Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Gayoon was staring at the e-card she had received in her inbox. She bit her lip, confused over what to do. She was sitting on the couch at the living room, going through her mail. Her health leave will be over in a week and she would have to catch up with a lot of work. The e-card she received was from her high school and even though she was not keen to run into those brats again, there were still a few good people in her school too.     

But the past still haunted her and she was dreading to go there. Every room, every hall only reminded her of the nightmare she experienced in that school. From the constant bullying to Park Seungjo's terror, there were memories in that school which traumatized her to that day. But the worst of the lot was not the torment but rather the guilt.     

Yes. It was guilt which made her hesitant.     

"What are you looking at?"     

Minho's voice broke her out from her reverie and she quickly shut the laptop.     

"Just catching up on my mail," she said quickly. But Minho noticed that her face was paler than usual and she was lost in her own thoughts.     

"Spit it out," he demanded. "What's bothering you?"     

"Nothing," she lied. "I swear! Nothing's bothering me!"     

"Liar," Minho claimed. "I can tell you're lying. You're not very good at it, Jeon Gayoon."     

Gayoon sighed. He was right. It was almost impossible to lie to him and even though she was not as bad a liar as he claimed, Hwang Minho had an uncanny ability to spot when people were hiding something. According to him, he acquired this skill by observing people because it helped him make a lot of money.     

"I was looking at the high school reunion invitation," she finally admitted. "Jaewan is apparently going and he wanted me to go as well."     

Minho controlled his jealousy with great difficulty. Even though he was sure that Gayoon had no feelings for that guy, Minho still could not help but feel irritated at the pretty boy. Even when he was not around, somehow, he managed to enter all of their conversations.     

"I had some good times there too," Gayoon went on. "But what happened there…everything I went through because of the people in my class is making me reluctant to go."     

Minho did not reply but was quietly thinking. Kanji had told him that Park Seungjo was killed there and that a patterned button was found with his body. Someone must have pushed him off that floor but who was it? Was it Minjung? Or was it Gayoon?     

He did not think the latter was possible. Jeon Gayoon would have turned herself in if she had accidentally killed someone. It was probable that Minjung was the one who killed Seungjo but the matter was somehow covered up. Furthermore, Minjung had disappeared around the time Seungjo died so she might have fled the scene.     

"Is it because of Park Seungjo?" he finally asked. Gayoon looked at him but was unable to answer his question. How could she explain it to him?     

"I wish it was," she said in a cryptic way. Minho waited for her to explain but she did not say anything more.     

"I'll be going there, though," he revealed. Gayoon frowned at him.     

"Why?" She asked. "Why are you going there?"     

"Well, you already know that I own that land," Minho shrugged. "I bought it years ago but the project kept on being delayed. But last month, we've started the construction work on some parts of the building. The school board requested to hold the reunion at the old hall so that the alumni could enjoy their beloved school one last time."     

"Oh!"     

Gayoon recalled that shortly after Seungjo's death, the school was sold off to a construction firm but she did not know that it belonged to Minho for so long.     

"Beloved school my ass!" she cursed under her breath. "I just can't stand them. Not a single day went by when I wasn't fearing for my life there. The ghosts chased me, the bullies chased me and even the teachers looked down on me. And the memories I have of my last day there…"     

She trailed off, shuddering at the memory of her last day in school. Seungjo's cold laughter was still ringing in her ears and his chilly hands had almost touched her. The guy might have died but his torment lived on in her nightmares.     

"Seungjo had almost caught me," she muttered. "If it wasn't for that stranger, I would've died. That monster would have killed me. I knew it."     

"Stranger?" Minho echoed.     

"Yeah," Gayoon said. "It was the last day of our school but some kids locked me up in the classroom as a prank. They did not know that Seungjo's ghost was haunting me and even if they did, they still would not have cared. I didn't have my protection charm that night either and Seungjo almost trapped me when…"     

She could not recall the voice because she was so shocked and scared that she had passed out. But there was someone who had inadvertently helped her. The stranger who was like a messiah. If he had not broken down the door, she would have died.     

Minho was listening to her story intently. There was a strange expression on his face but Gayoon did not notice it.     

"Which class were you trapped in?" he asked.     

"12 A," she stated. "Why are you asking?"     

"No reason," Minho shrugged. Before Gayoon could probe, he stood up and held out his hand.     

"Let's go," he said. "I'm taking you to the mall."     

"Why?" Gayoon frowned. "I don't nee dot buy anything."     

"Yes, you do," Minho said. "You've got a lot of stuff to buy."     

"Like what?"     

"A gown, make up and we might need to take you to the salon as well," Minho added, noting that her hair was beginning to get a little rough around the edges.     

"But why?"     

"You don't expect to escort the reunion's VIP guest looking like that, are you?" Minho said incredulously.     

"I am not going!" Gayoon said loudly. But Minho merely shrugged.     

"If you don't go, then it'll mean that you've let those bullies and your past knock you down," he pointed out. "But now, you're a successful detective who took down a serial killer and also dating the man who bought the school property. It's your chance to show those bullies how far you've come and how pathetic their lives are."     

"That sounds petty!" Gayoon said. Minho stepped closer and leaned over her. She stared at him, wide eyed and blushed when he pinched her cheek.     

"Sometimes, Jeon Gayoon," he whispered. "Being petty is the best way to clap back at haters."