"...Yes."
Then, I pull my hands back and sit at the edge of the walking path, watching the river.
"..."
Mr. Laith decides to sit next to me.
"My friend, Aven...He has a shadow..."
"Aven?"
"The owner of the Gym."
"Ah..."
"He's drowning with a lot of debts, tons...I don't know the reason why, but I know some of the reasons...One of the debts..."
I pull out the purple pill and give it to Mr. Laith. He takes it and looks at it closely, and his eyes widen.
"I don't know what exactly it does to him, but it seems to help... He owes the money to the seller."
I look at Mr. Laith.
"He owes him two million. If he cannot pay him within the next Friday, Aven might be in danger."
"That's why you asked for a match...to earn money so you can help him."
"Yes. You know the seller, right? Mr. Laith... That's him, right?"
"Yes, Zhen Yong."
"What a coincidence...I was shocked after I heard his name in the ring."
"So, how did you find out about him? Aven told you?
"No. The beanie head."
"Who?"
"The middleman I met at the Gym. He came to threaten Aven...He was wearing a beanie hat...I followed him and played the detective role."
"What!?"
He looks surprised.
"Yeah, I threatened him...too."
'I also helped…'
"..."
He looks even shocker.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Laith...I don't want him to see Aven anymore."
"Hahahaha...I couldn't believe it. I want to see it."
"Eh..."
"But...the middleman came all the way there..."
"Mr. Laith, can you tell me what the pill does? What is Zhen Yong doing?"
"Mmm. The pill helps the thoughts in our head to shut up and stop the shadow from appearing behind our backs...but it's just temporary. The thoughts and shadows will come back eventually...Because the one who takes it doesn't deal with them properly."
"Properly? How?"
"It's just like a normal pill...for example, if you have a stomach ache and you take a pill to prevent the pain...but not the cause of it...instead of taking it every time you feel pain, you should take care of your eating or changing your routine."
"Mmm."
"But it's easier said than done. Not everyone can deal with the pain every day...Unlike you and me, we accept the pain and deal with it our way, but some people don't want to accept it and deal with it their own way. Like your friend...Zhen Yong is more than just a seller. He produces the pills...and sells them to people who don't have enough money for a real doctor."
"But...two million? How long has Aven taken those pills from him?"
"I think...Zhen Yong found the opportunity to lure kids to become his loyal prey...once you taste the quiet...you will want it more... No matter how much or any prize costs you."
Maybe Aven loaned money for the pills.
'Um.'
"..."
"And not just that...Roelle... Remember I said he is one of the parts of the shadow market? The group of locals that know about?"
"...What is it, Mr. Laith?"
I ask him after seeing his facial expression.
"I don't know, should I tell you this..."
What is it?
"..."
I raise my hand to hold his.
"...The shadow market...is a business that involves everything about the shadows. Um...Let's just say... the method to prevent the shadows, to stop them, or to get rid of them for good...and also to analyze, to study...Zhen Yong is a mad scientist who craves the unknown to be known...and master it."
"..."
"There are secrets that people have been talking about that he tries to separate the shadow from the person without making it disappear."
"!?"
"I don't think it's his purpose of helping...He's crazy about the shadows, their abilities, and what they can do...or even for pleasure. If the shadows live without their hosts... what would it be..."
"Can he do that!?... Has he already succeeded!?"
"He's experimenting...Perhaps yes and perhaps no."
"...Ha...Don't tell me...Aven...Body?"
Xin, can it be? the threat? If Aven won't pay that man in time, Aven will be taken to be his experiment.
'I don't want to say, but I think the same thing as you, Roelle.'
"Geez..."
I pull back my hand and over my face with both hands.
"Roelle."
He calls me and holds my face to look at him.
"I can help...two million does not scratch my bank account."
"Are you showing off, Mr. Laith?"
"No!"
He raises his voice with a shocked face and holds me in immediately.
"I should not have said that."
He mumbles.
"I don't think it will end there, Mr. Laith..."
I tell him and look up at him while in his arms.
"!!"
And his face turns red.
Hm?
"Even if we pay off everything. It doesn't mean that Aven will stop searching for the pills...And there's no guarantee that the middleman will not come back and provide him with his own hands."
I look down and explain to him.
"..."
"What should I do?"
I face up again.
"This Aven guy...is very important to you?
"Yes."
"...We give back what he owes first...You don't have to fight tomorrow, Roelle."
"No...Everything is all set...and I know you have a lot of money, but I don't want to borrow yours."
'Just borrow him!'
"..."
He lets go of his right hand and swipes a piece of my front hair out of my face.
"He sees something in you...I'm scared that he might take you away."
"?"
He moves his fingers to touch my cheek, and my upper lip slides down to the bottom lip. He moves back at my neck and gives a little pressure to bring my face closer to him.
What is he doing? I look at his twinkling eyes, like the river. I shift my eyes to his lips, which move closer to mine.
Is he going to kiss me?
His upper lips touch mine, and he's about to open his mouth.
ha…
"TING TING TING TING!!!"
"Ha!!"
I quickly push his chest away and take my phone out.
"Yes!!?"
I pick up the phone.
"What is it...slowly...Ava..."
I glance at Mr. Laith; his face is all red, and he mumbles to himself beside me.
"What!?... You...stay there, I'll take care of it...Ava, please...it's okay. Please stay at the gym and don't go anywhere, okay?...I'll bring him back...I promise."
"What is it, Roelle?"
Mr. Laith gets up and asks me.
"!!"
I grab Mr. Laith's hand.
"He took him...He took Aven!...it's not even a week yet. Why!? What should we do!?"
"Roelle..."
He holds my hands and calls me with a calm voice.
"He might be desperate...for a body..."
"What!?
"Or...I think... He knows about you and Aven...he saw you in the ring tonight, and I'm sure that he's really interested in you...he asked about you...He might search your background..."
"Ha...What should I do then? I need to help Aven....please, Mr. Laith..."
"Either way...Tomorrow...you need to win."
"!!"
"If you lose and knock out, he might...fuck!... my dark thoughts are..."
"Mr. Laith...what are you thinking!?"
I ask.
"He might want you to join his team...or worse, want you for the experiment."
"Huh..."
"!!"
Mr. Laith pulls me in and holds me tightly.
"I won't let that happen, Roelle..."
"What about Aven...he might not...be alive tomorrow...hic...hic."
"..."
Mr. Laith wraps his hands even tighter.
"Don't cry..."
He puts his face inside my neck.
"Let's go to the Playground first…I have a plan."
Mr. Laith.
The Playground
The arcade room on the first floor reflects the colorful light through the window under the dark. Mr. Laith sits besides me on the left and Emris sits on my right. Coach sits on himself near Mr. Laith, Raden and Emris's coach are across from us. I'm looking at the pink light on the game machines turning blue and back to pink while Mr. Laith is telling them about what has happened.
"We have no time. We have to do this tonight."
Mr. Laith.
"..."
My legs are shaking like crazy.
"If you go there, that means we are announcing it to them…"
Coach.
Announcing what?
"We'll not. I'll do it softly and reasonably."
"Like the monster team? Like you did with Udemy?"
Coach.
"..."
Mr. Laith is in silence. I turn to him, and he hides his face from me.
"So what? Even if they think that way…I don't care."
Emris.
"We can make a deal with him…I won't let Roelle go there alone."
Mr. Laith.
"I didn't mean I want her to go alone. I mean, if you go there is the fucking big thing."
Coach.
"Then I'll go with her."
Emris.
"Do you think Zhen will listen to you?..."
Mr. Laith.
"I'm not scared of him."
Emris glares at Mr. Laith.
"I'm not scared of him…I'm scared for Roelle…He sure wants her…I'll go there and give him the money… and Roelle stays here at–"
Mr. Laith.
"No. I won't let you go alone, and Aven is my friend…please…"
I interrupt.
"I'll go with Team leader."
Raden.
"And destroy all his den together with Laith!? Rad, you never stop him from doing stupid stuff. "
Coach.
"…"
Raden flinches.
"Let me go with you, please."
I look up and hold Mr. Laith's hands.
"…Roelle, Zhen will find a way to take you…I don't want him to see you or have a chance to do that."
"He already saw her."
Emris' Coach.
"Please, Mr. Laith. I don't want you guys to confront everything for me, and it isn't even your problem…It's my responsibility. I won't sit here and let all of you take the punches."
"...Your problem is my problem…What bothers you, it bothers me, Roelle."
Mr. Laith.
"Laith's right. We're a team now."
Coach.
"..."
My hands are shaking, and I look down at my hands, and the water is about to drop.
"!"
Emris uses his fingers to wipe the water from my eyes before it runs down. I look at him.
"Then why don't you guys just go together…"
Team member no. one.
"If the team leader doesn't care about what people think, then..."
Team member no. two.
"Emris doesn't care."
Team member no. one.
"Raden, you care about it?"
Team member no. two.
"No."
"Coaches?"
Team member no. one
"No."
Emris's Coach.
"I only care for my people"
Coach answers and looks at us.
"See? And no need to talk about 'scared of them.'"
Team member no. two raises his two fingers and folds up and down.
"You guys are scarier than most of them."
Team member no. one.
"Go there together."
And two of them speak at the same time.
And we're getting up, except for the coaches and two team members.
"I'll go get the money."
Mr. Laith.
"I'll go with you, Mr. Laith."
"Ah!"
Emris grabs my hands
"You need to change clothes."
Emris.
"Why?"
"..."
Mr. Laith looks at me and Emris. Then, he shifts his eyes to my wrist.
"Hand..."
Mr. Laith tells Emris in his low tone of voice.
"Why?"
I'm still confused.
"Roelle, I'll be back in 10 minutes…"
Mr. Laith tells me and glances at my legs.
"I want to go with you…"
I tell him and am about to walk to him.
"!"
Emris squeezes my hand tighter and drags me to the second floor.
"She can change her clothes by herself!!! Riz, if you touch her, I'll kill you!!!!"
Mr. Laith shouts at him, but Emris doesn't even care. Then, he drags me away.
"Team leader...let's go get the money…Riz won't do that."
Raden tries to push him.
"Hmpt…"
The shadow on the ground under Mr. Laith's feet is vibrating along with the tiny smoke around.