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I never thought I’d be sitting in front of a girlfriend in a wedding dress, especially since I wasn’t particularly popular in my past life and lacked the courage to approach women.

In fact, just a little while ago, three people had me try on a wedding dress.

I had naturally thought I’d wear a tuxedo, but Ha-yoon, Ji-hye, and Jua were dead set on seeing me in a wedding dress, which led us all to decide to dress up.

The swimsuit they picked for me had a bit of a revealing design, so I was half-expecting them to choose a wedding dress that was somewhat revealing too, but surprisingly, it was a pretty ordinary dress.

It had bare shoulders, but it wasn’t overly plunging at the chest. While the back was exposed, it didn’t show off above the waistline.

Really, it was a wedding dress that could be described as pure and innocent.

Oh, of course, maybe because of my chest size, it seemed just a tad too daring, but that was about it.

The sight of the three of them lined up on chairs, resting their chins on their hands, gazing intently at me felt strange in many ways.

It was embarrassing. After all, they were scanning me from head to toe.

So I thought I would feel a bit less embarrassed while choosing the dress, but—

“…How does it look?”

Looking at Ha-yoon in her white dress with exposed shoulders made me feel embarrassed too.

No, I should say shy.

It seemed Ji-hye and Jua understood how precious this moment was. Maybe that’s why they agreed to step aside while I chose the dress.

So, in this space, it was just Ha-yoon and me.

This felt even more embarrassing than being in a swimsuit and pressing my skin against hers.

Why was that?

Well, come to think of it, I was super shy when passing the ring too.

…Ah, I see.

In this outfit, we’re promising to be together forever.

And that promise carries more weight than just exchanging rings. It made me realize how much the other person cherished me.

Thinking about that made both of us incredibly shy.

“…Should I be honest?”

Trying to hide my embarrassment as much as possible, I asked Ha-yoon with a serious expression.

“Uh, what?”

At my expression, Ha-yoon looked a bit flustered. She seemed to think I was going to say something about how pale her face looked.

However, what I said was the opposite.

“To be honest, everyone looks so pretty that I’m not sure what to choose.”

“…”

Ha-yoon’s face, which had turned pale, blushed red again at my words.

I seriously looked at Ha-yoon, who was bowing her head.

The basic design was similar to mine.

But hers had a bit more decoration and was a little more flowy. The neckline dipped just a bit more.

Maybe because the white dress symbolizes purity, it felt even weirder.

“But we have to pick just one design.”

Ha-yoon insisted that, and I nodded seriously.

“Yeah, so I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, come on.”

At my words, Ha-yoon turned away, her face still bright red, trying to hide her expression.

I guess she forgot that doing so would expose her back.

*

“Um, it doesn’t really suit me anyway, right?”

“Why do you think that?”

Though I was a bit shy in front of Ha-yoon, Jua’s sudden remark caught me off guard.

“W-Well, I’m not in as good shape as Ji-eun—”

“No way, no way, I think you look amazing. I can tell because I’ve seen you in person.”

“W-What are you talking about!?”

Jua’s face flushed bright red at my compliment.

The wedding dress she tried on was a bit more modest than the ones Ha-yoon and I wore.

While it had a similar back exposure, at least the neck and chest area was connected, giving it a look like those white dresses actresses wear at year-end awards.

I don’t think a woman’s figure is defined just by chest size. Of course, if it’s too large, men will certainly notice, but I still believe there’s a perfect size for the clothes to fit well.

I understood why certain body types are preferred by designers.

The design of the dress Ha-yoon and I tried on was traditional with a bit of a flared skirt, while Jua’s was more fitted around the legs, showcasing her curves beautifully.

With heels on, her silhouette looked stunning.

When I jumped up from my seat, Jua trembled a little but didn’t flee this time. A ring glimmered on her left hand’s ring finger. We hadn’t held the ceremony yet, but it wouldn’t be strange to call us a couple now.

As I placed my hand on Jua’s waist, her face turned crimson.

“You look great. A beautiful, stunning body. I know you work hard to maintain it, so you can be proud of yourself, just like the old Iris.”

“T-That’s not what I mean…”

Jua stammered, her face still red.

“I should be grateful that I could have someone like me? Someone no one can just touch at will, that’s me!”

And she suddenly raised her head, probably to hide her embarrassment, yelling those words.

“Yeah, I’m thankful for that.”

I couldn’t help but be grateful.

To think that three people liked me.

Maybe I am the happiest person in the world.

If I weren’t happy, I’d be a soulless person.

I gently stroked Jua’s soft hair and stepped back slightly.

Yeah, Jua in a dress is the prettiest. All the other dresses were indeed beautiful and fit her well, but this one highlighted her best features.

After a few hours of deliberation, we finally decided on that particular dress design.

*

“How does it look?”

Ji-hye twirled around in front of me.

Her wedding dress was definitely more traditional than the ones we all tried on.

It didn’t have shoulder pads or anything, but it was the only dress that covered the shoulders and armpits.

But that fabric wasn’t just plain white; it had a lace material that peeked through, not revealing her figure entirely.

The skirt flowed down gracefully, having a bit more volume, and when Ji-hye spun, it fanned out spectacularly.

That’s… that’s precisely the first thing you think of when you hear the word ‘dress’.

A dazzling dress that perfectly suited Ji-hye’s lively personality.

“It’s beautiful.”

I said in admiration.

“Doesn’t it seem unlike the Ji-hye I used to share a room with?”

At my words, I had no choice but to nod.

Having lived with Ji-hye for over a decade, I could honestly say I never once thought of wanting to marry her.

Until the fall, I never thought I would develop any feelings for her.

But when it fell, it was that weighty affection for Ji-hye, how could we possibly fall apart? That’s why we promised to be together for life. We didn’t want to be apart any longer; we wanted to see each other every day.

Some people say marriage is calculated and another form of life’s business.

It’s not uncommon to feel that way when thinking of the institution of marriage.

But many people say, when they do decide to marry, they aren’t thinking about that at all.

They just want to be with the person next to them.

They want to keep spending time together.

While it’s probably inevitable that we will fight at least once, we must understand and support each other whenever that happens.

“Really beautiful. Honestly, it seems strange that I haven’t thought about this when I’m beside someone so stunning.”

At my words, any confidence that had been radiating from Ji-hye instantly faded.

What filled that void instead was embarrassment.

Was she embarrassed that I said such things in front of her?

I spoke with a big grin.

“Thinking about spending a lifetime together makes me genuinely excited. It’s been silly that I didn’t feel this way earlier, considering I’ve lived with you until now.”

“Ji-eun, stop…”

“What should we do together in the future? If we’re home all day… I feel like we’ll have so much to do. Oh, right! The wedding dress is technically something we ‘own,’ right? If it gets a bit messed up, I think it’s okay if it’s ours, what do you think? Right from the first night—”

Ultimately, Ji-hye couldn’t withstand my barrage of teasing, covering her face with her hands and squatting down.

She looked even cuter in the wedding dress. Isn’t it true that clothes can make a person shine?

No, in this case, a person is a person, so maybe clothes don’t matter much. If someone else wore the same dress and stood before me, I probably wouldn’t feel anything.

“B-Bewildered, Ji-eun.”

I wonder if bumping into each other once actually worked—

….

Well, that’s a bit embarrassing for me to say too.

Eventually, my face also turned red, and for a while, we both sat in silence, gazing off into the distance.

 

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