Chapter 262: Scars of the Dead (6)
Chapter 262: Scars of the Dead (6)
Mina took a deep breath. She was in her car, contemplating whether she should enter the mansion or not. Haejong had texted her that the work was done but he also asked her to stop by at his mansion. Apparently, he left his favorite shirt at the hospital and he wanted her to deliver it to him. Mina was not exactly keen to keep any sort of contact with that man, but he did help her, and she should thank him.
She put on her sunglasses and got out of the car. The large metallic gates were locked and were padlocked. A security camera turned her way and a robotic voice came from a speaker somewhere.
"Please enter your name and ID into the electronic register," the voice stated. A large monitor came to life and Mina stepped in front of it. Immediately, it took a snapshot of her face and identified her features.
"Hwang Mina," it said out loud. "26. Doctor at the National Hospital. Cardiologist. Blood type B. Please input your fingerprints of the screen."
Mina was irritated at the information which was stored in that damn security system. It felt like an invasion of her privacy.
The shape of a palm popped up on the screen. Mina groaned at the extra security and put her palm on it. The machine recorded her prints and then said, "Please state the name of the person you want to visit and the purpose. Type in your citizen ID and wait for the verification. A guard will arrive to escort your."
"Why don't you just put all that information on the front page of every newspaper?" she muttered sarcastically.
Mina followed the instructions and clicked enter. The machine began to process her information. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for someone to escort her inside. Dealing with these mafia men was a pain. Their hectic security was getting on her nerves.
"I can't believe I'm here on my off day!" she moaned. She really wanted to go to the airport to pick up Kanji and spend some time with him under the pretense of shopping. It was the only way she knew how to keep him close to her and not let him dally off with some random girl he was dating.
An armed guard arrived at the gate and looked at her from head to toe. Mina was feeling uncomfortable. She did not pay mush heed to her dress up. She simply wore a long sweater with a turtleneck t-shirt beneath it and slim pants. But the way the guard was examining her, she felt as if she was naked. His gaze made her uncomfortable and if he was not a mafia, she would have hit him hard with her bag which probably weighed a kilo at least.
"Follow me," the guard stated. Mina did not reply but flowed him albeit keeping a distance. The guard led her into the main mansion. Inside, the mansion was surprisingly neat and simple. It was a chic and contemporary theme with mahogany furniture.
"Wait here," the guard ordered her.
"Okay," she sneered at his rude tone. The guard did not react but gave her a hard look before going to find his master. Mina looked around her, impressed by the dcor. Her own mansion was probably bigger than Haejong's but she had to admit that he had great sense of art.
The living room she was led to was kept simplistic with abstract painting hanging on the walls. The paintings were simple renditions of different colors with no fixed pattern but were soothing to the eyes.
Right next to it was a cozy fireplace with an armchair and an ottoman. A mini shelf lay next to it which had books from different genre. Mina was somewhat impressed by his book collection and took out one book to read the back cover synopsis.
"I see you like to touch other people's things."
The deep voice startled her and she almost dropped the book but managed to catch it somehow. She spun around to find Haejong standing behind her, leaning against the wall. He was wearing surprisingly casual clothes. His purple jacket was partially unzipped, revealing some of his smooth chest while his hair was messy. He wore a three quarter white pant and he looked as if he had returned from a run.
Doesn't he feel cold? Mina wondered. Aloud she said, "I have your shirt."
She took out a bag and put it on the coffee table. "I'll leave now," she declared.
To her surprise, he blocked her way. Mina glared at him.
"What do you want now?" she asked.
"Let's have breakfast," he offered.
"I already had breakfast," Mina claimed. But right then, her stomach let out a loud rumble. She tried to keep a straight face but her lie was caught.
"Yes, I can see how hungry you are," he said warily. "I dug up a dead body on your request and you can't even have a small meal with me? Surely, you can repay some of the debt you owe me?"
"Debt?" Mina scoffed. "I saved your life. You should be running on my whims now! Now get out of my way!"
"No."
She glared at him but he was unaffected by her anger. "That woman is a detective," he stated coolly. "Your brother's girlfriend. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Would it have made a difference?" Mina snapped. "I merely used you to find a missing patient! She couldn't get an official warrant so I had to take your help. In fact, she didn't know that you're a mafia. If she had, she wouldn't have agreed to take your help."
"So, you lied to her," Haejong guessed. "And made me work with a possible foe."
"Is there anyone in this world who is not your enemy?" Mina shot back. "Now, move out of my way."
"No."
Mina kicked him in the shin hard causing him to double over in pain. Haejong did not expect the doctor to actually kick him! Was she truly not afraid of him?
Taking advantage of his temporary distraction, she pushed him aside and stomped off.
"You kicked a mafia leader!" he exclaimed.
"Next time, I'll not hesitate to punch!" she yelled back. "Pervert!"
Pervert? Was she courting death?
Mina made a face at him and left the mansion, not looking back. Despite her rude attitude, Haejong could not help but let out a laughter. She was a strange woman and for some reason, he did not hate her attitude. It was a refreshing change from the people around him who were mostly fearful of him.
"A doctor who is a gold digger with a spicy tongue," he sighed. "Wonder how long she can resist me?"
He summoned one of his guards. "Find out everything about Hwang Mina," he ordered. "About her friends, her likes and dislikes, her history. Everything."
"Yes sir!" the guard said and strode off. Haejong looked out of the window. Mina was heading for her car and got into it. He could not help but follow her movements. Why was this woman enticing him?
"Sir."
Another guard came up to him. "Sir, it's your grandfather's death anniversary next month."
Haejong stiffened upon hearing that. His grandfather, Lin Naesung, was the previous head of the family and one of the most dreaded man in the country before he was killed off by the Jang clan.
"What should we do for the anniversary?" the guard asked. Haejong was quiet for a moment.
"Do whatever you want," he said coldly. "It's not like I care much about him."
With that, he walked away. That's right, he told himself. The old man was a heartless asshole and Haejong had no business caring about him. All he cared about was his own position in the family.
After all, it was a survival of the fittest.