Arc 2 : Blood and love

In a cold room near the port, Il Young slowly regained consciousness. The scent of the sea mixed with the metallic smell of blood made him nauseous. His body ached and was covered in bruises and cuts. His wrists, tied behind his back, burned. The previous day, he had managed to stay strong, keeping his mouth tight as a clam, enduring the “interrogation”.

He tried to sit up, but the ties made it difficult.

The door creaked open. Baek Dong Soo entered.

“Sleep well?” he asked in an almost cheerful tone.

Il Young kept his head down, pretending not to have heard the mobster approach.

“I've got a surprise for you.”

With his usual sinister smile, Baek Dong Soo crouched down in front of Il Young and took a phone out of his jacket's inside pocket.

Il Young shuddered in horror. It was HIS phone.

“My men found it this morning. It was about to fall into the water. Lucky we recovered it, right?”

His tone was sarcastic, and his eyes glowed with sadistic pleasure.

“We even charged it for you.”

Eager to see what he might find, Baek Dong Soo turned on the phone.

Il Young tried to grab it back but was thrown roughly against the wall behind him.

Once the phone was fully on, a cacophony of notifications sounded.

The mobster smiled.

“Looks like your family is worried about you.”

Il Young clenched his teeth and tried to move, but a kick to the stomach left him paralyzed. He spat out a bit of blood.

Suddenly, Baek Dong Soo grimaced and grabbed Il Young by the hair, showing him the phone screen. The photos he had taken the previous night were sent automatically as soon as the phone turned back on.

Meanwhile, Ashlay and Gwenval were on high alert.

Ashlay had immediately contacted Hao Ming to track the student’s phone.

Then, all at once, Ashlay received a series of photos on the device he used to communicate with the Shadows. His expression darkened.

Shortly after, a call came through. The caller ID showed Il Young’s number. Ashlay hesitated. Gwenval came over.

“Ashlay, what’s going on?”

With a heavy heart, the young heir finally picked up........ No words. Just slow breathing and metallic background noises.

“Il Young? Il Young, is that you?” Ashlay asked. “Where are you? What are those photos?”

Silence. On the other end of the line, Il Young stared at the screen with his lips sealed.

“Did something happen to you? Are you hurt?” Ashlay continued.

Baek Dong Soo whispered to Il Young to respond, but he refused.

In a desperate move, the young man suddenly pushed the mobster. The cell phone fell and was immediately crushed under its owner's foot.

Baek Dong Soo stood up and hit Il Young, who collapsed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.

The call was abruptly cut off on the other side. Gwenval and Ashlay turned pale. The number became unavailable.

Seconds later, Hao Ming sent a message with coordinates.

“His last location is near the port area,” Ashlay announced. “Hao Ming and a few Shadows are already on the way. I’m joining them.”

“I’m coming too.”

“Gwen, you’re still recovering…”

“You don't seriously think I'm going to sit here and do nothing, do you?”

Ashlay looked at him for a moment. He knew he wouldn’t win against the musician, who was already tying his hair. No sooner had he agreed than Gwen was off to change into more suitable clothes.

____

About twenty minutes later, they met Hao Ming near a warehouse on the edge of the docks.

The hacker was watching a screen while controlling a drone flying above the port.

The area was huge. They couldn’t split up randomly.

“Hello, sir!”

Several Shadows greeted Ashlay respectfully. Some gave curious glances at the stranger accompanying him.

Gwenval had chosen to wear his Dark Angel mask to conceal his identity.

“Hao Ming. Have you found anything?”

“… Not yet.”

Hao Ming lifted his head and recognized Gwenval, but the latter gestured for silence before he could say his name. Hao Ming nodded and went back to work.

“Sir, is that…?” one of the men asked, having recognized the mask.

Ashlay turned to his men.

“I planned to introduce him later, but here’s one of our newest members: Dark Angel. Those familiar with the Nemesis may already know the name.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the group. Gwenval gave a small bow in greeting.

Some couldn't believe their eyes. Standing before them was one of the most powerful and mysterious underground fighters around. How had their leader managed to recruit him?

The introduction was interrupted by Hao Ming.

“Ash, come take a look at this.”

The drone had Baek Dong Soo in its sights. He was visibly irritated and smoking near a window.

Ashlay frowned.

“Any sign of Il Young?”

“Not yet…  I spotted several suspicious trucks surrounded by men in black.” Hao Ming noted.

“Besides rescuing Il Young, this might be our best chance to stop them.”

With a grave expression, Ashlay turned to the others.

“Okay, I will brief you on why we are here today…”

Curiosity and excitement faded into an almost palpable tension.

“We have two objectives. First, locate and rescue a young man imprisoned somewhere in the building that Hao Ming just found. Second, neutralize the men in black and prevent them from leaving with those trucks. We cannot let them escape.”

“YES SIR!” the Shadows shouted in unison.

Two teams were formed: Gwenval led the rescue unit, while Ashlay and Hao Ming took charge of the assault team.

Just before leaving, to everyone’s surprise, Ashlay grabbed Gwenval’s arm and, without warning, kissed his forehead.

“Be careful.” he whispered.

Gwenval quickly pulled back.

“Wh—what?! What are you doing? Everyone’s watching us!”

Hao Ming rolled his eyes.

“You can save that for later, Ash.”

Amidst the confused glances, Hao Ming pulled his friend over to join their group. Gwenval, red under his mask, joined his.

A few minutes later, both units were in position. Ashlay’s group launched the offensive. The surprise was total, and a fierce fight broke out. Caught off guard, the gangsters retaliated chaotically and brutally.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Gwenval and his team infiltrated the building where Baek Dong Soo was held captive.

____

“Boss! We have a problem!”

A henchman burst into Baek Dong Soo’s office, panting and panicked.

The boss stood up quickly.

“What now?”

“Masked guys just stormed in! They're fighting our men!”

“WHAT?! Where the hell did those bast*rds come from?”

For Baek Dong Soo, there was only one possible moment when their operations could have leaked. He then rushed into the room where Il Young was held and aggressively grabbed him by the collar.

“Earlier… Who did you send those photos to?”

There was no way Il Young would answer. He simply smirked. He had no idea what was happening, but seeing his captor so shaken lifted his spirits.

“ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!”

Enraged, Baek Dong Soo slammed Il Young against the wall, ready to hit him again. But a henchman stopped him.

“Boss, they’re already inside the building!”

“Tch! We're leaving! Take as many trucks as you can!”

He threw Il Young at the men who had just arrived.

“He’s coming with us. Don’t let him escape.”

Il Young sensed that something was off. Why was Baek Dong Soo blaming him for the surprise attack? What was he planning to do with him?

As they tried to flee at the back of the building, Baek Dong Soo came face to face with a dozen masked men.

He froze, his expression twisting.

“You think I’ll let you win that easily?” he grumbled.

He grabbed Il Young and pressed a gun to his temple.

“Back off, or he’s dead!”

Hidden in the shadows, Gwenval waited for the right moment to strike.

____

Meanwhile, the battle outside raged on. Knifes, bats, and fists flew. With each blow, the ground trembled. The Shadows were fast and precise. The mobsters fell one by one. Hao Ming had been stabbed in the left arm, but it didn’t stop him. His enemies were no match for him.

Ashlay was unstoppable, too, crushing anyone who stood in his way. Together, they had already taken down more than half of the men in black.

Off to the side, a man in black remained hidden. He was recording and taking pictures of the scene.

____

Back inside, Baek Dong Soo shouted at the Shadows to let him go.

In seconds, Gwenval took the henchmen by surprise and neutralized them. Then, with astonishing speed, he disarmed Baek Dong Soo and retrieved Il Young, handing him off to the others.

The mob boss recognized Gwenval’s mask.

“Even Angel's here?!”

Knowing he couldn’t win, Baek Dong Soo tried to flee, but Gwenval was faster. A spinning kick sent him flying into a wall.

____

Half an hour later, all the mobsters were tied up and gathered outside.

Ashlay joined Hao Ming, who was checking the contents of a truck.

“They’re going to spend a really long time in prison.” declare Hao Ming, searching through a crate.

“Let’s finish up and let the police take over.”

Ashlay noticed blood running down his friend’s arm.

“You should go to the hospital before it gets infected.”

Hao Ming nodded, and they stepped out of the truck. They saw Gwenval and his team returning with Il Young and the captured gangsters.

Ashlay rushed over.

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

“I’ve been better.” Il Young answered with a faint smile.

“That’s not funny.”

Il Young had managed to recover his broken phone and showed it to Ashlay.

“I didn’t want them to trace it back to you.”

Ashlay took the device.

“You REALLY didn't want them to get access.” he said, chuckling. “Hao Ming, do you think you can fix it?”

 “Of course.”

The white-hat hacker took the phone and, after a quick glance, slipped it into his coat.

Gwenval stepped in, looking more serious:

“We shouldn't stay here any longer. Your parents are worried sick.”

Il Young nodded and allowed the musician to support him with an arm around his shoulder.

Behind them, Baek Dong Soo fumed with rage. He refused to believe that he would end up in prison because of a kid and a bunch of masked men. He shoved the man guarding him and grabbed his weapon after freeing himself.

In a burst of fury, he aimed his gun at Il Young and—

BANG!

A sharp feedback. A splash of blood. A disconnection from reality. Ashlay who had just been suddenly pushed, stared at the body of Gwenval who had just taken a bullet in place of his protégé.

No… No… No…

Baek Dong Soo was immediately disarmed and taken away.

Ashlay was still frozen. He couldn’t hear Il Young crying out as he tried to stop the bleeding from the musician’s chest.

“Ash… Ash… ASHLAY!” Hao Ming yelled, shaking his friend.

Ashlay finally snapped out of it.

“Pull yourself together! I’ve already called an ambulance!”

Ashlay rushed to Gwenval as if jolted by electricity and pressed down on the wound with all his strength, while Il Young administered first aid. The situation was critical. The bullet had hit near the heart.

Gwen, stay with me…