Baekhyun's POV~

It's been close to two weeks already and my only focus has been getting in contact with our old shareholders, but none of them have responded to me or have answered. I was getting absolutely nowhere and I've become more sensitive, obviously because I've been so stressed lately. I haven't had any decent sleep, I haven't had a proper meal; I haven't been in contact with my family and I saw Mina less and less. I even missed Bacon!

The only time I saw the two of them was when I secretly returned home to check up on them, but that's not enough for me. I really wanted to embrace her, but I can't just yet. Gosh, this is so frustrating. Just the thought of it made me pull my hair. 

"Baekhyun-ssi, if you're pulling your hair because of stress then why don't you go home and rest? It's already been two weeks," Secretary Moon said, concerned. 

"Just another hour-"

"That's what you said last time and you ended up sleeping at your desk," he said. "If you're that determined then at least work at home. You need to see Mina once in awhile."

I bit my lip and sighed through my nose. That wasn't such a bad idea, so I packed all my things and thanked Secretary Moon for worrying about me before I made my way home. 

Once I got home, it was empty. I already knew Mina and Bacon were out with Junior watching his team practice for their final match coming soon, so I wasn't worried about her whereabouts. Besides, I would've focused on my work. 

I set up my laptop on the dining table and continued where I left off. I called some old shareholders once again and was cursed at for constantly calling. 

"...must you bother me at a time like this?"

"...I've told you countless times that I want nothing to do with you or your project!"

"...This person is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

"Damn," I groaned and hung up my phone. Every single time, I get rejected and ignored. Why? What have we done wrong?

I sighed and crossed out the name of the person I had just called and dialed another. It was ringing for a good amount of time and the person picked up. 

"For goodness sakes," the man sighed angrily. "This is harassment for constantly calling me, Baekhyun-ssi."

"I'm really sorry, but please do hear me out, Mr. Shin," I pleaded. 

"I don't have time for this," he said and I knew he was going to hang up, so I unintentionally shouted, "Why did you leave us?!"

It went silent. 

"Mr. Shin, why did you back out on my father and I? You were just as excited as we were about this, so why? If it's about money then-"

"I'm sorry, Baekhyun, but I really don't have time for this," he said in a soft voice; there was sincerity in his voice. He was really apologetic, I could tell, but why? "I suggest you give up on this project."

That hit me hard in the chest. How could I give up? 

"I'm not going to-"

"You should because you're not going to get anywhere without our help," he interrupted. "Maybe you should have Mrs. Kim help you. She's your only option; she's your best option. Now, I must go, so please do not contact me anymore. It's burdensome. Goodbye."

And with that he hung up. Was it always this painful to be rejected? Would all of this go down the drain? Was there really no hope for me?

I set my phone down and felt my emotions collide with one another. I ran my fingers through my hair and clenched my jaw. 

"I hate this," I whispered and I felt my emotions get stronger. "I really hate this. This is ridiculous."

I was so frustrated that my eyes burned with tears as I tried to hold them back. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes as I closed my fists, grasping me hair. 

"How did it turn out like this? For two weeks and they tell me it's useless," I muttered and felt a tear slip out. "Can't they at least give me a little bit of hope? Even if they can't help me financially, can't they just support me?" 

I let out a long sigh and opened my eyes, letting more tears fall. I released my hair and closed the windows on my desktop, seeing my wallpaper. It was a photo of Mina that I had secretly taken on our trip in Busan. I raised my hand towards the screen and brushed my hands over her face. 

"At least I have you, right?" I wondered and just then I heard the door open. It startled me and walked in Mina with Bacon in her arms. 

"Oh, you're ho-," she cut herself off and just stared at me. "Baekhyun...why are you crying?"

I gasped and quickly turned my face away to wipe my tears. How could I forget?!

"What are you talking about? I'm not crying," I forced a laugh and sniffled. "How was it? The kids?"

She was quiet for a few seconds and turned away while putting Bacon down. 

"They're getting better," she answered. "They wished you were there."

I smiled and snickered, "I would've loved to see them practice."

"Yeah...they want you to watch their final game too," she said and looked at me with a soft expression. I haven't seen that one in awhile....

"I'll try to make it," I said and touched my laptop as if I was working when really it was just my wallpaper of Mina showing. "Why don't you rest? I'm sure the kids tired you out."

"What about you?" she asked and I gently smiled to her. 

"Let me finish some stuff first," I lied and her eyes remained on mine, she had more to say. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head and lowered her gaze, asking, "Aren't you tired?"

I cocked my head to the side and replied, "No. I've had about ten cups of coffee so-"

"That's not what I meant," she said. "Aren't you tired of all of this? You haven't been able to properly talk to these people. Doesn't it exhaust you?"

I swallowed hard and lowered my eyes down to my lap; I couldn't say anything. 

"Why don't you give up?" she suddenly said and I widened my eyes, feeling my heart crush. I looked up at her and she had a serious look on. "Isn't it best to just leave it?"

"Mina," I quietly said her name and I really didn't know what to say. "Do you not believe in me too?"

She just stared at me and I felt it getting harder to breath the more she looked. Say something already!

"I'm going to bed," she said and I felt my heart shatter. She avoided my question and ran away by entering the room, closing the door behind her. 

Why is this all happening? Does she really not have faith in me either? Was all the time and effort I've used really a waste?

I thought she'd give me some kind of support or strength, but she did the opposite. She's no different from the rest....

I ended up packing my work stuff and went back to the office to spend my night there; I went to drink my thoughts away. 

Mina's POV~

It's been 2 days since and Baekhyun hasn't returned home. Was I too harsh on him that night? Yeah, I was...I broke him. I couldn't forget his face when I told him to give up and I couldn't stop my chest from feeling a painful jab. 

I was laying in bed when I felt my phone vibrating next to me. I jumped up thinking it was Baekhyun, but it was the last person I wanted to talk to. I let out an annoyed sigh and answered. 

"What?" 

She scoffed and said, "Come to the house. I want to talk."

"It's late. Let's talk tomorrow," I said. 

"When I say I want to talk, I mean now," she firmly said and I clenched my jaw. I had no choice, but to go meet her at the house I grew to hate. 

At the house, a maid escorted me to the dining hall and there she was, gracefully enjoying her late dinner. For goodness' sake, who eats steak at this time of night anyways? It's already past 9pm and you can get really bloated from such a late dinner. 

"Glad you could come see me tonight," she faked a smile. "Want the leftovers?"

"Feed it to your husband," I muttered and she gestured me to take a seat. I rolled my eyes and sat down across from her; I'm so glad the table was long and that I didn't have to sit close to her. 

"So? Anything you want to report to me?" she asked and I crossed my arms. 

"Nothing. It's been the same for over two weeks," I answered and she hummed in disappointment. 

"And he still hasn't given up yet," she clicked her tongue and sighed. "Mina, I want to see 'change' and 'change' isn't happening."

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer," I said and leaned back into the chair. "He'll eventually give up."

"Oh and he will," she grinned and looked up at me. "You'll make him."

I felt a sense of unease and swallowed hard. She giggled and set her utensils on the table. 

"I need you to be more than just my spy," she said and I furrowed my brows. "I need you to sneak into his office and anything you find regarding his project must be turned in to me."

I felt my breathing stop as she smirked at me. 

"I know he's got something and he's simply just hiding it away," she said like she was so sure of it, but I knew he didn't have anything. 

"And what if he didn't?" I asked and she laughed. 

"Sweetheart! If he didn't then don't you think he'd given up by now?" she snorted and interlaced her fingers over the table. "And you're going to be the one to find out."

"And what if I don't want to?" I asked without thinking of what I had just said. She scoffed and narrowed her eyes at me. 

"Then you can say bye-bye to daddy's photos," she smirked and that hit me in the chest. "I know you hid them in the hotel too. As a matter of fact, you're having that one DJ hold it for you."

I widened my eyes and felt my pulse race, "How the hell do you know that?"

"Mina, I have eyes all over the place. You can't hide anything from me," she said and I clenched my fists under the table. "Now, go home and continue acting, then accompany Baekhyun to his office and secretly investigate his desk and computer."

I couldn't argue with her, so I let out a long sigh and nodded. 

"Fine, I'll do that-"

"And remember to report everything back to me. Mama's getting very impatient," she grinned and I groaned, "Whatever."

I stood up and left the place. As I was walking out of the driveway, I pulled out my phone and called Joohyun. 

"Yo! What's up!" he answered loudly on the receiving end. I could tell he was at his nightclub from the loud music. 

"You still got my box?" I asked. 

"Yeah! It's safe with me!" he replied with another shout.

"They'll be safer with me, so let's meet up," I said and made my way to his nightclub after hanging up. 

I took a taxi to Gangnam and made my way down to the club, hearing the music booming through the walls. I heard people shouting and cheering along with the music. 

I stepped into the club and I was literally blinded by all the neon lights in the room and my ears were ringing from the music. There were so many people here that I had to squeeze my way through to find one person. It wasn't easy, but I made it to the stage where Joohyun was jamming away with another DJ. 

"Joohyun!" I shouted his name, but the music was way too loud. "Joohyun!!"

I waved my arms up to get his attention, but that was useless. Nothing was working when I saw an empty water bottle on the floor, so I grabbed it and threw it at him. It hit his head and he looked in my direction with an annoyed look, but when he saw me he lightened up and smiled. 

He came to me and jumped down the stage. He was saying something, but I couldn't hear him and made it clear that I didn't know what he was saying. He caught on and grabbed my wrist, leading me to the "Staff Only" area where it was way much quieter. We were in the hallway and he told me to wait out while he went to grab the box from his locker in the men's changing room. He legit brought the box everywhere with him. 

He came back out and I felt relieved to see the box safe and sound. 

"Thanks, Joohyun," I said and reached for it, but he pulled it back and I looked up at him, flustered. 

"You're not doing anything stupid, are you?" he asked and I lied to him, "No."

He's not easy to fool, but he's not the type to force something out of you. 

"Mina, did you not take my lecture to heart? These are just photos, nothing more," he said and that annoyed me. 

"You don't know what they mean to me," I said and tried to grab the box, but he lifted it up higher. Our height difference was too big to try and grab it. 

"I know what they mean to you Mina, but is it really worth it?" he asked and I furrowed my eyebrows. "What exactly is it that you're trying to protect?"

I clenched my jaw and looked up at the box and said, "I really don't have time for this. Give me back the box."

He sighed and lowered the box. I snatched it away and walked on before he could say anything more. 

"You're so selfish," he said and I stopped in my tracks. That put a knife through my chest. "You're really no different from your mother...always thinking about yourself."

That made me angry and I snapped, "I am NOT my mother!"

My tears filled my eyes and I breathed heavily. He was furious with me and he scoffed, "That's right, you're not. You're worst than her. You're only protecting yourself while hurting others...you're heartless."

There was a throbbing pain in my chest and I backed away, clenching onto my box. 

"You don't know anything," I said and ran away. I ran into people on my way out, but I wanted to get out. I had to get out. 

I was hoping that once I was out I'd be able to breath, but I wasn't. The feeling never left and never did his words. I gasped for air and felt my legs grow weak, so I stumbled to a curb and sat down. 

"God, what am I doing? Just what is going on in my head?!" I cried and at that moment, my phone started to ring. It was Baekhyun calling. 

3rd Person POV~

Baekhyun was back at the apartment and called Mina wondering where she was. Over the past two days of being at the office, pulling himself together, he came across a businessman earlier today and he wanted to share the good news with Mina. 

**Hours earlier**

Baekhyun met a man, Mr. Yoon, at the trading and business conference back in Busan and they happened to bump into each other on Baekhyun's way to work. He invited Mr. Yoon out for dinner and he briefly told him the unfortunate news of losing everything. 

Mr. Yoon's business is quite small with little money, but this was an opportunity Baekhyun wasn't going to let slip through his fingers. Mr. Yoon's not well-known, but he knew that this man was intelligent and he needed that. 

"...we may be from a smaller company, but we don't mind helping you out," Mr. Yoon smiled. 

"Thank you so much for helping my father and I out. I hope we can be of help to you and your business as well," Baekhyun said with gratitude and stood up to give a deep bow. 

"I'm glad to be working with you," he smiled, showing his deep wrinkles. "It's just sad to know that some of the top businessmen backed out on the two of you. From what I've heard earlier from your stories is that you've got a great project ahead of you. I see potential! Yet, they all suddenly just left."

Baekhyun sighed and said with a hopeful smile, "Its unfortunate, but it's not going to stop me from achieving this goal of ours."

Mr. Yoon snickered with a nod, "I like that enthusiasm. I'm looking forward to the next time we meet about this project of yours. I'll also contact some acquaintances, but they aren't well-known either."

"That's fine with me," Baekhyun said. "I can care less about how much money a person has or how famous one is. Right now all I need is support and people who are willing to join me on this journey."

Mr. Yoon's smile grew two times bigger and he stood up, reaching his hand out to shake Baekhyun's. He placed my hand in Mr. Yoon's and he firmly grabbed hold of it. 

"You're going to make your father and the rest of us proud," he said and Baekhyun felt a nice warm feeling lighten up in him. "It's not going to be easy, but I believe in you."

"Thank you, Mr. Yoon," he smiled and bowed to him as the man patted his back. "It's getting late, so I'll see you off."

Mr. Yoon nodded and they both walked out to the older man's car. They bid their goodbyes and he was gone. Although Baekhyun only had one man working with him, it was enough for him to feel lighter; less pressure.

**Back to present**

It was already past 11pm and he was worried about Mina after she ignored his first call. He called a second time and she finally answered, "Hello?"

He was relieved to hear her voice. 

"Where are you? It's really late out," he said and she knew he was really worried. 

"I was meeting someone," she replied. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago," he said. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

She was hesitant to answer when her mother's words rung in her ears. 

'...accompany Baekhyun to his office and secretly investigate his desk and computer...'

She swallowed hard and held her box close to her. 

"Mina? Tell me where you're at," he said and she knew she was going to regret this. 

"I'm actually at your office because I thought you'd be there," she lied and there was silence. Baekhyun just stood in the kitchen, shocked. 

"You're at my office?" He asked and she was now nervous. "How'd you get in? You need a key card for that. And why didn't you text me or call me?" 

"Well, I'm actually outside of the building and I was going to call you. I wanted to surprise you," she continued to lie and that kind of made Baekhyun happy. 

"Oh, well since you're already there, I'll come to you. I need to tell you something too," he said with a smile. Mina knew she made a mistake. "I won't be long."

"No, take your time to get here," she softly said and they hung up. She knew she made a huge mistake. 

Mina got up from the curb and called for a taxi, telling the driver to quickly get her to Baekhyun's workplace. She was anxious as she knew they were getting closer to the building; she felt like throwing up. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, couldn't stop smiling. It was the first time in a long time that Mina had gone to visit Baekhyun at his office. 

Mina was the first to arrive, which was a relief to her and Baekhyun arrived soon after. He didn't have a single clue as to what her intentions were; he was just happy to see her while she was nervous to see him. 

"Took you long enough," she said with crossed arms trying to remain normal. He snickered and apologized. 

"Well, let's go in. I'll show you my progress," he smiled and he headed towards the building. 

The word "progress" made her feel uneasy; she wished there was no progress so that she wouldn't have to report anything to that woman. 

"C'mon Mina, alarm will sound after a few seconds," he said as he opened the door for her and she caught up to him, entering the building. 

They both headed up to his office and it brought back memories to Mina. She looked over to the couch where Baekhyun first tried to seduce her when she confronted him about the scratch on her car; the car she hasn't touched in months. She looked around and saw the mess on his desk; there were piles of documents and coffee stains on them. Baekhyun was embarrassed at the mess and quickly tried to clean it. 

"I'm usually a neat person," he blushed and quickly stacked the papers neatly together. "But why don't you take a seat. I want to tell you something."

Mina nodded and sat down on the leather couch with the box on her lap. He joined her soon after cleaning up and sat right next to her; she was nervous about what he wanted to say. 

"Mina, I-"

"Uhm, before you say anything. I want to ask you something," she cut him off, which caught him off guard. He blinked and nodded, "Okay. You can go first."

She bit her bottom lip and fidgeted. 

"Why are you doing this?" she asked and he furrowed his brows slightly. 

"What do you mean?" he asked. She inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. 

"What I mean is, why is this so important to you? You really could just give up," she said and there was that same painful jab to the chest for the both of them. 

Baekhyun took a seat by his desk and swung back and forth with a sigh. 

"The same reason as your father," he answered and she felt a thump against her chest. "Sure, I can give up now because I'm not getting anywhere with this project, but I have a family to provide for. I have a family to give hope to and I can't let them down."

She felt her eyes burn with tears from the memories of her father who smiled through his struggles and who never gave up. Now in front of her was not her father, but Baekhyun, who too had the same mindset. 

Baekhyun gave a soft smile seeing Mina silently crying and he stood up, approaching her. He raised his hand up and wiped her tears away as the two locked eyes on one another. 

"Mina," he whispered her name. "You're the one I want to give the most hope to and I'm going to show you that I can succeed. By succeeding, it also proves that I am capable of overcoming these obstacles once I replace my father, so please...trust me and don't tell me to give up."

She lowered her gaze and he pulled her in for a hug, gently squeezing her in his arms. 

"I need you the most right now," he whispered and she buried her face in his chest. He let out a deep sigh and slowly pulled away from her. "Can I tell you the good news now?"

She didn't want to hear it, but she nodded anyways. He smiled and logged into his computer, pulling up his email. 

"Earlier today, I was able to get someone to help me; a businessman I met in Busan," he said and opened up a message. It had lists of names and numbers on it. "He was willing to help my father and I with this project. He even sent me the contacts of his colleagues."

Baekhyun was excited telling her the news. "These people might not be wealthy, but it's enough for me."

Mina saw how happy Baekhyun was and she couldn't help, but force out a smile. 

"I'm happy for you," she softly said and Baekhyun's heart leaped a bit. He was even more happy to hear that. 

Mina looked down at the screen at the names...she had to give those to her mother somehow, but how?

Just then, they heard keys jingling outside of the office. Soon enough, the security guard walked in and looked surprised to see them. 

"Oh, Baekhyun-ssi," he said and bowed to him. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

"It was a last minute decision," he smiled to the guard. 

"Ah, I see," the guard smiled. "Uhm, since you're here, there's a strange noise coming from from behind the coffee shop. I haven't fully gone to investigate...would you like to check it out with me?"

"Don't tell me you're scared," Baekhyun teased the young guard and stood up from his seat. "But I'll accompany you there."

The guard nodded and Baekhyun looked to Mina. 

"I'll be back, okay? Just hang out in here," he smiled and she nodded. He left the office and Mina was all alone in there with the computer completely opened. 

She swallowed hard and looked down to the computer, taking hesitant steps. She glanced at the door hoping Baekhyun wouldn't suddenly came back and slowly approached the computer. She bent over and scrolled through his emails, reading some of them. 

"...don't ever contact me again..."

"...please leave me alone..."

"...Baekhyun-ssi, please give up. No one is going to help you now..."

Those were some of the messages she read and she frowned at them. She gripped onto the mouse and scrolled back up to the list of names he showed her earlier. 

Her heart was racing and she pulled out her phone to call Mrs. Kim. She was hesitant and bit her bottom lip while looking at the door here and there. She then looked over to the couch and saw her memory box. 

"Forgive me, Baekhyun," she said and dialed her mother's number. 

Mrs. Kim was quick to answer, but she wasn't happy. 

"Why the hell are you calling me in the middle of the night? I have a life and I have work in the mor-"

"I found something," Mina cut her off and Mrs. Kim gave a smirk. 

"What did you find?" she asked and Mina swallowed hard. 

"I won't tell you over the phone. I'll bring it over to you tomorrow," she said and Mrs. Kim liked the sound of that. 

"Looks like he'll finally give up," Mrs. Kim giggled. "You did a good job, Mina."

Mina felt guilty and hung up without another word. She stared at the names and moved the cursor to the print icon. 

She was hesitant and she closed her eyes, clicking on it. Soon enough, the printer made a loud noise that frightened her and it was printing. She panicked as it printed and she looked at the door to make sure no one was coming. 

She quickly went to the printer and grabbed the paper. She folded it and suddenly the door opened; she froze completely. 

Baekhyun walked in and saw her back facing towards him. He had no idea what she was doing and approached her. 

"What are you doing?" he asked.