Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 184: Cashless, Kissless Date (5)

A thick, heavy fog shrouded his vision as he slowly made his way up the street. The cool winter air swirled around him, making him shudder and her clutched his jacket closer. There were not many people on the street due to the cold weather, most preferring to stay indoors within the warmth of their homes. 

Junho shivered as he walked towards the desolated cemetery, carrying a large guitar case. Beyond the fog, he could make out the tall, black gates of the graveyard. The steely metal was cold from beneath his heavy padded gloves as he pushed the gates open. He quietly walked into the cemetery, passing by the series of graves. The air was colder here and the fog heavier but he knew that it was not due to the fog.

Years of ghost hunting had made him more aware of ghosts and his experience allowed him to even faintly sense them. He could feel the brushes of the lonely spirits as he walked by. They were trapped in this world by their own guilts and regrets which could either turn them sympathetic or vengeful.

They were whispering into his ears, some begging to be freed while others taunting him and making threats. Junho ignored all of them, undeterred as he walked towards one particular grave. As soon as he neared the grave, the other spirits whispering into his ears disappeared. They would not go near that place because something sinister lay beneath it. Its aura was so strong that even though it was buried, the other spirits could still feel its anger from beyond the grave.

Junho marched up to the grave and bent over. It belonged to a man named 'Shin Hyunsoo' as written on the gravestone. He opened the guitar case. Inside it was a long shovel which he took out. Putting the shovel in the ground, he began to dig. 

It took him a while but he kept on digging until, finally, the shovel hit something metallic. Junho stooped down to dig it up with his hands. It was a small aluminium box which was tied by a red cloth held together by a thin, silver thread. It looked untouched.

"This thing is still trapped," he muttered. Even though the spirit was still locked within the box, he could feel that the entity had sensed someone had dug up the box. The box was turning really hot, trying to make Junho drop it so that it could break open. But Junho did not care for the heat and instead, put it carefully back in the grave before reburying it under the dirt. The entity was slowly growling inside the grave but Junho was unperturbed. As long as it was locked up, there was nothing to worry about.

He turned around and stepped away from the grave where he was once again bombarded by the other spirits, most of which were cursing him now for daring to open the grave. He could hear their choice of words, some jeering at him while others were trying to tug him. They were angry and wanted him to leave. The air around him became colder as more spirits came to scare him away. They wanted to hurt him and kill him for touching that entity.

Junho ignored all their jeers and curses. Instead, he picked up his phone to call Shinjin. The latter was in the middle of a meditation session when Junho called.

"Did you find out which spirit has escaped?" he asked.

"It ain't the Ripper," Junho replied. "He's still angry at us for trapping him in that box and tried to burn me. But he's still locked up so he can't do anything."

"It's not him?" Shinjin frowned. "That's weird. The escaped spirit gave off his vibes. This one is possibly a killer as well but I can't pinpoint its location at all."

"I'll keep looking," Junho stated. "Without searching, it'll be very difficult to tell which one has escaped. You also keep asking the nearby spirits. They might be able to tell."

Shinjin hesitated before suggesting, "We can use the little girl, you know. She can make the process easier-"

"No!" Junho said firmly. "We are not going to put Jina in any danger. She doesn't deserve to see such horrors! I will not put her through this."

Shinjin did not argue further. Jina was too young to accompany them on ghost hunting but the truth was that she was the only one who could see which spirit might have escaped. All Shinjin had to do was involve her in a seance and she would be able to pinpoint the ghost. But in order to do that, the girl will have to go through an exhausting process in which many spirits will be attracted to her and might even try to possess her which would psychologically scar the child.

"I'll look into the next ghost on my list," Junho said, still ignoring the legions of ghosts which were bombarding him, trying to possess him but failing due to his iron strong willpower. He hung up the phone and headed for the exit, wondering which spirit had escaped.

Where could it be? He wondered as he left through the gates of the cemetery, leaving it behind. He could still hear the hisses and groans of the ghosts which were trapped within the graveyard's premises, their jeers following him until the end of the town.

.....

"Uhhh"

Minho had put the plate of steak in front of her and she stared at it, unsure of what to feel. The meat was burnt to a crisp while the side vegetables were undercooked. She looked up at Minho, who seemed to be hiding his embarrassment behind his stoic face.

He had followed the instructions on the cover and he still ended up making this abomination!

They stared at each other for a while before Minho finally caved in. "I can't cook," he muttered in his monotone voice. 

Gayoon wanted to laugh but seeing how embarrassed he was in admitting his flaw, she did not dare to giggle. Instead, she stood to her feet and clapped her hands together.

"Looks like I get to flex my own skills," she said gleefully. "Watch and learn."

She lit up the grill again. Minho stooped down beside her as she mixed the seasonings in a bowl, stirring it until the mixture was thick. It looked creamier than his one and the scent of chillies, spices and vinegar was pleasant. She took out a slab of frozen meat and let it defrost by hanging it over the warm grill.

After a while, the meat softened up and she brushed the seasoning over it. As soon as she put it on the grill, it began to sizzle. Minho watched in awe as she cooked the meat to perfection, cut it into half and put it in tow plates before handing one to him.

"Ta-dah!" she exclaimed. "This is how you make a barbecue steak."

"Where did you learn to cook?" he asked curiously.

"Ahjusshi taught me," she simply said. Minho sighed, wondering what else did this mysterious ahjusshi of hers taught her. 

He took the plate from her hand and both of them took a bite of the steak. Minho was chewing slowly while Gayoon looked at him apprehensively, wondering if it tasted any good. 

"Well," she began. "How is it?"

She had devoured her steak because she was really hungry but she was also worried that it may not taste good to him. After all, he had the best steaks in the country thanks to his constant traveling and business meetings. She doubted that he would like her amateurish one.

Minho, on the other hand, took his sweet time to enjoy the juiciness of the steak. He was pleasantly surprised by the taste and it was on par with the food of the international hotels. Even better actually.

Gayoon was still looking at him, hoping to get an answer but he was quiet, finishing off his plate. He even finished the sauce, not leaving behind a single bit of it. 

"Is it good?" Gayoon asked. He looked up and stared at her for a moment. Gayoon was waiting for his answer when suddenly, he reached over and before she could react, he wiped off some sauce from the corner of her mouth.

"What the-" she began to frown but he playfully winked at her and licked his finger. Gayoon was frozen to her spot by his sudden mischievousness.

"I think the last bit of the sauce was tastier," he said in his deadpan voice, making her blush furiously. This man! She screamed in her head. She could not even stay mad at him!

"Let's go for a swim," he suggested, as he stood up. "The water is hot from the steam so it'll be relaxing."

Gayoon, who was too mesmerized to say a word, suddenly came back to reality. She had a mission to torment him. She could not be distracted.

Time to take out my ultimate weapon! She declared inwardly.