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I lay shivering and gasping in my warm bed for several minutes, trying to break free of the dream. The sky outside my window turned gray and then pale pink while I waited for my heart to slow.
When I was fully back to the reality of my messy, familiar room, I was a little annoyed with myself. What a dream to have the night before my wedding! That's what I got for obsessing over disturbing stories in the middle of the night.
Eager to shake off the nightmare, I got dressed and headed down to the kitchen long before I needed to. First I cleaned the already tidy rooms, and then when Jaewoo was up I made him pancakes. I was much too keyed up to have any interest in eating breakfast myself—I sat bouncing in my seat while he ate.
"You're picking up Mr. Weber at three o'clock," I reminded him.
"I don't have that much to do today besides bring the minister, Kook. I'm not likely to forget my only job." Jaewoo had taken the entire day off for the wedding, and he was definitely at loose ends. Now and then, his eyes flickered furtively to the closet under the stairs, where he kept his fishing gear.
"That's not your only job. You also have to be dressed and presentable."
He scowled into his glass of orange juice and muttered the words "monkey suit" under his breath.
There was a brisk tapping on the front door.
"You think you have it bad," I said, grimacing as I rose. "Jimin will be working on me all day long."
As if the day before was not horrible. It was the worst. The Bottoms Up Squad and my mom went to a spa in Port Angeles. We got massages and drank mimosas. I had a mud soak. All of that was relaxing. Then I got plucked and pruned. The assault was horrific. First I got a manicure and pedicure. I decided to go with black nail polish. My eyebrows got shaped, skin moisturized. My private area, legs, and armpits were shaved with my middle section also getting waxed. I felt like a piece of meat at the market with all the times I got flipped over. My mother enjoyed the spa date but I just wanted it to be over.
And now the assault would continue today.
Jaewoo nodded thoughtfully, conceding that he did have the lesser ordeal. I ducked in to kiss the top of his head as I passed—he blushed and harrumphed—and then continued on to get the door for my bridesmaid or I guess groomsmen and soon-to-be brother.
Jimin's short black hair was not in its usual spiky do—it was smoothed into sleek pin curls around his pixie face, which wore a contrastingly businesslike expression. He dragged me from the house with barely a "Hey, Jaewoo" called over his shoulder.
Jimin appraised me as I got into his Porsche.
"Oh, hell, look at your eyes!" He tsked in reproach. "What did you do? Stay up all night?"
"Almost."
He glowered. "I've only allotted so much time to make you stunning, Jungkook—you might have taken better care of my raw material."
