"Haven't seen you in almost fifty years and you're looking spiffy!" A tall figure dressed from head to toe in white was leaning casually against the bathroom doorframe, his words dripping with sarcasm as he looked at the man sitting in the bathtub.

Kai was close to being completely submerged in the bathwater, with only his eyes and nose visible above the bubbles. His eyes were lightly shut, and he didn't even bother to open them when he heard the intrusion on his privacy. Instead, he simply lifted his head a little further out of the water and said, "Yang, in what way do I look 'spiffy'? Are you trying to take the piss right now?" 

"Why would I dare do that!" Yang replied in mock seriousness, throwing both his hands up in the air. "But seriously, what's the matter with you? It's not everyday you get to see a dragon prince looking like a... well, just looking like that."

Now that Kai's head was above water, he could see how awfully pale the fellow was. It wasn't pretty.  

"Red wine and cappuccino." 

"What? Exactly how much did you drink?" There was a bemused smile on Yang's otherwise stern countenance, and he couldn't resist probing a little more. Like he said, it wasn't everyday he got to see Kai in this sort of a pathetic state. 

Kai didn't reply. Instead, he raised both his hands out of the water and showed Yang two open palms. 

"Ten glasses?"

"Five bottles of red wine and five cups of cappuccino."

Yang let out a low whistle and the smile on his face became more prominent. "Looks like someone's down in the dumps. Have you forgotten that you're a dragon? Red wine and coffee can both make you dehydrate and you drank that much in a single sitting. Are you trying to kill yourself?" 

Kai snorted, lifting himself out of the bathtub and reaching for the bathrobe that was hanging off the wall. Slipping the robe over his shoulders, he sauntered past Yang and out of the bathroom, switching on the TV and collapsing onto the sofa outside. 

"After so many years, what have I done to deserve a visit from you?" he asked. 

Slipping his hands into his pockets, the smile vanished from Yang's face as he took on a more serious tone. "There was a freak thunderstorm in Venice last night. Was that your doing?" 

"So what if it was?"

"I'm sure you know that your kind are not allowed to alter the weather at whim and that doing so is tantamount to flouting heavenly regulations." Yang had been responsible for law enforcement for hundreds of years and he always carried out his duties with precision and high fidelity. If there was anyone who dared flout the regulations, he would see to it that the deviant was duly punished. This time round, because of Kai's loss of control, he had created an unnecessary storm that had not been in the books, and that was clearly against the rules.

"It's just breaking a rule. It's not like I've never done that before," Kai replied nonchalantly, eyes still glued onto the TV screen. "So Inspector Yang, what are you intending to do with me?"

Seeing the lack of repentence in the boy's eyes, Yang sighed and shook his head. "I'll cover it up for you this time round, but don't try that again." 

Now that got Kai's attention.

Turning his head round to look at Yang, he asked, "Alright, out with it. Why are you letting me off the hook so easily?" Everyone knew that Yang never let anyone off the hook--friend or not--and he had a long track record to prove it. His impartiality was a big part of the reason why he was so respected in the heavenly circles and no one dared cross paths with him. This would be the first time Kai had ever heard of him going against his principles and covering up for a transgression. 

"Because I think you're pitiful?" Yang shrugged. "Ever since what happened fifty years ago you've basically been wasting yourself away--surely that's punishment enough." 

"Bullshit. You wouldn't be so kind. I still remember when I was still a young dragon and I accidentally brought five minutes of rain upon an area that was supposed to be experiencing a year of drought--you locked me away for five years, one for each minute. Don't think I forgot that." 

"A grown man like you should stop bearing grudges like a petty girl." 

"Alright enough joking around. What's the deal?" 

Yang pulled up a chair and sat himself down in between Kai and the television. With the snap of his fingers, the TV switched itself off. "I know you're still bothered about what happened fifty years ago, but it's about time you put that all behind you. You'd better return to Seoul as soon as you can."

"My brother's been looking after the business in Seoul and things have been fine all these years. I assure you that no one misses a troublemaker like me." 

"I've been keeping tabs on what's been going on in Four Seas and although it looks as if everything is running smoothly, there have been some major changes that have been taking place within the company's internal structure over the past fifty years while you've been away. Just a couple of weeks ago one of your father's most loyal aides, Kwon Yul, was abruptly fired by your brother on the basis of nepotism and misappropriation of company funds."

"What? Uncle Kwon has been working for my father for years and he was one of the original stalwarts of the company, why would he suddenly do something so stupid?" Kai immediately knew that something was suspicious about this, else Yang would not have come all this way to tell him about it. Kwon Yul was a crab spirit who had been serving by the dragon king's side ever since he first took the throne and was one of the king's most trusted advisors. He had always been known to be hardworking and honest, never straying far from the king's instructions, so it made no sense that he would be accused of crimes such as nepotism or embezzlement. 

Yang nodded his head in agreement. "Exactly. I think that things aren't so simple either. There has to be a reason behind his termination, but the evidence works against him and he has personally signed an admission of guilt. So far, I haven't been able to spot any loopholes."

"What did my father say?"

"It has already been several years since the dragon king stepped down and he doesn't interfere in the running of the company anymore. Although he's still the company's chairman in name, but the deciding power now resides with the crown prince. Your brother was the one who made the decisions regarding the manpower restructuring this time round and the king has not intervened."

Looking thoughtful, Kai said, "And you suspect that my brother is behind all this?"

"I'm not ruling that out as a possibility, but it is also just as likely that the mastermind is someone else altogether and your brother is just abiding by the company's regulations in deciding to fire Kwon Yul. Hyocheon is still in Seoul right now keeping an eye on Four Seas. He'll let me know if anything new crops up." 

Hearing Hyocheon's name, Kai noticed for the first time that Yang's trusty companion was not around. The corners of his lips tilted upwards in a slight smile as he said, "That dog is still as dutiful as ever, snooping around in your absence." 

"Hyocheon has already attained his human form for hundreds of years now. It would be wise if you didn't keep mentioning his true form because he gets sensitive about it sometimes," Yang reminded. Hyocheon was a dog spirit who had been by Yang's side for many years and served as his most loyal companion and aide. Now that Hyocheon had a human form, he worked alongside Yang in the Seoul Police Investigation Bureau and had already solved several tricky cases with his top-notch observation skills.

Seeing that Kai wasn't going to respond, Yang continued, "The reason why I'm not locking you up for the freak thunderstorm is because I hope that you can return to Seoul to give us a hand. Although Hyocheon and I are with the investigation bureau, we are ultimately not part of Four Seas and we aren't familiar with the inner workings of the company. Everything seems fine on the surface and no one has flouted any heavenly or earthly laws yet, so we can't officially launch an investigation, but based on my one thousand three hundred and eighty-four years of experience, whatever is about to happen next will probably be big and when that happens the implications will be severe." 

Kai scoffed, "And you think a useless bum like me can be of help? Anyway, if someone's causing any trouble then I can assure you that it wouldn't be that brother of mine. In our family the only one who's enough of an idiot to be capable of wrecking havoc is me."

"Look, I know you're still beating yourself up because of what happened, so I'm not going to force anything on you. Think about it," Yang said, getting out of his seat and heading for the door. "I sincerely hope that you'll return, if not for Four Seas then for your father. The dragon king has aged tremendously over the past fifty years, even I feel bad for him."

After Yang had left the yacht, Kai sat there for a long while just staring at the blank TV screen and thinking about what he had just been told. Fifty years was neither short nor long and he did miss his family to some extent, but to actually return to Seoul and face everyone again required a great deal of courage--something that he wasn't quite sure if he had enough of just yet.