Page 80 of Idol Lives
Tae Hyun stared at him with apparent disbelief. “Just like that?”
“Why not?” Jason countered, his smile radiant. “We weregonna do it after the tour anyway. Why wait?” He shrugged as he reached for Tae Hyun’s hand. “Don’t tell me you’ve already changed your mind.”
Tae Hyun held Jason’s gaze with piercing eyes as he contemplated his latest proposal. But Jason wasn’t worried. He knew without a doubt that they belonged together. And he knew Tae Hyun felt that way, too. So he waited.
Tae Hyun finally relaxed his expression with a long, deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do it.” Then he grinned. “But I think I need another shower first.”
Jason patted the bed. “And maybe some new sheets.” He leaned in close enough that Tae Hyun’s warm breath washed over his face. “I love you, Tae Hyun.”
Tae Hyun softly smiled as his ears flushed. “I love you, too, hyung.”
24
Tae Hyun stood before the bathroom mirror, fussing over the subtle shimmer he’d just blended onto his cheekbones. Beside him, Yoo Mi fussed over his outfit, a precision whirlwind of intense focus and exuberant energy. Tae Hyun hadn’t realized how much he missed her until she’d shown up at Jason’s villa with Seong Woo in tow. She’d taken a few days off from filming her most recent movie–a low-budget indie film about a lonely young widow who finds love in the arms of the kindhearted woman next door–just to attend.
“I never would’ve done something like this before you,” she privately confessed to Tae Hyun over drinks the day before. “I’ve kissed my costar so many times that I probably qualify as a lesbian now.”
“That’s not how it works, Yoo Mi.”
Yoo Mi dismissed Tae Hyun with a casual hand wave. “How would you know? Have you ever been a lesbian?”
But that was the night before. On his wedding day, Yoo Mi was more concerned with steaming the wrinkles out of Tae Hyun’s linen pants as he got ready. “Whose genius idea was it to get married in linen, anyway?”
Tae Hyun tried not to chuckle as he put the finishing touches on his eyeliner. “Yours.”
Yoo Mi snorted. “I know, darling. That was a rhetorical question. Now, hush and finish your face. You need to get dressed.”
Yoo Mi had practically squealed when Tae Hyun invited her to Thailand for the wedding. Then she’d dropped everything, flown to Phuket, and orchestrated a wedding fit for a king in a matter of days. And the outfits? They were a work of art.
For Tae Hyun, that meant a white, open-weave linen shirt with a slight shimmer, a relaxed fit, and a plunging neckline over finely-tailored high-waisted, white linen pants with a wide leg silhouette that promised to gently billow in the ocean breeze.
“I am finished.” Tae Hyun turned around to pluck the shirt from its hanger. “Help me put this on?” he asked, lifting his arms.
Yoo Mi quietly huffed, but it was more for show than drama. “Of course, darling.”
With Yoo Mi’s help, Tae Hyun managed to get his shirt on without smudging his makeup and ruining the pristine white linen. He wanted it to look good in at least some of the photos, even if it would be covered in sand by the end of the ceremony. Then he slipped off his shorts and stepped into his pants.
Tae Hyun smiled as he surveyed the final look in the mirror. His makeup was flawless, and not a single crease mark marred the linen shirt. He ran a hand through his hair, styled into a soft, windswept look that would undoubtedly be ruined by the ocean breeze. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but the overwhelming joy to come. He looked perfect. It was time.
“Oh, Tae Hyun,” Yoo Mi reverently whispered.
Tae Hyun glanced over his shoulder to see his friendstanding behind him, tears sparkling in her eyes. She was effortlessly elegant in a breezy coral sundress with delicate floral embroidery on the bodice and lace detailing on the neckline. He quickly grabbed a handful of tissues and handed them over.
“Stop!” Tae Hyun playfully scolded. “You’ll ruin your makeup.”
“But you look so stunning,” Yoo Mi insisted, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “And, of course, I wore waterproof eyeliner. I highly doubt this will be the only time I cry today.”
“At least stop before you make me cry,” Tae Hyun teased. “I don’t want my eyes to be all red and puffy.”
Yoo Mi huffed. “You’re such a diva.”
“I learned from the best.” He offered Yoo Mi his arm. “Shall we?”
Yoo Mi took Tae Hyun’s arm, a proud smile on her face. Together, they descended from the bedroom suite to the main level. Yun Seo, elegantly dressed in a teal version of Yoo Mi’s sun dress, stood waiting for them, her arm linked with Seong Min’s. Attending the wedding as Yun Seo’s date rather than as Tae Hyun’s bodyguard, Seong Min had traded his suit for a more casual, short-sleeved button-down in a complementary teal floral print. Del Sakdathorn, one of the villa’s two caretakers, stood beside them brightly smiling, a hand-woven basket of flowers in her arms.
Yun Seo dropped Seong Min’s arm and rushed to her brother, her eyes shining. “You look amazing, oppa!” She leaned in for the barest kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you,” Tae Hyun beamed. “Where’s everyone else?”
