Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

          Yeeun snarled and pounced at Junho like a wild animal but Shinjin was quicker. He took out a large blanket from his bag which had a symbol of a star enclosed by a circle. Junho was trying not to hurt Yeeun but she kept on scratching and punching at him.      

"Break out of it!" he yelled at her. "Yeeun!"     

But she was possessed and could not hear what he was saying. Somewhere in her mind, she was fighting to stay in control but the pain in her body was too much for her to bear. Shinjin quickly wrapped the blanket over her which momentarily froze the entity within her.     

"We'll have to tie her up and create a salt circle around her!" he yelled. Junho quickly took out the ropes from the bag and tied her limbs. She was coming to her senses but it was difficult to tell if it was the entity or Yeeun herself. They placed her in the middle of the room and drew the circle around her using the salt they brought. The circle was firmly glued to the floor to prevent the salt circle from breaking.     

"You're too late, Hwang Junho!" the entity spat from beneath the blanket. "You can't save anyone! You're worthless. A worthless piece of shit-"     

"SHUT UP!" Junho roared at it. Shinjin was worried about the impact the entity was having on the former tycoon. He had lost all his cool and if that happened, the exorcism would fail.     

"Junho, it's trying to distract you!" Shinjin exclaimed. "Don't react to its words otherwise it'll never leave Yeeun's body."     

Inside her subconsciousness, she heard someone screaming but who was it? She did not know. Her mind was muddled and confused. Something heavy was clenching her stomach and it was paining every few minutes but she could not fight it. There was no energy left in her.     

"I'll kill this one and her baby too!" the entity yelled. "You can't protect them, Hwang Junho!"     

Junho was now trying to keep himself calm but it was impossible against the monster's taunts. His hands trembled as he flipped the pages.     

"Oh you who has gone astray," he chanted. "You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return!"     

He sprinkled holy water on the entity which screamed in agony. Blood was now flowing faster from Yeeun's womb and she had very little time.     

"Junho, you'll have to keep repeating the chant!" Shinjin yelled. The ground beneath them was shaking and Shinjin slipped, falling on his back. The entity was levitating Yeeun in the air, laughing madly as it spun her around.     

"Oh you who has gone astray," Junho repeated. "You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return!"     

"Loser!" the entity cackled. "That's what your wife thought of you!     

Junho paused, his insides boiling. The blanket fell off Yeeun and the entity's monstrosity was maligning her pretty face.      

"She never thought of you as a man!" it teased him. "You were simply a meal ticket for her! You really think she loved you?     

"Shut up…" Junho muttered, unable to face the fact that he had killed his wife. He knew what that thing was saying was a lie but the mention of Suna's name only triggered him.     

"She told me how much she despised you!" the entity claimed. "She hated you for not being able to save her.     

Öh you who had gone astray…"Junho tried to say but words would not come out of him. Shinjin took over the ritual.     

"Oh you who has gone astray," he chanted. "You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return!"     

But the entity spat at him. "You don't have enough conviction to get rid of me!" it yelled. "I'm gonna destroy this woman too!"      

While the entity taunted the two men, Yeeun was in a constant battle with herself in her head.     

I have to go…she told herself. But go where? She had no idea. Her mind was telling her to fight but whom should she fight?     

Help me…she begged. Someone…anyone…     

She closed her eyes, tormented by what was happening to her. Her heart was heavy with inexplicable grief and she just wanted it to go away.     

"Mommy…"     

A child like voice echoed somewhere in her subconsciousness. Her eyes flew open and in front of her stood a child of around eight years old. She had the same long hair and dark eyes as Yeeun.     

"Mommy, that uncle needs your help," the child said. "Didn't you promise you will help him?"     

The child stared at her with large round eyes.     

"Gayoon…"she whispered.     

"Mom, help him," the child insisted. "Go back! We might not meet for a long time, but I'll never let you go. I promise! But help him…"     

Meanwhile, Junho had lost all his strength. The entity was right. He had killed his wife and now, another person was going to die because of him. It was all his fault.     

"Junho, don't give up!" Shinjin begged. "That girl needs your help!"     

"I can't save her," he said. "I can't save anyone…"     

He had totally given up. The entity's cold laughter echoed in his head, torturing him with the images of his dead wife and the hatred in his son's eyes. He was a murderer.     

"Fight him."     

Both the men looked up in shock. Yeeun had regained her strength and even in that painful state, she was warding off the entity with all her willpower.     

"This is your only chance!" she yelled. "Don't let it win! Even if you don't kill it off today, you can still defeat it!"     

When Junho did not respond, she begged him with her last strength.     

"Brother Junho…I'll not survive today…"she revealed with great difficulty. "But my child…she'll need you. Please, don't give up! I can only rest in peace if you're there to take care of her…please…"     

Her earnest plea made Junho's eyes tear up. She was also crying but smiled at him warmly, holding no malice or hatred. For her, he was a dear brother whom she wanted to protect on behalf of her best friend.     

"Please…"she pleaded. "Fight it today. You don't have to win. But don't be afraid of it anymore…"     

Her eyes began to contort again as the entity fought to take over her. Yeeun fought it with her might, trying not to let it win.     

"You little bitch!" the entity cursed her but was struggling to cope up with her renewed strength.     

"Junho you-" Shinjin turned to face his friend but the latter had stood up. There was a fire burning within Junho as if he had gained a sudden surge of strength.     

"Oh you who has gone astray," Junho whispered. "You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return!"     

Using all his energy, he sprinkled the holy water on the entity which screamed in agony. Yeeun was also in pain as her labor advanced but she kept on holding to dear life. The entity within her was slipping away as Junho tearfully threw more holy water at her, chanting the spell repeatedly.     

"Oh you who has gone astray. You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return! GO!"     

The entity let out an earth shattering scream and opened Yeeun's mouth. A dark smoke erupted out of her as it left her body. Shinjin closed his ears but Junho heard the scream until it completely vanished, leaving Yeeun to die.     

As soon as it was gone, Junho rushed to pick up Yeeun. Shinjin helped him to take her down the elevator and they carried her to the car. Stepping on the pedal, they sped to the nearest hospital.     

….     

Junho was stone faced and silent when Shujin came bursting into the hospital. She was still wearing her nightgown but she did not care.     

"Where's Yeeun?" she demanded from Junho. Shinjin, who was still there, spoke up.     

"She's in the birthing room," he informed her. "The doctors are still treating her. But she lost too much blood…"     

"Blood…" Shujin slumped on the bench, crying. Junho did not have the heart to tell her what happened.     

A doctor stepped out of the operation theater, looking grim. He took off his mask, bracing himself to face the family.     

"It's a baby girl," he declared. "She's healthy. The nurse took her to the nursery where she will be kept until she's discharged."     

Shujin let out a sigh of relief but the doctor's next words shattered her completely.     

"But…" the doctor began, feeling hesitant. "We couldn't save the mother."     

Shujin fainted from the shock. Shinjin and the doctor held her, the latter ordering the nurse to take her to a ward. But Junho stood up and quietly wandered around. He was aimlessly walking through the corridor with no end in sight. How could he face Shujin again? How could he tell her that his daughter died because of him.     

I need to get away from here, he decided. He did not have the courage to face her questions.     

Walking quickly past the rooms, he was about to head towards the lift when a loud cry made him pause. It was coming from the nursery.     

He was hesitant to go in there. Yeeun's baby was in there and it was his fault that her mother died. But the baby's cries propelled his feet to move on their own. He moved not towards the lift but to the nursery. There was only one cot occupied that night. As if in a trance, Junho was walking towards it. Upon reaching down, he looked down.     

The baby was wrapped in a pink blanket. She had large eyes just like her mother and the baby was crying loudly, its tiny hands pointing at something as if it was scared. Junho knew that this baby was also born with Yeeun's ability. What was it seeing? A ghost?     

"Is there a scary ghost there?" he whispered at her. As if answering his question, the baby only cried harder. He took out some salt and threw it at the direction her hands were pointing. Instantly, the baby stopped crying.     

"You must be so scared," he said. He reached out to carry her in his arms and the baby was giving him a curious look. She reminded him of his own daughter whom he left back home. Mina had her brother but who was protecting this child?     

The baby yawned and closed its eyes, feeling very comfortable in his arms. Junho did not put her down and cradled her in his arms, unwilling to let go of her. His heart ached upon thinking that she was an orphan. He could hear Yeeun's words in his ears, coaxing him to protect the tiny life he held.     

"From now on, you don't have to be scared anymore," he promised. "Junho ahjusshi will take care of you. I'll be your parent. So don't worry about anything and go to sleep."     

The baby slept in his arms, blissfully unaware of what lay ahead of her while Junho doted on her, vowing to protect her forever.