Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DOCTOR DEMON IS OUT NOW

LINK: https://www.webnovel.com/book/doctor-demon_20493883605820405

ALSO, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER BOOK 'TRIALS OF FIRE & LOVE'. IT'S A CONTEMPORARY MAFIA ROMANCE BETWEEN A MAFIA KINGPIN WITH A TERRIBLE SECRET AND THE WOMAN WHOM HE CAN'T EVER FALL IN LOVE WITH.

LINK: https://www.webnovel.com/book/trials-of-fire-love_20554444905405205

......

Junho stood outside the bride's dressing room, feeling nervous. It was already 6 PM and the guests had arrived. The ceremony was about to start in an hour and Gayoon was still getting dressed up. Even though Junho was supposed to arrive at that spot around 6:55, he came earlier than the allotted time because of his jittery nerves.

Shujin came out of the room to see him standing outside all awkward and stiff.

"What's wrong?" she frowned. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Nothing!" he claimed. "Just...agh! I guess I'm just a little nervous."

He sighed and sat on a bench which had been placed nearby. Shujin sat next to him, listening to his rant. Ever since Gayoon asked him to walk her down the aisle, Junho could not help but feel overwhelmed and also scared.

"I know I'm technically her father-in-law," he said. "But I've raised her ever since she was a baby. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed to see her grow up and get married."

"All fathers feel like that," Shujin consoled him. "You might not be her real father but she considers you more than that."

"I still remember when she was born and she could fit into my one arm!" Junho mused, his eyes a little moist. "And now, she'll be holding my arm while I walk her down the aisle."

"She's getting married to your son!" Shujin laughed. "She'll join your household. You should be happy about it."

"Agh, old woman!" he scowled. "Let me be sad that I'm giving her away to my worthless son!"

Shujin shook her head. Junho was feeling all the mixed emotions of a loving father who was seeing the daughter he raised getting married. 

"Children grow up fast," he sighed, dabbing his eyes.

"They do," she agreed. "Today, it's Gayoon. And in the blink of an eye, it'll be Jina's turn."

Junho nodded. "She'll turn out to be a fine woman," he predicted. "And a damn good cop. I'm sure of it."

"She will," Shujin agreed. She patted his palm, waiting outside with him. Junho looked down, trying to hide his tears but it was the wedding of the two people he loved and cared for the most. How could he not cry?

The sun was setting while seconds turned to minutes. Finally at 6:55 PM, the dressing room's door opened and they heard the clanking of heels as someone emerged from it.

"Ahjusshi…"

Junho and Shujin looked up. For a moment they were stunned before their lips burst into wide smiles. Junho held out his arm for the beautiful woman who was waiting for him to take her to her Prince Charming. She took his arm and smiled back.

"Let's go," he said.

….

"The bride is coming!" Mina spoke into her walkie talkie. "Tell the bandmaster to be ready with the song!"

"I'm ready," Jaewan's deadpan voice came from the other end. "Can I sing Marry Me Not Him?"

"No!" 

There was a slight "Tch!" from the other end before he hung up. Mina flashed a thumbs up to the bridesmaids. Jina stood at the entrance, wearing a pretty pink dress with cloud patterns on it. Her brown hair was braided and she wore a matching tiara. She would be leading the bridal procession while throwing flower petals at the guests. 

"This dog wouldn't stop sniffing my pocket for coins!" Kanji complained. "What if he pickpockets someone?"

He was holding Dollar who kept on peeking into Kanji's pockets or tickling him. 

"Relax," Mina gritted. "He's been trained to pick only your pocket!"

Kanji scowled at her and went back to his spot beside the altar. The guests had sat down, awaiting the arrival of the bride but many of the girls were ogling at the groom.

Minho stood at the altar, wearing a black tuxedo which hugged his fit body. His hair was brushed back, giving him a sleek and stylish look while his usually sharp brown eyes were softer under the fading daylight. The front pocket was attached with a blue corsage. His eyes were fixed on the archway entrance through which Gayoon would soon emerge.

Mina signaled the men in charge of the lights.

Slowly, the dim lights were turned up, illuminating the whole venue. Faint smokes emitted from the spa lake, warming up the cool weather. A pleasant aroma of herbs also engulfed the air. Shinjin had created the scent and was using a spray bottle to sprinkle the purifying essence around the venue.

The guests were awed by the magical charm of the wedding. One of the bridesmaids noticed that a table was kept completely empty. It had five empty seats. She nudged at Mina.

"Why is that table empty?" she whispered.

Mina glanced at the table and gave a sad smile. "It's for the guests who couldn't make it to the ceremony but will remain in our hearts."

The bridesmaid did not understand what she meant but kept on eyeing the table. From a distance, Jina was also staring at the empty table. It was a small tribute to her two grandmothers, Casper, Yumi and Shinho. They might not be there that day but as long as they were remembered, their presence would be felt.

The clock struck 7 PM. Jina took her position and stood in the middle of the archway. Looking behind her, she saw two figures approaching and smiled before stepping forward, walking towards the altar. She threw the flowers as she led the procession with Junho leading Gayoon slowly towards Minho. Jaewan was playing his acoustic music, a soft melody, mesmerizing the guests as the bride came to view.

As soon as Gayoon entered, everyone was awestruck. Her sleeveless white dress was a perfect fit for her petite figure. It was embroidered with flower laces, the helm of the gown flowing gently as she walked. Her long hair was loosely tied into a mermaid braid, held together by a blue butterfly clip made of shiny stones which was borrowed from her grandmother.

Her skin was radiant, shining under the soft lights while her eyes were sparkling in joy. The slight smile on her face made her look like an innocent angel spreading happiness all around her. She glanced at all her colleagues who had come. 

Junwan was smiling at her while Taejoon looked a little annoyed but nodded. To her surprise, Jongin was seated next to  Jaein and they were holding hands.

And then her eyes darted towards Minho. 

He stood there, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was the first time he was seeing her in the wedding dress and even though he knew she would look beautiful, he was still blown away. He was still finding it hard to believe that someone as precious as Gayoon was going to marry him. 

His heart was beating erratically, aching to run towards her and carry her to the altar. It was impossible to wait any longer. Even the few remaining seconds were testing his patience but he did not want to ruin this day. 

She finally reached the altar. Junho let go of Gayoon's hand and kissed her on the cheek. He smiled at his son and went back to the audience to sit down beside Shujin and Shinjin who patted his back.

"You look beautiful," Minho whispered into her ears. "Are you sure you wanna marry me?"

Gayoon shyly took his arm and replied, "You can ask me that question a million times and I'll still say yes!"

Jina watched as her parents began to exchange vows. She smiled at them, thinking about all the things they had experienced as a family. Her innocent mind might not be aware of many things, but she knew that her parents were soulmates. 

Minho used to tell her that someone who did not earn their own money through hard work could never be a rich man and Jina even believed him for a long time.

But now that she saw her parents finally getting married, she realized that her father was wrong. The richest person was not the one who worked for money. Only the person who worked for love could attain true wealth.

And at that point, Jina felt like she was the richest person in the world.