Every time the wedding hall doors opened, cold air and the sound of people's laughter rushed in together. On both sides of the virgin road decorated with white flowers, guests' shoes brushed against the polished floor. The sound of chairs dragging, the sound of organizing gift envelopes, and low whispered greetings mingled between the gentle string melodies. A faint scent of perfume was mixed with the floral fragrance, and the ceiling lights cast small white dots on every petal.

Kwon Young-kyun sat in the very back, near the aisle. He wore a beige suit with a charcoal tie. His short hair was slightly disheveled, making the traces of his morning grooming look futile. He stroked his smooth sleeve once and then folded his hands over his knees. A slight tension could be felt only in his neat fingertips. Although the back of the chair supported him, he couldn't bring himself to lean back. Every time he took a breath, the knot of his tie touched his neck.

In his inner pocket was the invitation he had folded and unfolded for days. A piece of paper with two names written side by side. The name next to it was not Young-kyun's. One of those names was the one Young-kyun had naturally placed beside his own whenever he spoke of his future from the age of eighteen to twenty-eight.

The bouquet on graduation day, the dinner bought with his first paycheck, the nights they endured together in the funeral home hallway. Memories surfaced without order. After all that time, he was finally ready to get married. Yet that one harsh word from the past hadn't dried up in his mouth even after all these years.

"The bride will now enter."

The officiant's voice spread through the microphone. The volume of the music rose, and the guests all turned toward the entrance at once. Young-kyun also raised his head. As the doors opened, the bright light from the hallway stretched long into the hall. Guest was there in that light. The moment the lines of the white fabric became clear under the lights, Young-kyun's breath stopped for a brief second. It felt as if the noise had cut out. In truth, all the sounds remained the same, but they felt distant to his ears, as if a layer of glass had been placed over them.