Arc 2 : Blood and love

A heavy silence reigned for the next few hours. No one spoke, everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Inspector Kang had called in some colleagues to take Il Young to the station for questioning and reunite him with his parents. He stayed behind to keep an eye on Lioren.

Finally, the “Operation in Progress” sign went dark. Everyone stood up at the same time, holding their breath.

Hae Won was the first to step out. Lioren rushed toward her.

“Noona, how's Gwen?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Hae Won tucked her surgical mask into one of her jacket pockets.

“He was very lucky. If he’d had an ordinary constitution, he’d be lying on a very different kind of table right now.”

If he’d had an ordinary constitution. Ashlay and Hao Ming exchanged a brief, unsettled glance at that remark. No one else seemed affected by it.

“The surgery went well. He’s out of danger and will wake up soon. Don’t worry.”

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

The other surgeons and nurses exited the operating room, pushing the bed on which the musician lay. Lioren and Ashlay quickly moved alongside it. Gwenval looked peaceful.

“Lioren, come with me to fill out the necessary paperwork.” Hae Won instructed.

“I'm…coming…”

Lioren didn’t want to leave his brother’s side. But, he gave up when he saw the way Ashlay was looking at Gwenval. His eyes filled with affection and just a hint of possessiveness.

“I'm entrusting him to you.” he said calmly.

Ashlay nodded with determination.

“You can count on me.”

Then, Ashlay, Kaelan, and Hao Ming followed the bed.

Lioren watched them until they disappeared around a corner. For a moment, the weight on his body felt lighter. His brother was out of danger. Everything would be fine. So…why was his vision suddenly blurring?

“Altaha?”

Atlas, who had been observing the scene, frowned. The prosecutor was swaying slightly. As the inspector approached, he noticed that Lioren was paler than when he first arrived. Lioren staggered and weakly grabbed onto Atlas, who caught him before he collapses. Surprised, Atlas caught him firmly.

Hae Won ran over, grabbed Lioren’s hand, checked his pulse, and studied his face closely.

“When did he last sleep?” the doctor asked with concern.

“Two days ago…” the inspector answered, visibly uneasy.

“And eat?”

“A sandwich and a cup of coffee yesterday…early in the afternoon.”

The doctor’s brows furrowed dangerously.

“Those two brothers… I swear they both have a talent for getting into trouble, each in their own way. Neither one’s any better than the other. Take him and come with me.”

Without hesitation, Inspector Kang nodded and carried his colleague in his arms. Hae Won was fighting the urge to scold Lioren.

____

Gwenval was placed in a spacious VIP room worthy of a luxury hotel.

Ashlay sat by his bedside and held his hand. His fingers absently stroked it while he kept his gaze on his sleeping prince. He brushed a lock of hair from the musician’s forehead and brushed his fingertips against his skin.

“We don't know when Gwen will wake up. I’m going to stay with him. Eika’s at my place. You should take her with you, Monroe.” he said softly.

“Alright. I’ll bring a few things for Gwen as well.” the painter agreed.

“I'll take you there.” Hao Ming added.

Before leaving, Kaelan glanced at his friend one last time. He smiled faintly, reassured to see that Gwen was in good hands.

The two walked in silence to Hao Ming's car. The hacker wasn't good at comforting others and didn't know what to talk about. Meanwhile, the painter's mind was elsewhere.

Once they arrived, Hao Ming let Kaelan get in first. As soon as the door closed, however, tears began streaming down the painter’s face. Out of respect, Hao Ming waited outside for a while.

____

One day and one night had passed since Gwenval’s surgery. Ashlay left the management of the Turquoise in Shin Ha Ri’s hands and entrusted the Shadows to Hao Ming.

Knock, knock, knock!

Hae Won entered the room. Ashlay stood up.

“Good morning, Doctor Yoon.”

“Good morning, Nienrao. You can still call me noona. I don't mind. I came to see how things were going.”

“There haven't been any problems so far.”

“I’m talking about you, not Gwen.”

As she spoke, the doctor checked the vitals and connections of the machine linked to the musician.

“I don't want you to collapse as well.” Hae Won warned.

“Me as well?”

“Lioren fainted yesterday. He’s still asleep now.”

“Is he all right?”

The doctor nodded.

“ Exhaustion. He needs regular sleep and proper meals. I know being a prosecutor isn’t easy, but he should at least try to take care of himself.” she said, sounding a little irritated.

Ashlay looked at Gwenval.

“I don't plan to waste away, if that's what you're worried about. Besides, if his brother can’t watch over him, I will.”

Ashlay intended to keep a clear head until the very end. Even if it took more than a year for him to wake up, he would take proper care of the musician.

Hae Won smiled faintly.

I’m glad they’ve found someone they can lean on. she thought, thinking of the Altaha brothers.

“Doctor Yoon, I have a question for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“You said Gwenval survived because his constitution was different from others. What did you mean?”

“ A Situs inversus…”

Ashlay gave her a puzzled look. He’d never heard those words before and had only guessed that they were Latin.

Hae Won laughed at his expression.

“Judging by that look, Gwenval never told you. I suppose he didn’t want you to think of him as fragile. It's a rare condition, after all.”

“He’s anything but fragile.”

Knowing his beloved musician's other identity, Ashlay could hardly imagine him being sick, much less weak.

“It’s a condition where the internal organs are completely or partially reversed compared to those of a normal human body.”

Hae Won faced Ashlay to demonstrate.

“For example, in Gwen’s case, his heart isn’t on the left, it’s on the right. That’s why his injury wasn’t fatal.”

Ashlay pictured it in his mind, trying to grasp the idea. He hadn’t thought it's possible.

“His heart's on the right?” Ashlay murmured. “I didn't even notice last time.”

“” Last time?” Oh! You mean when I found you two cuddled up the other day?”

Ashlay jumped, startled. Hae Won’s eyes were mischievous.

Clearing his throat, Ashlay tried to recover.

“You said it could be partial or total inversion. What about Gwenval?"

“For Gwen, it’s a situs inversus totalis, a complete inversion. He can live normally, but just in case, he has to get regular checkups to ensure everything is fine. Gwen takes care of himself very well, so I’m not too worried, unlike with Lioren.”

“Prosecutor Altaha as well?”

“No, Lioren doesn't have that genetic quirk. But I’ve noticed that he gets sick more easily than Gwen does. His lifestyle is probably a factor, but it’s still ironic.”

“His mother had this condition, too, right?”

“Oh! He told you about his mother?”

Ashlay nodded.

“In her case, the inversion was only partial. She had a heart condition and often had to stay in bed. After her death, the whole family feared that Gwen would also die young. Some had already given up on him and acted as if he didn’t exist, while others overprotected him. I belong to the group that treats him like a normal person.”

Ashlay now understood why Lioren was so strict about his brother’s safety. However, according to Doctor Yoon, Gwenval’s life wasn’t in danger. The prosecutor’s protectiveness likely stemmed from his mother’s case.

“That explains why Prosecutor Altaha—”

“Don’t get me started on Lioren.” the doctor interrupted, annoyed. “I’ve lost count of how many times he’s rushed Gwen into the ER over a cut that’s not even a centimeter long. He’s calmed down over time, but I’ve told him countless times there’s no need. He never listens. That stubborn mule! No wonder Gwen sometimes feels suffocated with him!”

Strangely, Ashlay could easily imagine the prosecutor barging into the hospital with an upset expression just because Gwen had coughed or sneezed a little too hard.

It amused him just to think about it.

Hae Won sighed.

“Please, Nienrao, don't be like him, all right?”

“Gwen is as strong as I am, maybe even stronger, so that’s not likely to happen.”

The doctor gave him a confused look.

“Uh… I mean, he’s stronger mentally. I’ve always seen him healthy, so I don’t plan on treating him any differently.”

Hae Won smiled.

“Thank you, Nienrao.”

Ashlay turned his attention back to the musician.

Gwen, Gwen, you must have felt so lonely at times. Good thing Monroe was there for you… Ashlay thought, brushing his fingers over his left arm.

“You haven't told him yet?” the doctor remarked.

“I didn't want to show him my weaknesses.”

“You two really are alike.”

Ashlay took it as a compliment.

____

Later that day, on his way back from a quick trip between the hospital and the Turquoise, Ashlay briefly crossed paths with a man who seemed strangely familiar. The man came from the hallway leading to Gwenval’s room.

He was middle-aged with a solid build and was dressed in a flawless suit. He commanded respect in the same way Ashlay’s mother did. Yet, there was a hint of melancholy in his gaze.

Still unsettled by the encounter, Ashlay remembered what Gwenval had told him about his father once inside the musician’s room.

“If I remember correctly, he's a judge… Gwen Gwen said he didn't care about him anymore, but it seems that's not the case…”

____

In the days that followed, Ashlay mostly stayed in Gwenval’s room. At the request of Kaelan and Hao Ming, he was occasionally forced to go home and rest while his friends took over.

Meanwhile, Lioren and his team were hunting down the Crystal Joy with the narcotics unit. Il Young couldn’t hide his involvement with Nemesis, since the men in black already knew his identity. However, because he was cooperating, his name wouldn’t appear in the reports. The cargo seized from the men in black was thoroughly analyzed, and Baek Dong Soo and his men were imprisoned while awaiting trial.

As for the Shadows, it was difficult to prove that it was them who had fought the gang. So they weren't mentioned in the report, either.

Officially, Il Young was taken hostage by Baek Dong Soo and his men after they caught him trying to turn them in. Meanwhile, another organization, that wanted revenge on Baek Dong Soo’s group, clashed with them at the port. Gwenval, Ashlay, and Hao Ming took advantage of the fight to rescue Il Young. During the rescue, Gwenval was accidentally injured.

Lioren had trouble accepting this version of events, but his superiors weren't interested in hearing another one. Still, one thing bothered him: In a life-or-death situation, why risk contacting Ashlay and sending him the evidence? From what he understood, they barely knew each other. Something wasn’t adding up.

“Nienrao Ashlay. Ever since he appeared in Gwenval’s life, all sorts of dangers have followed.”