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Tae Hyun nearly chuckled when he remembered that and fought to keep his face blandly happy as he watched over the ceremony. Yoo Mi was more than happy to reap the publicity benefits of Tae Hyun’s free-spirited recklessness. But she would definitely murder him in front of everyone there if he upstaged her during the ceremony.
A tiny part of Tae Hyun wondered if Yoo Mi had planned the whole thing, staging the argument knowing that Tae Hyun might do something foolish and draw that much publicity to her wedding. But that was just paranoia. She may have been an admitted master at maintaining her public image, but not even Yoo Mi was that calculating.
A storm of flashbulbs erupted as soon as the officiant, one of Seong Woo’s uncles, declared the happy couple husband and wife. And Tae Hyun let his tears flow as Yoo Mi and her new husband walked back up the aisle, ensuring he’d appear appropriately joyful should any of the dozens of cameras catch him.
Once the guests started to leave their seats, Jason wandered over from the groom’s side of the stage. He offered Tae Hyun a subtle kiss on the cheek. “That was quite the ceremony. I can’t believe Yoo Mi kept her head up the whole time. All that extra hair alone must’ve weighed ten pounds.”
Tae Hyun chuckled. “I’m sure she’d tell you she did a runway show once where they had to hold fifty-kilo weights on their heads the whole time.”
Jason laughed. “Yeah, on a tightrope while spinning plates in her hands. How are you holding up?”
Tae Hyun smiled. “I’m fine. I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this for weeks. And it’s only one day.”
Jason snorted. “It’s not really that bad, is it?”
Tae Hyun was about to say something flippant but stopped himself as he realized Jason was testing the waters with him again about their unplanned wedding. The last time Jason brought it up directly, Tae Hyun had testily complained that they were way too busy to think about it. And he’d never apologized for that either. So he smiled and shook his head. “No, not at all.” He took Jason’s hand. “But ours will be so much better.”
The flashes went off as he leaned in to kiss Jason.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jason whispered.
“They’re already watching. We might as well give them a show.”
Jason’s pouty lips curled into an adorable smirk. “Actually, I’ve got a better idea.” He took Tae Hyun’s hand. “Come with me.”
Jason tugged at Tae Hyun, pulling him along as he scampered off the stage toward the back corner of the room. They headed for a door clearly marked as an Emergency Exit with a sign warning anyone who opened it that an alarm would sound. Tae Hyun winced as Jason pushed on the bar to open the door, but no alarm squealed. The door led to the ubiquitous, painted cinder block hallways that always ran behind everything at hotels. The last time he was in one–no. There was no need to revisit that memory. They stopped before a door labeled Emergency Management. Tae Hyun assumed it would be locked, but it opened when Jason tried the handle. Tae Hyun was surprised to see that it was essentially a closet with only a pair of empty metal shelving units along one wall.
“What’s this?”
Jason chuckled. “When we were here for the rehearsal yesterday, I had Seong Min look around for places we could escape to if the press attention got too heated.” He spread his arms. “And he found this.”
Tae Hyun snorted. “And what are we supposed to do in here?”
Jason grinned as he approached Tae Hyun and grabbed him by the waist. “Whatever we want.”
Tae Hyun pressed himself against Jason as he leaned in to kiss him. Jason practically inhaled Tae Hyun’s tongue and let his hands fall to Tae Hyun’s ass, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Tae Hyun squirmed and backed off Jason’s mouth. “We shouldn’t do this here. And I don’t want to miss the paebaek.”
Jason frowned. “The what?”
“It’s a traditional ceremony,” Tae Hyun explained, “where the couple is welcomed into their new families by their in-laws. It used to be a private thing, but most people make it part of the reception now. And Yoo Mi wouldn’t dare pass up the photo op.”
Jason nodded. “Fair enough.” He let go of Tae Hyun’s ass, but Tae Hyun quickly grabbed his hands to keep them in place.
“But I want to pick this up later when we’re really alone.”
Jason’s smirk returned. “Sounds like a date.”
After sharing another kiss, Tae Hyun and Jason snuck out of the back hallway and found their way to the ballroom in time for cocktails and the paebaek ceremony. Korean weddings were usually breezy affairs, with a short ceremony before cocktails and dinner at one of the country’s numerous dedicated wedding venues. But Yoo Mi wanted her wedding to be a spectacle that people talked about for weeks afterward, if not longer. So she’d borrowed from the more popular Western traditions, including having a dozen attendants in matching dresses and tuxedos and having a full reception afterward. That included flying in DJ Wicked Twister all the way from London and offering a top-shelf open bar for her guests. Thankfully, it didn’t include speeches.
Guests slowly began to filter toward the dance floor or the bar once they’d finished eating. Tae Hyun noticed his sister on the dance floor and thought about joining her, but he knew it would draw attention to him, and he’d had enough of that for the weekend. Then Jason offered to go to the bar and grab drinks for them, so Tae Hyun sat back and enjoyed watching the dancers. He was tired, but only because it had been a long day. His jet lag had finally gone away.
Jason soon returned with their drinks, and the pair sat holding hands under the table. It felt so warm and comfortable holding Jason’s hand in public, even if they hid it from public view. When the music eventually slowed down, Yoo Mi wandered over to their table and asked Tae Hyun if he wanted to dance.
“This has been quite the day, Yoo Mi.” Tae Hyun took her hand and put his free arm around her to lead. “I hope you’re enjoying it.”
Yoo Mi smiled. “Are you kidding? I’m thrilled. It’s the wedding I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl.”
