Chapter Text
Seeing a woman dressed as a bride on the subway at seven in the evening wasn't the strangest thing you could encounter; perhaps seeing a man in a suit and polished shoes was the strangest thing to see in that place and at that time of day; clutching his briefcase and tapping his foot impatiently, given that his cell phone battery had died and he'd never gotten into the habit of wearing a wristwatch.
“Excuse me, do you know what time it is?” The woman simply raised her head, pointing in the direction of a digital clock. The man let out a nervous laugh, “Silly me, I didn’t notice.” He noticed the woman in the wedding dress blush slightly before smiling pleasantly and returning to what she was doing before: concentrating on ignoring him.
“My car broke down. This is my first time riding the subway.” This time the woman merely attempted a smile, without turning to look at him. “I didn't even know how to pay. I had to ask someone when I arrived... Do you ride here often?” A laugh was heard a few seats away, across the aisle.
“It's obvious you've never ridden the subway. You've got your four-hundred-dollar headphones hanging out of your briefcase, just begging to be stolen.” The man, embarrassed, stuffed the headphones into his pocket without saying a word. “On the other hand, it's harder to tell with her. With that colorful sweater over her wedding dress, I could say she's a crazy woman who spends her nights sleeping here, but the expensive perfume gives her away... I know it's expensive the same way you can tell mine isn't.” She said, seeing the girl's expression before she could speak. In the end, she just blushed and looked down.
“Besides, I ride here often, and I've never seen either of you.” The girl, no more than twenty-six years old, stared at them as if trying to figure out what two strangers were doing together on the subway in the poorest area of the city.
“My car will be ready tomorrow. Do you live around here? We could go out for something to eat this weekend or someday” the man continued, ignoring the girl with tangled black hair, ripped jeans, and a sweater three sizes too big, who at first glance looked homeless.
“She’s been ignoring you the whole ride. Can’t you see that she wants you to leave her alone?” Her voice was so loud that some people turned to look at her before moving to the farthest seat they could find.
“Excuse me, but I'm not talking to you” He replied with a hint of exasperation in her voice, as he pulled a card from his briefcase and handed it to the woman, who, in effect, continued to ignore him. “Here's my number, you can call me anytime.” He looked as if he was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the hurried footsteps of the homeless-looking girl, who in the blink of an eye grabbed the card, tore it in half, and threw the pieces in the face of a now very angry gentleman.
It bothered her to see the same behavior from different people every day, and she was called crazy when she “bothered herself in other people’s business.” Subway security had caught her attention before, but the petite appearance of the woman in the wedding dress and the nervous movements of her hands made her want to protect her, even if it meant she ended up in jail again.
"What's your problem?" This time, the few people left in the subway didn't bother to look around; they already knew what would happen, and it was better for them not to intervene. What they didn't expect, though, was to hear laughter amidst such a tense situation—not madness or anger, but pure amusement—coming from the woman dressed in white. For a moment, they both stared at her as if she was actually crazy, but then the doors opened, and the tangled-haired girl took advantage of the man's distraction to kick his briefcase away. In the seconds he hesitated between trying to chase her or picking it up, the young bride grabbed her arm and led her outside just before the doors closed.
“Hey, I wasn’t going to get off here,” She said, straightening his sweater and looking around, realizing it was already dark and she still had a long way to go before she reached her destination.
“What were you planning to do then?” It was the first time she'd heard her speak, and her ears tingle at the sound of her voice. Before answering, Minnie stared at her from head to toe, studying her for the first time as she tried to fix her now disheveled brown hair. The first thing she noticed was that she had a dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. Her eyes were small, like her face and body. She had a well-defined jaw and a nose that was a little bigger than it should have been, but straight, which fit perfectly with the rest of her features. Her white skin contrasted nicely with the dark color of her eyes. Those eyes that were now also looking at her curiously, waiting for an answer.
“Let's wait and get on at the next stop.” She looked at her watch as if the more she concentrated, the faster time would move, which made the bride laugh again.
“Do you really have somewhere to go? I thought you were homeless.” She didn't even try to defend herself; she knew she wasn't wearing her best clothes, and she was almost certain it was her hair that reeked of alcohol. “My name is Miyeon, by the way, and yours?”
“Minnie”. Miyeon smiled, biting her lip to keep from laughing. She could tell that wasn't her real name and that she used it because she didn't like the one her parents had given her. And she was absolutely right, but Minnie would never admit it, and after all, Miyeon was just a stranger.
"I don't want to get to the subway again. I'll walk." She'd barely turned around when Minnie was already holding her arm.
"Are you crazy? You can't be walking alone on the streets at this hour."
“Then come with me so you can keep looking after me.” Minnie responded with a sarcastic smile. It was obvious to both of them that she couldn't protect her from real danger. Yes, she was taller than her, but she was still thin, and aside from the scratch on her forehead and lower lip, she didn't seem like someone who really knew how to fight. Her hands, although larger than Miyeon's, were those of someone who had never done manual labor. She wore a ring on the index finger of her right hand, a necklace of some saint around her neck, and an old watch. Looking at her closely, she didn't seem as crazy as she had been on the subway; her eyes were large and lighter in color than hers, her skin was tanned, although not so much that you'd think she worked in the sun, her lips were thick, and her nose was perfect for her face. Perhaps the only problem was her hair, which reached her shoulders and seemed sticky, and her clothes were too shabby for her liking, although she couldn't complain, considering what she was wearing.
“Let's call a taxi. I have this credit card. We just need to find an ATM so they can't track me.”
“Did you steal that from the gentleman?” Miyeon laughed again as if Minnie had said the funniest thing; she realized she'd tried to appear intimidating on the subway, but her surprised face and almost childish voice showed she was far from been someone like that.
“I didn't steal it... well, yes, but it's my dad's. I borrowed it.” She said, trying to avoid Minnie's gaze, who was still scanning her with such intensity that it made her blush.
“Did you steal it when you ran away from your wedding, or before?” Miyeon stared at her for a moment before answering. Minnie had seen her get on the subway with a smile on her face and her hand on her chest. She knew she was wandering, but she looked happy. She wasn't a bride who had been jilted, but one who'd run away from the altar. This was the first time she'd been so serious. For a moment, she could even see a hint of remorse on her face, but it was so fleeting that she thought she imagined it.
“When he came to congratulate me, before the ceremony.” She bit her lip, trying not to show how happy she was to finally be free, even if it was just for one night. “Walk me to an ATM and I'll pay for your taxi.” Minnie felt her heart race when the girl took her arm and leaned in too close, giving her that smile that made the dimple in her cheek pop. It was clear Miyeon wasn't going to get on the subway again, and she wasn't going to leave her alone. She'd just been fired from her job anyway, she was threatened and beaten, and it wouldn't make any difference to rush home just to have more time to think.