Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

The next two days passed in relative peace. Gayoon was still apprehensive to go to the party but since Minho was the guest of honor, he would not let her back off. Deep down, she was also a little curious to know what kind of lives her classmates were living. She sincerely hoped that they had turned a new leaf but as Minho said, people never changed but merely mask their true nature.     

They would be attending the party that night and she was already at her edge. She sat on Jina's bed, trying hard not to bite her newly manicured nails. She sensed that one of the ghosts, Yumi, was around her. The ghost felt a little pity for her.     

"Lady Cop, relax," Yumi's voice resonated around the room. "You'll be fine! Don't worry about those bullies!"     

"What if they're still the same?" Gayoon asked, worried about the party. "Tolerating them for so many years was bad enough but seeing them again is really getting to my nerves!"     

"Lady Cop, you're going there with the richest man in town," Yumi said, fixing her arm. "Have some pride for god's sake and show him off as your arm candy! The money lover is right. Be petty and show off your newfound happiness! That's like the biggest slap to their faces."     

But it just was not in Gayoon's nature to act like that. She felt too shy around Minho and seeing how serious she was about him she became even more cautious around him. Even though he went out of his way to apologize to her and sometimes, she thought that maybe his feelings were getting stronger too but what if she was wrong? What if he was doing all because he was genuinely sorry?     

Yumi sighed. The more she observed the adults in the Hwang Mansion, the more she wondered who the real child was in that house. Even Jina had more sense than them!     

"Lady Cop, are you worried that the money lover is not actually as serious about this relationship as you are?" she asked shrewdly.     

Gayoon bit her lip and nodded. Even though she could not see Yumi, the ghost's presence was somewhat comforting.     

"I think this party is taking place at the perfect time then!" Yumi said in excitement. Gayoon felt the ghost sitting beside her.     

"Tonight, you'll get to know what he really feels about you!" Yumi went on. "Talk to him after the party and ask him directly!"     

"I can't do that!" Gayoon protested. "What if he freaks out? Or thinks I'm being clingy? I'm scared! I don't want to ruin what we have!"     

"You can face a cannibal killer but not confront the man you love?" Yumi asked in dismay. "The guy with appetite for huma meat didn't scare you but a money lover does? Woman, get a grip!"     

Yumi turned authoritative, schooling the detective in love. "When I was alive, I chased my oppas around the block!" she claimed. "I once had a crush on a guy, so I went right up to him to confess."     

"Did he accept your confession?" Gayoon frowned. Yumi gulped, remembering how the poor guy ran away because he found her scary. Apparently, death did not change that particular fact about her.     

"That's not the point!" she said irritably. "Point is that I took the initiative. So, if you are serious about the money loving CEO, then go and confront him tonight! Otherwise, a white lotus might jump in and steal him away like they do in those dramas!"     

"What's a white lotus?" Gayoon asked curiously.     

"Gold digging skanks who chase the male leads and try to belittle the female leads," Yumi stated. "Like Mina does to Kanji and his girlfriends."     

Gayoon tried to make head and tail of what Yumi was saying but gave up. There was no point in listening to the nonsense of a teenage ghost. But she was right about asking Minho outright about what he felt for her.     

"Alright," she decided. "I'm gonna ask him about his true feelings!"     

"That's my girl!" Yumi exclaimed, cheering her on. "Be direct and bold!"     

Gayoon made up her mind. Yumi was right. It was time to ask Minho outright about what he truly felt for her. No more shirking around their obvious attraction.     

I'll ask him tonight, she decided. No matter what!     

…     

Minho was working in his office. He was operating at a faster speed than usual because he wanted to complete all his tasks in time for the party. Putting away the last file, he stretched his limbs. He was so absorbed into finishing his work that he did not even yell at his staff that day, which was a huge relief to his employees.     

"Let's look into the tenders," he decided and picked up another file when there was a knock on the door.     

"Come in," he said. The door opened and the project manager for the high school project entered the room. He bowed in front of the CEO.     

"Good afternoon, sir," he greeted.     

"Mr. Sung," Minho acknowledged. "How is the school project coming along? What's the progress on the construction?"     

"The school has already been shifted elsewhere," Sung stated. "And after the party ends tonight, we'll proceed to demolish the halls. We've delayed work on the halls due to the special request since the alumni association wanted to hold one last even there."     

"All the remaining materials belonging to the school have been handed over to them?" Minho asked.     

"Well, everything has been handed over except for one thing," Sung frowned. "A few days ago, the workers found a box buried in the ground. It had some strange items belonging to a student but when we tried to return it to the school, they claimed that the student had passed away and his mother also moved out of town. So, they don't know what to do with those things. We held on to it in case if they changed their mind but if they don't take it then we'll have to donate it."     

"What did you find? And what's his name?" Minho asked, leaning forward. Dead student? Could it be…     

"The student's name was Park Seungjo as per the tag on the uniform we found," Sung revealed. "And there was a button with an unusual pattern in the box as well."     

Minho thought hard for a moment. For some reason, his gut feeling was acting up, urging him to keep those things. He was not sure why though.     

"Bring those things to me," he demanded. "Every single thing you found in the box, hand it over to me. Within an hour."     

Sung nodded and left the room to execute Minho's orders. Minho leaned back against his chair, his mind on alert mode. He did not know much about ghosts but if they were once humans, then they must possess their human nature as well.     

And scariest ghosts were the ones who possessed their human nature even after death.