Chapter 55: THE TEN GATES

The shop wasn’t too fancy. Located on a corner of a not-too-busy street, the shop had an old wooden building with brown paint that had started peeling in some places. In front, a red paper lantern hung, glowing dimly, illuminating the darkening street. A small wooden sign reading "Evening Shop" hung above the entrance, creaking softly every time the night breeze blew.

Creeeak...

Lydia pushed the wooden door open, making way for Kai. Inside, the shop turned out to be more spacious than it looked from outside. Dim lights hung from the ceiling, creating a warm yellowish glow. Several low tables without chairs were scattered along the room—the tables were made of old teak wood, with thick cushions around them as seating. In the corner of the room, an old radio played soft jazz music, its sound occasionally interrupted by static.

Tap... tap... tap...

Lydia walked nimbly toward a table in the corner of the shop—the table farthest from the entrance, near the window overlooking a small garden at the back. She sat gracefully on the thick cushion, folding her legs neatly.

"Sit down, Mr. Kai," Lydia said, patting the cushion across from her.

Kai sat down carefully, his eyes observing the surroundings. "You seem to know this place well."

Lydia smiled, not denying it. "I come here often. It’s one of my favorite places. The atmosphere is calm, the food is good, and the prices aren’t too expensive."

The shop waiter—a young man with a slightly worn white apron—approached them with a menu book in his hand. "Good evening. Please choose from the menu. When you’re ready, just call me."

Kai nodded, accepting the menu book. Lydia also took a menu book and started reading it quickly.

Rustle... Kai opened the menu page, his eyes moving quickly reading the list of food. "Do you come here alone often?"

Lydia lifted her head briefly. "Sometimes alone. Sometimes with friends. But usually alone. I like the quiet."

Kai nodded, returning to his menu. "I didn’t expect there’d be a place like this in this area."

"There are many good hidden places around here," Lydia said. "We just need to look."

They returned to their respective menus. Kai decided to order a heavy meal—a jumbo portion of chicken katsu rice, an omelet, and a bowl of meatballs. Lydia ordered a breakfast set menu—white rice, vegetable soup, and grilled fish.

Tap... tap... tap...

The waiter returned after they called. He noted their orders quickly, then went to the kitchen.

Kai and Lydia sat facing each other. The atmosphere in the shop was calm, filled only by the sound of jazz music and occasionally the soft sound of conversation from other customers. The dim lights on the ceiling created soft shadows on their faces.

"So, Mr. Kai," Lydia said, breaking the silence. "What do you think about this school? After a few months of teaching here?"

Kai sipped his water. "The school is... interesting. The students are interesting too."

"Interesting?" Lydia smiled. "That’s the right word. I’ve never seen students so... enthusiastic. Especially Class IX-9. They’re like a family."

Kai smiled slightly. "They really are like a family."

Lydia looked at Kai with a deep gaze. "You’re close to them. Very close. I can see it."

Kai didn’t answer. He just nodded slightly.

"They also really care about you," Lydia continued. "I can see it from the way they talk about you. From the way they look at you. They trust you completely."

Kai still didn’t answer. He stared at the glass in his hand.

Lydia smiled slightly. "You don’t like talking about yourself, do you?"

Kai lifted his head. "There’s not much I can tell."

Lydia laughed softly. Ha ha ha... "Everyone has a story, Mr. Kai. Including you."

Their food arrived not long after. The waiter placed the plates on the table carefully.

Clack... The still-steaming katsu rice plate was placed in front of Kai. Clack... The plate of white rice, vegetable soup, and grilled fish was placed in front of Lydia.

"Please enjoy," the waiter said.

Kai added to his order. "One can of my favorite drink. The one in the back page of the menu."

The waiter nodded, then turned to Lydia.

"I’ll order a beer," Lydia said.

The waiter nodded again and left.

Kai started eating his food. Crunch... The sound of the crispy katsu when bitten. Lydia also started eating calmly, occasionally sipping her soup.

In the middle of eating, Kai lifted his head. "Ms. Lydia, why did you order the breakfast set? It’s already night."

Lydia smiled. "I’m not used to breakfast. So I don’t have time to order this menu unless it’s after work."

Kai nodded. "Oh, I see."

Lydia pointed to the drink can the waiter had just delivered. "Sir, why did you order that drink? In my opinion, that drink doesn’t have a consistent taste."

Kai blinked, staring at the can in his hand. Sss... He opened the can, hearing the sound of carbonation escaping. "I... don’t know."

"Don’t know?"

Kai furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "I don’t know since when I liked this drink. I just... drink it. And now, I’m used to it."

Lydia looked at Kai with an unreadable gaze. "You like it because you’re used to it?"

"Yes," Kai said. "Maybe because it’s the only thing that’s familiar. I don’t know."

Lydia smiled, then returned to her food. "Interesting."

They continued eating in silence. The shop atmosphere was still calm, until suddenly—

SLAM!

The shop’s front door burst open loudly. Kai lifted his head, his eyes immediately going toward the door.

Tap... tap... tap...

A group of men in black suits entered the shop. There were about ten of them. They walked with firm steps, their faces hard, and some of them had tattoos on their necks and hands.

Kai kept staring at them. His eyes observed every movement they made.

Lydia, seeing Kai staring at the group, put down her chopsticks. "They’re the local gangsters," she said softly. "They’re called the Ten Gates."

Kai turned to Lydia. "The Ten Gates?"

Lydia nodded. "The Ten Gates is an organization made up of ten groups. Each group controls a different business. Some control gambling, some control prostitution, some control drugs, some control weapons, and some control the property business. They all work together under one name: the Ten Gates."

Kai listened carefully.

"This organization appeared about fifteen years ago," Lydia continued. "At first it was just a small group operating in this area. But over time, they grew into a very powerful organization. They have connections everywhere. Police, politicians, even some big businessmen. They can’t be touched."

Kai nodded slowly. "I understand."

"We don’t need to interfere," Lydia said. "As long as they don’t bother us, that’s enough."

Kai didn’t answer. He returned to his food, but his eyes still occasionally glanced toward the group.

Suddenly, a sound came from the direction of the waiter. Clink... A female waiter was delivering Lydia and Kai’s order—but before she could reach the table, one of the men in black suits grabbed her arm.

Yank... The man pulled the waiter’s arm roughly. The female waiter flinched, the plates in her hands almost falling.

"Hey, beautiful," the man said in a heavy voice. "Why are you in a hurry? Sit here for a while. Keep us company."

The male waiter, seeing what happened, immediately approached. "Excuse me, Sir. She’s working. Please let her go."

THUD!

A punch flew to the male waiter’s face. Thwack... The waiter fell to the floor, holding his face that was starting to bleed.

Kai put down his chopsticks. Clack... He wanted to stand up, but Lydia held him back.

"Mr. Kai," Lydia said, her voice firm. "Don’t. If we get involved, we’ll be dealing with all the members of the Ten Gates."

Kai looked at Lydia. "And we should just stay quiet?"

"We can’t fight them," Lydia said. "They’re too strong."

Kai looked at the female waiter still being held by the man. The waiter’s face was full of fear. Her eyes were pleading.

Haaah... Kai let out a soft sigh. He held Lydia’s hand that was holding him back, carefully so as not to hurt Lydia’s hand.

"Ms. Lydia," Kai said, his voice soft but firm. "That won’t be enough reason not to help someone in need."

He gently moved Lydia’s hand away, then stood up.

Tap... tap... tap...

Kai walked toward the gangsters’ table. His steps were calm, unhurried. His eyes looked at every man at that table with a flat gaze.

"Excuse me," Kai said, his voice soft. "Could you all be quiet? The commotion you’re making is disturbing the other customers."

Silence.

All the men in black suits stared at Kai. Their eyes narrowed, their expressions a mix of surprise and anger.

One of the men—the one sitting in the middle, with a dragon tattoo on his neck—raised his hand. "Bow."

Kai blinked.

"Didn’t your mother teach you that when you ask something from someone, you should be polite?" the man said, his voice cold.

Haaah... Kai let out a soft sigh. He didn’t want this problem to drag on. He bowed, slightly, then said, "Please let the woman go."

Seeing Kai bowing, the gangsters laughed freely. Ha ha ha! Their laughter echoed throughout the shop.

One of them took Kai’s drink can from the table, then poured it over Kai’s head. Splash... The sweet liquid flowed down Kai’s hair, dripping onto his face, soaking his suit.

"What kind of drink is this? It tastes weird," the man said, laughing.

Kai was still bowing. The liquid dripped from the ends of his hair onto the floor. Drip... drip...

Lydia, seeing that, immediately stood up. She wanted to approach Kai, but—

GRAB!

Suddenly, Kai’s hand had already grabbed the neck of the man who had poured the drink on his head. Crack... The sound of bones being pressed. The man choked, his eyes widening, his face reddening.

"You..." the man tried to speak, but his voice was stifled.

THUD!

Kai slammed the man onto the table. CRASH! The table split in two. Wood splinters flew everywhere. The man lay on the floor, not moving.

HAAAH! The other gangsters immediately stood up. They pulled out weapons—knives, pistols, and some blunt objects.

Kai didn’t wait. He moved quickly, using the objects around the shop. Whoosh! He grabbed a wooden chair and threw it at one of the gangsters. THWACK! The chair hit the gangster’s head, making him fall.

BANG! A gunshot flew. Kai dodged quickly, then grabbed a nearby table and flipped it as a shield. CRACK! The bullets hit the table.

Kai jumped from behind the table, his hand grabbing a glass bottle from the drink rack. CRASH! He smashed the bottle on the head of a gangster approaching. The gangster fell.

A gangster tried to stab Kai from behind. Sss... But Kai had already turned, caught the gangster’s hand, and twisted his arm. CRACK! The sound of bones breaking. The gangster screamed in pain.

THUD! Kai kicked another gangster in the stomach. THWACK! The gangster staggered backward, hitting another table.

One by one, Kai defeated them. He used anything—chairs, tables, bottles, even plates. CRASH! THWACK! THUD! The sounds of impact filled the shop. The other customers had already run out, terrified.

Haaah... haaah... Kai stood in the middle of the wrecked shop. Dozens of gangsters lay on the floor. Some of them were still groaning in pain.

Kai wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth. Hff... He turned around, wanting to return to his table.

But one of the gangsters still conscious—a man with a tattoo on his face—lifted his head. "Hey..."

Kai stopped.

"You..." the man laughed softly, blood flowing from his nose. "From now on, the entire Ten Gates will be your enemy."

Haaah... Kai let out a soft sigh. He, who had wanted to go to his table, suddenly turned around toward the man.

Tap... tap... tap...

Kai stood in front of the man. The man was still laughing, even though his face was covered in blood.

"You think you can fight us?" the man said. "We have ten groups. You’re just one person."

SLAP!

A hard slap flew to the man’s face. THWACK! The man fell to the floor, unconscious instantly. The red mark on his cheek was clearly visible.

Kai wiped his hand. Hff... He walked toward the female waiter still sitting on the floor, trembling.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked.

The waiter nodded quickly. "I-I’m okay, Sir. Thank you."

Kai nodded. He turned to the male waiter still holding his face. "Sorry, I’ll compensate for all the damaged items. And I’ll treat all the customers still here."

HAAAH! The customers who had been hiding in the corner of the shop immediately cheered happily.

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Cool!"

"Thank you so much!"

Kai smiled slightly. He walked back to his table, sitting across from Lydia.

Lydia looked at Kai from a distance. A small smile appeared on her lips. Her eyes observed Kai seriously—noting every movement, every expression, every detail.