The sun shines down, causing the sea waves to shimmer. The scales of the fish being lifted through the net glisten like jewels.
The faces of the fishermen, who are celebrating a bountiful year, are adorned with bright smiles.
The same goes for here. At the wedding hall overlooking Haeundae, endless laughter and smiles bloom like the joy found by the fishermen with full nets.
“Phew.”
Lee Hyesook, sitting in the bride’s waiting room, let out a breath to relieve her tension. The pure white lace and elegant patterns reflected her taste.
It was a wedding dress she thought she would never wear in her life.
At first, she planned to simply register the marriage without a ceremony. Although times have changed, remarriage in middle age is still not widely welcomed. However,
-Mom, this is a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. Why do you want to keep it quiet? Don’t worry, I’ll prepare everything for you, so let’s have a wedding. Absolutely, we must!
Her son’s adamant request was the reason. Not only did he reserve the most expensive wedding hall in Busan, but he also hired a wedding planner to take care of everything from the dress to all preparations.
His determination was so swift that it proceeded in the blink of an eye, as if fearing she might change her mind.
“Mom, are you nervous?”
Jisoo, who now had the feeling of a young lady, asked. It felt like just yesterday when she used to call her ‘auntie,’ but now she comfortably used the word ‘mom.’
Lee Hyesook managed to smile and shake her head at Jisoo’s question.
“Ha, I’m not nervous at all. Have you ever seen your mom get nervous over something like this?”
“Dad is trembling outside right now. His face turned so pale that he looks even whiter.”
Lee Hyesook gave a faint smile, imagining the tense figure of Kim Sunghoon.
Just a few days ago, neither of them seemed very nervous.
Lee Hyesook had only registered her marriage with her late husband without a ceremony, and the same was true for Kim Sunghoon.
Even though it was a remarriage for both of them, they had no prior wedding experience, so it didn’t feel very real.
“Mom, don’t be too nervous. I’ll be right by your side!”
“I’m not nervous, really. This girl…”
Despite her words, she couldn’t be more grateful for Jisoo’s small hand holding hers tightly. Sitting in the bride’s waiting room felt awkward to the point of death.
At first, it felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit when the merchants from Namhang came one by one to take pictures with her.
At that moment, a knock was heard on the bride’s waiting room door, and someone peeked in.
“Youngguk’s mom!”
It was Mrs. Yang. She was dressed up as if she were going to sit in the parents’ seat.
As usual, Mrs. Yang couldn’t stop complimenting Lee Hyesook’s wedding dress.
“Oh my, you look like a young maiden in this dress! So beautiful. With that lovely makeup, you look like a completely different person! You look just like Kim Heesun, the actress in the MBS drama! So beautiful!”
Next to Mrs. Yang was her daughter, Myungja, who politely greeted Lee Hyesook, unlike her usual self.
“Mother, you look so beautiful.”
“You’re here all of a sudden.”
“You look beautiful too, young lady.”
At Myungja’s words, Jisoo burst into laughter. Myungja glanced at Jisoo subtly, seemingly curious about something.
Myungja and Jisoo, who were the same age, attended different middle schools but became inseparable friends in high school.
Receiving Myungja’s gaze, Jisoo subtly asked Lee Hyesook what Myungja was curious about.
“Mom, is oppa almost here?”
Vroom.
A luxurious sports car revved its engine. Bongchun, who got out of the driver’s seat, had grown even bigger over the past three years. It wasn’t that he had gained weight.
Thanks to consistent exercise, what once looked like mere bulk now compared favorably to professional athletes.
Youngguk’s eyes widened at the sight of the sports car parked in front of the airport.
“Hyung, no way…?”
“Youngguk, this is killer!”
Oh, my head.
Having been filming a movie with Director Wang Jin-yang in Hong Kong, Youngguk had asked Bongchun directly for the wedding car.
Believing Bongchun’s confident assurance that he would get a good car, he had expected something nice.
“How can Mr. Kim drive this?”
“Ah, don’t worry. I already did a test drive with Mr. Kim a few days ago. At first, he was scared and said he couldn’t do it, but after a few times on the expressway, he got the hang of it. Besides, it’s only fifty minutes from Haeundae to Gimhae Airport. He should enjoy it.”
It was a high-end sports car called a Lamborghini. With a large pink ribbon on the bonnet and elaborate floral decorations on the rear, it unmistakably looked like a wedding car even from afar.
Its presence was so striking that it drew the attention of people exiting the airport.
Fearing that his face, even under a hat, might be recognized, Youngguk hurriedly got into the passenger seat.
“Alright, let’s get going then!”
Vroom.
The sports car began to move with a roaring engine sound. Although Youngguk knew of Bongchun’s driving skills, his palms began to sweat.
Even in his previous life, he wasn’t particularly interested in cars.
While others might splurge on sports cars after making money, Youngguk preferred to use the van provided by his agency rather than getting his own car.
“Right. Youngguk, you need to get ready too. Your hair’s all flattened. You also need to change clothes.”
“They’ll take care of my hair and outfit on the first floor of the wedding hall. Mijeong is already at the wedding venue.”
“Mijeong is there before us? That’s unfair. She didn’t even call to say she was coming to Busan. Maybe she didn’t want me to come down with her?”
Mijeong was Youngguk’s stylist. Over the past three years, Bongchun had been promoted from road manager to chief manager, gaining enough influence to attend internal meetings and handle external tasks.
With frequent overseas shoots, Youngguk no longer traveled alone with Bongchun but was accompanied by numerous staff members.
“Hyung, please drive more carefully.”
“Don’t worry. I used to dominate these busy Busan roads!”
After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at a hotel facing Haeundae. Kim Mijeong came out to greet Youngguk, who was drenched in sweat.
Seeing him, she immediately slapped Bongchun, who was getting out of the driver’s seat.
“Chief Lee, I told you to drive carefully!”
“I drove carefully. It’s just that Youngguk is not used to sports cars. He’s great at action scenes but gets nervous in cars.”
“It’s only when he’s in a car driven by Chief Lee. Oppa, let’s go inside. There’s still plenty of time before the ceremony. We need to set your hair and style! The president and agency staff will all be arriving soon!”
Leaving Bongchun, who was now like a duck’s egg in Nakdong River, behind, Youngguk and Kim Mijeong hurried into the hotel.
“Mijeong, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“Not at all, don’t worry. We need to make sure your mom shines today!”
From his comfortable tracksuit, he changed into a suit and had his hair styled and light makeup applied.
Like an artist admiring a completed piece, Kim Mijeong smiled contentedly at Youngguk’s reflection in the mirror.
As they headed to the floor where the ceremony would take place, the number of guests felt palpable. Not only were there merchants from Namhang, but also staff from his agency who had come from Seoul.
Even Director Baek Jang-hoon and Actor An Joong-hyun, who couldn’t attend due to filming, sent large wreaths.
Oh?
Among the many wreaths, one stood out. It was from the Mayor of Busan. Perhaps it was because Youngguk was still serving as the ambassador for Yeongdo-gu.
At that moment, Kim Sunghoon, who recognized Youngguk, raised his hand.
“Youngguk!”
The groom’s shout drew attention. But since everyone knew Youngguk, it didn’t turn into the chaos of a filming site.
“Are you nervous?”
Kim Sunghoon grasped Youngguk’s hand tightly as if he had gained immense support from his presence. The sweat felt through the white gloves and the beads of sweat on his forehead clearly showed how tense he was.
“On a joyous day like today, there’s no reason to be nervous. And seeing your face makes me so happy. You just got back from Hong Kong, right?”
“Yes, I just arrived at Gimhae Airport. Are you sure you can drive the wedding car? It seemed really fast.”
“I practiced a lot with Chief Lee, so I think I can manage. At first, it was scary how it surged forward with just a little push on the accelerator, but now I’m used to it. And it’s only to Gimhae Airport. So, Youngguk.”
Kim Sunghoon met Youngguk’s gaze. Over the past three years, they had always met during holidays or New Year. He now felt like family.
Grasping Youngguk’s hand more firmly, Kim Sunghoon resolutely added,
“I promise to take good care of your mom.”
There was a certainty in his warm gaze. For the first time, Youngguk said something he had never said before, holding Kim Sunghoon’s hand.
“I trust you, father.”
The word “father” made Kim Sunghoon’s eyes well up. Fearing that the groom might cry before the ceremony, Youngguk quickly patted his back.
He mentioned that grooms shouldn’t cry before the ceremony, and Kim Sunghoon bit his lip and twitched his cheeks.
“Youngguk, go to the bride’s waiting room quickly. Mom’s been waiting for you since earlier. Jisoo should be there too.”
Excitement filled him. Having been filming in Hong Kong, he hadn’t had the chance to see his mother in her wedding dress in person.
He had hired a famous wedding planner from Seoul, so there was no worry. As he moved towards the bride’s waiting room.
Oh.
His steps felt awkward, and he realized his shoelace was untied. It seemed he had hurriedly put on his shoes without tying them properly.
As he knelt to retie his shoelace.
“Someone must be thinking about oppa.”
A familiar voice made him look up. There stood a woman with long hair reaching down to her waist and a deer-like face.
Was it because of the three years that had passed? Or was it because a woman’s transformation happens in the blink of an eye?
She had changed so much that he didn’t recognize her at first.
At that moment, the woman knelt and tied Youngguk’s shoelace. As their eyes met, she smiled brightly and said,
“So clumsy. Hi, long time no see?”
