Work Text:
"Are you kidding me?!"
The three of them were startled by Seokryu's outburst. Moeum gently held Danho's hand when his shoulders abruptly rose up at the sudden exclaim of their friend. She gave him an apologetic look.
On the other hand, Seunghyo did nothing but pat his wife on the back to calm her down.
"What are you doing?" With a scowl, Moeum mouthed the words to Seunghyo.
He merely shrugged and answered her in the same way. "What do you expect me to do?"
What a coward. Moeum thought, but decided not to say anything.
Seokryu looked up after burying her face on both of her palms. "Are we seriously going to have our reunion in this convenience store? Again? It's been a year! One. Whole. Year!"
It's been two months since the two bestfriends got married. Moeum came back home two weeks before their wedding.
It was hectic for all of them. Moeum used a few of those days resting at home and spending time with Yeondu, Danho and her mom. Which also passed by quickly since they also helped the two prepare for their big day. They even made Yeondu the flower girl. Everyone was occupied.
It was supposed to be an intimate wedding. But based on her mom and Danho's stories to catch her up, it almost felt like the invitations were circulated in the whole neighborhood.
Their family, friends, the Lavender group, their colleagues from work, acquaintances, and even the two's exes were there. She never dared to ask whose idea was the last one.
"What a crowd," Moeum remembered whispering to her man while they waited for Seokryu to walk down the aisle. "I should've invited my colleagues from work. I think there's still an empty table at the back."
Yeondu looked up to her. She was sitting between the two of them right after she made her entrance as the flower girl. "Halmeoni said Misuk and Hyesuk halmeoni encouraged them to invite more. One of Seunghyo samchon's clients insisted on making them use this venue for free so they saved a lot."
Danho eyed their daughter. "Yeondu, what did I tell you about listening to adult conversations?"
"Sorry, Appa." She made a gesture to zip her mouth closed.
Moeum smiled at her. "Don't worry. But next time, be more careful of where and how you tell things to people, okay? Don't easily talk about the things you hear."
Their daughter nodded. "Yes, Eomma."
Danho sighed and gave a faint smile. He slightly tilted his head to Moeum. "Is this how it's gonna be? We're gonna play good cop, bad cop?"
Moeum nudged him a little. "I didn't go against you. I just rephrased what you said."
"I already told her that. That's why I was giving her a warning."
"She didn't do it on purpose."
He was about to say something else when they heard someone chuckle from the table beside them. It was Seokryu's brother.
"You two sound more married than those two." They followed where Dongjin was pointing at. They've been talking for a while, they didn't realize the two were already saying their vows.
Everyone was listening attentively to the bride and groom. Moved by every word they said that it silenced everyone in the hall.
As they all witnessed how the pair's love reflected on their eyes and words, Yeondu held both of her parents' hands and intertwined with hers.
"We're not fighting." Danho lowered himself a little to assure her.
Moeum did the same and kissed the top of her head.
Her mind was back to the present day when she heard Seokryu's voice spewing rants for the nth time.
"How about we go to your house instead?" Danho suggested when their friend finally gave it a rest. "Moeum-ssi still hadn't taken a good look at it. She hasn't visited ever since you came back from your honeymoon."
"But that's the thing. I want to get out of the house," Seokryu reasoned. "Yeah, this won't do. You two suck at planning sudden events like this."
Moeum and Danho looked at each other knowingly.
"Hey, what about me?" Seunghyo pointed at himself.
"You're no better. Remember your proposal?"
"Okay," Moeum stopped them before their discussion goes nowhere. "The reason we called you was because of this."
Danho fished out something from his bag and gave it to their two friends.
The married couple leaned forward to look at the letter that he placed on top of the table.
"Oh, my God."
---
"Oh, my God."
The Lavender members are once again in their usual meeting place in Jaesuk's office. She gave her three friends the same copies of the letter. They expressed their shock in unison.
"I know." Jaesuk nodded. "I didn't know they had it in them to organize it so fast."
"Wait, hold on." Insuk tried to read the invitation again. "I don't know this place. It doesn't sound like a hotel near here."
"And why the rush?" Hyesuk asked. "Is she pregnant?"
Misuk gasped. "No! Is that why Danho stayed with her for her remaning month in South Pole? D-Did they do it there and they know that she's gonna be--"
A collective gasp from the three before Insuk made another comment. "Wow! Their love never grew apart despite the distance."
"Their love grew closer because of the distance."
And they swooned and giggled like a bunch of teenagers. For a second, Jaesuk was reminded of their high school years.
"Are you guys done? Is it finally time for me to explain?" she said after they calmed down.
"Oh, sorry, sorry. You were saying?"
"The venue's not in a hotel. It's an observatory. They had to formally ask if they could organize a wedding there and since the place is known to have a lot of visitors, there's only a number of specific dates that they could allow reservations. They chose the one where they know we could all be free. Their target number of guests is only about 20 people. Your families and a few of their colleagues were counted."
They all inhaled as all the information sank in. "Oooh."
"And no! They're not expecting. They're simply aiming to hold it in an observatory to fulfill Yeondu's dream."
"Aww," they swooned once again.
"Mind you. It literally happened in her dream." Jaesuk could no longer hide her joy. She was all smiles as she talked. "All I told my son-in-law was to propose to her while he's there. I never thought they'd plan it to happen immediately."
Insuk clung to her arm and leaned towards her. "Oh, we know you've been waiting for this for so long."
"Who knew a child can convince them to get married better than you." Hyesuk laughed before she sipped on her cup of tea.
"Hey, a child can do wonders, you know," Misuk said as she leaned back to her seat. "Look at this table. It used to be so neat, but now it's full of colorful hairbands and hairclips."
"There's a lot more of those at home." She grinned while looking at the table as well. She already put a clutter box in the middle, but a few of them were still scattered. "Moeum kept telling me not to buy a lot. But everytime I pass by that small store that sells kids' accessories and toys, I can't help but go inside."
"Where is Yeondu, by the way?"
"I'm right here!"
They all looked over behind the desk on the side. She was so quiet that they, except Jaesuk, was surprised that she was there all along.
"Yeondu, don't spend too much time on your laptop. Your dad told you to lessen your screen time."
"Yes, Halmeoni. I'm almost done." She spent a few seconds typing and clicking before she folded it close. "There."
She walked towards the couch and joined them. She sat beside her Halmeoni.
"Are you happy that they're getting married?" Hyesuk asked her.
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Aunt and Uncle's wedding was so pretty. I hope Eomma and Appa will look as happy and in love as them."
"There's no doubt that they will, sweetheart." Jaesuk held her hand gently. "We'll capture every moment so that you'd get to remember how in love they are right now."
Still, Yeondu looked skeptical. "Appa is easily touched over anything. Especially with words. What if he cries so hard he can't finish his vows?"
The Lavender members burst out in laughter.
---
"Seokryu's face was priceless."
Moeum was laughing so hard to the point that she almost snorted.
Both her and Danho were lying down in bed after a long day. They were using her room. It would soon be their room. They have yet to ask Seunghyo to renovate it for them.
"Did you see how--Oh, come on!" She tapped him on one arm multiple times.
"Hm? I'm awake! I'm awake." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, not her.
He already removed his glasses earlier. He was about to put it on again when Moeum stopped him.
"Just listen. But don't sleep." She scooched closer to him and clung to his right arm.
"Mm." He nodded. He went back to lying sideways, facing her.
She stared at his features. She wanted to scold him that he still had his eyes closed. She knows that anytime, there's a chance she's gonna lose him to dreamland.
Still, she kept talking. "I still don't know how we managed to organize everything smoothly all the way down to the small details."
"Our wedding is good for a 20-people audience," he replied with his sleepy voice. He moved his head closer for it to touch her shoulder. "It's bound to be easier than how it went for Seunghyo and Seokryu."
She pouted as she thought about it. "For how long?"
"It took them a year to prepare. They already picked dresses and suits for ev--"
"I meant you," she corrected him. "How long were you preparing this?"
This time, he slowly opened his eyes. They met with hers. "Since the first month you were gone."
She blinked. And blinked again. By the third time, her eyes welled up with tears. He was about to sit up when she gently hit him to lie back down.
"You mean to tell me I bragged about us getting things done smoothly in a span of six weeks when you actually had everything planned for a long time now?"
"Seunghyo knew. I just made him promise to keep mum about it."
"Oh!" she scoffed. Now she's crying.
Danho used the long sleeves of his shirt to wipe her tears. "I know I should've told you. But that's the only thing that occupied me from missing you too much."
"You have work. You're with our daughter," she enumerated. "Aren't those things enough to keep you busy?"
"Not enough to keep my mind off of you." He gave her a soft smile and made her face him. "I wanted to call you everyday, but I know you had to get used to working there. It won't help if I became a factor to make you feel homesick."
"Well, you are my home." She sniffed. "And you literally moved in my home while I'm away. How could you," she added jokingly.
"It was Mother's idea!"
"Oh, I bet you said yes without hesitating."
"I didn't have to. Yeondu did it for me." He laughed when she hit him again on the arm.
"How could you use my baby girl against me?" she whined. She couldn't even turn her back on him because his arms enveloped her.
"Just so you know, her loyalty doesn't lie with us anymore. She's closer to her Halmeoni."
"Oh, God. We turned her into a grandma's girl." They both laughed when she said that.
This was what she never knew she'd dream of. Having someone she would share her day with before it ends. Having a larger family to look forward on seeing the moment she opens her eyes once again. Having someone who makes her realize that it's possible to have someone you can count on in everything.
She looked up to the large frame above her bed where it shows an image of where she was for the past year.
That's one dream cleared. Now it's time for her next one to be fulfilled.
"What are you thinking of?" he asked her.
"A family picture." She hugged him tight before slowly drifting to sleep.
***