spun on the rope, holding him, and set him back down.
"What was that?"
"Woooow!"
The stunned crowd. Like a pro wrestler, I bowed politely from the rope. My arm weakening, I accidentally flung the fan wide. Luckily, the walker mirrored, tossing his fan too.
"Thanks."
"Thank you. That was nearly disastrous."
Basking in his gratitude, I scanned the crowd—they loved it. But amid them, one man glared murderously. Thinking I'd startled him, I nodded apology. He bolted from his spot in panic.
...Bathroom emergency?