3rd Person POV~

It was the day of Mrs. Kim’s party, late night of New Years Eve. She was covered in gold and diamonds, a little too grand and a bit too extra. Everything on her in total would cost millions. 

She was fixing up the last finishing touches to everything on her and saw her husband walking into the room with a tuxedo. The previous night, the two had slept in separate rooms, and she was delighted to see him. 

“You’re looking as handsome as the first time I met you,” she beamed and he lowered his eyes. She didn’t like his reaction and glared at him. “I. Said. You look. Handsome.”

“I heard you the first time,” he said in a powerless voice. 

“Wow, not a ‘thank you’ or even a compliment,” she scoffed and made her way towards him. She didn’t bother to stop and kept walking passed him when he spoke. 

“I hope you don’t have any strange plan up your sleeve,” he said, now a little stern. As serious as he wanted to be, he could only look at her with desperate eyes. “I want people to have a good time. I don’t want it to end on a bad note.”

She scoffed again and turned to look at him to say, “And all I want is to enjoy my party. I don’t have any plans to ruin my night.”

“Good,” he said and she left the bedroom. 

*****

“Seolhyun, I don’t think I can go out looking like this,” Mina said, fidgeting in her dress. She was in an all white, midi dress. It hugged her curves, but not tight enough to the point where she couldn’t breathe. If anything, she had plenty of room to enjoy the buffet. 

Her dress had lace, quarter length sleeves and a few pearls that wrapped around her waistline. She looked stunning. 

“Unnie, you look amazing,” Seolhyun beamed upon seeing Mina. “You’ll be making heads turn in your direction!”

“That’s the last thing I want,” Mina groaned and she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe she was looking at herself. Her makeup was natural, but it wasn’t her everyday wear either; her hair was in a pretty braided updo. The diamond necklace seemed to sparkle even more in her eyes. 

“You look stunning, unnie,” Seolhyun smiled from behind Mina and placed her hands on her shoulders. “And I wish you see the beautiful woman I’m seeing right now, so don’t lose confidence.”

Mina bit her lower lip and sighed through her nose. She gave a faint smile and glanced over her shoulder to Seolhyun. 

“Thank you, for everything,” she said and Seolhyun hugged her. 

“Of course, anything for you,” she said and they released the hug. “Well, are you ready to show off to Baekhyun oppa? I bet he’s dying to see you right now.”

The two giggled and Mina imagined an impatient Baekhyun, pacing around downstairs. She wasn’t far off though as he really was pacing in the living room with his parents waiting on the couch. His parents exchanged looks with one another, then lightly laughed as they watched their son stare at the top of the stairs. They could see the anticipation in his posture and found it adorable. 

Baekhyun stuffed his hands in his pant pockets and let out a sigh when he heard heels clicking. His head snapped up to the stairs and appeared Seolhyun. He was immediately disappointed and made a face. 

“Don’t make such a face, oppa,” Seolhyun pouted, slightly offended, but was quick to smile. “Are you ready to see her?”

He nodded. 

“I present to you, Lee Mina!” she announced and Baekhyun’s heart raced just hearing her name. He looked on with anticipation and soon appeared Mina, shyly stepping out from the hallway to the top of the stairs. 

Baekhyun felt like his heart had exploded with love and awe. He smiled widely and she was all he could see. Mina could feel his intense stare and blushed while lowering her head. She didn’t hate his attention, but it was also a bit too much for her to handle too. 

As if completely enchanted, he made his way up to her and stopped just a step below her, their eyes leveled with each other’s. She glanced up to his loving gaze and felt her heart race. 

“You look beautiful,” he softly said and held her hands in his. “Really. So beautiful.”

Her whole body was now burning with heat and she pressed her lips tightly together. He looked at her every detail starting from her hair, down to her makeup, to the jewels she wore, then stopped at the dress. 

“You look good in white,” he said and his eyes traveled back up to her eyes. “It’s almost as if this is the real deal.”

“Don’t say that,” she sheepishly said. “This is only for a party, not our wedding.”

He chuckled and raised her hands up, giving them a light peck on the back. 

“That’s right, you’d look better on our wedding day,” he grinned and she smiled back. As the two admired each other, they heard someone clear their throat. They didn’t pay much attention, but they were listening. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we should head out to the party,” Seolhyun whispered and Mina was the first to let go of Baekhyun’s hand. The two ladies walked down the stairs first as Baekhyun followed behind them, then they were off to the party. 

*****

Mrs. Kim was gossiping with a few wives of some businessmen. She sipped on her expensive wine and laughed upon hearing the gossip of another woman’s affair. She enjoyed these kinds of chats, so that later, if needed, she could use the information against people. 

As the host of the party, she couldn’t listen long and had to greet her guests. She smiled when greeting them, but she really didn’t like interacting with people unless there was information she could benefit from. This party only happened for the sake of her image. 

Once she had finished chatting with some more businessmen and women, she stepped out of the banquet hall to get some fresh air when she saw a familiar man walking into the building. She smiled upon meeting his eyes and he swallowed hard, making his way towards her. 

“I’m glad you could make it out here, Joohyun-ah,” Mrs. Kim welcomed with a hug and he hesitantly hugged her back. “Were you able to find your way here easily?”

“Yes, there was no difficulty in getting here,” he replied and let her go. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” she continued to smile. “By the way, how is your club in Hongdae?”

Joohyun felt his heart drop and felt his pulse race with anxiety. He turned his eyes away and answered, “It’s flourishing...thank you.”

She nodded, pleased, then placed a hand on his arm. 

“That’s good, I’m always here if you need anything else,” she said and turned her attention to the banquet hall. “Don’t let me hold you back any longer. Please, go and enjoy the party. There’s plenty of food and drinks for the night.”

He was hesitant to take another step and she could sense it. She didn’t like his behavior and they weren’t too far from others, so she leaned in towards his ear and whispered, “Don’t even think about backing out now. Everything I’ve done for you can go down the drain within seconds. Do you understand?”

He gulped and nodded. 

She smiled, glad she had him wrapped around her fingers and pulled away. 

“Now, do enjoy the party,” she said with a sweet voice and walked off to greet new guests. 

Joohyun felt a cold sweat form at his forehead as he let out a big sigh after holding his breath for what felt like an eternity. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, lowering his head. 

“Please, Mina...don’t come tonight,” he whispered, but it was already too late. Just as he was going to make his way towards the banquet hall, he saw Mina walking through the lobby doors with the Byun family. 

His heart dropped and he quickly hid behind a pillar. He didn’t know why he was hiding, but he didn’t want to be seen either. He felt his palms sweating and felt sick to the stomach.

“I can’t do this,” he whispered and slid down the pillar, sitting with his knees pulled close to his chest. “. I’m so stupid.”

“Excuse me, are you okay?” he heard a man’s voice and his head shot up to look at this stranger. He widened his eyes seeing Mr. Kim in front of him and was quick on his feet. 

“Oh, uh, uhm-“

“Are you feeling unwell?” Mr. Kim asked. Being an experienced doctor, he noticed Joohyun from the other side of the lobby and saw him slide down the pillar, so he came to check up on him. 

“I’m fine, I...I just needed some fresh air,” Joohyun lied with a faint smile. Mr. Kim raised an eyebrow and saw how pale the young man was. “There’s a lot of people, so I was overwhelmed...that’s all.”

Mr. Kim nodded, still a little concerned, but he also believed it wasn’t anything serious. He believed Joohyun really was overwhelmed by the amount of people packed into the banquet hall, but he still offered his help. 

“Let me get you some water, I think you could use-“

“I’m fine!” Joohyun said, a little too loud, and Mr. Kim flinched in surprise. “Really, I’m fine.”

And with that, he quickly walked away, not wanting to feel like he was being interrogated by Mrs. Kim’s husband. He didn’t know if Mr. Kim knew of their plan or if he was involved, but he wanted to get out of the situation. 

Mr. Kim watched him leave and turned his attention back to the pillar Joohyun was leaning against when he saw something on the floor. He glanced back to Joohyun’s retreating body, then turned around to walk towards the paper dropped on the floor. 

He bent down and picked it up, flipping it over to see a photo of Mina and Joohyun. He widened his eyes and stood up, trying to look for Joohyun, but he was already gone. 

He looked back at the photo and Joohyun was hugging Mina from behind, his arms wrapped around above her chest. Joohyun was smiling, but Mina wasn’t smiling and her attention was somewhere else. Mr. Kim didn’t know what to make of this photo, he didn’t know how to react. It didn’t look like a romantic pose, but there was an unsettling feeling in his chest. He his heels and went to find Joohyun. 

Meanwhile, Mina and Baekhyun were enjoying each other’s company as the two did not want to be at the party. They hated these types of events filled with pretentious people, loud music, expensive food that tasted bland. 

Mina sat at a round table and picked at her salad with her fork while Baekhyun had came back with a glass of wine in both hands. 

“Here you go, this was the only thing left,” he said handing her a glass and she took it. “There really isn’t much of a variety in drinks.”

“I’m not surprised, the woman is a picky one,” Mina said and took a sip of the wine, then made a face at the bitterness. “This is disgusting.”

Baekhyun snickered at her cute reaction and leaned in close to her, asking, “Do you remember when we first met at a party like this?”

She looked at him and she remembered it clearly. She smiled and answered, “I do.”

He smiled too and pulled his chair closer to her, propping his elbow on the table, then resting his chin on his hand. 

“We really didn’t get along with one another,” he said and she giggled. 

“We didn’t. I remember I got lost and wanted to get out, then you came and annoyed me to leave with you,” she said and he lightly laughed at the memory. “I can’t believe that was only months ago.”

He nodded in agreement, then placed his free hand on her lap. She looked at him in surprise and pushed his hand away. 

“Don’t do that here, people will see,” she whispered with a frown and he shrugged with a smug look. “The people at the ski trip are different from the people here.”

“People are people,” he teased and placed his hand back on her thigh. She gasped and slapped his hand away this time. 

“No, these people can be your future investors and partners, they’re important people,” she practically pleaded for him to stop his jokes that he was enjoying too much. “We have to be professional and keep things appropriate, please.”

He laughed and leaned back in his seat, raising his hands up in surrender. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop,” he grinned. Just then, an elderly man approached Baekhyun with Mr. Byun. Mina knew it was going to be a long, boring talk once Mr. Byun introduced the man to them, so she politely greeted him and excused herself. She looked back to Baekhyun, who begged Mina to come back, but she just giggled and walked away. 

She didn’t know what to do or who to talk to. Mrs. Byun was chatting away with her friends at the other end of the room and Seolhyun was chatting with a young man, well, more like flirting, but Mina couldn’t see the difference. So, she made her way back to the buffet to snack on the food. 

From the time she had arrived to the time now, she had not met her mother, which was fortunate for her. She was the last person Mina wanted to see, she didn’t want to spoil the last day of the year by seeing her mother. 

Oddly enough, she didn’t see Mr. Kim around either. She would have thought he would be talking to the other doctors here, but he wasn’t anywhere near them. 

She looked around for no particular reason when her eyes fell upon a man she immediately recognized, it was Joohyun. She gasped and almost dropped her plate of desserts, but managed to keep her hands steady and handed her plate to a nearby waiter before walking towards him. But, she was far from him and he didn’t seem to have noticed her, so he walked off. But, he had actually seen her walking towards him and decided to lead her out of the banquet hall. 

He stepped out of the hall knowing she was close behind him and made his way towards a secluded area. 

“Joohyun!” Mina shouted after him and her voice echoed a little. He stopped walking and turned to face her with a shocked expression. 

“M-Mina?” he asked with wide eyes then smiled. “Oh wow, it really is you!”

Mina smiled seeing an old friend and walked closer to him before stopping in front of him. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, happy to see him, but she also felt it was weird for him to attend such an event. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. 

“My friend’s family was invited and he asked me to come, so I did since it’s been a long time attending a formal party,” he casually lied and she nodded, believing him. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind because she knew he had a wide range of connection and lots of friends. 

“Ah, no wonder,” she said, then asked, “where is your friend? Did you get separated from him?”

He wasn’t expecting this question and felt his pulse race. He swallowed hard and awkwardly laughed, “Something like that.”

She giggled and added on, “I’m not surprised. You weren’t very good at staying one spot, so I bet you lost him.”

He laughed and agreed with a nod. She was still smiling and he stared at her, then looked her up and down. She felt his gaze and awkwardly stepped back. 

He had never seen this side of Mina. He wondered how she changed to the woman now. She wasn’t one to smile easily or giggle. She wasn’t one to wear dresses and on top of that, white. He was used to seeing her in heavy makeup, but she looked innocent and angelic right now. Completely different from the old Mina he remembered. 

“You look...you look amazing,” Joohyun said and Mina felt her face heat up in embarrassment. “I like this new side of you.”

“Geez, that’s so embarrassing to hear,” she cringed and he chuckled. 

“I mean it,” he said and raised his hand up, brushing his fingers against her cheek. She widened her eyes and stepped back in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

She swallowed hard and said, “It’s fine.”

There was an awkward pause then he said, “I see he’s treating you well. That fiancé of yours.”

Mina forced a small smile and nodded, “Yeah, he’s been really good to me.”

“Does he make you happy?” he asked, curious. She was now smiling.

“He does,” she softly said and he could see the love in her eyes, so he smiled too. 

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re happy,” he said and stuffed his hands in pant pockets. “Well, if things don’t go well, we could always use your company back at the hotel.”

Mina scoffed at the suggestion. She had no plans to leave Baekhyun or even return to the hotel. She truly loved him and wanted to be with him forever. 

“But, I hope things work out for you two,” he grinned and nudged her with his elbow. She giggled and the two continued on with their chat. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, was listening to his father and the elderly man talk. As always, it was business related and that was the last thing he wanted to listen to during a party. Parties are meant for fun, not work. He was bored, but tried his best to stay awake and attentive to their conversation. He would add in a few opinions here and there, but he didn’t want to listen or speak any longer. 

It had also been over an hour since the conversation started, so he was wondering where Mina was and what she was doing. It was also nearing midnight, the start of the new year, so he wanted to find her. 

His father sensed it when Baekhyun was scanning the hall, so he gave Baekhyun permission to leave. He was quick to leave the table and searched for Mina. He went to the buffet first, thinking she was probably still snacking an hour later, but she wasn’t there. He asked his mother if she had seen Mina, but she didn’t know. Seolhyun was still with the young man, so Baekhyun decided not to interrupt, but he still observed the man to see if he was suitable for his sister. 

He wondered where Mina could have been and so he decided to give her a call instead, but as he was searching through his contacts for her number, he was interrupted. 

“My, if it isn’t Baekhyun,” he heard a hoarse voice and he turned around to meet Mrs. Kim. His pulse raced in annoyance, but he smiled and bowed to her. 

“Hello, Mrs. Kim,” he greeted. “Quite the party you’re hosting.”

She smiled and approached him, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

He didn’t know how to answer, but rather than to be honest, he lied with, “Yes, very much so. Thank you for inviting us.”

“Of course! I could never leave out my daughter’s future husband and family,” she giggled and crossed her arms. “By the way, where is she?”

He swallowed hard and answered, “She went to the restroom. She’ll return shortly.”

Mrs. Kim looked at him with a smirk then laughed as if it was amusing to catch his lie. 

“Is she now?” she asked, then looked at the exit to the lobby. “I clearly saw her laughing and touching another man in a secluded area.”

Baekhyun felt his heart drop a little, but it picked itself back up and he frowned. He wasn’t going to believe her lies. 

“I trust Mina and I’m sure she’ll come back soon,” he said, trying to remain calm, but Mrs. Kim could already see he was slightly shaken. 

“Do you not believe me? They’ve been together for over an hour now. He caressed her cheek lovingly too,” she added and Baekhyun clenched his teeth. He wasn’t going to believe her or be shaken up even more. He trusted Mina, but was angered that Mrs. Kim would try to belittle her. 

“I believe Mina only and she’s allowed to speak to any male friends she has,” Baekhyun retorted and continued, “I don’t know what you’re trying to get by saying such things about Mina, but she’s not the woman you play her out to be and I won’t stand around to listen to you talk about her like that.”

He started to walk off when she called out after him, “If you don’t believe me, then go see for yourself!”

Baekhyun didn’t stop and kept walking. He didn’t go find Mina because he trusted her, so he just wandered off to nowhere when he bumped into someone. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized, but when he looked up, it was Mr. Kim. He suddenly felt exhausted seeing him, but he had no reason to hate Mr. Kim just because he’s married to Mina’s mother. 

“No, it was my fault for not paying attention,” Mr. Kim smiled, then looked around the room. “By the way, have you seen Mina?”

Baekhyun felt his heart clench as he heard her name. Was there something going on? 

Baekhyun shook his head and asked, “Are you looking for her?”

Mr. Kim looked at him and sighed wondering if it was right to bring up the photo. He had hid it in his inner jacket’s pocket. 

“Is there something wrong?” Baekhyun asked, noticing his worried expression. Mr. Kim shook his head with a faint smile. 

“No, there’s no problem. I haven’t seen her all night, so I was just wondering where she was,” he said and believed the photo meant nothing. But, he wondered why Joohyun had it with him anyways. He wondered why he was here at the party when he was aware of all the attendees, but not aware of Joohyun’s attendance. Was he a last minute invite by Mrs. Kim?

“If I see her, I’ll be sure to have her greet you before the end of the night,” Baekhyun smiled and Mr. Kim nodded. He then bowed to the older man before taking a few steps passed him when Mr. Kim stopped him. He felt it was best to share the photo with Baekhyun to clear any possible misunderstandings. 

“Uhm, Baekhyun,” Mr. Kim said his name, uneasy. Baekhyun stopped and looked at him. “Do you by chance know who this is?”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out the photo, handing it over to Baekhyun. He held it in his hands and frowned seeing Mina with Joohyun. 

“What is this?”