( Arc 2 : Blood and love)

[One hour before Ashlay and Hao Ming join Gwenval and Kaelan]

“ “Crystal Joy,” or “CJ” for short. The first time you take it, you’re thrown into a euphoric state where you feel like you could conquer the world. Like anything's possible. Unfortunately, over time, your mind breaks down, and you go completely insane, on top of becoming badly addicted.” Hao Ming explained, with a serious tone.

“Were you able to trace where it comes from?” Ashlay asked.

“It first showed up in Thailand. I’ve also found traces of it all across Southeast Asia. But in the past few months, I’ve seen evidence of its use in China and Japan, too. There are plenty of rumors, but the organization behind it remains unknown. What’s certain is that it started circulating “CJ” in Korea.”

“And what about the owner of Nemesis?”

Hao Ming shook his head.

“Obsessed with money, he sold information about the fighters to the men in black. Even though he knew about Crystal Joy, he claimed that he had never bought, sold, or used it. He didn't want to risk having his club shut down because of our group.”

“He didn’t stop them, either. He was probably paid to look the other way.” Ashlay muttered.

“For now, we can’t confirm whether the men in black are producing CJ or just distributing it. Since the incident at the Fight Club, they’ve completely vanished.”

“Tell everyone to stay alert. Send the most important information to the police. I doubt they’ll stay quiet for long.”

With a bandage wrapped around his neck, Il Young was on his way to Gwenval’s room. He hadn’t slept all night and was still reeling from the shock. He couldn't believe that Gwenval and Dark Angel were the same person. Ashlay’s involvement and the mysteries surrounding him. So many thoughts collided in his mind.

He ran into Ashlay and Hao Ming and greeted them timidly.

“Il Young, how are you feeling?” Ashlay asked.

The student instinctively touched his neck.

“Just a few bruises. I'll be fine. I'll just tell my parents that I fell off my bike. What about Gwen hyung?”

“He'll recover.” Ashlay replied.

Il Young let out a sigh of relief.

“I've got something to show you.”

Ashlay pulled out his phone and showed Il Young a photo of a small bag filled with transparent pills engraved with smiley faces. Hao Ming silently observed Il Young’s reaction.

Il Young stared at the photo for a few seconds, then looked up, puzzled.

“What is this? A kind of candy?”

Ashlay and Hao Ming exchanged a look.

“Since you've done a few…let's say “shady” jobs, I thought you might've seen it somewhere.”

Il Young’s eyes widened as he took a step back.

“How do you know that?! Did you look me up?! And wait… What you just showed me, is that what I think it is?! Who are you?!”

“Not the police, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Hao Ming said nonchalantly.

This reply only frightened the young man more.

Ashlay stepped forward in a calmer, friendlier tone.

“No need to freak out. We're not mobsters, either. We won’t hurt you. Yes, I did look into you. In fact, I overheard a part of your conversation with Gwen at the restaurant the other day. Then, I saw you talking to the men in black here. For safety reasons, I dug deeper. I found out that you’ve taken on a lot of “missions” to get money quickly because your family needed it.”

Il Young was still on guard. He understood that Ashlay wanted to protect the musician from potentially dangerous people, but he sensed that there was more to it.

“You were “testing” me with that photo just now?”

“If you don’t know what it is, well, that's a relief. From now on, if the men in black approach you again, tell them you want nothing more to do with them. I’ll handle the rest.”

Ashlay handed Il Young a phone number.

“If anything happens, call this number.”

“How can I be sure I can trust you? Who are you really?”

“For now, it’s best if you don’t know too much.” Hao Ming said coldly.

Unlike Ashlay and Gwenval, Hao Ming saw no reason to be kind to Il Young. He preferred to keep his distance.

Ashlay didn’t want to reveal too much, either.

Seeing that Ashlay didn’t seem hostile despite everything, Il Young eventually saved Ashlay's number in his phone. It rang shortly afterward. It was his parents, asking where he was. Not wanting to worry them about his injuries, Il Young lied and said he was staying at a friend’s place.

Then, Il Young decided to head home.

“I'll stop by to see Gwen hyung later.”

He said goodbye to Ashlay and Hao Ming and left.

The two friends, their conversation over, headed toward the musician’s room.

____

“Speak of the devil.” said Hae Won playfully as Ashlay and Hao Ming arrived.

“You were talking about me?” Ashlay suddenly feel excited.

“Dr. Yoon was just telling us you were hospitalized here.” Kaelan replied.

“Ah, that…”

Ashlay had expected something more interesting. He looked at the doctor and recognized her. She was the doctor he’d seen during his last routine checkup. Though she seemed vaguely familiar, he was almost certain that they hadn’t met when he was a patient here.

“Had Dr. Kwon told her about his accident? No, more importantly, did she tell them about his treatment?”

Gwenval noticed Ashlay’s sudden discomfort.

“Ashlay? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I just zoned out for a second. What about you? When can you be discharged?”

“If nothing else unusual shows up, he can go home tomorrow.” Hae Won replied.

“That's great, Gwen Gwen!”

“ “Gwen Gwen”?”

The doctor looked for a moment at Ashlay then Gwenval and stifled a laugh. The musician blushed furiously.

“Nice to see you have such an “affectionate” friend, “Gwen Gwen.'”

“Noona…”

The doctor couldn't help but smile, and neither could Kaelan nor Hao Ming. Gwenval didn’t know where to look.

“Alright, alright, I'll stop. I have other patients to see. Gwen, we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Noona. See you then.”

Yoon Hae Won left to continue her rounds, still smiling.

In the room, Ashlay gave Gwenval a strange look. He felt like he’d been a little too relaxed around the doctor.

“Was she your big sister?”

With Lioren on his mind, Ashlay started plotting how to win the young woman’s favor.

Kaelan found Ashlay’s current expression hilarious.

Gwenval smiled.

“Hae Won noona isn’t my sister, but it’s close.” Her mother was the doctor who took care of my mom. She used to come over often to play or study with me and my brother. After getting her degree, she became our primary physician. She’s also a skilled surgeon.”

“She seems a lot more 'flexible' than your brother.” Ashlay remarked.

Gwenval nodded.

“She helped me a lot when I needed to hide things from my brother--”

“Like the fact that you’re Dark Angel?” Hao Ming cut in.

Gwenval glanced at Hao Ming, then at Ashlay, who looked deeply curious.

“She doesn't know. Aside from Kaelan, and now you guys, no one does.”

“Even if she never asked, I think she suspects something. After all, I’ve come to her more than once for fractures and bruises from my fights.”

“Don’t forget about little Il Young.” Added Kaelan.

“True… I thought he'd come with you.”

“He went to see his parents. He’s sorry he couldn’t be here.” Ashlay explained.

“I understand.”

“So, who’s the real Gwenval? The musician or the fighter?” Ashlay continued.

He was dying to hear the answer. He never would have imagined that the fighter he had long admired was actually the man he had fallen in love with.

“Both. Dark Angel is the part of me who appreciates risk and doesn’t hesitate to go for it. The one we respect and want to be inspired by. Not the one we want to protect as if it was going to break at any moment.”

The musician’s words were filled with sadness.

“At first, I thought it would just be a one-time thing, but I quickly became hooked and started going regularly. Besides doing my makeup, Kae helped me find contact lenses and a custom mask to hide my identity.”

“Nice touch with the voice changer in the mask, by the way.” Noted Hao Ming.

“Thanks!” That was my idea!” Kaelan said proudly.

“When we fought, did you know it was me?” Ashlay asked.

Gwenval smiled.

“The moment you stepped into the ring, I knew. I also recognized the way you speak.”

Ashlay recalled the fight and their interactions afterward. Suddenly, it hit him like a brick. A deep sense of guilt washed over him.

Hao Ming and Kaelan had also made the connection.

“Your…your arm. It’s because of me…”

“If I hadn’t hurt him, he probably wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed right now.”

The young man clenched his fists and stared at Gwenval’s bandaged arm. The latter gently took his hand.

“Ashlay. It’s okay. You didn’t know it was me.”

“Still…”

Gwenval continued to softly stroke Ashlay’s hand, noticing how tormented he was.

“Ash—”

Suddenly, Ashlay grabbed both of Gwenval’s hands and looked him straight in the eyes.

“I'll take responsibility!” He declared with determination.

Hao Ming, knowing his friend well, let out a laugh.

Kaelan enjoyed the scene, and Gwenval was stunned by Ashlay’s boldness.

“I'll take care of you until you're fully healed. I’ll be your slave if I have to!” Ashlay exclaimed.

“There's no need to go this far.  Laughed Gwenval

“You don’t have to feel that guilty. I can manage, and Kae’s here, too.--”

“Oh no!”

Feigning distress, Kaelan moved closer to Ashlay.

“Sorry, Gwen. I just remembered that I have to prepare for a VERY important event. I won't be around much in the coming days. Given your condition, I think someone should stay with you. Nienrao is THE PERFECT candidate.”

“Kae, you too?”

Ashlay turned to Kaelan, his eyes sparkling with gratitude. He would definitely return the favor. Then he looked back at the musician, pleading.

What could Gwenval do?

“As long as you don't overdo it, I'll accept.” The musician relented.

Kaelan clapped his hands once.

“Good! Now that that’s settled, it’s your turn, boys. What’s your connection to Nemesis?”

Ashlay and Hao Ming both felt a chill run down their spines.

“I understand why Gwen wanted to shut it down. But why did you want to as well, Nienrao? Also, judging by the sheer number of people who stood up to the mobsters at the fight club, I doubt they were all Jade Shielding employees.”

Kaelan ended his sentence looking directly at Hao Ming.

Hao Ming was taken aback by the sudden shift in tone. The painter had observed everything that happened the previous night with great care. He had seen the hacker give orders to masked individuals before they entered the club.

“I vaguely recall some of them bowing to you, Ashlay. They didn’t seem from Orchid Prestige, either. What does that mean?” The musician added.

Ashlay and Hao Ming knew they wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from the artists anymore.

“Have you ever heard of the Shadows?” Ashlay asked.