Chapter 6: The Other Side

In a café in the city center, a young blond man sat at a table, sipping from a cup. His appearance caught the attention of everyone passing by. Upon seeing another man enter through the establishment's door, he stood up and waved for him to see. 

"Mr. Li, it's an honor to see you again," the blond greeted. 

"Michael, isn't it?" Jihan sat at the table. "Green tea?" he asked, looking at the cup on the table. 

"Yes! I'm glad you recognized it," he smiled. "Do you like it?" 

"The smell is unmistakable, although I prefer coffee," Li signaled a nearby waiter and ordered a cup of the bitter black liquid. 

"You know, Mr. Li, tea is the best accompaniment for quick snacks," Michael remarked. 

"Quick... let's get straight to the point then," Li took a sip from his cup and continued, "What do you want from me?" 

"Straight as always, that's one of the things I like about you!" The man opened a briefcase and placed an A4 sheet on the table. 

"You speak as if you know me," Jihan reached out and took the paper. "What is this?" 

Michael chuckled. 

"And I do know, even more than you imagine!" Michael smiled. "We were observing you, Jihan. Originally, this contract was a credit transfer. We intended to 'buy' you from Tai Lung, so to speak." 

"I'm not for sale," Li interrupted. "I've just freed myself from one chain, and I don't want to be shackled to another. If that's all you're looking for, I think we're done here." 

"Mr. Li, you've misunderstood. We don't want anything from you, quite the opposite, we want to offer you an opportunity." 

"An opportunity?" 

"Mr. Li..., what if I told you that I could give you a fresh start? A life elsewhere, where nobody knows you." 

"I'm listening..." 

"In addition, you would only depend on yourself to survive," Michael pointed at Jihan's hand. "Genuinely, wouldn't you be interested?" 

"This whole conversation is quite interesting..." Li smiled and then frowned, showing distrust towards the man. "But what I'm not understanding, Michael, is what you gain from this. I mean, so far, you've been respectful and offered me things... I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I'm no fool. What do you get in return for giving me all this?" 

"Well, my commission! It doesn't affect you at all, but if I do bad things, I'm negatively affected, just as if I do good things, I'm positively affected." 

"Hahaha, sounds great... almost imaginary. Tell me, what do I have to do then? Beat up some thugs?" Li mocked. Honestly, he wasn't believing much in the man in front of him. The only reason he was still sitting was because of what happened in Tai Lung's office. He wanted to understand more about who Michael was. 

"Yes and no." Michael, for the first time in the conversation, frowned. "What I want... is for you to kill some demons for me." 

Upon hearing what the man said, Li laughed, but seeing that the blond wasn't laughing, he frowned and stared at the young man. 

"Now you're sounding like a lunatic to me. Give me a reason not to get up and leave right now." 

"I can give you ten!" Michael grabbed the briefcase beside him, placed it on the table, and opened it. Revealing 10 stacks of 100 notes, neatly fitted in the case. "What do you say?" 

"You can't buy me with money. I'm not that person anymore!" Li got irritated; the man seemed to treat him more like a luxurious item than a person. 

"Indeed, it doesn't buy." Closing the briefcase, he continued. "But you still have debts to pay, don't you, Jihan?" He signaled air quotes with his fingers, provoking him. 

"That bastard!" Li was calmer than usual, but it didn't mean he had become Buddha. "He knows well what he's talking about." 

"You're not wrong," Jihan took a deep breath. "But I can manage on my own. I don't need your money, so I think we're done here." And he stood up, heading towards the exit. 

Michael, calm and with the same smile, wasn't affected at all by the refusal. 

"And your father, then?" 

Li stopped. 

"I thought you would like to meet him..." 

BANG 

Li slammed the table. 

"What did you say?" 

"I think you heard me well..." 

"He's DEAD! Did you hear me? DEAD!" Li let the calmness fade and continued. "That useless worm died over a decade ago!" 

Michael laughed. 

"That's what YOU know! But what do you know, Jihan? Nothing! Just a frog at the bottom of a well." Narrowing his eyes, as if he hated the subject, he provoked him. "The bastard is alive and well!" 

"You're lying!" 

"Then see for yourself!" Michael placed a small circular glass on the table. 

"What the hell is this?" Li asked confused. 

"See for yourself, Jihan," said the man, inviting him to approach. 

Approaching the glass, Li saw a scene he couldn't explain. A man, followed by a dark wave, entered an army. His hands were more like claws than fingers. Looking closer, all the shadows seemed to copy the movements of the monster, tearing apart anyone who came close. The image then froze on the face of the beast. A face Li knew all too well. 

"What the hell is this...? A movie?" He might have never seen the man, but after his mother's death, he made sure to look him up with what little he knew. 

"Not a movie, but the purest reality, do you believe now?" 

"What happened to him?" 

"Well, that thing you saw is no longer a 'him', where I come from, we call him Zilá, The Master of Shadows." The image on the glass finally faded, and the object broke in half. Michael felt the glass crack, like a stab in his heart. "So expensive!" 

"How can I know this is real? That it's not just an edited video or some kind of shit like that..." 

"You won't... but, in doubt, what do you have to lose?" 

Jihan fell silent for a few seconds, trying to think of a response. 

"I... I don't know what to say, I need to process this..." 

"We don't have much time... it's not easy to take someone to the other side... You have until tomorrow to decide!" Michael pulled the briefcase with the money, placed the contract inside, and handed it to Li. "Keep this." 

"You're trusting me with this?" Jihan questioned, and Michael laughed. 

"Mr. Li, if you refuse, I can just find you and take the briefcase back." The confidence in his voice made Jihan sure that if the young man wanted, he wouldn't reach the city's border. 

"If I accept... how do I contact you?" 

"Oh, don't worry about that, if you wish to accept, just sign the papers and wait until the next morning." 

"Just that?" He asked incredulously. 

"Yes... just that. However, prepare yourself beforehand, you'll need to be ready when you wake up." 

Li didn't quite understand but still nodded. Michael turned and walked away. 

"See you later, Mr. Li." Leaving him alone. 

Jihan looked once more at the briefcase. 

"Master of shadows is...? A title too grand for such a small man." 

Already outside, Michael hailed a car. A car stopped in front of him, and upon entering, a woman was sitting in the passenger seat. 

"Do you think he'll accept?" The female voice inquired. 

"I don't think, I'm sure," Michael replied. 

"Why so sure? What do you and that old man see in that boy? To me, he's nothing special!" The voice got irritated. "I could take him down with one hand tied behind my back." 

Michael laughed. 

"Even if it were both hands, I'd still bet on you... and it's not like I don't find it strange... however... if the old man sees something in that boy, we can only trust him." 

"Well, you have a point... still... such an expensive contract..." 

And the taxi departed, heading who knows where. 

Shortly after the taxi left, Li left the café. 

"Walking with a suitcase full of money is weird, but I don't want to open it in front of other people..." 

Jihan continued down the street with his head full of thoughts of all kinds. Without paying much attention to where he was going. 

"Wait, isn't that..." In an involuntary reaction, Li hid his face with the hood of his jacket. "Yun..." His instinct not to be seen by her surprised even the boy himself. "Since when do I have shame for her to see me...?". 

However, out of curiosity or to feel sorry for himself, Jihan turned around and began to follow her discreetly. "Where could she be going...?". 

At some point, Seo stopped and entered a restaurant. "A date? Is she dating?" Li felt a pang in his chest. Shortly after, two other women arrived and sat at Seo Yun's table. 

"I'm... relieved?". And the chest pain turned into ache. "What right do I have to be relieved? DAMN IT JIHAN." 

She was much stronger than him. Much more. Even after everything Li made her go through, she still tried daily, still smiled with her friends, and was still living. What right did he have to complain about his life, his problems, and his opportunities? All he ever did was cause harm to the people who really cared about him. After a few minutes there, Jihan just left. In the restaurant, Seo looked out onto the street. 

"Seo, is everything okay?" 

"Oh, of course, I just got a little distracted, I thought I saw someone I knew, what were we talking about?" 

The trio of friends returned to their conversation and continued talking. Several minutes later, a waiter approached the table and handed a package to Seo Yun. 

"Sorry, I don't think I ordered an envelope... what is this?" she asked, confused. 

"I'm sorry, miss. I don't know either. A man left it here a few minutes ago and asked to deliver it directly to you." 

In the package, in black pen, a simple message: "Money is not the answer, never was... I will redeem myself one day." After finishing reading, Seo immediately stood up from the table and walked out of the restaurant door. On the sidewalk, she looked from side to side, trying to find someone, but when she didn't find who she was looking for, she went back inside. 

"Yun, what happened?" The friends asked worriedly. "Are you okay?" 

"It's nothing," she replied, putting one hand to her forehead. "I just... it's just a gift from an acquaintance of mine. I wanted to see if I could talk to him in time, but I think he's already gone." 

"Eh... he left a package and left, how weird..." one of the women commented. 

"He is... but he's not a bad person... I hope he's okay." 

In a little furnished apartment that he just rented, Li was laying on a bed. In his hands, a contract signed with his name.