(Arc 2 : Blood and love)

The offender, who had been stopped by Gwenval, became increasingly angry. Without saying anything more, he rushed toward the musician, who knocked him out with a punch to the stomach.

Everyone was shocked. The other members of the group of thugs still standing rushed at the musician who had no trouble wiping the floor with them.

Soon after, police sirens sounded, and the assailants were quickly escorted to the nearest police station.

Despite their obvious guilt, the attackers tried to blame Gwenval and the other young man who had intervened.

Unfortunately for them, the musician was not only the one who contacted the police, but he also filmed part of their altercation. The case was therefore quickly closed, and the offenders were placed in custody. The high school student also took the time to file a complaint against them. He thanked his rescuers and then rushed to class. Just before he left, Gwenval gave him his number in case the school or his parents needed an explanation.

"I hope he will be fine." Gwenval wished.

"Thank you for your help! "

The young hero bowed to thank Gwenval.

"Without you, I don't know how it would have ended."

"I didn’t do much. You were doing pretty well. All I did was call the police."

"Yes, but your intervention put an end to the situation without having to spend the day fighting, or worse. I must admit that I don’t know how it would have ended without you." The young man confessed, a little ashamed.

"You’re the kind of person who comes to the aid of others without a specific plan. Am I right?

"Hmm? Uh...yes. That’s right" Answered the young man, laughing nervously.

“He reminds me of Ashlay."

"You should be more careful. You focus too much on the attack and not enough on the defense. Especially on your left side. Rushing in and taking it is not the best strategy. For you or those you want to help."

"Ah?"

"What is it?"

The young man had a sudden impression of déjà vu.

"Actually, it's funny. Someone made a similar remark to me not too long ago."

"I see..."

"By the way, my name is Cha Il Young. I’m a second-year medical student. Nice to meet you, hyung!"

"Hyung?"

Gwenval was not often addressed with this term. It felt strange to him. His mind wandered. He remembered that Ashlay had quickly called him that at their first meeting. Suddenly, an image of a young entrepreneur who referred to him in that way, sweetly, came to him.

"Hyung?"

The musician came back to reality.

"Excuse me, I had my mind elsewhere...I am Altaha Gwenval. I'm a musician and composer. My studio is on the opposite side of the street from where we met."

" Wow! A musician! That’s great! And where did you learn to fight like that?"

" I’ve been doing taekwondo since I was a kid. And you’re boxing, right? "

" Yes, that’s right! I also do karate. Anyway, you really impressed me earlier. Would you be willing to train with me from time to time? "

The young man looked at Gwenval like an excited puppy. The musician chuckled.

"I'll think about it."

" By the way, do you like dakgalbi¹ ? My family runs a restaurant that specializes in this dish nearby. They make the best dakgalbi you will ever eat."

Seeing that the young man wanted to thank and keep in touch with him, Gwenval accepted his invitation. They exchanged contact information and set a date for later in the evening.

"Shall I take you back to the university?"

"No, it's not necessary. Thank you again for your help, hyung. I’ll see you at my parents' restaurant.”

Il Young bowed to the musician again, then left on his motorcycle.

Gwenval went to work.

____

While working on a new program, Hao Ming was interrupted by a call from his best friend. He hung up once, then again, but Ashley did not want to let go of the case, so he ended up answering the call via video.

"What is it?"

"Hao Ming, this is the best day of my life!" Ashlay exclaimed, overexcited.

Hao Ming was surprised by this sudden explosion of joy.

"Did Altaha said he's in love with you?"

Ashlay paused.

"Correction: This is ONE of the best days of my life."

"So? What is it?"

Ashlay sent a screenshot to his friend. It was the schedule of matches at Nemesis this weekend. On Saturday, Dark Angel was set to face Mangkorn. The latter was none other than Ashlay himself. Hao Ming did not know what to think about it. On the one hand, he was happy that his friend could finally face his idol, but on the other hand, he was not thrilled either. Even though he wasn't interested, he knew Nemesis was an unsavory place where the rules of confrontation were vague at best. Watching the fights was one thing, but being in the ring was another.

"I will finally be able to face Dark Angel. The dream... Hao Ming, are you busy? Would you train with me for the rest of the week?"

Hao Ming nodded without turning away from his program.

"Sure. It would be a shame if you were knocked out by your idol in the first few seconds. Do you think you can win?"

"Even after watching many of his games, I still find it difficult to fully identify his style. But that’s okay. There's nothing more exciting than an unpredictable opponent. Whether I win or not, the most important thing is that I fought him."

With an indelible smile, Ashlay began striking the air like a boxer.

"And as for your identity, are you sure it's all right? Many people already know you by this name outside the fight Club. Some might try to rig the game or make a bad move by learning that you'll be at Nemesis."

"That's fine. I’m not too worried about it. So. Are you free tonight?"

"I have a system to finish, and I still have some paperwork to complete. Would eight o'clock later at the training center work for you?"

"No problem!"

Soon after, Hao Ming received a notification. He became very interested in what he was seeing on his screen.

The artist Helm had posted a new piece on social media.

It was a depiction of a knight in precious stone-encrusted armor striking a dark bird to transform it into a light bird.

In the left corner of the mural, one could see part of a shield. This shield, also encrusted with precious stones, was primarily made of jade.

For some reason, Hao Ming felt that the painting was addressed to him. He sent the post to Ashlay.

"Ash..."

"Yes?"

"I think... I think Helm was there the night we caught Park Dae-Jung."

"How can you be sure? Wait, don’t tell me you think the knight is you?

Seeing his friend's serious face, Ashlay realized he seriously thought the knight could be him.

"It's true that the incident that happened that night was reported in the press. But the fact that I saved Monroe remained confidential." Explained Hao Ming."

"Now that you mention it..."

"Only those present could know the truth."

"Hence your hunch that Helm was among the guests. However, there is no indication that this mural has anything to do with what happened. Also, even if that's the case, one of the guests could be a friend of the artist who described the event to him."

"It's true..."

Unfortunately, he knew too little about his favorite artist to conduct an extensive search and prove that he was present on the day of the Turquoise Incident.

Shortly thereafter, the two friends ended their conversation.

Still troubled, Hao Ming decided to use the mural as his new phone wallpaper.

During the lunch break at Jade Shielding, while most employees were eating, Hao Ming was among those who did not take their eyes off their screens. The young man likely did not even know what time it was. He had set his phone alarm for six o'clock because he was going to see Ashlay later and asked his secretary to come see him at that time in case he was too busy with work to hear his phone.

The elevator doors on Hao Ming’s floor opened, and only one person came out.

A simple yet eye-catching outfit, a backpack covered with some paint stains, sunglasses and blonde streaks.

Those present were immediately charmed. The young man took off his glasses, greeted the secretaries, and knocked on the door of the CEO’s office. After hearing a faint "Enter," he entered the room.

It won't be long before rumors spread throughout the company.

"Hello, Bai."

Hao Ming, expecting it to be his secretary, did not look up. He was really surprised to hear that it wasn’t one of them.

" Monroe, what are you doing here?"

The artist cheerfully raised his arms, showing bags of food.

"Delivery." He replied with a smile.

Kaelan placed the bags on the table in the middle of the room, then put her bag on the couch.

"I wanted to offer you something for saving my life and for the other night. Since you haven't decided on a painting yet, I asked Nienrao to tell me what you like. He said you're the type to forget to eat. So here I am with baozi² and egg tarts."

As Kaelan happily set the food on the table, Hao Ming stood up to join him. The artist’s presence was unexpected, but it did not bother him, and the smell of baozi had opened his appetite.

"Ash, I’m not going to go easy on you later."

"I also tend to lose track of time when I’m immersed in a project. Since my workshop is not far from here, we could have lunch together occasionally. Just so we don’t skip meals." Kaelan joked.

"The idea is interesting. However, with this kind of suggestion, I will end up believing that you are interested in me." Teased Hao Ming.

The artist stopped. He took a deep breath and smiled.

"What if I am?"

Hao Ming was caught off guard. Was Kaelan serious?

"Monroe, you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the young CEO’s phone rang.

Seeing that it was an important client, he apologized to the painter and left the room.

The artist sat down on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. He was warm.

"Why did I say that? What if he was avoiding me again?"

About thirty minutes later, Hao Ming returned to the main office. Kaelan was lying on the couch, seemingly asleep. As he walked toward the painter, Hao Ming realized that he was feverish.

Hao Ming moved Kaelan to the restroom behind the experiment room ( where Gwenval first met him ) and laid him on the bed. He put a cool compress on Kaelan's forehead. Then, he took out his phone.

"Hello, Ash. I have something important to do. We'll have to postpone the training until tomorrow."

____

Glossary

1. Dakgalbi : A Korean dish made with marinated chicken, spicy sauce, cheese, sweet potatoes, white cabbage, tteok (rice cakes), and other ingredients.

2. Baozi: Chinese steamed bread stuffed with meat.