Baekhyun's POV~

It was our last day in Busan and we were just packing up our belongings to head back to Seoul when I recieved a call from my cousin's, Haerin's, husband (introduced in Chapter 20).

"Hello?" I answered.

"Baekhyun, I heard you and Mina are in Busan," he said, but it seemed like he was in a hurry. "Did you guys leave yet?"

"No, we were just packing our things," I said and looked over to Mina who was folding her clothes and putting them in her suitcase. "Something wrong? You sound anxious."

"Haerin's going into labor," he said and I widened my eyes.

"What?!" I unintentionally shouted, which caught Mina's attention. "Which hospital are you guys at? We'll come."

He told me their location and I told him that we'd be there in 30 minutes. I told Mina the news and so we just threw everything into our suitcases, not bothering to fold our clothes. We walked out of the villa and threw our stuff into the trunk of my car before hopping in, making our way towards the hospital.

Due to traffic, we arrived later than we had planned, but that was okay because Haerin was not gonna go anywhere cause labor takes a long time...so I've heard.

Mina and I made our way up to their room and saw Haerin's husband, Junsu, waiting in the hallway with Hyeri. He saw us and waved over at us as we walked up to them.

"How is she?" I asked and she sighed.

"This one's a tough one; it's like he's refusing to come out," he said as I took a seat besides him. "And because of that, Haerin's having a hard time."

Hearing that, it made me worry about both their healths. Just imagine the pain she's going through right now.

"Are we allowed to see her?" I asked, looking down the hallway where her room was.

"Not right now, the nurses and doctor are checking her status at the moment, but you'll be able to give her a quick visit before she tries again," he said and picked up Hyeri, who was playing with her stuffed animals.

I sighed and looked at Mina, who was also looking in the direction of Haerin's room. I could tell she was worried too; even a little scared.

I grabbed her hand and interlaced our fingers together, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"They'll be fine," I assured her and we waited to hear from the doctor, but waiting felt like forever. The longer the wait was, the more anxious we all got.

I looked down at Mina and rubbed my thumb against the top of her hand, catching her attention. She looked up at me with a faint smile and turned away just when a nurse came out with news. Our first reaction was to stand up to hear it.

"Is everything alright?" Junsu hyung asked, worried. The nurse sighed and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"The baby won't come out and we don't want to waste anymore time before more complications occur, so we will be doing an emergency c-section," the nurse said in a calm manner. I widened my eyes at the news...was it really this scary to have children?

"If you'd follow me, I'll help you put on the proper gown and mask to give your wife support during the operation," the nurse said to hyung and he nodded. "We must hurry."

Hyung looked over his shoulder to us and I already gave him the answer, "Go, we'll watch over Hyeri."

"Thanks," he said and walked off, following the nurse. I couldn't help, but worry even more for Haerin and the baby; I knew someone else was even more worried than me.

I looked at Mina and her face went pale...she's experiencing too many things on this trip for the the first time. Not to mention...her fear of death and hospitals.

"They're going to be fine," I said and hugged her. "The nurses and doctor knows what they're doing; the baby and Haerin are going nowhere."

She didn't say anything and I just held her while keeping my eye on Hyeri, who was playing with her dolls in her seat.

We waited for about ten minutes and by then, Haerin's parents had come to the hospital after getting the news. To ease our minds, we had small talks while we waited for the nurse or someone to tell us good news. I made sure to keep my eyes on Mina too, since she still seemed to be out of it. Once it hit the fifteen minute mark, Junsu hyung came back and again, our first reaction was to stand up to hear the news.

He gave out a long, deep sigh and smiled, faintly.

"He's here and healthy," he said and those who were waiting smiled, happily. "They're still running some tests, so that's why it's taking a bit longer for you all to see them, but it won't be long."

I sighed in relief and looked at my wristwatch. I would have loved to stay and see my nephew, but I knew I had a packed schedule ahead of me, so we had to leave.

"Hyung, congratulations," I said and he chuckled, tiredly. "Mina and I would love to meet the little guy, but we must head back home. I told my team I'd be back by tonight."

Hyung was very understanding and he said, "That's okay. Thank you for being here today, we really needed that extra support."

I smiled and nodded, then turned to Mina, "Let's get going."

She looked up at me surprised, then looked to hyung.

"We're going already?" she asked and I nodded. "But we haven't seen them yet."

"I know, but we need to g-"

"Just another fifteen minutes," she pleaded and the pale face she had long ago was filled with color again. "We can't just leave without seeing how Haerin unnie and the baby are doing."

And there she goes, making my heart crumple at her sweetness that I couldn't say no. I sighed and looked at hyung, who grinned with a light chuckle.

"Baekhyun, please," she said in a soft voice, that showed she was still worried about them.

"Fine, we'll wait another fifteen minutes," I agreed and she gave me a sweet smile of thanks. Gosh, who could resist such a request? Especially from this woman?

Since we were going back to Seoul later than we had planned, I needed to call Secretary Moon to inform him about the change of plans. I left Mina with my relatives as I walked out to the hospital's courtyard. You could tell winter was coming because of the change of color in the sky. Today was a gray sky and all trees had already bared their branches; the weather was chilly.

I took a seat on a bench and pulled out my phone to call Secretary Moon.

"Hello, Baekhyun-ssi," he answered on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, how are things going over there?" I asked and there was a pause.

"We can discuss it once you return tonight," he said and I sighed, not really sure how to tell him the change of plans. And from the way he had said that, I knew something was wrong.

"Has something happened, Baekhyun-ssi?" he asked, worried.

"Mmm," I hummed. "Well, there's been a change of plans...Mina and I have decided to stay here a bit longer and probably won't be home until midnight with traffic."

"I see," he responded and I sighed again.

"But if there's something wrong then I'll try to get back before then-"

"I think it's best to meet at the airport once you drop Mina off at home," he suddenly said and I went quiet. I felt my body tense up and frowned in confusion. "I've booked a flight to Japan for the morning. I'll pack everything needed and I'll update you on the problems that have risen during your absence when we meet up-"

"W-Wait!" I said, shaking my head in confusion. "I-I'm not catching on, why do I need to go to Japan? Has something happened with the project?"

"Baekhyun, I'm currently at the hospital to visit your father, so I cannot speak of the details now. But, as I've said, I will update you on what's been happening," he said and I heard a door open and shut on his end. He must've gotten out of his car cause I could hear his shoes clicking on the cement.

"But I can't just suddenly leave Mina alone," I said and he sighed.

"I understand, Baekhyun...but you have to understand that this is the reality of being CEO of the Byun Group...or any group, really," he said, apologetic to me. "You've had your time with Mina, now it's time for you to return to the Byun Group as their CEO and get things here situated. If not, then Mrs. Kim will find her way to fix it."

Hearing her name, I felt my heart clench. I forgot there was such a woman alive and I for sure did not need her assistance.

"Fine," I said, swallowing my frustrations. "I'll meet you at the airport once I drop Mina off at home."

"Understood," he said and we said our goodbyes before hanging up.

Just when I thought things were going great, it all started to crumple down again. I let out a frustrated sigh and hung my head low, running my fingers through my hair. How do I tell Mina I won't be going home with her tonight when she's expecting me to? After all we've been through these past few days, I'll be leaving her by herself. I could already imagine the hurt she'd feel once I tell her...I could imagine the loneliness she'll have once I leave. Why did things turn out this way?

"Baekhyun!" I heard Mina's voice from a distance and looked up to see Mina running towards me with a smile. Why do I have to leave that smile so soon?

I stood up and she stopped in front of me.

"Unnie's fine and so is the baby! We can go see them," she said and grabbed my hand to follow her, but I stayed put as she stumbled back. She looked back at me flustered and said my name, "Baekhyun?"

How do I bring it up?

"Mina, I need to tell you something," I said and she gave me a blank look, then smiled.

"I'm sure it can wait," she said and pulled my arm. "I want to see them, so let's go."

I wasn't going to force the words onto her and I didn't want her innocent smile to disappear, so I decided to just follow and wait until we got back home.

Mina had dragged me all the way up to Haerin's room and we entered after getting the permission to. We sanitized our hands and Haerin was the first one I noticed. She was obviously burned out, but she was strong and smiled at us.

"Hey," I queitly said and walked up to her. "Congrats."

"Thanks," she whispered. "I'm sorry you two had to come when you guys need to go back to Seoul."

"It's okay, we were more than happy to come," I smiled as she did too. "Where's the little man?"

She gestured her head behind me and I looked to see Junsu hyung holding what seemed to be a bundle of blankets. It really only looked like blankets until I got closer and saw his face. There was this warm feeling in my chest as I smiled down at the little guy.

"What'd you guys name him?" I asked.

"Kang Daniel," Haerin answered and I looked at her in disbelief.

"Really?" I scoffed out. "You named him after a guy who's way out of your league and way much younger than you? Creepy."

"Yah, I'm still a young girl at heart," she weakly defended. "Besides, it sounds nice when you say it all together, Kang Daniel."

I chuckled at her innocence and looked back at the baby. Kang Daniel, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if his Korean name was Seongwoo.

After a few minutes of staring at Daniel, Junsu had asked if I wanted to hold him. I refused since I have a fear of newborns; they're so fragile that I think I might crush them. Not to mention how tiny they are.

"But you'll have to learn some day, right?" my aunt, Haerin's mom, giggled and I looked at her in embarrassment. Who even knows if I'll ever have kids with Mina being my future wife.

"I'll hold him if Baekhyun doesn't want to," I heard Mina say from the side and I looked at her shocked. Who the hell is this woman?

The ladies in the room, expect Mina, laughed after seeing my reaction. I watched as Junsu hyung gently placed Daniel in Mina's arms. I could tell she was nervous, but she had a hint of excitment in her expression. It's rare to see her like this, but I'm not going to complain. Can you imagine such a beautiful scene in front of me? Mina holding a baby? I would have never imagined seeing such a thing with my own eyes and I have to say...I had a fuzzy feeling in my chest seeing her being so gentle with him.

Mina's POV~

I was scared to death while holding Daniel. Would I accidently drop him? Am I holding him too tight? Is he even breathing? There were so many thoughts in my head as I held the little one in my arms, but I didn't necessarily hate it either. It was a new, thrilling experience and I was always curious as to how a newborn baby looked like.

Daniel started to squirm a bit in my arms, which made me panic just a bit, but Baekhyun stood besides me and placed a hand on my arm, assuring me Daniel was fine. Baekhyun rested his chin on my shoulder as we both looked down at Daniel. He continued to squirm, but then he suddenly started to smile. There was a warm feeling in my chest as he smiled in my arms and I couldn't help, but smile back down at him. Babies really are precious and innocent. Who would have thought the beginning of life was so beautiful?

"I think he likes the person who's holding him," Baekhyun said as he wrapped his arms around my waist from the back. I felt my face burn up and I only kept my eyes on Daniel.

"At least we know who his favorite is," I said and he chuckled. We stayed with the Kang family longer than we had hoped for and we finally decided it was time to go back. Not only that, but Baekhyun seemed to be in a rush too; I'm sure it was work-related since we were supposed to leave earlier.

We said our goodbyes to the family and told them we'd come back to visit another time when we were both free. Then Baekhyun and I were on our way back home.

During the drive, Baekhyun had asked, "Since when did you learn how to hold a baby?"

"He's the first," I replied with a soft smile, remembering the smile on Daniel's face. "I was actually really scared of holding him. I thought I'd drop him."

Baekhyun chuckled lightly and said, "The image of you holding a newborn never crossed my mind."

"It never crossed mine either," I said and felt a heavy weight on my chest. "But I didn't hate it. It was nice to hold a baby."

"Then I'll be sure to bring you to see him as much as possible," he said and grabbed my hand. "Or...we can just have a little one of our own."

I knew he would say something like that and so I turned to glare at him as he laughed.

"Admit it, you want a little Baekhyun of your own," he laughed and I punched him with my free hand. "Yah!"

"I don't need another Baekhyun," I said and turned to look out the window. "Besides...I haven't even thought about having kids."

There goes that same heavy weight on my chest when thinking about children. I never thought about having my own.

"The thought of them scare me," I softly said as I squeezed Baekhyun's hand lightly. It went silent in the car. "Being a mother scares me."

I swallowed hard and looked down to my lap where Baekhyun's hand and mine were resting, fingers interlocked.

"You know, it's okay to be scared," he softly said and I looked up at him as he gave me a faint smile. "Even I get scared of being a father one day, but I know I'd want the best for them when that time comes. I know I'd love them and teach them the many things the world has to offer. And I believe you're capable of doing the same if you put your heart to it without the fear of you being the replica of your mother. Instead, why don't you be the replica of your father?"

I slightly widened my eyes as a quick flash of my father appeared in my thoughts and Baekhyun squeezed my hand.

"Just because you're a woman, doesn't mean you can't be like your father," he said with a faint smile. "You know him much better than I do, but I know he loved you very much. Be like your father, not your mother, because you will see love and happiness through another person's eyes."

I never thought of it that way; I was always looking at my reflection in my mother's eyes.

"Look, I'm not necesarily asking you to have my children," he said and I looked up at him as he lifted up my hand and gave it a sweet kiss. "But I know you'll be a wonderful mother one day."

Hearing that made my heart thump in a good way and I felt that heavy weight lift away just a bit.

Hours later, I fell asleep throughout the car ride home. I don't know how long the drive was, but I was woken up by someone shaking me. I mumbled and shifted in my seat.

"Mina, wake up, we're home," I heard Baekhyun's voice and I slowly opened my eyes, staring at my surroundings. Surely enough, we were outside of our apartment building. I yawned and stretched my arms up.

"Finally," I said, still tired and opened the door about to step out when Baekhyun grabbed my arm. I looked at him confused and still out of it from my long nap. "What is it?"

He had an apologetic look on his face and I knew it wasn't something good. He looked at me intently in the eyes and said, "I won't be coming home for a few days."

My heart stopped for a few seconds, then clenched. I blinked my eyes and shut the door, keeping my eyes on him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and he let out a sigh.

"Something happened while I was out of the office and so I have to go to Japan tonight to resolve this problem," he said and I just stared at him. We stayed like that for a few minutes.

"When will you come back then?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I'll try not to stay there longer than a week," he said and moved his hand down to mine, holding onto it tightly. "I'm sorry it turned out this way."

"No, it's okay," I said with a forced smile. "This is something expected. With you being CEO, this is something that will happen often and I understand that."

My heart ached when I said those words...even when I understand that's his work, I didn't quite like it. But who am I to be selfish?

"Even still, I'm sorry," he said with a soft voice of sincerity and leaned over to give me a kiss on the lips. I wasn't used to these types of kisses, but they were always warm and gentle...they were always assuring. "I'll try to come back home sooner."

"It's okay, take your time," I said. "I'll wait."

It was weird for me to say those words, 'I'll wait', especially to a man I wanted to hate. And oddly enough, I meant those words.

Baekhyun smiled at me and caressed my cheeks with his fingers, sending warmth through my body.

"We're making it sound as if I'm heading off to war," he chuckled and I lightly laughed. "But I guess there isn't much of a difference."

"Well, whatever happens, don't have your men send me your dead body," I said and he laughed as I did too. Our laughter died down and we sat in silence, just looking into each other's eyes.

"Mina, I love you," he said and I felt my heart race at his words. I averted my eyes and he gave me one last kiss on the forehead. "Go inside. The longer you stay here, the more I want to attack you."

"Fine, I'm leaving," I said and opened the car door, stepping out hesitantly. I really didn't want to leave...I didn't want things to go back to how they were before when Baekhyun took over the CEO position. The loneliness was already creeping up on my shoulders as I grabbed my belongings from his trunk and shut it closed. I looked through the rear window and he held up a finger heart, then waved before driving off.

My heart clenched and I inhaled, deeply.

"Stay strong, Mina," I said and walked towards the apartment building alone.

Baekhyun's POV~

Driving off towards the direction of the airport, I couldn't stop my heart from hurting. Mina must have been feeling lonely already, especially with Bacon still being at Seolhyun's place. Man, why did it have to be like this? Couldn't they just have given me another day?

Stopped at a traffic light, I pulled out my phone and decided to send a small text to her before she went to bed. Considering that she slept through the whole ride from Busan, one would think that she wouldn't be able to sleep again, but she would knock out once she hits the bed.

"Dream about me when I'm not there," I read the text aloud and grinned as I did. Just as I was going to set my phone down, I heard a 'ding'. That was a quick response.

"No," it read and I laughed.

"I'll be dreaming of you," I texted back.

"Gross," she replied back in a few seconds with a vomitting emoji. I chuckled and the lights turned green, so I quickly sent a kissing emoji and drove off.

I missed her already.

*****

I arrived at the airport and met up with Secretary Moon, who had a suitcase for me. He really came prepared.

"So, you wanna tell me what's been going on?" I asked and he nodded.

We found a nice, secluded area in the airport and he explained to me what has happened with the funds and financial status. It wasn't anything new and it was expected considering that I partnered up with agencies of low status. He continued on with explanation as I listened to every word he said when he pulled out an envelope.

"I recieved this from your father a few days ago," he said and I opened it to see what was written in it. I scanned through it with my brows furrowed.

"Stay away from Mrs. Kim, huh?" I repeated the last few words of his letter. "He doesn't need to tell me that for me to know."

I put the letter back in it's envelope and hid it in my briefcase.

"The Kim family raises my suspicions," Secretary Moon said suddenly and I looked at up him in confusion. "But I can't be sure of my predictions just yet."

I furrowed my brows and leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed over my chest.

"And what are your suspicions on them?" I asked. Secretary Moon looked at me with a serious expression, one I've never seen before.

"From what I've been observing, they have been prescribing your father with a new medication," he informed me. "If this medication does help your father recover, then why did it take so long for the famous Dr. Kim to prescribe him with this medicine?"

I frowned and clenched my jaw. They're prescribing my father with a new medicine? If the previous ones didn't work, then will this one work? If not, then what exactly are they trying to do with him?

"For a famous doctor to be prescibing his patient with new pills, an inexperienced person would assume he doesn't know what he's doing," Secretary Moon said and I looked at him, waiting for him to finish. "But that one person isn't me...."

"What are you talking about?" I asked and he leaned in forward with  a whisper.

"I think they're purposely keeping your father sick," he said and I felt my heart thump hard against my chest. "If not that, then they're trying to kill your father...slowly."