Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Mina hesitated a little. It was not a topic she was keen to discuss but Minho had informed her that Gayoon was investigating the case. Moreover, his sudden reappearance was rattling the country again. Even with the advancements in technology, no one had any clue who the murderer was and even Mina was becoming nervous.

Gayoon knew the dilemma Mina was in. After all, she, too, had spent years in fear of ghosts which had haunted her. Mina was probably going through a similar experience.

"I know you're scared," she consoled Mina. "But there's a killer on the loose and we must catch him. If you'd only give us a clue. Anything which can help us capture him."

Mina took a long sip of her drink, contemplating what to do.

"Honestly, I don't really remember him much," she admitted. "I know he told me something about 11:59 PM…"

Gayoon shifted uncomfortably in her seat, recalling that horrible story. It was hard for her to believe that a serial killer as sinister and sick like that could even exist. The very thought of what happened to those girls' hearts was making her squirm. Suddenly, she could no longer drink her soda and kept it aside.

"Anything else?" she probed.

"Well…"

Mina thought hard. There were a few flashes she did recall.

"The tools," she began.

"What tools?"

"The tools he used to...you know cut up people?" Mina winced. "Now I know he's an expert in cutting out the hearts. But I don't think so."

"What do you mean?"

"Those tools were designed for amputation," Mina explained. "Not heart surgery. Any cardiologist would know that. You're looking for an Orthopedic Surgeon who specializes in amputation."

Gayoon took notes of everything Mina said. In the past, there were different precincts working on the case and this led to a rivalry between them. Instead of working together, each group was trying to undermine each other which is why these information were not gathered properly. Moreover, the two survivors were either too scared to talk or were minors, which made it even more difficult for the police to catch the CCK. 

But Gayoon was now determined to solve this case under any circumstances. And Mina's information was crucial for the case.

"There's a comatose doctor here," she mentioned. "I think his name is Nam Daewhi."

"Doctor Nam?" Mina frowned. "Yes. He has been in this hospital for over twenty years."

"Why is he in a coma?" Gayoon asked.

"Hard to tell honestly," Mina said. "You see, when they found him, it seemed that he had self operated on his wound and ended up cutting off a large chunk of his meat. It was gruesome! He was found unconscious on the road and brought in."

Self operation? Was that even possible?

"He lost a lot of blood," Mina went on. "And some of his organs had been ruined thanks to the botched operation. So he's mostly on life support."

"Does he have a family?" Gayoon asked.

"No," Mina replied, shaking her head. "You wanna see him? He's unconscious but I hope it can help your case."

"Yes," Gayoon said. She was not sure if seeing the comatose doctor would help the case but she was curious. Why did he operate on himself and endanger his life? 

Mina got up and led the way. They walked till the third floor. Gayoon followed Mina through the long corridor until they reached room number 341.

"He's in here," she said, opening the door. Gayoon entered a private ward where a man in his sixties lay. He was plugged into various machines, one of them which Gayoon recognized as a heart monitor. The man was breathing slowly, oblivious to the world around him.

"How the hell did he survive such fatal wounds?" Gayoon frowned. The unconscious man's tale seemed too suspicious. He self operated on his wounds instead of calling the hospital which only meant that he was hiding something.

"We don't know," Mina sighed. "I've only heard that his colleagues at that time had worked day and night to save him. You see, he had a wife who was pregnant that time and they wanted to save him for her sake. But he fell into a coma. After waiting for a few years, the wife filed for a divorce, citing that he was incapable of taking care of their needs. She took their child and left. Unfortunately, she also had the rights to take him off life support. Until she is found, we can't take him off life support. The management of the hospital were lenient and let him stay here as a permanent patient. After all, he is one of us."

Is he? Gayoon was not so sure. But even if this guy turned out to be the CCK then who was the current killer? A copycat? She doubted the latter theory. The killer was completely in tandem with CCK's MO. Copycat killers usually slip up in some way but the dissection style and method was exactly the same as CCK's. 

"And he never came out of his coma?" Gayoon pressed. "Not even once?"

"Nope," Mina stated. "He can't. He's as good as dead but our hands are tied. We can't legally do anything until his wife signs the form."

"Doctor Hwang!"

They turned around to see one of the female interns entering the room.

"What is it, Dohyun?" Mina asked.

"Your practical class on heart transplant will start in a few minutes," Dohyun answered. "You asked me to remind you."

"Oh shoot!" Mina exclaimed, face palming herself. "I completely forgot. Thanks for reminding me!"

She turned to Gayoon and added, "I'll see you later! I have to go and teach the new interns!"

"Alright!" Gayoon replied. "Bye!"

Mina waved her goodbye and left the room. Dohyun smiled at Gayoon and bowed. 

"How do you know Doctor Hwang, detective?" Dohyun asked politely.

"Oh I just happened to know her brother," Gayoon said in a sheepish tone. "We're sort of...acquaintances."

What was she going to call him? Her boyfriend? Even the thought of it was making her blush. 

"I'll head off," she said. "It was nice to meet you."

Gayoon bowed before scurrying out of the room. Dohyun stared at her retreating back before glancing at Doctor Nam's still body.

A demonic grin was curled on her lips. "Acquaintances?" she asked in a low but sinister voice. "Looks like Hwang Minho has another weakness."

She cackled at the new discovery. And now, it was time to strike.