"Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration.
 But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away."
 

Sehun tapped his desk with his fingers in an impatient manner. It's been over 9 hours since Jongin took his car to bring Minah somewhere. He was starting to get worried about two things: Minah's mental health and if Jongin is taking care of her. Sehun did trust his best friend with his life but he just felt something was off. Usually Minah would text him with a snarky remark about being near the beach and that he should be jealous. Yet, she hasn't. Hopefully she was alright because if something happened to her, Sehun would never live it down.

"Mr. Oh?" a women's voice broke Sehun's train of thought.

He looked towards his secretary that was standing at the door. "Yes?"

"Do you have time to look over the guest list for your party on Saturday?" she asked, stepping forward towards his desk to hand him the couple pages of names and the company that they are representing.

"I do. I will make any changes to this if necessary." he gave the woman a small smile, taking the page from her and watched as she left his office, closing the door behind her.

Sehun scanned the pages, most of these people were shareholders and investors in the company. He barely knew anyone until he saw 'Ahn Minah, Representing Ahn Medical Center'. His eyes softened seeing that she was actually invited to it. Hopefully she would actually come unlike when he had his engagement party. But since they were partially funding the new hospital they were building, she had no choice. Especially if her father had something to do with it.

Then he kept looking down the list until he saw Jongin's brother’s name instead of his to represent their company.

Well to the business world, Jongin didn't exist.

So instead at the end of the list of people, Sehun wrote down 6 names. Kinomoto Kai. Byun Baekhyun. Zhang Yixing. Lu Han. Do Kyungsoo. Park Chanyeol.

He needed more than two people he actually liked at his party.

<*>

"I knew I would find you here." a soothing voice broke Minah out of her trace. Her sight was on the waves crashing against the shore but now the blonde, sun-kissed boy was what she set her sight on. 

A faint smile crossed Minah's lips because she just fell in love with this white bench that sat in the sand, in front of the ocean. It was all thanks to Jongin. She owed so much to Jongin already and they have only been living together for a couple of nights. 

After she ended the call with her father, she left the sight of his and just walked until her feet brought her back to this very spot.

"What's wrong?" Jongin sat down next to her.

The girl simply shrugged her shoulders. "My father is getting ready for me to get into an arranged marriage." 

His eyes widened and heart stuttered for a quick second. An arranged marriage...? He repeated in his head. Something about that sentence made him feel uneasy and unsettled but he just didn't know why.

"Was it because of the dating scandal?" he asked.

"How did-?" Minah was surprised that he even knew. She didn't believe that she even told him about what happened before the club, for example why she was even at Tao's in the first place...? Because how would he even react if Minah told him about the ?

The boy scratched the back of his neck. "Well when I was waiting for you to finish your phone call, I went through the news app on my phone and up popped the news headline 'Bad Boy of Corporate World Dating Ahn Minah'" he made air quotations around the title then chuckling. 

When Minah heard 'bad boy' she started laughing? Just because Tao has the tiny reputation of being on the front page for something bad or improper for someone of his status, he earns the title 'bad boy'. While truly, he was scared to death of bugs and ghosts. Thinking back to her second year of high school, her school had a camping trip out in the woods. Minah clearly remembered during the courage test Tao was hanging off of Sehun when they did finally exit the forest.

"That's all too funny. I really can't believe that people thought we were dating." she laughed, throwing her head back. Then finally remembering about the apparent arranged marriage she was going to be involved with so she stopped and let out a sigh. "I really wonder who it's going to be. I mean it has to be someone that can help us out with the hospital. Something like a pharmaceutical company or a place that specializes in all the equipment we use there."

Jongin shrugged his shoulders. To him, he really didn't want to talk about the arranged marriage for some odd reason. But his mind started wandering off to a place where his mother never died and they were a happy family. A place where Jongin and his older brother, Jongdae, worked together for Kim Corporations. Then the day where his father would call him into his office and say that they are going to have a meeting with the Ahn's to discuss the possible marriage between the Kim's youngest son and the Ahn's only daughter.

But he quickly shook the thought out of his head. He had no chance to think that Minah could possibly marry him because his had never existed to anybody in the upper class world. He was a simple boy who worked a few shifts a week in a bakery as a waiter and on weekends as a caterer, when he was needed. He lived in a relatively nice apartment building, all expenses paid by his father who wanted nothing to do with him. Only because his father had the thought that Jongin would come forth to the press and reveal the secret that he never did die along with his mother when he was born.

He was a nobody. 

And sometimes, he hated it.

Jongin was incredibly smart. His mind quickly solved moderate math problems and he even took it upon himself to learn Japanese from the head maid that was like a mother to him when he did live in the main house. The boy had a good head on his shoulders. He was kind, patient, and humble. He worked hard for all his accomplishments but nobody would ever recognize his achievements because he lived in the shadows.

Minah saw Jongin's dazed look. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Jongin. You in there?" she said, staring at him.

He left the dark place in his mind and stared at her wide-eyed. "Yeah. Sorry, I just blanked." Jongin mumbled.

"Don't worry. I was just a little worried since you haven't really slept." she said, resting a hand on his arm. "Maybe when we drive back to Seoul, I'll drive and you can sleep so you won't be exhausted for your dance practice tonight."

Jongin nodded. "Yeah, maybe that's a good plan."

<*>

Minah focused on the road ahead of her. Sometimes she would glance to the sleeping boy next to her, who had a serene look on his face. But she would catch herself looking for too long then quickly turn her head back and look at the road ahead of her. Every single time.

Having one hand still on the steering wheel, she grabbed her pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket. The lighter sat inside the box since there was room inside it because she had only 4 left. Opening the box, she put one cigarette in the mouth then held the lighter. She lit the stick and in the toxic chemicals so it would be able to catch.

Once it was, she shoved her lighter back in her pocket and took the stick out so she could blow the grey, dull smoke from out the window.

The girl made sure she was staying safe on the road, even though there was traffic trying to get out of Busan. So it was slow and she was getting frustrated thus making her want a cigarette.

And she really didn't want to put on the radio when Jongin was sleeping so soundly.

"Don't expect much." Jongin's grandmother kissed her grandson goodbye. Today was the day that the 7 year old boy would be leaving the quaint city of Busan to move to Seoul and live with his father and older brother. It took the small boy a month of begging his father to let him move in with them. Only to have the older man say that he wouldn't be allowed in the sight of anybody from outside the mansion's walls. The maids and butler were the ones who would know of the small boy moving in with them.

The child who looked so much like his mother, looked up to his loving grandmother. "As long as I get to live with them, I don't care what happens to me. I'm sure Mom would want it that way." he smiled so sweetly.

She looked at him with sincerity because he didn't know why the Kim family never want him to be a part of their family, in which is why she raised him for the past 7 years. He had no clue and it hurt her. But it was his decision. Although she might not wanted it this way, Jongin wanted this more than anything. 

This little elderly lady would miss her dear grandson so much. He always tagged along to pick strawberries with her and then sometimes, she would let him sneak a couple on their walk back home.

"I love you, my sweet Jongin. Make sure to call me when you get there." she bent down and kissed his forehead before the boy went over to the black car with the driver holding the door open, waiting for him to get in.

Jongin smiled brightly, grinning from ear to ear. "I will, gran! Don't worry, I will always love you. Tell grandpa that I planted a few sunflowers in his garden. I hope he will like them."

"I'm positive, he will enjoy the burst of colour in the garden." she began to wave goodbye as the little boy