Chapter 1

Prologue

Wandering alone in New York's back alleys late at night is not a wise course of action. Eugene had generally lived his life by making wise decisions, but today was an exception. This was because he had just received news that he passed the bar exam. Eugene had a celebration party with his friends and left the bar alone very late at night, quite intoxicated, walking slowly through New York's night streets. To make matters worse, he went deep into a narrow, dirty back alley to relieve a sudden urge to urinate.

Eugene enjoyed the feeling of relief as he urinated on the street, hiding his body in the darkness of the dim alley. With alcohol making his body sway, his stream of urine wobbled back and forth, painting the wall. Having consumed so much tequila that it might as well have been flowing through his veins instead of blood, the tequila scent in his urine wasn't just his imagination.

Eugene heard a suspicious sound just as he finished his business and was straightening his pants.

"Wait, just a moment!"

There was a hasty sound of footsteps, and then someone's voice. It was coming from around the corner of the alley, just a few steps ahead.

Though quiet, it was clear that the owner of the voice was quite terrified. Such a sound in a back alley like this was not a good sign. Even in his drunken state, Eugene instinctively pressed his back against the wall, concealing himself in the dark shadows.

"Wait, just listen to me. Valentine."

Unfortunately, the man's voice was getting closer. Judging by the sound of shoe soles dragging, the man seemed to be backing toward the corner of the alley where Eugene was hiding.

Eugene, who had been about to hurry out of the alley, paused at the name the man called.

'Valentine?'

It was a name that didn't match the man's frightened voice at all. Valentine. Not an unheard-of name, but certainly uncommon. Saint Valentine. Valentine's Day. Suddenly, curiosity arose. What kind of person was this Valentine who made the man speak in such a frightened voice? In the end, Eugene chose to observe the situation a bit longer while holding his breath, rather than running away.

"P-please, spare me. Please!"

The man cried out desperately. Finally, the man came into Eugene's view. As expected, he was cautiously backing up. The man, who appeared to be in his late forties, was wearing a gray pinstriped suit and looked Italian. Only after seeing the terrified face of the man did Eugene realize that this wasn't simply a situation to satisfy his curiosity.

"Valentine!"

The Valentine that the man was desperately calling finally revealed himself. Eugene gasped the moment he saw Valentine's face. The blonde hair that shone brightly even in the darkness and the pale, beautiful face resembled an angel who had stepped out of a famous painting. Could that truly be a human appearance? Drunk Eugene stared at Valentine's face, forgetting even to breathe.

"Bruni. Are you running away because you want to play with me?"

The beautiful angel with blonde hair asked. His voice was a calm baritone, strangely clear and penetrating to the ears, as charming and sweet as his beautiful appearance. Perhaps the reason he was called Valentine was because of that sweet voice.

The angel was pointing a gun at the man. Seeing the unusually long barrel, it must have had a silencer attached. The angel's eyes were gleaming with cruelty, and his beautiful lips were twisted upward. Thanks to this, Eugene was able to come to his senses.

Now that he could think clearly, he saw that the man was clutching one of his thighs with his hand. Judging by how the pants around his thigh were sticking to his leg, it must have been soaked in blood. This Valentine person had already shot the man once. And the fact that he was openly showing his face meant that he had no intention of letting the man live.

This was definitely not a good situation. To be precise, it was a very dangerous one. Eugene deeply regretted being curious about the name Valentine and missing the chance to escape, but it was already too late. All he could do was hide in the shadows cast by the wall, hold his breath, and pray not to be discovered.

"Valentine. I have nothing to do with this. I just received a small share of the money he gave. I have absolutely nothing to do with what he did!"

The man desperately explained. It was natural, as his life was at stake. But the blonde man, Valentine, who was looking at him, rather seemed to be enjoying himself, curling up his lips. That was enough to tell. He was no stranger to killing people.

"Please, give me a chance to explain to the boss. The boss will surely understand if he hears my side!"

Perhaps because his life was hanging by a thread, the man pleaded desperately with a trembling voice. Then the blonde man called Valentine pulled out a white stick he had been holding in his mouth. What came out of his mouth seemed to be a lollipop. Due to the darkness, Eugene couldn't distinguish the color of the candy.

"Candy, if you guess what flavor it is, I'll talk to Don Cariello."

The blonde man showed the lollipop once and then put it back in his mouth.

The middle-aged man named Bruni took a harsh breath.

The distance between the two men and Eugene was just over ten steps. But Eugene's figure remained hidden in the darkness. Eugene wondered if he should slip away now. He didn't care about the fate of the man named Bruni. Eugene wasn't particularly known for his sense of justice. He definitely declined the stupid act of getting involved in other people's business and suffering for it. Especially judging by the word "boss" that came from the middle-aged man's mouth, his suit, and the term "Don" mentioned by the blonde-haired man, these people were certainly connected to the mafia. In this case, even reporting to the police could be dangerous.

Eugene took one step back as quietly as possible. Fortunately, the two men didn't seem to notice his presence at all. Eugene maintained his tension and took another step back. After taking three steps back, he heard:

"...Strawberry?"

A faint sound escaped from the middle-aged man's mouth. Eugene involuntarily looked at the face of the man called Valentine.

"D-did I...get it right?"

The middle-aged man asked with a trembling voice.

Valentine stared at the man and rolled the candy in his mouth. The white stick protruding from his mouth rotated accordingly. Gulp. The sound of the middle-aged man swallowing was loud.

"Did I...get it right?"