Gia Lee's house was accommodative, two bedrooms, kitchen, a toilet and bathroom. That was enough for her . Golden layers of the sun shimmered through the curtains into Gia Lee's closed eyes. She yawned, batted her eyelids before fully waking up.
She rose from the bed, stretched her arms as a smile crept onto her face. She headed to the bathroom, freshened up, and walked to her fully packed closet, picking out a short, long-sleeved white dress.
She wore it and stood in front of the mirror as she stared at her reflection. The dress brought out her curves. Her hair was loose and her makeup simple. Without eating breakfast, she went straight to her car, got in, and drove off to the wedding ceremony.
_____
The church was small, the aisle was filled with white roses, and the ceiling was painted with a photoshopped picture of Song Min Ho and Han Mi Rae.
Inaudible chatter could be heard as relatives from the two families talked and got to know each other. The wedding was a secret, but the couple would be known to the country once they tied the knot.
"And for once, I thought his mother would come," Song Kyung Soo, Min Ho's father, said to Patriarch Song, Min Ho's grandfather.
"That's the problem with marrying a foreign woman. They are just not so perfect," Patriarch Song remarked.
"Maybe I should call her. Even if we are divorced, Jessica still needs to see her son's new bride."
"Don't bother. That ingrate wouldn't make it in time even if she tried to come," Patriarch Song said, then left to meet Patriarch Han.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Kang Ji Woo, Min Ho's best friend and the groomsman, called out, his blonde hair swaying sideways. He was a vision to behold.
"Ji Woo," Kyung Soo looked.
"The officiation is about to start. Tell everyone to be ready, we are all set," Ji Woo said, his gaze on the altar where Min Ho stood. Due to how quiet he was, some of the Han family members mistook him for a mute.
"Oh! Yes, oh! Yes," Kyung Soo nodded, getting into action and bringing everyone's attention as Ji Woo walked back to the altar.
Song Min Ho stood at the altar. He wore a black suit that made him look handsome. His expression was cold and emotionless.
Meanwhile,"Mi Rae is getting late, uncle," Eun Jin whined, and her brother Joon Seo rolled his eyes.
"Relax! It's not your wedding." He was so against the idea of the wedding.
"Still, this wedding has to take place. Min Ho is already there. Gawd, he is so good-looking, and the groomsman too," she gushed as she stared at Ji Woo, who was beside Min Ho.
Joon Seo, an eighteen-year-old high schooler, an eSports player, and an introvert. Hiding from the world is all he knows, to the point that no one at his school knows that he is a family member of the famous Han family. Whilst his elder sister, Eun Jin, took their mother's name, Han, he took their father's name, Lee.
At the altar,
"Don't get nervous. I have seen her pictures, she is beautiful," Ji Woo tried to console.
Then, the trumpet sounded and a piano played in the background. Everyone stood up.
The door opened and Mi Rae, dressed in a beautiful wedding dress, came into view, her arm clinging to her father's arm. Her brown hair dazzled and she smiled.
.....
Everyone's attention was on her as she made slow steps towards the altar. Min Ho looked at the father-daughter duo without emotion. He could see his own father smiling widely as Mi Rae's father escorted her.
Soon, she was at the altar. The song ended and everyone sat down. Her father left the altar, and she stood opposite Min Ho, smiling brightly.
The priest looked at the two, placed a Bible between them, and said, looking at Mi Rae,
"Miss Han, do you promise to take Mr. Song as your lawfully wedded husband, support him in sickness, happiness, and pain, be by his side till his last breath? Until death do you part?"
"I do."
Gia Lee parked her car outside the church, got out, and walked towards it. She pushed the door open, drawing a little attention while Mi Rae was saying, "I do."
"Wasn't she disowned? What is she doing here? Wearing white?" Eun Jin thought, while Joon Seo smiled. He knew Gia Lee very well—she never disappointed. He couldn't wait for the drama about to unfold.
Gia Lee stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for the perfect moment for the drama to begin and for her to raise it to its climax.
Back at the altar, the priest looked at Min Ho and asked, "Mr. Song, do you promise to take Miss Han as your lawfully wedded wife, support her in sickness, happiness, and pain, be by her side till her last breath? Until death do you part?"
Silence…
Seconds passed. Min Ho diverted his gaze from Mi Rae and looked at the end of the aisle where Gia Lee stood, in her short white dress.