"Is the coast clear?"

"Do you own a watch?" asked Bethany in return, turning to look at Minjun who stood behind the pillar she was standing in front of. "You just asked me that question five seconds ago, so no, they haven't cleared out yet."

'It's like a plague,' thought Bethany as she turned back around to face the swarm of paparazzi that were now teeming in the parking lot all because a vehicle they thought was being rented by Minjun had pulled up.

"This plan isn't going to work," she muttered as she turned around, looking at Minjun again as he stood there in a gray hoodie, baseball hat, and face mask - all of which he had picked up from the small shop within the hotel's lobby. Therefore, it was all emblazoned with graphics from the hotel.

'Very sneaky,' thought Bethany with a sigh.

"Just follow my lead," said Bethany. "Let's just hope this works."

Even though she knew what the plan was, she still let out a small gasp when one of Minjun's arms draped itself across her shoulders. She slipped an arm about his waist in return as he hunched over, turning his eyes towards the ground as he started to limp once they started walking.

As they started to walk through the parking lot towards the exit where Bethany had called an Uber for them, the paparazzi didn't seem to pay any attention to the two of them. A few of them tossed glances their way, but otherwise ignored them.

'Are they really so desperate to find Minjun that they are actually blind to when he's right in front of them?' thought Bethany as they arrived at the Uber.

She let Minjun get in first followed by her. The Uber driver - an older gentleman in his sixties with grayish white hair - cast them a look in the rearview mirror.

"Where to?" he asked them; his voice the evidence of several decades of smoking. It sounded like he was perpetually on the verge of a cough.

"To the shopping mall," said Bethany. "After that, please take this gentleman anywhere he'd like to go."

The man nodded as he shifted the car into drive and started to drive off. Bethany settled her purse onto her lap as her eyes turned to look out the window beside her.

"I can't believe that worked."

"Well, I happen to be good at acting. It's why I get paid to do it."

Bethany rolled her eyes as she turned her head away from the window to look at him.

"Well, aren't we arrogant?"

Her response caused him to chuckle. He turned his head to gaze out the window as the buildings of the city started to fill in the blanks left by the beach. The way he was looking at the outside world made it appear as if it was his first time; his eyes reflecting the childlike joy of a kid on Christmas.

Before long the Uber had pulled up in the small roundabout drive right in front of the shopping mall. Bethany unzipped her purse and was about to hand Minjun half of the fare when he leaned forward to give the driver money from his wallet.

"I've got it covered," he said. "It's the least I can do. Besides, I'm getting out here too."

"You're...wait what?!"

Bethany watched dumbfounded as Minjun moved to get out on the other side of the car. Quickly thanking the Uber driver, Bethany got out and slammed the door shut. The driver had barely driven off before she marched right up to him.

"Why did you get out here? I thought you wanted to ride around town."

"I changed my mind," said Minjun as he turned from her to look at the bustling shopping mall a few feet away.

"You changed your mind?"

"Um hm..."

His head turned back to look at her; the two of them locking eyes for a moment.

"But I wanted to enjoy my day here!"

"I think we both can enjoy our day here," said Minjun. "After all, the place is huge."

"Fine...just...whatever!"

Bethany was exasperated by the whole situation. She had kept up her end of the bargain with sneaking him out, so now she wanted to relieve herself from duty.

Minjun stood there as he watched her go off in a huff; a smirk curling at the edges of his lips underneath the mask.

- - -

Bethany found that - despite the shopping mall having more stores than she could ever imagine - it wasn't enough to get her mind off Minjun. She hadn't seen him since walking off on him outside, which led her to wondering where in the shopping mall he was and if he was getting mobbed by paparazzi, fans, or both.

'His safety is not my concern,' thought Bethany as she walked through the food court on her way to the west wing of the mall. 'He's a grown man and it was his idea to sneak away.'

Her imagination ran wild then, causing her to come to a full stop in front of the ice cream parlor. The sudden stop almost had her colliding with a young child who was trying to run back to their parents' table with their semi-melting ice cream cone.

'Wait...what if I get arrested if Minjun gets hurt? I can already feel the cold cuffs on my wrists and the interrogation...how much did he pay you? Were you in on this plan all along?...You are being charged for being an accessory to his assault!'

"THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS!" she shouted out loud without realizing the child was still nearby.

The child turned to look at her with a half weepy face as Bethany quickly apologized and said she wasn't talking to him. Sighing as he ran back off to his mother - who was glaring daggers at her from the table - Bethany began to walk again. She reached the west wing of the mall where the food court gave way to high-end clothing shops. She knew that she couldn't afford anything over here, but she wanted to at least window gaze and pretend. Getting onto the escalator, Bethany began her ascent to the second floor. Shortly after she stepped off, she walked over to a clothing store. Gawdy gold and silver tones outlined the window; the mannequins on display in their outfits forever looking perfect. Intrigued by the white blazer one of the mannequins was wearing, she walked over to the display window. Her eyes scanned over the white blazer with the silvery white buttons before they widened when she caught sight of none other than Minjun. He was standing near a small rack of suits in the shop, looking at them as if he had never seen them before.

'Time to show him right for ruining my vacation,' she thought.

Before she could think her plan through, Bethany moved to walk into the shop. Minjun's back was currently towards her as he held the suit jacket up against his chest to try to see if it'd fit. Just as she was about to reach him, she leaned forward to clamp both of her hands suddenly on his shoulders. The action caused Minjun to jump, turning about quickly to see who had snuck up on him. The suit jacket that he had been holding in his hands spun around with him and slapped Bethany right in the face.

"GEEZUM! Why'd you hit me for?"

"Bethany?..."

"Duh!"

"Well...that's what you get for sneaking up on me like that," said Minjun with a tsk. "Are you okay though?"

"I'm fine. Just might get a black eye."

"Oh stop! It was just a suit jacket."

Hanging the suit jacket back up, Minjun moved to take her face in one of his hands. With his fingers gently holding her chin, he turned her face off to the side so that he could look carefully at the side of her face that he had hit. Bethany froze when she felt him do that; her brain seeming to short circuit.

"How can you even tell if I'm maimed? You're not a doctor."

"So, we're going with maimed, hmm?" he asked. "Over dramatic, don't you think?"

"Says the one who was complaining about me hitting them in the eye with a muffin this morning."

Chuckling, Minjun let go of Bethany's chin as she turned to look at the suit jacket he had put back on the rack.

"Why did you look so confused when you were looking at that?"

"I was just trying to see if it was the right size."

"Why didn't you just go try it on?"

"I mean, I suppose I could have..."

"And anyway, why wouldn't you know your size?" interrupted Bethany. "I mean, how old are you?"

Minjun sighed as he turned away from her.

"Ever since I got signed at the age of six, I haven't dressed myself," said Minjun. "People pick out my outfits for me. I just...put them on."

"You don't dress yourself?"

"Not unless I have a day off," said Minjun. "When I'm home, I go for sweatpants and a t-shirt. I don't think that really counts."

Bethany fell silent for a second before reaching out to grab his wrist and yank him after her.

"Whoa...wait...where are you taking me?"

"You're a grown man. I think it's time you dressed yourself - but to do that - you need to come down to my level."

Confused as to what that meant, Minjun allowed Bethany to drag him out of the store after her and to the escalator that would take them back to the ground floor. As they both disappeared down the escalator, a man that had been loitering in the shop while they had been there stepped into the hallway. His eyes stayed riveted to the escalator as it went down, lifting his wrist to his mouth as he made a call on his smart watch.

"Important Notice. It's a two for one sale," the man said to the caller on the other end; a sly smirk spreading across his lips.