Both Taeseop and Hyunwook nodded at Jinwook’s words.

“If that’s what Soyu said, then we just need to secure a venue, right?”

Taeseop agreed with Hyunwook’s statement.

“Soyu isn’t materialistic. Let’s look for venues too.”

“We should. Where would be good? I should probably call Soyu, right?”

“Yeah. That would be better.”

“What about finding a countryside house and having an outdoor wedding?”

“That’s a good idea. What’s Soyu doing? Next month is tight. Should we contact her now?”

“Let’s do it. We don’t have time.”

Jinwook was genuinely bewildered by their conversation.

“Hey. This is my wedding, I’m the groom. Why does it feel like my opinion is being ignored?”

Hyunwook clicked his tongue.

“You definitely have an inferiority complex. How about seeing a psychiatrist before getting married?”

“What?”

“It’s much better to consult with Soyu than with you. For weddings, the bride’s wishes always come first. Don’t you know that?”

Jinwook was taken aback. Wait, this isn’t right. Why do I feel like I’m being left out? Hyunwook called Soyu.

“Hey, Soyu. Next month, right? Yeah. So I was thinking, it’ll be hard to book a venue now. How about finding a countryside house and holding the ceremony there? Oh, really? Then let’s each look for suitable places and discuss them together. Great. Got it.”

After hanging up, Hyunwook told Taeseop, 

“Looks like Soyu had the same idea. Let’s start looking for a nice countryside house from now. Not too far away, somewhere in the suburbs would be good.”

“Would there be countryside houses in the suburbs?”

“A thatched cottage would be nice.”

“Let’s look into it.”

“Should we post in the alumni chat group? We’ll need people to help too.”

“That’s a great idea. If it’s for Jinwook’s wedding, everyone will be eager to help, right?”

Jinwook’s mouth gaped open. He wanted to shout that it was his wedding and he was the groom, but he was too dumbfounded to speak.

“Hey…”

His voice trembled. Taeseop smiled and said, 

“Jinwook, leave the wedding to us and focus on your film. This is our wedding gift to you. We’ll figure something out with the others.”

“Huh? Oh… okay… thanks…”

Taeseop announced Jinwook’s wedding in the group chat and asked for help. The chat immediately became active. Friends who were amazed that he was finally getting married started offering suggestions as soon as Taeseop detailed their requirements.

[Does it have to be a thatched cottage? Would renting a pension be inappropriate?]

[No, that’s not it. Does anyone have a house in the countryside?]

[I’ll look into it and post tomorrow.]

[Even for a small wedding, we need decorations. Anyone working in the wedding industry, raise your hand!]

[Me.]

[Who is it, Wonwoo?]

[Yeah. I can prepare the flowers. What’s the exact date?]

Just then, Ji Seonwoo appeared.

[It’s not a thatched cottage but a tile-roofed house, clean and in Yangpyeong so it’s close. Want me to check?]

[Ohhh, Ji Seonwoo has appeared. He shows up for Jinwook’s wedding.]

[For Jinwook, I have to step up. Set the date first. We need that to book the venue.]

[Is it a private home?]

[Yeah. It’s my grandmother’s. There are many restaurants nearby, so we can book food too.]

Taeseop, who had been diligently monitoring the chat, said, 

“Ji Seonwoo says he can lend us his grandmother’s house!”

Jinwook’s eyes widened.

“Ji Seonwoo? That Ji Seonwoo?”

“Yeah. The one you helped. This guy rarely appears in the chat. He must have joined because it’s you.”

As Jinwook leaned in to peek at the phone, Taeseop immediately invited him to the chat.

“This was my mistake. I should have invited you as soon as you returned to Korea, but I forgot.”

Jinwook looked at his own phone. After accepting Taeseop’s invitation, chaos erupted in the chat.

[It’s Kim Jinwook!]

[Ohh! The immortal Kim Jinwook. Nice to see you. I’m Changgyu.]

[Nice to see you too.]

[Congratulations on your marriage. I knew it when I saw the news article. So you’re finally marrying Soyu?]

As Jinwook read the chat, the corners of his mouth gradually lifted, and his face brightened.

“What’s this? Have you all been in contact this whole time?”

Hyunwook, holding his phone, replied casually, 

“You and Soyu are the only dropouts. The rest of us have stayed in touch.”

Hyunwook looked up and said with twitching lips, 

“Make sure you attend regularly from now on. There’s nothing more precious in life than friends. Look at this now. Everyone’s stepping up to help, right?”

It was true. Not a single friend questioned why they were having the wedding this way. Everyone was pitching in as if it were their own affair. Thank you. Jinwook nodded.

“Yeah. I will. This is really nice.”

Jinwook’s fingers moved busily as he typed, and a smile never left his face. Then Taeseop invited Soyu, and she appeared shortly after.

[Hi. It’s Soyu.]

When Soyu appeared, countless surprised emoticons popped up.

[Jang Soyu, is that you?]

[Yeah. It’s me. Nice to see you all.]

[You shouldn’t have done that. Cutting off contact even when your father passed away.]

[Hey. Soyu must have had her reasons. I welcome you. Good to see you.]

[I’m sorry. I’ll be more active from now on.]

[When’s the ceremony?]

[Well, Jinwook and I haven’t discussed that far yet.]

[What? So it was just Jinwook jumping the gun?]

[Not exactly. I’ll set a date and post it tomorrow. Thank you all.]

[Good to see you, Soyu. Let’s meet often from now on.]

[Yes. Let’s do that.]

Jinwook’s smile deepened as he watched the chat. He was grateful for his friends’ help with the wedding, but what made him happier was seeing Soyu reconnect with friends after cutting off contact. Jinwook said to Taeseop and Hyunwook, 

“Thank you.”

Hyunwook replied, 

“What are you talking about? The real time crunch starts now. We’ll take care of all the preparations, so just make sure you show up at the venue with Soyu.”

“Did I save a country in my past life? Having friends like you makes me feel secure.”

“If you’re really grateful, treat us to a nice meal after the ceremony.”

“I’ll definitely do that.”

Taeseop asked, 

“But seriously, your parents won’t attend?”

“Probably not.”

“Not even your mother?”

“I’m not sure about that. I’ll have to talk to Mom again.”

“If your parents don’t come, what about our parents?”

Taeseop’s question made Hyunwook realize something.

“Right? We should tell them.”

“My and Hyunwook’s parents should attend, at least.”

“True.”

Jinwook calmly said, 

“Just let them know. They don’t have to come to the ceremony. It might be awkward for them.”

Hyunwook’s lips moved as if he wanted to say that everything would be fine if they just told them about Yeoul, but Taeseop shook his head to stop him. Hyunwook sighed.

“Let’s focus on preparing for the ceremony first. Nowadays, many people use mobile invitations. If the elders aren’t coming, we don’t really need paper invitations, do we?”

“I’ll discuss it with Soyu. If we go with mobile, Soyu can make them faster.”

Taeseop made notes on his phone and checked items off.

“First, Jinwook and Soyu need to set a date. Then we book the venue… Oh! What about the wedding dress?”

“Huh?”

When Jinwook looked blank, Taeseop scolded him.

“What’s this? You’re planning to get married next month and you haven’t thought about anything?”

Jinwook was flustered.

“No… well…”

Hyunwook narrowed his eyes.

“Kim Jinwook. Did you really plan to do this without any preparation?”

“No… I did. I just thought about it…”

As Jinwook hunched his shoulders and made excuses in a small voice, Taeseop exploded.

“Hey! Who gets married like this? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event! You’re lucky Soyu agreed to it. This is grounds for breaking off the engagement!”

Taeseop and Hyunwook exchanged glances and said simultaneously, 

“Let’s beat him up.”

“Yeah, this guy needs a beating.”

As the two friends lunged at him, Jinwook ran away, shouting angrily.

“You guys! Are you crazy?!”

“You’re the crazy one! What kind of wedding are you trying to have?!”

“I thought you’d at least done some planning!”

“Come here! Don’t run! Kim Jinwook!”

Jinwook fled to his room, locked the door, and panted heavily. His pupils shook violently. Did I really mess up that badly? I mean, how much preparation does a wedding need? Is it normally this involved? What should I do?

“Ah… I really am hopeless…”

While he was berating himself, Soyu was smiling as she looked at the chat. She felt grateful for friends who treated her normally despite her having cut off contact. If it were her, she wouldn’t even look at them.

“Hmm…”

She opened her laptop and created a file. As she listed the things needed for the wedding, she remained calm. Honestly, a wedding in a month is pushing it. Her former self would never have allowed it. But everything changed after Jinwook’s accident.

She understood his desire to get married as soon as possible, and she felt the same way. That’s why she didn’t stop him. She even thought that if preparations couldn’t be completed in time, they could just register their marriage and live together. What mattered was becoming a family, not formalities. She decided not to rush and to go with the flow. Plans were useless when dealing with Kim Jinwook anyway.

She chuckled. It was surprising even to herself that she was adapting to the eccentric Kim Jinwook and planning to hold the ceremony next month. This was quite a challenge for someone who always lived according to plan. Her eyes sparkled as she created a checklist.