20 Second Encounter

Gayoon recognized the taller one as the eccentric money lover she had encountered at the park a few nights ago. She had noticed him calmly standing up with an irritated expression during her encounter with the old woman. She figured he would subdue her from behind so she kept her distracted. Taking advantage of the crazy woman's unconsciousness, the other customers began to exit the restaurant until only the three of them remained back.

"T-thank-" Gayoon began to say but Minho cut across her.

"If the drama is over then I'd like to return to my office," he said curtly and started to turn around but Kanji pulled him back.

"Don't be such a brute!" he said happily. "We should help the...er…"

He glanced at Gayoon, who was still covered in mud and blood. She was suddenly conscious of the state she was in.

"Detective Jeon Gayoon," she introduced herself. Kanji did not need to know who she was because he had recognized her as the woman who gave birth to Jina many years ago. Minho had shown him her photo when he was going through the candidates.

At that time, she looked like a scared and nervous girl who was barely an adult. But now she seemed rougher and more brash. There was an undying confidence in her which oozed out when she walked into the restaurant to arrest the woman.

"Err...yes, detective," he nodded. "I'm Jang Kanji! Can we help you with anything? Maybe we could be witnesses to how this woman was brandishing the bottle."

"Oi!" Minho protested. "I have to go to a meeting now! If I don't it'll cost me millions of dollars!"

"Helping the law is also our duty," Kanji gritted with a smile. "And this...uh...lovely detective needs our testimony."

"Oh you can just leave your cards with me and I can contact you-" Gayoon was saying but Kanji clasped his hands together.

"Wonderful! We'll be glad to accompany you to the station!" he exclaimed, putting words in her mouth. "Anything to help the law."

In reality, he was curious about this strange encounter. Of all the people who could have arrived at the restaurant that day to arrest the old woman, it turned out to be Jeon Gayoon. That too when Minho happened to be around.

Minho could read his thoughts from a mile away. His so-called best friend had a bad habit of trying to play cupid and failed every time.

"I'll pass," he said loudly. "I have better things to attend to."

"We can at least buy her a pair of fresh clothes," Kanji hissed at him.

Minho looked at Gayoon from head to toe, making her feel a little awkward.

"She looks fine to me," he said. "I don't see why I have to waste my money to buy the detective any clothes. I'm sure she has her own money."

Gayoon was taken aback by the rude stranger. "Hey! I can afford my own clothes, alright?" she scoffed.

"Good," Minho said. "Then I believe I have no work here. Now if you'd excuse me."

He nodded at her and left the restaurant, leaving Kanji and Gayoon to stare at him with their mouths wide open.

"Is he always this rude?" Gayoon questioned.

"That's actually his nicest attitude," Kanji commented. "You should see how he tries to kick me out of his office everyday."

Gayoon shook her head at that strange creature.

"I'll take her to the police station," she said. She handcuffed the woman and roughly picked her up into a standing position. Kanji leapt forward to help her half carry the unconscious woman out of the restaurant.

"I can give my statement today about what happened here," Kanji offered.

"Ah, thank you," Gayoon said as they pushed the woman into the backseat of her police car and locked the other end of the cuffs against a metal rod placed right behind the front seats.

Gayoon got into the driver's seat while Kanji sat next to her. The woman behind the stirred a little as Gayoon hit the pedal.

"How long have you been a cop?" Kanji asked.

"Almost five years," she replied. "I graduated from the police academy early thanks to my skills."

"How did you manage to get into this state?"

He was referring to the blood and mud on her clothes. Gayoon sighed and said, "The old lady back there had stabbed her daughter and dumped her in an open grave when the neighbor spotted her. The rookies on the crime scene did not seal the place properly so I fell into the grave and well…"

"Tell me one thing though," Gayoon frowned. "That guy back there...who is he?"

Kanji straightened up a little. He knew that Gayoon did not recognize either of them since they had never met face to face during her pregnancy period. He was unsure of how much to reveal.

"That...that's Hwang Minho," he replied. "The CEO of Hwang Constructions."

"Hwang Constructions?"

The name was not unfamiliar to Gayoon. It was the top firm in the country and she was vaguely aware that its CEO was probably even more powerful than the government of the country. His love for money explained why he was so powerful.

"He's one strange guy," she commented. "The other night, he made a girl cry with his words."

"The other night?"

"Yeah, I ran into him at a park where some girl was trying to accuse him of assault," Gayoon shrugged. "He said something like how she was living off her family's money and was unprofitable to him. I couldn't catch half of the stuff he said. Sounded like a lot of nonsense."

Kanji was surprised at the revelation. Minho had met Gayoon a few nights ago? It was obvious that he recognized her but he gave no such indication in front of her. Does Gayoon know that he was the father of her child?

"There are only two things Hwang Minho loves," Kanji told her. "Money and his daughter."

Gayoon laughed. "He actually has a daughter?" she snickered. "Kinda hard to believe that a woman would actually get together with him!"

Kanji cleared his throat but did not bother to correct her. After all, the contract stated that Jina's birth mother would remain anonymous and would waive her rights over Jina after giving birth.

"Yes, hard to believe right?" he laughed nervously. The woman behind them was stirring. She would wake up soon.

Kanji's phone beeped. He unlocked it to see a message from his assistant.

"Hwang Minho is about to strike a deal with HM Traders for their new building," it said. "4 PM at Maple Hotel."

He put down the phone and glanced at Gayoon. The text gave him an idea...