Chapter 176 - A Surprise

With her fingers held in his, Xie Eun followed Yu Seok's lead. He guided her carefully, so that she would not have a misstep. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to have doubled as Xie Eun wondered what he had in store for her. She realized that his surprises were always amazing and something that she could not help looking forward to. She tired to concentrate on the sounds to help her know where they were but all she could hear was the sound of the light breeze and the chirping of crickets. 

Finally, they stopped. Xie Eun moved her hands to take off the blindfold but was stopped by Yu Seok, who moved behind her and hugged her. Slowly, he took off the blindfold himself. 

Slowly, she opened her eyes and once again was shocked. There a few meters away, stood a massive half sphere dome tent. She turned her head to look at him and questioned him, "What is this? "

"Walk inside and you will know."

Excited, Xie Eun walked out of his arms and into the small tunnel like door. And all the past surprises could not have prepared her for what waited inside. It was pictures. Thousands of pictures of her from the time they became friends to the time they were married and one of them, she was sure was as recent as a few days back. She walked automatically to one side and extended her hand to a picture. It was a candid. And there they stood in front of the altar. Yu Seok and her back was turned towards the photographer but she could see Aunt Su and her father's profile. Her eyes moistened as she ran her hand over her father's picture. This day was her biggest regret. Her father had been right in his decision but at that point she had hated him. If only.. she had been a little bit wiser. She closed her eyes and thought of her father, promising him that she was doing well and if she could rewind time back to that day, she would thank him for not listening to her and not behave so childishly and coldly. After spending many moments with all the pictures from that day she could only shake her head in nostalgia.

Calming her emotions, Xie Eun looked around at all the pictures and saw one where she had been grinning widely, staring into space." She wondered what she had been thinking sitting there but could not for the life of her remember. She turned around to ask Yu Seok but then realized that he was not there behind her. Her eyebrows raised she wondered where he went and walked back towards the entrance again. But just then the entire dome turned dark.

She stopped again. And this time there were words on the surface. She started to read the words and her heart soared. This was his love confession! The official one! 

She read the words again and again. Committing them to her memory. 

"It's bad that I can't stop it. Every moment and every hour, you are the only one in my thoughts. It felt like a punishment but it is actually a reward that I finally have you. My love for you is unstoppable. You are my paradise. You are my dream. You are so dangerous yet the sweetest for me. Like the pied piper's song, I can only follow you. You've taken over me. I love you my Eun-a, my life."

Xie Eun turned around and around, her emotions overflowing, looking for him. And there he was. On one knee. She walked to him. She ran to him. The tears in her eyes now flowing freely. 

In his hand he held a placard. She paused and looked questioningly at the blank sheet. And then he turned it around. There on the plain pater were the words that she had given up on listening when she had accepted their marriage. "Will you marry me?"

She smiled and nodded her head before jumping into his arms. It did not matter that they were already married. It made no difference that they did not hold a ceremony again.. What mattered was that he was the perfect person who just somehow knew all her dreams. He had promised to fulfill all her dreams and he had done that. Whether it was her career or her girlish dream of receiving a romantic proposal. He had given her everything and was giving her more with every minute. Her arms tightened around his neck as she thanked the fates for choosing this man for her.

She whispered her love for him and once again the surroundings changed. This time they were surrounded by shiny little stars against a dark sky. After a while, Yu Seok picked up his wife and carried her towards the small, air inflated bed, placing her there as if she was a treasure that he had discovered. Xie Eun pulled her to him, making him lie next to her, not able to let go.

Soon the two people started to kiss and the sounds of silence in the dome changed to moans of pleasure as the two people started to make love.

Xie Eun woke up a little while later, and stretched lethargically. She looked down at her clothes and sighed. Yu Seok had really spoiled her. Every time she was with him, all she had to do was be lazy. Even now, when she had been exhausted, after they had made love, he had fed her dinner lovingly and now she was dressed in his shirt covering all important parts of her. She turned her head and looked for him, only to find him missing. This man really was too silent! And had the habit of slipping away when she was asleep! She wondered what he was up to now. She winced a bit as she moved. Last night, he had been even more gentle but she still felt as if she was a bit sore. 

Wondering what other surprise he had in store for her, she lay back down and then sat up again. Because there, taped to the small side, was a note. Picking it up, she read, "Thank you for agreeing to the marriage. There is something you must see before we plan our wedding. Open the laptop, Eun-a."

Eun-a glanced at the laptop and wondered what it held that he had placed it here on such an important occassion.

Opening it, she clicked on the play button and soon froze in shock as she stared back at the smiling face of her father.

She gulped as he started talking. This was possibly from the time when he made the marriage arrangement. 

"Eun-a. My little princess. If you are watching this video, then it means that you are now finally happy and safe. My child, I am sorry that I was not able to stay with you during this tough time, but I have done my best. I hope you will forgive me for forcing you and ruining your big day. I remember when you were a little girl and had come to me, pouting about how you will click good photos at your own grand wedding. You had so many plans to marry your prince charming and how I must dress to walk you down the aisle. Let me tell you my little girl, even though I had hated the thought of giving you away, I too had dreamed of handing you to a good man who would be worthy of you. And selfishly, I made sure to fulfill my dream before I went on to after life. But I have no regrets if you have really fallen for him. Wolf is a good man that I have watched grow up and I have seen the struggle he had faced. I feel assured in leaving you in his care. But that is not the only reason I have chosen him for you. I knew that he liked you. I had seen him pretend nonchalance whenever I talked about you. The silly boy thought that he had covered it well. I hope my Eun-a who is full of love will give also give him all the love he deserves. I have one final request of him, before I die and that is that he must help me fulfill my princess' wish of a grand wedding. So even though I will not be there to walk you down the aisle, all other aspects that you had dreamed of will be there. Because that is what my daughter deserves.

For this reason, I have already hired a wedding planner and handed her all the ideas that I want my princess and her knight to have. Because this is what my children deserve and this way, I will once again be a part of your wedding arrangements. Xie Eun, I hope in the next life, I am lucky enough to have such a wonderful child like you. I love you my beloved princess."