My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 140



139. Wedding, Honeymoon, and just the two of us…. (1)

The long-awaited wedding day.

Aki and I woke up early in the morning and headed to the wedding hall. Guest entry was from 10 AM, but preparations for the bride and groom and stage checks needed to happen much earlier. We departed at 6 AM and, upon arriving, immediately started with the rehearsal and checking of outfits and movements. After the rehearsal, there was no time to rest, and we started with makeup and dressing.

From noble mtl dot com

Aki in a pure white dress, and me in a navy suit with a bow tie.

I hadn’t worn a suit since my university interview, so it felt really awkward… but the staff helping me with the suit all complimented me, saying I looked so handsome. They said the bride would surely be thrilled, that I could pass for a celebrity, which gave me a little more confidence.

After finishing makeup and putting on the suit, I went to the first floor to meet another childhood friend who would be helping with greeting guests today. Jaehyun, who, like Aki, I’ve known since kindergarten and remained friends with until twenty years old.

“Oh~ wow. A man looks his best in a suit, they say…. Is that really Ju-Woo-Ju that I know? You look so good!”

Jaehyun smiled brightly, extending his right hand.

I responded to his joking words with a smile of my own, walked closer, and firmly grasped his hand. Then, I shook it up and down, greeting him warmly.

“Time really flies. Man, to think I’d be seeing you get married?”

“Thanks. You look good in a suit too. You said you gained weight, but you look the same to me?”

“Nah. Gained nearly ten kilos, drinking my way through university that first year… Anyway, where’s my post? I’m supposed to be greeting people in the lobby, right?”

“Yeah. Just sit there, take the congratulatory money, write down names in the ledger, and hand out meal tickets according to the number of guests.”

“Okay. What happens if I misspell a guest’s name?”

“Nothing really happens. It’s just… later, I might wonder if that person even came.”

“Right? Then I’d better not mess up. When do the guests start arriving? Ten o’clock, was it?”

“Yep. Ten. But there’ll probably be some showing up before then too.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than someone entered through the main entrance on the first floor. Judging by their attire, definitely not wedding hall staff. Probably a guest I don’t know…

Our eyes met. The guest offered a gentle smile and headed our way.

“Hello. Am I too early?”

“Ah, no, not at all. Are you here for the 10 o’clock wedding?”

“Yes. I’m an acquaintance of the bride’s mother. I tried to time it right, but I was worried about traffic… Uh, is it alright if I give my congratulatory money and get my meal ticket now?”

“Of course. Just hand me the envelope and tell me your name.”

I took the envelope with the money, wrote down the name they gave me, and issued a meal ticket.

“Thank you. I’ll go kill some time at a nearby cafe until ten o’clock~”

“Thank you. Please be sure to let us know when you come back later!”

I gave a polite bow. The guest, a supposed acquaintance of Aki’s mother, exchanged a parting glance and a bow with me before heading out of the wedding hall.

I turned to look at Jaehyun, who was standing beside me.

“That’s pretty much how you deal with them. Easy, right?”

“Hmm… seems simple enough. Just gotta keep the bowing consistent, I guess.”

─Groom, bride, are you done with your attire~!

“Hey, sounds like they’re calling for you?”

“Oh, yeah. Guess so. I’ll be right back.”

I gave Jaehyun’s shoulder a light pat, a silent wish for good luck. Then, I headed straight for the bride’s waiting room on the first floor.

*Creak*. I opened the door to find Aki sitting in front of a mirror.

She was dressed in a pure white dress.

A style with a bit of exposure, just as she had hoped for…

“……”

The dress, with its bare shoulders, was simply beautiful.

And her face, touched with delicate makeup, was utterly charming.

Especially those red lips. The clear focal point of the bride’s makeup, standing out. The color, a gentle flush, made them look like cherries and so cute. So much so that I felt a fleeting urge to reach out and touch them.

“Ah…. You’re here?”

Aki seemed a little startled to find me.

Only then did I realize I’d been lost in thought for a moment.

‘Wow. Her makeup is really something….’

How could makeup alone change a person’s impression so drastically? Suppressing the slight flutter that had started in my chest, I approached Aki.

“…You said you were ready?”

“Uh-huh. I’m ready. Now I just have to take pictures with the guests, and, um…?”

*k*ss.*

I couldn’t resist, and ended up k*ssing her.

Being as careful as possible not to smudge her makeup, I pressed just a chaste stamp of a k*ss to her lips and pulled away… The staff who were still waiting, not having gone out yet, gasped in surprise, and Aki stared blankly up at me, belatedly turning red.

“Hu, Hu, Husband-dearest… ?!”

“…Beautiful.”

“Eung-ah….”

“…Can I do it one more time?”

Wouldn’t once or twice be pretty much the same? Thinking that, I moved even closer. Aki, surprised, quickly glanced around, then placed her hands on my shoulders.

“La, later…! Later. There are people here right now….”

“…Don’t wanna.”

“…?!”

*k*ss.*

This time, I made it a bit deeper before pulling away. And with a mischievous grin, I looked down at Aki.

“I’ll come back later and do it again.”

“……”

Aki hung her head.

Unlike usual, her hair was up, so even with her head bowed, her flushed cheeks were clearly visible.

Mm. Aki is cute, after all…….

* * *

10 AM.

The time for the guests to begin entering had arrived. Together with Jaehyun, who was in charge of receiving congratulatory money and recording names, I stood in the lobby and began greeting each of the guests who had come to celebrate the wedding.

“Thank you so much for coming. Is it just the two of you?”

“Yes. Just my wife and I. The name is….”

“Recorded. Here are your meal tickets. Thank you!”

“Oh my, is that Woo-joo? You’ve grown so much since I last saw you, you’re a real man now~! Do you remember me? I’m your mother’s friend, I saw you when you were just a little sprout!”

“I apologize. I was far too young to recall…”

“Woo-joo, it’s been too long. Do you remember me? I’m your paternal granduncle.”

“Ah~ Granduncle! Of course I remember. I saw you at the ancestral grave tending two years ago!”

Among the wedding guests were those I knew, those I vaguely recognized, and those whose faces were utter strangers. The ratio was roughly 30% each. The former were acquaintances of Aki and myself. The middle, acquaintances of my parents. The latter were acquaintances of Aki’s parents, or distant, elderly relatives.

“Excuse me. Could you possibly tell me where the restroom is?”

“Ah… the restroom is that way.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you kindly~”

As an aside. There were also those who, now and then, would come up and ask me things they should have been asking a member of the staff. But considering I was dressed in a suit, I suppose it was understandable, and besides, they were guests here to celebrate our wedding, so I responded with all the kindness I could muster.

And so, after about an hour of attending to our guests… the momentous ceremony was about to begin.

Aki, having returned from the bridal waiting room after taking group photos, went to wait at the top of the staircase, and while Aki and I awaited our turn, our mothers came forward to the center of the hall and lit the prepared candles. And then, smiling, they exchanged deep bows.

…And next was my turn.

I strode confidently through the wide-open doors to the tune of ‘Stay with Me’. I had felt it during the rehearsal too, but the distance from the door to where the bride was waiting was surprisingly long, so I flashed a broad smile towards my friends and family seated along the way. The reaction was explosive, and the atmosphere of the hall began to heat up.

Within that heated atmosphere, it was now the bride’s turn to enter.

Aki, to the gentle strains of ‘I will stay with you’, descended the stairs with her father, captivating the gaze of everyone present. And together with her father, she slowly walked down the flower-strewn aisle, approaching where I stood waiting, and gifting me with a smile.

“Woo-joo-gun. I entrust my daughter to you.”

“Yes, Father. I will care for her well for all our days.”

We exchanged words of blessing and a light embrace.

My father-in-law, after patting me on the back, took Aki’s hand and placed it in mine.

I took Aki’s hand and gently held it, and soon, Aki linked her arm through mine. And we walked together like that, side by side, towards the stage.

Behind us, the blessings, cheers, whistles, and quiet sniffles of some of the guests… ignoring all those sounds, we moved forward. And there, before all of our guests, we exchanged bows, exchanged rings, and together read aloud our vows, promising to overcome any trials that might come our way.

And then, the best man, Aki’s former teacher, read the proclamation of marriage.

He read each character of the proclamation of marriage, formally declaring that this marriage was now solemnized before all, with deliberate care. And immediately following that came the congratulatory speech. [These days, young people don’t get married often, but these two got married as soon as they turned twenty, so they’re truly rare patriots. I hope you share much love and have many children and live happily ever after…]

“Husband, he says we should have many children…?”

“Well, that’s just something he said…”

*Squeeze-*

“We must have them, mustn’t we…?”

“……”

And next, the celebratory song.

Originally, I planned to ask one of my friends to sing the congratulatory song. But Aki’s father mentioned he had a singer friend and asked if it would be alright if he asked him, so I gladly agreed.

However, this singer friend was quite famous. Famous to the point that everyone, young and old, would know his name. Because of this, there was a slight… incident, where all the guests, including my parents, were taken aback. And after that little happening concluded, Aki and I bowed our greetings to both sets of parents.

I bowed deeply to Aki’s parents. Her mother embraced Aki and me in turn, and her father did the same. Then, we moved towards my parents, and my mother embraced Aki and me in turn, and my father did the same.

“My son, when did you grow up so much?”

“Don’t cause any trouble, and if you need anything, tell us anytime. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

When Mom and Dad hugged me, I almost teared up… but if I cried here, it would be a lifelong source of teasing, so I forced myself to hold it back.

After finishing the hugs, we took the time to greet all the guests who came to congratulate us. We bowed at a full 90 degrees, facing every direction, determined to remember the face of every single guest.

“Woo-joo, congratulations~!”

“Aki-ya, congratulations on your marriage! You must live happily, you hear~?!”

“Congratulations, Joo Woo-joo!”

“Congratulations on your marriage! May you both be happy for a long, long time!”

“…Darling. What time do we leave later?”

“We have to make our flight. After Part 2 ends… around 5, I guess?”

“We’ll arrive the next day then….”

“Yeah. But… let’s not worry about that now.”

I hugged Aki and quietly looked down at her.

Her slightly reddened cheeks are so lovely.

“I love you, Aki.”

“……Yeah. I love you too, Darling.”

In the shower of flower petals falling along with the wedding march… a k*ss.

Aki and I closed our eyes and k*ssed for a long time.

…Long enough that all the guests were speechless, watching our k*ss. Very, very long.