Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Gayoon was trying to read his expression. He was frozen to his spot, stumped by the view. Her pale skin glowed against the black gown while her dark hair fell below her waist in long waves, perfectly complimenting her natural beauty with the dress. Her midriff was showing, highlighting her curves while the rosy tint on her face only enhanced her delicate beauty.     

"A-am I not looking good?" she asked nervously. He was not speaking and it worried her. Was she looking hideous? Was the dress not good enough?     

"We can choose something else-" she began but her sentence was interrupted as he stepped forward to softly kiss her unable to hold in his urge. Gayoon was taken by surprise when she felt his lips lingering on and she closed her eyes, kissing him back.     

It was like they were back in the hotel's garden where they had once kissed. He cupped her face, gently leaving butterfly pecks on her lips. He did not deepen the kiss but his tenderness was driving her crazy and she wanted more but was hesitant to demand for it.     

When he finally let her go, both were breathless. He pressed his forehead against hers, still cupping her face. The invisible tension between them was increasing and they had an undeniable chemistry that was growing deeper. They were still confused how much further they could go in this relationship but the little moments they spent together were making them almost inseparable but none of them wanted to say it out loud in fear of ruining what they already had.     

"This is bad," he mumbled.     

"Huh?" Gayoon blinked.     

"It's going to be hard to keep my eyes off you when you wear this gown at the party," he winked. Gayoon bit her lower lip, blushing hard. Even that little gesture of hers made him want to carry her away from there and lock themselves up in a hotel room for the whole night. It was taking him a lot of willpower to control his urges and he going to go nuts. And there were still two more days to go before his self-imposed punishment was over.     

Before he could act on his urges, he forced himself to let go of her. Gayoon quickly looked away from him, not trusting herself. What if she jumped on him without a care for the time and place?     

"This one it is," she finally said. Minho simply nodded and scurried out of the trial room. Once outside, he tried to calm down his heart which was beating too fast. He was letting his defenses fall around her and to his surprise, he was doing it willingly. And he even liked it.     

Smiling a little, he wondered how his little pet was feeling inside the room. No doubt she would be hyperventilating in there and the fact that he had the same effect on her as she had on him, made Minho very happy.     

Meanwhile, Gayoon leaned against the door, lost in the kiss they had just shared. Was it possible to like a person this much? She had read love stories and all about the kind of love which made butterflies flutter in the stomach. She read about how the heart would go crazy even thinking about that one special person but she had always assumed these things were fiction. Love like that did not exist in real life.     

But it did. And it was happening with her. She knew that she fell madly in love with this strange and eccentric man. Everything he said or did only made her fall harder for him. She knew that she would never feel the same way for another man ever again and what she shared with Hwang Minho was special.     

He may not be in love with her, but she had given away her heart to him and now it no longer belonged to her.     

"I'm an idiot," she sighed. Hwang Minho probably did not feel the same way about her. He fancied her but how deep were his feelings for her? She wished that he would tell her.     

Taking a deep breath, she began to change out of her clothes.     

After a while, she came out of the trial room, holding the gown. Minho was still waiting for her. They did not speak, each lost in their own world. He simply paid for the gown and they headed for their car, driving home in silence.     

…     

Jina was doing her homework on the couch when she saw her parents walking in. Both of them were quiet but Jina did not sense any tension between them. In fact, they were both secretly smiling as if they shared a secret amongst themselves.     

"Why are you two smiling?" she asked suspiciously.     

Their daughter's voice snapped them out of their thoughts. "Nothing!" Minho lied. "I just told your mom a funny joke."     

"Joke?" Jina frowned. Was the joke really that funny?     

"Yeah, Hwang Minho was just telling me a joke!" Gayoon claimed. "I was just laughing at that."     

Jina pouted a little. "Mom," she began. "How come you're so formal with my dad? You never called him by his first name but rather by his full name."     

Eh?     

Gayoon blinked while Minho registered what his daughter was saying.     

"My friend Sia's mother calls her dad by name or by terms like 'honey' or 'darling'," Jina went on. "They never called each other with their full names. But you two do! Why's that?"     

"Yes, why is that?" Minho wondered out loud. Jina was correct. They never addressed each other properly and they had been dating for over two months already.     

"I-I…" Gayoon stammered. She turned to Minho and said, "You never called me by my first name either!"     

"Alright, Gayoon," he shrugged. "I'll call you by your first name."     

He said it so casually that Gayoon nearly fainted from the shock. She was used to calling him by his full name and yet, he switched so easily!     

"I-I-I…"     

She looked from Minho to Jina, both of them scrutinizing her.     

"I…I'm just a little shy," she admitted. Jina stood on the couch with her hands on her hips.     

"That won't do!" she exclaimed. "Now repeat after me. Min-ho. Min-ho. Call dad by his name!"     

Gayoon looked at Minho who was clearly amused by the turn of events. She was too embarrassed to do it but Jina was also right. What sort of message would they project to her if her parents were so formal around each other?     

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she began. "I'll call you by your first name. M-M-M-M…"     

Minho and Jina held their breaths, anticipating Gayoon's next words. Would she be able to break that barrier?     

"M-Minho!" she squeaked.