Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 149: A Deal

Minho closed the bedroom door behind him and slumped onto his bed. He lay back, staring at the ceiling, his head full of many unspoken thoughts which he was dealing with for the past month. 

The revelation about Gayoon's abilities had shocked and hurt him. He was not bothered with the fact that she was able to see spirit but he was disappointed in her actions. Her desperation to get rid of her abilities had caused a lifetime of suffering for Jina. 

Their daughter might not think of the dangers in this tender age but what about in the future when even more dangerous spirits would come looking for her? It was bad enough that she had to see the black shadow formed by CCK's sinister thoughts. What would she do when even worse spirits come for her? And the fact that her own mother had passed on this curse to her enraged Minho.

He did not doubt that Gayoon felt no guilt. In fact, he knew how much she blamed herself. Yet, her guilt could not change the past. It would not change Jina's future either. Both of them knew that one day, Jina would have to deal with unforeseeable dangers on her own. Every time he saw Gayoon, he could not help but think of what she did to Jina. To protect their daughter, he had to take an action he never thought he would take.

...

*One Month Earlier*

Gayoon was sitting on the hospital bed, her face heavily bandaged. While the doctors had managed to perform surgery on her scars, it would take a few weeks for them to completely heal. She sighed, thinking about the events that had taken place.

Her heart was wrecked by the revelations. The pieces had finally fallen into place. How ironic it was that Gayoon, who took the case of finding Jina's mother, turned out to be her real mother. Even though Jina was ecstatic, Gayoon could not bring herself to face the little girl. Her smile would not reach her eyes as she watched Jina take care of her. 

Guilt and sadness was eating her soul as she berated herself for passing on such a terrible curse to her own daughter. Her grandmother might say that she was young and naive when she took that rash decision but Gayoon could never forgive herself for it. Seeing Jina grow up so well delighted her but knowing the uncertain future which lay ahead of her was also creating more dread in her heart. 

Someday, Jina would grow to resent her abilities and blame Gayoon for her misery. If that happened, then it would destroy her.

There was a knock on the door. Startled, Gayoon looked around to see Minho entering the room. His expression was cold and aloof. Others would think that he was being himself but Gayoon knew better. He was very angry at her and rightfully so. After all, she hid a big secret from him which could destroy their daughter's life.

"Doctor Dohyun has been arrested," he informed her in a formal tone. "But according to the shaman, Shinjin, the possession had taken a toll on her mental health. She has been admitted to the psychiatric ward and the doctors said that she was schizophrenic when she committed the murders and hence, is not accountable for her actions."

"Yumi's parents and Lee Dami were not pleased to hear that Dohyun would get away on the grounds of insanity," he went on. "And they have appealed against her in the high court. But the chances are that the high court would not agree to their appeal. One look at Dohyun would tell them that she is a lost cause."

Gayoon nodded. Even though CCK was possessing her body, Dohyun was truly innocent in all this. A lifetime of living in an asylum was better than going to jail for a crime she did not commit. At least she would be taken care of there.

"As for the real CCK," Minho said. "The head of the department said that he died in his sleep."

Gayoon was silent. She knew very well who was responsible for the death of Doctor Nam and even though the police officer in her disapproved of vigilantism, she was grateful to her ahjusshi for protecting them. That man was ready to get his hands dirty if it meant that his loved ones would be safe. If it was not for him, Gayoon would have been dead a long time ago.

She stared at her fingers, fidgeting them nervously. Was Jina alright? It was all she wanted to ask. There was an awkwardness between them, a wall which stood in their way. She was afraid of breaching that wall in case things became more complicated than they already were. How did it all come to this? What sort of sick game was going on? 

"Jina is fine," Minho said, reading her thoughts. "She's in Mina's ward, playing with her. Mina is fine too. She'll be discharged tomorrow."

Thank god, Gayoon sighed inwardly. She was afraid that Mina would be more traumatized but the woman had the nerves of steel. When she heard that Gayoon was injured, she fought off all the orderlies and rushed to her room. Upon seeing Gayoon, she completely broke down, apologizing for not being able to protect her. It took the doctors over an hour to shoo Mina away from Gayoon.

"I'm glad," Gayoon managed to say in a small tone. Another awkward silence followed, both of them trying to figure out how to address the elephant in the room. Before Gayoon could open her mouth, Minho cut through.

"Since you're the only one who has experience with...ghosts," he began. "You'll have to help Jina with her abilities. You'll live with her in the mansion and help her in controlling her powers so that she can live a normal life."

Gayoon opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate on that but Minho added, "If you refuse this offer, I'll hold you accountable for breach of contract. Years ago, you had signed an agreement that you will not contact Jina and yet, you did. It's a violation of the terms and you'll be fined. If you can't pay the fine, you'll be jailed."

His voice was devoid of any affection and ineated he talked to her as if he was making a business deal. He was not angry nor did he sound disappointed. He simply did not care anymore.

And that crushed her heart into pieces. 

"As for our prior closeness," he continued. "It's time we face reality. Nothing would have come out of these casual feelings since I would eventually have to settle for someone who would bring some profit to my company. A mere detective would not attract any investors."

He intended to hurt her. Even though his own heart was beating rapidly as he spewed the cruel words, he had hoped that she would at least protest or react in some form.

Say something, he urged inwardly in spite of his anger. Anything!

But she simply stared at him, accepting his punishment without complaint. If she was saddened by his actions, she did not dare to voice out her true feelings. Was she affected at all? He wondered. What did he want her to do? What did she want him to do?

There were many unanswered questions in their minds but none of them were ready to face each other. He stood up to leave. 

When he was almost at the door, he paused and turned around to add one last thing. "In front of Jina, we'll pretend that everything is normal," he said. "She shouldn't get an inkling of the discussion we just had. Other than that, we'll stay out of each other's lives."

With that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. As he was leaving he thought he had heard a soft sob but he did not look back. Whatever they had agreed upon was the best course of action. It will be best if we stay away from each other, he decided.

Then why...why was his heart aching so much?