6Jaehee's thoughts on Zen and MC's relationship, and the results that follow (Or in which Illeana somehow writes a wedding oneshot before snowcloud8. Don't ask us, we don't know how it happened either).
Chapter 15: Happily Ever After
This wasn't the outcome Jaehee had expected when she'd declared her intent to support Zen and Mi-Na's relationship during a conversation on the RFA messenger, but she was pleased none the less. After Zen's press conference at their first party with Mi-Na at the helm, #ZeNa had taken over social media. The fans that had proved themselves to be truly loyal to Zen during the whole Echo Girl scandal had jumped on the bandwagon almost immediately, their excited campaign partially fueled by Seven releasing several innocent screenshots of casual conversation between the two lovebirds on the RFA app and multiple pictures of Mi-Na and Zen during the party. V had contributed as well by posting a professional looking photo of Zen and Mi-Na kissing at the end of the evening on his long dormant Instaimage account.
Jaehee had curled up in her pajamas on her couch, cradling a steaming cup of coffee the next morning and had scrolled through the posts, watching everyone coo about how adorable Zen and Mi-Na were. Several of Echo Girl's fans had even jumped on the bandwagon within a couple days, rebounding from their disappointment in their idol as Zen started posting cute little domestic videos of he and Mi-Na on his Chatsnap account. It had been heartening for Jaehee to watch fans rally around Zen to support his personal life and happiness instead of demanding that he give everything up to live up to their ideals. Sure, there had been several people that were sour and unhappy about the whole situation, but they were few and far between and most of their protests were drowned out by the overwhelming support from the rest of the fanbase.
Echo Girl had attempted to fight back after the press conference, but had been drowned out quickly by a flood of her own fans pulling out old posts on social media with her gushing and lusting over Zen and, in a couple instances, Jumin. A couple of male music artists that Echo Girl had fangirled about much, much earlier in her budding career did small interviews with celebrity magazines admitting that she had threatened to do something similar to them if they didn't accept her advances. Seven got Jumin's permission to share the security camera video of her storming into Jumin's office to loudly inform him that she was going to ruin his reputation and Zen's. After that, Echo Girl's fanbase did the rest of the work, practically tearing her reputation apart in what could only be described as blind fury. That whole affair had been strangely satisfying for Jaehee to watch, and the rest of Zen's fans had seemed to agree with her on the forums.
#ZeNa had quickly become a staple on social media, kept alive partially by how many photos and videos of Mi-Na that Zen seemed to post on every social media platform he could possibly use. Mi-Na posted a few short videos and photos in the week breaks she was taking before starting to plan the RFA party for the next month, but her demanding work as the now permanent party coordinator for the organization and her considerably more private social media presence meant that anything posted on her end was treasured like a rare gem by fans. The video Mi-Na had posted of the two of the couple toasting each other with champagne glasses of sparkling cider on New Year's Eve had gone viral in a matter of minutes and it still popped up on occasion for fans to coo over, even two years later.
A door opened with a soft click and Jaehee glanced up from her phone to meet Ye-Ji's eyes. Mi-Na's older sister was a lovely young woman with ebony hair pulled up in a high bun. One pale hand rested over the swell of her stomach and she looked tired but radiant in her pink hanbok. Normally Ye-Ji's position would have been filled by the sisters' mother, but she had passed away eight years ago from breast cancer so Ye-Ji had stepped in to take the position traditionally held by the bride's mother. Jaehee was dressed in a similar looking blue hanbok, taking the position Zen's mother would have held, if his parents hadn't refused to have anything to do with the wedding. Zen hadn't been particularly surprised or upset by their refusal, but Jaehee thought it was too bad that they weren't willing to reconcile with their youngest son. At least his older brother had come with his wife and two young daughters.
"Would you mind coming in here, Jaehee?" Ye-Ji asked. "I keep telling Mi-Na that she looks perfect, but she keeps fretting over her makeup and hair so I'm hoping you can act as a second opinion and calm her down." There was an exasperated yet fond smile on Ye-Ji's face, as if she expected nothing less of her little sister.
"I'd be happy to." Jaehee followed Ye-Ji into the dressing room and her eyes instantly met Mi-Na's amber ones in the mirror.
Mi-Na looked absolutely resplendent in her red hanbok, her long brown hair pulled into an elegant chignon and her bangs pinned back away from her face. Her makeup was light, just a little blush and some pale pink lipstick with delicate looking silver eyeshadow that glimmered on her eyelids. It only enhanced her natural beauty, and Jaehee was struck, once again, by how lovely RFA's party coordinator was. She'd noticed it the first time they'd met, at the first party Mi-Na had organized. The other woman's individual features were entirely ordinary, but somehow they came together to form a captivating sort of ordinary beauty that seemed to perfectly compliment Zen's extraordinary looks. Jaehee wasn't surprised that the public had fallen for them so quickly in a purely aesthetic sense. Together, they definitely qualified as a work of art.
"What do you think?" Mi-Na asked earnestly, turning on her stool to face Jaehee properly.
"It looks perfect. You look perfect," Jaehee told her seriously and Mi-Na beamed brightly at her.
"Are you sure?"
"We're sure," Ye-Ji cut in, her expression fond. "You look lovely and your husband to be is going to be struck speechless when you walk down the aisle."
Personally Jaehee thought it was far more likely that Zen would wax poetic about his bride's beauty, but Ye-Ji's words had the desire effect. Mi-Na's smile widened and she rose from her seat, gently smoothing a few minor wrinkles out of the silky fabric of her hanbok. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Good, because we only have a few minutes before I need to walk you down the aisle." Ye-Ji glanced over at Jaehee and added, "Would you lead the way?"
"Of course," Jaehee replied, heading for the door. Zen and Mi-Na had elected to have their ceremony be a more Western Style one, but had chosen traditional clothing in a nod to Mi-Na's family and their adoration of old traditions. Zen hadn't so much as protested, happy with whatever made his beloved happy, and the honest adoration Jaehee had seen in his face during every step of the planning for this wedding made her heart ache for someone to look at her the same way.
In some small way, this event was rather bitter sweet for her. While Jaehee was happy to see her idol and her close female friend achieve wedded bliss together, she found herself feeling increasingly trapped by the never ended carousel of projects that Jumin handed over to her. She wanted time to find her own happy ending, and it was slowly becoming clear that she wasn't going to find that at C&R. Mi-Na had, hesitantly, began nudging Jaehee towards looking at other things she liked, gently suggested during one of their girls' nights that the other woman might consider looking into another career that was less stressful and more enjoyable to her. At the time, Jaehee had only been partway through her first glass of wine and had waved it off, but the suggestion had lingered long after that particular night was over. Recently, in between work projects and planning last minute wedding details, Jaehee had discreetly begun looking into what it would take to start her own coffee shop. Maybe then, even if she couldn't find someone to look at her like Zen looked at Mi-Na, she could at least enjoy what she was doing.
"Jaehee, are you ready?" The woman glanced up to see Zen, looking absolutely breathtaking as usual, in his own red hanbok. His smile was bright and eager and Jaehee, who had been his fan for a long time, wondered how she ever could have mistaken his previous smiles as being truly happy. When she compared her pictures from the time before Mi-Na to the delight he wore so openly now, the difference was obvious. Maybe Zen had been content with how his life had been playing out before he'd met his beloved, but he had never been as blissfully happy as he was now.
"Yes," Jaehee replied, resisting the urge to smooth non-existent wrinkles from her hanbok. Then her lips quirked into a teasing smile as she added, "I don't believe I have to ask you if you're ready." Zen laughed at that, clearly aware that he had been obviously ready to just be married to Mi-Na already from the moment they'd started wedding planning, and took Jaehee's arm.
The two of them walked down the aisle between the guests and Jaehee deposited her friend at the altar before settling in her seat in the front row. Moments later the music swelled and Mi-Na walked down the aisle at her older sister's side, looking even more radiant than usual. The party coordinator almost seemed to be glowing with happiness as Ye-Ji handed her over to Zen with a fond smile. The little wizened old minister met both their eyes for a moment, clearing his throat to get the couples' attention off each other and on to him, before beginning the ceremony. Jaehee hadn't been to many weddings, too busy with work to even make friends to have weddings to go to, but she was sure this was the best one she'd ever go to. She felt happy tears in her eyes as she watched Zen and Mi-Na kiss, arms wrapped tenderly around one another. When they parted, they looked at one another as if they were the only people in the world, and, in that moment, Jaehee was sure that Mi-Na joining the RFA was the best thing that could have happened to them.
Author's Note from Illeana Starbright: As a quick aside to all of you, my betareader and I both know that conversations through the RFA app are canonically confidential. That being said, it is mentioned in this fic that Seven shares screenshots of conversations between Mi-Na and Zen in the chatroom. For clarification, the reasoning is that nothing shared has anything to do with the RFA itself and that none of the information is shared without Seven first getting the couples' permission to post, which is how they work around the confidentiality agreement.
