Scars of the Dead (14)
Scars of the Dead (14)
PLEASE ADD IT TO YOUR LIBRARY TO SUPPORT ME <3
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Minho led Danny towards his study, motioning his guest to sit on a couch near the fireplace. Danny sat down, admiring the room. It was much larger than his own study back at his mansion and the walls were lined with shelves which consisted of business books. Minho's desk was clean and crisp, without any clutter and the whole place was illuminated by a crystal chandelier which hung above them.
Despite the professional and clean outlook, there was also a warm homeliness to it. In between the books, were pictures of his daughter's childhood. There was also a picture of a teenage Minho with his sister. A picture of him and Gayoon stood on his desk with a snowy backdrop.
"You really love your family, huh?" Danny asked. Minho, who was pouring some whiskey for his guest and himself, paused.
"I do," he slowly replied. "There was a point when I thought I only loved money but I guess times have changed."
"You found something more important than money?" Danny guessed.
"On the contrary, it's more important than ever," Minho said, handing him a drink. "It's just that unlike before, I don't mind sharing the wealth I make with the people I love."
He sat across Danny, carefully observing the man he was about to rile up. From outside, Kang Danny did not come across a person who would kill someone. He was polished and eloquent in his posture. The man was calm and collected like a gentleman as he sipped his wine. If Minho had not known of his deeds, he, too, would have been fooled by the charade of elegance the man carried himself with.
"I've heard you are interested in our hospital project," Danny said. "I was hoping to talk to you about that."
Minho did not reply but simply sipped his drink.
"The hospital we're aiming to build will be for the underprivileged children," Danny went on. "My father had a dream to treat the poor children for free so that they could have a chance at life. I'm sure you know that even though our economy is doing great, the poorer sections are hit by the job market crisis. This caused many children to not just drop out of school but the healthcare accesses are becoming more and more difficult. So we are planning to build this hospital to treat them."
"I'm assuming that this hospital will be treating all kinds of children," Minho stated. "Including those who are going through severe abuse?"
"Yes," Danny replied with a smile.
"You are doing a social service then," Minho sighed. "A noble deed indeed. It's really strange though."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Strange?" he questioned. "How so?"
"I feel it's strange that on one spectrum of society, we have selfless doctors like you who want to treat the children for free," Minho said. "While on the other spectrum there are people who would kill their own children to cover up their own misdeeds."
Danny, who was about to take a sip from his drink, froze. Minho observed the small changes in his expression. His eyes narrowed when Danny quickly composed himself and continued to feign ignorance.
"Kill their own children?" Danny echoed. "Yes, I do receive cases like that. The things people do to their own flesh and blood. It's a terrifying world out there. It's a good thing we love our children dearly."
"Yeah," Minho sighed. "I can't say the same for this child whose case my girlfriend is handling."
"What happened to him?"
"Someone dumped the body of a child in front of the police station," Minho stated. "The child was badly abused for months and then, finally, his abuser decided to kill him by bashing his head with a heavy object. The killer would have gotten away with it too! He had buried the kid deep into the snow but luckily, someone found it and threw it in front of the police station. The killer probably did not dig the grave deep enough."
Hearing that, Danny shifted in his seat. Did the police find Shinho by any chance? But that was impossible! He had dug a very deep grave so it was impossible for a random passerby to find his body.
He's definitely talking about an unrelated case, he concluded.
"People are cruel," he said in a grim tone.
"They are," Minho shrugged. "It's a good thing that people like you exist to save others. Especially the children. You must love your son a lot."
"I do," Danny said in an indifferent tone. "He's the heir to my business. I'm sure that one day, he would make a great doctor. What about you? Are you planning to have more children?"
Minho raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked in a stern tone.
"Surely, you'll need a son to take your business forward," Danny said. "After all, sons are the ones who carry the bloodline and family businesses!"
"On the contrary, I know Jina will one day become more capable than anyone else to handle my business," Minho said in a cool tone. "But she has already chosen a dream for herself and as long as she wants to achieve it, I won't stop her. It doesn't matter to me if she takes over my business or not as long as she's capable of living independently. And about having sons. I, for one, will never pressure any of my children to take over my business. Children need a childhood, a family which would love and protect them. Not hurt them."
Minho gave him a long and hard look, judging the 'doctor' in front of him. Danny seemed to have realized his mistake and quickly tried to rectify it.
"I didn't mean it in a discriminatory way!" he laughed. "I'm sure your daughter is a very talented girl-"
"She's our pride," Minho stated. "And as a father, it's my responsibility to keep her safe and happy. Like all fathers should to their children."
He emphasized on the last line, making Kang Danny even more uncomfortable. There was a judgment in Minho's eyes which seemed to irritate him. The man did not know Danny from eve! Then why was he judging him?
"You are right," Danny said. "Fathers are supposed to keep their children happy and safe. They should also protect their family from dishonor."
Minho smirked. "As long as they're not doing the dishonorable thing themselves," he shot back in a seemingly calm tone. "Then the family will be happy."
Danny glared at him. Minho pretended not to notice and looked at his watch. Gayoon should be interrogating the wife at that moment. Danny was not an easy man to crack but the little conversation they had, told Minho plenty about the man.
And there was no doubt that Kang Danny was the murderer of his own son.
….
"The children seem to know each other," Doyoung noted. She was on a patio upstairs with Gayoon. They had left Siwan in Jina's room to play. At first, the children seemed to be shocked to see each other but Siwan claimed that they happened to know each other at camp. He did not elaborate while Jina was only staring at him.
"Will you two be alright?" Doyoung had asked him.
"We'll be fine," Siwan replied, glancing wickedly at Jina. The latter glared back but did not say anything. Gayoon, on the other hand, sensed that there was something wrong and did not want to leave Jina alone with the moody boy but Yumi's voice had assured her that she and Casper were there with her daughter. They would ensure the boy would not harm Jina.
"I hope they're getting along," Gayoon said in a worried tone.
"Relax!" Doyoung laughed. "They'll be fine. Siwan might be moody and rude at times but he won't do anything to displease his dad!"
"Is he scared of his dad?" Gayoon asked. Doyoung stopped laughing and sighed.
"Danny puts a lot of pressure on him," she said whimsically. "I rarely get to stay home due to my work but I always want to take him with me. But Danny wouldn't allow it. He keeps Siwan to himself all the time and I barely get much of a chance to talk to him. But I can see the huge responsibilities Danny imposes on the poor boy."
"That sounds harsh," Gayoon sympathized. "Why don't you sit and talk to him?"
"It's kind of complicated…"
Doyoung trailed off. "Danny and I aren't exactly the talking type," she admitted. "We barely discuss what's on our minds. All we care about is how to raise Siwan the best way possible."
Gayoon could sense the hint of sadness in Doyoung's voice but she could not push her too much otherwise she would become suspicious.
"Is Siwan an only child?" Gayoon asked in a casual tone.
"Yes," Doyoung replied. "He's an only child. I wanted more children but Danny refused. He did not want more kids. He claimed that raising another child would be too troublesome since I'm almost never home."
Gayoon was now thinking quickly. Shinho had also mentioned that there was only his dad, his older brother and a pretty lady in his family. He never mentioned his mother.
Was it possible that Shinho was illegitimate? That would explain why he was not on the family registrar.
"You're lucky," Doyoung suddenly said.
"Huh?" Gayoon gaped. "Lucky?"
"I can see it in Mr. Hwang's eyes," Doyoung said. "When he introduced you, he had this loving gaze on his face. He must truly love you a lot."
Gayoon blushed and looked down.
"Men like him are loyal to the person they love," Doyoung said, feeling a little envious of the detective. "If only all of us were that lucky…"
She laughed sardonically. The woman is truly without any filter, Gayoon realized. Even though they were not close, Doyoung was spilling a lot of beans. Either she was lonely or bitter. Or both.
Gayoon was about to say something when Nanny Kim approached them.
"Dinner is ready, madam," Kim informed them.
"Thank you Ms. Kim," Gayoon said. "We-"
A sudden crash made all of them jump. "What was that?" Doyoung asked.
"It came from Jina's room!" Gayoon gasped and sprinted off towards her daughter's room.
"Jina!" she yelled as she darted into the room only to be shocked by the sight.
Jina was standing while Siwan was sprawled on the floor, writhing in apparent pain. She looked at her mother, pale faced and shocked.