* * *

It had been a whirlwind of a morning. Just getting up early and preparing for today’s schedule made my head spin.

The wedding, which I had vaguely thought would be simple, required constant attention to detail, despite leaving most of the work to professionals.

After more than a month of preparations, the big day was finally here.

“Haejun-ah, there will be a lot of people today! They’re all coming to see how beautiful you are, okay?”

Holding Haejun in the waiting room, I explained to him about the people she would meet today. As I gestured and talked, Haejun, who increasingly resembled Taeshin, looked up at me with bright eyes.

“Heh—”

“Who does Haejun take after to be this cute?”

“Sunwoo.”

I couldn’t kiss Haejun because of my makeup, and just then, Taeshin, looking striking in a white suit, approached.

His tall, upright figure and handsome face were perfectly highlighted by the suit.

“As expected…”

Who else would Haejun take after but Taeshin? I had hoped he would inherit his looks, and he was born a perfect copy of Taeshin.

His features were becoming more defined, and when I shared his newborn photos in our group chat, everyone was amazed at how much he resembled Taeshin.

I had hoped he would inherit his looks and my sharp instincts, and it seemed he had succeeded in both.

Even at just four months old, she already seemed perceptive.

“Why, Sunwoo? Do you like it?”

“No? Not my taste.”

“Really?”

“Ugh!”

Pretending not to be affected, I shook my head, and Taeshin, holding Haejun, gently brushed his fingers along my waist, sending shivers down my spine.

“The grooms will now move to the photo lounge.”

“Just wait and see.”

“Ouch.”

I was about to say something in surprise when an employee came in and called us.

Feeling a bit mischievous, I pinched Taeshin’s side as punishment, then hugged Haejun and took a couple’s photo in the photo lounge.

“Little Brother and Taeshin, congratulations on your wedding.”

“Congratulations to both of you.”

When Taeshin and I stepped into the hall, my eldest brother and his wife were the first to approach us.

Recognizing them from a few previous meetings, Haejun smiled brightly, which made my sister-in-law hold his hand warmly.

“Youngest and Taeshin, congratulations on your marriage.”

“…Congratulations.”

Following my eldest brother and sister-in-law, my third and fourth brothers approached, congratulating us with a wistful look in their eyes.

They still seemed unable to grasp the reality of my marriage, looking so forlorn that I clicked my tongue in disapproval.

It’s about time my brothers grew up and got their act together. It was quite worrisome.

“Haejun~!”

“Haejun, it’s your uncle~”

The brothers who had just been congratulating us so dispiritedly suddenly transformed when they saw Haejun.

Where had the brothers who told me to only cohabitate with Taeshin gone?

They turned into fools, grinning widely at the sight of Haejun.

Ever since they first saw newborn Haejun in the hospital, they had been utterly smitten with his growing cuteness.

“Haejun, see you later.”

“Bye, Haejun~”

“Taeshin.”

Behind my brothers, who were waving goodbye to Haejun like children, a familiar yet somewhat distant figure approached.

I had to search my memory briefly to recall who it was—Taeshin’s older brother, Lee Taeyoung.

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Eight years older than us, Taeyoung looked similar to Taeshin but had a more rugged and stoic appearance, resembling their father.

He was a man of few words, and I hadn’t had many conversations with him. In fact, I’d only seen him in person three times.

The first time I met Taeyoung was during my first Lunar New Year with Taeshin after he returned from studying in the U.S. Taeyoung had looked at me as if I were a curious animal.

“Aren’t you weirded out by him?”

“No. I don’t find him weird. You seem weirder. Why would you call your brother weird?”

When Taeyoung had asked this, I was momentarily separated from Taeshin.

My own brothers scolded me daily for causing trouble but still called me cute.

So, Taeyoung calling his own brother weird made him seem even stranger to me.

“I see.”

Taeyoung had muttered this in response and said no more. The next two meetings were similar, with brief greetings and us going our separate ways.

“Congratulations on your marriage, and please take good care of my brother.”

Taeyoung offered his hand for a handshake as he said this. Having only heard my brothers growling at Taeshin to treat me well, hearing Taeyoung ask me to take care of Taeshin felt novel.

“Yes! I’ll take good care of Taeshin!”

Taeyoung’s words made me realize just how precious Taeshin was to someone else. Understanding that someone who is precious to me is also precious to someone else made me feel happy.

Seeing Taeshin next to me, showing clear signs of discomfort and annoyance, made their sibling imprint all the more apparent.

Taeshin, you claim not to be close to your brother, but Taeyoung seems to care about you. I nudged Taeshin playfully, and he gave me a grumpy look.

That’s when I noticed Moon Jinwoo watching us from a distance without coming closer.

While various people congratulated us on our marriage, Jinwoo quickly turned his head away when our eyes met.

Even now, as we were getting married, does he still dislike it? How are we supposed to take family photos after the ceremony at this rate?

Jinwoo, who had always told me to break off my engagement to Taeshin, was still opposing it, even though my other brothers had accepted Taeshin.

He’s incredibly stubborn. Even mom couldn’t break Jinwoo’s stubbornness, so I’m at a loss.

I decided to forget about it and went to greet more guests, but then I stepped into the restroom.

“…hic…”

Inside, I heard someone crying.

Everyone who entered the restroom, including myself, glanced at the stall from which the crying sound was coming.

Today was a happy day, with Taeshin and I getting married, so I wondered who could be crying so sorrowfully. I cautiously approached and was shocked.

“…My little brother… is getting married… sob… my adorable little brother… damn it… that little kid… sob…”

Oh my God. It was Moon Jinwoo.

I couldn’t believe my ears at first, but the sniffling voice was unmistakably Jinwoo’s.

Hearing Jinwoo cry so pitifully over my marriage left me momentarily stunned.

Jinwoo, who had acted like a dictator and caused all sorts of trouble since we were kids, had made me think he hated me and saw me as less significant than an ant.

But he actually thought of me as his adorable little brother… Ugh!

I stumbled out of the restroom in shock.

“Wow, unbelievable.”

I shook my head, still in disbelief. In all my life, I had never seen Jinwoo cry.

Not even when watching sad dramas or movies.

Jinwoo, who was so mean that I thought he had no feelings, was crying because he was sad about my marriage!

It was incomprehensible. And if he had cherished me so much, why had he treated me so poorly all these years?

Trying to understand Jinwoo was like trying to breathe in outer space—an impossible task, so I gave up.

“Moon Sunwoo!”

Still reeling from the shock, my friends arrived, pulling me back to reality.

“Welcome.”

“Congratulations, Moon Sunwoo, Lee Taeshin. Damn, seeing Haejun in person, he really does look just like you.”

“Isn’t Haejun really cute?”

“As much as I hate to admit it. Yeah. Even more than in photos.”

Yoon Yijun and Jo Ana clicked their tongues, looking at Taeshin holding Haejun, clearly reluctant to acknowledge how cute Haejun was.

Jo Ana clasped her hands together and asked if I was reading the Confucian classics she had sent as a gift.

“Damn, why do you guys keep sending me stuff like that?”

After boasting about Haejun in the group chat, everyone started sending weird gifts, congratulating us.

While we did receive baby products and useful items for the mother, there were also strange things mixed in.

From Jo Ana’s collection of the Four Books and Five Classics, middle and high school ethics textbooks, proper children’s animations, to the Constitution of Korea.

The Constitution, in particular, was sent by someone studying abroad in the US, which was even more astonishing.

“When you all have kids, I’ll send you the same stuff.”

“I’ve lived so virtuously that I don’t need such things.”

“What nonsense.”

At my words, Yoon Yijun laughed and went over to Jo Ana and Taeshin. Although Jo Ana looked like she had bitten into something sour, her eyes remained fixed on Haejun.

“Sunwoo! Sunwoo!”

“Jung Noeul! Go Cheolmin! Come on in!”

“Wow, Sunwoo, congratulations.”

“Moon Sunwoo, congrats. You look great today.”

College friends, who I had barely spent a semester with, soon arrived. Jung Noeul and Go Cheolmin gave me a thumbs-up.

As I puffed up arrogantly at their compliments, laughter erupted.

After that, I greeted more guests. During the process, I encountered the person who had revealed my pregnancy to my mom.

“So, I asked your mom, and she said the eldest is getting married, so I asked when the youngest would. I thought you’d have the ceremony before showing, but it’s happening now.”

An old friend of my mom’s, whom I knew well, congratulated me on my wedding.

Apparently, she had seen me at the OB-GYN with ultrasound photos and the maternity handbook.

Later, my mom had boasted to her friend about my eldest brother’s wedding, and upon being asked about the youngest, my mom learned the truth.

Aunt Soohee! You have no idea how tough it was for me then!

I thought I got caught because I misplaced my maternity handbook, and felt wronged, unable to say anything.

Unaware of this, my aunt laughed and went to see Haejun, who was in my belly at the time.

“Baby!”

“Grandpa!”

“Our baby looks ten times more handsome today! Even if that rascal Taeshin is a bit lacking, he’s lucky to have married you, right?”

“Oh, Grandpa! It’s Taeshin who’s lucky to marry me. Ah, Taeshin and Haejun are over there.”

“Okay, I’ll go see them now. Oh, since our baby hasn’t said anything, Grandpa picked out the gift, so don’t refuse it.”

“What?”

With more guests arriving, Grandpa waved his hand with a smile and went to Taeshin and Haejun.

Grandpa, who always wanted to keep giving gifts after Haejun was born, had postponed giving me a car before, so I guess he picked out the gift himself this time.

What could it be?

Grandpa always found Haejun so precious and adorable, which was more than enough for me. But he always felt like he hadn’t done enough for us.

Grandpa, holding Haejun from Taeshin’s arms, had a happy expression.

Watching them warmly, I greeted the guests and took pictures with my friends.

After the whirlwind of greetings, the scheduled wedding ceremony began.

During the ceremony, I entrusted Haejun to my sister-in-law and stood at the entrance of the wedding aisle.

As the surroundings darkened and the light shone only where we stood, the accumulated tension rushed in all at once.

Seeing the long path ahead and the podium at the end, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Unable to exhale the breath I had taken in, I started to tremble. I felt a hand gently hold mine from beside me.

Startled, I turned to see Taeshin standing there.

Right, I wasn’t alone. Looking beside me, I realized I wasn’t alone on this wedding aisle.

Taeshin was right there with me.

As our eyes met, Taeshin smiled softly, his eyes crinkling.

“It’s okay, Sunwoo.”

“…Yeah.”

The most reassuring words in the world are probably “It’s okay” from Taeshin. When he held my hand and told me it was okay, it really felt okay.

The cold, trembling body warmed up, and the tension gradually eased.

As I smiled back at Taeshin and looked down the wedding aisle again, the distance that had seemed so long now didn’t seem that far.

Hwang Joonbong, who was officiating the wedding, gave a formal greeting and started the ceremony. As the wedding march played, everything that had happened so far flashed before my eyes like a panorama.

From Taeshin, sitting alone in a large room reading a book, always believing he’d be my best friend forever.

Then, unexpectedly, we had an accident, and I finally realized his feelings, along with the arrival of Haejun, who came into our lives without us even knowing.

And my feelings, which I realized later, passed by as if I could almost touch them.

As I walked towards the dazzling podium, I glanced to the side. At some point, Taeshin was also looking at me, not ahead.

Now I understand. There was a time when I didn’t like being called “honey” by Taeshin. It felt like he was no longer my friend, and I was scared. But that wasn’t it. It wasn’t about changing but about adding.

Taeshin will always be by my side. As my best friend in the world, my most precious partner, and spouse. In whatever form, he will be with me forever.

“I, Taeshin…”

“I, Moon Sunwoo…”

“Swear to be each other’s partner and love each other for life.”

“Swear to be each other’s partner and love each other for life.”

Reading the wedding vows on the podium, we sincerely made our vows.

Next to me, Taeshin was looking at me with a gaze more sincere and deep than ever.

At that moment, I felt Taeshin’s pheromones. His true heart promising to love me for life.

“I love you, Sunwoo.”

At the end of the vow, Taeshin whispered softly. At that moment, my heart pounded loudly and spread throughout my body.

Unparalleled happiness and fullness filled my heart. Smiling broadly at Taeshin, I whispered back.

“…Me too.”

I will love you for a long time, too, Taeshin.

We were just a bit faster than others.

* * *