By Zephyria 
#Side Story 5
Ire, getting out of the car, couldn’t hide his nervousness upon discovering more guests than he had anticipated. From the entrance, people recognized Kim Ha-yoon and greeted him, striking up conversations. People old enough to be his father were so ingratiating that it made Ire’s skin crawl.
He felt their gazes linger on him as well, but unlike before, no one asked who he was or treated him rudely. On the contrary, they acted friendly, praising him as a remarkable young man.
After chatting, they moved away from the guests, and Ire noticed tables and chairs neatly covered with white cloths on a wide lawn. Each table was adorned with flowers, and large floral arches stood before the carpet where the bride would appear.
“Hyung!” Luca, who had run over from somewhere, jumped into his arms. Ire hugged him back, not caring about his suit getting dirty. Luca, now quite free of his rough edges, was dressed in a suit with a bow tie. As he tried to pull at the tie, looking uncomfortable, Kim Ha-yoon grabbed his hand.
“Later. After the ceremony. If you want to be a cool gentleman like me, you have to be patient.”
At those words, Luca nodded emphatically and stood at attention. He liked Kim Ha-yoon, but Ire wasn’t sure about Luca growing up to be like Kim Ha-yoon. Kim Ha-yoon, noticing his troubled expression, brought his lips close to his ear and whispered.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be better than me.”
“I didn’t say anything…”
Ire, feeling a bit guilty, looked away. Just then, Luca took Kim Ha-yoon’s hand and led him towards Matteo. “Hayun hyung. Let’s go to our dad. Let’s take a picture with Dad.” The two still engaged in an invisible battle of nerves, which young Luca somehow sensed and often took the initiative to mediate, just like now.
As Kim Ha-yoon disappeared from view, Seo Young-jun and Oh Nam-gi appeared. Seo Young-jun, who had lost one leg in an accident, had a new prosthetic leg, which was indistinguishable from the real thing at first glance. The shape was so perfect that it looked no different from a real leg.
But every time Ire saw his leg, it felt like he was going back to that day, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course, Seo Young-jun seemed to notice this and deliberately showed off his leg even more.
“Why are you alone?”
Seo Young-jun craned his neck, looking for someone. He seemed to be checking if Baek Seol had arrived. Baek Seol, Gilsu, Jang-cheon, and Gangsan had left together, but they hadn’t arrived yet. As soon as Ire said they would be here soon, Seo Young-jun’s expression brightened.
Turning around, Ire saw Baek Seol just getting out of the car. Unlike usual, she had her hair down and was wearing a beautiful ankle-length dress. It was amazing how much a person could change with clothes.
As Ire watched in admiration, Gilsu grabbed a drink from a passing waiter’s tray and gulped it down.
“Why are you so late?”
Gilsu sighed at those words.
“Don’t even ask. We tried to take a shortcut and ended up in the wrong place.”
“Liar. You drank too much yesterday and threw up while driving, that’s why we were late.”
Gilsu frowned at Jang-cheon’s words.
“That was just for a moment. You were the one driving.”
As Ire tried to separate the bickering pair, Baek Seol came over and scanned Ire up and down.
“Oh my god. Captain, why do you look so handsome? Anyone would believe you’re the groom.”
“Yeah. You’re a completely different person. Like a Young Master from a rich family.”
“With your hair down, you look like a prince.”
Ire, feeling embarrassed by the effusive praise, made an awkward expression. Baek Seol crossed her arms. “Do I look like the bride then?” Then, Ire felt a sharp, piercing sensation at the back of his head and turned around in surprise.
Seo Young-jun was standing there with his arms crossed, staring at him intently. He was smiling handsomely, but his eyes were shooting lasers. Ire pulled Baek Seol away. The two hadn’t made eye contact, but Ire knew that a battle of nerves had been going on since they arrived.
Ire raised both hands towards Baek Seol.
“You two sort it out. Leave me out of it.”
He slipped away and ran. The others, except for Baek Seol and Seo Young-jun, sensed the atmosphere and scattered to the left and right. Seo Young-jun came to the sulking Baek Seol, smiled, and pulled a flower from his pocket.
The pink rose seemed to be one of the decorations, and Baek Seol burst out laughing, throwing her head back. They fought over trivial things, and their way of making up was just as trivial.
Leaving his friends behind, Ire headed to where Matteo was waiting. Opening the door, he found Matteo sitting in front of the mirror with an awkward expression. Matteo saw Ire in the mirror and smiled brightly. Ire went closer, lightly hugged him from behind, and offered his congratulations.
“Congratulations. You look so handsome.”
Matteo’s face was unusually tense.
“Thank you.”
Ire straightened up and gazed at Matteo’s face reflected in the mirror. Just a few years ago, he couldn’t have imagined this day would come. A day when Matteo’s illness would be cured and he would smile happily.
In the past, he might have felt more sadness than joy at the news of Matteo’s marriage. But now, he felt genuinely happy and could congratulate him wholeheartedly. He didn’t bother denying that it was because of Kim Ha-yoon.
“How do you feel?”
Matteo pondered the question. His eyes flickered with many emotions as he recalled the past.
“I never thought I would marry someone and start a family. You guys were enough for me. In fact, I was worried until recently. I was afraid my marriage would hurt you.”
“That’s a silly thought. It’s a blessing that someone as wonderful as Anna has become part of our family.”
The children even followed Anna more than Matteo. In fact, Kim Ha-yoon had provided a lot of help, knowingly or unknowingly, in getting the marriage to happen. It was Kim Ha-yoon who had met and persuaded Anna’s father, who had been strongly opposed.
Ire didn’t know what they had discussed, but seeing how he had suddenly given his permission for the marriage overnight, he suspected that Kim Ha-yoon had used threats instead of persuasion. Of course, Matteo must never know this.
“Anyway, congratulations. Live well.”
“Thank you. Even if I get married, I’ll still be your guardian. If you ever have a hard time or need someone to lean on, you have to come to me.”
Even though Ire was in charge of a district, Matteo still seemed to see him as a child. Ire didn’t entirely dislike that. Matteo, having finished his hair, stood up. He looked even more striking, having dressed up.
A photographer came and asked them to pose. Matteo put his arm around Ire’s shoulder. As their smiling faces were captured by the camera, the photographer praised them, saying they looked like professional models.
After taking the photos, they headed to the bride’s waiting room. Unlike Matteo, Anna was relaxed and smiling radiantly.
Kim Ha-yoon and Luca, who had disappeared, were also there. Kim Ha-yoon was talking to Anna, and whatever the topic of conversation was, he looked very happy.
“Welcome.”
Ire greeted the smiling Anna and parted his lips. He wasn’t used to complimenting ladies, so he didn’t know what to say. Words like “You’re so beautiful” or “Your beauty is so dazzling that I can’t even look at you” swirled in his mouth.
“You look handsome.”
After finally uttering those words, Anna smiled.
“Do you like it?”
Huh? Like it? It wasn’t a question about whether she was pretty. As Ire wondered, Kim Ha-yoon grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. “Then we’ll be going now. See you later.” Anna cheered them on. Ire didn’t know what that meant until they were outside.
“I said I wanted to see you in a dress like that.”
Ire scoffed in disbelief.
“Keep dreaming. If you want to wear it, Captain, you can wear it.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I don’t know if my muscles can handle it, though.”
Ire bristled at those words. He wanted to argue that he had plenty of muscles too and was about to lift his shirt, but he stopped himself. He didn’t want to have such a childish argument at a wedding. Soon after, the guests were seated, and the wedding began as the bride and groom entered hand in hand.
Everyone admired how well they looked together, but Kim Ha-yoon’s eyes were fixed on the dress. Ire became worried that this man would actually get a dress and make him wear it. He whispered in his ear not to even dream about it, but Kim Ha-yoon smiled and didn’t deny it.