About Love: Chapter 17

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By the time July had entered its latter half and the rainy season had ended, Koenji’s very first clients—who also happened to be a gay couple—had returned to the shop. Morino-sama, who had previously visited alone, now brought his partner, Ikegami-sama, with him.

Asaka had only caught a brief glimpse of Morino-sama during his first visit and hadn’t exchanged more than a few words with him. So, he began with a proper introduction.

“I’m Asaka, and I’ll be assisting Koenji with your wedding planning. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Seated across from the couple in one of Dragée’s private rooms, Asaka handed them his business card.

Morino-sama, who Asaka had heard was a magazine editor, had a small face framed by glasses, a faint beard along his chin, and a sharp, refined sense of style. Ikegami-sama, on the other hand, was younger and had the unremarkable appearance of an average salaryman. His features were plain, but his gaze carried a striking intensity.

Morino-sama’s expression and tone overflowed with excitement, while Ikegami-sama, in contrast, looked noticeably unenthusiastic.

Perhaps there was a difference in enthusiasm between the two when it came to this wedding… Asaka thought.

As Morino-sama glanced down at Asaka’s business card, he tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

“You’re a bridal coordinator too?”

“Yes.”

“I mean… isn’t that rare? I was already surprised when I heard Koenji-san was one, but…”

“In hotel-run wedding services, you’ll often see male staff in front-facing roles, but in independent bridal salons like ours, male coordinators are still uncommon. That said, their numbers are gradually increasing.”

Asaka smiled warmly as he gestured for them to take their seats, then sat down as well.

“Koenji will be handling the planning for your wedding and reception, but I’ll be assisting in various ways throughout the process.”

He deliberately chose not to mention that Koenji was a rookie.

From the client’s perspective, it didn’t matter whether their coordinator was brand new or had ten years of experience.

Asaka had decided that Koenji would manage everything from planning to venue arrangements on his own. Over the past few days, he had been drilling Koenji on every aspect of the job, staying late to teach him the ins and outs of the trade.

Now, Koenji pulled his reference materials close, opened his notebook, and prepared to begin.

The first step was to help the clients solidify their vision for the ceremony.

Just as Koenji, visibly tense, was about to speak, Ikegami-sama—who had remained silent until now—abruptly cut in.

“All male staff. Was that a deliberate choice?”

His tone was blunt, almost as if spitting out the words.

Morino-sama, sensing the sharp edge in his voice, quickly interjected.

“Hey…!”

Koenji, completely thrown off, stood frozen with his mouth half-open, his gaze darting to Asaka in a silent plea for help.

How many times have I told him?

This is your client, and I’m only here for support.

And yet, instead of handling it himself, he was already looking to Asaka for assistance.

Was he unwilling to explain things on his own? Was he not ready to take control of the conversation? Letting the awkward silence drag on would only make things worse.

So, Asaka spoke up.

“It’s true that we thought you might feel more comfortable consulting with someone of the same gender. But more than that, Koenji is your assigned coordinator, and I’m here as his mentor.”

He maintained an easygoing tone.

“Of course, Koenji has a solid knowledge base, but since he’s still fairly new to the profession, I’ll be assisting him where needed.”

Ikegami-sama stared at Asaka, his sharp eyes almost scrutinizing.

Asaka, unfazed, flashed him a pleasant smile.

“If things don’t go smoothly, I might end up scolding my unworthy junior, but please don’t mind that.”

Morino-sama chuckled.

Ikegami-sama’s expression, however, barely changed. Even so, that brief moment of laughter seemed to ease the tension in the room.

Koenji must have sensed it too—he finally found his voice. He stumbled a little at first but managed a decent start.

The couple’s primary request was simple: they wanted a church wedding.

However, that alone didn’t provide enough insight into their ideal ceremony. Following the manual, Koenji asked, “Do you have any shared hobbies?”

They both enjoyed reading and watching movies, but their tastes didn’t seem to overlap much.

"Then, how did the two of you meet?"

The moment Koenji asked, Ikegami-sama's expression darkened, and Asaka immediately thought, This is bad.

"You’ve been prying into our business from the start. What’s the deal? Where we met, what we were doing—none of that has anything to do with you!"

Koenji stiffened, his face frozen. He didn’t move a muscle.

Morino-sama tried to calm him down. "Why are you getting so worked up?"

Ikegami-sama shot back, "This is exactly why I didn’t want to come to a place like this."

A quarrel broke out between them.

Koenji only stood there in shock, watching, making no attempt to mediate. His wide, tearful eyes seemed unable to even process how things had escalated to this point.

Asaka bowed deeply. "I sincerely apologize for my poor wording."

"When planning a wedding or reception, we try to build an image based on what is meaningful to the couple—the things they love, the moments that hold special significance. I understand that it might be difficult to answer out of the blue, which is why we ask about your story—how you met, what experiences brought you together—to help refine that vision. For example..."

He opened the materials Koenji had brought.

"One couple first met in Bali, so we decorated their reception hall with tropical flowers reminiscent of the island. Another couple loved dolphins, so they held their ceremony at an aquarium and had their reception at a seaside hotel with a garden wedding."

Glancing at Ikegami-sama, Asaka saw that while some awkwardness remained, the anger in his gaze had faded.

"If you don’t have a specific vision, we can base it on a wedding we've planned before, one that resonates with you. But personally, I think incorporating something meaningful to the two of you would make it all the more special. We've had couples who loved motorcycles and arranged for bikes to be brought into their reception hall…"

It seemed the misunderstanding had been cleared up, yet Ikegami-sama still looked pained, his gaze lowered.

Asaka understood exactly how he felt.

Morino-sama might trust them, but Ikegami-sama did not.

No matter how sincerely they approached the planning, he was wary—wondering if there was curiosity behind their questions, or mockery, or condescension.

Before they could discuss planning, they needed to build trust. They needed to close the distance between them.

Asaka glanced at Koenji. He was looking down, avoiding eye contact altogether.

He’s not even trying to see them.

"...A wedding is a joyous occasion," Asaka said, his tone gentle but firm.

"Of course, it’s about honoring the guests who come to celebrate with you. But more than anything, it should be something that brings the two of you joy, something you’ll truly enjoy. I know that deciding to hold a wedding must not have been an easy choice. That’s why we want to make sure that when the day comes, it’s a moment of true celebration, a memory worth cherishing. And we’ll do everything in our power to make that happen."

Silence.

The air remained heavy, the conversation at a standstill.

Asaka shifted tactics.

"Morino-sama, do you play any sports?"

Morino-sama, who had looked utterly lost just moments ago, lifted his head.

"No, I’m terrible at all sports, actually…"

"Not even bowling?"

"Bowling?"

Ikegami-sama muttered the word under his breath.

"We once worked with a couple who were both professional bowlers. As we discussed their wedding, the excitement kept building, and in the end, they held both their ceremony and reception at a bowling alley. When the bride, in her wedding dress, bowled a strike, the entire hall erupted in applause."

Morino-sama's eyes crinkled with laughter.

"That’s incredible. I don’t bowl, but I do play billiards from time to time."

Asaka leaned forward slightly. "I play billiards too, though I’m not particularly good at it…"

Turning to Ikegami-sama, he asked, "Do you play any sports?"

After a brief pause, Ikegami-sama murmured, "In the winter… I go skiing sometimes."

"That reminds me," Asaka said, seizing the moment, "we once had a couple who loved snowboarding so much that they insisted on having their wedding on the slopes."

"These days, anything goes, huh?"

Morino-sama crossed his arms, sounding genuinely impressed.

“Just like those two couples, having a wedding without a ceremony can be quite unique. While it takes more time to prepare for a ceremony held somewhere other than a reception hall, choosing a place the two of you love makes it all the more memorable.”

Asaka continued explaining past weddings Dragée had organized, alternating between Morino-sama and Ikegami-sama as he spoke, weaving in humor to lighten the mood.

At first, Ikegami-sama remained stiff, but slowly—albeit awkwardly—he began to return Asaka’s smiles.

After about an hour of discussion, Asaka handed them a file filled with wedding photos, asking them to solidify their vision before their next meeting.

Morino-sama looked slightly perplexed.

“The next meeting…? Um, does that mean we don’t have to decide everything today?”

“Since you and Ikegami-sama are aiming for a December wedding, there’s still plenty of time. You can take about a week to think it over carefully, and we can finalize things after that.”

After sending the two of them off and returning to the office, Asaka realized that despite the air-conditioned room, his back was drenched in sweat.

Some men are indifferent, some women are overly meticulous—but Ikegami-sama was different. Dealing with him required an unusual level of sensitivity.

His rigid demeanor seemed to be softening, yet his wariness remained. From here on, Asaka would need to be especially careful with his words.

A loud thud broke his train of thought. Looking up, he saw Koenji dropping the documents he had used for the meeting onto his desk.

After letting out a deep sigh, Koenji met Asaka’s gaze and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry about today. I ended up leaving all the talking to you…”

There was no shortage of things Asaka could complain about—Koenji’s lack of responsibility, his failure to take initiative—but to be fair, Morino-sama and Ikegami-sama were clearly a high-difficulty first client.

It was only natural for Koenji to feel lost.

“I don’t think you could’ve helped it today,” Asaka said. “Ikegami-sama still doesn’t trust us. We’ll just have to show him our sincerity through future discussions.”

Koenji scratched the back of his head roughly.

“But Asaka-san, you really are a pro. The way you talk is so natural… One second, it just seems like small talk, and before you know it, you’re seamlessly introducing examples of past receptions.”

“You’re a professional in the client’s eyes too, you know.”

“…Yeah, I know.” Even as he said that, Koenji leaned in slightly.

“Morino-sama is fine, but that Ikegami-sama guy… he’s got such a bad attitude. I mean, we’re doing this as a favor, and yet he acts like that? It makes our job a lot harder.”

Asaka was stunned by his words.

“What the hell are you saying?”

“What…?”

“Of course, Ikegami-sama doesn’t know what went on before we took on this job. No one told him. And what do you mean, ‘doing this as a favor’? We only have a job because of our clients.”

“Well… yeah, but…”

Koenji mumbled, sulking slightly.

“You keep saying ‘bad attitude,’ but did you ever stop to think why Ikegami-sama acted that way?”

Koenji bit his lower lip and fell silent.

“If you weren’t even trying to understand his feelings, what exactly were you doing in that meeting? Just sitting there, looking down, thinking ‘this guy is difficult to handle’ or ‘he’s just complaining about everything’?”

No response.

The more Asaka spoke, the angrier he became.

“They chose you as their consultant, Koenji. They’re your clients. Why can’t you try harder to see things from their perspective? From Ikegami-sama’s point of view, this is the first time he’s ever met either of us. Of course he’s going to wonder whether we have any prejudices or whether we’re looking down on him. That’s only natural. And yet the one person who should understand the clients best is acting like this. What are you doing? Besides, weren’t you the one who said, ‘I feel like we have to organize this wedding for them’ when we first discussed whether to take them on?”

“…I know, but I didn’t think it would be this difficult. And this time, Asaka-san, you agreed to take them on too, so…”

Something in Asaka’s head snapped.

“Don’t give me that bullshit!”

His sudden outburst made Takahashi, who was working nearby, turn around in surprise.

“Why are you trying to shift the blame? You knew from the beginning this would be difficult. You knew that the restaurants we work with might refuse them because it’s a same-sex wedding. You knew that even among Protestant churches, there are only a limited few that would agree to perform the ceremony. Don’t tell me you didn’t think about that! You took this on because it felt right, and now that things aren’t going the way you expected, you just want to throw in the towel?”

Koenji’s eyes reddened, glistening with unshed tears.

“I—I never said I wanted to abandon them!”

“You’re just avoiding anything that’s inconvenient for you. That’s as good as giving up.”

Asaka slammed his palm against the desk with a loud bang.

“I’m done. I’m not going to any more meetings with those two. You handle everything on your own.”

Ignoring Koenji, Asaka turned back to his work. His frustration and anger made it impossible to focus at first, but after ten, fifteen minutes, the searing rage began to cool. Perhaps he could understand Ikegami-sama’s feelings because, like him, he was also gay.

And to be fair, Morino-sama and Ikegami-sama were difficult clients. Even after working with dozens of couples, Asaka still had to carefully choose his words around them.

There was no way Koenji, dealing with this kind of client for the first time, would be able to handle them smoothly.

Even so, was it selfish of Asaka to expect Koenji to at least have the passion to push through, even if he failed?

He glanced over at his junior.

Koenji was slumped in his chair, not even moving. Just staring at his lap.

“…Koenji.”

At the sound of his name, Koenji’s head shot up.

“Myoujin-san is upstairs in the storage room getting things ready for tomorrow. Go help him. And after five-thirty, you can go home. Just take some time to think about what I said today.”

Koenji lowered his head in apology.

“…I’m sorry.”

Then, as if running away, he disappeared up the stairs.

As soon as he was completely out of sight, Takahashi clapped Asaka on the shoulder.

“Good work.”

“…Was I too harsh?”

“He had it coming. The real problem is that he wouldn’t have realized it unless someone spelled it out for him.”

Then, with a knowing look, Takahashi added, “That was the client from earlier, right? That guy? Did things get that bad?”

“Not really. Koenji was just asking about their hobbies and how they met to build a concept for the wedding, and Ikegami-sama snapped, ‘Stop prying into my life.’”

Takahashi scoffed. “That kind of thing happens all the time.”

“Yeah, but after that, Koenji completely shut down, so I had to step in.”

“What kind of coordinator freezes up in front of a client? We’re dealing with people. Of course there’s going to be friction. Honestly, I’ve thought this for a while, but that kid is way too soft.”

She let out a sharp breath through her nose.

“He’s still stuck in college mode, acting like a client instead of a consultant. He just assumes that if he’s in trouble, someone will swoop in and save him. No offense, Asaka, I know you’re trying to train him, but if he’s going to stay like this, I’d rather he just quit now. He’s a waste of payroll.”

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