(Arc 2 : Blood and love)

"I'm not interested." Dark Angel replied immediately.

"Ah! Not so fast! How can you refuse when you don't know what it's all about?"

The henchmen surrounded Dark Angel, Mangkorn and Flash dangerously.

Dark Angel quickly analysed the situation and spotted a gun on one of the men's belts.

The gang leader stepped forward again, sensing the tension of the fighters.

"Don’t worry. I’ll try to be as brief as possible." He said with an unhealthy smile.

The trio withdrew and ended up following the men in black into an office, far from the bustle of the fighting.

The manager of the Nemesis was not there.

Mangkorn reflected on the situation:

"Since when have mobsters been hanging around the Nemesis?' Who are they? What do they want?"

"Sit down, please." Invited the chef.

"What do you want?" Asked Flash.

"My name is Baek Dong Soo. Our boss recognised your skills and would like you to join our ranks. I mainly say this for Flash and Angel, but given what I observed tonight, Mr Mangkorn also seems quite qualified to join us."

Dark Angel narrowed his eyes.

Their boss?

"You will be paid much better. You will even have the opportunity to fight in much larger rings abroad and enjoy certain privileges. If you have any conditions, I am ready to listen to them. However, I should mention that it will obviously not be possible to conceal your identities."

Flash and Mangkorn were disturbed by this proposal. Dark Angel, on the other hand, didn’t need to think about it. He got up just after Baek Dong Soo had finished speaking.

"As I said earlier: "I'm not interested." He repeated coldly.

The Reaper invited Flash to follow him. Mangkorn also stood up. However, the trio were blocked by henchmen.

"I understood that you weren't there for the money, Mr Angel. You have amassed a considerable sum at the Nemesis, but you have never claimed your winnings. Much to the delight of the owner of the establishment. It's the blood and excitement of the fights that get you going, isn't it? We can allow you to experience this sensation fully, without any limits."

The concerned sigh loudly. He had heard enough and decided to continue towards the exit, but he was blocked again.

The leader approached the fighters and handed them a black business card bearing a logo on one side and a phone number on the other.

"If you change your mind, you can call me directly."

After that, the trio was allowed to leave.

Dark Angel crumpled up the card and threw it in the nearest bin.

“Flash, I will give you everything I have won so far. In exchange, promise me you won't come back to the Nemesis anymore." Announced Dark Angel.

"I agree with Angel. I can also give you my winnings. I wasn’t there for the money anyway." Added Mangkorn.

Flash stopped walking. He could see that his idol was worried about him, but he was hesitating.

"It's dangerous to be spotted by a mafia group. Once you're in, there's only one way out. The quicker you disappear from their view, the quicker they'll move on to someone else."

____

Baek Dong Soo was sitting in an armchair sipping a strong drink.

"Sir, are you sure you want to let them go like this?" Asked one of his henchmen.

"I expected this kind of reaction. I would have been disappointed if they had said "yes" right away."

The leader of the men in black thought for a few moments.

"Dark Angel seems quite protective of the young Flash. Look for information about their relationship from the other participants. As we found nothing relevant about Dark Angel, let's focus on his protégé. If we can get him on our side, I think it'll be easier to convince Angel."

"And what about Mangkorn?"

"Research him, too. He could be a valuable asset."

After ensuring that Flash had left, Dark Angel also disappeared from the fight Club. Still bothered by the gangsters, Mangkorn looked around and then left.

As he left the Nemesis, he witnessed a suspicious exchange.

One of the club’s fighters was buying a small bag of pills from a man in black.

Mangkorn discreetly took photos of the transaction and waited for the fighter to be alone.

Taking advantage of the darkness, he snuck up behind the man and knocked him out to take what he had just bought.

The bag contained small, transparent pills engraved with a smiley face.

Mangkorn hurried towards his car. He took a photo of the bag, then removed his mask. He then took out his phone and sent a message:

"Hao Ming, I’m sending you some photos. We need to discuss them."

Once home, Ashley replayed everything that had just happened in his mind. He still couldn't believe that Il Young was a member of Fight Club, or that Dark Angel had made such a strong impression on him. Beyond admiration, there was something else that reminded him strangely of Gwenval. But they weren't identical. Dark Angel had a deeper voice and expressed himself in a much colder way than the musician. However, it was his eyes that troubled Ashlay the most. One pair was dark brown, almost black, and the other was a sparkling emerald green. Despite it being the first time they had seen each other, Ashlay felt as if he knew him.

"Could he be related to Gwen?"

_____

The next morning, after leaving Kaelan, Hao Ming joined his best friend, who was waiting for him at his home.

Ashlay entrusted his friend with the tablets so that they could be analysed. Then he summed up the previous evening.

"This doesn't look good to me. I thought all the major gangs had disappeared from the city. Where did they come from? From what you're telling me, they're in the process of recruiting in order to increase their numbers. And that (speaking about the pills)."

"I noticed foreigners among them. They looked like Thai people. Ah yes, I have experienced that too."

Ashlay took the card that Baek Dong Soo had given him out of his pocket.

"This is the business card we were given in case we accepted their proposal."

Hao Ming looked at the card for a few seconds, then searched for the number written on it. As it corresponded to a prepaid phone, it was not possible to use it to find information. Regarding the logo on the map, there were no results for South Korea, which proved that it belonged to a new gang in the territory.

"Next Saturday, I will return incognito to the Nemesis to conduct my investigation. Tell the others to conduct investigations in town as well."

"Understood. But do you really want to go back there alone? We can send someone with you."

"I'll go faster alone. I spotted the most important rooms. It's urgent that we discover the identity of these men and deliver them to the police before other people, attracted by the money, fall into their net."

"Okay."

Hao Ming turned to his computer and entered some commands. Ashlay made a mental plan.

Suddenly, Ashlay sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking that it was time for the Nemesis to close its doors. Even if their activities were not entirely legal from the start, they had some ethics. Now, it's boss doesn't seem to realise that his establishment will be entirely absorbed by his new partners."

"It was inevitable, in my opinion."

"I know, but if the fight club closes, I'll never get to see Dark Angel in the ring again."

Ashlay sighed deeply. Hao Ming shook his head, then returned to his lines of code.

_____

Towards the end of the morning, Gwenval went to see Kaelan. After sending him a message and ringing the doorbell, he entered using the code.

The painter, who was feeling much better, was making tea. Gwenval went to sit on the sofa. He was very surprised to see sheets folded on it.

"I didn’t think you and Bai had become so close." Gwenval began.

Kaelan almost dropped a cup.

"Nothing happened. He just watched over me last night.”

"Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Gwenval was slightly taken aback by his friend’s response. In general, only people he trusted implicitly were allowed to enter his home. Even ill, he wouldn’t have let someone he barely knew stay overnight.

Kaelan finished preparing the tea and brought it to the coffee table in the living room. Under Gwenval’s insistent gaze, he ended up confessing one thing:

“He... We kissed. In his office. But they didn’t go any further."

Gwenval was used to seeing Kaelan set off on adventures without a care for the future, making sure not to get attached. But there, he "didn’t want to go too fast"?

"He really interests you."

"I don’t even understand how this could happen. He spends his days in front of computers, doesn't he? And I’m not like those girls who fall in love with the first guy to save them. Gwen, what should I do?"

"I don’t think I’m the best person to answer this question."

"Go out with him. Surely there must be things about Bai that attracted you."

"That’s true, but..."

"At least you'll quickly find out if you're really attracted to him or if you just want his body."

Gwenval grabbed a cup, but as he picked it up, his arm trembled and he grimaced. He then changed hands.

"What happened to your arm?"

"It was quite intense last night."

It was Kaelan's turn to be shocked.

"Did we get you into trouble? Did you lose?!"

"I won. This is the work of someone new."

You wouldn't believe me if I told you who did this.

"And you don't need to go to hospital?"

Gwenval shook his head.

"It won't be necessary. I'll just be annoyed for a few days. I've also decided that next week will be my last participation."

"Why?"

"I have a bad feeling. I would like to find some information and give it to my brother."

"Is it really that bad?"

Gwenval's expression immediately answered the question.

"I'll come with you."

"That’s out of the question. You're still unwell. It would be too risky."

"You going alone is not a good idea either. Even if you’re a regular, if they find out you want to report them to the police, they won’t let you leave alive. What if your arm still hurts? I understand that you don’t want me to come, but I can’t accept that. Ask Nienrao. I'm sure he'd love to accompany you."

Gwenval stay silent.

"Gwen?"

"I don’t want him to get involved and end up in danger because of me."

Seeing that his friend was hesitating, Kaelan took out his phone.

"Kae, what are you doing?"

"I'm calling Nienrao. You could have problems just as him. If you're set on going alone, I might as well call Lioren."

Gwenval stood up and stopped the painter. The two artists looked at each other for a long time.

But the pianist quickly gave up and sighed.

"Okay, you win."

Gwenval sat down.

"I'll talk to Ashlay about it."

"Given his personality, I think he'll be thrilled to discover one of your deepest secrets."

Gwenval smiled and continued to drink his tea.

"I can already imagine his reaction."