“Your grace is… overwhelming.”
“There’s one more.”
This time the King moved himself. He twisted his waist and picked up a silk wrapping cloth he’d placed under the sofa. Sang-seon received it and delivered it respectfully.
“I’ve taken up an interest in woodworking lately. My skills are still lacking though.”
Wrapped in the silk cloth was none other than a pair of carved wooden mandarin ducks. Instantly Jun-wan and Yu-shin’s eyes met. Like a couple already in sync, they immediately rose and bowed deeply.
A handicraft made by the King—it was a gift worthy of becoming a family heirloom. Along with that, their sense of burden reached its peak.
When he’s taken such care, we can’t ruin our married life. The excessive gifts were like invisible shackles. Divorce had become something they couldn’t even dream of.
“I’ve conveyed everything I needed to convey and said everything I wanted to say, so you may leave now. The gifts will be sent to your newlywed home, so you may withdraw comfortably.”
When the King’s permission fell, the two carefully pressed their hands to the floor and stood. After offering another earnest greeting, they backed out of the audience chamber.
It felt like a dream. Even while walking along the long corridor guided by a eunuch, the lingering feeling didn’t easily fade.
The moment they stepped on the stone stairs outside the palace, Yu-shin’s knees buckled. Jun-wan reflexively grabbed the arm of Yu-shin as he was about to collapse.
“Ah…”
“Be careful. If you fall here, you’ll smash your nose.”
Yu-shin bowed his head without replying. He also subtly pulled his caught arm free.
Silence flowed for a while. They were probably thinking similar thoughts. How to put it—it felt like a sense of responsibility and weight they’d never seriously considered had been placed on their shoulders.
Jun-wan habitually checked his wristwatch. He’d cleared his afternoon schedule generously, but the audience had ended earlier than expected. The sunlight pouring down overhead was bright, and for once he had time to spare.
Just as he was considering having a cup of tea with Kim Yu-shin, he saw two people rushing over from a distance. They were people from Yu-shin’s household.
“Young master!”
Chief Manager Min and the driver rushed to Yu-shin as if time was of the essence. Sticking close on both sides and firmly surrounding Yu-shin, they looked like they were isolating their precious young master from the impure world.
“Are you okay? Was the medicine too strong?”
“Ae-gyeong ssi… be quiet.”
Yu-shin whispered lowly.
They made all sorts of fuss while taking Yu-shin away. They were obsessed only with taking care of Yu-shin and paid no attention to Park Jun-wan. Thanks to that, they parted without even saying goodbye.
Jun-wan let out a short hollow laugh. Less than a week remained until the wedding. But our relationship is still far from adequate.
A relationship where it was natural to go their separate ways after seeing to their business. Meeting and parting briefly was no different from strangers. He newly realized that this relationship was just a political marriage. Jun-wan also walked toward where his car was without lingering attachment.
***
April 22nd.
A harmonious, auspicious day when all things become sacred—the most auspicious of auspicious days.
The weather was clear. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
Wedding preparations were in full swing inside the Great Greenhouse in the palace.
Originally they’d planned to rent a suitable place, but after the same-sex marriage announcement, media interest in the first same-sex couple was boiling over, leaving no other option.
For the two families struggling with the wedding venue problem, the King specially opened the Great Greenhouse in the rear garden. Since the palace was a restricted press area, reporters couldn’t even stick their toes in.
What a precious favor this was. The grace was so overwhelming it nearly brought tears. Though they wished the King would rather withdraw his command, the wedding day inevitably arrived.
For nearly a week after the article came out, the entire nation was in an uproar. It was natural. It was that sensational a news story.
Same-sex marriage alone had a strong ripple effect, but the couple holding the first wedding were children of prestigious yangban families. Moreover, it was a match personally arranged by the King.
At that fact, even the opposition that had been raging like demons quieted down. No one dared to interfere with a marriage arranged by His Majesty. Of course, somewhere people might be pounding keyboards and pouring out negative comments, but at least outwardly they accepted the newly established Special Law, and the majority were in a congratulatory mood.
The reason public opinion turned positive was largely due to the strength of the people getting married.
Curious people began digging into the identities of the first same-sex couple.
Very little information came out about Kim Yu-shin, but Jun-wan was different. His age, occupation, and even the ID photo registered on the university website circulated around the internet.
The power of a handsome appearance was truly remarkable. A face created plausibility and understanding. With looks like that, does gender even matter? You could live happily ever after just eating up that face—such comments were predominant.
Perhaps thanks to Park Jun-wan’s good looks planting a favorable impression, the citizens were all eagerly awaiting today’s wedding.
However, the atmosphere in both families was gloomy. Inside the Great Greenhouse famous for its beauty, even the green leaves bursting with vitality seemed to lose their breath.
As previously agreed upon, only immediate family gathered. All together, there were no more than ten modest guests. The empty space was filled instead by flowers, trees, and a string ensemble of seven members. By order of the King who had the highest expectations for this marriage, the glass greenhouse was packed with all sorts of pretty and precious decorations.
“Hey, are you happy?”
Kim Sara suddenly burst into the temporary waiting room set up at the back of the greenhouse. As soon as she arrived, she blinked her large eyes rapidly.
Yu-shin was sitting in a chair, just waiting for the ceremony. Beside him, Chief Manager Min was absorbed in setting Yu-shin’s hair strand by strand with a tail comb.
Even at his noona’s pointed remark, Yu-shin only nodded.
“I am. Don’t you see the weather? It’s fantastic.”
“You didn’t see Dad’s expression, did you? Do you know how death-like his face is right now? His eyebrows are at ten-ten.”
Kim Sara’s eyebrows were also sharply raised. Yu-shin laughed silently. The corners of his eyes folded smoothly.
“It’s a forced wedding, so don’t laugh! Ae-gyeong ssi, why do you keep prettying him up! That’s enough!”
“How can I?”
Chief Manager Min straightened her back and turned Yu-shin’s face this way and that. The effort she’d put into carefully grooming him showed results. Yu-shin in his lustrous ceremonial attire was the most beautiful he’d ever looked and even seemed to sparkle.
“Oh my, our young master… he’s really too precious to give to someone else.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Yu-shin smiled and pulled out several tissues from the side table. Chief Manager Min wiped her wet eyes with the tissues. Why are you crying, am I being sold off somewhere? Yu-shin’s gentle consolation was useless right now.
Just then, there was a tapping sound on the partition. From behind the wooden partition carved with butterflies and flowers, someone with an even taller height revealed their face.
It was Jun-wan.
“Shall we go?”
Saying it was about time, he lifted his left sleeve. On his wrist was wrapped the watch Yu-shin had given as an engagement gift. Though he’d expected it would suit him well, seeing it actually worn brought admiration from within.
Yu-shin grabbed the armrest and stood up. Then he silently examined Jun-wan’s appearance.
Isn’t he the one too precious to give away? Park Jun-wan bathed in sunlight pouring through the glass ceiling was truly magnificent without a hint of exaggeration. His face with neatly swept-back bangs was as precise as if painted with a brush in every feature, and his sharp jawline and firm nape harmonized with the ceremonial attire to shine even more brilliantly.
Though he often wore suits normally, wedding ceremonial attire was especially special. It was the same fabric as Yu-shin’s with just a slightly more classic design, but his ability to pull it off was exceptional.
“Your height… didn’t you say 187?”
“That’s right.”
You look taller though. Yu-shin’s eyes scanned the person before him again. It took quite a while just to go from the crown of his head to his toes. Though Yu-shin had a good eye, he felt slightly doubtful. Perhaps his height looking taller was an optical illusion created by his long limbs.
“……”
“……”
While Yu-shin examined him, Jun-wan’s eyes were also directed at Yu-shin. His tightly closed lips didn’t offer even a simple comment about Yu-shin’s attire. Instead, he just stared with a tenacious, persistent gaze.
At that moment, Kim Sara pushed her way between the two. As if she had something to say, she widened her sanpaku eyes and tilted her head crookedly.
