"Mommy, do we have to go?" Mina questioned while she watched Baekhyun pack their things. 

"I thought you wanted to go home." Baekhyun replied as he folded a clean shirt and placed it in the suitcase. 

Mina hugged her stuffed animal close to her chest for comfort. "But daddy will be here by himself."

"He'll be fine. He can take care of himself." Baekhyun responded. He looked over at Mina who seemed upset. How could he blame her? He was taking her away from her father even if it was only for a week.

"But-" She began to protest before Chanyeol entered the room and told them the taxi would be at the hotel soon.

She ran over to him and hugged his leg. "Will you be okay?"

Chanyeol chuckled and hugged her. "Of course I'll be okay." 

He and Baekhyun had already told her they had a small disagreement and were going to spend the week away from each other. When she asked if they were going to break up, they said they weren't, although they really didn't know for sure. 

Chanyeol pulled back and looked into her shining eyes, she was really worried about him.

"Mina, you're going home with mommy. I'll be fine." He said firmly. 

"But mommy has Uncle Minseok, Uncle Luhan, Uncle Yifan, Uncle Joonmyun, Uncle Yixing, Uncle Jongdae, Uncle Kyungsoo-"

"Yes, sweetie. Mommy has a lot of people back home."

"But you don't have anyone but grandpa Sung-Woo."

Baekhyun decided to interject. "Mina, we need to finish packing."

"No." She said to Baekhyun, surprising Chanyeol and Baekhyun both. She had never directly talked back to her parents. "I'm staying here."

"Mina-" Chanyeol began sternly, wanting to make sure she understood it was unacceptable to talk back to her mother.

"Let her stay." Baekhyun interjected. 

Chanyeol looked up in confusion. "Huh?"

"If she wants to stay, let her."

Chanyeol picked Mina up and the young girl wrapped her arms around his neck. "Baekhyun, I have to work, I can't watch her."

Baekhyun shut the suitcase with more force than necessary before responding. "If you can find time to be with Soo-Hyun, you can find time to watch Mina."

Chanyeol felt like he got stabbed in the heart by those sharp words. Baekhyun probably felt that exact same throbbing pain when Chanyeol admitted to cheating. 

The older man was giving Chanyeol time to do what he wanted with whomever he wanted. Baekhyun was giving Chanyeol time to explore who he was and who he wanted to be even though Chanyeol didn't want to be with anyone but Baekhyun. Soo-Hyun didn't make him feel the way Baekhyun did. He had a fun time with her but it meant absolutely nothing. 

He wanted to say all of that to Baekhyun and more but he could tell the older needed some time apart too. In the 16 years they'd known each other, they had never really been apart. Sometimes the best thing for a relationship was space.

For Baekhyun, Chanyeol would give him the space he craved, even if it meant being in two different countries. 

"Mina, are you sure you want to stay with me?" Chanyeol asked the small girl attached to him.

"Yeah." She replied before lifting up her head and watching Baekhyun unpack her stuff and finish getting his stuff ready. 

"Will mommy be okay?" She wondered.

Baekhyun turned around and smiled, having heard his daughter's inquiry. He went over and kissed her head.

"Mommy will be fine. Keep daddy company." 

She nodded while she and her father waited patiently for Baekhyun to finish getting ready. After he was done, Chanyeol was the first to pick up the heaviest suitcase so Baekhyun wouldn't have to.

Baekhyun smiled in thanks but his eyes said, "You're gonna have to do a lot more to win me back."

Chanyeol had been with Baekhyun long enough to read his mind and know what he was thinking. He would make sure to win Baekhyun back because he had screwed up and wanted to make things right. Losing him just wasn't worth anything.

The elevator ride to the lobby was silent. Chanyeol wanted to fill the silence by saying something more along the lines of an apology. Since he didn't feel comfortable pouring his heart out in front of their daughter, he said nothing.

When they got to the lobby, the taxi was waiting. Chanyeol helped put Baekhyun's things in the trunk as Baekhyun said goodbye to Mina. 

"I love you, sweetie. I'm gonna miss you so much. Make sure you keep daddy in line." He teased as he picked her up and peppered her face with kisses.

She giggled. "I love you too, mommy."

Chanyeol finished putting Baekhyun's luggage away right as he was placing Mina back on the ground. 

"You're all set." He stated, feeling slightly awkward. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt awkward around Baekhyun. He didn't even know how to say a proper goodbye to him. Hell, he didn't even know if they were still dating. At that point, he would classify their relationship as complicated. 

"Thanks. Take care. I'll see you next week." Baekhyun replied, also feeling awkward. He had been questioning whether Chanyeol still loved him as much as he once had. How was he supposed to say goodbye to him with that kind of mindset?

"Text me when you get home."

"I will."

With nothing more to say, Chanyeol opened the door of the cab for Baekhyun to get into. 

Mina protested when Chanyeol began to close the door.

"Daddy, wait!" She exclaimed. Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at her with concern. No matter how their relationship with each other turned out to be, they would always love Mina together. 

When they both looked down at her, she looked up at Chanyeol. 

"Mommy can't leave without a goodbye kiss."

"Oh, r-right." Chanyeol stuttered. He was sure Baekhyun didn't want a kiss from him but neither of them wanted Mina to suspect there was anything wrong with their relationship. 

The younger looked at the older for permission. Baekhyun nodded and accepted a small kiss on the lips for Mina's sake.

After the kiss, the 4 year old no longer seemed upset as her father closed the cab door and picked her up. 

Baekhyun smiled and waved until the car drove away and they were both out of sight. Once they were, he relaxed and let out a sigh. 

"Was that your family?" The taxi driver asked in Korean. 

"Yes." Baekhyun responded. 

"Your daughter is beautiful and your husband seems quite in love with you."

Baekhyun sighed sadly. The only thing he could think to say was, "He's not my husband."

The taxi driver didn't say another word and neither did Baekhyun as they rode to the airport. 

Baekhyun hadn't told anyone back home that he was returning early because then he'd be obligated to explain why he was suddenly coming back. As he sat down alone at his gate, he contemplated texting Minseok, Jongdae, or Kyungsoo but thought against it. He wasn't ready to explain his situation to anyone.

He sighed as he waited for his plane to board. He had nothing to do while he waited and Chanyeol wouldn't stop texting him. He had asked if he was at the gate and Baekhyun had responded. Then he asked Baekhyun to call once he got home so they could've talked.

There's nothing to talk about right now. I don't want you to focus on our relationship. Just work and take care of Mina and I'll work and spend time with my friends.

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was sorry. But sorry alone could never undo what had been done. Baekhyun had always had faith in his boyfriend and trusted him. But because of his mistake, Baekhyun had lost that trust and faith in him. 

The only thing Baekhyun appreciated was Chanyeol's honesty about the situation. Even though the truth hurt more than a lie.

**

After a long and uncomfortable plane ride alone, Baekhyun stumbled home at three the next morning. He was glad to be out of Korea and back in America. He couldn't bear to go back there ever again.

He found that the apartment was exactly as they had left it. The only difference from before they left was that it would only be occupied by one person instead of three.

Once he was back, the first thing Baekhyun did was text Chanyeol that he was home safely. Chanyeol responded immediately, almost as if he had been eagerly awaiting Baekhyun's text in spite of the time difference. 

Baekhyun didn't have the energy to unpack or even change his clothes. He simply climbed into his cold deserted bed and fell asleep, but not before wondering how he would spend his week as a single 22 year old.

He woke up at 9 later that morning to get ready for work. He had called in earlier to say he was getting back early. So, they were expecting him.

It was strange for him to be by himself and get ready in a quiet atmosphere. On any other normal day, Mina was always up and about, watching cartoons and eating breakfast. Whereas Chanyeol was always heard in the bathroom with the shower running. 

Baekhyun thought about calling Chanyeol just to speak to Mina before remembering the 14 hour time difference. She would undoubtedly be asleep and Chanyeol would probably be up late watching the news or working. 

Baekhyun didn't want to call just to end up talking to Chanyeol. He would make a mental note to himself to call at a more convenient time for them.

Baekhyun was able to get ready for work quicker than usual, not having Mina to watch after or Chanyeol to distract him. He would arrive at work early and hopefully see Minseok who worked from 7-11 with his first class starting at noon.

Baekhyun made his way downtown to the mall where he and Minseok worked. He took the back entrance to the restaurant to find most of his coworkers were surprised to see him back.

No one was more surprised than Minseok who almost dropped a tray of food he was holding when he saw Baekhyun.

"Did I miss something?" Minseok wondered.

The younger shrugged. "I came back early."

"Well no , but what about Mina and Chanyeol?"

Baekhyun knew it wasn't technically his shift but he loaded a tray with plates of food to help Minseok feed a big party anyway. Also, it kept his hands busy and his mind on something else.

"They're still in Korea."

"Wait, what? Why?" Minseok wondered as he left the kitchen with Baekhyun on his heels. They couldn't speak again until they had given the waiting people their food.

Once they were back in the kitchen, Minseok dragged Baekhyun to the bathroom to talk privately. 

He even went so far as to lean against the door so no one could enter. "You came back early from another country minus your daughter and boyfriend. Something's not right here."

"Tell me about it." Baekhyun mumbled. 

"What's wrong?"

Baekhyun shrugged. "Chanyeol and I are having relationship issues."

"Relationship issues? What the ? You guys are so in love it's ridiculous. What issues could you possibly have?"

"Chanyeol cheated on me. We're trying to work some things out." He said quietly. Telling someone else just made it so much more real.

Minseok's jaw dropped and he gasped. "Chanyeol and cheating don't go together."

"Chanyeol and I don't go together. At least not right now."

"Did he apologize?"

"Of course he did. But it's not just him cheating, he's been so busy lately and I'm proud of him for what he's doing but it's only going to get worse. I don't think we have time to have a relationship anymore."

"Holy ." Minseok shook his head in disbelief. "We thought you guys were like the Titanic."

"Huh?" Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. 

"You know, the ship we never thought would sink."

Baekhyun nodded and sighed. "I guess I believed that too. He's just been stuck with me for so long and I thought maybe he just wants to be with someone else and try new things."

"That is so messed up. When you tell Jongdae you know he'll want to kill Chanyeol."