Chapter 43: Clueless
Jina was in deep thought. She sipped from her juice box.
"This is worrying indeed," she said, nodding thoughtfully.
"It is!" Gayoon exclaimed. "Your dad just called me up suddenly to meet once again! Why?"
After Minho's strange call, Gayoon immediately called Jina to ask if everything was alright. The little girl asked her to meet at a cafe near her mansion.
"Daddy never calls women to a hotel," Jina frowned. "He says it's a waste of time and money."
"Then why did he call me?" Gayoon asked. Both of them were trying to come up with reasons why Minho could have called her but to no avail. Do I owe him money? She wondered. Is it for the drinks he paid for last night?
"Well, the hotel he called at you is quite posh," Jina commented, drinking her juice. "It will be too expensive if you eat anything there."
Gayoon's eyes widened in shock. "H-how expensive?" she stammered.
Jina gave her a sympathetic look. "Let's just say, it'll take you a million lifetimes to pay for one entree there," she chirped.
Her words made Gayoon want to bang her head on the table. She rested her head on it and whined, "This is so unfair! All because of last night! Why did I drink so much?"
She wanted to cry hard. The money lover must have gotten really angry when she jumped on him and kissed him. She did not really remember much of their conversation but the feeling of his lips on hers still lingered. The warmth of his touch still did not leave her and she found herself unconsciously touching her lips. Her cheeks reddened at the thought.
"What happened last night?" Jina asked curiously.
"Nothing!" Gayoon lied, straightening up. "Nothing at all!"
"Well, what are you going to wear tonight?" Jina asked. "It's a really elite hotel. You need to look your best!"
"I haven't thought much of it," Gayoon shrugged. "I'll just wear my usual jacket and shirt-"
Jina choked on her juice. "Are you serious?" she asked crossly. "You can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"It's social suicide, Lady Cop!" Jina claimed. "That's what the other girls in my class say. The place you're going to is top class. You have to look good."
"I don't have anything fancy!" Gayoon exclaimed. The black gown she wore at Lee Shawn's party was torn to pieces. "Besides, those things are not long lasting. So much work! You gotta wash it in a specific way, iron them, dry clean them...ugh!"
She really hated wearing evening dresses. They just did not go with her style. Her usual jeans and jacket were so much more comfortable for her.
Jina shook her head in dismay. She had seen how the men at Gayoon's workplace ogled at her. The Lacy Cop did not know it but she had a killer beauty. Too bad she kept on wearing the hideous clothes to cover up herself.
"This is an emergency," Jina declared. "We have to get you something really nice!"
"How?" Gayoon asked.
Jina's shoulders fell in disappointment. She did not even have a credit card since she was a minor and she was sure that Gayoon's cards were useless. Suddenly, an idea hit her.
"My aunt!" she said in excitement. "She must have something which you can borrow!"
"You sure she won't mind?" Gayoon asked.
"Relax!" Jina waved. "My aunt is ditzy. She's too dumb to realize if any of her clothes are missing. Besides, she's not in the country. She went to the USA."
"For what? To study?"
"No," Jina replied. "To get her hair done. Her antics drive my dad up the walls. If there is one person who knows how to spend his money, it's Aunt Mina."
What a crazy family, Gayoon thought. Jina seemed to be the only sane one among them and she was just a kid!
"Come on!" Jina exclaimed, tugging her wrist. "We have very little time!"
"O-okay!"
She followed Jina out of the cafe and towards her car. Gayoon hesitated a little before getting into the limo.
"Hello Mr. Jang," she greeted meekly. Jang smiled at her and nodded in acknowledgement. He revved up the engine and they drove off.
"I can't wait to show you my mansion!" Jina chirped. She was very excited. Lady Cop was going to visit her house!
"That's nice," Gayoon giggled. "I would love to see it as well."
Truthfully, Gayoon was not so much interested in the mansion. She had heard of Hwang Minho's lavish house but throughout her career, she had seen many rich mansions due to some murder cases. The initial excitement had died off and she was quite immune to the grandeur.
A few minutes later, the car entered through the large gates of the mansion. Gayoon stared at the large garden landscape. There was a soothing feeling to it. There were not many plants on it but instead there were neatly trimmed grass which added an elegant simplicity to the place. The main mansion could probably twenty times Gayoon's own tiny house and was two storey high. The mansion was painted a soft yellow ochre color, almost sparkling under the sun.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Jina asked.
"Yeah," Gayoon smiled, unfazed by the mansion. The little girl led her towards the front door. Kim opened the door only to be surprised by the pretty lady standing beside Jina.
"Yes, how may I help you?" she frowned.
"She's my guest, Lady Cop!" Jina stated. "She'll be borrowing something from my aunt's closet!"
"I cannot just allow a stranger into our home!" Kim protested.
"She is my guest!" Jina said boldly.
"Jina, don't be rude!" Gayoon reprimanded her. "I'm sorry. I'll leave-"
"No," Jina said firmly. "You will get the dress. Nanny knows you are my guest. Don't you, nanny?"
Before Kim could protest, Jina brushed her aside and let Gayoon in. Gayoon bowed at Kim apologetically but Jina was pulling her away.
Kim pursed her lips and took out her phone to dial Minho's number. Minho picked up on the third ring.
"Yes, Ms. Kim," he answered. "Is everything alright?"
"The young miss just brought a stranger into our home!" Kim complained.
"Who is it?" Minho demanded.
"I don't know the name but the young miss said that she's Lady Cop! And that she would be borrowing a dress from Ms. Mina's closet!"
There was a short pause on the other end.
"Let her take any dress she wants," Minho ordered.
"But sir-"
"And tell her, since she's already at my mansion, I will pick her up from there for our private dinner reservation tonight."
Kim was shocked by the order. Dinner reservation? Hwang Minho was going to have dinner with a woman? Does this mean he was interested in this woman?
"We'll take care of it!" Kim said at once. "Leave it to us!"
She hung up and thought gleefully. If this Lady Cop becomes the future Mrs. Hwang, then she might as well start to chum up with her. Maybe she'll get a raise.
Meanwhile, Minho was worried. He had not thought that Jeon Gayoon might not have a proper dress for the evening. In fact, he was not even sure of what they would do at dinner. He asked her on an impulse without much thought. He was clueless regarding these things and unfortunately, there was only one person in his life who knew about all these trivial matters.
He reluctantly picked up the phone, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
"You called!" Kanji's irritatingly cheery voice came from the other end. "I never thought this day would come!"
"I need your help," Minho muttered. "What do you do with a woman at a private dinner?"