Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Yeeun clutched her stomach. A sharp pain had jabbed her and she dropped the laundry basket she was carrying. Slumping on the stairs, she leaned against the railing.     

Hearing her cry, Shujin came running out of the kitchen.      

"What happened?" she asked in worry when she saw her daughter holding her stomach. "Did your water break? But there's still two months left!"     

"N-no!" Yeeun gasped. "But i-it hurts a lot!"     

"Let's take you to the hospital," Shujin said, helping her daughter to stand up. "I keep on telling you not to work so much but you never listen to me! And that useless husband of yours isn't here either!"     

She half carried her daughter towards the car and hurriedly drove towards the hospital. Unbeknownst to them, the phone in their house was ringing and after a while, a message was recorded in it.     

"Yeeun? Is this Yeeun's place?" Junho's desperate voice came out of the voice message. "I'm Junho, Suna's husband! I think...I think you were right. Suna has been possessed. She's acting very weird. Please call me back as soon as you can!"     

Back at the mansion, Junho put down his phone, anxious and scared. He had barred Minho from coming into the room and had locked it shut. As soon as Suna had lost consciousness, he tied her to a bedpost, unsure of what else to do. He had no idea about the thing that had possessed her and it was going to wake up any minute.     

The only thing he knew was that the entity feared salt. He quickly sat at his desktop computer and turned it on. On the search bar, he typed, 'Paranormal things afraid of salt'.     

Instantly, thousands of articles popped up and he scrolled through the, looking for the appropriate one. He clicked on one written by a man named Shinjin.     

"Salt is a purifier which scares most ghosts and demons," he read. "As one of the core ingredients used in many rituals to purify the soul of a dead person and also in religious practices, spirits are temporarily weakened by it. Demons are also affected but throwing salt on very powerful ghosts or demons only hinder them temporarily. It does not chase them away completely. Only a licensed exorcist can perform exorcisms and that too after a lengthy process of seeking application. Every exorcism needs a permission from the church or the clergy so it's nearly impossible to perform exorcism on all spirits."     

Junho tried to find the contact number of the writer but there was none. He was frustrated and helpless.     

"You think you can fight me?" Suna's croaked voice came from behind him. No, not Suna. It was a monster.     

"What are you?" Junho demanded. "A spirit? A demon? Why are you after my wife?"     

It let out a laughter which sent chills down Junho's spine. He had never heard such a sinister laugh. It was full of malice, a raw hatred which was going to devour everyone in its way.     

"Your wife is too stubborn," it hissed. "She won't do what I want. But that doesn't matter. The more she refuses, the easier it'll become to achieve my goal. I can feel the powers rushing through her veins. She's a powerful one! And I've hit the jackpot!"     

It cackled again, crouching like a feral animal. Its eyes were watching Junho with a strange glimmer. One more day, it chanted in its head. One more day and I will get what I want.     

The entity had chosen the perfect one this time. It had spent years trying to find the Transporter, moving from one body to another in the same bloodline. But none of them had awakened their powers like this one had. She had gone to the other realm many times but that was not enough. For its plans to succeed, the Transporter must give a heavy sacrifice. The gate required a toll and once that was paid, it could force her to open the Gates of Hell.     

And for that, she must sacrifice her other half.     

The entity licked its lips as it stared at its real prey. Junho was still trying to come up with a solution to his wife's problem but there was no concrete help given anywhere.      

He was now helpless. Time was ticking out and there was no one to aid him. He was truly alone.     

….     

"I'm afraid we'll have to keep her at the hospital for now," the doctor said, examining Yeeun's vitals. "Her blood pressure had gone up and she needs to be kept under observation. If it keeps rising, she can lose the baby."     

Yeeun gripped her mother's palm in fear. Lose Gayoon? It would kill her if she lost her baby. Shujin was also scared for her daughter. She had already suffered so much because of her ex-husband and now if she lost the baby…     

"She'll stay!" Shujin said at once. "We'll do everything we can to protect our little Gayoon."     

"We'll prepare the bed for her," the doctor said. He instructed a nurse to lead Yeeun to the chamber where she would be observed overnight. Shujin held her daughter's palm in assurance.     

"You'll be fine," she told Yeeun firmly. "I'll go home and bring your night bag. You should rest, alright?"     

"Mom, stay please!" Yeeun begged. "I don't want to be alone here. Just tell one of your workers to pick it up for us."     

She was pleading to her mother with her large doe like eyes. Recently, there had been many spirits around her which had distressed her and she was afraid that if she was left alone, more would pop up. It would only increase her pressure and endanger the child in her womb.     

"Alright," Shujin sighed and patted her head. They entered a ward where Yeeun was given medications and laid down to rest. The nurse administered a prescribed anesthetic to her and lef the room. Shujin stayed beside her daughter, gently patting her head.     

"Mom," Yeeun began sleepily. "Suna is in danger."     

"What makes you say that?" Shujin frowned.     

"Lately, a few spirits have been warning me that an unknown entity is targeting the Transporters," Yeeun revealed. "But they can't tell why."     

"It's just a trick," Shujin warned her. "Remember, not all spirits are friendly. If someone is targeting Transporters, then why would the spirits warn you?"     

"What do you mean?" Yeeun mumbled in confusion. Her eyes were getting droopy with sleep as the medicines' effects kicked in.     

"If an entity really is looking for Suna," Shujin began. "Then it would be discreet and stealthy. Letting rumors spread which could reach a Seer's ears is dangerous because Seers can see the entity. That will expose them to exorcism. If an entity is sending spirits to you, then it must mean that it's using you to find the Transporter."     

She glanced at her daughter who had fallen asleep. She sighed and got up to post charms on the window and the door of the room. Reciting a small prayer, she sprinkled some salt on the window's ledge to keep the spirits away.     

"Sorry little Gayoon," she lamented. "You're being born in an unwanted hell. I just hope you can live a better life than your mother."