Running Woman
Sooyoung plugged her earphones and glanced at her Mickey Mouse watch one last time. It was four in the morning. If the details on her ticket were right, she would be at Ninoy Aquino International Airport by eight and she had two hours to blaze through the city to stop the wedding of Cho Kyuhyun and this boyfriend stealer Kim Pikachu. She was nervous. Her English was something she wasn’t confident about. She had never flown on a plane her entire life until that moment. Also, she had never crashed a wedding before. Well, as they say, there's always got to be a first time for every thing and it seemed that this was it.
To ease her anxiety, she tried to catch some sleep on her cheap seat. It was going to be a long weekend and she knew that she will need all the rest she can get while she can. Stop Kyuhyun's wedding. Find that pest Minho and haul his ass back to Korea. Three days. I need a miracle. She was almost praying while drifting off to sleep.
Sleeping on a plane when you are flying economy class wasn’t as easy as she thought. It was as if she was strategically placed in the middle of the worst passengers in the plane. Oh joy. Four hours.
The woman directly behind her was scolding her child who kept crying the whole ride. She and her husband were quarrelling because the kid won’t stop screaming like swine being slaughtered.
"Gary, make this little shit shut up or I'll throw it out the window."
"Jihyo, darling. Don't say mean things to our kid. He might learn to swear. He hasn't even said his first word yet. I don't want his first word to be shit."
The row in front of her were weird dirty old men who were horsplaying no matter how the flight attendant told them to be quiet.
"I think she likes me Jaesuk, did you see that look? She was definitely giving me the eye."
"Dream on SukJin. I say she was looking at Jongkook"
"KwangSoo farted!"
To her left was this older guy who smelled like his favorite cologne's name was Athlete's Foot and his aftershave was Fart. The stench was so terrible that the old lady across the aisle threw up thirty minutes after take off. The said stinking dude kept hitting on Sooyoung for as long as she was awake and even after she pretended to be asleep.
"Hey pretty, what are you doing in the Philippines? Going to Boracay or Baguio? I'm going to Coron on Monday. It's more beautiful and less crowded than Boracay...Would you like to join me in my trip?" Greasy McSleezy flashed his gums at Sooyoung. Sooyoung glanced at the guy's passport. His name was Ha Donghoon, nice name. She wished he had the face and body odor to go with it. He looked like Pororo the Little Penguin in semi-human form. His glasses and beanie didn’t do anything to improve his appeal either. "Whaddaya say, huh? What are your plans for the weekend?"
"To stop my ex- boyfriend's wedding." She said flatly and gave him her crazy-ex-girlfriend smirk then turned her back on the dirty old man. That ought to keep him away.
The guy to her right, sitting on the window seat, seemed to have the bladder capacity of a mouse. The seatmate from hell had to get up every twenty minutes to pay a visit to the restroom. The said guy also kept talking to himself loudly that Sooyoung began to wonder who the hell let this person travel alone and why did his psychiatrist approve it.
"Joonki-ah, calm down. It's alright. It's ok. You can do it. Song Joongki, hwaiting!" It was a pity because the said guy was pretty handsome. Sooyoung wanted to talk to him but opted not to when he started a heated argument with himself regarding the feelings of coconuts.
This is the part where Sooyoung decided that she shall never fly alone in a middle seat again. She just covered her face with a handkerchief and dozed off.
“What are you up to?” Shim Hyeseong’s low raspy voice slowly crept to Changmin’s ear. He stood leaning by the door wearing a black tuxedo that made him look like a prince. He looked dashing. Between the two, Hyeseong had always been the stylish one.
They were both handsome, taking after their mom’s television worthy face and their dad’s height. But Hyeseong, or Jeff as he was called by his Filipino friends, was more popular with the girls and people in general. He had this debonair appeal and playful aura while Changmin fumed awkward from twenty miles away. I’m not saying that Changmin didn’t have appeal. He was very charming―cute like a Pomeranian puppy that was always wagging its tail to welcome you home. Hyeseong on the other hand was simply put hot. And I mean that on a very objective light, not in the I-want-to-bed him kind of light. He really is attractive and all the girls back in high school agree, but no, I do not want to date him.
Changmin is five centimeters taller and three years older but making him sweat like a pig was not a difficult task for his little brother. Hyeseong has been grilling him since the other day when he heard Changmin on the phone.
“What am I up to? What are you talking about?” Changmin pulled up an awry smile as he tried to fix his white bowtie that wasn’t cooperating.
“Max Shim, I sometimes wonder how on earth you get through law school if you can’t even lie without your face giving you away.” The younger one shook his head. He knows when his brother lies. They have been very close since they were young. They were each other’s best friend and Hyeseong knew when something is bothering Changmin.
“Jeffrey Shim, it’s just wedding jitters. Give me a break. Mom has been nagging me constantly since the start of this engagement.” Changmin let out a deep sigh as his little brother fixed his pesky bow tie.
“Mom always nags. There’s something you are not telling me.”
“I wish I could tell you, but you’d surely kill me.”
“I’m not Mom.”
Sooyoung woke up as the nutty guy beside her was getting up from his seat for the fortieth and the last time. The foot stench to her left was gone and the sun was high up in the sky as she can see from the small window to her right. She has finally arrived at the Philippines.
Philippines; clear skies, blue waters and beautiful smiles. The weather was nice and she could almost taste Manila. All her worries and anxiety took the back seat for a moment when excitement and the dawning of the idea that she was in another country took the wheel.
Freedom. Freedom at last. For three days she wouldn’t have to worry about work and earning money to spend on her brother.
Her brother, she remembered and reality sank in that she was not here for vacation. She had to drag Minho by the tail back to Korea and that is after she stops her stupid not-so-ex-boyfriend from marrying this hot random hoebag.
Kyuhyun can be a clueless moron sometimes. Sooyoung knows this and I can also attest that. They have been together for three years and their relationship was always like a circus. Kyuhyun seems to think that his life is one goddamn movie where he was the lead and there had to be fireworks and production numbers all the time. The Cho Kyuyoung stint wasn’t first on the list of retarded things he did in his life, and mind you the list was not short either: pressuring public confession, check; running after a bus, check; drunk love proclamations, double check; fist fights ‘for a woman's honor’, check; random serenading on the street for everyone to see, check; and many other things that even I would be ashamed to mention.
It’s somewhat entertaining and sweet if you don’t mind regular public humiliation through display of affection but sometimes it just makes Sooyoung question her judgment. Why on earth did she start dating Kyuhyun anyway? Then she remembered it was also because of his zany endearing ways that she fell.
But despite Kyuhyun starring in his own imaginary television series, Sooyoung can’t just let this idiot tie the knot with some Oriental Barbie that he just met. There is no divorce in the Philippines and that meant that she should speak now or literally forever hold her piece. She can’t let that happen. Forever meant forever in this case.
She stepped down the plane and as soon as her foot touched the ground she geared herself for the battle. No more soap opera queen Sooyoung. This was war.
“This my son Max. He very handsome like me, right?” Changmin just wanted to melt into a puddle of nothing. It was an hour before the wedding and his mother was introducing him to all the guests like he was some politician running for office on the next election. Madame Shim was wearing a Vera Wang dress and a god-knows-how-much diamond set. You would think that she was the bride, the way she prepared the wedding of the year. There were politicians, well known families, diplomats, rich businessmen and some celebrities. His brother was not in sight. Most likely, Hyeseong was just around the general area of the church and taking pictures of this grand wedding.
There were designer flowers everywhere and the red carpet was covered in pink rose petals. Everything was perfect and lovely, just like how Madame Kris Shim wanted it. Of course, his son is marrying the consul’s daughter and all her amigas were present, everything had to be perfect. If there is one thing that the retired actress did not tolerate, it was imperfection. So ok, maybe there are a heck lot of things she had beef about.
Changmin was sweating like a bottle of Coke taken out of the fridge. Yeonhee was not yet around and he couldn’t tell anyone about his dilemma, not even Hyeseong because he was nowhere to be found. Where the hell is she? Why is she not contacting me?
He dialed his phone but the operator said that the number cannot be reached. She turned off her phone. Darn it. He mentally swore. I would bet my lunch money that during this longest hour of his life, Changmin has called every god and saint he knew from all the religions he read about and followed. He is that kind of guy―always a believer of miracles and other righteous crap. You could say that it was part of his charm.
//I’ll be there in twenty minutes. How is it going? Good luck to us. ^_^ - Yeonnii <3//
"She's coming right?... Promise? What time did she leave? She'll be right on time then. She'd be in for a big surprise. Thank you Amber... Minho is in the Philippines too? That jerk didn't even message me. Aish.. Alright. Long distance calls are expensive. I got to go now and prepare for my wedding. I can't keep Kim Chiu waiting... MuahahahahaHAHAHAHA!"
“I only have ten minutes, floor it please! I can't be late. THIS PLACE, TAKE ME. NOW. FAST. I.NEED.TO.TAKE.MY.BOYFRIEND.BACK. Please Mr Taxi. I hope you understood my English...” Sooyoung whined to the taxi driver but the poor old man just looked at him confused. As far as he was concerned she was screaming Korean nonsense and the address on the invitation she showed him was still a good half hour away.
Her Mickey Mouse clock said that it was nine fifty and that she was running late for the Chiu-Cho nuptials. They have already beaten two red lights but at this rate she wouldn’t be able to make it before they say their vows. It was a disaster. She can’t let this happen when she already crossed seas to claim what was rightly hers.
This is fishy, Hyeseong thought. Nothing weird is happening. The wedding started and flowed like a majestic river of couture gowns and suits. She didn’t show up and do whatever Changmin was coercing her to do. What is up? He definitely knew something was going to happen, but nothing was. It vexed the living hell out of him. He has been expecting something weird to happen since this engagement started but if anything, everything is just weirdly normal.
The signs were all there. Changmin who was eternally infatuated with Yeonhee got engaged with her and he wasn’t incoherently spazzing like a demented person just like he used to do whenever the girl as much as looked his way. It was way out of character for his brother. Something was wrong.
Changmin was also calling her and it had something to do with the wedding, Hyeseong was sure. Changmin was keeping it a secret even from him. Something must be really wrong. Was he planning to sabotage the wedding? But why the hell would he want to sabotage his own wedding with the girl of his dreams?
But now everything was painfully normal and beautiful, it just didn’t make sense. What is up? It was like a big joke without a punch line.
It was so normal and boring that he couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped out of the church, it was not like his mom would notice anyway when she is so preoccupied with looking pretty at the side of the altar. He was the best man but he got Yunho and Changmin’s other fraternity brothers to deal with the responsibilities being a best man entails.
As Hyesong walked towards the garden he heard a car screeching into a halt in front of the church. A loud Korean woman’s voice was breaking the serene environment of the church garden.
Ho.Lee.She.It.
This was it. Here was the punch line he was waiting for.
The vehicle haphazardly parked at the church door was a yellow airport cab; the kind that charged about double the usual taxi would cost you. There was this strange beautiful woman shrieking in Konglish to the old driver. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying exactly but it seems that the woman was pissed because of the unreasonable fair that the driver was asking. Hyesong made a run for it. He flipped his camera open with a playful smile on his face.
It was the first he saw this woman and he didn’t know what her deal was and what was happening. But whatever it was, it’s not going unrecorded for sure.
Sooyoung just gave the driver three hundred Philippine pesos and told him to scoot. She had no time to haggle for she hada wedding to stop.
"Wait! My bag! Come back here Mr. Taxi!" But the taxi was gone. She looked at her wrist and Micky Mouse's hands are saying that it was twenty minutes past ten. There was still chance.
She took a deep breath and fanned her face with her hands. One, two, three, and....
She can’t do it.
Suddenly, it was all so difficult. Every step was heavy and her knees had the consistency of HanGeng’s coffee jelly. Her heart was attempting a jailbreak from her small ribcage and everything is starting to look hazy.
"I can't loose like this," she told herself.
One, two, ... She gathered all her strength and pushed the heavy wooden door with every ounce of courage she had.
This was his dream wedding, and that statement was far from exaggeration. He has dreamed of this moment since he was ten. He knew all the details for he had played it in his mind a million times. The church, the orchestra, the red carpet, the flowers, everything. It was exactly like this.
But even if he knew that it was going to be as perfect as this, he still felt overwhelmed by it all, especially by her beautiful bride.
Yeonhee looked like a goddes. Her hair was done like an elegant arrangement of flowers and Swarovski crystals. Her gown was a simple white tube dress that had a train so long, half the guests tripped on it. Her face radiated under the gossamer veil and was complemented by her ethereal makeup that was done by the top celebrity makeup artist in the country. She was beyond lovely.
Changmin looked equally stunning. He didn't really look as sharp as this on a daily basis. He was more of a whatever-I-fish-out-of-the-closet type of guy. But towering over everyone while dressed to kill in a tuxedo and hair properly groomed, he looked like a Calvin Klein or Hanes underwear model.
The priest was saying the usual wedding routine that they had practiced over and over again before the actual wedding and Changmin could have recited the priest's lines if he were not so distracted. He felt as if everyone was looking at him. He has never felt this nervous before, not even when he said his valedictory speech in highschool.
“Speak now or forever hold your piece," the priest said the cue but he knew that no one was coming. Yeonhee was looking at him with dread in her eye. Maybe this was it.
"Oh dear. Girls, girls, girls. I know that I look like a Super Junior member but please, I need to go. I have a wedding to attend. Now will you please ex—"
"OPPAAAARRRRR PICTUREEEEEE PLEAAASEE..."
"AAAAHHH!!!!!"
"Alright. Alright. Just five minutes ok? Oppa has a schedule. God, it's so hard being so handsome. Mom, why did you have to give birth to a face like this?" Smile.
Three.
Just then, the wide wooden church doors burst open and she stood there like a heroine ready for battle, the light from outside flooding in and forming a glow around her.
“Stop the wedding! That is my man right there."
Not only the wedding but time seemed to stop. Every eye was on her as she gave an impromptu speech that made the groom's mother faint. The orchestra stopped playing and puzzled looks were exchanged.
"I object to this wedding. No. I can not let you marry this woman! And I can not let you, Kim Pikachu... you whore, steal my man. You would have to pry him off my cold dead well manicured fingers."
Everyone was stunned. Whispers danced in silence and their gazes turned to the groom who stood at the altar stupefied.
After an eternity of awkward looks and several throat clearings from the priest, the groom finally broke his silence
“Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but... who the hell are you?” His eyes were large and seemingly poping out of their sockets. Who wouldn't be? There she was, this strange but beautiful woman whom he had never met before, suddenly crashing his wedding, telling everyone that she objects and that he was her man. What was she high on?
Hyeseong was behind the woman with his DSLR camera, recording the whole thing. Clearly, he was very much amused. He has never seen his mother faint after the last time he was almost kicked out of high school.
"You...are not... Kyuhyun?" Sooyoung's face flushed a deep crimson. "Oh shit."
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