Gwen had blossomed into a striking beauty, and whispers of her allure had spread far and wide. Her character, however, did not quite match her looks; her brother's less desirable habits had clearly rubbed off on her.
The one always at the receiving end of her antics was Marsha Pasatit, the young lady of one of the five main families of Bronze Orchid and also Kamman's fiancée.
Kamman didn't tell anyone when he would be back in Thailand, but he had left room for assumptions. Marsha, knowing him as she did, didn't dismiss the possibility of him arriving unannounced, so she was constantly at the Chen manor, checking and prying.
Gwen, for her part, was excited every time Marsha came, because then she would have someone to frustrate.
It was around eight the next morning. Manu walked through the wide corridors of the mansion, humming his usual song. He was clearly in a good mood. Earlier, he had been on the phone with Rei, who had briefly explained the turmoil they were going through in South Korea. Manu was glad he wasn't part of it.
He looked around gleefully, enjoying the serene surroundings. He had already predicted a good day, but when he rounded a corner at the end of the corridor, he saw a female figure walking towards him.
He squinted to see clearly, and, upon realizing who it was, he immediately stopped in his tracks and made a sharp U-turn to go back the way he came. It was an unwritten rule among all of Chen Kamman's men to avoid his fiancée. She was always carrying some sort of trouble.
"Stop right there!" Marsha snapped when she saw Manu changing direction.
Manu stopped at her command but didn't turn to face her. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.
Marsha approached him, accompanied by three of her father's men. Her heels made sharp clicking sounds as she walked.
She came up behind him and stood in front of him, facing him. Manu had his head lowered, trying to avoid eye contact with her, but Marsha tilted her head to take a keen look at his face.
"You're not avoiding me, are you?" She asked in a threatening voice.
"Eii, how could I avoid you, Miss? I am just a nobody to be avoiding you," Manu said, laughing nervously.
"Exactly. So it makes me really mad when you act like you're something. Did you not just change your direction after seeing me?"
Marsha asked, poking his chest with her finger roughly. This caused Manu to stumble back slightly but still kept his head low.
"Kammy doesn't like it when people put their fingers on his people."
Another female voice was heard from a distance. They looked in the direction of the voice in unison. Gwen.
She stopped directly in front of Marsha, and they stared at each other deep in the eyes, each challenging the other. A long-standing rivalry was visible between the two. Marsha sneered and rolled her eyes.
"And where is 'Kammy'?" She asked after a moment, phrasing it sarcastically.
"Your fiancé did not tell you where he went?" Gwen teased, raising her brows.
"I would not be asking if he did. Would I?" She said, visibly irritated.
Leave alone her; half of the organization had no idea he was in South Korea.
"Then he probably doesn't want you to know; otherwise, he would have told you. If you are angry about it, then take it out on him. Why do you drag an innocent person into it?" Gwen said, referring to Manu.
"If he does not want me to 'drag' him into it as you say, then he better tell me where his boss is," Marsha fired back, looking Manu up and down with contempt.
"He doesn't know where he is, and neither is it his business to keep track of your man. He doesn't work for you," Gwen replied with the same energy.
"He has a mouth. Let him speak for himself." Marsha did not back down.
"Manu, you can go," Gwen said, turning to Manu.
Manu nodded and quickly bowed to the two women, then rushed out of there, silently thankful to Gwen for saving him from the tension. Gwen turned to Marsha after Manu left and smiled, proud when she saw how angry she was.
"I'll see you around...Gwen." Marsha smiled back pretentiously before stomping out of there.
Gwen nodded, still smiling as she watched her walk away. Gwen never hid the fact that she did not like her. Even when they were on good terms with her brother, she could barely tolerate her. She could smell a gold-digger and a pick-me from a mile away, and Marsha reeked of the stench. She never cared about her brother; she only cared about the influence it added to her name.
But their relationship was tied to profits alone, and she was not the only one gaining. In having Marsha as his fiancée, Kamman managed to get the Pasatit family, which was always against him, to be a bit more lenient. Not that he was scared of them, but he wouldn't mind buying off some peace of mind. In return, Marsha was known as the future Madame Chen, the most prestigious name a wife could have.
Asia only heard the second half of what had transpired when he went back to the Den that morning after his discharge. The men were lamenting and planning on how to regain their name, now that most gangs that had crawled at their feet were beginning to rise and leave without a word.
The rumors had spread fast. Most of the things that happened were already out in the open; the mighty Geumgang Pa was humbled by a boy without him sweating and even without them putting up a fight. This boy had made several waves in the country, and he had not been there for even more than a week. The might of the Bronze Orchid had to be known.
He was not yet done, at least not with Asia, who may have thought otherwise.
Asia did not care about revenge. He cared more about the whys, so when others retorted bitterly, he faked a smile, grabbed his drink, and walked away. Park Jangseok had expressed his desire as well, but Asia had looked at him flatly in his face, laughed, and said:
"The Phoenix? You're not his match yet. He will crash you as easily as he breathes."
With that, he left his office. There was no bad blood. He was not speaking out of bias. He was simply stating facts. That man had abducted him when most people could not even touch him.
He left the club and went to the library he usually went on days he was free. Today was one of those days. There was a pretty librarian who worked there. She was quite welcoming, showing off her bright smile whenever he appeared, and she also had really good recommendations. Asia had visited that library so frequently that he was no longer sure whether he went there to read or to see her. Today, she was seated at her usual place at the front desk, her reading glasses hanging low. She had her entire concentration on the book she was reading and only looked up when he tapped at the desk.
She looked up, a bit startled, and only let down her guard when she noticed it was him. "Ah! Yujin-a! It's been a long time!" she said, breaking into a huge smile. Asia greeted her back with a similar warmth and then went on to explain the reason for his absence.
"I have been quite busy recently and I couldn't find the time to visit."
The librarian studied his face and noticed he was quite paler than usual. She instinctively reached out to touch his cheek, but Asia, also on instinct, took a step back, avoiding it. The librarian let her hand drop awkwardly.
"You look quite pale. Have you been ill?" She then asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Asia had not noticed his state, nor did he bother to check his looks. He was quite confident in them, but as he turned to watch his reflection in the reflective glass door, he almost startled himself. He looked like a ghost, but still, a good-looking ghost.
That was understandable, though; his previous adventures had worn him out, and he still had not rested completely, and was just from the hospital, but he was already up and running. Explaining this to her, however, was out of the question, so he switched to flirting.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare such a beauty," he said, smiling attractively.
"Oh no, no! You're still quite good-looking! You couldn't have scared me." The librarian said, her cheeks flushing hot pink.
Asia's eyes were seductive, drawing, and drowning. Multiple colors split from them when light grazed them, and they depicted something close to museum-worthy art. His lashes were long and flickered lustrously every time he blinked. His skin was smooth and pale, milky white. His eyes took a different shape from the usual Asian features. They were almond-shaped, with voluminous, loose curls resting on them occasionally. Silky and dark.
He was worthy of discussing beauty even in the presence of women, and still held his own quite strongly when it came to men as well. The librarian, giggling and blushing, was not for nothing.
He stared at her, and she did not know what to do with her hands. She fiddled through books and fished out a specific one. "Anyway, this is a new book. It came weeks ago. I think you'll love it." She handed it to him while avoiding his eyes.
Asia smiled, knowing fully well what he was doing, and reached out to grab it, 'accidentally' brushing his fingertips lightly over her hand. The pink that was currently on her face deepened almost immediately.
"Thanks, I'll check it out then." He said, then turned and headed over to his favorite corner by the window, leaving her to deal with the aftermath of his actions.
Dusk approached fast, and soon it was dark, and the library was being emptied by the hour. As others left, a group of students, seemingly in high school, due to their school uniforms, came through the entrance. Chaotic.