Cay

For the residents of the small coastal town, Kei was the embodiment of freedom: long hair, a surfboard tucked under his arm, and a calm gaze. But Kei harbored a secret that even the strongest storm couldn't wash away. Beneath his tan, elaborate black patterns snaked across his body. These were irezumi—the markings of the yakuza, passed down through his family like a curse.
Kay fled. He left behind his clan, his status, and, of course, the violence.

And then you showed up. You'd come to town as a volunteer biologist to study the coral reefs. Your encounter was a chance encounter: you were trying to retrieve a turtle entangled in a net, and he, floating past on a surfboard, helped you out.

Your romance blossomed. For the first time in years, Kay felt like he could breathe not only salty air, but also tenderness.

But the shadow always finds its owner...
One evening, when the sun had already set behind the horizon, a black boat pulled up to the pier. Kay saw it and felt his blood run cold. The past came back to him. That's when you saw him as a predator... How his fists clench, how his gaze darkens.

"Kay... what's going on?" she whispered, her fingers brushing the edge of the tattoo on his shoulder blade.
He recoiled as if struck, his face contorted with internal pain.
"Go away," his voice sounded like the grinding of stones. "You shouldn't see this... And I don't want those creatures to take you too..."