Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

They held their breath. Did it work? The doorway in front of them had not moved an inch.

"Is it wrong?" Kanji frowned. "The code?"

"What else could it be?" Minho groaned in frustration. "The bloody guy kept on chanting eleven fifty nine-"

Suddenly, the door moved. Kanji yelped and clung on to Minho who slapped him away. 

"Is it the killer?" Kanji trembled, pointing at the door. "Is he standing there?"

"No, you moron!" Minho snapped. "It's just the door opening!" 

And he was right. The door was sliding open to reveal a dark passageway. They gaped in awe at the path which lay in front of them.

"What if he's not here anymore?" Kanji reasoned. "After all, Mimi had escaped and he might have moved away from this place to a new hideout."

"But we need to be sure," Minho said. "Maybe we can find a clue to his new hideout from here. However, the passcode is still active. Someone definitely lives here. Come on."

He motioned Kanji to follow him. They no longer had the torch to lead the way so they had to use their instincts. Thankfully, there was a dim light which lit part of the tunnel. They quietly walked on, trying not to make any noise. The tunnel was really silent. Not even the scattering of mice could be heard. They had to be careful not to make sounds of footsteps but the soles of their shoes still clinked.

"Don't make so much noise!" Minho hissed. "He might hear us!"

"It's the shoes!" Kanji argued back. "But I don't see anyone here. He might have really escaped."

"Mimi said that she jumped from the cliff," Minho breathed. "So he must have taken her up there. I think we will find stairs here somewhere. Maybe his lab is up there?"

"But won't he get suspicious if he sees us emerging from the stairs?" Kanji asked. "We should have brought sticks or something. We don't even know if he's here!"

"I have something," Minho muttered. "We can use it as weapon if we spot him."

"What do you mean?" Kanji frowned. He stopped and turned Minho around. Minho was looking down as if he was hiding something shameful. 

"Minho, what are you hiding?" Kanji demanded. Minho hesitated for a few seconds before putting his hand into his pocket. Kanji's eyes widened in horror as Minho took out a gun.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Kanji whispered. "And why do you have it?"

"I...I bought it from a dealer downtown," Minho admitted. 

"But this is illegal!" Kanji scolded him. "You're a minor! You can't have this! Are you telling me that you purchased it through a criminal?"

When Minho did not answer him, Kanji understood. He grabbed Minho's collar and shook him hard.

"Are you mad?" he hissed. "You bought this? What are you planning to do, Hwang Minho?"

Kanji's questions were burning into Minho's consciousness. He averted his eyes, still shameful for what he had done but Kanji knew his friend well.

"You bought this for him, didn't you?" Kanji accused. "You bought this to use on your father if you run into him."

"Yes," Minho finally replied. "I bought it to protect the only family I have left. If I ever find that man, I will-"

Kanji punched him on the face. Minho staggered backwards, grumbling in pain. A purple bruise was appearing on the place where Kanji hit him. He looked up to see Kanji glaring at him.

"You will have no family left if you keep on obsessing over that man!" Kanji spat. "You really think that killing him is the answer? Minho, use your head! I thought you were the smart one among us! Have you ever thought what would become of Mina if you go to jail for killing your dad?"

Kanji's words made Minho feel even worse. He was embarrassed to admit that he had harbored such a thought. Kanji pursed his lips and patted Minho's shoulder.

"If you commit the same crime as your dad, then there's no difference between you and him," he reasoned. When Minho did not meet his eyes, he sighed and added, "Think about what you want to do and the life you wanna lead. You wanna become the richest man in this country so that you can finally cleanse the stain from your family name. And in the future, you'll have a family of your own! You can't defeat your dad by committing another crime. The only way you can beat him is by becoming a better person than him. Fulfill your dreams, raise Mina and one day, have your own family. Be happy, Minho. Not vengeful."

Minho snorted. It was ironic to him that Kanji was being the reasonable one but he knew that his friend was right.

"If I become the richest man in the country, then that'll mean I will beat you," Minho smirked.

"Don't worry," Kanji grinned back. "If you manage to surpass my wealth, I'll sell off my stuff and become a live-in brother-in-law in your house after I marry Mina."

"Over my dead body!"

"You'll see," Kanji claimed. "I'll marry Mina someday!"

"Pedophile," Minho stated in a deadpan voice as they walked ahead. 

"Jokes aside," Kanji said. "You're gonna get rid of that gun as soon as we're out of here! Do you promise? Otherwise, I'll tell my parents and Lawyer Lee."

Minho knew very well that once Kanji was serious about a threat, he would carry it out. There was no escaping his clutches once he was determined. He paused to face Kanji.

"I will throw it away," he promised. "But for now, let's find the CCK."

"I think we're in luck," Kanji commented. "Look."

He pointed behind Minho who turned around to see a long, winding stairway which led to the top of the cliff. 

"How did this man manage to build this?" Kanji frowned. "Building this sort of hideout needs a lot of time and money."

"If he's a doctor like the reports claim," Minho muttered. "Then he must be a rich one."

"But how does he choose his victims?" Kanji pointed out. "Mimi could barely afford a rich doctor for her health checkup. And Mina did not visit any doctor other than the designated family doctor. Then how is he choosing his victims?"

"Let's just go upstairs and ask him," Minho said in a sarcastic tone. "Kanji, we're here to rescue Mina! Not to become detectives!"

Kanji pouted as Minho began to climb the stairs. He followed his friend, both of them wondering of the dangers which lay ahead.