Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 272: Scars of the Dead (16)

Dinner was a quiet affair that night. The staff had gone out of their way to prepare a lavish meal for the guests but the atmosphere was glum. Mina was merely playing with her food, her mind still on Kanji while Gayoon was glancing at Minho every minute. He kept a poker face but there was a cold aura emitting from him which only meant that his conversation with Danny did not go well. Something must have angered him immensely and he was barely keeping it under control.

Doyoung was also not eating much, her mind on what her son had probably done. She was worried that Siwan was inheriting some disturbing behavior and even though Danny had never hit anyone in front of their son, she was not sure where he was getting these habits from. Was Danny displaying some sort of violent tendencies in front of Siwan?

She looked at her husband whose jaw was tightened. For some reason, ever since he came out of Hwang Minho's study, there was friction between the men. Siwan sat between them, his eyes on Jina. The little girl sat close to her mother and when she noticed him glaring at her, she shifted closer to Gayoon in fright. 

Gayoon, trying to lighten up the tense environment, picked up a bowl of yams and offered it to Doyoung.

"Would you like some yams?" she offered. "My grandmother sent it. She grows them herself."

"Oh, sure!" Doyoung smiled and accepted the plate. "The dinner is lovely!"

Gayoon smiled back and turned to Mina. "Where's Kanji and his...friend?" she asked. 

Mina, who was lost in her own world, jumped. "H-he went back after she complained that she was ill," she lied. "And Haejong also had to leave for some urgent business."

"Oh, I should send him some of the food in packed boxes then," Gayoon said. 

"Mom, when can we go home?" Siwan demanded. "I'm tired."

Doyoung was about to answer but Danny told his son in a sharp tone, "Do not be rude to our hosts. They've gone out of their way to invite us. Pay some respect."

"You're only here coz of your hospital," Siwan mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Danny asked.

"Nothing!" Siwan replied.

"He's probably bored," Minho said, attempting to be civil. "Children are restless."

"He should know when to speak in front of elders," Danny said. Glancing at his son, he added, "He's becoming too insolent."

"We just have to be careful what we teach our children," Minho stated. "If they're wrong then it's our duty to make them understand. Not force them into listening to us but rather talk to them clearly."

"I think I know how to handle my own son," Danny retorted with a smile. Jina looked from the mean uncle to her father. They were having a cold war and even she could feel the tension.

Gayoon touched Minho's thigh from under the table and squeezed it. He understood what she was trying to convey. The Kang's were their guests and they had to be polite even if they hated it.

"Dad, at school today, my teacher told me that my maths have improved!" Jina piped in. "She even gave me two stars!"

"Really?" Minho laughed. "Why didn't you tell us? I'd have posted it on my office wall!"

"Office wall?" Doyoung asked, feeling amused.

"Minho has an entire wall where the employees get to post up their children's achievements," Gayoon told her. "It's something he came up with after Jina was born. Since a lot of the employees don't get to go home till late at night, they are unable to spend time with their children. So he made a wall where the employees can post up pictures and achievements of their kids. No matter how small the happiness is. You should visit his office and take a look at it."

"I have the largest corner there!" Jina beamed in pride. "Uncle Jongin used to tell me stories of how my dad used to take me to his office when I was a baby. He conducted meetings with very famous people while I sat in a corner, sipping from my cup!"

She turned to Danny. "Uncle, do you guys also have a kiddie wall?"

Danny flashed her a mechanical smile and said, "I'm a doctor, dear. I'm way too busy to make something like that."

"But aren't you a p-ped-o?" Jina asked. Danny stiffened while Doyoung tried to stifle a laughter while Siwan looked murderous. Minho wanted to give his daughter a medal while Mina was also smiling.

"Pediatrician," Gayoon corrected her. "Uncle Danny is a pediatrician."

"What's that?" Jina asked.

"He treats children," Minho explained. Jina was shocked to hear that. This man treated children and yet killed Shinho?

She was so shocked that her mouth fell open and some of the food in it splattered on her dress. Siwan laughed at her but stopped after getting a stern look from his dad. Both Minho and Gayoon grabbed tissues to clean her up. 

"Careful!" Minho told her but Jina merely giggled and kissed her dad's cheek. She turned and kissed her mom too. 

Siwan had stopped laughing but he was observing the strange family which sat opposite to his. Jina was now laughing with her parents, chatting about how hard her tests were and that she was studying hard. Watching them happy was making him feel strangely lonely. His own parents sat on either side of him, not even looking at each other. They felt near him but their presence was far.

He absentmindedly picked up a juice glass and was about to drink from it but his mind was on how Jina was laughing with her parents. The glass slipped a little and some of the juice fell on his shirt.

"What did you just do?" Danny angrily scolded him. "You just ruined your clothes!"

"I" Siwan began but Danny's angry gaze made him stop midway.

"Danny, it was an accident," Doyoung said.

"He should be careful," Danny said in a stern tone. "He's a future doctor after all. Carelessness isn't going to help him in his career."

"He's just ten," Mina scowled. "I'm sure he still hasn't decided what to do. The most he can do at this age is to memorize the multiplication table!"

"Our family always produced the finest doctors," Danny stated. "My son will also become one."

"You have decided everything for your sons, haven't you?" Minho asked.

"Son," Danny corrected him. "I have only one son."

Minho stared at him for a while before saying, "My apologies. It was a slip of tongue."

Turning to Gayoon, he asked loudly, "Gayoon, did you find out who killed that boy? The one whose body was dumped at the precinct?"

Gayoon glanced at Danny. He was still eating his food. Maybe it was time to make him sick.

"No," she admitted. "It's so sad. Who would kill an eight year old boy like that? The killer was quite ruthless."

"How did he die?" Doyoung asked.

"Someone bashed his head," Gayoon revealed. Danny, who was about to scoop some soup into his mouth, froze. 

"The killer even buried him," she went on. "We found dirt up his nose and mouth. But I guess the snow was too deep because the killer couldn't bury him properly. Someone found him and dumped him in front of the station. He died just three nights ago."

Danny looked up and for a moment, his mask slipped. Minho immediately noticed it but the man managed to compose himself.

"DId you find out his identity?" he asked in a cool tone.

"The forensic doctor is doing a DNA test and also a dental test," Gayoon said. "We didn't find him in any registry but the dental records should show up. He was eight. His milk teeth must have fallen off and he was definitely taken to a dentist at some point. Hopefully we'll find his parents."

At that point, Minho leaned forward and asked, "You're a pediatrician. You must have met many children who were abused. How do you know if a child was abused by his parents?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "If there's physical abuse, then there are scars and signs on their bodies," he said. "They might be malnutritioned and in case of internal injuries, their affected organs might also stop working. Especially the stomach where children are sometimes-"

"Kicked on?" Minho suggested. "The abuser uses his power dominance to prove himself superior, am I right? So they kick on the child's stomach a lot?"

"Punches too," he went. "They'll punch the child on the stomach repeatedly until the child coughs up blood. That's one of the most sensitive areas, am I right? The child gets hurt there the most."

His fingers tightened around his fork as he kept on describing what Danny had done to his own son. Images of his own teenage years were flashing in his mind as he remembered the corporal punishment inflicted on him. The scars on his back were proof of what they had done. But he was one of the lucky ones who managed to survive that torment and turned his life around.

Shinho was not so lucky.

'Isn't that what the abuser wants?" he asked in a steely tone, not flinching away from Kang Danny's eyes. "To show off their power?"

Danny did not reply. He smiled but his insides were angry and scared. Why was Hwang Minho telling him all that? What was his purpose?

"I-" he began but Minho cut across him.

"My lawyers will get in touch with you regarding the land," Minho stated. "We will be working on it soon. Hopefully, you will be giving us a tour of that place?"

Danny was studying him. The man had suddenly changed the topic but he was sure that Minho was not done with it. The man wanted something from him. But what?

"Yes," he finally said. "I will."

Doyoung was confused by the exchange between the men while Gayoon was worried. Jina was looking from her dad to the uncle while Siwan was silent. 

From afar, Shinho was watching the two families at the table. Yumi and Casper were standing next to him as he shed pearly tears.

"Dad" he whispered. "That's my dad!"