(Arc 1 : The raven and the dragon)

(Arc 1 : The raven and the dragon) 

Gwenval hadn't said a word since leaving the Seoul Arts Centre. He peacefully watched the lights of the city flash before his eyes and thought about what had happened tonight. Ashlay was a strange young man in the musician's eyes, and he wondered what he was up to.

"Was he still a suitor?" Asked Gwenval's friend.

"Hum ?" Gwenval awoke from his reflection... "More or less"... He answered vaguely.

"What do you mean by "more or less"? Did he flirt with you? Yes or no?"

"He offered to help me catch the person who's threatening me in exchange for dinner with me."

"What??"The driver gasped.

Gwenval's friend laughed, almost to tears.

The musician, embarrassed by his friend's reaction, turned his head away.

"But wait!" His friend suddenly realised. "If he offered to help you, something must have happened. Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Worried, he juggled his gaze between the road and Gwenval.

"I'm fine, Kae." He reassured and turned his head towards his friend.

The musician then told him everything that had happened tonight. Kae was very surprised by the turn of events. He also was relieved to see that his friend was okay.

Kae was the only person who knew about Gwenval's current situation. He was a little frustrated that he hadn't been able to help him more. In reality, he'd been in England for most of the month and had been back for a few days, but he was very busy. He'd only been able to talk to Gwenval on the phone before tonight. He'd only been able to talk to Gwenval on the phone until tonight.

"Do you think you can trust him to solve your problem? A logical person would have run away or contacted the police."

"Not yet but he sounds extremely determined and confident in his ability to fix everything in a week. He didn't let me refuse his help either. Frankly, I'd like to believe him. This whole thing is starting to get on my nerves."

"And if all else fails, you'll call "you-know-who"?"

"If things get worse, as a last resort, yes." Gwenval sighed.

Kae saw the discomfort in the musician's eyes and decided to change the subject. Suddenly he smiled again and took a more relaxed attitude.

"Anyway, this is the first time anyone has approached you like this. A bouquet of flowers? Romantic words? Gifts? No!" Kae exclaimed, adopting a theatrical voice. "I will prove my worth to you by putting an end to the source of your torment!" Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Kealan..."

Gwenval's face flushed. Come to think of it, Ashlay had indeed acted chivalrously towards him.

"I caught a glimpse of him earlier. He's cute too. Tall, with broad shoulders and a handsome face... Will you give him a chance or will he be another victim of your bewitching beauty?"

"You talk as if you didn't have everyone at your feet when you went out?" Replied Gwenval sarcastically.

Kaelan had very fine features and an androgynous appearance. Many had mistaken him for a woman. The young man knew how to take advantage of his physique and liked to play on this ambiguity, which confused many people.

Gwenval was silent for a moment. He looked at his friend, then out again.

"I don't want to think about romance that right now. I want to focus on what's important."

I'm probably just a distraction for him...

Still, as long as you had good eyesight, everyone could agree that Ashlay was outrageously handsome. But that wasn't enough to win the pianist over. To him, Ashlay was just a rich heir looking to spice up his life. Who knew what he really wanted? Gwenval was still suspicious. But driven by his curiosity, he was ready to spend time with Ashlay in the coming week.

Half an hour later, Kaelan parked his car a few meters from an sumptuous residential building. Shortly after, Gwenval received a text message. It was from Ashlay. He'd arranged to meet him at Jade Shielding at 10:30 the next day.

"Jade Shielding? The cybersecurity and protection company?" Said Kaelan. "He doesn't beat around the bush. He's bringing in one of the best companies in this business."

Gwenval was perplexed. He did a quick search on his phone to find out more about Jade Shielding. It was a cybersecurity company that had rapidly established itself in the Chinese and Korean markets over the past six years.Its CEO, Bai Hao Ming, was the same age as Ashlay and came from a family involved in import-export. He was also known to have a very high IQ. Their second activity was the protection of people: celebrities, politicians, influential people... From photos found on the Internet, Hao Ming and Ashlay seemed to be good friends, which was not very surprising.

Gwenval gave Ashlay a sober "Okay" and put his phone away. Then he picked up his bag and prepared to get out of his friend's car.

"I can come with you tomorrow." Kaelan suggested.

"There's no need." Gwenval shook his head. "Besides, I don't have much to fear by going to a cybersecurity company, don't you think?"

"Hmm... " Kaelan didn't really agree with Gwenval's reasoning. "Okay, but call me if there's a problem. You know very well that your habit of trying to solve everything on your own could get you into trouble."

"Of course. Fortunately, it's a good thing I have a friend like you to help me." Gwenval replies with a wry smile. "By the way, Kae, you have something here..."

Gwenval drew an invisible line with his index finger on the right side of his neck. Kaelan reacted quickly and looked in the car mirror. There was indeed a trace of ultramarine paint on his neck.

"You could have told me before, Gwen." Kaelan exclaimed, embarrassed.

"You were driving..."

Kaelan grabbed a small bottle of solvent and some absorbent cotton from his glove compartment and began to remove the paint.

After, Gwenval and Kaelan spent another twenty minutes in the car, chatting about anything and everything.

Seeing the hour, Gwenval invited his friend to spend the night at his place.

____

The next morning, while Kaelan was still asleep, Gwenval finished getting ready for his meeting with Ashlay. He left a note for his friend, then took a taxi to Jade Shielding.

It was 10:15 when he arrived. The building was huge. Gwenval entered and went straight to the reception desk. He announced the reason for his visit. The receptionist took a few moments to consult information on the computer in front of her. When the check was complete, she invited Gwenval to sit in one of the chairs on the left side of the hall.

The musician thanked the receptionist, gave her a smile and took a seat where indicated. He also sent a message to Ashlay to inform him of his arrival.

Some people had recognized Gwenval and debated why the musician was there. Others admired his beauty.

"He's even more handsome in person!", "Did he come to hire bodyguards here?", "Do you think I could get his autograph?", "Who would dare mess with such a work of art?", "My parents would be so happy if I introduced them to such a handsome son-in-law!"

"You attract attention wherever you are, Gwen Gwen." A male voice announced from behind Gwenval.

Ashlay moved in front of Gwenval and smiled. The musician was leaning against one end of the armchair, his legs elegantly crossed. The sun's rays caressed his skin and illuminated his jewel-like green eyes. He could be mistaken for a prince from a foreign country.

"So sexy... "

Ashlay lost himself in Gwenval's gaze for a few seconds, then remembered why they were there.

"Please, follow me." Ashlay informed.

"You may drop the formal tone." Gwenval indicate, while standing up.

"Really?! Thank you, Gwen Gwen!"

Ashlay was happy with this simple permission. Gwenval just found it more comfortable. Since they didn't really have a professional relationship, they didn't have to be too strict in the way they spoke. Gwenval also realized that Ashlay wouldn't give up the nickname he had found for him and sighed inwardly.

Ashlay led Gwenval to an elevator and pushed the button for the twentieth floor.

On the way up, the pianist analyzed the young man in front of him. He was dressed much more casually than yesterday. He was wearing a beige jacket and pants and a white shirt, but no tie.

"Did you get home okay last night? Did anything suspicious happen?" Ashlay asked suddenly.

"Yes, I got home in one piece. I've never received any threats at home. The security at my place is pretty tight. Usually it's the staff that delivers orders or packages to the apartments, and they don't let strangers in either. It's true that I've been contacted about some packages this month, but since I didn't order anything, they were all sent back. I didn't want to risk my stalker finding out my exact address.

"I understand..."

Ashlay also wanted to ask about Gwenval's "friend" who picked him up last night, but he didn't want to seem intrusive.

The twentieth floor was mostly meeting rooms. Groups of people could be seen in the middle of a meeting. After walking a few meters, Ashlay and Gwenval came to a large double door.

On either side of the door was a desk: one on the left with a man and one on the right with a woman. Ashlay smiled and greeted the two people who stood up when they saw him. The woman picked up the phone in front of her and dialed a number.

"Mr. Nienrao has arrived... Yes, sir."

The woman hung up and motioned for Ashlay and Gwenval to enter.

The office was very spacious. Inside, there was a long coffee table surrounded by sofas and armchairs. At the far end was a large desk with a computer, various writing materials, and contracts. Behind the desk was a huge bookcase that took up the entire wall. When you looked out, you had a beautiful view of Seoul.

Sure, it was a nice room, but where was the boss? The place was empty. Ashlay seemed unperturbed by this, and naturally made his way to a door close to the desk. He entered a code on a digital box placed on it, then put the index finger of his right hand on a fingerprint reader. A sound indicated that the door had unlocked.

"Hi, Hao Ming." Ashlay called out as he entered.

Inside, the atmosphere was very different. There were no windows. There were large black metal cabinets with digital boxes on the right and big servers on the left. So it was pretty cold. In the middle were two L-shaped desks. One had three monitors, a keyboard and a mouse. The other had electronics and small soldering tools. A video projector was mounted on the ceiling and pointed at a white wall opposite the desk where the screens were. It was like a secret hacker's lair.

After a few seconds, a young man emerged from another room behind the white wall.

"Ní hǎo, Ash. Ní hǎo, Altaha xiān sheng (* Hello, Ash. Hello, Mr. Altaha)."

Hao Ming went over to Gwenval and held out his hand. Gwenval greeted him in return and shook his hand cordially. The CEO glanced quickly at Ashlay, then back at Gwenval with a smile.

"Ash told me about your problem. You don't need to worry. With my help, this whole affair will soon be a distant memory."