11:59 (28)
11:59 (28)
I'LL GIVE MASS RELEASE IF WE REACH 500 COINS!
.....
Mina went to the hospital as soon as it was morning. No matter how much she tried, she could not sleep a wink all night. Upon arriving, she rushed to Gayoon's room and to her relief, the latter was awake.
"Mina!" Gayoon exclaimed as Mina barged in.
"Gayoon!"
Mina stood by her side. "Where's my brother and Jina?" she asked. "They were here all night, right?"
"They've gone downstairs to have breakfast," Gayoon sighed.
Mina fidgeted nervously. "Gayoon," she began. "This is all my fault. If only I wasn't chasing that dumb Kanji all around the hospital…"
She buried her head in her hands in shame. She never wanted someone to get hurt because of her!
"It's alright," Gayoon assured her. "It's an accident! Don't worry. I'm fine. I have a strong head. I was just taken aback that's all."
Gayoon patted Mina's back in a reassuring way. Mina smiled at her before clapping her hands as if remembering something.
"Ah! I almost forgot."
She took out a bag and handed it to Gayoon. "I know you hate expensive presents," she went on. "So I waited for the shop to have a sale before I swooped in to buy it!"
Gayoon took the package and took out a soft pink jacket. "Woah!" she exclaimed. "This is so pretty! I love it!"
"It was the last piece," Mina went on. "You should have seen how I fought with an old man to get this for you! He gave up in the end…"
I wonder what happened to the man, she added in her thoughts. Gayoon was delighted to get the present. Growing up, she could rarely make friends since people would stay away from her because they thought she was crazy. Those who did find out about her abilities stayed away from her in fear. So finding a friend in Mina was something which she really appreciated.
"Mina…" Gayoon began. "Can I ask for a favor?"
"Sure," Mina said.
"Can I get Nam Daewhi's medical files?" she requested. "A copy would do. It'll take me ages to get the official warrant and we don't have that much time. If I can get the ex-wife to bring permission, then can you give me those files?"
"I can if the ex-wife gives permission," Mina nodded. "If she stops by this afternoon to sign the permission papers, I can send it over to you."
"Great!" Gayoon smiled, giving her a small hug.
The door opened and Minho entered with Jina in tow. "You two look very happy," he commented.
"Mina got me a nice present!" Gayoon squealed, showing off her new jacket.
"My sister got someone presents?" he frowned. "That is so unlike her."
Mina threw a pillow at him which he dodged with ease. "I can be nice!" she claimed. "Ya'll just can't see it!"
"My aunt is nice!" Jina piped in, climbing on Gayoon's other side. "By the way, when are we leaving this awful place?"
The little girl could not sense the shadow anywhere near them but on her way to the cafeteria, she had the feeling that it was still lurking in the building somewhere. It seemed to be moving here and there so she concluded the shadow could move to places. And she did not want to wait around in that hospital to see it again.
"You'll be discharged in an hour," Minho stated.
"Good!" Gayoon said in relief. "Can you drop me off at the precinct? I need to catch up on the work I missed!"
"You're gonna work in this state?" Minho frowned. "Absolutely not!"
"Yeah!" Jina said. "You're not in good health."
"She'll be fine," Mina assured them. "She doesn't have a concussion. A little tylenol and she'll be fit to work. The doctor already told me this morning. There's nothing to worry about."
"No!" Minho said firmly. "She is still looking ill. I'm not gonna let her work today."
His tone was decisive. He was not going to let her work that day in that condition. Luckily, Gayoon knew he was going to refuse so she had her defense ready.
"But if I work then I get to earn more," she pointed out. "And if I earn more, I can spend more on our dates which will save your money."
The look in Minho's eyes changed immediately as he debated with himself about whether to let her work that day or not.
"Fine," he conceded. "But only for a few hours! I'll pick you up on my way from work and you can't argue. If you feel any discomfort at all, call me."
"Fine."
"On the second thought, I'll keep Driver Jang stationed outside the station," he added. "If you need to come home then he'll drop you off."
Gayoon wanted to argue but Mina muttered, "Just go along with his advice or he'll end up tailing you to the precinct instead!"
"Fine!" Gayoon agreed.
"And you can't eat any junk food for the rest of the month," Minho went on. "No fried meat. No unhealthy ramen. No fast food and no oily stuff."
"What?" Gayoon protested. "B-b-b-but-"
"If I don't find you on the phone when I call, I'll have you pay for your one night stay at the hospital," he went on.
"How much does this room cost anyway?" Gayoon frowned. She had not noticed it at night but she was kept in an unusually large and luxurious room. Min leaned over and whispered something into her ear, making Gayoon shell shocked.
"WHAT?" She bellowed. "That's equal to my seven years worth salary!"
Minho grinned. "Break any of the rules I stated and I will squeeze out every penny from you," he said in an unusually cheerful tone.
Jina laughed while Mina could only shake her head in amusement. Gayoon gaped at him with her mouth open, unable to speak. The shameless money lover would not let her live in peace!
"Oh and one more thing…"
He leaned closer to her with his stern gaze. Gayoon gulped while Jina and Mina watched in anticipation of what he was about to say.
"If I catch you wandering around Nam Daewhi's room alone," he began. "I will send a little letter to your grandmother, narrating your shenanigans to her."
He leaned closer to her ear and added in a low tone, "Also the fact that you're not sleeping in your boyfriend's room might make her come over for a little visit."
Driver Jang had told him of the comical encounter with Gayoon's grandmother and Minho was amused that he had one weapon of mass destruction in his hands to control Jeon Gayoon.
Gayoon widened her eyes, blushing hard. Damn the smooth talking money lover! She cursed him in her thoughts yet she could not help but turn beetroot red at his words.
Mina and Jina were frowning as Minho whispered something into Gayoon's ears.
"What are you telling her?" Mina demanded.
"Yeah! We wanna know!" Jina insisted.
But Minho's icy look reappeared and he stood up. "Kids like you won't understand," he shrugged. "I'll see you tonight," he added to Gayoon who was still red in the face.
The aunt and niece were frowning at the mysterious encounter between the CEO and his detective. What just happened?