Side Story 5
“This would look good on you? Should I buy you some sneakers?” Their trailing words overlapped, sounding remarkably similar.
The two browsed a little longer before finishing their sneaker shopping.
“That was fun. But what if she doesn’t like them? Did I get carried away and overdo it?”
Jae-gyu, who had already paid, flapped the receipt and said it was fine since there was an exchange slip. And that both of them would probably like them.
“Bom. You hungry? Look how much your stomach has shrunk. Let’s eat until we’re stuffed, then head over to look at dresses.”
“Okay. Should we have Korean food? It’s our first meal since coming back home.”
As Jae-gyu exited the store, shopping bags filled with four neatly stacked sneaker boxes hung from both his hands.
The two chatted intimately about things they hadn’t been able to convey over the phone, heading towards the restaurant area.
* * *
“Bride, have you decided on your hairstyle for the main ceremony?”
“Huh? Well, not yet…”
Bom sat in the dress shop’s fitting room, wearing only a gown. Her reflection in the large square mirror felt utterly unfamiliar.
“Bride, you have a small face and a short chin, so a center part would look lovely. If it’s alright with you, shall I tie it up that way? A low bun with a single veil would look truly elegant on you.”
She didn’t quite understand what they were saying, but…
“Yes, then that way, please.”
They must know best, so they must have recommended it for a good reason. Bom nodded.
She had thought today was just for looking at dresses, not for getting her hair done so formally and choosing a dress. Cold sweat broke out on her hands from nervousness.
“You must be Yoon Bom, the bride? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m looking forward to the fitting! I’m…”
While the staff member styled her hair, the director approached and briefly introduced herself.
“Do you have any particular dress styles in mind?”
“Actually, I don’t really know. I’ll try on whatever you recommend.”
“Since you have a large bust, it might be best to avoid anything too deeply cut. Hmm, could you wait just a moment?”
A short while later, Bom slowly blinked when she saw the dress the staff member brought.
“This is…”
Isn’t it too flashy? Bom put on the dress with the staff’s help.
“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone look so good in this dress!”
The ball gown was like Cinderella’s dance dress from her childhood.
Dazzling beads, as if countless stars from the night sky had been embedded in it, sparkled brilliantly all over with every shift in light.
“Would you mind walking a little?”
“Yes.”
The neckline, revealing her shoulders and chest, formed an elegant curve, and the weighty skirt moved with dignity. It was beautiful, but…
“Excuse me, Bride, please lower your head for a moment. A tiara would look lovely with it too.”
A tiara too? Bom, now dazzling from head to toe, imagined the Lameck Hotel’s high-ceilinged, spacious hall that Jae-gyu had booked.
Imagining herself walking down the platform known as the virgin road, which the manager had shown them, in this dress felt somehow embarrassing.
She wasn’t someone who particularly liked being the center of attention. To walk down the aisle alone in such a princess dress, in a solemn atmosphere with hundreds of eyes on her. Cold sweat was already trickling down her spine.
“Alright, shall we show your husband-to-be now? Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“He’ll be so surprised. Because you’re so beautiful.”
The staff member rolled back the thick blackout curtain on one wall.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Jae-gyu, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked pleased when he saw the curtain being drawn back.
“Oh, there she is. Are you all changed?”
The director answered Jae-gyu’s anxious question on Bom’s behalf.
“Yes, yes, the bride will be out now.”
With that, she turned on the spotlight and directed it towards the platform where the curtain had been fully drawn.
“…”
Bathed in the pouring light, Bom’s figure gradually appeared clearly.
“…”
Jae-gyu, who had been slowly blinking, suddenly leapt up from the sofa where he had been slumped and shouted loudly.
“Goddess! Entrance!”
Why is he like that! Bom, flustered, covered her flushed face with a small artificial bouquet.
At the unprecedented reaction, the staff and director turned their heads, stifling their laughter.
Her whole body was burning. What’s ‘Goddess Entrance’? How embarrassing.
She had been relieved because he had maintained a dignified demeanor since entering the shop, but as soon as he saw her in the dress, he blurted out something like that. She didn’t feel bad, but she was still embarrassed.
“I’ve never seen such an enthusiastic reaction in all my years running this shop. You must be pleased, Bride? Goddess Entrance!”
The director beamed at the dumbfounded Jae-gyu and gave a thumbs up.
“Ha, wow, seriously, no joke, an angel just fallen from the sky, no, a fairy, or maybe Aphrodite…”
“Stop it.”
Seriously, why are you like this! Jae-gyu continued to spout cringey remarks every time she came out in a new dress. Thanks to him, Bom’s face was flushed the entire time she was trying on dresses.
After trying on a total of six dresses, Bom carefully checked the last one before letting out a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t known that dress fittings were so difficult and time-consuming. Was it all over now…?
While talking to the staff, she glanced over and saw Jae-gyu in the corner, seriously discussing something with the director.
“The groom-to-be was so entertaining, we enjoyed it too. That’s why we’re doing this.”
“Oh, Director. Thank you.”
It turned out Jae-gyu had desperately wanted to take photos of Bom in her dress, but internal regulations prohibited photography before confirming the dress shop.
However, perhaps impressed by Jae-gyu’s enthusiastic reaction, the director allowed them to take selfies that didn’t show the entire dress.
Wearing the last and most elaborate dress she had tried on that day, Bom stood close to Jae-gyu.
“Good thing we have Bom’s phone. Wow, you’re incredibly beautiful. Should we get a little closer?”
“Like this?”
“Yeah. It’s a perfect shot. Alright, taking the picture.”
The platform she stood on was quite high, but Jae-gyu was so tall that he easily fit into the frame.
“One, two, three.”
Click, click, click, click. Smooch.
It was late evening when the two arrived at their Shinsu-eup home. They quickly made kimchi fried rice, then washed up. Since it was late, he told her to stay the night, and she readily agreed.
Since this spring, Bom had frequently visited Jae-gyu’s house. There were many things to discuss as they seriously began wedding preparations, and Bom’s Cheongseol-eup apartment contract expiration was imminent.
Since she had to move out all her belongings and vacate the room by September, she was gradually moving her household items here. Bom’s room that Jae-gyu had prepared earlier was already filled with her belongings from Cheongseol-eup.
Perhaps because of this, the place now felt as comfortable as her own home. Realizing this suddenly, Bom changed into a loose cat t-shirt and long pajama bottoms, smiling briefly.
When she came out to the living room, Han-gyeol and Bom-sik, whose body had been shaved for summer, sat in front of Jae-gyu, who was unpacking boxes.
“Looking at him like this, he looks like baek-suk, Bom-sik.”
Bom also plopped down, sitting cross-legged comfortably.
“Wow. You brought so much?”
“I only bought things you can’t get in Korea, but now that I’m taking them out, it’s a whole ton. Hmm.”
Most of the souvenirs were for his family, followed by things to share with colleagues, items to send to Bom’s acquaintances, and even things Han-gyeol could share with his friends.
“Let’s open this first.”
The first item Jae-gyu introduced was Date Palm Chocolate.
“What flavor is it? Date flavor?”
“It’s completely different from jujubes, but similar in taste to dried persimmons. It’s soft and sweet, and it also tastes a bit like red bean paste. You can’t get it just anywhere; it’s only found in Egypt or Africa. It’s not something you find every day.”
He opened the octagonal, sturdy box to reveal individually wrapped chocolates.
“Let’s try one each. Here, ah~”
Jae-gyu peeled the wrapper and put a cylindrical chocolate into Bom’s mouth, then one into Han-gyeol’s. Bom-sik, thinking it was his turn, opened his mouth, but when nothing came, he wrinkled his nose.
“Grrr…”
“Oh? This is delicious!”
As Jae-gyu said, the rich chocolate contained a soft and sweet filling.
“It really is delicious?”
“There are many kinds, but this was the tastiest among the ones I sampled.”
“You bought so many.”
“Since I bought a lot, if you have friends to share with, give them some. Give some to Sam-jin too.”
“Oh, they’ll love it. Uncle, what’s this?”
“Ah, this, you see. This is Egyptian honey…”