The Runaway Bride
My sister ran away. My sister ran away. On her wedding day, of all days. Just two hours before the ceremony was set to start.
The bride's waiting room was empty. The wedding dress still hung on the mannequin, its zipper half-open. A folded veil lay on the chair, and on the vanity sat a single letter.
I unfolded the letter, revealing a few lines of neat handwriting.
Mom, Dad, and Seojin.
I'm sorry. I just can't go through with the wedding today.
I can't accept a marriage decided without my input.
I know this will inconvenience a lot of people because of my choice. That's why I'm even more sorry.
But no one can be happy in a marriage without love, right?
I'm choosing a life with the person I love.
I'll leave the engagement ring and jewelry in the drawer. I'm turning off my phone, so please don't try to find me.
The letter crumpled in Mom's hand. Dad frowned and pressed his temple. The relatives standing by the door just exchanged awkward glances. No one could bring themselves to speak.
Then, footsteps echoed down the hallway, drawing closer. The groom's family and a few staff members pushed through the relatives and stood at the entrance. The middle-aged man at the front spoke first.
"What is all this commotion?"
Dad bowed his head. "We're so sorry. The bride is just... not feeling well—"
"It's not about feeling well—she ran away! We already knew that much!"
Someone else shouted. The middle-aged man stepped inside first, followed by the others who checked the closet and bathroom. One of them picked up the letter from the vanity, his face twisting in disgust. Another snatched it from him, read it, and slammed it back down.
"On the wedding day? Is this a joke?!"
"All the VIP guests are already here! What are you going to do now? What kind of humiliation is this?!"
The yells overlapped in a cacophony. Someone closed the door to keep the noise from leaking out, while others cornered Mom and Dad, veins bulging in their necks.
That's when ajusshi slipped through the crowd. The man who was supposed to officially become my sister's husband today. He tried to calm everyone down, but he must have been the most embarrassed of all.
As the chaos dragged on, the walkie-talkie on the table crackled to life.
"Rehearsal team, please stand by."
The groom's side raised their voices even louder at that. Mom and Dad's faces had gone completely pale, looking like they might burst into tears any second.
I glanced at ajusshi without thinking. He wasn't as bad off as my parents, but he looked terribly troubled. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and his fingertips trembled visibly. The sharp voices from the groom's side made his shoulders flinch.
I couldn't just stand there watching anymore. This was our family's fault, our responsibility. There was no reason for ajusshi to be in this mess.
I have to fix this somehow...
I picked up the edge of the veil from the chair with both hands. The thin fabric felt strangely heavy. Sweat dampened my palms, so I gripped it tighter. My tongue felt dry as bone. My lips quivered. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly. In the mirror, I saw myself holding the veil—and the wedding dress with its half-open zipper.
I set the veil back down, clenched my fists tight, and took a step forward.
"I... I'll marry him instead."
A brief silence fell.
Ajusshi was the first to speak. "Seojin...?"
His voice eased the tension in me. My trembling lips steadied as I stepped closer, placing a hand over my heart.
"If I marry him instead... then there won't be any problem, right?"
The veil slipped from the chair's edge, drifting down to cover my feet.