Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Gayoon waited inside the tent for Minho who was outside, preparing tea for them. He claimed that it was the only thing he knew how to make properly. She sighed and let him have his way. There was no point in arguing with him when he was being so cutely childish. It reminded her of Jina's antics whenever she came up with crazy ideas.      

Guess the father and daughter are alike in many ways, she mused.      

She had already changed into dry pants but her selfish side refused to change out of Minho's shirt. He had a sweet apple scent which she found very soothing. The thought of what they were doing earlier also made her redder and she could still feel the warmth of his lips on her skin. Yet, there was something stopping them from going all the way even though she had no idea what it was. She did not know what their future held but what they had in the present felt so natural and real that she was afraid of what would happen if they went further than this.      

Will this relationship go far? She wondered. It was a strange situation. They were already dating and living together. They even had a daughter and yet they did not clearly confess their real feelings to each other. What did he really feel for her? Was this a passing fancy or could it become something more?     

Don't think about all that! She scolded herself. They must figure out some things on their own before they were sure of what they wanted. Even though in her heart, she knew that she was falling for him, she was reluctant to take the first step.     

Let's just enjoy our time together, she decided.     

Shrugging off those thoughts she settled under the covers, while leaning against the tent wall, waiting for him. She increased the brightness of the portable lamp, illuminating the whole place.      

Minho finally entered the tent, holding two cups of hot tea. He, too, had changed into a fresh pair of shirt and pants which made Gayoon blush a little. Was he stark naked outside while changing?      

That image was giving her lewd thoughts again.     

No! She scolded herself. You gotta take it slow! Don't rush!      

Handing one cup to her, Minho said, "Here you go! Hwang Minho's special ginger tea."      

Gayoon took it and to her surprise, it smelled good. Minho settled beside her while she took a sip.      

"This is good!" she complimented. "Well done!"      

She ruffled his hair playfully, making him smirk. "Of course it'll be good!" he boasted. "Even a five star hotel can't make tea this good!"      

He looked so proud of himself over this small achievement that Gayoon could not help but smile. Minho was glad that she liked it.      

"My mom taught me how to make it," he confessed. "It was the only thing she was able to teach me before…"      

He trailed off. The memories of their happy family were swirling in his head, aching his heart even more. Yes, they were a happy family. His mother and father were in love l. They could not even think of living without each other.      

Yet, his father had killed his mother in cold blood. The image of Hwang Junho standing above his mother's lifeless body was still haunting him. But there was something else which bothered him even more.      

After his encounter with the CCK, a new memory propped up in his head. He might have suppressed the memory but it was something which appeared suddenly after all these years.      

"Gates of hell will open again…"      

Who was that? What did he mean? There was another person in that house, someone only Minho had heard. He could not put his finger on it but the voice did not sound…human.      

Was it possible that there was something more in the play?      

He got distracted when Gayoon patted his shoulder. "Tell me about her," she said gently. "She sounds like a really good person."     

"She was," Minho reminisced. "Unlike my father, she came from an ordinary family. My maternal grandparents died when she was in college but she managed to handle herself. She got a job at my dad's company and her simplicity won him over. My grandparents were also thrilled to have her. It was like, everything was perfect. Until that night when my dad killed her."     

"Did you…" Gayoon hesitated to ask. The matter about their parents is so complicated. She knew how it felt to be abandoned by a parent but she could never understand the pain of seeing one's own father kill their mother.      

"Did I ever find out why he did it?" Minho guessed. "No, I didn't. He ran away without an explanation."      

There was a short silence between them as they sipped their tea.      

"When I was pregnant," Gayoon began. "There was a time when I ran away. I felt so attached to Jina, that I wanted to break off our contract and run away."      

Minho was surprised at her confession. He did not know that she had tried to run away but he was not angry at her for it. In fact, he understood that the pain of separating from Jina must have hit her at one point.      

"You could have told it to Lawyer Lee," he said. "I'd have made sure that you could be involved in her life."      

And in mine, he added in his head. But he did not say it out loud. It was hard for him to hold back from kissing her which turned out to be a harder job for him than spending money. His body was aching to close the distance between them but it would probably be too overwhelming for her.      

"I was too afraid," she confessed. "I didn't think that I could get so attached to the tiny life which was growing inside me. So I tried to run away and keep her. It was a selfish thought but it was all I could think of."      

"What changed your mind?" he asked.      

Gayoon took a deep breath. It was a day she would never forget. Never in her wildest dreams could she have thought that her own father would be afraid of her.      

"That night, I ran away to my dad's house," she said. "I didn't even inform my grandmother and ahjusshi of my decision. I got my dad's contact details from an old friend of his and went off to the town where he was staying. I was six months pregnant at that time, so the journey was very difficult on my own."      

Minho could picture it in his mind. The barely adult pregnant girl searching for the father she craved to seek validation from. She wanted his love and care especially in that state.      

"When my father saw me, he became very scared," Gayoon whispered. A single drop of tear fell from her eye. Before Minho could wipe it out, she brushed it off.      

"He called me a witch and a curse," she sniffed. "And threw salt at me because salt is supposed to keep away evil spirits. My mother didn't tell him about my powers when they got married. It wasn't until she was pregnant with me when he found out and instead of supporting her, he abandoned us. Still, I thought he might react differently if he saw me. But all I saw was pure contempt in his eyes."     

"His words broke me out of my bubble. It was true. I was cursed and the curse was about to pass on to my child. At that time, I thought that I'm gonna bring nothing but misery in Jina's life. She will hate me for what I did! Which is why I finally decided that I'll have to let her go. It was the best decision for her. I wanted to cry a lot that night but it would have been bad for the baby. So I had to suppress it within myself. If ahjusshi hadn't tracked me down, I would have died."     

She did not realize that tears were flowing out of her eyes again. Her mind was still thinking about that dark night when her father had abandoned her again. She cried and banged on his door, just wanting him to see her only once.      

But he left her out in the cold, uncaring and indifferent.      

A warm touch on her face slightly startled her. Minho gently wiped her tear from her cheek and held the drop on his finger for her to see.      

"My mom used to tell me that tears are tiny pearls," Minho mused. "These may not be expensive, but a single drop holds infinite emotions of a person which could not be measured with money."     

"And something which cannot be measured by money, is the most invaluable thing of all," he went on. "Which is why, we should only cry for those who deserve the emotions you hold in your heart. Wasting these tears on people who cannot appreciate your feelings is even worse than wasting millions of dollars."     

Gayoon stared at him, feeling incredulous. For someone who had little experience in dealing with relationships, he really knew how to pacify a person with his insights.      

She stroked his hair, which caught Minho off-guard and he was blushing furiously.      

"I'm glad Jina was raised by a kind person like you," she smiled.      

Kind? No one ever called him that and the word seemed to be an alien to him. But coming from her mouth, he could help but beam a little even though he tried to maintain a poker face.      

Damn the cashless, kissless rule!      

Suddenly, Gayoon let out a yawn. It was late and she was getting sleepy.      

"I think I'll go to sleep-"      

Before she could finish her sentence, he suddenly yanked her and she yelped, falling on his chest.      

"What are you-"      

But Minho threw the blanket on them and held her close.      

"It's cold and I need my little bolster to keep me warm," he said smugly.      

Bolster? Who the hell was he calling a bolster!     

"But…"      

She tried to come up with an excuse and protest but he was already comfortably settled in, not letting her break free.      

Unbeknownst to her, Minho was smiling. If he could not kiss her, then he would just exploit all the other loopholes to his advantage. It was hard enough to keep his hands off of her and if he had his way, they would not be sleeping at all.      

But he had to control his desires and settle for the cuddling. For the moment.      

Gayoon sighed and gave up on her efforts to break free. The stoic fellow seemed so happy that she did not have the heart to refuse him.      

That day she learned a new thing about the money lover. He was a shameless romantic at heart.