7 years later, September 2024.

It has been exactly five years since Saint decided to start a career as a bodyguard for a famous actor named Sung. He didn't think he would survive that lifestyle, totally different from his usual, and yet at the age of twenty-five, he had already faced numerous challenges that had put his person and his feelings to the test. The reason why he chose to take this path? Simple. When he was nineteen, he lost his father in the explosion of a shopping mall, an explosion declared as "an accident caused by a malfunctioning and poorly maintained electrical system". He wasn't good at anything in particular, in fact, after attending hotel school he had decided not to continue his studies but to open a restaurant together with his father, who until that moment was just a noodle vendor on the street. They really wanted to fulfill this dream of years, but that day, everything changed and his life took a totally different turn. The pain he felt knowing his father died in an explosion in a shopping mall, where he had gone, in his place, to buy ingredients for a recipe that could only be found there, cannot be explained in words. He really couldn't understand how it could have happened, and thinking that he could have been in his place made him even more distressed and angry. In that part of the shopping mall that exploded, 34 victims were involved, in addition to his father. Several families were torn apart and the authorities were only able to justify the explosion as an accident due to the electrical system used for the operation of all the various machines inside the place, which was also very large.

From there, no one thought of repaying the families in any way, everyone didn't care and life continued as usual, even if for the victims' families it had never been like that, nothing would ever be the same again. A month later, more in-depth investigations were opened into the explosion and it was even declared that, perhaps, it hadn't really been an accident. However, a few days after this declaration, the case was definitively closed and declared an accident, that there had been a mistake and that the explosion was really due to that damned electrical system. For a long time, this matter continued to be talked about, the population, and in particular the victims' families, were very doubtful, but at a certain point everyone seemed to have put that event aside, as if it had become too delicate a subject to talk about.

Despite this, Saint was convinced that there was something bigger behind what happened that day and it is precisely when he accidentally meets Sung, a famous actor who actually led a double life, actor and former secret agent for the Crimson Bangkok Division, and was also trying to discover the truth about that explosion, which also involved his sister, a researcher who worked in chemical laboratories, that he decides to undertake this path. After all, he had nothing left to lose. He only had his father left after his mother's death, but at that precise moment he was completely alone, without anyone by his side, so, from that famous meeting, Saint began to seriously train to become a bodyguard. Already in the past in his neighborhood, he was known by the name of "tsunami" and was feared by several people for this very reason, because he really was a tsunami, he could really hurt anyone if that was really his goal. As time went by, he got better and became a better person, but he still knew how to beat people up, so for him, that training to become a bodyguard wasn't that hard.

That day he was supposed to go to a luxury hotel with Sung and the other bodyguards for a sponsorship in collaboration with another famous actor, but there was a more important reason behind it. They were supposed to meet an informant who would provide them with information and detailed documents on all the victims of the explosion. In those years it had not been easy to get information about them, but Sung had contacted someone he trusted several days before who would provide him with everything he needed for their research.

It was midday and Saint, along with Sung and everyone else, dressed in a white shirt and black jacket and pants, paired with the same color earphones, arrives at The Aurora Skyline, an imposing glass and steel skyscraper in the heart of the city, a symbol of modernity and prestige. Its facade reflects the sky, changing from shades of bright blue during the day to golden tones at sunset, while at night it lights up with artistic LED lighting that creates an effect similar to an aurora borealis.
The entrance driveway is a long corridor covered by a glass and steel structure, with soft lights integrated into the floor that guide guests towards the revolving doors of the main entrance.
The area is guarded by discreet security guards in dark suits, with barely visible earphones.

Along the sides of the driveway, there are luxury cars parked and perfectly manicured flower beds, decorated with tropical plants and seasonal flowers. Huge revolving glass doors lead to an equally spectacular lobby. Above the doors, an illuminated sign displays the hotel's name in stylized gold lettering.

As soon as they enter, they are immediately led to the place of the collaboration with Nivea, for a face cream.
Looking around, Saint notices minimalist white and gray leather sofas and armchairs arranged with glass and steel tables. Some guests are sipping coffee or champagne, chatting quietly.
They soon reach the VIP room where the Nivea team and Sung's colleague were. Saint, along with Ken and the other guards, stands near the door and carefully observes what is happening. There is filming equipment and a well-arranged stage, used for sponsorship.

"What time is the appointment?" Ken asks Saint.

"He should be here by one, they'll let us know as soon as he's here, let's try not to arouse suspicion." Saint replies, receiving a nod from Ken.

They stay there doing their job until they receive orders.

While they are there, the hotel slowly begins to fill up, and the reason is because there would be an important lunch between several important people, among them, Jeng, one of the most influential politicians of the moment.
Arriving with his bodyguards, Jeng was immediately led to the luxurious room used for private lunches.
Shin follows the others and carefully observes the surrounding area, he would never have believed he could set foot in such an expensive place as the one in front of him, and yet there he is.

After finishing high school, he had to deal with something bigger than himself, the death of his mother. He didn't think he would lose such an important person in his life at only nineteen years old, and on top of that, he had to take care of his little sister Chingching alone. The worst part was that, having to talk about it with his sister, who was only eleven years old at the time. It was a hard blow for both of them, but Shin had to be strong to be able to take care of Chingching and to make his mother proud.
Hearing that his mother had died in an explosion inside a large shopping mall had shaken him particularly. He really couldn't accept that things had happened that way. He really wanted to find an explanation for what had happened, because he was firmly convinced that it hadn't been an accident, as the authorities had told him. 34 other people had lost their lives, whose identities he didn't know, but just thinking about it made him feel bad for their families.
For this reason, determined to find out what was behind that explosion, he makes himself a bit noticed around until Jeng, one of the ministers of the country, notices him and takes him under his wing. He offers him to become his bodyguard because he saw something different from the others in him. Not that Shin had really believed those words, but he had accepted the proposal. He had to support him and his sister after the death of their mother, and that job would allow him not to live in total poverty, even if it limited his freedom.

It wasn't easy for him, they trained him to become a bodyguard and he had really struggled because until then, he wasn't used to beating people up, unless it was to protect his friends. There, he really became a different person, especially if he touched Chadjen, his best friend from high school with whom he still remained in touch despite having moved.
Furthermore, Shin thought that by being at the side of someone like Jeng, he would discover the truth. In fact, he was convinced that he knew something about what really happened that day, and he had this conviction when he heard him talking several times on his cell phone about that famous explosion. It was not a topic that Jeng loved, in fact when someone mentioned it, he made a stiff expression that perhaps only Shin had noticed in all this time, or perhaps, the other bodyguards who had been serving him for several years, pretended not to notice.

"It's time, go to the sixth floor. He's here." he hears a voice of another bodyguard in his ears.

Shin nods and together with First, he goes towards the elevator. They leave the dining room and walk down the corridor of the lobby before reaching it, however they stop because someone says something to First.

"I have to go back, there was a problem outside. You go." First tells him.

At that point Shin nods and heads towards the elevator. In his mind he thinks that this could be an opportunity to find out what information Jeng requested.
He arrives on the sixth floor and walks through the passage, trying not to arouse suspicion towards the people he meets along the way.
He arrives in the meeting room and shows the informant a badge that proved his identity and that he was one of Jeng's bodyguards. The latter gives him an envelope and leaves, disappearing completely as if he had never arrived.
Shin looks at it carefully and feels it, trying to figure out what could be inside, without anything hard other than paper.
He really wants to find out what's inside but it's completely sealed and if he were to open it, Jeng would surely notice.

"Damn." he says to himself, then starts walking again and goes back downstairs.

"Saint, it's time." Ken tells him, having received orders from Sung to send Saint to the sixth floor to meet the informant.
The boy nods and immediately heads for the elevator once he leaves the room.
He really hopes that the informant will actually give him important information about all the victims of the explosion. They need to analyze it and try to understand more.

"Room number 8." Ken tells him into the earpiece.

"I got it." Saint replies.

As soon as the elevator doors open, he begins to walk towards the room where the informant would be waiting for him.

"Right or left?" he asks to be sure.

"Left." Ken replies.

Saint quickly heads towards room 8, as he is about to turn left, he turns his head to the other side for a moment and ends up bumping into someone. He apologizes and bends down to pick up the envelope that had fallen from the hands of the person he bumped into.
This person does the same and when they meet their gazes they both freeze in place.
Saint lets go of the envelope and stands up, followed by the other boy, who to his surprise and shock was Shin, his Shin.

"Shin." he calls.

The boy in front of him has wide eyes, even angry, he doesn't have the courage to say anything. He looks at him from head to toe with a look that seems to be full of hatred. Saint could sense it.
He doesn't answer and starts to leave but Saint stops him before he can.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, seeing him dressed just like him.

Shin wriggles and lets go, then grabs him by the collar, and with the other hand, busy with the envelope, mimes a fist. This gesture brings their faces closer.
Saint feels his heart beating a little faster but when he sees Shin's shiny eyes it misses a beat.

"What I do is none of your business, you fucking asshole." Shin replies, pushing him and going his way.

Saint stands still for a moment, thinking about what had just happened.
On one hand, his heart broke to see Shin like that, he seemed really fragile in that moment and his words hit harder than a dagger. But deep down, he deserved them. He deserved this and much more after what he had done to him. Shin had every right to hate him, even if Saint didn't want it to be that way.
On the other hand, he was happy to see him again. In those years, there wasn't a single day that he didn't think of him. He knew that he had always stayed in his usual house and that he had never moved from there, unlike him, who had moved house with his father.
He wanted to go look for him and apologize to him, but he never found the courage. He didn't think that Shin would ever forgive him and to tell the truth, he didn't think that someone like Shin had ever deserved it. And maybe, it was better to stay away.
He never thought he would see him in this situation again, he didn't know what he was doing there, dressed as a bodyguard just like him, but if this happened it's because there must be a reason, maybe life wants to give him a second chance to fix things, and who knows if this time he'll find the courage to actually do it...