Mari stood up from her sitting position to greet the celebrity. A radiance smile was plastered on her face as she reached out her right hand for a short handshake. Joeun scrunched her nose as she stepped backwards, hesitating to reply to the handshake. Joy turned her head to look at Taehyung as she pointed at Mari's abdomen.

"So this is your doing?" Joeun asked as she glared at Taehyung. 

"Yeah, I did it," Taehyung nonchalantly replied to her question. 

"I can't believe that you are ready to be a father," 

"I'm not ready," He sighed as he crossed his arm over his torso. Joeun was his friend, too. Of course, she knew about him. She knew that Taehyung was unwilling to commit to a relationship; raising a child was never in the picture. Building a family was never his life plan. Joeun shook her head as she finally took Mari's hand for a brief handshake. Mari chuckles awkwardly as she looks at Joy's judging face. 

"Mari-shi, you look tired. Do you want to rest?" Jimin interrupted the awkward moment between Joeun and Mari with his question. 

"Y-yes ... " 

Jimin then walked towards Mari and took their duffle bag that was placed at the side of the bed. Mari looked at Jimin in confusion. Did he forget that Joy was here? Jimin was about to move closer towards Mari when she created more distance between her and Jimin. Taehyung, who could read the scene, came forward and took the duffle bag away from Jimin. Jimin was startled when Taehyung took the bag from him, but Hoseok stood up and said, "So, how was your first meeting with Joy after more than four-month being away from each other?" Distracting Jimin from paying too much attention to Mari in front of Joeun. 

"Let's go to our room," Taehyung said as he grabbed Mari's small hand and dragged her out of the crowded room. 

"Our room?" 

"Yes, our room." 

"B-but I don't want to stay in the same room as you," Mari whispered as she was helplessly dragged out of the room by Taehyung. She looks back at the crowded room, which causes her eyes to clash with Jimin's. 

"I am not sharing a room with you," Mari said as soon as she was brought into a room located on the other side of the mansion, away from the people. Mari snatched her duffle bag from Taehyung and placed it on the sofa at the bed's end. 

"Hah! Did you think I want to share a room with you?" 

"Then, why did you drag me here?" Mari asked as she plopped down on the fluffy bed with a clean white bedsheet. This room was quieter and bigger than the room earlier. Taehyung stood before the large room window, watching Mari's reflection in the window. Taehyung shook his head as he saw Mari rolling on the fluffy bed as if marking her territory. Before long, a soft snore was heard. 

"Mari? Are you asleep?" Taehyung asked as he turned around to look at her clearly. 

"I'm napping.." She replied with both of her eyes tightly closed, which caused Taehyung to let out a short smirk.

Taehyung, who thought he could have some conversation with Mari, zipped his mouth as the lady seemed deeply asleep. Is this what Jimin had to face for a couple of months? Did the other party sleep while having a conversation? Taehyung just remained silent as he looked at the pregnant lady. He never believed her when she told him this baby was his child because she was friendly. Remembering the night that he took her home, it didn't take much effort to make her follow him home. And because of that, he knew that Mari must've been a wild girl who could follow any good-looking guys she met at a club.

Taehyung slowly sat beside the sleeping pregnant lady and touched her baby bump. It was not that big yet, but it was visible. As he gently placed his palm on the baby bump, he felt a soft kick from the inside of the abdomen. Taehyung gasped at the sudden kick from the foetus. Mari winced as the kicking happened. Not to disturb the sleeping lady, he left the lady in the room as he wandered around the mansion. It has been a long time since the last time he came here.

"So, are you nervous that the due is closer?" Joy came out of nowhere and walked beside Taehyung. Taehyung just smirked as he looked at Joy coming toward his side. They'd been friends with each other long before she was in a relationship with Jimin. Taehyung was the one that called her to come here to the mansion. To his surprise, she came. 

"Jimin was more nervous than I am," Taehyung said as he rolled his eyes. 

"Yah! Jimin and Mari were not in a relationship like how you told me the last few weeks. I knew Jimin would be loyal to me," 

"Is that why you left him? Because you knew he was loyal?" Taehyung snickered in annoyance when he heard her. 

"... I didn't leave him .." 

"Oh, yeah? Then, what did you actually do?" 

"I-i just postponed the wedding for a little bit." 

"Whatever your reason was, in his family's eyes, their daughter-in-law was Kwon Mari and not you," 

The truth is, Taehyung already told Joeun everything. Joy knew the relationship, the fill-in-bride and the pregnancy all. Taehyung told her everything when she called him to ask whether Jimin was doing fine or not. Taehyung crossed his hand over his torso as he walked deeper into the hiking trail. Joeun shuts , knowing that Taehyung despises her for leaving Jimin like that. But she did that for her career; her weak heart might not be able to choose to go to Hollywood over the wedding if she ever saw Jimin a few days before her flight to Los Angeles. 

It was 7 o'clock in the evening when the four boys, Jimin, Hoseok, and Namjoon, went to the dining hall with their respective partners, except for Taehyung. Jimin appeared in the dining hall with Joeun, while Namjoon came with his girlfriend, and Hoseok walked hand in hand to the dining hall with Sena. They were served by the maids in the mansion, who prepared some luxurious three-course meals for them. 

"Wow, look at the food!" Joy cheered as she seated right next to Jimin. 

"It's been a while, right?" Taehyung replied as he sat on the opposite side, just right in front of Jimin. 

"Honey, look, it's your favourite," Hoseok said to Sena as he pointed at the tomato soup with a touch of truffle oil on top of it.

"I've prepared the best of the best for you guys. Enjoy it!"Namjoon said as he raised up his flute of wine. 

Jimin could not utter any words as his mind was filled with the thought of Joeun here right now, sitting beside him and eating with him after months of disappearing without any trace. Joeun, who noticed how abnormally quiet Jimin was, reached for his hand and squeezed it tight. She knew they had more to talk about, but she had no time to dwell on those because her time here was very short. Jimin just nodded his head as he looked into Joeun's innocent eyes. 

"Oh gosh!!" Taehyung almost let out a scream as he stood up from his chair. 

"What's wrong?" Hoseok almost choked on his food to the sudden scream. 

"Just eat. I'm going to check on Mari," Taehyung replied before he ran to the other side of the house. Jimin turned his head abruptly when his ears heard Mari's name. He totally forgot about the pregnant lady. Jimin glanced down at his watch; it was half an hour past 7. Jimin too stood up from his chair and left the dining hall.

Taehyung opened the door to his allocated room. To his surprise, Mari was still on the king-sized bed, sleeping deeply. He observed the woman for a few seconds, processing what he should do. Should he wake her up or let her sleep? 

"Kwon Mari!" Jimin suddenly appeared in the room and rushed towards Mari. "Kwon Mari, open your eyes," He muttered as he gently patted her cheeks in worried. 

"Hmmm~" Mari hummed while her eyes were still closed. 

"Wake up, and let's eat," Jimin whispered as he removed strands of hair that were covering part of her face. 

"I... I felt so weak, Jimin-shi. Just let me sleep," She replied softly. 

"Taehyung-ah, can you take that duffle bag and a glass of water," Jimin turned his head to look at Taehyung, who stood a few feet away from the bed. Taehyung nodded his head as he grabbed a glass of water from the coffee table in the room and the duffle bag. Jimin took a tablet from the medicine pouch he had brought and dropped it in the glass of water. The electrolyte tablet creates a subtle effervescent. "Can you take a straw from the bag's front pocket?" Taehyung nodded, ped the front pocket, and took out the paper straw Jimin brought in a straw holder.

"Mari-shi, open your eyes a little and drink this. I'll help you sit,"  Jimin placed the glass with water and electrolyte tablet on the side table as he moved to Mari's side. He gently wrapped his hand around Mari's torso and made her seat while leaning on him. The glass of water with electrolytes was brought close to Mari's mouth to allow her to sip the drink from the straw. Mari opened her eyes slightly before she started drinking the water. 

"I'm sorry. I should've fed you your lunch before we arrived here," Jimin sighed. Taehyung stood still beside the bed as he witnessed all the panic and worry on Jimin's face. 

"She didn't eat anything before she came here?" Taehyung asked and was actually in shock. 

"Yeah, I actually planned to have lunch with Mari at the famous short rib stew here. But..." 

"But you forgot?" 

"..." 

"So, she didn't eat anything yet for today?" Taehyung sat at the bank of the bed as he crossed his arm, looking at the extremely fatigued lady leaning on Jimin. "Is she going to be okay?" Taehyung probed. 

"She'll return to normal in 20 minutes once she finishes her drink. But she needs to eat solid food afterwards," Jimin stated as he held the glass closer to Mari as the volume of the water started to reduce. 

"I think you should go back to Joy. I'll do this," Taehyung gently swotted to Mari's left side and held the glass with his right hand. His left hand s around Mari's torso and leaned her body towards him. "Just tell them that Mari is sleeping. We'll eat our dinner later." Taehyung added as he signalled Jimin to leave the room and return to the dining hall. He had done so much to make Joy come here for this short trip, hoping she could patch it up with Jimin. He will not let this moment go to waste. Jimin hesitantly stood up from the bed as his eyes stayed on Mari's face. After a few seconds of pondering, Jimin left the room, leaving Mari and Taehyung. 

"Taehyung-shi, I could hold the cup on my own," Mari said once Jimin left the room. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Hmm.." She replied as she nodded her head, and now her eyes were brighter than before, as if the electrolyte drink brought life into her face. 

"How often did this happen?" 

"Three times?" She replied as if asking herself back. She would feel extremely sleepy if she skipped meals and would sleep the whole day. Her gynaecologist told her that she had lower blood pressure than normal during her pregnancy and that not eating right would contribute to extreme lethargy. She sat up straight and finished her electrolyte drink, making space between her and Taehyung. Both Taehyung and her remained silent in the room.

"You shouldn't have joined this trip,"  Taehyung said monotonously as he got off the bed. 

"Ji-, ... never mind," She was about to tell him that Jimin and Hoseok made her join this trip. But it is not like he would love to hear her more. 

"So, how was Mari?" Namjoon asked as he saw Jimin walk back into the dining space. Jimin put an effortless smile on his face as he sat beside Joeun, who was seen still barely touching her food as if she was waiting for him. 

"She's good. Taehyung is looking after her," Jimin replied as his sight remained on Joy. Knowing how much jealousy a small interaction with other women would bring to Joeun causes Jimin to be careful with his words. Both of them might still not be on good terms right now, but he didn't want to hurt her feeling, as hurting her will hurt him too. 

Hoseok sighed in relief; seeing Jimin entrusting Mari to Taehyung meant that it was not a big thing that he should be concerned about. Mari was like a little sister to him despite their boss-worker relationship. They all continued to eat without Taehyung as Namjoon had already instructed his maids to prepare separate food for Taehyung and Mari. 

"How long will you stay in L.A?" Sena asked Joy, who kept her eyes on Jimin silently eating. 

"Until my movie project ends... I'll be in L.A for another two years," 

"So, you won't get married to Jimin in these upcoming two years?" Sena asked bluntly, knowing best that Joy and Jimin used to be engaged. 

"..." Joy and Jimin remained silent as they looked at Sena in utter disbelief. "Ha, ha, ha, honey, you're so funny. Jimin and Joy were not in a rush for a marriage," Hoseok added cheerfully, trying to make the atmosphere lighter. 

"The only couple that should be in a rush for a marriage is that couple," Namjoon's girlfriend named, Woojin, pointed to Taehyung and Mari, who could be seen thru the glass that segregated the hallway, dining room and courtyard. Taehyung was seen walking out of his room while holding hands with Mari. Taehyung kept his stance small as Mari felt dizzy as soon as she stood up from the bed. Hoseok, Namjoon and Jimin look at Taehyung with solemn and different expressions. When Mari seems unstable, Taehyung keeps her close to his torso by pulling her by the waist to stabilize her steps. 

"Wow, that's new," Hoseok muttered as he picked up a sliced beef into his mouth. 

"No.. no.. there's nothing between them," Namjoon said as a small laugh escaped his lips. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Yah! He's freaking rich. Would he choose someone like Mari to be his wife?" 

"Yah!! What's wrong with my Mari? She's pretty, cheerful, kind and humble. She is the one who's too good for our Taehyung!" Hoseok said as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. The people at the table shut their mouth shut as they saw Mari and Taehyung approaching the dining area. Mari got her body away from Taehyung as she could walk alone, but Taehyung was beside her, getting ready in case she fell or was unstable.  

"Sorry, I'm a little tired today," Mari smiled at the people at the dining table as her eyes fell on Joeun's sour face. Is she the reason why everyone in this room is awkward? 

"Mari-shi, your porridge will be ready in five minutes," Namjoon said courteously as the host of this short stay. 

"Oh, I'm sorry again if I troubled you and your friends," Mari added as she lightly bowed her head to everyone at the table. Mari's smile disappeared when her eyes closed with Jimin. He looks uncomfortable. He looks as if he is about to have indigestion, the way he scrapped his food with his fork and eyes blankly staring down at the marble table underneath the plate. Joy, who saw Mari's glance was directed toward Jimin, had caused the woman to be territorial and daringly s her arm around Jimin's arm. Seeing that action, Mari couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, even though she knew her emotions were unjustified.

"So, Taehyung? Are you going to marry Mari?" Woojin asked in her carefree manner. Mari turned her head to look at Namjoon's girlfriend for a few seconds before she turned her head again to look at Taehyung, who was sitting beside her. Mari let out a short chuckle as she shook her head. 

"I'm not marrying anyone in the near future," Mari replied with a blooming smile as she found it the group of friends were being funny and nonsense. Did they think that she would go to the man that never wanted her baby and even make a fool out of her, making her a puppet for his best friend's wedding ceremony? Making her the fill-in wife and entrapping her in a whirlpool of lies. "Aren't you guys aware of what he did to me? Why would I marry him?" Mari added with a little playful smirk on her face. 

The words that Mari muttered caused Taehyung, Hoseok and Namjoon to stare at Mari's facial expression. The way she stated that she didn't want to marry Taehyung was too sincere to be accepted. Taehyung, who was smiling widely, didn't know why, but he felt like his heart was pricked by a needle. 

"Yeah! That's my girl!" Sena applauds loudly, cheering for Mari from the bottom of her heart. She knew it was difficult to decide while having a life to care for in your womb. Hoseok smiled proudly at Mari as he continued to munch his food. Taehyung nodded his head while his eyes stayed on Mari's subtle facial features. 

"Can you take care of the baby alone?" Jimin, who was being solemn, the whole conversation suddenly interrupted. Mari lifted her head to look at Jimin and remained silent for a moment. She interpreted Jimin's words in her mind. She knew that she and her baby were being a nuisance to Jimin, who was not anyone related to her and had no reason to help her take care of the baby. 

"Just like how my grandma raised me alone. I will try my best for my baby," Mari replied as she smiled at the man as slightly nodded in assurance. "You guys don't have to worry about me," She added as her eyes stayed on Jimin. "I can take care of myself well," She continued as she gulped a spoonful of the porridge prepared by Namjoon's maid. She wanted to reassure Jimin that she was more than capable of taking care of her family.

"Have you named the baby?" Joeun asked in a friendly manner. She could tell that Mari was not a threat to her. Jimin would never love another woman. She slowly opened up to Mari and finally realised that Jimin only cared for her due to his sense of empathy. 

"It'll be Jiyoung. Inspired by G-Dragon. As this baby will inherit my surname, he'll be Kwon Jiyoung," Mari replied. 

"It's a boy?" Hoseok asked. 

"Yeah~!" Mari nodded her head in excitement. Jimin put down his cutleries as he heard it. Did Mari pay a visit to the gynaecologist by herself? Why did he didn't know about this? Taehyung just listened to the conversation without many reactions. The baby got nothing to do with him anyway. Jimin smiled bitterly once his eyes clashed with Mari's. Jimin doesn't talk much that night as he finds himself struggling with his commitment to his fiance, Joy and the unexpected connection he shares with Mari.

As the dinner ended, all of them navigated their way to the living hall for more conversation. It had been ages since their last staycation. Mari waddled her way to the living hall a little later than the rest of them, taking a long time to eat her porridge. In the living room, Joy sat right beside Jimin, leaving no space between them. Jimin, on the other hand, accepts all the clingy gestures from Joeun. Joeun leaned her head on Jimin's lean shoulder, feeling the comfort in Jimin's arm after a few months of leaving him. 

"Yah, if you cling that much to him, why would you leave him like that?" Hoseok asked in a venomous tone to Joeun, who was clinging to Jimin real tight. 

"If I go to him and tell him about my decision that day. I might change my decision and stay by his side instead of pursuing my dream. You know how much I love Jimin and how easy it is for him to melt me. So, for my dream and my family's dream, I choose to book a flight and fly," Joeun replied seriously, which caused the entire room to look at her. Jimin turned his head to look at Joeun. A small, sincere smile finally made it on his face. Joeun cupped his cheeks as she gazed into his brown eyes lovingly. Ignoring all the eyes in the room, Jimin and Joeun plant soft kisses on each other's lips. 

As Mari stood at the corner of the room, her heart sank at the sight before her. She watched as Jimin and Joeun shared an intimate moment, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. It was as if time stood still for them, but for Mari, it felt like the world was crumbling around her. She had always known that Jimin had a fiancé, but seeing their love so openly displayed only magnified her own pain. At that moment, Mari's heart shattered into a million pieces. She silently retreated, her emotions spiralling into a mix of heartache, longing, and the harsh reality of their pretend marriage.

"Mari-shi? Are you okay?" Taehyung chased after her as he saw Mari dragging her feet away from approaching the living hall. Mari puts on a pretentious smile on her face as she looks at Taehyung. "I think it's gas reflux. I'm hurting right here," She pressed the upper part of her abdomen. She felt like puking, and at the same time, her heart hurts. Without waiting for another word, Taehyung ran back to the living hall. 

"Sena-yah, can you check on Mari right now?" Taehyung walked straight to Sena and whispered to her. Not wanting to disturb his friends that were conversing with one another. 

"What happened?" Sena stood up as her head looked around for Mari. Hoseok tilted his head to look at his wife, not knowing what made the wife worried. Sena and Taehyung went out of the space and check up on Mari who was sitting in her and Taehyung's room. 

"Are you okay Mari-shi?" 

"I think it's heartburn or gas reflux," Mari replied as she lean back on the couch, as her forehead started dripping cold sweat. Sena nodded her head in understanding right away seated right beside Mari and patted her back gently, letting her relief the trapped gas. "Taehyung-ah, I think you should head to the nearest pharmacy and buy for an antacid. Make sure it is suitable for pregnant lady,"