Baekhyun's POV~

I don't know what had happened after I fainted, but when I woke up I was alone in bed. The curtains were wide open, letting in the sunlight that blinded my eyes. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the digital clock sitting on the night stand. It was already past noon and I widened my eyes with a gasp. 

"! I'm late!" I shouted and shot out of bed when I felt a throbbing sensation in my head. I groaned in pain and applied pressure on my forehead. "Damn."

I felt dizzy and laid back in bed with a loud sigh. I stared up at the blank ceiling and thought of the consequences of not showing up. Today's an important day for my father and I, so I have to go to work. 

"Oh, you're awake," I heard her flat voice and I turned my head to see Mina carrying a glass of water and medicine. She walked up to the bed and spoke. "I called your father last night when you fainted. He said he'll postpone the presentation or something."

She set the glass of water on the night stand and looked at me as I stared at this woman in question. This woman standing in front of me can't possibly be Mina. She would never have called my father unless she found my dead body. Not to mention, she would've never stayed with me. 

"What are you staring at?" she asked with a little bit of attitude in her voice. 

"Nothing," I said and sat up as she handed me a pill. I looked at it hesitantly. 

"Geez, that's not going to kill you," she said and showed me the pill bottle; it was a pain reliever for headaches. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it a long time ago."

I snickered at her statement and popped the pill in my mouth, chugging down the water. I let out a refreshed sigh and looked at her. 

"Thank you," I smiled and she completely ignored me by turning around to leave me. I pouted at her back when she stopped at the door. 

"Don't overdo it if you can't handle it," she said without looking at me and left me alone, shutting the door behind her. I couldn't help but smile and feel a sense of warmth fill me up. 

"Thanks," I whispered and laid back in bed to ease the headache. I wasn't able to fall back asleep, so I just stared at the ceiling again, thinking. All I thought about was Mina. 

"Who would've thought she had this caring side to her," I grinned and placed my hands behind my head as pillows, then I realized I wasn't in my suit. When I fainted, I was clearly in my suit and so I widened my eyes and looked at what I was wearing: sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. 

"Don't tell me she undressed me?!" I gasped and touched my body like I was violated or something. "She didn't see my cherry print boxers, did she?"

I felt my blood drain from my face out of humiliation. She probably laughed! I know she did!

I covered my face with my hands and rolled around in bed, kicking the air. "Ah! I'm so embarrassed!"

Just then, I heard the door open and appeared Mina with a glare. 

"What's with all the fuss? I leave you for less than a minute and you're already annoying. These walls are quite thin you know," she muttered and I felt my face burn up. "Are you really that sick to be so red?"

"N-No!" I denied like a child and turned away. "D-Did you by chance...change me?"

"What?" she asked, almost in disbelief. 

"Did you change my outfit last night?" I asked again and she was quiet. I hesitantly looked at her and she had a blank look on. 

"I didn't change you last night," she said and I furrowed my eyebrows, now fully looking at her. "I didn't know what to do, so I went out to get help. Luckily I ran into a couple, so I had the man help me drag your body to the bed."

You're kidding me...?

"Then he suggested you change into something more comfortable, so I let him change you," she casually said and I felt a burning sensation on my face again. That's even more embarrassing!! How can she let some stranger touch me and see my cherry print boxers?!?

I felt my mind blank out as I stared at the wall, lifeless. Just how in the world could that have happened to me?

"Is that what you're screaming about?" she asked with a scoff and I pouted at her. 

"You wouldn't understand," I mumbled and rolled onto my other side, showing my back to her. 

"Whatever," she sighed. "By the way, I found out that they're our neighbors living next door."

Oh God, that means I'll be seeing them often and the man would probably laugh and humiliate me in front of Mina! I can't let that happen!

"...they're actually here in the living room," she continued and I shot up from my position. I stared at her with wide eyes and felt my heart panic. "They wanted to welcome us and check to see how you were doing. Mrs. Lee even helped me move the furniture and put away some stuff."

"H-How could you let some strangers in?" I whispered the question. "And its our first place together, we should be doing this stuff together!"

She scoffed and crossed her arms. 

"Are you kidding me? Do you really think I'd want to do these digusiting couples thing with you?!" she asked and just then a head popped into the room; it was a woman in her late 40s. I guess this was the "Mrs. Lee" Mina was talking about. My eyes grew bigger and I didn't know how to react other than to bow to her. 

"Ah, sorry about my rude behavior, but my husband and I couldn't help but hear the two of you arguing. Is everything okay?" she asked and I forced a soft smile. 

"Everything is fine," I said and she smiled back. She stepped into the room and carried in a tray with soup and some kind of herbal tea. 

"I hope you don't mind that I used your kitchen," she said and I shook my head that it was fine. "Mina came running to us last night when you fainted and seeing your condition, it didn't look good, so I made my special soup for headaches. I also brought my herbal tea to help your body recover from exhaustion."

"Ah you didn't have to," I said with courtesy and she set the tray on the night stand. 

"I know, but for a handsome man like you to get sick isn't good," she teased a bit and I couldn't help but chuckle. I like this woman. 

I looked over to Mina, but she was already gone. I sighed and shook my head; she could've at least told us she was leaving. 

Mrs. Lee handed me a spoon to eat and I slowly began to devour the soup. It was amazing! Both savory and hearty. She seemed pleased at how well I was eating. 

"Is Mina your wife by any chance?" she asked once I had finished the soup. 

"No, at least not yet," I smiled and she did too. "She and I aren't even engaged yet."

She looked a bit shock, but then her expression softened and spoke. "That must be the new trend for you youngsters; moving in with each other while dating."

No. It's because we were forced to, but I can't tell you that. 

"Yeah, you can say so," I answered and she giggled. 

"She's a lovely lady," she continued and I raised an eyebrow at her. I guess Mina's good at decieving others that she's an angel. 

"Is that so," I quietly said and Mrs. Lee nodded. 

"Yeah," she said with a tender voice. "When she found my husband and I coming back from our night walk, she was panicking."

That's not Mina....

"...once we assured her you were fine, she sighed with relief," Mrs. Lee smiled. "She was really worried about you."

That is totally not Mina...

"Yeah, maybe she was," I quietly said and looked at Mrs. Lee. "Thank you for last night as well as helping out with our furniture. We could've done all that ourselves."

She shook her head and said, "Its what we do as neighbors. Besides, we couldn't let a sick person do those things."

I snickered and thanked her again. She accepted my thanks and handed me the tea. 

"Now, drink this while it's still warm," she said and I happily took a sip when I felt a bitter taste reach my tongue. I scrunched up my face and stuck my tongue out. 

"What is this?" I could barely say. She laughed and pretty much forced the tea down my throat. 

"Don't worry about what it is, just think about the fact that it'll help you," she said like a caring grandmother and I had no choice but to chug down the drink. 

Just what did I get myself into?

Mina's POV~

I heard Baekhyun whining from the bedroom and I turned my head towards it. He sounded like he was suffering...good for him. 

"It seems that she's forcing him to drink the herbal tea," Mr. Lee laughed as if he's gone through that experience. "That tea really does you no good."

"He deserves it," I sighed and grabbed the last framed painting and hung it on the wall where Mr. Lee had hammered a nail. Once I knew it was in place, I stepped back and looked at it with my hands on my hips. 

"Looks good," Mr. Lee praised and patted my head. I froze and felt my heart punch my chest; it was painful. "Nice job, Mina."

"Yeah," I whispered and he walked away to pack up his tools. 

He's like appa...whenever I did something good, appa would praise me and pat my head. It always felt nice to be praised, but just now...it hurt. 

I swallowed hard and sighed, turning to look at the place. Everything was in place other than the boxes of my clothes and Baekhyun's. I guess we'll have to do that once we figure out who will be sleeping where since there's a bedroom and a living room with a couch; I'll for sure get the bedroom.  

Honestly, I wouldn't be living here if it weren't for my mother who called me last night and threatened me to live with Baekhyun. Her only way to get me to do things was either to take everything from me or bring up my dead father, sometimes both. I hated her for that. 

"Mina," I heard Mr. Lee's voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at him and he had a soft expression...those expressions are a pain in the . I hate them. 

"Is Baekhyun always pushing himself at work?" he asked and I looked at him, confused. He smiled, gently. "You know, sometimes the best treatment is the love and support of the one you love to feel energized...to keep going."

Something hit my chest and I swallowed hard. There is no love between us because love doesn't exist. Besides, how would I know if he's working hard or not? I don't go to work with him. Hell, I've only met him a few times.

"He doesn't need any of that," I muttered and he gave a breathy chuckle. 

"If that's what you believe then I won't say anything more, but he's not the only one who may need it," he said and I frowned at him. Who else would need it?

He said nothing more and we heard footsteps come down the tiny hallway and appeared Mrs. Lee and Baekhyun; he looked like he just came back from hell. His face was paler than last night and his tongue was sticking out; he looked even more exhausted. 

"He'll get better in no time," Mrs. Lee beamed as she walked into the kitchen to wash up. 

"How are you feeling?" Mr. Lee asked Baekhyun. He bowed to Mr. Lee before he spoke. 

"Justh pine," Baekhyun said with his tongue still sticking out. I'm sure he meant "Just fine".

Mr. Lee chuckled and nodded. "That's good to hear. We were all very worried about you."

Baekhyun slipped his tongue back in his mouth and smiled. 

"Thank you for what you've done," he said and bowed to Mr. Lee. 

"Don't thank us, thank Mina," Mr. Lee smiled and looked at me along with Baekhyun. I turned away from them and stared at the paintings to distract myself. 

"I'll have to thank her properly when I'm feeling better," I heard Baekhyun with a bit of tease in his voice. I rolled my eyes and I heard them move around. 

"I guess it's time my wife and I leave the two of you alone," Mr. Lee said and I glanced over my shoulder at them. The two men were exchanging a few words quietly and I saw Baekhyun blush a bit. I furrowed my eyebrows at them wondering what kind of secret they were holding, but then again, I wasn't interested. 

"Mina," I heard Mrs. Lee's voice as she walked out of the kitchen. "I've packed some soup, please do heat it up for Baekhyun later. Also, have him drink the herbal tea before going to bed, he'll feel better tomorrow."

"Yeah," I said and she looked at me, expecting a longer response. I didn't say anything more; there's nothing more I needed to say. 

The couple was getting ready to leave while Baekhyun and I had a little talk. He and I were standing in the middle of the living room whispering to one another. 

"Thanks for worrying, love," he whispered and I glared at him. 

"I wasn't worried about you, idiot. I just didn't want a dead body the next morning," I muttered and he scoffed with a crooked grin. "I would've left your body on the ground-"

"Riiigghht" he whispered back. "Says the one who was frantically running around looking for help."

I rolled my eyes and whispered, "Like I'd do that."

"Mhmm, keep denying that love," he smirked and I wanted to punch his face so bad!

"Well, we'll be leaving now," Mr. Lee said and both our heads snapped to the couple who was innocently smiling at us. Baekhyun left my side and walked up to them. 

"Thank you again for everything. Mina and I will have to take the two of you out for dinner as our appreciation," he said as if he was at work. 

"No need to," Mrs. Lee smiled and Baekhyun walked them to the door. I just stood where I was and watched. 

"If there are any problems, then please do come to us. We are next door after all," Mr. Lee said and Baekhyun nodded with a now. The couple then looked at me. "See you later, Mina."

"Bye," I flatly said and they left the apartment. Baekhyun stood at the doorway to watch them to make sure they got back safely...but come on, they're only a few steps away. 

He then shut the door behind him as he walked back into the apartment. I took a seat on the couch and leaned into with a sigh; it's been an exhausting morning. 

Baekhyun came over to me and sat besides me. I didn't have the energy to yell at him to leave me alone; that's how tired I was. 

"You aren't planning on running away, are you?" he asked. I could feel his eyes on me. 

"What do you mean?" I sighed out the words. 

"Well, you said that you wouldn't live with me. You refused to, remember?" he said and I glanced at him; he was smirking at me. "But knowing you, you'd probably run away."

"Oh how much I want to," I muttered and turned my eyes to look at the blank TV. "I had no choice, but to live with you."

"Just like how you had no choice but to marry me," he said, but for some reason, his tone was a bit sad. 

There was silence and I started to feel uncomfortable, so I grabbed the remote and the TV. There was a talk show happening and I didn't want to watch that, so I flipped through the channels to watch something more entertaining. There was nothing. 

"If you don't want to watch whatever is playing then just turn it off," Baekhyun said with a sigh. "We can talk instead...I want to know more about you."

"As if I'd tell you anything," I mumbled; I thought it was best to just leave the place, so I stood up when he grabbed my hand. 

"Where are you going?" he asked and I pulled my hand away. 

"A place that doesn't concern you," I answered and walked towards the entrance. For the first time, he didn't chase after me, so I took a glimpse of him. He just sat there watching the show I had left on; that annoyed me...but why?

"I'm leaving," I said once I had finished putting on my shoes. I looked for a reaction, but nothing. Is he ignoring me? That's nothing to complain about though, I wouldn't mind if we ignored each other for the rest of our lives. 

I just stood there staring at him when he turned his head and our eyes met. 

"Leave already," he said so casually that it pissed me off. 

"Geez, you don't have to tell me that," I growled and he smiled, which pissed me off even more. Does he think I'm a joke he can just silently laugh at?!

"Do you need me to walk you out?" he asked and I stomped my foot to the door. 

"I'm fine on my own!" I shouted, angry, and opened the door. I slammed the door behind me and was breathing heavily once I was out of that place. 

"What the hell is wrong with him?" I huffed out the words, then I furrowed my eyebrows. "No...what the hell is wrong with me?"

Baekhyun's POV~

I snickered to myself once she had slammed the door shut. I turned off the TV since it was starting to make me even more dizzy and I leaned into the couch to rest my head. 

"She gets angry too fast," I whispered with a soft grin. 

Honestly, I only let her go because I knew she needed time to herself. Whether she was to come back tonight or not didn't matter to me because I knew where she'd be; she's always there at the isolated room at the corner on the top floor of her father's hotel. 

Not even five minutes and I was already getting bored just sitting here. I noticed that there was still some unpacked boxes, some of mine and hers. It was tempting to go though her stuff, but was I the type to hold back? Nope. 

I got up from the couch and headed to her boxes, scanning them to see which one I should open first. I kneeled down and grabbed a random box, pulling it towards me. 

I opened it skillfully and revealed her clothes; nothing interesting or fun. I pushed the box aside and opened up another one soon opening up the rest. They were boring stuff; clothes, makeup, skin care products and the list can go on. But then again, she's a boring person herself. 

I sighed and looked at all the boxes I've opened when I came across a smaller box within one of the boxes I've already opened. It was barely showing, but I managed to spot it. The smaller box was black with some white floral designs on it with a smooth surface. 

It seemed important to Mina, considering that it's the only thing that isn't related to her necessities. She probably wouldn't want me to see what was inside of the box, but I had the urge to open it like it was drawing me in. I opened it slightly and took a peek of it; inside was a notebook, possibly her journal. 

There was a sense of guilt running through me, telling me I shouldn't be going through her stuff like this and so I shut the box, putting it back with her stuff. I wanted to know what was written in that tiny notebook, but I'm not the type to go all out when invading someone's privacy. 

I closed all the boxes I had opened and brought them all into the bedroom since she and I will be sharing it; she just doesn't know yet. With my minor headache, I was able to unpack my clothes and hang them up in our walk-in closet. I didn't have much clothes or items to unpack, so I finished within an hour. Just then, I heard the doorbell and so I got up from my kneeling position and headed to the monitor to see who it was. 

Unsurprisingly, it was my family who was peering into the camera. Without talking to them through the monitor, I just pressed the button to let them in the building and started to clean the place up a bit. 

"Maybe I should call Mina to come back," I whispered with my hands on my hips. I pulled my phone out of my pockets and dialed her number. It was ringing non-stop and I knew she was ignoring me. I'm not surprised though; she's ignored all my calls and texts. I decided to call one last time when I heard someone pick up, but it was quiet. 

"Hello?" I heard a man's voice answer after a few seconds. I furrowed my brows and felt my pulse speed up. 

"Who's this?" I asked and I could hear loud music in the background along with people shouting their drunk words.

"I think the question is who are you?" he replied and I grew angry. Just then, I heard Mina's voice, but it was barely audible over all the noise on the other side. She was asking this man who he was talking to. 

"Its no one babe," he answered to her and hung up just like that. With the phone still pressed against my ear, I clenched onto it and felt my blood boil. 

"Babe?" I whispered the word. "Who the hell are you to be calling her your babe."

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard someone knock on the door. It most likely was my father because he tends to knock loudly and very fast. I deeply inhaled and exhaled to calm myself down before I headed to the door, opening it. 

Not being able to say a word to them, my mom hugged me tight to the point where I couldn't even breathe. 

"Baekhyun-ah," she literally cried. "I was so worried when your father told me you fainted last night!"

"I-I'm o-okay umma," I said with a little gasp of air. "Please...L-let me go."

"Honey, let your son go before he faints again," Abeoji's baritone voice was all I heard. Umma slowly let me go and she was sniffling. I chuckled lightly and wiped her tears. 

"Umma, I'm okay," I reassured her. "Mina was here to help me as well as our neighbors."

"But still, I wasn't there to take care of you," she sniffed. I smiled and gently hugged her. 

"Sorry to worry you," I said and rested my chin on her head. Abeoji and Seolhyun welcomed themselves into the apartment, taking a little tour. There's not much to see though since it's only a one bedroom apartment. 

I released my mom and we both joined the others in the living room. 

"Where's Mina?" Abeoji asked and I felt my heart race, panicking. 

"Uhm, she's with some friends," I half lied. I knew she was with some people, but I wouldn't consider them friends. 

"That's not good. She should be with you especially when you're sick," Abeoji said with disapproval. I didn't know what to say. 

"She's done enough for me already and I'm fine right now," I said, hoping he wouldn't think Mina was a bad person. "I was the one who let her go meet her friends."

He just stared at me with a hard expression then turned away. I felt relieved but anxious at the same time. What if he knew where she was and what she was doing? 

I didn't even want to think about that, so I had my family sit and be comfortable. The whole day and evening my dad talked to me about the project we were supposed to present today and updated me on other news. Then both my parents talked to me about my marriage plans and the preparations. I'm sure we've already gone through all of the information they were spitting out when we met Mina's parents, but I "listened" anyways. 

Since my parents were so sure that Mina and I would be getting married to one another, they decided to let us settle in and be comfortable with one another. In other words, they're letting us "date" one another before a wedding happens. Question is...how long are we "dating" for when the whole idea was to marry quickly and share benefits between my parents and hers? I guess I won't know unless I ask, but did I really want to know? Nope! As long as Mina was still going to be with me in this "dating" phase then that's enough. It's best to settle down first, then we'll work on getting closer.