---

This is a somewhat obvious statement, but usually, there is only one bridal preparation room in a wedding venue. After all, a wedding is meant for one couple.

But we—there are four brides. Including me.

When I first thought about a wedding, I imagined I would play the role of the groom.

Well… that’s a given. No matter how much I might try to dress like a man, let’s face it, I don’t exactly have a masculine appearance.

One good thing is that the place we’re getting married isn’t really a traditional wedding venue.

As agreed upon by the teachers and the kids, we’re actually in the orphanage where Ji-hye and I grew up.

There are plenty of rooms we could use as preparation spaces. The kids just need to step aside for a bit.

However, thanks to my brides insisting that the ‘main participants’ use different rooms, I prepared in a separate room from the other three.

Still, I left the dress and makeup to the professionals. It is a once-in-a-lifetime day, after all; I should look my best.

I prepared in—yep, that room Ji-hye and I used before.

In fact, aside from a desk and a wardrobe that are barely hanging on, the image of the room from when Ji-hye and I used it has completely vanished. That’s only natural, since we took all our personal belongings with us when we moved out.

Now, it has become somewhat of a boy’s room vibe. Honestly, I’m not sure whose room it is.

Usually, I don’t wear makeup, just sunscreen, so I felt a bit fidgety waiting for the professionals to do my face.

But I held it in. The other three were probably holding it in too.

“Ah, don’t laugh!”

Imagining the three of us sitting side by side getting our makeup done made my tail twitch, and the makeup artist promptly pulled her hands back, as if saying sorry, and I couldn’t reply since there were others getting their makeup done. Instead, I expressed my feelings by trying to keep my mouth very still.

All the preparation did help, though.

At first, my heart was racing as if it would burst, but by the time I finished my makeup, it slowly calmed down and I felt at ease.

I wondered how the other girls were doing.

As for Ha-yoon, she might not be that nervous, but Ji-hye is probably shaking like a leaf. Jua might be the same.

And no matter what their expressions were, I knew they would all look the most beautiful of anyone I had seen.

While I was lost in my thoughts, the makeup was done.

“So, how do you feel?”

There I was, reflected in the large mirror in front of me.

It felt… a little strange. It wasn’t that I felt like it wasn’t me, but how do I put it…

Here I was sitting in the bridal waiting room, in a dress that befits a new bride, with my face done up to the max.

It was a very unfamiliar sight, yet I also looked quite happy.

I wondered if the other three were wearing such happy expressions too.

“There’s still a bit of time until the wedding, so please just relax and wait.”

At that, I nodded.

All the tension that had settled in my heart began to stir up again. Ah, of course, you can’t completely shake off the nerves of a wedding.

In the end, I kept holding onto the feeling of tension until Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium burst into the room.

Even so, when the three of them squealed that I was as pretty as the other brides, I felt a bit relieved.

*

I had seen Pang-pang in the morning, but she hadn’t been able to come to the bridal waiting room.

She seemed busy checking the order of the wedding ceremony again. It was her friend’s wedding, after all, and it looked like she practiced a lot to not get too nervous.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium probably practiced together in a shared room.

Walking out of the waiting room, receiving cheers from everyone, I couldn’t tell if I was stepping on the ground or floating on clouds. It was both a good feeling and a nervous one—joyful yet stressful.

Three kids, all dressed in the same white dresses with crowns on their heads, ran towards me and I couldn’t help but smile a little.

Far away, at the place where the announcer was standing, was Pang-pang. When our eyes met, she gave me a thumbs up.

That made me chuckle lightly.

Where we’re getting married is in the front yard of the orphanage. We laid a cloth on the ground and another white cloth on top to make the wedding venue.

Considering we were outside, it would be awkward for the bride to appear from outside, so we decided to come out first.

In the distance… unexpectedly, two pairs of parents were seated, making it somewhat less surreal than I imagined.

The teachers were seated among the guests, and the teacher I was closest to was going to officiate.

Cherry and James were also visible. Their appearance also had a surreal quality to it—a hamster riding in a UFO.

Even in a society accustomed to aliens, Squeaky Adult is one of those aliens that are hard to come by. A few kids stared at the two of them with great curiosity, leaving them looking slightly awkward.

It’s been a while since I saw James. He was wearing a necklace, so it looks like he accepted a proposal after all.

While I waited a bit longer, the building doors opened, and three people in wedding dresses appeared slowly.

Surreal, in this case, meant that there were four brides at a wedding—just four beautifully surreal brides visible.

As soon as the three of them made eye contact with me, they immediately broke into shy smiles.

…….

Ah, I see.

Suddenly, it struck me.

I might have come into this world for this very moment.

“So, brides, please line up.”

Pang-pang said into the microphone.

We looked at each other and smiled.

The order didn’t really matter. In the end, everyone would end up by my side anyway. Even if we walked side by side with someone else for a moment, no one would have anything to say about it; we would end up next to each other, regardless. Physical position held no meaning for us in this giddy moment.

We all wore beautiful smiles like the flowers we carried. I thought each of us would hold flowers that matched our names, yet all three of us ended up with bouquets of white lilies.

Right, I see now.

Since they all were marrying me, they are the three who love me.

……The realization swelled my heart. My nose tingled a little, and my eyes grew moist. I tried not to let those tears fall. I didn’t want to ruin my makeup.

I didn’t want to ruin this happy day.

“Now, let’s begin the wedding ceremony for our four brides: Jeong Ji-eun, Ha-yoon, Jeong Ji-hye, and Jua!”

Applause erupted. I felt a slight dizziness.

“Brides, it’s time to enter!”

Pang-pang shouted, and the wedding parade began.

As we walked forward, the kids in white dresses scattered flower petals from their baskets.

As I walked, the three of them slowly followed me, forming an imperfect circle around me.

I felt so happy walking on that white cloth.

Though it was a short walk, the time it took to walk it felt very long.

At the end of it, I would hear sweet words from my parents, who were like my teachers, exchange rings again, and share a kiss.

The sight of the three of them coming close to my face appeared so beautiful and precious.

I realized that I must be quite the greedy person—

Pang-pang clapped her hands and the crowd cheered. Ha-yoon’s and Jua’s parents had complex expressions, but when I greeted them with the two of them, they eventually smiled.

Yep, there’s still a long way to go.

In the end, to prove it, all we can do is be happy.

No matter what others say, or how they evaluate our love,

In the end, with our attitudes, we must make everyone understand.

But somehow, that thought didn’t feel heavy at all.

I looked around once more.

The three most beautiful people in the world were looking at me with wide smiles.

Just as I felt the happiest in the world, I could sense that the three of them felt the same deep down.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium started singing a joyful wedding song.

I didn’t catch the name of the song. I should ask after the wedding—

“…….”

My fingertips trembled a bit.

I see now.

I see now—starting from this moment, from now on, we promised to love each other forever.

So.

That means proving it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Just like we’ve done until now, all we have to do is stay happy.

At this moment, what should I say?

Well, I had the words prepared.

“I love you.”

As I said that, my brides looked at me.

“I love you. Truly.”

With my words, smiles spread across their faces.

The three of them rushed at me simultaneously. Everyone cheered and clapped at the sight of them nearly knocking me over.

Feeling the weight of this happiness, I ended up shedding a small tear.

 

---