3rd Person POV~ 

It’s been weeks since Baekhyun and Mina’s separation. The news of their cancelled engagement was the talk of town between competing businesses. Many were quick to speculate their “rocky” relationship with Mina’s scandal. And, others believed it was a hoax to create attention. But, no one truly knew the truth behind their break up or the fabrication of her scandal. 

The news and drama didn’t last long though. After Mrs. Kim heard of their break up, she happily played innocent and was able to get news outlets to stop posting about the two as if all of it never happened. She hasn’t met Baekhyun since the incident, but she didn’t care anymore because her position was no longer a threat. She continued to keep her eyes and ears open for any news of his project. 

She also hasn’t seen Mina. But, even then, she could care less about where Mina was crying. The moment her puppet decided to have a life of her own, that’s when she hated her own daughter even more, but now that she was gone, Mrs. Kim didn’t feel the need to worry or waste her energy to be angry. She didn’t bother to send out a spy to find Mina. 

As a matter of fact, no one knew where she was. Not Mrs. Kim, the Byun family, Jinyoung, or even Baekhyun. No one...except for one person. 

“Any news?” Mr. Kim asked Mina as she was scrolling through her emails on his laptop. She sighed and answered, “No. Nothing.”

After her and Baekhyun’s break up, she had nowhere to go. She didn’t want to go to the hotel for she knew Mrs. Kim would find her there. It was too much of an obvious place, so Mr. Kim offered his private villa in Busan. She accepted his offer and that is where she is currently living now. 

“I’ve sent multiple emails, but it’s like they just disregard it,” Mina said, slumping into her seat, mentally exhausted. 

Since her stay in Busan, she had been desperately searching for her father’s lawyer. She reached out to the office he worked at, but no one ever replied to her. Even when she called them, the person on the other line would say they didn’t know a person by the lawyer’s name. Almost like he never existed. 

“I just need to find him so I can find the original will,” Mina said and Mr. Kim looked at her apologetic that he couldn’t do much. She let out another long sigh and looked across the dining table to him. “And what about you? Have you heard any news on Joohyun?”

Mr. Kim sipped his coffee and shook his head, “It’s the same as I’ve told you a few days ago. He’s still moving around from hotel to hotel, so I don’t know where he might be now.”

Mina pressed her lips tightly together, worried about him. He went though so much because of her...all because of her mother’s hatred for her. She only wanted to know if he was okay; she had already forgiven him even if he didn’t beg her for forgiveness, but his well-being was more important to her. And maybe, just maybe, he would be of help. Maybe then she wouldn’t be the only one who got back what was hers, but he would too. 

She sighed and looked out the window as it was snowing. It was early February and the weather didn’t look like it was going to get warmer any time soon. 

She watched as the snow fell and decided to not think about her problems, but to think of only one thing...one person, whom she missed the most. 

Ever since she left that night, she didn’t keep in touch with Baekhyun. She hasn’t seen him or heard his voice; she missed everything there was to him. His scent, his touch, his smile, his whining...all of it she missed. 

The first few nights at the villa, she couldn’t sleep at all because she was so used to his presence. She would roll over and expect him sleeping beside her, but he wasn’t there. There were even times she thought about returning to his side and just forgetting everything. Maybe run away with him or something, but she knew he wouldn’t want that. She wouldn’t want that for herself either. 

Mr. Kim observed Mina’s constant sighing and knew her thoughts were filled with Baekhyun. He could see the love and longing on her face; the sadness and anxiety. 

“You know,” he began to speak and Mina turned her attention to him. “I met Baekhyun the other day.”

That caused Mina’s heart to jump in anticipation. She leaned over the table with a faint smile as if gesturing him to continue. 

“He and his father came into the hospital for a check-up,” he continued and smiled, recalling their encounter. “His father is doing great and won’t need to be monitored anymore.”

Mina was relieved to hear that. 

“And Baekhyun...he seems to be doing well.”

Mina smiled hearing that, but was also a little sad. Was he doing okay without her? Even when she missed him so much and was having a hard time?

“His project in Japan is still on hold, but he’s a smart man and has good supporters out there, so I believe everything will go as planned,” he continued and she leaned back in her chair a little. She was happy for Baekhyun and wished everything really will go well for him. He worked so hard to where he got and all of it went down hill because of her, so she truly wished him the best. But, there was still that small amount of sadness in her that he was doing good without her. 

Mr. Kim saw the downcast on her face and gave a faint smile. 

“...he misses you too.”

She looked up, a little surprised, and smiled. 

“During the time we talked, he really only talked about you. I could see the love in his eyes and the excitement in his voice to see you again.”

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. 

“He’s cheering you on and is waiting for your return,” Mr. Kim continued. “But, he really misses you and wishes for you to come back.”

She didn’t need to feel the anxiety she felt. She should have known he was having a hard time too, but he was hopeful, unlike her. She lacked in confidence. 

“I want to see him...,” she whispered and lowered her eyes with a tear slipping. “Do you think I made the right decision? I mean, I could have done this without leaving Baekhyun...but, I thought it was best to do this on my own. He has already done so much for me...he went through a lot because of me. But, I miss him so much.”

Mr. Kim could see how lonely she was as she quietly let her tears drop. His heart throbbed, understanding her sadness. He wondered, was this how a father felt seeing his daughter cry? But, then again, she didn’t acknowledge him as a father nor did he have any children of his own. So, he felt like it wasn’t right to consider himself as a parent. 

He stood up from his seat and pulled out a handkerchief from his blazer’s pocket. He hand it to her and patted her head as she took it to dry her eyes. 

“There’s no right or wrong decision you could have made,” he comforted her. “You had a reason to leave and you had a vision in mind to achieve your goals. Don’t let that bring you down. And, it’s okay to miss him. It’s only natural to miss the person you love.”

Mina sniffled and looked up at him with red, teary eyes. He gave a soft smile and turned his back to her, walking to the window to watch the snow fall. 

“Everyone is cheering you on,” he continued and looked up at the sky. “...even your father.”

Mina felt her heart squeeze and she looked out the window towards the sky too. She couldn’t let her personal feelings stop her. Baekhyun was patiently waiting for her, she couldn’t keep him waiting for too long. 

Feeling better, she was again determined to bury her mother and finish this, once and for all. 

*****

It was late in the evening and Mr. Kim was returning home from his visit with Mina. He made his way to the front door and his burst open with Mrs. Kim standing there with arms crossed and a glare. 

Mr. Kim knew what she was thinking and gave a long sigh. He was extremely exhausted from the trip and from the sight of her. 

“I see you’re still awake,” he said, indifferent. 

“Where the hell have you been?” she questioned him as he walked passed her, into the foyer. 

“I’m exhausted from my business trip, we’ll talk in the mor-“

“Business trip my !” she shouted and he frowned, getting a headache. She stomped over to him and grabbed his arm, twisting him to face her. “Don’t you dare lie to me! No one knew about this business trip!”

“Ah, it was last minute,” he monotonously replied and turned to walk away from her, but she grabbed his arm again. 

“You’re lying to me,” she said through clenched teeth. “Tell me, where were you? Coming home this late at night?”

He sighed and pulled her hand away from his arm. He looked at her, tiredly, and said, “Why must I tell you everything? I’m not a child, I’m your husband-“

“Exactly why you should tell me everything!” she screamed in rage. “You have been coming home late for days! They can’t all be for your stupid business trips! Or hospital meetings! You’re probably cheating on me, aren’t you?!”

It was true that he had been coming home to avoid her, but those nights weren’t to meet with other women or even Mina. He had only visited her twice ever since she moved into their villa. 

“Look, I don’t have time for this-“

*slap*

The sound resonated through the mansion and the shock froze Mr. Kim. Mrs. Kim didn’t flinch at her unexpected action and continued to accuse him. Her complaints and nagging seemed to have gone on for hours, but only a few minutes had passed before Mr. Kim had enough. 

“Shut up!” he shouted and Mrs. Kim immediately shut , but that only angered her even more. “Do you even hear yourself right now? How crazy you sound?”

She frowned and crossed her arms with a scoff, beginning to open to speak again, but he continued before she could say a word. 

“All you’ve ever done is suspect me of my infidelity,” he said, lowering his tone, but it was still strong, yet sad. “Not once have you ever believed in me; you’re always accusing me for the things I have never done. You know what, I’ll admit I don’t like you, I don’t even love you anymore, but I would never be unfaithful to you.”

He swallowed hard and felt his eyes burn hot. He was broken...hurt. 

“All these years...did you even love me? Were you even faithful to me? At least once in our marriage, have you ever trusted me?” he asked with a sad frown. “I admit my flaws; I admit my stupidity...and I admit the things I did because I loved you. But, the love I had for you was real until it turned toxic.”

Love...Mrs. Kim hated that word. It was almost hilarious for her to hear him even speak his true feelings, but the smirk she wore turned upside down. 

“The love Mina had for you was real,” he said, almost as a desperate whisper. 

“Why are you bringing her up?” she questioned with a glare. “That little bi-“

“She wasn’t the only one! There was also your husband!” he shouted and she froze. She didn’t expect him to bring up Mina’s father. The only time Mr. Kim would talk about him was about his guilt he held for his death. 

“He loved you so much...and yet, I was doing all these things behind his back to the woman he loved,” he quietly said, fighting his tears. “I was wrong...I was stupid...I was intoxicated with your beauty that I believed everything you said because I believed it was love.”

Mr. Kim swallowed hard and felt a tear slip. 

“I live with regret and guilt every single day.”

A short pause. 

“There are times where I wonder...what if I had saved him that day? Would he still love you like he always did? Would he teach Mina the meaning of love? Would Mina have accepted Baekhyun without feeling like she wasn’t meant to be loved?” 

“Stop...,” Mrs. Kim quietly said. All this talk about love was tiring...but, her chest was hurting. Why?

“Did you ever love your husband? Or, Mina?” he asked. “Did you love me?”

“I told you to sto-“

“No! All you ever do is tell me what to do!” he shouted and knitted his brows in frustration. “I’m not a child. I’m not a puppet. I’m not your toy. I am your husband.”

He wiped his tears and dried his eyes with the back of his hands. He inhaled, deeply, and slowly exhaled. 

“That night...you planned it all, didn’t you?” he asked her, referring to the New Years’ party. “You kept playing innocent for the sake of the public, but it was all your plan, wasn’t it?”

Mrs. Kim swallowed hard and for once, she couldn’t admit it. 

“Stop all of this. Put an end to it,” he softly said, almost begging her. “Stop hurting Mina, she’s done nothing to you.”

She clenched her jaw and fists before speaking, “I will do as I please. She’s my daughter, not yours.”

That hurt Mr. Kim, but he let it go and lowered his head. 

“Then, would it be okay to do as I please?” he asked, looking up at her with determined eyes. She read his eyes and slowly realized what he meant. She widened her eyes with a gasp. 

“W-Why are you doing this?” she asked, feeling her anger rise up again. He was betraying her. “Why are trying so hard to protect her?!”

He turned his eyes away from her and looked to the side at nothing. 

“I’m only trying to make things right,” he answered. “Because she deserves to know.”

She scoffed into a smirk, “You do know she’ll only hate you more.”

“I’ve already prepared for that.”

“You’ll be charged for murder-“

“And so will you.”

She flinched. Was he crazy enough to reveal everything, she thought. 

“You’re only talk, you’re too scared to tell her,” she challenged him and he gave a faint smile. 

“That’s true,” he admitted and she felt relieved for a moment. “But, I won’t let you scare me or manipulate me anymore. When the time’s right, I’ll tell her. I’ll tell the whole world even if it means putting me behind bars. Maybe then, my heart will be at ease.”

His wife frowned at him, angry. “You’re pathetic.”

“I know,” he said and walked passed her, grabbing the door handle of the front door. “I’ll be spending the night at a hotel again.”

With that, he left the mansion and Mrs. Kim screamed in anger. But, she just wasn’t angry, she was anxious. Would all she worked hard for be for nothing?

*****

A few days have passed and Mina laid in bed, staring up at the plain white ceiling. She had soft music playing in the background and she just...blankly stared at the ceiling. No particular thoughts went through her head. She wasn’t physically tired either, just mentally. 

She sighed and turned her head to look at the digital clock on her nightstand. It was close to midnight. 

“Should I take some pills to help me sleep for the night?” she wondered and sat up in bed, then looked out the window. “Or maybe some fresh air is what I need.”

She slipped out of bed and put on a soft robe before stepping out onto the balcony. 

The cold breeze welcomed her as she shivered for a second, before her body relaxed and warmed itself up. 

She leaned her upper body over the railing to look up at the clear night sky. She closed her eyes and let the coolness comfort her. It was nice.

“You’ve got this,” she whispered to herself, eyes still closed. “It’ll be over soon...just wait a little longer.”

She stayed out for a little longer before it was getting really cold, so she turned to return to her room when she heard a crunch below her. She stopped where she was and listened to another crunch. 

Someone was walking on the fresh snow below her. She panicked a little before looking down to see a figure staring up at her. 

She gasped and was frightened, so she ran into the room and was about to close the sliding door when-

“Mina!” she heard his voice and she widened her eyes. She knew this voice. 

“It can’t be...!”