23 The Dahlias (1)

Minho was waiting at the lobby, impatiently tapping his foot. The detective was still getting dressed and he had been waiting for over an hour. The party was going to start and he hated being late. If Lee Shawn was not a suspected criminal, he would have simply gone to the party by himself. Unfortunately, he needed the detective's help and he could not leave without her.

The doors of the lift slid open. Minho casually glanced that way and briefly paused.

Gayoon had stepped out of it wearing the off shoulder black dress. She wore no jewellery but she did not need any. Her usually tied up hair was let loose into soft waves and her pale skin was accentuated by the dark dress. Her youthful face looked more mature while her cheeks were slightly brushed with a rosy glow. Her lips were adorned with a deep shade of red and even though she wore very little makeup, she looked naturally quite pretty.

She felt kind of uncomfortable but it was not because of the dress or makeup. In fact, it was because of her…

"Can we please stop at a shoe store on the way to the party?" she asked, pointing at the ragged sneakers she wore.

"No," Minho said, turning around to head towards the exit. "We're going to be late."

"But these shoes don't go with this dress!" she protested, following him. The dress was too long for her and reached beyond her feet. She had to pull it up a little every time she walked.

"Looks fine to me," Minho shrugged.

"But I can't wear these with this dress! It looks unfashionable!"

Minho snorted as they reached his car. "As if you were very fashionable before you slipped into that dress," he remarked.

Gayoon was about to protest but Minho said, "If you complain then I'm gonna make you buy shoes for an additional one thousand dollars. I'm sure you would be able to pay off that much amount of money within four months if you starve yourself."

That immediately shut her up. Minho strode over to the driver's seat. Gayoon pouted a little. What a jerk! She thought. Couldn't even open the car door for a lady.

She opened the door and got in, buckling up the seatbelt. "So where is this party?" she asked.

"At his private villa," Minho replied. He revved up the engine and they drove off.

"So what is this man like?" Gayoon asked. "How do you know him?"

"My company has been assigned to build his new office," Minho said. "We met today at my hotel to discuss the deal."

"How's his reputation in the market?"

"Clean as far as I know," he said. "But if he tries to scam me out of money then it'll be the last thing he would ever do."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel in anger. No one dared to mess with Hwang Minho regarding two things: his money and his daughter. Gayoon could sense his anger at the thought of losing money. It baffled her that someone could love money that much.

"Why are you so obsessed with making money?" she asked curiously. "I've seen a lot of greedy people but you don't strike me as such. It seems you simply like to make money for the sake of it."

"Because it's the only thing that doesn't betray you," Minho stated. "Everyone in life will leave some time in the future. But money, it stays. You can have little of it or a lot of it but if you know how to value it then it'll remain with you in some form or other. But it'll stay and never leave. That's why I like to judge everyone based on how they value money."

Gayoon was shocked at his words. For some reason what he said really made sense to her.

"Do you know how to value money, Detective Jeon Gayoon?" he suddenly asked.

"I-I use it only when needed," she stammered. "I don't really think too much about it. I just like to earn it through hard work and dedication towards my job. That's all. I don't earn a lot but at least it's my own money and I can do whatever I want with it."

Minho did not reply for a minute.

"How much were those shoes? The ones you're wearing right now?" he suddenly asked.

"These ruddy old things?" she asked in surprise. "I bought them off a sale. Cost me around ten dollars. Cheap yet sturdy."

"Looks like you do know the value of money," he commented. Gayoon was confused once again. Was that a compliment or an insult? She scratched her head in deep thought all throughout the ride but was never able to figure it out.

….

Half an hour later they pulled up in front of a large villa. Gayoon stared in wonder at it. The whole place was painted an elegant off-white color while there was a large swimming pool in front of the house. The garden was three times larger than Gayoon's own house while colorful and exotic flowers were planted all around the yard.

There were common ones like lilies, roses, hibiscus and tulips while she also noticed hydrangeas, blue jade vines and middlemist. There was also a strange bush which had beautiful purple flowers planted in it. The purple flowers were blooming beautifully yet there was a strange gloom attached to them which made them look mysterious and tempting.

"It's called a Dahlia."

Minho's voice startled her. She did not realize that she had paused in her steps.

"It's beautiful," she said in awe.

"It's alright," he shrugged. "Let's go in. Lee Shawn is in there with the guests."

He extended his arm. Gayoon hesitated before taking it and together, they walked into the grand ballroom of the villa. As soon as they walked in, the room was abuzz with whispers.

"Is that Hwang Minho?" one woman asked excitedly.

"He's so handsome up close!"

"But who is that woman with him?"

"He brought a date? But Hwang Minho was never seen with a woman before!"

"I always thought he was gay."

"Ugh look at those shoes!" One socialite pointed at Gayoon's sneakers. The latter heard it and tried her best to hide her feet while Minho was unaffected by the gossip. To him, these things were minuscule matters not of his interest.

"They're looking at me," Gayoon hissed.

"It's not like you'll meet them again in your life," he gritted, putting on a fake smile to nod at his business colleagues.

"It's embarrassing!"

"No one cares!"

They were arguing in whispers when Shawn walked up to them.

"Mr. Hwang!" he greeted with a wide smile. "I've been waiting for you. Ahh, I see you've found a date."

"Hello Mr. Lee," Minho acknowledged. "This is Ms. Jeon Gayoon, one of my business partner's relatives. She is new to town so her uncle asked me to bring her as my date to the party."

Shawn politely smiled at her and extended his hand but Gayoon was frozen on her spot. The familiar chill passed by her, freezing her whole body with fright.

There was a spirit with them at the party.