3rd Person's POV~

It was a weekend and Mina was home alone...again. She's gotten used to waking up alone though, more used to it than when she was at the hotel. There was just something about being at the apartment than at the hotel that made her feel comfortable when she was alone, but she still hated the silence. It only made it lonelier. 

But every now and then, she'd get a text from Baekhyun checking up on her or being his usual self by teasing her. She found herself replying back faster than usual, but it was bound to happen since the two have been "together" for a few months now; not necessarily half a year though. 

His last text message had said, "Be ready to go out at 4pm. We have to get to a place before they close."

Mina looked at the text and raised an eyebrow, muttering, "Where exactly are we going?"

She texted back and he replied, "Its a secret, love~"

"Ugh, again with the 'love'," she said with an eye roll and got out off the couch. She went into the kitchen and started prepping to cook her lunch. 

The past few weeks, Seolhyun had been coming to teach Mina how to cook since she had only relied on room service at the hotel and local convenience stores since she started living with Baekhyun. She has improved, but when it comes to seasoning, the ratios are wrong. Even making ramen is hard for her; there's either too much water or the noodles are too overcooked. But egg drop soup was the best she could make for now and that's what she was going to have for lunch. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, had food delivered to him. Secretary Moon was opening the containers of food on his desk while he was searching up some information about his project in Japan. 

"I've been informed that your mother is coming to visit you, are you free at 4pm?" Secretary Moon asked as he wiped his hands clean with a wet wipe. Baekhyun was too focused on his work that he gave a short, "Yeah".

"Okay, I'll call your mother back and let her know you're free," Secretary Moon said and bowed before leaving his office. 

Baekhyun was multitasking by eating and reading papers while constantly checking the clock to see if time would go by faster; obviously it wasn't considering he was checking it every minute. 

"Time needs to go by faster," he pouted and resumed to his work. 

Hours went by and he was finally packing up his bag to meet Mina when there was a knock at the door. He perked up from his seat and walked in Secretary Moon with his mother following behind. 

"Oh, umma," he said, almost surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

His mother and Secretary Moon exchanged looks while Baekhyun looked at them with a blank stare completely unaware that he was the one who confirmed this visitation. 

"Baekhyun-ssi, you agreed that you were free to see your mother at this time," Secretary Moon explained while Baekhyun knitted his brows. "You don't remember? It happened when I finished laying the food out in front of you."

Baekhyun recalled hearing Secretary Moon talk, but he didn't exactly remember the words that came out of his mouth.

"I...I wasn't paying attention," he bluntly said and there were sighs given from both his mother and Secretary Moon. He looked to his mother and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's not a problem, this isn't the first time that it's happened," she said with a sweet smile. "You seem a bit rushed. Are you going somewhere?"

"Oh, uhm, just going home. I was actually planning to take Mina out somewhere," he said with a shy smile. "But if you wanted to go somewhere together, I can reschedule with her."

"Oh no, I can't possibly get in the way-"

"Umma, it's nothing special," Baekhyun chuckled and walked up to her. "I was only taking her to the pet store."

"Pet store?" his mother questioned and he nodded. 

"Yeah. I wanted to get her a pet to keep her company while I'm at work," he answered. "I don't like seeing her alone, so I was thinking maybe a dog or a cat."

His mother smiled and said, "I think that's a great idea. I wish your father had bought be a pet to keep me company."

"You had us," Baekhyun chuckled and hugged his mother. She giggled and hugged him back. "So, what did you need?"

He pulled back a bit and looked down at Mrs. Byun for an answer. 

"Well, I am going to Busan for a conference in place of your father and I was hoping you'd come accompany me," she said and he knitted his brows. 

"What about Seolhyun?" he asked; not like he didn't want to go. Mrs. Byun sighed and shook her head. 

"Seolhyun is too busy with her studies. I wouldn't want to distract her," she answered and Baekhyun snickered. 

"And I'm not busy?" he teased and patted his mother's shoulder. "I'll be happy to go with you. Maybe Mina would like to join us."

His mother nodded, agreeing to bring Mina with them. 

"When will we be going?" he asked and she answered, "Tomorrow morning."

Mina's POV~

I was pacing back and forth in the hallway of our apartment waiting for Baekhyun. With arms crossed, I looked up at the clock hanging on the wall and it was already passed 4pm. I huffed out a sigh and decided I'd sit and wait instead. 

He's not the type to be late, so I wondered if anything happened. He would've texted me if anything did happen though; I haven't heard from him since his last text. But I wasn't getting worried, don't get me wrong, I was annoyed at the fact that I was waiting for him. 

I was constantly checking the time on my phone and letting out sighs as time slowly passed. An hour had already passed and no sign of Baekhyun. 

"Don't tell me he's teasing me again...," I grumbled and stood up when I heard the door click open. By now, I was pissed and stomped over to meet him. 

"Oh, hey," he casually said. 

"Don't 'hey' me," I said. "What took you so long?"

He gave a soft smile and walked up to me after taking off his shoes. 

"Sorry, I didn't think it'd take this long. I should've called first," he said and I only felt more angry. He wasted my time just sitting around waiting for him. 

"Ugh, whatever," I muttered and walked away to the couch. I flopped down and crossed my arms to show him how annoyed I was. I glanced at him and he was staring at me with a tired expression; I turned away. 

"You're angry, aren't you?" he softly said and I didn't say anything. "Will this make up for it?"

I perked up a bit and saw him head back towards the door, opening it, then closing it. I wasn't able to see what he had in his arms, but I wasn't going to like it. I never like anything Baekhyun gets me. 

His back was still faced towards me as he carefully walked backwards, then stopped when he was only a few steps away from me. 

"What do you have?" I asked and he looked over his shoulders to me, then smiled. 

"Don't get too excited," he said and slowly turned around. I slightly widened my eyes and felt a thump against my chest when I saw him holding a puppy. 

"W-what is that?" I asked, nervously. Not once have I ever been near a puppy or a live animal; this is a first. 

"It's a beagle," Baekhyun grinned. "I wanted to go to the pet shop with you, but things happened and I ended up going alone. Do you like him?"

"No! Get that thing away from me!" I shouted, unintentionally, and backed up. My heart was racing; I'll admit it, I was scared. 

"Yah, don't raise your voice. You're scaring him," Baekhyun frowned and cradled the puppy like a baby. I swallowed hard and looked at it then to Baekhyun. 

"Take it back, I don't want it," I said and Baekhyun saw how tense I was. He chuckled as if seeing me this scared was amusing; I bet it was for him. He stepped closer to me and I stepped back to hit the window against my back. 

"Don't tell me you're scared of an innocent puppy," he teased and I glared at him with my hands out to keep them away. "Look at him, he's the cutest thing!"

I clenched my jaw and panicked even more when Baekhyun was getting closer. 

"I'm warning you, get away from me before I hurt you," I growled and he snorted. 

"As if you'd do that with a puppy in my arms," he said and eventually I shut my eyes tightly when he was directly in front of me. I know, it's a little pathetic to be scared of a puppy, and on top of that, Baekhyun was there to see it all. 

"Mina," I heard his voice soften. "It's really okay. He won't bite you, I promise."

I shook my head and I felt a large hand grab mine. I would've pulled away, but I wasn't in my right mind to do it, so I let him hold my hand. 

"He's a sweet puppy and soft too," he said and I felt him gently pull my hand towards him. I could sense that the puppy was close and so I flinched and tensed up again. 

"Stop. I can't do this," I said and turned my head away with my eyes still shut. 

"You can do it, Mina. Besides, I'm here," he said and eventually I felt something warm and fuzzy against my palm. It sent a shock and I quickly pulled away; it felt weird, but nice at the same time. 

"Look, if you're really that scared, then I'll return him," he said and I slowly opened my eyes to look at them. Both Baekhyun and the puppy had soft, almost pleading, eyes. "The shop is closed now, so we'll have to keep him for the night."

I let out a sigh and looked at the puppy. Honestly, he was cute, a lot cuter than I had imagined.

"Relax, okay? I bought a crate, so I'll put him in there," Baekhyun said and walked towards a metal crate. I watched as the puppy was put in the cage and let out a soft cry. My heart clenched a bit. 

Baekhyun sighed and looked over at me. 

"Sorry, I thought you'd like him," he said, but my eyes and ears were only on the puppy. It looked at me with sad eyes, which made my heart clench even more; what's even more heart clenching was that I saw my own reflection in its eyes. 

I know it's only been a second or two, but that short amount of time is enough to feel lonely...especially when you're trapped with no one paying much attention to you. No matter how much you cry, no one is going to comfort you...no one is going to love you. You're all alone in a dark space with no one to save you...that I know. 

"Ah~ I can't leave you alone like that," Baekhyun cooed and knelt down, unlocking the cage and holding the puppy in his arms again. He kissed the puppy on the head and cuddled against him. I watched as the puppy was happy, wagging it's tail and showering Baekhyun with kisses of its own. 

My chest tightened once again at the scene...that's right...all it took was one second to feel lonely with no one paying attention to you. How lucky the puppy must be to be so happy...so comforted...so loved. All it took was one man who knew how to unlock the door. 

Baekhyun looked at me and I felt my heart race once our eyes met. There was something different about how I was feeling at the moment. It almost felt as if I wanted what the puppy was getting and for once, I didn't pull away from his gaze. He smiled at me and I felt my heart clench, so I turned away not wanting to keep feeling like this.

I deeply inhaled to calm myself down when I heard tapping against the floor. I turned my attention to the noise and saw the puppy, carefully approach me with his head low. I panicked again and Baekhyun stood up, walking over to me. 

"Looks like someone wants to befriend you," he said with that same smile. "Calm down and let's take it slow."

I looked at him as he walked behind me, soon pulling me against his chest. The puppy cocked his head to the side staring at us and Baekhyun held my hands with his.  

"We'll have to sit down if we want to approach him," he said into my ear and it sent a chill down my spine. He let go of my hands and we both sat down; he still didn't let me go though. My back was still pressed against his chest and he held onto my right hand. 

"He'll come to you, so just stay still, okay?" Baekhyun said and I nodded as he reached my hand out. The puppy sniffed the floor then up into the air, then made its way towards us. I tended up again and Baekhyun pulled me closer to him with the arm that was wrapped around my waist. 

"Again, I'm right here. There's no need to be scared," he said and I swallowed hard. The puppy was now in front of my hand and sniffed it, making me flinch a bit as I felt it's hot breath against my palm. There was also hit breaths against my neck that made me tense up even more. 

The puppy then my palm and I pulled away, holding my hand as if I had just gotten a cut. I scared the puppy a bit too, but Baekhyun called it back with a few tongue clicks. 

"If he does that then that mean he likes you," Baekhyun chuckled with a husky voice. 

"Well, that's gross," I said and Baekhyun caressed the puppy's face with his hand. The puppy looked content under his touch and it laid down in front of us. I decided this was the perfect time to try and touch it again, so I reached my hand out and followed along with Baekhyun by caressing him. 

"See, he's not so bad, right?" Baekhyun said and I knew he was proud of me. I admit, he wasn't bad at all. He was soft and at peace under my touch. It gave me a warm feeling and the puppy flipped over onto his back, showing its round stomach. He was so happy that it made me happy.

"Cute," I giggled with a smile. I wasn't aware of my actions, but Baekhyun was. I felt him hold me closer to him as his forehead rested on top of my shoulder. 

"What am I going to do?" I heard him whisper. "You're the cute one, especially when you show that kind of face."

I widened my eyes and felt my pulse racing again. My face was burning up and I knew Baekhyun's was too. We both were too embarrassed to look at each other that night. 

Baekhyun's POV~

It was close to midnight and I still haven't told Mina about my trip to Busan with my mother. I had to tell her before she fell asleep, so I walked into the bedroom to see her cuddling with Bacon. She had named him earlier when we confirmed that we were keeping him for good; apparently Bacon and I look similar, so she named him after me. Well, not really, but our names sound similar. 

"Hey, I gotta tell you something," I said and sat on the edge of the bed with her back facing me. 

"What?" she said, uninterested. 

"I'm leaving for Busan tomorrow morning with my mother," I said and there was no response. Typical. "I'm accompanying her to a conference. I suggested you come with us and she agreed, but then I thought about it and I knew you were going to agree."

"Glad to know you know me well enough," she mumbled. 

"Well, I'm just glad I got Bacon in time to keep you company. I'd worry less about you being home alone," I said and Bacon got up to snuggle against me. "I'm glad to know that someone will miss me when I'm gone too."

It went quiet and I looked at Mina. 

"How long will you be gone?" she asked after a few moments of silence. 

"A week, I want to check out some other things there," I answered and she shifted in her position, still not facing me. 

"That's great, finally a week without you," she said and I chuckled. 

"I knew you'd like that," I said and got up from the bed as Bacon returned to Mina's side. "I'll quickly pack my stuff, so that you can sleep."

"Do whatever you want," she sighed and I gave a faint smile. I quickly packed my suitcase and shut the lights. 

"I'll spend the night at a hotel closer to the airport, that way I won't wake you when I leave," I said and she waved me off. "Can I least get a goodbye?"

"Peace out," she said and I snorted into a smile. 

"Don't miss me too much," I teased and gently closed the bedroom door behind me. I let out a sigh and looked over my shoulders at the closed door. "I'll miss you, even if it's only a week without you."

I walked out of the apartment and got in the cab I had called earlier. It wasn't long when I arrived at the hotel...the hotel where everything started. 

I entered the building and the staffs greeted me. 

"Baekhyun-ssi, it's been awhile," a male staff bowed to me. "We've prepared your room for you, but are you sure your want to stay up there? Mina's friends have gotten quite rowdy up there since her absence."

"No, it's fine," I smiled and I thanked him for his hard work. Since I had my suitcase with me, I decided to take the elevator up instead of the good-old stairs. 

Once the steel doors parted, I was welcomed by a strong stench of sweat, alcohol, smoke and other scents I couldn't quite recognize. It was worst than the last time I was here, I can't even imagine what's happening behind these closed doors. 

I walked down the hallway towards the end of it to my room, the room Mina loved so much. Halfway down, I heard pounding against the wall. I definitely cannot imagine what is happening behind the doors and I seriously do not want to know, ever!

I rushed to my room when the emergency staircase doors swung, startling me. Walked out three men who appear to be my age. One of them, I recognize, but I never got his name. He seemed to have recognize me too. 

"Oh, it's you!" he smiled widely as if he really knew me. "Yo, how've you been?"

"Fine," I quickly said and pulled out my key card. 

"How's Mina? No one has seen her in months," he said and I felt my heart race at the name, but it want racing because I was thinking of her; it was racing at the fact at how easily her name came out of his mouth. 

"Yeah, I haven't seen Mina in the longest time," another man said. "She's probably found another place with better service, if you know what I mean."

He and the other man were laughing, except for the one I remembered. 

"Hey, come on guys," he said trying to stop them. 

"Oh, don't act like such a good guy, Joohyun. She's probably out there ing another guy!" the shortest of the three laughed. I felt my heart stop and I felt my body grow hot. "Damn! If only I could tap th-"

Without thinking, I grabbed the guy by his collar and pushed him against the wall. 

"Shut the hell up," I muttered and he glared at me, scanning me, then smirked. 

"You know, rumor has it that she's ing a rich man. I wouldn't be surprised if it were you," he snickered. I swallowed hard and tightened my grip. 

"Ah, you do look quite familiar. You used to come around the hotel when Mina was still here," the other man said. "Isn't that right, Joohyun?"

"Guys, let's stop and get back to the room," Joohyun said and the short man pushed me off of him. 

"By the looks of it, it seems like I'm right," he continued to smirk. "You know, I'd be envious of you to be ing such a hot babe, but then again, I'm not. I'm sure she's slept with all the men in this town. She's no longer 'fresh'."

"Hey, Taewoo, stop it. Stop putting thoughts in his head," Joohyun calmly said and dragged him away, but he wasn't finished. 

"It'll even more if you haven't laid a single hand on her! Or know what her reputation is like!" he shouted across the hall and then there was a loud sound of a door slamming shut. 

I was furious by now, but confused. My pulse was racing, my body burning, my knuckles turning white from clenching my fist too hard and what not. I couldn't think straight. 

All I could do was tell myself that Mina was not that kind of girl, true or not, I could only repeat those words into my mind to make me believe it. But it's not the first time I've heard something about Mina sleeping with other men. Hell, even the receptionist at the front desk of this hotel has told me something similar in the past. What do I do?