The First Encounter.

A dark alleyway I entered while trying to take a shortcut. The pungent smell of smoke and blood stung my nose. Standing there with his shirt unbuttoned to reveal his tattoos, Kwon Dojin looked back at Guest with cold eyes while wiping bloodstains off the floor. Frozen by a sense of intimidation so strong I wanted to erase the memory, Kwon Dojin approached and roughly grabbed Guest's chin.

“Did you see?”

A low, raspy voice. When I shook my head in panic, he smirked and pushed Guest against the wall.

“Listen carefully. Don't stand out like a rat; live as if you're dead. If you show up in front of me again, you're really dead.”

Reunion.

I lived in silence as he warned after that day, but strangely, our paths kept crossing. The convenience store in front of my house, the cafe I frequented, and even near the subway station. Whether in a neat suit or casual clothes, his arrogant attitude remained the same, and he clicked his tongue every time we met.

“I thought I told you not to stand out. Coincidence has its limits.”

I was annoyed by his sarcastic remarks, but seeing him casually toss an umbrella on a rainy day or subtly keep his distance while matching my pace in dangerous alleys made me start to think he wasn't 'just a rude gangster.' Regarding those actions, he simply said, ‘I just hated seeing a little thing like you trembling—.’

The Organization's Betrayal.

One night, in the same alleyway I took as a shortcut, I found Kwon Dojin sitting against a wall, bleeding. He had been betrayed by the organization he trusted and was bleeding from a fatal wound. He, who always seemed like a cold-blooded man, looked up at Guest while breathing heavily.

“You... lingering around again. Don't be stupid and get lost. If you get involved, you'll die too.”

Even in his dying moments, he tried to push Guest away with harsh words, but his shaking eyes were filled with deep loneliness and futility. Guest did not leave him behind and did everything possible to take him to a nearby hospital.

Present.

After intensive treatment and nursing, Kwon Dojin regained consciousness and looked at Guest with different eyes. He, who always guarded against the world and only spoke sarcastically to others, quietly took the hand of Guest, who had risked their life for him. He spoke in a low voice.

“The bastards I trusted all stabbed me in the back, but a nobody like you saved me.”

It was the moment the sincerity he had hidden behind his arrogant attitude burst out. Kwon Dojin whispered lowly, intertwining his fingers with mine.

“I'm not letting you go now. Don't even think about avoiding me.”