In the waiting room, the atmosphere is laden with restlessness, but it's not from the brides themselves but the people tending to them- it's from Emira, Danbi and Anna who are going all over the room to prepare the brides before they walk down the aisle.

Anna is focusing on fitting the dresses on them, slightly worried that she might have missed the measurements, but heaves a sigh of relief when they step out from behind the curtain, stunning an understatement.

Danbi has offered herself to be their makeup artist, shrugging and saying that she knows a thing or two about makeup. Since they're not looking to spend so much for the wedding, both Akira and Byul let their faces become her canvas, and the outcomes satisfied them both without having to take out a single chroma.

Emira is flailing around, the walkie talkie gripped in her hand tight as she coordinates with those outside, especially Yeosang, in making sure that the guests have all arrived and are waiting to witness the union of the two couples.

Anna fixes the veils on both brides before she steps back, her hands curled into fists and wrists touched together as she takes in their appearance. "Beautiful," is what she says as she feels the tears stinging her eyes. "Both of you really do my designs justice. I've always heard about both of you from Yeosang and now that I get to meet you... Seonghwa and Yunho are indeed ones of the luckiest men."

Byul smiles through the veil and utters, "I'm honoured to be able to wear a dress designed by the Anna Yoo. In fact, my gratitude is overdue for the dress that you had sewn for me for that mission."

"Agreed, you managed to make these dresses so unique and yet they complement each other so well. I'm not a fan of dresses myself but if it's made by you..." Akira nudges her. "I'll be more than glad to wear them."

"Oh stop, you're flattering me too much," Anna giggles as she stands back.

She's too busy in handling the fitting of the brides that she didn't have time to dress up herself. Despite having a million other dresses that she has sewn, she's only wearing one that she finds comfortable, one that she has worn too many times that even Yeosang must've noticed it too. She slightly regrets the fact that she didn't put in too much effort in her appearance, and she thinks to herself that Yeosang must be embarrassed to go around and introduce her as his girlfriend. She's nothing compared to the other girls, and she feels sorry that he's dating someone like her.

The brides stand up when they receive the cue that they may leave the room to walk down the aisle, and in front of the large doors they wait. Bouquets in their hands and faces hidden partially under the veil, nothing can hide the fact that their hearts are beating wildly in their chests, and they're moments away from being someone's wives. The ceremony will come with new responsibilities, and open up new doors for them they could never imagine of having when ATEEZ were still under the Bifidensis.

Today, it will become a reality.

Before the giant doors are opened, Emira halts them and she scurries to stand in front of them, taking both of their hands in hers, inhaling and exhaling as if she's the one about to be wed.

"Akira," she starts before looking at her sister with tears in her eyes, and she cups Akira's face. "No matter what, you'll always be my little sister, okay? I'm sure mom and dad will be proud seeing you getting married to him, and although I wish they'd be here to witness their youngest daughter getting married, I'm happy that I'm here to see it."

"Emira," Akira replies, gripping her sister's hands that are cupping her face and even without the tears in her eyes, the look she gives Emira is enough to say how much the melancholy is consuming her. "Don't make me cry now," she chuckles. "I don't want to ruin this makeup."

"Right, just getting carried away with my feelings. I'm so proud of seeing my little sister finally getting married to the guy who deserves her. But," she turns serious, "if Park Seonghwa ever breaks your heart, tell him that Emira Hwang will not hesitate to break his bones, alright?" She turns to Byul and grasps her hands too. "You too, if Jeong Yunho decides to be an asshole one day, call me over and I'll teach him not to mess with you."

The brides laugh despite their nervousness trailing in their wake, and they nod, signalling that they're ready for the ceremony. The doors are opened and there they are, the grooms ready and waiting for their brides.

Emira holds Akira's wedding dress while Danbi takes Byul's, and Remy takes his position in between them to walk them along the aisle. Hwayoung, beaming, with a purple bow on her head, brings the basket full of petals with her and she scatters them ahead of the brides, the soft music accompanying them as they get closer to their soon-to-be husbands.

The looks on both Seonghwa and Yunho are identical it seems that they're looking at the same thing; the love of their lives walking towards them. Their eyes water at the sight of their future wives, but both fail to hold them back as their tears pour the moment their brides step in front of them. As soon as they come face to face, they unveil their brides, looking at each other like they finally found their treasure after years of searching.

Their guests don't fill the whole venue, but they are people they are close with, and it's enough for them. There are people from various walks of life. There are people they know from their activities as ATEEZ; Dr. Kei and his nurses, A.C.E, Lee Minhyuk, and the grandpa who supplied them with their weapons, Ram. There are people that they know in the past; like Seoho and his workers at the resort. There are people that they know when they're only the '8 guys who run a cafe'; like Mrs. Ryu who fought with Seonghwa for the chicken, Hwayoung's kindergarten teachers, and Grandma June with the golden retriever. There are several other guests whom they invited, and as they see them, they realize that maybe their lives aren't so lonely after all.

The vows flow from their lips as they've practiced a thousand times, a step closer to them being tied with marriage. When it's time for them to put the rings on each other, everyone in the room, including the brides and grooms, look expectantly at the best men - Mingi and San - who are waiting by the side, gloved hands clasped in front of them, completely forgetting their duties.

"Idiots, the rings! Take out the rings!" Hongjoong instructs them from the front row, gesturing wildly to them to point where they keep the rings.

"Oh right! The rings, of course," Mingi exclaims before scurrying to take the rings, and this elicits some laughter from the guests.

Down with embarrassment, Hongjoong and Yeosang bury their faces in their hands and the younger mumbles, "Who on earth agreed to them being the best men?"

Mingi is about to give the other box containing Akira and Seonghwa's rings to San, but trips and loses his grip on the box. In slow motion, the guests' jaws drop as the box unlatches and the rings fly out, horror painted on the best men's faces. The jewellery roll under the guests' chairs, disappearing from view and the empty box falls to the floor with a lame thud.

"Song Mingi," Hongjoong growls before he lifts his butt from the chair, intending to help so that the search for the missing rings will commence faster.

"Whoops, just a moment, yeap, need to get the rings, haha. Whoops, sorry, I did not mean to touch your foot, oh gorgeous shoes by the way. Uh, I think I saw them. Anyone saw the rings?" Mingi's mouth goes full speed as he's panicking, ducking in between rows of seated guests. Even though he can't see it, he can feel Seonghwa's eyes sending sharp daggers to his back, about to change into the dragon that's tattooed on his back. He dives into a row as he spots the glinting rings stacked nicely on top of each other. He grabs them and he pumps up his fist with the rings inside, shouting, "Found them!"

"Gosh he's so embarrassing," Emira comments. "But so damn cute."

After the bump, they continue the ceremony with Mingi handing Byul and Yunho's rings while San helps to give Akira and Seonghwa's. Picking up the momentum they had before the incident, they fit the rings onto their partners' fingers, sealing the marriage. It even looks like their smiles are tattooed on their faces as they never let them go. They look into each others' eyes with pure love that it seems that the world is infinitely theirs.

Maybe it is.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Wooyoung puts a hand over Hwayoung's eyes, protecting the innocence of the child. Kissing in front of the guests seem to ring different for the two couples, as Seonghwa and Akira are more like the shy ones as they just wanted to get it done with. Meanwhile Yunho takes his time with Byul and he has to slightly bend down to be able to comfortably kiss the bride.

They receive whistles from the guests, and Yeosang shakes his head as he leans backwards. "Boy, they sure do like to rub it in people's faces."

The ceremony ends with the guests cheering loudly for the two couples, now officially husband and wife. With the exchange of vows they move on to the reception, where Mikyung and Wooyoung are working together to make sure that the food are all prepared nicely. They are holding the reception at a rooftop garden in Treasure district, because they wanted the event to finish under the night sky.

They cut the cake together, speeches are given by each of the members of ATEEZ, and they let the guests roam freely, taking food or letting themselves loose on the dance floor. When it's time for the brides to throw the bouquets, they gather in front of the stage, each of them looking serious... especially ATEEZ.

"Um, do correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the boys look more eager than us to catch the bouquet?" Emira whispers to Anna as the latter agrees.

"It does... even Yeosang is looking for the best spot he could get." She chuckles when she sees him craning his neck and narrowing his eyes, moving around as if calculating the trajectory the bouquet's about to take.

It's Byul's turn first, and she turns her back to the audience before throwing the bouquet over her head without much thinking. There's silence in the audience before a shout full of determination comes out of San's mouth.

"That bouquet is mine!" He pushes through the crowd before using a chair as leverage, soaring above two guests before snatching the flowers mid-air, landing on the ground as he holds up the bouquet like a trophy.

"Damn," Danbi enunciates. "Is it that serious?"

"We don't stand a chance against them," Emira comments as she sees her sister taking place on the stage next. "I'm going to let this slide or I'm going to hurt myself. It doesn't matter if I die a spinster, as long as I get to see my sister happy. That's all that matters. Yeap."

Akira throws the bouquet, and this time there isn't much of a fuss, because the flowers land exactly where Yeosang is standing, away from the crowd.

He smirks because it seems that his calculation proves to be correct. As the crowd disperses when the bouquet-throwing session is over, he looks around to find Anna. Somehow, she has managed to find a cat at the garden and is seemingly having a conversation with it as she pets it and lets it jump into her lap. She's wearing a dress that he has seen multiple times, and he finds it cute that she decides to wear her hair in a messy bun, decorated with a blue hairclip. Her dress is anything but boring, and it channels her energy well.

He goes over to her, who's sitting by herself at the table, having too much interest in the conversation between her and the cat. He puts down the bouquet in front of her and the cat meows, its head being caressed gently by Anna.

"Come on, it's a wedding to be celebrated. And the guests need to know that my girlfriend sewed the beautiful dresses for the brides."

She looks up, mouth pursed as she mumbles, "But won't you be embarrassed to say to people that I'm your girlfriend? I'm not as pretty as the others-"

"Baby," Yeosang kneels in front of her, dirtying his knees as he tilts her chin so that she'll look at him. "Just because others are pretty doesn't mean you're not. Why would I be embarrassed to say that you're my girlfriend? In fact I'd be proud."

She tries not to appear affected by his words. Okay, so they're only one month into the relationship and this is probably the honeymoon phase. She needs to see whether he'll say the same once their relationship hits a year. Even so, she smiles and he returns it, helping her to get up as she hugs the cat and bouquet Yeosang caught to her chest.

"Can I bring him along when you introduce me?" she beams.

"So it's a him? I hope he's not trying to steal you from me," he chuckles. "Of course you can, I can't wait to introduce you as my girlfriend." He helps to fix her hair as her hands are full, before putting his arm across her shoulders, walking towards the crowd.

On the stage, Jongho and Hongjoong are conducting the live performance as Hongjoong plays the piano while Jongho sings with his sweet vocals.

Byul smiles as she's reminded of the first morning she had after waking up in the ATEEZ dorm, how Jongho is belting out notes and it sounds like he's a good singer. Well, apparently it's true as they slow dance, Yunho holding on to her waist with such care and gripping her hand like he never wants to let go. Meanwhile, Akira and Seonghwa clearly look like they can't dance to save their lives, as they awkwardly amble on the dance floor while holding on to each other. It results in them only embracing each other, as they try to move their bodies in what hopefully is an acceptable pass for a dance move.

Hwayoung is being entertained by Wooyoung and Mikyung, as the three spend time to gobble up the cake. From too much sugar, the kid then gets up to dance, bringing laughter and cooing for her cuteness as she struts on the floor like it's hers, despite the slow music being played.

On the right side of the dance floor, San looks hesitant as he glances at Danbi, who's calmly shoving food into her mouth, unaffected by the music atmosphere. San wants to invite her for a dance, but she doesn't seem interested in moving from her chair, so he changes his seat one by one... until he reaches the seat next to her.

"Are you trying to play musical chairs? Because I'm pretty sure that you're doing it all wrong."

San utters, "No, I was just wondering if you'd like to dance."

She seems to take it as a joke because she closes her mouth as she laughs. "I'm flattered by your offer but I can't dance to save my life."

"Well, I just thought it'd be fun. Seonghwa and Akira look like they're about to fall flat on the floor but they're holding on. I thought I could use some movement."

"Sorry to break it to you, Mr. Choi, but," she hikes up the skirt of her dress to reveal her lower limbs. He can't hide his shock when he sees her right leg- the part from her knee and below is replaced by a prosthetic. "I lost my right lower leg in an accident in Desire and Uncle Remy helped to build me this leg." She returns her gaze to her food. "Bet that shocked you a great deal, huh? I must be a thousand times less attractive to you now, and you must be having second thoughts about hitting on me. Didn't tell you the reason my boyfriend left me, but this was. Took off with some other girl the moment he found out I don't have a real leg."

"He was a jerk then, and you're not the problem. It was his loss though."

She stops chewing before taking a deep breath. "Are you hitting on me, Choi San?"

He shrugs. "I don't know, am I?"

She swallows. "That actually made my heart feel a little bit strange. Don't do that, it's not good for my health."

"Do what?"

"That," she does a circle around his face using her fork. "Showing me those dimples of yours, because you're going to make me want to dive into another reckless relationship. I can get pretty stupid then I'd start thinking that this is it, the guy that would risk it all for me, only to have him leave because I no longer fit into his beauty chart."

"Well, I did tell you that you can only have my word for it."

"Huh," she simply says. "What are you implying?"

"That you're amazing for being able to beat up my ass even with the prosthetic. Since we made it out alive, maybe I can get a chance to prove it to you, like you said."

"You're attractive, I admit." She takes a deep breath again. "But I guess I'm not looking for a relationship right now. That shit hurts too much when it's over."

"So it's not... now, but you're willing to give me a chance sometime later in the future?"

She smiles as she looks down at her food. "Maybe. If you wait for me, I guess then I'll know that you're actually serious about this."

He decides, "I guess I have no choice but to wait. Whenever you're ready to get into a relationship again."

She puts out a fist for him to bump. "That's a deal."

He bumps her fist, chuckling. "Still, no dance?"

"Gosh, no don't ask me that again, Choi San. Or I'll throw you into the ocean to get eaten by sharks."

He respects her decision before taking a heap of food and joining her, chattering away like they're lifelong friends. Apparently, there are a lot of things they have in common and their conversation consists of them comparing which martial arts moves are superior over the others, which weapons they'd prefer to wield on the field. His dimples show more as they go deep in the conversation, with the thought that it's his crush' wedding day fading bit by bit.

Meanwhile, the guests get amused as they watch Mingi running around, screaming his head off as Emira chases him, trying to swat away the spider that seems to have taken a liking towards the hacker. He doesn't notice it at first, but as Emira casually says "spider" and points towards him, he doesn't think twice before bolting.

He whimpers, "P-please, please get it off me."

"Stop moving around," Emira instructs as she pulls his suit jacket, makes him sit and pats away the spider that has been hopping around on his head. "There, it's gone now. You're like 6 feet tall but you're scared of a spider? Such a baby," she teases before adding under her breath, "but with that body."

"I have an extreme fear of insects," he sniffs. "They're tiny creatures that terrorize you."

She plops into the seat next to him, resting her elbows on the table. She looks at him with amusement, before pinching his arm and saying, "You have all the muscles but you probably can't even swing a bat."

"I can!" he pouts before crossing his arms, then sinks back. "Well... maybe not accurately but I can lift it to hit someone. If things warrant me to grab a weapon, I can." He winces. "I don't like violence, I prefer-" he does a motion to imitate his fingers dancing across a keyboard, "-to be behind the scenes and coordinating everything."

"It's too bad then," Emira laments.

"What is?" Mingi's eyes are still roaming around, in case the spider decides to make a reappearance. He sees it at the other side of the table and he narrows his eyes, as if daring the spider to jump on him again.

"That we're polar opposites. You're scared of insects while I can crush them with my bare hands. Violence seems fine with me, well- in the appropriate context, but you'd prefer to have your face illuminated by your computer screen."

"What's wrong with being polar opposites?" He flinches when the spider makes a leap forward, thankfully, away from him. "ATEEZ members are all polar opposites but we're good friends," he says innocently.

She chuckles. "Right, of course. There's nothing wrong with being polar opposites, we can always be good friends."

"What, you think that we can't be good friends because we're polar opposites?"

"No." Her upper front teeth tug at her lower lip. "I wasn't talking about that in the good friend context, but you're too much of a cinnamon roll." She pushes back her chair. "Enjoy the rest of the evening."

Akira swoops in, pushing back her sister to sit back on the chair. Seonghwa follows behind her, who is then joined in by Byul and Yunho.

The brides and grooms stare at both Emira and Mingi, with them crowding around the two like they're a predator about to pounce on a prey.

"What my sister meant was," Akira starts. "She's tired of being single her whole life and she had her eyes on you for quite some time, but she's too focused on matchmaking other people so she doesn't know how to function when it comes to her story."

"Akira!" Emira whimpers.

"Shh. You're always out matchmaking others but you don't even know how to say it to him without beating around the bush."

"Mingi, Emira likes you," Yunho offers.

"Not helping!" Emira hisses.

"Did it start on the day Mingi went shirtless at the waterpark?" Seonghwa muses, a smirk creeping up on his face. Somehow it feels funny to be able to tease his sister-in-law, just like she always does to him and Akira.

"She had a nosebleed during that day," Byul supplements.

"Oh my god!" Emira buries her head in her hands.

"But why... would you like me?" Mingi asks, unblinking. "I have nothing to offer."

"I don't know, because you have a nice body-" Emira starts.

"And a nice personality!" Akira cuts her off before whispering furiously to her sister, "Emira, he's more than his toned body!"

"-and... a nice personality," Emira adds as an afterthought. "You seem cute though. I don't know," she shrugs, trying not to appear too interested in the matchmaking session. "You're tall but you're like this clumsy giant who can't even hurt an ant because you ran off first. I mean, you're taller and younger than me but even though you're all that you seem so... gentle? Totally opposite of the first impression I had of you."

"Aww," Akira and Byul coo as they put their hands over their chests.

"Wow," Mingi enunciates. "I, um. That's a first for me- what- uhm," he loses his words as he looks to Seonghwa and Yunho for support. "I mean, if you think so-"

"I totally understand if you have someone else, or you think that I'm too old for you," Emira says. "I mean, let's be realistic. Just get it over with and say no. I don't mind rejection." But there's a slight sniff at the end of her words as her eyes dart to the corner to assess Mingi's expression.

"We'll leave both of you to... sort this out," Yunho winks to Mingi as they retreat, but never letting their eyes stray from the two before they get swallowed by the crowd, with some still congratulating them and asking for their next plans forward.

Mingi plays around with the soft pink tablecloth, bunching it up in his fist as he thinks of his reply to her.

"Just say no," Emira deadpans. "Rejection is as easy as that so I can like, cry and move on."

"What? No, no, no." Mingi waves his hands in front of his chest. "That's not what I meant. I meant, no I don't have anyone else and who cares if you're older than me? That's only like..." he mentally calculates.

"A 5-year difference."

"Right, 5 years. It doesn't matter. I was just thinking of what I have to say to start this."

"Start what?"

"Our relationship," he chuckles, before poking the back of her palm. "I'm a newbie to this so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"How about like, today's our 1st day or something?" Emira offers. "That's what they always do in dramas anyway, although it sounds so cringy. Beats me, though. I have no idea how a relationship is supposed to work."

"So would you want to?"

"Want to...?"

"Figure out this thing together."

"Sounds good to me."

From afar, Akira and Byul fist-bump each other as they see that Mingi has started to talk more comfortably with Emira. This day couldn't get any better as they see the atmosphere cloaking the reception; it seems to be a witness to new relationships, and their guests are putting on genuine smiles.

Seonghwa is tending to Mrs. Ryu, with her congratulating him and treating him like he's her son, patting his head and giving him hugs. Akira joins them, and Mrs. Ryu cannot stop gushing about how they're such a perfect couple for each other. The energy that she gives makes tears come to their eyes as they are reminded of their own mothers who are no longer here. It's hard to imagine that this was the lady that had beat him up with a cane because they wanted the last pack of chicken.

The day goes by smoothly as the night presents itself, and the guests leave one by one, leaving only ATEEZ members, their partners and Hwayoung left. After everything is settled and the ceremony has ended, all of them retreat to the bedrooms they have booked at the hotel next door.

Hongjoong has offered to take care of Hwayoung before giving a suggestive look to both Yunho and Byul, saying that "they can take their time" before the younger violently slaps his back repeatedly to shut him off.

Yunho and Byul change into their normal clothes, but he then asks her to wait for him at the garden before he joins her again. She looks like she wants to ask why, but doesn't as she waits patiently under the hanging outdoor lights. She sees him skipping like an excited child towards her from the entrance of the garden, hands behind his back.

He grins as he halts in front of her. "Guess what I got for you." He doesn't give the chance for her to answer as he brings out the box from behind him. "Ta-da! They had your size at the outlet in Treasure district."

He takes out the shoes and lays them on his palms, with her beaming, completely speechless. She had forgotten about the pair when they were too busy with the wedding preparations.

"I know, you love me," he says before he kneels to let her try them on.

As soon as he ties the last knot, she runs around the garden, jumping up and down, looking like she's trying to wear them off on the same day she got them. He laughs when he sees her so happy, and his heart does that weird flip again.

It's the same. That night when she was happily playing around in the rain under the crescent moon, without having a care in the world. That night when he saved her from the fire, having no idea that their story will go a long way. That day when he made a decision to track her at the training centre, only to find her trapped behind bars. The moment they met again in front of the cafe, when he was starting to learn how to let her stay in the past. That time when he realized how Byul is Hwayoung's mother, the girl he had been waiting for to appear even when hope was starting to wane for him. The time he made a decision that he didn't want to lose her again, because he didn't want their story to end before it even began.

Her eyes glow as she looks up in wonder at the sky, finished with her adventure around the garden with her newly-bought shoes.

He hugs her from behind, resting his chin on her head as he mumbles, "It's the crescent moon tonight, like the first time I saw you."

She turns around and cranes her neck to look at him, with his arms around her waist. "I always thought that you liked the crescent moon because it was the day that you saved me from the fire."

"It's not," he chuckles. "I had a crush on you before you even knew I existed. I think we're wrong about a lot of things, though."

"Like what?"

"I think everything was an illusion, all those years we spent at the training centre, none of it feels real. But this," he traces his thumb on her lips. "This is real."

"This is our reality."

"It may not be the perfect story, but this is ours. Thank you... for coming back to me. To us. Thank you for holding on even when life is hard for you, thank you for being the same even after you let go of Lee Eunbi."

She chuckles. "If I didn't have that job interview, if I decided to go back early, if you didn't invite me into the cafe, if Hongjoong didn't announce it to the whole cafe... none of this would happen. It was the crescent sign that gave me the slightest bit of hope that things might change for me."

Such a simple name that some might only think nothing of, but a symbol that brings so much meaning to them. The phase that witnessed their last meeting as Lee Eunbi and Jeong Yunho... but brought them back together as Han Byul and Jeong Yunho.

Crescent.

---

[A/N: Favourite ship? Tbvh mine is Yeosang x Anna 😹 love me that cute relationship.

Anyway, this story is coming to an end as the next chapter is the final one. I will definitely miss writing this story gosh it was such a ride.

Hope you have/had/are having a nice day <3]