Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

The sounds of footsteps broke the silence of the night. Each step was filled with intimidation, striking fear into the hearts of those who stood there. Even the guards were afraid to look around to see who was approaching their way. They did not dare to turn around and even acknowledge their boss and instead, their eyes were on something.     

The basement was shrouded by darkness save for a single bulb which shone right above the small group of people. The stink of blood and old cigarettes hit their nostrils, making the guards almost barf but they had to keep their cool. The boss hatted any sort of weakness and they were given a mission to look over the man in front of them. There was a sound of water dripping from somewhere. Perhaps there was a leaked pipe in the basement but the sound of water was making the silent atmosphere even more tense.     

The footsteps inched closer and closer and they dreaded what would happen when he would finally reach them. Sweat beaded from their forehead but the guards did not dare to wipe their faces. They had made a severe mistake and the boss was not going to be pleased.     

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Their boss had reached the cell and was staring down at the man who lay in front of them. The man was stripped off his clothes except for his underwear and was tied to large metal chains. Blood was gushing out of his mouth and his eyes were shut by a black cloth. He was grunting in pain but could not speak.     

"Ahh…ahhh…" he tried to mumble. Words would not form on his tongue anymore because he had no tongue. Their boss had it cut off.     

"You've let the leader escape," their boss' cold voice echoed the dungeon. He was addressing his men who looked scared. They did not want to face him but there was little choice.     

If they did not speak up, then Jang Kanji would skin them alive.     

One of the guards stepped forward and tried to explain. "S-sir, we tried," he squeaked. "But their men assaulted us from nowhere! The leader of the Lin family, Lin Haejong, escaped but we shot his heart. He might not survive."     

"He escaped…" Kanji's voice was devoid of any compassion or his usual cheerfulness. Instead, he was cold and aloof, as if the sight of the bloodied man in front of him had no effect on him.     

"Our men are already looking for him in every hospital-" the guard began but the sudden punch came out of nowhere, knocking out his teeth. Kanji's eyes were furiously glaring at him as he saw the guard fall back, his mouth bleeding. He looked shocked at his boss' actions and staggered backwards in pain.     

"How dare you send my men into hospitals?" Kanji asked in a menacing tone. "I thought I said that none of you are allowed to enter any hospitals."     

The guard yelped in pain but the others did not rush forward to aid him. Their boss' anger was quite evident and they did not want to provoke him anymore. In the world of the ruthless mafia, it was best to stay silent and obey. And Jang Kanji was the worst one to cross.      

He usually hid behind a mask of happiness but that was outside that basement. Inside their world, Jang Kanji was a totally different person who had no empathy for others. Except for the selected few people he genuinely loved, Jang Kanji unleashed his darkness on those who would dare to hurt the people around him.      

Or worse, betray him.     

The man whose tongue was cut off was called Shin Jaewoon. There was a time when Shin Jaewoon was one of them, a fellow guard with whom they had shared bread and butter. But now, he was nothing more than a traitor who was going to be severely punished by the boss himself.     

Kanji leaned down to face Jaewoon who was whimpering in fear. He knew that his boss was looking down at him and would kill him any moment. The man was fearful for his life and wanted to beg his boss to let him go. He did it all for his family! The Lin's offered him a large amount of money in order to sell the information on the Jang's. For Jaewoon, it meant a way out of the country with his family and settle his daughter to a good college someday. He did it only for the family.     

But he was caught in the act and the boss found out about his betrayal. Jaewoon was unaware that his treachery was discovered and was meeting with Lin Haejong when Kanji's men attacked them. In the fight, Haejong was shot but escaped with his life while Jaewoon was caught and tortured mercilessly. His tongue was cut off to ensure his eternal silence. They did not even put any medicines on it nor tend to it but instead let him bled in the cold and dark dungeons where his screams would never be heard.     

"Call off the search in the hospitals," Kanji ordered, his eyes not moving from the tongueless man.      

The guards did not question his orders but simply obeyed. One of them took out his phone and dialed the other teams to cancel the search. Another guard stepped forward, feeling hesitant to ask but he had to anyway.     

"S-sir, what shall we do with Jaewoon?" he stammered. "Should we keep him or-"     

The sound of the gunshot broke through the night's silence. The guards tried to hide their shock as Jaewoon fell limp, shot point blank on the head. Kanji's expression did not change even though his face and clothes were splattered with the blood and brains of the man he had just killed. His hand held a revolver which was still emitting smoke.     

Shin Jaewoon lay dead in front of them and Kanji did not care.     

"I'll look for Lin Haejong myself," he declared. "But none of you will step in the hospitals. Understood?"     

The guards merely nodded. Kanji stood up to leave. He took out a handkerchief and simply wiped off the bit of brains which stuck on his face as if they were nothing more than small stains.     

As he left the dark silence of the dungeon behind, Mina's face flashed in front of his face. He cold not let her find out about his reality. It would break her if she did. And she would be more devastated if she found out that he joined this world for her sake.     

Which is why he would keep her away from this part of his world. He could never let her find out that the man she loved was a cold blooded killer.      

….     

The hospital was on its toes for the next 10 hours. The mafia men were pacing all around the place, threatening any nurse or doctor who emerged out of the operation theater. The patients were also scared of the burly men who were roaming around and it was impossible to throw them out. They had threatened to open fire at them if anybody called the cops.     

"Where is that bitch of a doctor!" one of the men yelled. "If she failed today…"     

He clenched his knuckles.     

"Sit down," another man ordered. "It's a hospital. We can't do anything here."     

"That Jang Kanji nearly got us today!" another man gritted. "If we could only get him…"     

The door to the operation theater flew open. The men immediately stood up to see Mina emerging from it in her scrubs. She took off her goggles and hairnet, stopping in front of them.     

"The operation was a success," she announced.