Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Seungjo was looming over Gayoon's unconscious body, biding his time until she would breathe her last. The world around her was already sucking out her energy and she was too weak to do anything. Unlike the real world, she was now in a limbo where there was no exit. The portal would never open and she was stuck there until her life was sapped out of her.     

He smirked, tracing one finger over her smooth skin. He could not feel her touch because he was a translucent being, not here nor there but rather stuck between the living and dead. Seungjo cursed under his breath as he yearned to touch and feel his beloved. But as long as she was alive, it was impossible.     

Even in that state, she looked as ethereal as ever. Many years had passed and even though she had matured a lot, her beauty was unparalleled. It was the first thing he had noticed about her in school. She hid herself behind long bangs and baggy clothes to ward away people but Seungjo was observant. He eyed that gown she wore. If he had been alive, he could have had his way with her while she was unconscious but he was patient. She was already within his grasp.     

"Why did you betray me, my love?" he whispered. "If only you could have accepted my feelings for you."     

Gayoon did not respond, oblivious to the ghost who was looking at her with a menacing glee. Seungjo knew that she was now replaying her old memories in her mind. Was he in them? Did she remember him at all?     

Suddenly, he felt a pang of pain in his head. Ghosts did not feel pain nor any warmth but Seungjo writhed as if his head was on fire.      

"I told you, I'll bring her to you!" Seungjo lied to no one in particular. The classroom was empty except for them but Seungjo was talking as if there was someone else with them. He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain but the entity in his mind was torturing him.     

"I"m not going to betray you!" he claimed. "I brought her here for safekeeping! We still have two hours! You can come here at midnight and use her to accomplish your goals!"     

That was another lie. Gayoon had at most one hour before she would be dead. Seungjo had brought her earlier than planned in order to kill her off quickly and have her join the World of the Dead as a Mindless ghost. As a Mindless, Seungjo can keep her as a slave and do whatever he wanted with her and no one could stop him.     

Not even...him.     

"I will not betray you," he gritted. "I swear!"     

The pain in his head stung more before it was gone. Seungjo had very little time. The other one, Mr. A, was going to come any moment. But he knew very well that Mr. A would not be able to come for him until midnight so he must quicken up Gayoon's death.     

"I hope you're having very good dreams in there," he hissed at her unconscious figure. "Coz soon, you're not going to have any of those memories with you!"     

Somewhere in her unconscious mind, Gayoon felt an alarm go off as if danger was lurking near her. But she was not able to fathom anything. She was being thrown into a blackhole where she could see nothing. It was pitch black, with no end in sight. Her head was throbbing as she walked ahead, showing her memories which she could not recall or had suppressed long time ago.     

Who am I? She wondered. What are these images in my head?     

Flashes of peach blossom trees popped up in her head but she could not remember where she was. There were people around her and yet, she was not with them. She was in the black tunnel. Then why were those people crowding near her? Who were those kids? What were they doing?     

She was not sure what was going on. Her mind was dazed and once again, she was thrown into a spiral of memories.      

….     

*Flashback*     

The fair was being held at the school's field where the students had gathered. The stalls were lined neatly in uniform lines on all sides of the ground while the peach blossom trees hung over them. It was the beginning of spring and the whole place was vibrant with colors from different flowers. The garden bed was decorated with pink lilies while the fountain was enclosed with blue roses which sparkled under the sun. If Gayoon was not allergic to them, she would have taken one for her grandma.     

The stalls were shaped like mini tents, decorated with brown and orange drapes while the fascias held the names of each class and their presentation. The class of 12A was doing a traditional cafe for their guests. Up until last night, the place was haphazard but thanks to Teacher Kang's guidance, they had managed to make it cozy.     

The pillows were sewn with hand using traditional Asian designs consisting of dragons and spiritual beings while the table cloth were kept to a mixture of red and yellow colors. On one lane, they decorated the shelves with different types of herbs which were used in teas. On the menu, they kept strictly traditional desserts like rice cakes, red bean dumplings, tea cookies and many more. For drinks, they chose an array of local tea flavors like cinnamon tea, ginseng tea, macha drinks and lots more.     

The choice of their food was attracting many customers and soon, the students of 12A had their hands full. Gayoon was in charge of making the food since she had experience in preparing local cuisine thanks to her grandma's cafe. She had a few helping hands as she taught them how to make the rice dough for the food.     

Jaewan and a few other boys were in charge of cleaning. The students wanted Jaewan to take up the role of a server due to his good looks but he refused and cited, "You guys are having your fun. Let me have mine."     

Gayoon wanted to throw the rice dough on his face upon hearing those words but it was useless. The guy was stubborn when it came to cleaning. To the dismay of the other students, he also brought Mona along to keep Gayoon company. Or more specifically, guard her in case Park Seungjo came anywhere near her.      

The students were skeptical of having a dog near their cafe but seeing how well behaved she was, they let her stay. Gayoon did not see the point though. If she could protect herself from ghosts then Seungjo was just a small fry for her.     

Mona sat at a corner, watching Gayoon as she kneaded the dough for the cakes. She had been doing it for hours and she was already very tired. Her hands were aching and she needed rest.     

"This is so exhausting!" she complained. The other helpers were busy making their own dishes and she wondered whether she should take rest.      

"Are you tired?"      

She turned around to see Teacher Kang entering the tent. Gayoon bowed and replied, "Just a little sir. But I think I can go on for a while longer."     

"Nonsense!" Teacher Kang scoffed. "Go and take some rest in the classroom, alright? I think Lia can watch over your station. She has already rested."     

He turned to call Lia who quickly came up to him. "Take over Gayoon's station for a while," he instructed. "She can rest for twenty minutes and resume her work."     

"Yes sir," Lia said and quickly took over Gayoon's work.     

"And as for this little cutie," Kang said, turning towards Mona. "You don't mind if I borrow her for a while, do you? Those kids want to play with her."     

He pointed at a pair of children who were squealing at Mona. The dog also seemed to enjoy the attention and wagged her tail in excitement.     

"Not at all!" Gayoon laughed. "She's all yours!"     

Kang whistled at Mona who followed him towards the kids. Even though Mona was usually a picky puppy, she loved children and played with them a lot. Jaewan was still trying to train her into obedience and even though he complained about her, Gayoon knew that Jaewan really loved the dog. She waved Mona goodbye and went off towards the school building, away from the crowd.     

As she was walking into the building, her phone beeped. To her surprise, it was a missed call from Minjung.     

She quickly called Minjung. The latter picked up within one ring.     

"Minjung!" Gayoon exclaimed. "How are you doing now?"     

"I don't know," Minjung said. "I really don't…"     

Gayoon felt a pang of sympathy for the girl who had suffered so much. She had forgiven all of Minjung's past endeavors and she truly wanted the girl to get the justice she deserved.      

"I've been thinking about what you said that night," Minjung admitted. "I don't know whether I can do it on my own. I'm here at school right now. In our classroom. Can we meet up?"     

"Sure!" Gayoon replied." I'm coming up right now. Wait for me, okay?"     

Minjung nodded and hung up the phone. Her heart was beating fast and she was unsure if her decision to place a complaint against Seungjo was the right thing to do or not. After all, her parents' reputation was at stake. She did not even tell them about what happened to her.     

Meanwhile, Gayoon stepped into the building, intending to talk to Minjung. Unbeknownst to her, a lone figure was watching her from afar, tailing her every move.     

"Today, I'll make you mine," Seungjo swore from the shadows of the trees he hid in. "Gayoonie."