3rd Person POV~

In Mr. Byun's office, he was sitting behind his desk while reading his papers when there was a knock on his door. He looked up and the door opened ajar with a woman's soft voice speaking behind the door.

"Sir, Mrs. Kim is here to see you," the recieptionist said and Mr. Byun set aside his papers.

"Let her in," he said and the door opened wider, revealing Mrs. Kim looking elegant as usual. He smiled and stood up to welcome her as she strutted in. "I wasn't expecting you, but it's good to see you again."

She smiled and he gestured her to take a seat, "So, what brings you in today?"

She shrugged, "I didn't really come to say much, I just wanted to congratulate you on your project. It seems like it is going as planned; constrution has even started in Japan."

He smiled, proudly, and replied, "It's all thanks to Baekhyun. If it weren't for him and his passion to save the Byun Group, we would have failed."

Just the name made Mrs. Kim infuriated, but she breathed in deeply and continued to smile.

"Baekhyun sure is one of a kind," she forced the words out and Mr. Byun couldn't agree more with her. "Oh how lucky my daughter is to be marrying him."

Mr. Byun chuckled and nodded.

"I agree, but Baekhyun is a lucky man himself to have Mina by his side," he said. "Baekhyun has told me wonderful things about Mina, especially her support for this project. You've raised a good daughter; definitely the perfect woman for Baekhyun to have once he becomes President of the Byun Group."

Mrs. Kim silently scoffed to herself, but smiled anyways.

"They'll surely live happily together once they get married," she said and he nodded. She stared at this mand and continued, "Why don't we all get together again for dinner...as a family?"

"That would be great!" he replied with much enthusiasm. "It's been awhile since we've gotten together and I would love to see Mina again."

Mina this, Mina that...Mrs. Kim hated hearing her name. What was so great about Mina that everyone talked about her?

"I, too, haven't seen Mina in awhile. It would be nice to see her again as well," she forced out the words. "How does tonight sound? My husband was able to get a few days off."

Mr. Byun smiled and said, "My family's schedule is open for tonight. I'll call Baekhyun and let them know."

"Sounds like a plan," she smiled and stood up. "I'm looking forward to tonight."

He nodded and she excused herself out of his office. Once she was out and not in anyone's view, she pulled out her phone from her bag and dialed Mr. Kim's number. She placed the phone against her ear as the recieving end rung.

"Yes, dear?" he answered with a loud sigh.

"You used to be so happy to get my phone calls," she snickered. "What happened to you?"

"What is it that you want?" he asked, ignoring her question. She lightly scoffed and leaned her back against the wall.

"We've got a date night with the Byun family tonight; prepare yourself," she said and Mr. Kim swallowed hard. "Don't be so nervous, hun. Just pour the drug in Mr. Byun's drink and everything will go on from there."

Mr. Kim was in his office and looked at the bottle of the drug he'll be using to get Mr. Byun sick.

"You sure this will work?" he asked and his wife snickered.

"Do you not trust me?" she asked and he sighed. "If you're so scared then I will do as long as you bring the drug."

He was hesitant to answer as he stared at the bottle.

"Are you hesitating?" she asked after a long pause and he cleared his throat.

"I'll be sure to do it tonight," he said and she smirked knowing she's got him wrapped around her fingers.

"You're the best; this is why I love you," she cooed and he rolled his eyes. He knew very well now that there was no love in the beginning. Without another word, he hung up on her, not even saying a "goodbye". That irriated her, but she was still happy at the fact that he was going along with her plan.

Mr. Kim leaned into his seat and deeply exhaled while closing his eyes. He rubbed the inner corners of his eyes when there was a knock to his office. He immediately opened his eyes and grabbed the bottle of drugs, throwing it in his desk drawer.

"Yes?" he said and the door opened.

"Were you busy?" a male nurse had asked and Mr. Kim shook his head.

"Not at the moment. Is there something wrong?" he asked and the male nurse sighed with a concerned look.

"The Head Nurse was going through the medication and drugs cabinet to do an inventory, but she noticed that one of the drugs was missing," he said and Mr. Kim's heart raced, worried he was found out. "We're not quite sure where it is...no one could have taken it either-"

"I took it," Mr. Kim cut him off and the nurse looked surprised.

"But that drug is to never leave-"

"Don't worry," Mr. Kim smiled, but his chest was very heavy. "The drug was actually running low, so I had to take the bottle to look at the label and ID to make sure I correctly request a refill. Once I make the request, I'll be sure to place the drug back in the cabinet."

The nurse smiled, almost amazed, "As expected of the best doctor in the building. I'll be sure to let the Head Nurse know."

Mr. Kim nodded and the nurse bowed before his leave. Once the door shut, Mr. Kim let out the breath he was holding in and rested his forehead ontop of his desk as his heart pounded.

"This is wrong, so wrong," he whispered and raised his head, grabbing the bottle from his drawer. "I have to get out of here, it's too dangerous if I stay any longer."

He packed his bag and left his office since he had a few days off of work. He avoided any contact with the other doctors and nurses; he was even too afraid to look up at the security cameras. He was filled with shame and guilt as he walked down the hallways; he just needed to get out of there fast.

*****

Baekhyun had already recieved the call from his father about the family dinner. He nor Mina were thrilled about it, especially when it involved the Kim couple, but they had no say on whether they were going to attend or not. Something told the both of them that maybe there was a hidden reason as to why there was a sudden family dinner; they were told that it was Mrs. Kim who had requested the dinner hence why their suspicions were raised.

Mina sat on the couch thinking of all the possible things that would come out of Mrs. Kim's mouth and it was nothing good. But what if it really was just a normal family dinner? Who is she kidding, it's never a normal dinner with Mrs. Kim around.

Baekhyun saw Mina stressing over it on the couch and he walked over to her with a cup of water. He sat besides her and nudged her arm.

"You're overthinking," he said and handed her the cup. She took it and drank it all in one shot. "If anything, I won't let her do or say anything to you. I won't make her turn you into a bad person in front of my family."

Mina sighed and shook her head, "That's not what I'm worried about. She could say and do whatever she wants; in the end, it only falls back onto her."

Baekhyun blinked his eyes and wondered, "Then what is it you're worried about?"

She sighed again, but this time more annoyed, "That's the thing...I don't know and it's bothering me. I just feel like she's up to something big."

He looked at her, not knowing how to put her mind at ease, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. He rubbed her arm in a comforting way and said, "Whatever it is you're feeling, don't let it bother you too much. We'll go to this gathering and leave as soon as we finish our dinner, okay? Even if my father tries to make us stay, which I know he will, I'll think of something to leave quickly."

She nodded and we decided to go on one last walk with Bacon before we head out to dinner with the family. The weather was really starting to get colder even with the sun out and shining; the leaves have all disappeared and all we had to wait now was for the snow. 

Mina and I walked side by side enjoying the fresh air with Bacon trotting in front of us. I attempted to wrap my arms around her shoulder, but everytime I did, she pushed me away or moved away from me.

"Yah, stop running away from me," I said as I tried for the 5th time to wrap my arms around her. She was now walking in front of me with Bacon next to her.

"Stop trying to wrap your arms around me," she said over her shoulder. I walked a bit faster and passed her, now walking in front of her, but I turned around to face her as I walked backwards. 

"Don't you think it's time we start looking like a couple?" I asked; I'm sure I've asked her this a thousand times already and I'm sure I'd get the same answer.

"We're not a couple," she said as I expected. I smiled and stopped walking to have her walk into me. She looked up at me with an irritated frown.

"Then what are we?" I asked and her frown slowly went away...her expression was now flustered and unsure. "If we're not a couple, then what exactly are we? What do you call this relationship?"

She turned her eyes away from mine and I saw her swallow hard. She exhaled and looked back up to me after a few seconds of silence and said, "We're not a couple, that's what we are."

And with that she walked around me and left. I stood where I was and felt a light sting in my chest, but I knew she didn't mean it. For a woman who hasn't even had a first love or any experience in that, she wouldn't be able to understand her feelings or know what it means to be a couple.

I slightly turned my body to look at her and she was playing with Bacon with a smile on her face. She looked at me and her smile faded, quickly.

"Yah! Hurry up! We're going to leave you behind if you just stand there!" she shouted out and I chuckled.

It's true that we're not a couple, but we're not strangers either, nor acquaintances...what we are is unexplainable, but our relationship is special. What makes it special is that even though she does not see me as a man, she's still thinking of me. Even though we aren't together, she's still looking for me and at me.

Although she is not my woman, she's still someone whom I want to fill her mind with thoughts of only me. Even though we're not together, she still decided to stay with me. She's someone I can't let go and I'm someone she doesn't want to let go because I am all she has now, that's why we're so special to one another.

"Leaving in 5...4...3...2-"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" I shouted and jogged up to her. Bacon got excited seeing me jog and ran towards me, making me trip over him. Luckily, he wasn't hurt, but I ended up getting my palms scrapped. Fortunately for me, it was just the palms of my hand; if it weren't for my trench coat I would have scrapped my arms and elbow.

I heard Mina laughing and I looked up at her, wincing at the pain as I pushed myself up with my hands.

"That was hilarious!" she laughed and I pouted. "I saw it all in slow motion! You literally flew up in the air!"

"Ha ha, just keep laughing," I sarcastically muttered. "If it weren't for my fast reflex skills, I would have ran Bacon over."

She was laughing too hard to respond and I could see tears coming out of her eyes; she was really having a good time laughing at me. I huffed out a sigh and looked at my scrapped hand. She was starting to calm down and wiped her tears dry.

"Let me see your hands," she said with a soft laugh here and there. I reached my hands out and she looked at it with a smile.

"It's not too bad nor is it bleeding much. Let's go back home and I'll patch you up," she said and there was a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. I smiled and leaned forward, meeting her at eye-level.

"Awwh~ is Mina gonna take care of me?" I teased a bit and she glared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing again. That took me by surprise and I widened my eyes since this was a first.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." she tried to catch a breath. "It's just that I can't take you seriously right now. The scene keeps replaying itself; if only you saw what I saw."

I went back to being embarrassed and upset and crossed my arms.

"Laugh all you want, let's just go home. My palms are starting to sting," I said and stomped back in the direction of our apartment. She was still laughing behind me and we eventually got home.

We went straight to the bathroom and I sat on the edge of the bathtub while she grabbed the first aid kit under the sink. She took out the antibiotic wipes and I held my hands out for her to clean my palms. It was painful as it stung the wound.

"Stop moving," she demanded and I winced at the wipe coming in contact with the scrapes while trying to stay calm at the same time. She threw away the wipes once she was done with that and applied a thin layer of creamy ointment on my wound. Her touch was gentle; she was being careful with the medicine. She then bandaged me up and it was all done.

"Not going to give me a 'get better' kiss?" I asked with a smirk and she rolled her eyes, standing up from her position.

"I can give you a 'get better' punch instead?" she said as she was cleaning up and I chuckled.

"I'll pass," I said and stood up, looking at my hands then to her. "Thank you, Mina. I appreciate it."

She looked at me with a soft expression and faintly smiled, "No problem."

I smiled and said, "We should start getting ready too. Dinner is in a few hours."

She nodded and I walked out to get ready myself.

Mina's POV~

After an hour and a half, Baekhyun and I had finished getting dressed. I grabbed my phone and wallet to put in my purse when the security monitor began to buzz. Baekhyun had gone to see who it was and he smiled after seeing that it was Junior. Since we were going to be out for a few hours, we had him com to watch over Bacon because he isn't good when he's alone. If put in a cage, he'd bark like crazy and if he was alone free in the living room, he'd chew everything up if no one's there, so we got a dog-sitter.

Junior walked in after a few minutes of opening the main doors for him and he was his usual cheerful self. He greeted us happily and said, "Wow, you two look like a celebrity couple. Both good looking and wearing expensive clothes."

"That's not a compliment," I said and he snickered.

"As expected of Mina, everything nice I say is never a compliment," he said and I shrugged, my way of saying, "I don't care".

"Hey, thanks again for coming over to watch Bacon," Baekhyun smiled. "We would've left him alone if he was better trained, but we're still working on that."

"Don't worry about it, I'm happy to be of help to the two of you," Junior smiled. "I'll think of it as watching your child."

"That's so gross," I faked a gag and they both chuckle.

"Then we'll get going," Baekhyun said and we exchanged bows with Junior, then left.

On our way to the resturaunt, my head couldn't stop thinking about all the things my mother may have up her sleeves. She's not normal, so suddenly having a family dinner didn't feel right. I just hope she wasn't going to do any harm to Baekhyun or his family...if anything, I'd prefer her harm me.

I sighed and felt a large hand hold my hand that rested on my lap. I looked up at Baekhyun as his eyes were focused on the road.

"Don't stress yourself about this Mina. Again, we'll have dinner with them and leave as soon as possible. I personally don't want to be there long either," he said and gently squeezed my hand to make me believe his words. "I'll do all the talking if your mother decides to talk to you. All you have do is converse with my family so they don't raise any suspicions about you and Mrs. Kim."

Honestly, I'm relieved that he's taking care of me like this, but there's still this gut feeling that's bothering me. Without thinking of it much, I placed my hand over his, almost as if I was the one who wanted to let him know that I was going to protect him if my mother decided to do anything. I swallowed hard and felt anxiety take over as we got closer to the resturaunt.

It wasn't long when we got there and met his family at the lobby. A waitress escorted us into a private room where Mr. and Mrs. Kim was waiting; seriously though, I don't know what it is with Mrs. Kim and private rooms.

We all greeted each other and took our seats. There were a few waiters and waitresses setting up our tables and pouring us water as the family talked. Not surprisingly, the talk was about business. I sat in between Seolhyun and Baekhyun as the three of us talked about random things that came to our minds; Mrs. Byun would join our conversation here and there since she had no interest in business talk either.

"Mina, I've heard from Baekhyun that your home cooked meals have been delicious lately. I'd love to try your meals one day," Mrs. Byun sweetly said and I smiled.

"It's all thanks to Seolhyun that I've been improving on my cooking skills," I said and Seolhyun smiled at the fact that I gave her credit when least expected. "But come over to visit and I'll cook you something delicious. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from you too."

Mrs. Byun happily smiled and said, "I'd love to teach you! I'll teach you all of Baekhyun's favorite dishes too."

She looked really happy and excited about it; seeing her like that made me happy too.

"Teach her to make sugar cookies too cause the last time she made it for the soccer team it was bland and dry," Baekhyun said and I glared at him.

"Oh I have the perfect reciepe for that!" Mrs. Byun smiled and I returned the smile. "I'll teach you everything you want to know."

"Sounds good," I replied and caught of glimpse of Mrs. Kim glaring at me like I wasn't supposed to interact with them.

After another half hour of chatting, dinner officially began as the food started to arrive and the waiters and waitresses began to place the food in front of us. I watched them place various dishes on the table and my eyes travelled to my mother. She was whispering to her husband and something about that concerned me. Their little exchange was short and she looked to all of us.

"Please excuse me while I go to the restroom," she said, gracefully and stood up leaving the room. I watched her leave and thought about going after her, but my body wouldn't move and I stayed seated just looking at the closed door. It wasn't long when she returned with a smile and sat down next to Mr. Kim. I looked at him and noticed that he was completely silent this whole night and avoided all our eyes. He looked out of it...like something was disturbing him.

All the food was now on the table and it literally looked like a feast; almost too much food for the seven of us. I leaned over to Baekhyun and whispered, "Let's quickly eat and leave."

He looked down at me and nodded. I was ready to eat when Mrs. Kim started to make a speech.

"Before we enjoy our dinner, I'd like to officially congratulate Baekhyun and Mr. Byun," she said with a smile. "Once again, the Byun Group has succeeded on another project, which was led by Baekhyun. As your future mother-in-law, I am extremely proud of you."

I was extremely disgusted with this act.

"Thank you Mrs. Kim," Baekhyun forced the words out. She kept her smile on her face and continued, "To congratulate the both of you, I have prepared a special wine."

And at that moment, a young waitress brought in a fancy wine bottle.

"This wine is the best of its kind; there's no other wine like it," Mrs. Kim said. "And I thought this was the perfect occasion to serve the perfect wine to the successor."

Mr. Byun smiled, almost embarrassed, and gladly accepted the drink as the waitress poured a bit into his wine glass. She then stepped out with the wine bottle and Mr. Byun grabbed hold of the glass cup and slightly raised it up.

"I'm honored to be drinking this," he said and looked at Baekhyun. "I believe my son deserves a glass as well for he is the one who really saved us."

Mrs. Kim looked at Baekhyun and I, then smiled, "Tell the waitress to bring in the wine to serve Baekhyun and the woman who supported him; they can't go unnoticed."

There was something about the way she said that that made me feel uneasy. Eventually, the waitress came back with the wine bottle and poured the red liquid into our glasses; it was as red as blood...never a good sign.

"Why don't we all make a toast," she said and raised her own wine glass that was filled with champagne. Mr. Kim, Mrs. Byun and Seolhyun raised their own glasses and my mother conintued, "To Baekhyun and Mr. Byun's success. May you both forever stay healthy."

With that closing statement, everyone took a sip of their drink except me, only having the liquid touch my lips. I kept my eyes on my mother as she had her eyes on me, then her eyes directed its attention to Mr. Byun. I looked over to him too and he was smiling.

"Thank you for that, Mrs. Kim. Now, let's eat, I'm starving," Mr. Byun chuckled and grabbed his chopsticks, reaching over to get the food, but he started to cough. He covered his mouth and apologized for coughing. He took a deep breath and suddenly he was coughing like crazy and his face was turning red.

"Y-yeobo?!" Mrs. Byun panicked and everyone got out of their seats.

"Appa?"

"Abeoji!" Baekhyun was quick on his feet and rushed to his father's side as he was coughing uncontrollably and fell over. He was on the floor, desperately gasping for air.

"Call for an ambulance!" Mrs. Kim shouted at the workers and Mr. Kim rushed to Mr. Byun's side, checking his condition. I stood there in shock and horror; I didn't know what was happening and everything scared me. What exactly was happeing to him? Was he going to die?

"Appa!" Seolhyun shouted with tears in her eyes and Baekhyun looked at us both.

"Mina, take Seolhyun out," I heard his faint voice. "Mina!"

I could hear him, but my body was too much in shock to move or respond. It wasn't until I felt his hands grab my arms and shake me.

"Mina!" he shouted once again and it was loud and clear. "You and Seolhyun go wait out."

"H-He's not going to die...is he?" I stuttered, worried, and Baekhyun breathed heavily.

"No, he's not. Now go, both of you," he said and pushed his sister and I out of the room. With all the commotion, there was a crowd outside of the room trying to get a glimpse of what was happening. Baekhyun quickly slammed the door shut and I stood there wondering what the hell was happening. Did it have to do with the drink? Was the same thing going to happen to Baekhyun?