It was a beautiful evening; the sky in its unique shade of orange, the air unusually clean, the street musicians playing smooth jazz. The scenery was breathtaking, most certainly postcard-worthy, yet the man clothed in a fine, navy blue suit, sitting in a local cafe, a cup of espresso and a piece of cheesecake on the table in front of him did not appreciate the view, as he stared at his phone, waiting for a message from his secretary.

Ultimately, his phone rang. It wasn't the long-awaited call from his secretary, though. Rather confused, Baekhyun looked at the name flashed up on the screen; Oh Sehun—his friend, freshly married at that. Scratching his temple, Baekhyun answered the call, having no clue why Sehun wanted to reach him.

"Baekhyun, I need your help," the voice on the other side of the line quickly spoke, not even bothering to greet his friend; he just went straight to business.

"Hello to you too, Sehun," Baekhyun casually replied, heaving a deep sigh, knowing that Sehun would start his rant as soon as he made sure the other one was listening. "What's the matter?" Baekhyun encouraged, being generous enough to donate his friend a little bit of his time. Even if he managed to get another client, he'd not schedule the meeting earlier than tomorrow's morning.

"Baekhyun, you have to help me," Sehun started, and Baekhyun sat back in his chair, comfortably resting his back, throwing one leg over the other. "I told Irene I'm going on a business seminar, but the thing is, I am not alone," Sehun trailed off, hoping that Baekhyun would get the hint. Actually, he had to; infidelity was the source of his income, after all.

"Okay, it seems you have everything under control," Baekhyun commented, reaching for his coffee, taking a small sip of a hot beverage, the caffeine almost had no effect on him given how much he drinks it daily. "What's the real problem?"

"The problem is..." Sehun made a dramatic pause, almost as if he wasn't already terribly stressed, "Irene's friend's here. I saw her when I went for more ice. My marriage will be over if she sees me, Baekhyun. You have to come here, and help me out man, for the old times' sake!"

"I'm kind of busy at the moment," Baekhyun mentioned nonchalantly, enjoying the way Sehun's voice stuttered and wavered, and just reeked of desperation.

"Baekhyun, please, treat me like one of your clients," Sehun urged, balancing on the verge of begging. His marriage to Irene was too important, he just couldn't lose her for one of his meaningless mistresses. Although he didn't love Irene, his family business benefited from the merger tremendously.

"Okay, let's say that I agree, which Irene's friend? Was it Wendy? Jiwoo?" Baekhyun asked, as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember how they looked like. At the wedding, he had seen the bridesmaids, yet given the amount of alcohol he had had, the image was quite blurry.

"Neither, it's Hanbyeol." Sehun stated truthfully, and Baekhyun almost hung up. No matter how much he wanted to aid Sehun, he just wouldn't willingly go to another battle with the she-devil, the antichrist, the Satan in the flesh.

"No, you're on your own, Sehun." Baekhyun announced the second he heard her name. Sinister flashbacks projected into his mind, a shiver ran down his spine, his hands shaking. He had met Hanbyeol once, and it was enough for Baekhyun to run away from any girl who was named the same; regardless of how beautiful the women were, Baekhyun would still pale at the echo of her name.

"I'll pay double," Sehun offered, hoping that Baekhyun would reconsider his abrupt decision. He hated Hanbyeol, and she hated him, but Sehun's proposition was quite tempting—it was a ton of money! However, was it really worth it? He'd have to cover up for Sehun, and quite possibly come face to face with the only person he detests with every fiber of his body.

"Tempting, but no, sorry, I am busy, actually, I'm meeting my client right now," Baekhyun lied, his cheek stinging at the reminiscence of the slap he had received from Hanbyeol at the wedding. "I can send one of my employees over to handle the situation, I think Lay should be available tonight," he spoke like a mindless machine, wondering if Lay really had a clear schedule right now.

"I thought you knew me, Baekhyun. I always want what is best, and there's no better than you at this," Sehun started, buttering up Baekhyun, expecting his boastful words to convince the latter. "I'll pay triple, Baekhyun, just come here and help me, will you?"

Sehun had to be joking; the second Baekhyun heard the word 'triple' he clenched his fist and bit on it, a distinctive ka-ching! rang in his ears.

"Ugh, fine. Text me the address, and I'll be there asap." Baekhyun spoke quickly, and ended the call, not even waiting for Sehun's reply. Leaving his untouched cheesecake and a half full cup of coffee on the table, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, and quickly got into his car, the location already in his GPS.

***

"Hi, Irene, what's up?" Hanbyeol answered the call, wiping her hands in the napkin, pushing a plate with fries away from her.

"Have you seen him yet?" Irene asked, impatient to know the details of the mission. Sehun was her husband, and even if they didn't love each other yet, she hoped the feelings would stem anyway. It hadn't been even two months since the wedding, and he treated her with the same exact indifference. She could handle the snail-like pace, yet there was something she couldn't tolerate—infidelity. If she was able to stay faithful to him, he could, too.

"No, I have not," she quickly replied, before she took a huge gulp of lime coke, "that's really strange, though. I'm at that meeting with all these businessmen and Sehun is no where to be found," she started to explain, looking over her shoulder wondering if her friend's husband finally showed up. "At first, I thought he bailed because this place is incredibly boring, since everyone seems to have a stick up their , but then I asked the guy who distributes the name tags, and apparently Sehun never showed up."

"Oh," Irene murmured, sounding obviously disappointed.

"It doesn't mean he's cheating," Hanbyeol instantly added, defending the guy. It was strange for her to protect her target, but she really didn't want to upset Irene. There was no proof that he cheated on her, she didn't catch him red-handed, perhaps, Sehun had a valid explanation on why he hadn't showed up yet.

"It doesn't mean he's not," Irene spoke, her voice quiet and cold, disappointment lingering in her tone. She could sense that Sehun hadn't been telling her everything, her suspicion backed with many unanswered texts, ignored calls, and a sweet scent of perfume which definitely didn't belong to Irene. They didn't love each other, but they could, and Irene was willing to try.

"Don't worry, I'll stick around for the weekend, and if anything fishy happens, I'll report it straight back to you," she reassured her, and her lips, "according to his payment history, he's here. If there's a woman with him, I'll find her and skin her alive for you."

"Thanks, Byeol. I can always count on you," said Irene, her voice again cheerful. Sehun might be distant to her, but she and Irene, they're ing tight, although she wasn't always faithful to the only rule their friendship venerated—chicks before , obviously.

"Yeah, anyway, I'll mingle with the other entrepreneurs, and don't forget that we're having brunch on Monday with Jiwoo and Wendy." Hanbyeol reminded her before she hung up, and hid her phone in her purse.

God, she hated these parties. Snob businessmen were gathering, drinking expensive champagne, and discussing their corporations. Normally, she'd not attend, but for Irene's sake, she did, and if it wasn't for free alcohol and appetizers, she'd already go crazy.

"Where are you, Sehun?" Hanbyeol whispered to herself, as she looked around, no familiar face ever flashed before her eyes; only men in their late fifties.

This party .

***

"I'm here, where the hell are you?" Baekhyun yelled into his phone, as he walked into the hotel, his steps leisure, his elbow high. "What room as you in?" He questioned further, as he passed the be