Work Text:
Haseul places yet another sticky note on the side of their mirror.
“ Can’t wait to wife you up! wink emoji ”
(Yes, she wrote “wink emoji” just like that, in case you were wondering.)
She knows how insecure Sooyoung can get, so she’s decided a while ago that she would remind her how wonderful she is by putting sticky notes everywhere. They read “ Look at you go today! You’re gorgeous ”, or “ look at you being all smart! ” (this one is placed on the bookshelf), or just “ I’m so proud of you! ”. Haseul always finds something positive to say about her fiancée.
She turns off the lights and leaves the bathroom.
Coffee is ready.
She pours it from the fancy percolator she gifted Sooyoung last year into a thermos flask, so that it’s still warm when the other girl wakes up.
Haseul doesn’t drink coffee, but she’s mastered the art of making it according to Sooyoung’s taste over the six years they’ve been together. Or mostly the past two years because the businesswoman didn’t drink coffee until then.
She also pours a glass of orange juice and places it on a tray, next to the slices of bread she’s already spread jam on.
She’s about to take the tray and bring it to their room and she notices a silhouette with disheveled hair and poorly tied robe on the opposite side of the living room.
“Oh, you’re up?”
She doesn’t expect an answer. Sooyoung is not very talkative in the morning.
The woman wordlessly approaches her and holds her from behind, her chin resting on Haseul’s neck.
“I wanted to catch you before you leave,” she whispers, her voice raspy from sleep.
Haseul turns her head and kisses her on her forehead.
“You should have stayed in bed. Go get some rest.”
As a response, Sooyoung hugs her tighter.
Haseul prefers when her fiancée doesn’t get up in the morning. It makes it a lot easier for her to go to work. Now, with Sooyoung acting like a baby koala, she simply does not want to leave. She wishes she could just stay there all day, cuddling on the couch and watching Shrek for the billionth time.
That’s not how life works though. It takes all the strength she has to break free from Sooyoung’s hold and accept she has to let her go.
“I have to go to work.”
She kisses her wife-to-be on the cheek, and steps away so she can grab her purse, but Sooyoung catches her arm.
“One more minute. Please.”
Haseul can’t resist the sleepy puppy eyes. She intertwines their hands, facing her.
“Man, I’m so in love with you, Ha Sooyoung.”
Sooyoung kisses her intently as a reply. As I said, not much of a morning talker.
“Okay, I really have to go now.”
Haseul gives her a quick peck on the lips and lets go of her hands. She has to go. She has to go through the door and not look back.
She reminds herself she’ll only be gone for a few hours, and when she’ll come back… Sooyoung will be all dolled up for her sister’s wedding, and Haseul will have a hard time tearing her eyes away from her to get ready herself. She already knows that.
The wedding reception is just like she imagined it. The tables are draped in mint color, with black and white touches here and there. Chaewon told her she’d picked every single decoration item herself, Hyeju being more focused on practical aspects than on aesthetics.
There’s a tent above their heads, but Haseul doubts it will rain. The sun is high, and there are few clouds.
“Haseul!”
Hyeju walks up to her, wearing a tuxedo.
“Hyeju! Congratulations!! The ceremony was beautiful.”
She hugs her fiancée’s sister.
“Thanks,” the girl says.
“I’m not gonna lie, my favorite part was the rap interlude. I thought it added an unexpected charm to the whole thing.”
Hyeju grimaces.
“Well, it wasn’t planned. Yeojin plugged in the wrong USB drive.”
It definitely sounds like something Haseul’s sister would do. Maybe that’s why the rapper’s voice was so familiar.
“Ahh, Yeojin. I’ll have to scold her, I guess.”
Hyeju shrugs. She seems to be already over it.
“Have you seen Sooyoung?” the younger girl asks.
Haseul looks around. People are clinging onto glasses, children are running around, one of them hides under a table, but Sooyoung is nowhere to be seen. Haseul’s heart rate accelerates. Sooyoung can’t just leave her alone in this crowd of strangers.
“No, I haven’t seen her in a while. I thought she went to the buffet but she’s gone. I’ll let her know you’re looking for her when I see her.”
Haseul winks at Hyeju and immediately walks away, starting to feel a sting in her throat. Where is Sooyoung?
She notices a small hill next to the building, and figures that if she gets higher, she will have better chances at spotting her fiancée. She climbs, her heels getting stuck in the soil from time to time. She won’t let it stop her. She needs to find Sooyoung.
When she reaches the top of the hill, she realizes she doesn’t need to look further. The one she’s looking for is up there, sitting on a bench, back turned to the reception, looking at a panorama of endless woods.
“What are you doing?” Haseul asks from where she stands.
Sooyoung turns around at the sound of Haseul’s voice. Clouds move, and the girl’s perfect, innocent smile is bathed in golden light. Breathtaking. Literally. The shorter girl can feel herself stop breathing as she gets closer.
The anxiety of having lost Sooyoung is gone, replaced by awe. She is right there, looking magnificent and Haseul simply can’t tear her eyes away.
Sooyoung wordlessly pats the bench next to her and Haseul accepts the invitation. Her fiancée instinctively grabs her hand.
“Close your eyes,” Sooyoung says.
Haseul does, without questioning the order. She’s learnt that Sooyoung’s surprises were always pleasant, and she trusts the other girl completely with whatever she’s about to do while Haseul can’t see.
Even with her eyelids shut she can see the red light, and she knows her fiancée is right next to her, illuminated by sunset.
“Okay, now listen.”
Haseul waits for the words to come. What is Sooyoung gonna say? Is she going to make another poetic love confession? Haseul wouldn’t mind. Her fiancée’s way with words is one of the things that touched her heart in the first place.
The words don’t come. Sooyoung remains silent. Haseul opens one eye.
“Listen to what?”
“No, no, close your eyes.”
Sooyoung gently places her free hand in front of Haseul’s eyelids so she doesn’t see anything. Haseul closes her eyes.
“If you want to confess to me you can do it right away, you know? No need for suspense.”
Sooyoung places a gentle kiss on her cheeks. Haseul can feel her heart beat faster.
“That’s not what I was about to do.”
“Oh so you don’t love me?”
Haseul feigns indignation.
“Of course I love you. Please be quiet for a moment, and listen.”
The three words always give Haseul goosebumps. It may be the millionth time she hears them, they still have the exact same effect on her. And with her eyes closed, Haseul is even more aware of the way her body reacts.
“I still don’t know what I’m supposed to listen to.”
Sooyoung’s thumb runs over her hand in a circling motion.
“The sound of my voice. Can you hear the birds?”
Haseul tries to hear. There’s chirping coming from the trees. It’s actually loud, but she would probably not have noticed it if Sooyoung hadn’t told her to listen. She nods.
“Okay. Now, can you hear the wind?”
Haseul realizes she can feel a little breeze on her uncovered shoulders. And she can hear leaves brush against each other. She didn’t think the wind was blowing. It’s so faint, so natural that she usually wouldn’t pay attention.
“Can you hear the reception?”
There is laughter and loud discussions below their spot. Haseuls hears the sound of peaceful human interactions. There is no rush in their tone. Everyone is quietly enjoying the moment. Sooyoung’s thumb is still running circles over the back of her hand.
“Can you feel my ring?”
The cold metal sensation of Sooyoung’s engagement ring between their interlocked fingers doesn’t seem as cold this time. It feels like a warm promise for an even warmer future.
“Now, listen to it all. Feel it all. How do you feel?”
Haseul leans on her fiancée’s shoulder and lets her head rest there, entrusting Sooyoung with her worries.
“At peace,” she replies.
Sooyoung kisses the top of her skull.
“Good,” she says.
Haseul allows herself to stay silent for a while, enjoying her girlfriend’s warmth caressing her skin. She doesn’t know if she feels warm because of the sun, the proximity, or the bubbly feeling inside that never leaves her when Sooyoung is close.
“Is that why you came here? To feel at peace?” She opens her eyes and looks at her fiancée’s face. “Did you feel anxious?”
Sooyoung looks away.
“A little, yeah.”
Haseul frowns.
“Why?”
“I just started thinking about our own wedding. What it would be like. I imagined you in that dress, looking your prettiest, spinning on the dance floor, drinking champagne with the guests, all happy. And I just got overwhelmed by how beautiful it all looked inside my head. I felt like I could ruin Hyeju’s wedding by asking the celebrant if she could marry us right away too. So I needed to get grounded, you know? Get back to reality before I acted irrationally..”
Images form in Haseul’s mind as she listens. Sooyoung waiting at the altar. Or maybe not. Haseul would probably be the one waiting. So, Sooyoung walking down the aisle, looking magnificent. Guests smiling but Haseul couldn’t even see them because all she could see would be the love of her life. Toasts, canapés, games. Even the silliest ones. Haseul wants a fun wedding. All of it does sound nice. And overwhelming.
Then again, they are at a wedding, and there’s nothing like weddings to make two people want to get one themselves.
She looks at Sooyoung and feels her eyes burn. How did she manage to get engaged to this incredible woman? Who would have thought so when the two of them met in their first year of uni because Haseul had accidentally stolen Sooyoung’s phone at the library and had to look through every single picture to know who the phone owner was?
The other girl finally looks her in the eyes, and all Haseul can do is smile like a fool, until she can’t resist the urge to cup her future wife’s cheek and kiss her softly.
“I love you, Soo.” Haseul brushes her cheek with her fingers. “We will get all of that...” One more peck. “...but not today. I think we should get back before Hyeju notices her sister is gone.”
Sooyoung runs her hand through Haseul’s hair.
“You’re right. I just can’t wait.”
The taller girl stands up, and Haseul follows because they’re still holding hands and Haseul would not want to sever that link. If it were up to her, she’d never let go.