*Awar neighbourhood_outskirts of Seoul….
In a small, forgotten neighbourhood on the outskirts of seoul, where the scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the fresh moring air, Park Johan walked throgh narrow alleys, greeting neighbours with his calm smile.
Despite the simplicity of the setting this neighbourhood had a dark history that hadn't been so long ago.
On the side of road, Mrs.Min-ji, on elderly woman whose hands trembled under the wight of time, called out:
"Johan, can you help me bring in some groceries"
The young man smiled and bowed slightly out of respect:
"Of course, it would me pleasuer, Mrs. Min-ji "
Johan was a mysterious figure in this neighbourhood .
A man who lived among them, beloved by everyone
buf who carried a past that no one know about.
As the carried the heavy bags with here, the old woman sighed and saied nostalgic tone:
"Who would have thought this the neighbourhood would beautiful?!"
"Ten years ago, it was teeming with criminal….
It was a place where life was unfit.
But thanks to " Guardian Angel"
" it was cleansed Without it, we would have remained in the dark "
Johan paused for a moment, contemplating the sky, which had begun turn golden in the setting sun, then said in a calm voice:
"Light is born only from the heart of darkness. Sometimes a person doesn't choose to be an angal or dival….. they are forced to be"
Mrs. Min-ji, looked at him incredulously, as if she saw something in him she hadn't realized befor.
"You seen to have been through a lot handsome boy….."
When they arrived at her house, the old woman insisted on inviting him over for dinner, but he politely excused himself and continued on his way home. Little did he know that this night would not be as peaceful as usual.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He raised it to his ear and answered in a cold voice
"This is johan, here you are"
A familiar, excited voice came to him:
"Hello, Johan ... I'm Daehyun. Come quickly, I've got him. Or do you want me to have some fun on my own?"
Raven's smile slowly widened, and he said in a low voice,
"Okay, bro... I'm coming."
As he left the neighborhood, a luxury black car was waiting for him.
He opened the back door, leaned back in the leather seat, and said to the driver without looking up:
"To the South Warehouse."
*South warehouse _ Banks of the Han River….
Park Deahyun stood in the middle of the abandoned warehouse, shirtless, his steel-like muscles covered in traces of blood.
In the middle of the room, a man hung upside down, his body trembling, blood pouring from his mouth.
Dozens of armed men surrounded the area, some whispering to each other as they saw Johan enter.
"This is him?"
"Yes... the terrifying demon."
One of the new men whispered fearfully,
"Couldn't this... seemingly calm man be the same devi they're talking about?"
Another man answered in a more terrifying tone,
"He may look calm, but he isn't. His heart is colder than winter. No one has ever made it out alive after becoming his enemy."
Johan slowly advanced and stood in front of the hanging man.
He raised his hand and held his bloodied head, then said in a calm voice, yet one that carried something terrifying:
"Didn't anyone tell you that this merchandise belonged to the demon itself?"
The man shuddered, his breath coming in short bursts.
"I... I... didn't know! Please, I didn't know!"
Daehyun laughed softly, crossing his strong arms, enjoying the sight.
"But now you know... there's a price to pay,"
Johan said, letting the man's head fall limply.
The man gasped, his eyes widening in fear.
"Please… I have a family… young children, they have no one else but me…"
Johan gave him an emotionless look, then turned to Daehyun and said nonchalantly, "Do it. His voice is starting to bother me."
Daehyun protested for only a moment. He raised his foot high, then smashed the man's head in with a single kick.
His neck shattered like a shard of glass, and his head ripped from his body, hitting the ground with warm blood that splattered all over the bystanders. The new recruits trembled, some nearly vomiting,
while Daehyun smiled coldly and wiped the blood off his shoes.
•Downtown Seoul…
On the other side of the city, Emma, a sweet, calm, and orange-haired medical student in her twenties, sat in the subway, her eyes fixed on a large book, trying to escape the monotony of life.
Little did she know that her peaceful world would soon collapse.
"Hello, can I sit here?"
She looked up to find a young woman with brown hair and sparkling eyes smiling sweetly at her.
"Of course, you're welcome."
"I'm Sohin, nice to meet you."
"Emma, me too."
They chatted for a while, allowing them to quickly complete the boring, monotonous journey.
They got to know each other, and Emma sensed something about this girl.
It wasn't an ordinary encounter.
Emma had no idea that this casual conversation would be the beginning of a relationship that would change her life forever.
•Kim family house - Half an Hour later …
As soon as Emma entered the house, she heard a sound of desperate crying. She ran to the living room to find her mother on the floor, her phone lying beside her, and tears welling in her eyes.
"Mom?! What happened?!"
Her mother raised her head in a trembling voice:
"Your father... he's dead."
Emma froze.
"A car accident... he fell off the cliff... there was no chance of survival..."
Emma clutched her head, her body shaking, and then she cried out in pain:
"No... Daddy promised me... he promised me he'd always protect me!"
Everything around her shook slightly, and in their state, she didn't notice.
But the disaster didn't end there. Hours later, a shocking news report aired on television:
"Detective Kim Sang-hwan, who was killed in a traffic accident, was one of the corrupt officers involved in stealing state funds. He left his family burdened with debt and shame."
Emma's mother collapsed further, as her daughter stared at the screen with angry eyes and deadly silence.
"This… is a lie."
Adding to this important news, the small red ticker at the bottom of the screen didn't highlight a small incident in Seoul earlier that day.
•Days later…
Kwak Jang, her father's former partner, stood in front of the house, gently placing his hand on Emma's shoulder .
"I'll prove your father's innocence, but I need to search his office."
Emma's mother nodded, her hands trembling. But the truth was not as it seemed...
As he left, he told Emma's mother that they would receive the remains in a few days, and that he would help complete the procedures quickly.
Emma's mother burst into tears, sobbing bitterly, her eyes almost white.
Robert Staff moved his hand to embrace the devastated young woman and comfort her, then left, leaving behind high hopes.
•A few days later…
a warning letter arrived from the bank:
"Vacate the house within three days, or pay the debts."
When Emma read the letter, she looked at her mother With tearful eyes:
"My father wouldn't mortgage our house! Something is wrong here!"
Her mother looked toward the window, as if staring into her fate, On her face is sadness and confusion:
"We have no choice. We're leaving... to my father's house in the 'Awar neighborhood.'"
And so, unbeknownst to Emma, her life was about to become intertwined with the life of the man everyone called... the Bloodly devil.
•At the funeral…
Under a gray sky, Emma stood beside her mother, her eyes fixed on the open grave where the remains of her father, the man who had once been her only refuge from the world, lay.
She couldn't cry, as if the grief froze in her chest, burning her from within but refusing to turn into tears.
The voices of the mourners faded away, leaving only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, as if whispering Sang-hwan's name, carrying his memory forever.
Her mother placed a hand on her trembling shoulder, but said nothing. What could be said in the face of death? What words could ease the emptiness it had left?
Emma closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to preserve her father's face in her heart, then slowly raised her head to look up at the sky.
"Can you hear me, Dad? Do you see how lonely I am without you?"
There was no answer. Only a long silence, and darkness began to creep into her life, to tell her that this was not the end, but merely the beginning of a chapter more cruel than she had imagined.