Chapter 290 - Wedding (7): The Vows

Through the bright white lights, his eyes focused on the slim figure slowly walking towards him. She wore a white and blue wedding dress befitting a queen. Her beauty illuminated the whole church as a calming silence fell over them. There was very little makeup on her face yet, her natural blush made her cheeks rosier as she looked up to see him from afar. Her long hair was let loose into soft curls, just the way he loved it. Her green eyes peered at him shyly as she tried to compose herself.

Mirae held on to Dasom's arm tightly. She was grateful that he volunteered to walk beside her otherwise she would have fallen down in nervousness. KJ was standing on the altar, looking every bit like a royal prince. The black tuxedo was similar to the one he wore for his music video only it was leaner, fitting him perfectly. He even changed his hair color to dark brown, her favorite shade.

KJ was staring at her in awe as if it was the first time he was seeing her. His mind replayed the scene from decades ago when he first encountered her when they were kids. Her green eyes still enchanted him. He wished they had known each other better back then. He wanted to reverse time once more to tell his younger version to hold on to that green eyed girl and never let her go. How he wished that little child would not have lied and made the beautiful angel cry. If only he could reverse time once more to wipe away her tears.

But he was living in the present. Years had passed by and they even lived apart in different timelines. Yet, they found each other. They had their own shares of ups and downs, relationsh.i.p.s and heartbreaks but they were back in each other's arms. 

As she came closer, KJ could only marvel at the miracle he had witnessed. Time traveling was nothing compared to what he had achieved. It was not fame nor money which he craved. All these years, all he wanted was a little bit of peace with the person he cherished the most. It took him a long time to realize that the person whom he seeked was beside him and by the time he realized his error, it was too late. 

Yet, she found him. Unknowingly, she found him and came to love him again. Even after finding out about their past, she stayed with him. She was there with him and him only. His eyes lit up in happiness as he saw her as the blushing bride. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together and this time, he would not let anyone ruin this moment for them.

Once Mirae reached the altar and stood in front of him, there was not a single dry eye in the room. Somi and Eli were dabbing their eyes while Hyun Jung was also a little teary. 

"I'll hand my sister-in-law to you, KJ," Dasom smiled as he put Mirae's hand on KJ's. He winked at the latter before taking his place next to Hyun Jung. 

Mirae gave KJ a wide smile, squeezing his hand in assurance. 

"Did you like my surprise?" he asked.

"I loved it!" she smiled. "It's perfect."

Riggs cleared his throat. "Shall we start the ceremony?" he mused.

KJ and Mirae turned to face him as he began to recite, "We're gathered here today to tie Kwon Jiwon and Jung Mirae into the holy bond of matrimony…"

KJ kept on stealing glances at Mirae. He could not help but inwardly gush over how breathtakingly beautiful she looked. Hyun Jung was right. There was something special about seeing one's bride for the first time in a wedding gown.

"You look magnificent," he whispered in her ears. 

"You too," she whispered back. 

"I still prefer you without clothes," he teased which earned him a sharp pinch from her. 

Riggs ignored their flirtatious exchanges and kept on reciting from the book.

Hyun Jung was throwing glances at Somi from the other end, trying to get her attention. She mouthed out, "What?"

"You look pretty," he mouthed back. Somi giggled softly at his words. He was rarely showing off his affections in public but whenever he did, he managed to make her feel special. 

Dasom, on the other hand, was sending a text to Eli. The latter felt her phone vibrate and frowned when she saw that Dason sent her a message.

"My place tonight? ;)" 

Eli threw him a dirty look before typing "Ok" and pressed the send button.

"It is now time for the vows," Riggs announced. "The bride will go first."

Mirae craned her neck up to face KJ. She was trying to hold back tears while her heart beat uncontrollably. Everything felt like a dream to her but she knew it was not. The man standing in front of her, holding her hand was the love of her life. 

"I really had nothing prepared," she admitted, sobbing a little. "Back at the dressing room, I was panicking about the vows. What should I say? How should I convey my feelings for the most important person in my life? Would he like it? All these things were rotating in my head. I couldn't help but worry because you prepared the perfect wedding for me and yet, I was struggling to find words to express my feelings."

KJ was about to tell her that it was alright and that she did not have to say anything but Mirae went on.

"But when I saw you standing on this altar, you looked at me as if I was the only person in your world. The way you looked at me, I felt your love reach me and I know it would reach me no matter where we are in the world. In those short moments, I felt I was the luckiest girl in the world. For years, I've been wandering here and there, in search of a purpose. When I was assigned to protect you, I never even imagined that you would become my purpose. We had suffered a lot. And through our sufferings, we found each other. What started off as friendship led us to becoming soulmates."

She was almost choking as her tears fell. "I'm in love with you, Kwon Jiwon," she finally confessed. "If I could change time, I would tell that stupid girl from the past to hold on to your hand sooner and wipe away your misery. But now that I've found you, I am never letting go."

Her last words were an unbreakable vow. There was nothing which could ever separate them.

"And now, Jiwon will recite his vows," Riggs said with a smile. His eyes were also glistening but he maintained his composure.

"I…" KJ started. He took a deep breath and continued. "I made a lot of mistakes. Some of them were very serious. But the biggest mistake was to make you cry."

A silence fell over everyone as they heard KJ pour his heart out.

"Many years ago, when we met as children, I was awed by a green eyed princess. When my sisters tried to harm me, she was the only one who stood up for me. But I lied and made that pretty girl cry. That one moment when you shed your tears in front of me, haunted my dreams," he went on. "Even when we met again as a.d.u.l.ts, I've only made you cry."

Even though the others did not understand, Mirae knew that he was talking about the original timeline. She gave him a small smile and silently encouraged him to express his feelings.

"If I could change all those moments, I would do it in a heartbeat," he said. "But you've always believed that we should live in the present and let go of our past. You showed me that our mistakes don't define us but our current actions do. Even during my rough patches, you stood by my side. We had our ups and downs but we made it through. Every minute I was thankful that I had you with me. Even if you had not loved me back, I would have kept on being by your side to support you."

"And today, here we are. Living the chance we were given. This time, I'll live the life we've wanted for ourselves. I'll never make you cry in sadness again. I love you, Jung Mirae. And I'll keep loving you even when both of us grow old while our teeth rot away and our bodies wear down. Even then, I'll keep on loving you.

Their earnest love for each other touched everyone's hearts. Somi was delighted that her best friend finally found the family she was looking for while Hyun Jung was also delighted for KJ on attaining love. Dasom and Eli looked at each other, a look of love and understanding passing between them. 

"Do you, Kwon Jiwon, take Jung Mirae in sickness and in health as your lawfully wedded wife?" Riggs asked the groom.

"I do," KJ replied.

Riggs then turned to Mirae. "Do you, Jung Mirae, take Kwon Jiwon in sickness and in health as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she breathed. 

"May we please bring the ringbearer?" Riggs announced.

Somi gently picked up Jade and brought him close to the couple. KJ took out the green ring for Mirae. Her eyes widened in happiness when she saw it.

"It's so beautiful…" she gasped. The green sapphire sparkled elegantly as he placed it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.

She picked up the gold ring and slipped it on his ring finger, her face flushed with happiness. Seeing her smiling face made KJ feel extremely lucky. It was the picture perfect moment for them. No more obstacles, he vowed. The life which lay ahead will be difficult and at times test them But they were no longer the naive 21 year old couple who had no experience in love. Both of them had grown and it was time for them to live to their fill.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Riggs declared. "You may now kiss the bride."

Without waiting for another second, KJ cupped her tiny face into his hands and scooped down to kiss her. Her strawberry flavored lips tasted very delicious but he had to restrain himself from kissing her senseless in front of all the people. He softly pecked her, letting the moment engulf them into pure bliss before letting go.

Cheers erupted as their friends came up to congratulate them. Mirae picked up Jade in her arms and cuddled him. The cat purred in her lap, feeling content.

"Everyone, please smile for the pictures!" Somi ordered, pointing at the camera. To Mirae's surprise, Psycho was the cameraman.

"You're here too?" she asked in surprise. "Why weren't you at the ceremony?"

"I couldn't stand my oppa getting married to someone else," he said tearfully. KJ cleared his throat and held Mirae closer.

"Take some good pictures!" he demanded. 

"Say Cheese!"

Mirae looked at the camera with a smile but KJ lightly kissed her cheek, causing her to blush. The moment was captured by the camera in a second.

"Group photo!" Eli exclaimed. Everyone jumped into the frame with the couple.

"Say Cheese!"

"Cheeeese!" everyone said as the camera flashed. 

Mirae was overwhelmed by the gesture. Every single person in that room had gone through some kind of pain or suffering. Yet, they kept on living happily with pride. Seeing them come together to prepare a wedding ceremony for her overjoyed her. Words could not describe what she felt. 

She turned to look at KJ. He was beaming with joy when he felt Mirae's hand slip into his. He turned to face her.

"Thank you," she expressed. KJ smiled and kissed their entangled hands.

"No," he said. "Thank you."