Asia stepped on the gas, cursing under his breath. It was usually so easy to shake people off, so why wasn't it working tonight? Moreover, he could have gone faster, but Park Jangseok's car was like an irritating tail, dragging him behind.
His mind raced, and he found a temporary solution in seconds. Splitting would increase their chances of getting away, and it would also give him the freedom to speed without worrying about anything else.
He used his blinkers to give a signal, his first rule when working with someone: understand his signals.
The driver in the other car was confused; it was too fast and sudden. Asia didn't wait, taking the next turn to his right and disappearing from view almost immediately. This sudden change took Park Jangseok and his men by surprise, but they couldn't stop, so they continued forward. The cars following closely behind also hadn't expected this, missing the turn.
Kamman had a feeling he would make a sudden turn at some point, so he stayed far behind, yet still within his proximity. Every time the driver proved his speculation right, his skin crawled, and the growing fear intensified.
Asia looked back and noticed a single car still on his trail, keeping a distance. He was taken aback, but he had an advantage: he was a damn good driver. He accelerated to the maximum, friction causing the tires to emit sparks that could set them on fire at any moment. To his surprise, his pursuer kept up effortlessly.
"Who the hell is driving that car?"
He couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
His second advantage was his track knowledge. He knew the island like the back of his hand, so he opted to use that for his second plan. He chose narrow streets that were too tight for a car to fit through normally. One had to make the car slant while maintaining speed, which he could easily do, but most people couldn't.
Unfortunately, he was in for another shock. That hurdle was nothing for the driver chasing after him. He also executed it effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Kamman broke into a smirk as he saw him turn into a narrow alley.
"You still play these petty tricks?"
He followed him in, his mind too far gone for Rei to bring him back. Rei saw the possibility of them dying in a car crash tonight, but he had vowed to die for him, so this was the day. He held on so tight that his palms began to sweat, but he didn't ask him to stop.
Asia had met his match tonight, and for the first time, he was struggling behind the wheel. He stopped playing and started driving seriously, but no amount of seriousness could shake off such a persistent and, on top of that, good driver. To be fair, this pursuer was almost as good as him.
He ran out of alleys, then ran out of patience. He already knew the next turn led to a dead end, but he took it anyway because he purposely needed them there, where he had a final advantage.
Kamman was careful, but he was also too deluded to suspect a thing, so he fell for a trick he wouldn't normally fall for. He realized too late that he had driven them into a trap.
This person had purposely led them to a trapped alley. Kamman didn't know his opponent's abilities, but if it were Dian behind that wheel, then that move would mean they were as good as dead. But it couldn't be, right?
The other car stopped, and Kamman stopped further behind. Rei got out first, already mentally prepared to fight. Kamman followed. The other driver got out too, and the tension, like a thick blanket, covered the area.
Asia squinted to get a better look at the esteemed driver who had managed to earn his respect. He was shocked to find the leader of the Bronze Orchid.
"It's you? What does the Bronze Orchid have against such a small ant like Geumgang Pa?"
Asia spoke first, half curious and fully sceptical. The expression of the patriarch before him, however, caught him off guard. Kamman's eyes were dark and piercing, like they held all the rage in the world, to the point that it was visible to any outsider. Asia unconsciously took a step back.
"Dian...you don't know who I am."
Kamman stated rather than asked, his heart shattering like it had seven years ago. That feeling was so familiar, painful, and suffocating. As the person got closer under the light, Kamman could see his features clearly, and there was not a single difference from Dian Aoki. Even the mole under his eyes was there.
Not a single difference, apart from one: his gaze.
If it were Dian, his gaze would not be as it was at that moment. No matter how hard he was trying to hide it, Kamman would have noticed it immediately; he knew him better than he even knew himself.
Rei noticed it too, leaning in to whisper,
"Young Master, I don't think he can recognize us..."
Asia was now beyond confused. Of course, he knew him; everyone in the underworld knew who the Phoenix was. He didn't strike him as the humble type.
"What do you mean? Is there anybody who doesn't know you, sir? Or is it better to call you Phoenix?"
His words turned into needles midair and plunged straight into Kamman's heart, causing physical pain. He clutched his chest unconsciously. These words echoed in his head: He forgot about me.
"You're supposed to be dead. How are you still alive?"
Kamman spoke this time, struggling to push out the words.
At hearing this, Asia burst out laughing. He thought the most respected man in the underworld was truly just a madman.
"Sir, I'm standing right here. How can I be dead?" He then turned to Rei and asked,
"Is your Phoenix okay?"
Rei didn't reply, still shocked by the perfect resemblance of the man standing right before them.
Meanwhile, Asia concluded that they were all insane and decided to move to more important issues.
"As you can see, my boss is not with me. If you want him, I'll tell him you were all looking for him the next time I see him, and then we could all call it a night. But if you insist on fighting, I'd like to warn you, it won't be beneficial for you."
"We're not after your boss. We're after you,"
Rei finally replied, the cat having set his tongue free.
Asia's eyes widened as he pointed at himself, mouthing the word, "Me?"
"Do you know Dian Aoki?"
"Ah, the legendary grandmaster from one of Bronze Orchid's myths and tales. I've heard a thing or two. What about it?"
He asked so casually, even while wearing Dian's face. Kamman's heart dropped to his stomach.
"Are you...him?" Rei asked hesitantly.
Asia looked at them as if they had lost their minds, then he burst out laughing once again, this time even clutching his stomach. After struggling to stifle it, he said,
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we're talking the same language here."
They were all speaking Korean, though none of them was a native speaker. However, they were all proficient in it.
"You killed my father, and you can still afford to laugh?"
Kamman asked almost immediately, finally losing all his composure.
"Woah, wait?! That's an insane accusation. When was that?!" Asia exclaimed, flabbergasted.
If Asia was confused, Kamman was even more so. The man he killed was standing before him, and he couldn't recognize him after all the years they had been together. Was something wrong with his memory, or was he a very perfect doppelganger?
Asia was shocked, to say the least. In his mind, Kamman's father would have been the former leader of the Bronze Orchid. If he had really killed such a person, he wouldn't have managed to make a whisper before his life was squeezed out of him.
"So, you're not Dian Aoki? Are you sure?"
Kamman asked, mixing his anger, confusion, hatred, and longing all into one complex emotion.
"Sir, if I were, I'm pretty sure I'd know."
Asia answered, rolling his eyes at the absurdity of the question.
"Fine, then you'll need to prove it. Rei, get him."
Kamman gave an order, and Rei instantly moved, reaching him in seconds.
Asia gave way to the punch, which missed his face by a whisker. He was caught off guard, but his reflexes were insanely good; he grabbed the arm that had thrown the punch and twisted it behind Rei's back. Rei was quick and escaped his grip, but two jabs met his ribs as Asia spun around, fast as light. Asia then swept Rei's feet, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Asia easily deflected the attack. He could have fought further, but that would mean having the Bronze Orchid as an enemy. He was not a stupid man. He opted to run, not as an act of cowardice but of wisdom.
In the blink of an eye, he lifted his body up the wall, his fingers gripping onto the thin spaces until he reached the roof of the building. It wasn't that high, a two-story building.
He looked behind one more time before leaping to the roof of the adjacent building, disappearing from their sight. Kamman stood there, unable to react. Rei looked on, wondering how a human being could do that. Asia had left his car there.
Another striking similarity was his martial arts; Kamman could never miss it.
"Young Master, I'll go after him."
Rei said, already turning towards the direction Asia had disappeared.
"Leave it. You won't catch him," Kamman said quietly, opening the door to his car.
"There's a better way to get him. For now, take the car." He added, sounding defeated.
Rei could only glimpse the kind of pain Kamman was experiencing at that moment. It had taken them years to heal. Rei said "them" because he was part of every journey; he witnessed Kamman's breakdowns and his losses, he witnessed him losing his will to live, he witnessed his coldness and insensitivity creep in, he witnessed his joy die, and his light fade. He witnessed it all, and he could see it all over again.
He, however, didn't know how to make him feel better, and it gave him a sense of helplessness.
Rei's shoulders slumped, and he moved to do what he was told