8 A Family Drawing

Minho was in the middle of an important meeting when Driver Jang called him. He frowned when he saw the number. Driver Jang never called him unless it was an emergency related to Jina. He immediately picked up the call.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Sir, I have to inform you of something," Jang replied. "The young miss has forced me to drive her to the police station."

"What?" Minho exclaimed. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know sir," Jang said. "She wouldn't tell me. I think you should come here as soon as possible."

"I'll be right over!"

He hung up the phone and turned to his employees. "I'll have to take a short break," he announced. "Please continue without me."

The employees looked on in surprise as he dashed out of the door. Wearing his suit, he headed straight for his car at the parking lot. Hitting the accelerator, he backed out of the car park and drove as fast as he could.

His head was full of questions. Why did Jina go to the police station all by herself? What was the reason? Was she in trouble?

It was hard to imagine an eight year old falling into some kind of trouble with the law. Then why was she there?

He arrived at the precinct Jang had told him about. Quickly spotting the car in front of the station, he rushed over towards Jang. As he passed by, several lady police officers were staring at him in admiration. They were swooning over his sharp features and handsome appearance.

"Isn't he hot?" one female detective commented.

"Very," another one agreed. "He looks rich too. Just look at that attire. It's definitely designer wear."

They giggled freely as they watched Minho approaching the man in chauffeur's uniform.

"Where is she?" he demanded. 

"Sir she just-"

Jang broke off to see Jina was coming out. "There she is sir," he said pointing at the entrance.

Minho turned around to see his daughter was coming out of the police station. She stopped short upon seeing him.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. There was a hint of fear in her voice. Minho strode towards her and fell to his knees. He put his hands on her shoulder, checking if she was alright.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Are you hurt? Why did you come here? Did someone harm you?"

Jina bit her lip. She could not lie to her father but what if he got angry if he found out that she was looking for her mother?

"Someone stole my candy!" she lied. "So I came to the police station to report the thief but they wouldn't take my complaint!"

She stomped her foot in mock anger, secretly hoping her father would fall for it. To her relief, he laughed out loud. His child was really naive.

"They didn't take your complaint? How outrageous!"

"Yeah!" Jina quickly said. "It's so unfair. It's a...it's a...violation of justice!"

Minho snickered. "Where did you learn such heavy words?" he asked as he picked her up into his arms.

"Julia told me," Jina replied.

"Your imaginary friend Julia?" Minho sighed, carrying her towards the car.

"She's real!" Jina insisted. "She said that she was pushed from her roof and she died. But her killer was not arrested. So she taught me that phrase."

Minho frowned a little. He was quite worried about his daughter's strange imagination. She made up many such imaginary friends with strange backstories on a daily basis. Her stories were getting more descriptive day by day. 

She'll grow out of it, he shrugged. 

"Enough fun for today," he said. "Let Jang take you home, okay?"

"Okay!"

Minho turned to Jang. "Take her straight home," he instructed. "No more detours."

Jang nodded in understanding. Minho put Jina into the car and kissed her goodbye. He watched on as the car sped up, disappearing from view. 

His appearance was still garnering quite a few eyeballs but he did not care. All he cared about was his daughter's safety. 

"Jeon Gayoon!"

Minho froze in his steps. Jeon Gayoon? Did he hear it right? 

He was sure that he heard that name being called. Quickly entering the station, he looked around for the familiar heart shaped face. But there were so many people inside the station that it was hard to spot her anywhere. 

Someone slightly brushed against his arm but he was too busy looking ahead. Gayoon, who had just passed by him, briefly glanced at the well dressed handsome stranger before tearing her eyes away, not caring about who he was. She walked by after receiving a parcel from her grandmother, not looking back towards the good looking man who was still peering around, searching for something. 

Minho thought he saw the familiar figure but before he could double check, a group of policemen came out of a room, blocking his view. He tried to crane his neck but despite his tall figure, he could not find that person.

Why am I looking for her? He suddenly thought. That girl had disappeared from their lives as per the contract she had signed. Then why was he looking for her in the middle of this crowded place?

His phone was vibrating in his pocket. It was his secretary, Jongin. They were probably waiting for him at the meeting. 

Minho took one last glance at the crowd in the hopes that he would spot her but there was no sign of that girl. Maybe he was mistaken.

"I have better stuff to do," he scoffed. "Time to earn money."

With that, he turned on his heels and left the station.

….

Jina was engrossed in her drawing. Her nanny, Kim, was staring at her in awe. The little girl was very much involved in her artwork, not caring about food or anything else. 

"Young miss, it's time for your dinner," Kim informed her but Jina shushed her. Kim was taken aback as Jina returned to her drawing. Kim peered over to see what she was doing.

She was drawing a picture of a woman in blue clothing which looked like a police uniform. Next to her was a man in black suit.

"Who is this, young miss?" she asked.

"This is lady cop!" Jina announced with pride. 

"And who is that next to her?"

"That's my dad!" she said happily. "I'm drawing my family."

"But we have no cops in this family," Kim frowned. To her surprise, Jina grinned. The encounter with the lady cop had given her an idea. 

"She's going to become my mom," Jina promised as she held up her finished work. If her mom could not be found, then the lady cop would become her mom. She would make sure of that.

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