Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Minho stopped in front of Jina's school. The little girl sat on the passenger's seat, looking a little lost. He knew that she was still upset over what happened with Kanji and even though he wanted to comfort her, he did not know how. How could he comfort her when he himself could not accept reality?

"Are you alright?" he finally asked.

"No," Jina admitted in a thick voice. "It's...it's just hard! Seeing uncle Kanji like that…"

If his death was hard on them, knowing that his spirit was going to leave within two days was even harder to digest. How were they going to live without him? 

As long as she could remember, Kanji was always there. Even if her father constantly complained about him, she knew that Kanji was his best friend and almost like a brother to him. In all their family pictures and events, her uncle Kanji was always there. 

But after two days, he would not be around anymore. How were they going to cope with that?

Minho patted her head. "That idiot will never be able to go if you're sad," he said in a soft tone. "I know him very well. He'd rather like it if I kick him into the afterlife in annoyance rather than be sad about it. At least he'll know we'll be alright."

"Will we be alright?" Jina asked. She looked at him with her large doey eyes, seeking answers. If there was one thing Minho could not do, was lie to his daughter. 

"No," he finally said. "But we'll have to try."

He lovingly poked her forehead. Jina could not help but lean over and hug her father. She tried not to cry but the damn tears would not stop. Minho let her cry for a while, patting her back as the little girl tried to come to terms with their loss. 

Finally, he let her go and wiped her tears with a tissue. "Fix yourself before going to class," he instructed in a thick tone. "Focus on your studies and don't think of anything else. If any spirit comes around you, don't talk to them. We can't trust any ghosts right now. What if that demon tries to hurt you? Keep those amulets with you, alright?"

Jina nodded, averting her gaze from him. She still did not tell her parents about that witch who had threatened her but she had to come up with something fast. The witch would come for her and Jina would have no choice but to go with her. Otherwise not only they would lose Kanji's body to the demon but also grandpa Jason would be killed off. 

She got out of the car and slowly walked towards her school. The kids around her were chattering in excitement but Jina kept her distance from them. She could not stand their happy faces when her own heart was so sad. It astounded her that while her family was living in misery, everyone around them was oblivious to their sufferings. Was that how the world worked? In a blissful oblivion? Why were everyone else happy while they suffered?

For the first time in her life, Jina felt a sense of resentment towards others. It was strange because she never thought ill of anyone but at that moment, even in the crowd, she felt completely alone and numb. 

Her mind was scathingly cursing the people who were smiling and laughing. The sight of their cheerful faces was making her nauseous. She clutched the straps of her bag and stood there, observing the kids. Her heart was racing fast and she felt suffocated in the crowd. 

Smiles. Smiles everywhere. The children brushed past her, uncaring and unaware of what was going on in her mind. Her feet refused to move while the images of the smiling faces were slowly turning into surreal ones. They were all now turning towards her but instead of happy smiles, they flashed mocking laughters at her. 

Her head was spinning wild images. The kids were taunting her, gloating their smiles in front of her, making Jina nervous and scared. She was finding it heavy to breathe, their whispers echoing in her ears.

"You'll never be happy…" someone spoke in her ears, the voice almost like a wisp. 

"The dead do not come back…"

"You failed him."

"You're nothing but a weakling…"

The whispers were getting louder. Jina shut her ears but she could still hear the taunts and jeers. The kids were now gathered around her, mockingly smiling. She could no longer distinguish their faces; all were like dark shadows with bright smiles etched on them. They were engulfing her, making her uncomfortable. Their hands reached out to her, poking and grabbing her.

"Let me go…" she moaned weakly. Her feet would not move, her muscles still like a statue. She wanted to run and escape their clutches but it was impossible. 

"Please...let me go…" she begged.

"You're a monster…" the whispers were getting louder. "A freak and a failure! He died because of you…"

"No…"

Jina lost all sense of time and space as the dark faces closed in on her, their sinister smiles etched on their faces. It was impossible to tell who were her friends and who were her foes because everyone looked the same.

"We're happy but you...you deserve to be in hell…" 

No...she thought weakly. This is a dream! Just a...dream…

Her senses gave away and she fell on the ground, unconscious. As soon as she fainted, all the dark shadows were gone, replaced back with the children who were simply chatting or playing amongst themselves. They turned around to find Jina unconscious in front of the field and they rushed to help her. A few of the teachers also ran towards the little girl.

"What happened?" a teacher demanded from one of the students.

"W-we don't know, teacher!" she claimed. "We saw Jina standing here and were coming to invite her to play with us when she suddenly fainted!"

The teacher checked Jina's pulse and breathing. Thankfully, she was still breathing.

"I'll take her to the nurse's office," she declared. "If she's not awake within half an hour, we'll inform her parents!"

She carried the little girl to the nurse's office. Jina was half-conscious and aware that she was being carried away by someone. In her daze, she slightly opened her eyes to see what was going on. Her senses were muddled but in her confused state, she thought she saw a familiar slim figure with long dark hair. The figure stared back at her with an evil smile on her face.

"I am waiting," Anna mouthed at Jina, smirking in delight.