Fiancé (2)

Sunday, April 7th. Seoul.

The high for the day was 23 degrees Celsius, higher than average. Humidity 42%. Chance of precipitation 0%.

The weather was perfectly pleasant for outdoor activities.

Today, the garden at 'Phantom' was decorated differently than usual. Plush outdoor sofa sets and large parasols casting wide shade had been arranged throughout, and a long table was laid with tea, champagne, and an assortment of visually appealing cookies and finger foods.

And a generous quantity of flowers — enough to fill the garden with fragrance — richly adorned the space: light pinkish Jana roses, lavender, ranunculus, and eucalyptus. These were the same flowers Liu had chosen when he proposed to Yeehyeon at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

Whether they were in season or not didn't matter. Liu had stressed to the wedding planner that cost was no object — the garden had to be lavishly decorated with those specific flowers.

Guests began arriving one by one after lunchtime, greeting each other warmly. They settled into small groups on the sofa sets scattered around, spending a lively afternoon recalling memories tied to today's couple.

They were all guests invited to the wedding of Seo Yeehyeon and Liu Weikun.

There were only about twenty guests.

The wedding planner, Javier, had repeatedly emphasized that this was truly the smallest wedding among all the small weddings he had ever organized — adding each time, with a slight smile, that the cost certainly wasn't small.

The couple hadn't wanted this wedding to become a social event. They wanted to be surrounded only by people who could genuinely celebrate them and truly cherish them. Once they decided that, finalizing the guest list was simple.

Yeehyeon's father, uncle, and aunt, along with Liu's parents, were the first to be invited. Liu's closest circle included Marcus and Ellen, who were like family, their son Jonas — who had grown up like a brother to Liu in his younger years — and Jonas's fiancée. From among the colleagues at 'The Hands' who had shared everything with Yeehyeon, the closest were Ben and Jun. Baek Yuni and Michelle were invited as well. Lim Morae and Seo Yeehan, who lived in Bali, were there too. And of course Manager Han, Choi Inwu, Shushu, and Kwon Juhan.

Most guests had traveled specifically to Seoul for this wedding — Hong Kong, Boston, Paris, Bali. Fewer than twenty people, living in different cities, and Liu and Yeehyeon had arranged both plane tickets and accommodations for them.

They had booked several rooms at a hotel in Gwanghwamun, not far from 'Phantom,' and organized meals so the guests could mingle. Sightseeing tours were arranged for Marcus's family and Yeehyeon's colleagues from 'The Hands,' for whom this was their first visit to Korea. In the process, the guests had grown closer quite naturally.

Yeehyeon's aunt and uncle had found it difficult to take several days off due to their work. They arrived in Seoul the afternoon before the wedding. But thanks to the rehearsal that evening, they were able to mingle comfortably with the other guests today. Liu's parents, in particular, took great care of them.

Even now, while the younger guests chatted noisily among themselves, the four of them were absorbed in their own quiet conversation in the cool shade of the garden. Liu's father, William, led the discussion. He was an energetic, humorous person who constantly made everyone around him laugh with his varied expressions and gestures. Thanks to him, Yeehyeon could feel at ease even while attending to his own guests on the other side.

This gathering came after Liu and Yeehyeon had promised to marry each other and announced it to those close to them.

Liu's parents had come to Korea to meet Yeehyeon's family elders. Yeehyeon, who had been in Paris at the time, made a temporary return for the formal meeting, prepared various gifts, and visited the East Sea with Liu first.

At the time, the aunt and uncle had been extremely anxious, even before the meeting.

'Such an incredible family — it would knock your jaw out. Everyone in the neighborhood found out before we did and made a fuss....'

'I suppose I can wear the clothes Yeehyeon bought for me... but how am I supposed to act around people like that? I worry we'll make you fall out of favor with your in-laws.'

Yeehyeon had tried to calm them patiently.

"They're very polite people too. You just need to be yourselves around them."

"I wonder if people like us — who didn't have much of an education — will even be able to hold a conversation with them..."

"They aren't the kind of people who judge others by that standard. You'll see when you meet them."

Rather than a private room at a high-end restaurant, Liu's home in Seoul became the venue for the meeting — a choice meant to make things a little more comfortable, and it seemed to work.

Liu's parents had been just as nervous. Knowing they were no different seemed to put Yeehyeon's uncle and aunt slightly at ease.

As the meal progressed, the stiffness gradually relaxed. Contrary to their worries, conversation flowed without pause. As could be guessed from Liu's own Korean, his father William was also fluent, so there were no barriers in communication. Moreover, William and Suki Kim showed genuine interest in the in-laws' fishing business and the natural landscape of the East Sea, steering the conversation there.

The previous winter, during the off-season, Liu's parents had even invited Yeehyeon's family to Hong Kong. It was the first time his uncle and aunt had ever traveled abroad.

Yeehyeon and Liu had not joined them that time — they weren't even invited, since it was meant to be time just for the elders. It was clearly a thoughtful consideration from the adults so that no one would feel awkward. From the photos and videos the aunt shared afterward, it was easy to imagine they'd had a wonderful time.

After this wedding, Liu's parents were scheduled to visit the East Sea. William was already excited about the prospect of sea fishing on the uncle's boat.

He had brought up the exact same topic with Yeehyeon during last night's rehearsal.

"Yeehyeon, have you ever eaten fish as sashimi right after catching it on a boat?"

"Yes, once or twice."

"You went with your uncle?"

"That's right."

William called Yeehyeon's uncle Geun-sadon — "Great In-Law" — a title he had proposed at their first family meeting, since the uncle was Yeehyeon's family elder. His uncle and his wife had readily agreed.

"When we go to the East Sea this time, Geun-sadon has promised to take us out on his boat. He says flounder is in season. Ah, what was the Korean word for flounder again? Something like doraji... Do... Do..."

"Dodari."

"Right, dodari! It's still hard for me to remember the names of fish I don't eat often, in Korean."

William said this with a boyish flush. In moments like that, he faintly resembled Liu.

"Compared to my English, your Korean is already excellent, sir. I still get nervous whenever I have to speak in English."

At Yeehyeon's words, William looked as though he had heard something completely absurd. He even set down his glass and replied with full sincerity.

"What are you talking about? You speak English and French both. That's truly remarkable. I've tried learning French several times myself, and I still can't manage more than a simple greeting. French pronunciation is especially tricky, you know."

William finished in the tone of a suffering student, then looked at Yeehyeon the next moment and smiled warmly.

"But Yeehyeon's French sounds like listening to Alfred de Vigny's poetry."

It was a compliment that left Yeehyeon entirely at a loss for words.

William was an energetic, optimistic person who expressed his emotions freely, and he adored Yeehyeon. Sometimes Liu even had to step in and pull his father away, telling him to stop teasing Yeehyeon so much.

But Yeehyeon didn't dislike William's warmth and cheerfulness. He was especially grateful for how kindly and attentively both William and his wife treated him — a debt he felt he could never fully repay.

Yeehyeon's uncle and aunt. Liu's father and mother.

The four of them were like childhood friends from the same hometown.

Friends who left their village, and friends who stayed. Though their paths had diverged and they seemed, on the surface, to be people from different worlds entirely, the underlying tone was the same — and they could mingle without pretense.

Laughter continued to pour from the sofa where they sat. While moving among his own guests, Yeehyeon glanced over from time to time, but the four of them appeared completely fine and needed no worrying about.

"Why are Mom and Dad so excited? Have they been like this since last night?"

Yeehan appeared at Yeehyeon's side, chuckling. He looked quite pleased himself.

"Are they that happy that Seo Yeehyeon's getting married? They're glowing. Well, I suppose it would move anyone to see that little kid who used to scribble all over the cement yard with crayons finally grow up and get married."

"Hey — when was that?"

Yeehyeon grew slightly sullen at the mention of his childhood mischief.

"When was it? You were eight. Exactly eight — the summer vacation when you turned eight."

"You have a good memory, hyung."

"I may not be great at academics, but my memory isn't bad. Do you remember when we fought and Mom hit us both with a broom?"

"I remember. We were older then."

It had happened after Yeehyeon started living at his uncle's house in the East Sea. He and Yeehan, who rarely fought even as children, had raised their voices over something trivial. When the argument escalated, the aunt grabbed a broom and went after the both of them.

She hadn't treated Yeehyeon with any special consideration. He was hit on the thigh and backside just the same as Yeehan. And Yeehyeon, who rarely showed emotion, cried so hard the house seemed to shake. Not because he felt wronged. It was quite the opposite.

He cried because he was relieved. Reassured by the simple fact that there was still someone in the world who cared about him, corrected him when necessary, and looked after him with affection.

"Don't tell Liu about the fight, okay?"

"Why?"

"If he finds out you got smacked around back then, I think he'll try to get revenge."

Yeehyeon burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of it.

"What are you talking about? That was ten years ago."

But Yeehan just clicked his tongue.

"You still don't know that man at all."

"Don't know him? I'm marrying him today."

"Stubborn kid, getting defensive. That's part of why you can't see things clearly. He's the kind of person who would track down and get revenge on anyone who ever gave you a hard time — even if it happened thirty years ago, not just ten."

"It's not to that extent."

"I mean it's a good thing you're marrying someone like that, you idiot."

Yeehan raised his hand to mess up Yeehyeon's hair but stopped himself. He carefully avoided the perfectly styled hair and instead patted the shoulder of his cousin's tuxedo, then threw an arm over it.

The two cousins stood shoulder to shoulder, looking toward where Liu's parents and Yeehan's parents were seated.

"My father isn't usually this talkative. He must have really hit it off with Liu's parents."

"They've traveled together and everything."

"I think he likes them more than his own in-laws."

"Weren't things better between them now?"

"Well, 'better' is relative. It just means things aren't awkward anymore. For my father-in-law, that's actually a significant change."

Morae's father, who had fiercely opposed the relationship between Morae and Yeehan, had finally relented a few years ago. Thanks to that, the two no longer had to live in hiding. Now they came back to Korea about once a year to see family.

What if Morae's father had never opposed them? Yeehyeon suddenly wondered.

If that were the case, she and Yeehan wouldn't have needed to flee to Seoul on that rainy night.

And if they had fled, what if they hadn't taken Yeehyeon with them?

What if he hadn't crossed paths with Manager Han during that part-time job at the moving company?

If even one of those countless connecting threads had snapped, he might never have met Liu. The thought sent a chill through him.

He had met a man named Liu Weikun, started painting again, hurt and been hurt, and yet they had moved forward and found their way back to each other.

He couldn't claim that standing where he stood today was solely the result of his own strength. The influence that countless people and their choices had on him was undeniable.

Liu, Manager Han, and Suki Kim, who had pushed him to paint again. Baek Yuni and Michelle, who had stayed by his side through his lonely years in Paris. His colleagues at 'The Hands.' And Kwon Juhan — as warm-hearted as he was jealous — who had kept the threads of their friendship alive even across the distance.

I did this all on my own; I'm remarkable. No matter how much time passed, Yeehyeon didn't think he would ever be able to say those words.

These were the people who had guided the man named Seo Yeehyeon to this place today.

Only those precious, valued connections were gathered here.

Here at 'Phantom' — the very place where Liu Weikun and Seo Yeehyeon had first met.

Here to celebrate the wedding of Liu and himself.

The sound of voices and joyful laughter filled the garden.

Yeehyeon looked around and felt it anew. He couldn't have been happier or more grateful. And yet — amid all that bright, radiant fullness — he could not ignore the deep, dark shadow at its edge, like a sunspot in brilliant light.

He knew exactly what that darkness was.

At the formal family meeting, during his uncle and aunt's trip to Hong Kong, at last night's rehearsal — Yeehyeon's father had always been absent.

He hadn't expected otherwise.

His father was a man who had turned his back on the world — present in body but long gone in spirit. Still, the accompanying ache of regret and emptiness couldn't be helped.

"Don't be too upset that your father won't be here. It's not because he doesn't think of you."

At last night's rehearsal, his uncle had come up to Yeehyeon, patted his back, and offered that quiet consolation.

"He even hung the suit you and Director Liu gave him up on his wall where he can see it clearly, you know?"

"Father did?"

"Yes. He probably doesn't have the courage to wear it out, but he must be happy."

"I expected he wouldn't be able to come. He's been there for so long. Just traveling up to Seoul is probably a burden for him."

Even as he said he understood, Yeehyeon's gaze kept drifting toward the entrance of the garden. He knew it was absurd to think his father would leave the East Sea alone and make his way all the way here.

Surrounded by people he loved, immersed in happiness, he still couldn't erase the absence. A single dark shadow stands out all the more sharply against brilliant light.