The Wedding Went Smoothly
The wedding proceeded without a hitch. The bride's heart, which had felt like it might burst from tension while sitting in the bridal waiting room, showed no signs of calming even after the ceremony began.
- The groom, Kwak Choon-sik, please make your entrance!
- The bride, Kim Ha-young, please make your entrance!
With pounding hearts, they entered amid applause and cheers pouring from both sides of the hall, exchanging glances with their beloved spouse before the officiant and carefully taking each other's hands.
- Therefore, the groom and bride shall now...
Only when the officiant's speech began did she finally regain her composure.
Tap.
She nudged the groom with her elbow and subtly glanced backward.
'Did you see? The groom's side is packed.'
'Yeah.'
'What do you think?'
The bride smirked proudly, her lips curling up.
'Told you it was a good idea to listen to me, right?'
She had loved her groom since their dating days—no less than he loved her. She'd showered him with gifts just like he did, all while scrimping and saving enough to contribute to their house down payment.
She was the type who wanted to be the perfect partner, sharing the burdens of marriage equally.
And in that vein...
'I told you the hagak albar would work.'
When the groom had grumbled that his side of the guest seats would be empty, it was only natural for her to roll up her sleeves and treat it like her own problem.
'No one can even tell.'
Hagak albar was a secretive gig—those who'd tried it kept it under wraps, making info sharing tough. So she'd scoured agencies with her groom, trading questions and answers with all sorts.
Q. How does the payment work?
A. We take 50% upfront, then the remaining 50% after the wedding based on client satisfaction.
They chose outfits that minimized issues while skimping on nothing.
Q. Can we review the attire?
A. Yes. We accommodate requests beyond suits. Send photos of tops and bottoms beforehand—we allow up to three rejections.
They picked ones that even checked for proper guest-level formality.
Q. Are they professional actors?
A. We exclude actors. Overconfident ones get caught too often. We aim only for reliably filling seats, snapping photos, and exiting smoothly—no amateur mood-makers or overambitious types.
A. We stick to the basics. Greet the couple with "Congratulations" pre-ceremony, then just applaud and cheer from the seats. Table talk is limited to banquet food.
The bride glanced back slyly. The crowd looked perfectly ordinary—no flashy outfits, just people on phones or chatting in small groups (probably about the food). To an outsider, it was seamless.
Of course, one guy stood out.
'Honey, who's that guy right up front?'
'Who?'
'The one who clapped super loud earlier.'
'Oh.'
It was the man at the front table. Handsome face, sharp suit fit. But more eye-catching was his thunderous applause—the loudest in the hall—and his constant nods and gasps of admiration, like he was genuinely thrilled.
'You said no real friends from your side were coming, right?'
'Yeah... I'll explain later.'
As she tilted her head curiously, the ceremony moved on.
- Now, for the congratulatory song, a junior from the bride's university side!
The end was in sight. In this winding-down moment, the bride and groom relaxed, enjoying the song from her junior.
- Great song. Oh, hold on a sec.
What?
- I heard she was from the bride's photo club in college. What was our bride like back then?
"Um."
Caught off-guard by the unexpected question from her MC colleague, the bride and groom exchanged awkward glances.
"...A senior who was super popular with guys?"
A ripple of laughter spread through the hall, and the junior pressed on.
"Kidding. Honestly, pas comes to mind when I think of her."
- Pas?
"Yeah. The club did a lot of photo shoots. Camera bags are heavy, right? She'd take them from us whiners without batting an eye, slinging them over her shoulder. We got used to it, thinking that's just how she was. But one day, I caught a glimpse in the bathroom—her shoulder was black and blue."
- She hid it well.
"Yeah. She always looked out for us despite the pain. That day, we all reflected, cried, and plastered her with pas. Our senior's too awesome to ever let go!"
The hall warmed at her parting shot to the groom. The bride smiled, a touch flustered.
- Even I, her colleague, didn't know that touching story. Our bride was reliable even in college, huh?
The MC grinned at her. The bride noticed her hand trembling slightly. This wasn't her usual poised colleague—it was touching, her effort to celebrate and liven things up on this big stage.
'Wait a minute.'
As the MC turned toward the groom's guests, unease hit the bride. She didn't know about the hagak albar on his side. No way—
- Alright, the groom's side can't be outdone, right?
"...?!"
"...?!"
The MC sister was getting a little too bold—
***
- I hear the groom was quite the heartthrob in college.
Cold sweat beaded on the groom's brow.
- Anyone among the guests with memories of him? Anyone?
As the panicked groom locked eyes with his bride, gauging the situation...
'...No heads-up about this.'
'...Yeah! She's not usually like this.'
A hand shot up from the front row.
- Oh, we have a volunteer right away.
Impossible not to recognize him—the handsome guy who'd been radiating congratulations from the start. The groom still wondered, 'Is he actually legit...?' when the guy sprang up, confidently grabbing the mic.
"Choon-sik's college club buddy here."
- Which club?
"Travel club. You know, Choon-sik? The OO University one where we never traveled, just holed up drinking."
Laughter rippled again.
"Back then, Choon-sik was the hardest worker I knew. He didn't talk much, but everyone in the club loved him. Look at that face."
More chuckles, then he turned serious.
"He snapped a lot of us out of our slumps. Me included—"
The groom frowned at the mic-wielding man.
'...What was his name again? Some 'Gyu'?'
Too flustered earlier to catch it. Life's highlight reel flashed by as he rewound his pre-success struggles.
'...'
He searched. Frequent transfers due to family issues had left him a lone wolf—except for that one raucous year blending with others.
'Right, the travel club.'
The line he'd written for the agency: travel club.
Yeah. College life’s highlight—freshman orientation eve, buzzing through Dongdaemun underground mall.
But he was a lightweight.
'Never really fit in.'
Something clicked.
'...Huh?'
Forgotten first love, her pretty smile—skipping classes to haunt the club room. Panorama of that space, erased due to his white-suit-rose black history!
'Hold up.'
Every college has them: club room boozehounds turning it into a hangover den. Chugging soju on contact, crashing on the biggest couch post-last bus, reeking of booze by morning for hair-of-the-dog, back for evening worship.
To a teetotaler like him, their faces were a blur. Natural, really.
'One of those guys...?'
Vague recall: hood up, unwashed, sofa-stain indistinguishable from body. They'd chatted.
'Ease up on the booze. Isn't it tough?'
'It is. Way too tough. That's why I drink...'
'?'
Pitiful, he'd thought. Spoiled with backup.
But now? That envy faded; nostalgia lingered. Prime times. Shy loner? Sure, but club meant hellos in class, library, cafeteria.
'Yo, Choon-sik!'
'Choon-sik!'
'Choon-sik-ah!'
Memories aren't linear—they're shaped by now. With breathing room...
His parched twenties had oases.
'Afterparty tonight?'
'Homework then part-time.'
'Damn, you're grinding...'
Yeah, with someone buddy-close by others' standards.
'Right...'
Gazing at Tae-gyu proudly mic-ing up front, the groom's eyes misted.
'I... had a friend too...'
Yeah. Lifelong loner? No—there was a pal bold enough to stand and share college tales!
"Seeing Choon-sik's passion woke me up too. Thanks for making me human. Congrats on the wedding, buddy!"
'...Gyu, ...Gyu, ...Gyu.'
Name surfacing, he beamed back at his old friend.
"...Thanks for coming, Jeong-gyu!"
***
Second-floor banquet hall. A wedding's only as good as its food.
'...Who's Jeong-gyu?'
Tae-gyu wiped tear streaks, heading for the buffet.
That emotional surge? Fully vented, cathartic.
Clink.
Piling LA ribs high, he nodded.
'Mission accomplished.'
Perfect hagak albar guest? Nailed it.
'Kinda fooled the groom too, though...'
Still, averted disaster. Without him stepping up—if all were fakes—worse would've unfolded.
'Way different solo.'
Opponent made it real. Immersive, unlike solo feels. Trading energy, diving deep, unleashing knots.
'Not Do Kwang-seon level yet... but glad I came.'
Eyeing his plate, Tae-gyu mused: Hagak albar's pretty solid.
Broke as hell, life's thrills cost—good eats were rare luxuries.
Thud.
Setting down his rib-loaded plate.
Low emotional amplitude, but taste buds worked. Films, dramas, fine food buoyed his bland life.
No cash, but oily LA ribs? Top fave.
And so, mid-chew tearing meat off a rib...
"Hey, Jeong-gyu!"
Cough—
Hanbok-clad bride and groom approached his table.
Before he could react, the beaming groom engulfed him in a hug.
How to play this?
"Sorry I blanked earlier. You're Jeong-gyu, right? Man, ages. You were insane with booze back then."
"I'm sorry."
"...What?"
Hand over mouth, precise apology from Tae-gyu. No lies to the end. Mission success, clean finish?
"Really sorry. And congrats."
"...Oh."
Groom's shoulders slumped. Thus, his ten-minute, ten-year buddy vanished—
Pat pat.
As the dejected groom shuffled off, Tae-gyu caught the bride's sharp glare over her comforting pats.
'Kinda guilty.'
Separate from nailing the wedding—a twinge of remorse.
'Gotta eat fast and bounce.'
Swallowing ribs with a sorry look, he turned back—
Clatter.
Suddenly, a plate heaped with tteok beside him.
"...Kinda pushy, huh."
A bearded middle-aged man plopped down, muttering oddly.
"That whole thing earlier—all ad-lib?"