It was a bulky, muscular man wearing a typical gangster-style black open jacket, metal studs on his lips and ears. Beside him stood two others dressed the same—one with sleek rectangular black shades, the other slim, with a strange strip of dark green hair running down the middle of his otherwise bald head.
They looked straight out of a third-rate movie. C-grade villain lackeys.
Ren glanced at them once.
"…No one," he said coldly, his eyes sharp, his expression completely indifferent.
The three men twitched.
A strange fear crawled up their spines—unfamiliar, unexplainable.
Ren simply walked past them, brushing by as if they didn't exist. Under his breath, without a hint of change in expression, he murmured, "…What a bunch of nobodies."
The slim guy with the dark green strip of hair suddenly stepped forward, blocking Ren's path. A twisted smile stretched across his face as he placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"…Where do you think you're going?"
Ren's eyes slowly dropped—to the hand on his shoulder.
Behind him, the big guy spoke, voice rough and irritated, "You're not going anywhere before you apologize, kid."
His face twisted further. "And even that won't be enough. Get on your knees… then maybe I'll consider letting you go."
A grin appeared on Ren's face.
"…How generous of you."
His hand moved.
He grabbed the wrist resting on his shoulder—the green-haired guy's hand—gently. Almost politely.
The guy frowned. "…What are you do—"
Ren's grip tightened.
"…Huh?"
Tighter.
The man's expression changed instantly—confusion to pain.
"Wha—!?"
Tighter.
CRACK—!
"STOP—STOP!!"
But Ren didn't stop.
His grin widened.
CRACK—CRACK—!
Bone gave in. Flesh twisted unnaturally.
Then—he let go.
The man dropped to his knees instantly, clutching his shattered hand, screaming uncontrollably.
"AHHHH—! AHHHH—! MY HAND!! MY HAND!!"
Ren turned slightly, looking back over his shoulder, his smile twisted.
"…So… what were you saying?"
The guy with the glasses froze, his throat going dry. He gulped.
…This guy is bad news…
Even the big man hesitated for a split second, sweat forming on his forehead—but pride overtook fear.
"…You won't get away alive from here, punk!!" he roared, stepping forward and throwing a punch straight at Ren.
Ren didn't dodge immediately.
He watched it come.
Slow.
Too slow.
At the last moment—
WHOOSH—!
Ren tilted his head slightly. The punch grazed past him, missing completely.
His eyes locked onto the man's exposed side.
A smirk.
"…Your turn's over."
His body moved—sharp, precise—his knee driving upward toward the man's abdomen—
THUD—!
The impact folded the big man instantly, all the air knocked out of his lungs.
"GHH—!!"
Before he could recover, Ren grabbed his collar and slammed him down.
BAM—!
The ground shook slightly.
Silence.
The man lay there, unconscious.
The one with glasses stumbled back, panic written all over his face.
Ren stepped forward slowly.
Each step echoed.
"…Now," he said calmly, eyes cold, "you still want an apology?"
The guy with the glasses stumbled back, panic written all over his face.
Ren stepped forward slowly, each step calm, measured—heavy.
"…Now," he said, voice low, eyes cold, "you still want an apology?"
The man's lips trembled. His legs shook.
"N-no… I—"
Ren didn't stop walking.
The distance closed—one step, then two.
The man's breathing turned erratic. His mind blank.
"…I said—" Ren tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing straight through him, "—do you still want it?"
The guy flinched hard.
"…N-no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!"
Ren paused, his eyes shifting slightly.
…The glasses.
A thought struck him—without a doubt, completely cringe, but worth trying.
A small grin formed anyway.
"…Give me those," he said, pointing at the man's shades.
The guy didn't even hesitate. With trembling hands, he quickly took them off and handed them over.
Ren took them casually, turned, and started walking away.
Then—
Without even looking back—
His leg moved.
THUD—!
A direct hit.
Right into the bulky guy's crotch.
KRAK!
A faint, sickening creak followed.
The man's already half-conscious body jolted—eyes bulging for a split second before everything went dark again.
Silence.
[ You are really too brutal ]
Ren adjusted the glasses slightly, a small smile forming as he kept walking.
"But it was fun, wasn't it?"
---
The door slammed open—
BANG—!
Ming flinched, her body tensing as she turned in shock.
"W-Who is it!?" she said, voice filled with worry and surprise.
But then—her eyes landed on the figure at the door.
…Ren.
Standing there, wearing black shades in a place where it was always night—which made absolutely no sense—but somehow… he still looked cool.
In one hand, a bouquet of red roses.
In the other, a box of chocolates.
Ming blinked once, then twice—silence.
Then—
She burst out laughing.
Completely. Uncontrollably.
"HAHAHAHA—!"
Ren rubbed the back of his head, already walking toward her with a defeated sigh.
"…Yeah, I knew it… this was gonna end like this…"
Ming tried to catch her breath, still laughing as she looked at him.
"Why is this sudden change?" she managed to say, wiping a tear from her eye.
Ren didn't answer immediately—instead, he stepped closer.
His hand slid around her waist, pulling her gently toward him.
Ming's laughter hitched for a second.
Ren leaned in slightly, a grin forming on his face.
"…Why? You don't like it?"
The distance between them closed.
Just a little more—
His shades reflected her stunned expression.
And for once—
Ming's laughter died in her throat, her body stiffening as his hand came to rest on her waist.
"Y-You…"
Her voice came out softer than she expected.
Ren tilted his head slightly, still grinning.
"Hmm?"
Ming's eyes flickered away, then back, then away again.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"What are you even doing…?" she muttered, trying to sound annoyed, but failing badly.
Ren leaned in a little closer.
"Trying something new," he said casually.
Her fingers grabbed onto his shirt without thinking.
Not pushing him away. Just holding it.
"This doesn't suit you," she whispered, avoiding his gaze.
"Really?"
"Yeah… you look stupid."
A small pause.
"But not that bad…" she added quietly.
Ren blinked, then smirked.
"I'll take that as a win."
Ming frowned instantly, trying to recover. "Don't get ahead of yourself!" But her voice lacked force.
Her grip on his shirt tightened slightly instead.
Ren noticed. Of course he did.
His grin deepened.
"So?" he said, lifting the roses a little. "Are you gonna keep staring or take these?"
Ming looked at the bouquet, then at him, then quickly looked away again.
"Tch… just give them already…"
Ren didn't move. "Say please."
Ming snapped her head toward him. "Are you serious!?"
"Very."
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
"P-Please…" she muttered under her breath.
Ren leaned in slightly. "Didn't hear that."
"PLEASE!" she snapped, her face completely red.
Ren chuckled and finally handed her the roses.
Ming snatched them quickly, hugging them close, as if she didn't want him to see how much she liked them.
"Idiot…" she whispered.
But she didn't let go of his shirt.
Ren stood there for a moment after everything settled, the warmth of that moment still lingering in the air, then something clicked and he frowned slightly.
"Wait!"
Ming looked up at him, still holding the roses. "What now?"
"I just realized something," Ren said, tilting his head.
"What?"
"We never actually called each other by name."
Ming blinked, then frowned. "And you didn't either."
"Exactly." Ren crossed his arms, nodding like it was something serious, then a faint grin formed as the mood softened. "So what should we call each other?"
Ming's fingers tightened around the bouquet, her gaze drifting away. "Isn't name enough?"
"Not at all."
"Then what?"
He stepped a little closer, voice lowering just a bit. "Something better."
Ming's heartbeat picked up, her grip on the roses tightening slightly. "Like what?"
Ren opened his mouth, then stopped, his expression shifting as his brain went completely blank. He scratched his cheek. "I don't know."
Ming glanced at him, then away, then back again, her lips parting slightly before closing, then opening again as she gathered courage.
"There is something," she said quietly.
"Oh?" Ren leaned in, curious now.
Ming's face turned red almost instantly as she clutched the roses tighter before finally murmuring, "Airen"
Ren blinked. "What does that mean?"
Ming froze, her face turning completely red as she struggled for a second before forcing it out, voice trembling, "Lo-lovers."
Ren stared at her for a moment—then a slow grin spread across his face.
Ren said with a teasing smile, "you know, I understand a bit of Chinese too."
Ming blinked, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "…Really?"
Ren leaned closer, his grin turning softer—dangerous in a different way.
"Airen doesn't just mean lovers…"
He bent slightly, his lips near her ear, voice dropping to a gentle whisper—
"it also means beloved spouse... doesn't it?"
Ming's entire face flushed instantly.
"Y-You—!"
She didn't tell him that on purpose!
In a burst of embarrassment, she lightly hit his chest.
"Idiot!"
Ren laughed softly, not moving away.
"Alright, alright—sorry."
His hand moved up, gently stroking her hair, a small smile lingering on his face as he looked at her.
Their eyes met.
Ren tilted his head slightly. "So what does my airen want to do today?"
She hesitated, fingers tightening around the fabric of her clothes. Her voice came out small, almost fragile.
"W-Why don't we—"
She stopped halfway, words getting stuck as if even finishing the sentence felt too bold.
But she gathered her courage and finally said, "Let's go on a date!"
Ren blinked. Once. Twice. Just staring at her like his brain needed a moment to catch up.
What…?
Then it slipped out louder than intended, "WHAT!? Really!"
She nodded softly, almost shyly. "Yes!"