Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 419: Dollar

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DOCTOR DEMON IS OUT NOW

LINK: /book/doctor-demon_20493883605820405

........

The little girl was sleeping peacefully on her bed, hugging a teddy bear. There was a slight creak as the door to her room was opening and a few people were silently entering it. 

"You'll wake her up!" Gayoon hissed.

"Relax, she's sleeping," Minho assured her. Gayoon had insisted that they should be the ones to wish her a birthday first so she had planned this surprise for days. She had even asked the pet store to deliver the puppy to their home at exactly 6.30 AM that day. Thanks to the generous tip she paid them, the store owners had delivered the dog at exactly the right time and was currently in Gayoon's arms, curiously scanning its new home.

Gayoon crept to her daughter's bed but the puppy jumped out of her arms and landed on Jina's chest.

"Arf!" he barked, happily wagging its tail. His barking caused Jina to open her eyes in confusion.

"Eh?" she frowned. Her eyes widened in glee as the puppy came to her view.

"Puppy!" she squealed.

"Agh! The damn dog ruined the surprise!" Gayoon moaned while Minho shrugged.

"Is he ours?" Jina asked. "Can I keep him?"

"Yes dear," Minho nodded. "He's your birthday present."

"Happy birthday sweetheart!" Gayoon exclaimed and kissed and hugged her daughter. Jina hugged her mom, glad that finally after so many years, her mother would celebrate her birthday with them.

"Happy birthday, Jina," Minho smiled and hugged her as well. "You liked the present?"

"I loved it!" Jina exclaimed, picking up the pug. The puppy was also happy to see her, attracted to her natural warmth. Jina hugged the puppy and it settled into her arms, nuzzling its head against her chin.

"What are you going to call him?" Gayoon asked. 

"Er" 

Jina held him up in front of her. He was looking at her longingly as if waiting for her to name him.

"Dollar!" She squealed. "Goes with our family theme as well!"

"Dollar Hwang," Minho approved. "He does have a knack to find money."

The dog barked happily while Gayoon groaned. She forgot that Jina was a Hwang too and Hwang's always put money before everything else.

Save me, she lamented.

"Anyways," Gayoon said loudly. "Jina, you turned nine years old today! Tell us, what else do you want? A new dress? A game? Dolls?"

"Maybe a bank account," Minho suggested. "Or shares in a company. Or-"

"She's a child not an investment!" Gayoon snapped at him making Minho pout.

Jina thought for a while. What did she want?

She looked from Gayoon to Minho before smiling. "I think I've got everything I want," she finally replied. "I'm okay with whatever I get today because as long as my parents are together, I don't really need anything else."

Then something struck her. "I do want a sibling," she realized. "How can I get one? Will he be made in a test tube like I was?"

Minho snickered while Gayoon looked flustered. 

"Siblings will take a long time!" she claimed. "We can't make any babies today!"

"Why not?" Minho asked innocently. "Why can't we make a baby today?"

"Yeah mom?" Jina frowned. "Why can't I have a sibling today?"

Gayoon threw an angry glare at Minho who was still laughing.

"It takes a while for a baby to be born," Gayoon tried to explain. "A few months."

"You'll get one after a few months," Minho nodded but Gayoon pinched his arm, making him yelp. He pouted while Jina was confused.

I want a sibling, she wished.

"Jina, you should freshen up," Gayoon said, changing the topic. "There's a lot to do for tonight's party so everyone will be busy. You don't have school today so you can play with Dollar, okay?"

"Alright!" Jina said. Gayoon pulled Minho away. 

Jina got off the bed as soon as her parents left. Dollar followed her everywhere from the bathroom then back to her room. She sat at her desk to open a drawer. The puppy jumped on her lap, curious to see what she was doing.

She took out a picture of Shinho, the same one they used during the feeding ceremony. Dollar whimpered as tears fell from Jina's eyes. The puppy gently licked her cheek, trying to appease her.

"Don't worry," she whispered to the dog. "I'm not sad. I just miss my friend a lot."

She placed the photo on her desk and placed some candy bars in front of it. Will he come to eat them? She wondered.

Jina waited for a while but the picture and candies remained the same, untouched. There was no cold wind nor any unearthly presence. 

"I wonder if they're doing well," she asked out loud. "Casper, Shinho and Yumi. Will they be alright?"

"Arf!" the dog barked as if trying to tell her that they were okay. Jina patted him, her eyes still on the uneaten candies. 

Will you really come back? She wondered.

..

Once out of Jina's room, Minho grabbed Gayoon's arm and led her towards their bedroom instead.

"W-what are you doing?" Gayoon stammered. 

"Fulfilling Jina's wish," Minho said, feigning a nonchalant tone. "She wants siblings."

"There's a party tonight and a lot of work!" Gayoon protested.

Minho took out his phone, still gripping Gayoon's arm. 

Jongin was shy and awkward. He was at a restaurant, waiting for his new girlfriend to arrive. They barely got any time to have a proper date thanks to both of their jobs so she suggested that they could meet up for breakfast that morning. His current girlfriend was a few years older than him but she was surprisingly understanding of his busy schedule. Moreover, she had a hectic job herself so she knew his pain.

He saw her entering the cafe. She was carrying a lab coat on one arm and looked exhausted. Upon seeing him, she flashed a smile.

"Jaein!" Jongin greeted her. 

"Did you wait for long?" Jaein asked. "Sorry, I got caught up at the lab. There was an accident last night and I was held back."

"Jaein, what is it that you do?" Jongin asked curiously. "You never told me in detail."

"I drink with the dead," Jaein shrugged. She enjoyed seeing his expression whenever she said that because whenever she told that to any date, they would be freaked out. Jongin, on the other hand, only scratched his head like an innocent kid. 

"Eh?" he was confused.

Jaein sighed and was about to answer him when his phone rang up. Jongin saw the name on the caller ID and groaned.

"Boss again?" Jaein guessed.

"Yes," he sighed. There goes another one of my girlfriends, he wept inwardly.

"Hello, sir," he greeted over the phone.

"Jongin, arrange everything for the party tonight!" Minho ordered. "Gayoon and I will be occupied for a while with Jina. Take over the arrangements."

"Yes"

Jongin hung up the phone and sighed. "I'll have to help out with a party at my boss' hotel," he informed Jaein. "I guess our date will be cut short today as well."

"I can help," Jaein shrugged. "I don't have any more bodies to cut up today anyway."

Bodies? Cut up? Eh?