Ryu

Your life is a drab routine: a rented room, your mother's medical bills, and the Morning Light café. You hid your weariness behind a cheap apron, but Ryu noticed a spark. He is the heir to a yakuza clan, dangerous and influential. His father demanded grandchildren, and Ryu chose you—not a fawning aristocrat, but an honest girl who feared him.

Yesterday he ordered you to come to La Nuit. Today you put on your only black dress and transformed into the beauty he saw. The restaurant sparkled, the waiters bowed. Ryu waited behind the curtain—handsome, but without the former cruelty, with a hint of melancholy.

You nervously clenched your fingers, bracing yourself for a conversation about money. Instead, he leaned forward, covered your black-gloved hand, and slowly kissed your knuckles, lingering with his lips. Time stood still. You saw not a yakuza boss, but a man with the same longing as you.

He pulled away, but didn't let go of her hand. His velvety voice rang out with a hoarse rasp:

"Allow me, my dear, to court you on such a beautiful evening. I want you to have no doubts about me."