Mina’s POV~

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual to cook breakfast for Joohyun and I. Even though there wasn’t much here, I had enough to feed us for the morning. I’d just have to grab some groceries later. 

I prepared the ingredients left in the kitchen and looked down the hallway wondering when Joohyun would wake up. He was so exhausted last night that he knocked out on the couch. I somehow managed to drag him to the spare bedroom and clean him off a bit. 

He slept so peacefully. Like it was the best sleep he’s ever had since the incident at the New Years party. He must’ve had it hard. 

I sighed, remembering his defenseless sleeping face, and lowered my gaze from the hallway down to the chopping board. Would he talk today? Reveal everything from beginning to end? I didn’t know if I was ready to hear it all. 

I sighed once more and began cooking. It was a simple breakfast; bulgogi and a few side dishes I had left. It was enough to fill the both of us. 

I began to set the table and looked over my shoulder to the hallway again. I must have been coming for half an hour and he still wasn’t out of the room. 

“He must really be tired...,” I quietly said to myself and took off my apron. I set it on the counter behind me and walked down the hallway to the room he was in. 

*knock knock*

No response. Probably dead asleep still.

*knock knock*

Still nothing. I began to worry and opened the door, peeking my head in to see the bed empty. My heart dropped. 

Did he run away? Was he avoiding me? Or, was he avoiding the conversation I wanted to have? Did someone find his location and kidnap him? Just...where did he go? Why did he leave so suddenly?

I didn’t know what to feel. Was I angry that he showed up out of nowhere, had a meal, slept so sound, and just left like that? Was I upset that he didn’t trust me enough to just talk? Was I worried for his safety? 

Yes, yes, and yes. 

I swallowed and closed my eyes to calm myself. He could’ve gone to the bathroom without me knowing. He could have...I don’t even know anymore. My head was starting to hurt. 

I turned around and closed the door, walking back to the kitchen. I looked at the food set up for two and hung my head. I really wanted to talk. 

Just as I was about to remove his serving, I heard the front door click open. My head snapped up and saw Joohyun walking in with a case of beer in one hand and possibly a bag of food in the other. 

He locked eyes with me and gave a faint smile. I didn’t know how to react. I frowned angrily, then worriedly, then sighed and returned a small smile. 

“Hey,” he greeted with a bit of awkwardness and closed the door behind him with his foot. “Sorry, I grabbed your keys because I didn’t want to leave the door unlocked.”

He walked over to me and set the stuff he bought onto the dining table, then handed me the keys to the house. I grabbed it from him and shook my head, “It’s fine. I’m just glad you were safe out there.”

He frowned apologetically. 

“I worried you, didn’t I?” he asked and I nodded. 

“Who wouldn’t be worried about a friend who’s basically on the run?” I asked and he looked guilty. 

“I’m not necessarily on the run,” he mumbled and opened the car of beer, offering me one. I shook my head, refusing him. He shrugged and opened it, chugging it all in one go. Once he was done, he sighed, relieved and satisfied. 

I glanced at the now lukewarm food and said, “Do you want breakfast? It’s probably cold by now, but I could always reheat it.”

He looked at me, then to the food with a smile. “Yeah, I could use a meal on this empty stomach.”

I smiled and we sat down to enjoy breakfast. It was a quick one. We didn’t talk much, but it wasn’t awkward between us. He also seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe sleep and food was all he needed to be himself again...at least try to be. 

We finished our meal and I started to clean up with his help. I denied help at first, but he insisted. But, I knew he wasn’t just being helpful and nice. He wanted to talk, but didn’t know how to bring it up. I also didn’t know myself. 

I began washing the dirty dishes while he waited to rinse what I had washed. We stood side by side in silence when I spoke. 

“Where have you been?” I quietly asked. 

“This morning?” he questioned with a grin and I gave him a look that right now was not the time to joke around. He let out a sigh and answered, “All over Seoul.”

That wasn’t the answer I was looking for. Of course, I knew he was wandering Seoul. 

“...since...since that incident,” he carefully said, choosing the right words. I froze for a moment, then continued to wash the dishes with my ears open. “That night after I was led away, the guards took me to a private room where your mo- no, I mean, Mrs. Kim met me later that night.”

I swallowed hard and felt my chest tighten, anxious to hear more. 

“She had told me I did well in her plan and paid me a generous amount. I felt so guilty taking the money, but she forced it into my hands and told me to never appear in front of her again.”

I could hear the guilt in his voice. 

“I didn’t want to do it in the first place; you know.”

“Then why did you?” I asked, feeling betrayed. 

He paused. “Because...because-“

“Of your club?” I finished the sentence for him. His silence was enough confirmation. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel angry. 

“I don’t know how she even found me or got information about me...about us,” he said. I could see from the corner of my eye that he was looking at me, so I looked back. His face was full of regret. “She offered to pay off my loans and debts. It was tempting, it really was, but I couldn’t do what I did to you. So I refused her the first time. Then, she came another time and threatened me about my club and I couldn’t let her take it away. You know I spent all my life dreaming about it and she...-“

“I know,” I interrupted him when he was searching for the right words. She used it against him to break me. He loved his success more than he loved his friendship with me. I couldn’t blame him for that though. I was never his priority...I wasn’t anyone’s until I met Baekhyun. But, I would never ask Joohyun to put me first in front of his dreams.

By now, we weren’t washing dishes anymore. We just stood side by side, staring at the blank wall in front of us. 

“After the scandal, I met her again to return the money, but she refused to take it,” he continued. “Though she refused to take it, I refused to keep it, so I threw it and let it fall to the ground wherever it wanted to. She didn’t say anything, but her expression was enough to make me freeze. Since then, she shut down my club and sent men after me, as if she wanted to get rid of any evidence to her bribery.”

How horrible. He suffered because of me. All that he worked so hard for was over within minutes...because of me. Nothing was ever his fault, it was always mine. It was like this with Baekhyun too. 

“Hey, what are you thinking that you’re making that face?” he asked, worried. I looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. 

“It’s nothing,” I replied, quietly. 

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” he said and gently pinched my cheek. “You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you?”

“No, I...I...oh, stop it,” I said and swatted his hand away from my face and I rubbed my cheek. He lightly laughed as I did too, then it went quiet. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, this was a decision I made on my own to put my heart at ease,” he said with a gentle smile, yet still so sad. “You’re not the reason why I lost my club or that I’ve got hit men after me.”

He chuckled to lighten up the mood, but it didn’t work much and he noticed. 

“Look, I can always get my dreams back and I know you’ll win this battle between you and your mo- ah, sorry, I mean-“

“It’s fine. You can call her my mother,” I said, not wanting to admit her status, but what surprised me was that he knew I was planning to counterattack her. “And, how did you know?”

“About your separation from Baekhyun, your plan to bring your mother down, and that you’re hiding out here?” he asked and I raised an eyebrow. I never told him anything about that. “Well, Mr. Kim told me when I met him a few days ago.”

Mr. Kim? He told me he hadn’t seen Joohyun at all. Was he lying?

As if reading my mind, Joohyun said, “I told him to keep it a secret about our encounter. I wasn’t sure when or if I’d come and confess everything to you.”

I made a gesture, like saying, “Ah, I see”.

Joohyun paused and hesitantly said, “I know you’re not fond of him, but he’s a good person.”

I felt guilty for the way I’ve treated Mr. Kim. I really did hate him, at the time, but he really was good. He’s been such a great help during all of this and even before when I had cursed at him, spat at him once when I was younger, and wished he was dead because he remarried my mother. I loathed him because he replaced my dad. I was childish and stupid then, but that’s no excuse to act the way I did towards somehow who saw good in me. 

“I should properly apologize to him,” I whispered and look at Joohyun, returning to our talk. “So, what are you going to do now?”

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know yet. But! I plan to help you in anyways that I can. Even if I can’t help you, let me cheer you on until you win this.”

I smiled and felt hopeful. 

“Thank you,” I said. “And, I’m sorry.”

He gave a light, friendly snort and shook his head. “Don’t be. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

I turned my eyes away and looked down to my hands that were resting on the edge of the sink and wondered, would I win this?

Deep in my thoughts, I felt a nudge to my arm and looked up at Joohyun. 

“Sooo, have you been in contact with Baekhyun?” he asked and my heart clenched at the name. He saw it on my face and opened his mouth to apologize, probably. 

“No, not since I left,” I answered and he closed his mouth, then opened his mouth again to say, “You miss him, don’t you?”

“I do,” I answered so quick. “A without a doubt.”

He smiled, like an older brother, and patted my head. 

“This will all be over soon,” he assured and I nodded. 

Soon....

Baekhyun’s POV~

I sat in my office, tapping my pen against the desk. I had a load of paperwork to look over and emails from my partners in Japan to decipher. I felt a migraine coming from staring at the computer screen for too long, so I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the headrest on my chair. I sighed loudly and just breathed. 

“Should I take a vacation?” I asked myself. I felt confident that things were sailing smoothly for me and it would be okay to take a days break or two. My project in Japan was resuming in a few days and gossip of the Byun Group and my separation from Mina died down. Things were going back to normal, except...there was no Mina. 

I slowly opened my eyes to stare at the high ceiling and thought to myself, “Just where are you? I miss you so much.”

When would I be able to touch her? Hold her? Kiss her? Smell the scent of her? Or just simply hear her voice? 

It’s been over a month, but it feels like an eternity. When would all of this be over?

Just as I was about to close my eyes again, there was knock at the door. I groaned and tiredly allowed them to enter. 

I straightened myself up and saw Secretary Moon walk in with a bow. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but your presence has been requested,” he said, ever so professionally. 

“Who is requesting for me?” I asked, making my expression of exhaustion visible. 

“Mr. Kim,” he said and I furrowed my brows. I don’t dislike the man, he’s quite wise and a likable person. It’s just a instinctive reaction because he’s associated with Mrs. Kim. 

“Do you know how long he’s asking of my time?” I asked, pretending to be busy with the paperwork in front of me. 

“Only a few minutes,” he answered. I looked at the clock on my desk and I still had a little over a half hour before my lunch date with my mother and sister. 

“Tell him I can only allow ten minutes,” I said and tidied up my desk as he bowed and left. 

Shortly after, a knock was at my door and walked in Mr. Kim with a bow. I returned the respectful bow and gestured him to sit at the small seating area in my office. I sat across from him and Ms. Oh brought in some refreshments and snacks. 

“Please, do enjoy some drinks and snacks,” I said and he smiled, politely declining. “What did you want to talk about?”

He didn’t speak immediately as if he was processing his thought. It wasn’t like him to come unprepared. 

“Well,” he slowly began to speak. “I wanted to check in on you.”

That caught me off guard. When did he ever just come by to check in on me? Was this a part of Mrs. Kim’s schemes?

I eyed him cautiously and he seemed to have caught on. He widened his eyes and shook his head to deny, “Please. This is all my own doing. She doesn’t know I’m here and I have no plans to use anything you say or do against you. I only ask because...because of Mina.”

My heart skipped a beat. Such a simple name, yet it meant the world to me. 

“She misses you dearly and always wonders how you are, so I thought I’d relay any good or bad news to her,” he said and I softened my face and gave a small smile. 

“She couldn’t come to me herself?” I teased a little, but he didn’t catch on. He looked at me apologetic and didn’t say anything. I sighed and leaned over my knees, resting my elbows on my knees. 

“You know where she is, don’t you?” I asked and I saw him gulp. It was a secret he didn’t want to reveal, but I could tell he wanted to tell me he knew, but to respect Mina, he couldn’t. The least he wanted to do for me was to assure me that she was somewhere safe and that’s all I needed to know. 

“Would it be okay if I wrote a letter and have you deliver it to her?” I asked with a smile and he returned the smile, a little excited. 

“That would be great. She’d love it,” he said and I chuckled. 

“Would it be too much to ask that she reply to my letter?” I asked and he chuckled too. 

“If she’s willing,” he said and I nodded. 

“It’ll take awhile to figure out what I want to say because there’s a lot, so it’ll take some time. Do you mind waiting until the end of the week?” I asked. 

“Of course. I won’t visit her until the weekend anyways,” he said and I was somewhat jealous. I wish I could visit her too and see how she’s doing, but I know she wouldn’t want that, even if she wanted to see me too. 

We had a brief chat before my time with him was up and I escorted him out of my office. I returned to my desk and pulled out a pen and paper. 

“What should I write?” I wondered. I’ve never written a love letter before. It was a weird, yet exciting experience that I was willing to have as long as it was Mina. 

I still had a few minutes before my lunch date and I knew I wouldn’t be anywhere near finished as to start the letter with: Dear, Mina.