When the first rays of the sun invaded the room, the scene had completely changed. Aziel was fast asleep, a calmness on his face that only happens next to a loved one. His hand still lay relaxed on the part of the bed where Sojin had been just a moment ago. Sojin was standing in front of the mirror. He was dressing carefully, trying not to make any unnecessary sound. In the mirror, he saw the fresh marks on his body—the "souvenirs" left by Aziel—and paused for a moment. He looked at the sleeping man, a strange mixture of sadness and determination in his eyes. He cast a final glance at the room and walked slowly toward the door. He knew that leaving this house meant returning to reality, but the traces of that night were still going to burn his skin for a long time.

​A luxurious, shiny black car suddenly appeared in the narrow and faded streets of the old district of Seoul. It contrasted sharply with the dilapidated buildings around it. Sojin drove the car skillfully, slowing down until he stopped near Mrs. Min's house. Mrs. Min had been living alone since the day her husband died, leaving her a small house and a large plot of land far from the city. The woman had never used that land; it was a memory for her, but now circumstances were forcing her to say goodbye to it.

​When Sojin entered, Mrs. Min greeted him with a warm smile.

— Hello, my son, you barely made it, — she said, nodding.

— Hello, Mrs. Min. Thank you for finding the time to receive me, — Sojin replied, bowing slightly. An honest respect could be felt in his voice.

​They sat around a small table. Sojin listened to the woman carefully as the latter told him about the land, about how her husband dreamed of establishing an orchard there. Sojin did not rush her; he was polite and restrained, showing that besides the transaction, the human relationship was also important to him.

​Mrs. Min stood up to pour the tea into the cups. Right at the moment when the steam was rising from the cup, a rough and heavy knock was heard on the door. Mrs. Min looked at the door in confusion, while Sojin's gaze instantly froze. The woman slowly opened the door, and a group of individuals with a cold and aggressive energy burst into the room. Standing in the center was a tall girl, Ji-Yoon.

​Ji-Yoon's face was a perfect combination of cold beauty and danger. Every single feature of her face emphasized her rebellious character. Her hair was short, in a boyish style but well-groomed; the dark green tint seemed almost black in the shade, but under the light, it took on a deep, emerald shine that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. She had narrow, Eastern-shaped eyes of black color. The light dark shadows around her eyes gave her a tired but at the same time cruel look. A silver piercing shone on her left eyebrow. She had high and sharp cheekbones and a clearly defined jawline. Her lips were thin. She was tall (1.86 cm) with an athletic physique. On the back of her left hand, on the wrist, a black scorpion tattoo was clearly visible.

​Mrs. Min stood trembling. At first, she had hoped to sell the land to Ji-Yoon, but the appearance of Kang Heri and a more profitable offer changed everything. Ji-Yoon, however, did not know how to back down; she had started to threaten the old woman, forcing her to sign the papers. Sojin's appearance at the last moment seemed like a salvation; his calm and polite behavior had attracted Mrs. Min, but the woman was now terrified, seeing two powerful forces colliding inside her house.

​— Mrs. Min, go, — Sojin commanded in a low voice as Ji-Yoon's three fighters stepped forward.

Ji-Yoon pulled back calmly, took out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the wall, looking at the scene with indifference. Mrs. Min crawled away and locked herself in the next room.

​A large-bodied fighter attacked first. Sojin ducked sharply, letting the blow pass through the air, and quickly struck his throat with the palm of his hand. While he was suffocating, the other two militants attacked simultaneously. Sojin used the narrowness of the room; he grabbed the hand of one, twisted it, and used him as a shield against the strike of the third.

​The sound of breaking bones was heard. Sojin struck the latter's face with his knee in mid-jump, then turning around, he knocked the giant grabbed by the throat down to the ground with a powerful kick. All three fighters of "Son-Yang" were immobilized.

​Ji-Yoon slowly approached the table, where the tea cup was still emitting steam. She smiled ironically, extinguished the cigarette in the tea, and began to clap slowly with sarcasm.

​She did not keep him waiting. Ji-Yoon's first blow was so fast that Sojin barely managed to defend himself, but the force of the blow knocked him to the ground. Sojin tried to stand up quickly, but Ji-Yoon was already on top of him with athletic agility. A fierce duel began. Sojin tried to fight back, but the girl's training gave her the advantage. Ji-Yoon delivered several heavy blows to Sojin's ribs and face. The final blow, with a foot straight to the temple, definitively broke Sojin's resistance. He fell to the floor covered in blood, unable to move.

​Ji-Yoon walked toward the room where Mrs. Min had hidden, ready to force her to sign the papers. But opening the door, she saw only the open window. Mrs. Min had escaped from the house.

Ji-Yoon clenched her teeth in fury but then calmed down. She returned to the living room, where Sojin lay motionless. Ji-Yoon lit a new cigarette, crouched next to Sojin, and looked at his broken face for a long time. She blew the smoke slowly into Sojin's face, looked into his half-open eyes, and whispered with a cold, triumphant smile:

​— Today was not your day, Sojin.

​She stood up and left the house with calm steps, leaving Sojin lost in blood.

Sojin remained lying motionless on the floor for a long time. Silence was in the room. Only the wind entering through the window moved the curtain, and the last steam rising from the tea cup disappeared into the air.

​He leaned on the floor with his bloody palm and sat up with great difficulty. He slowly put his hand into his pocket, took out his phone, and dialed the first number.

— Yes, — a man's voice was heard from the other side.

— It's me, — Sojin's voice was husky but stable. — Mrs. Min has escaped. Find her before the people of "Son-Yang" reach her.

— Understood, hyung.

— No harm must come to her, — Sojin added in a low but dangerous tone. — She is our responsibility now.

— *Ne, hyung.

*ne - yes

The call ended.

​He stood up with difficulty, leaned against the wall, and left the house. Driving the car was a real trial, but he had to reach home. At home, he washed quickly, tried to calm the swelling with ice, and dressed. He chose light but elegant spring clothes—light gray cotton trousers and a dark blue silk shirt, the high collar of which slightly covered the marks on his neck.

​Before going to work, Sojin visited his brother, Minjae, at the hospital. The boy was lying among white sheets, paler than usual. During the conversation, as Minjae tried to remember the details of the attack, Sojin's heart tightened.

​— Minjae, — Sojin addressed his brother in a low voice, not taking his gaze off his bandages. — The more I think, the more my suspicions grow. I am almost sure that the ones who attacked you were "Son-Yang" people. They found me today too... they stop at nothing.

— Hyung, everything happened very fast, — he whispered. — I didn't manage to see anything, let alone understand. It was dark, they were many... It could have been anyone. Our enemies are not few; do not limit yourself only to them.

Sojin replied nothing.

​When Sojin entered the restaurant, manager Kang Sera was the first to notice the injuries on his face.

— Sojin, what has happened to your face? — she exclaimed, squeezing his cheeks with her hands. — Who has treated you like this? You don't look well, you must rest.

Sojin smiled lightly, though it hurt his lip.

— Calm down, manager-nim. On my vacation, I decided to engage in cycling, but guess that is not my thing. I fell very badly. Now I understand that two wheels are not for me, — he joked.

*nim - dear

At that moment, he felt Aziel's presence. Aziel was standing a bit far away and listening to that entire lie. His gaze was heavy, piercing. Sojin, however, did not flinch. He went to the dressing room, skillfully used the makeup products, covering the bruises as much as possible so that the customers wouldn't notice anything.

​During the break, Sojin went out to the back entrance to smoke. The air was cool, saturated with a spring fragrance. Soon, Aziel also came out. The silence between them was tormenting, until Aziel approached and said in a low voice:

— Sojin... I feel very bad. Those marks... last night I went too far. I shouldn't have been so cruel to you.

​Sojin looked at him. At that moment, there was no pain or bitterness in his eyes. He slowly approached and hugged Aziel, leaning his head on his shoulder.

— Don't think about it. I liked everything that happened between us that night. Those marks don't cause pain; they remind me of you, — he whispered.

​Sojin knew that the dark side of his life—the clan, the blood, and enemies like Ji-Yoon—could ruin Aziel. But he also knew that he was unable to leave.

— Let's go to the studio today after work, — he said, looking warmly into Aziel's eyes. — I want us to bring to completion the work we left unfinished.

​The workday ended.

— Sojin, you know, I finally found the space where my dance studio is going to be. It is so bright and spacious... I have already started slowly dealing with the opening matters. You can't imagine how impatiently I am waiting to see my first students.

​Sojin listened to him and felt a warm wave of pride consume him. At that moment, he had forgotten both Ji-Yoon and his aching ribs. Aziel's dream was coming to life, and that was the greatest consolation for Sojin.

​When they reached the studio, Sojin began to prepare the space, adjusting the light and setting up the canvas. While he was busy, Aziel's gaze fell again on the paintings leaning against the walls and placed in the corners. They were the same naked women, in different positions, with different emotions.

​The expression on Aziel's face changed instantly. Jealousy, like lightning, struck him.

— Sojin, — he asked, with a suppressed anger in his voice. — Why have you painted so many girls, and especially... why exactly naked?

​Sojin was confused. He stopped, brush in hand, not knowing how to answer. A dilemma was inside him: to tell the truth or to invent a story? Aziel, seeing Sojin's silence, grew angrier. He approached the boy, looked straight into his eyes, as if threatening with his gaze.

​Sojin was afraid of that gaze for a moment. He couldn't look into Aziel's eyes because the real reason was very personal and Aziel would definitely not like it. He adored the aesthetics of the human body—the play of skin colors, old scars, elasticity, small moles, and especially the intimate parts, which were unique in everyone. For him, that was the pinnacle of beauty. As a man, he confessed to himself that he had had numerous women; he was a lover of women and to some extent perverted in his art and passions. He liked not only to paint but also to feel those bodies. Although he had never used violence, his charm often made the girls offer the bed themselves.

​— Aziel, that is simply art, — Sojin finally said, trying to appear calm. — There is no occasion for jealousy. That is normal for an artist of my style. All artists shouldn't be like one another or only paint nature.

​That answer did not satisfy Aziel, but seeing Sojin's closedness, he understood that he wasn't going to hear more.

​They began to work. Aziel assumed his elegant positions again, and Sojin began the brush strokes. When the painting was already close to completion, Aziel went to change his clothes. Sojin, looking at his creation, said:

— Soon the painting will be completely ready. This is my best work.

​Aziel noticed the happy expression on Sojin's face. At that moment, he understood an important thing: being an artist is much closer to Sojin's heart than being a waiter in a restaurant or a "bandit" on the streets. But as soon as his gaze touched the other naked paintings again, anger flared up anew.

— Listen, Sojin, — Aziel commanded, pointing at the canvases, — either keep these paintings closed so that no one sees them, or simply burn them. I don't want to see them here.

​Sojin, seeing that the argument could prolong, decided to use his favorite tactic: the "wall of silence." He pretended to hear nothing, see nothing. He packed his things quickly, took Aziel by the hand, and led him out of the studio.

​The entire way, Aziel was angry. In the car, he continued to demand that the paintings be destroyed, but Sojin persistently remained silent. He was only barely holding back his laughter, seeing such sincere and passionate jealousy from Aziel.

​Thus, under the angry whispers of one and the suppressed smile of the other, they arrived near Aziel's house.

​When the car stopped near Aziel's house, the silence reigning in the cabin became almost tangible. Aziel, who was angry all the way because of the paintings, had calmed down now. He looked at Sojin, waiting for the boy to turn off the engine, open the door, and for them to go upstairs together, just like the previous night.

— Aren't you coming down? — Aziel asked in a low voice, putting his hand on Sojin's shoulder. In his gaze shone the hope that the tenderness of this night would erase the studio argument.

​Sojin did not look at him. He squeezed the steering wheel firmly, and his gaze was fixed on the windshield.

— No, Aziel. Today I cannot stay. I have very urgent matters that I must solve right now.

​Aziel's hand slid slowly from Sojin's shoulder. The rejection was like cold water. He wanted to ask for a moment, "What matters at this late hour?" but seeing the coldness of Sojin's face and the bruise on his temple, which was still noticeable under the makeup, he remained silent. He felt that Sojin was building a wall between them again.

— Okay... I understand, — Aziel whispered, quickly took his things, and got out of the car.

​He did not turn around. He heard how the car abruptly moved from the spot and left. Entering his empty and silent apartment, Aziel felt the loneliness that had been haunting him since his first day of coming to Korea. But now it was more painful, because he already knew the taste of Sojin's presence.