
Wensheng
As Safety Director of Night Chains Hotel, Wensheng gives the impression of a dangerous and unapproachable person. Although the job might seem glamorous, everyone knows the shady business behind Night Chains Hotel and has the tacit understanding — "Being in post requires brains, strength, and guts." Hence, most are baffled when they see Wensheng expressionlessly playing a claw machine at a street corner store...
Years ago, after the end of a standard business trip, "Sagi"—general manager of Night Chains Hotel—brought a young man back to the headquarters.
Night Chains has always had the tradition of looking for "their kind." As long as it's someone deemed to be disturbed by "noise," Night Chains will take them in without condition. Still, that was the first time Sagi, as the assumed head of Night Chains, personally took someone in.
Unavoidably, loads of rumors about that young man began circulating within Night Chains Hotel, the most absurd one claiming that "the guy named Wensheng is actually Mr. Sagi's illegitimate son" despite the ages not matching up.
The rumors and gossip didn't go on for long, for people soon realized it was unnecessary to discuss it behind his back. Though Wensheng looks standoffish, he is surprisingly approachable and will pretty much answer any question.
"Mr. Sagi is my benefactor," he shared. "He got me out of the juvenile detention center and brought me here."
Meh, just juvenile detention center? In the morally gray Night Chains, where there is no shortage of oddballs, this truly isn't that sensational of a scoop.
Wensheng was born into a regular family in Frostville. When the aviation industry shut down, his father, who worked for an airline, became unemployed and started drinking excessively at home and abusing Wensheng and Wensheng's mother. As a child, Wensheng would sometimes suffer from tinnitus and headaches, which he initially assumed were the results of his father's abuse or because Frostville City was seriously too cold.
The constantly wounded Wensheng frequently slept in class at school, and somehow, the delinquents believed that he was someone they couldn't afford to mess with. One time, a bunch of troublemakers wanted to ask Wensheng's deskmate out for a "talk," only to unwittingly rouse Wensheng from his nap. Irritated, Wensheng yelled at those boys and thus began their rivalry.
At first, Wensheng could still hold them in check with his attitude, but he and his deskmate ended up getting ambushed in an alley near their school and were beaten into a pulp. Wensheng didn't really get injured since that wasn't his first rodeo, but at the sight of his friend, whose face had gotten busted up, he asked perplexedly, "Why?"
"An eye for an eye, a favor for a favor. This is a given!" replied the friend with a grin. He was clearly weaker than Wensheng, and yet he still positioned himself in front of Wensheng earlier. Perhaps that was him "returning the favor."
That night, Wensheng searched for the hammer and wrench his father had used at home and went to seek vengeance from those delinquents' leader while the skies were dark. That was how he eventually landed himself in the juvenile detention center.
Wensheng's background and experience seem fairly mundane, considering he is Night Chains Hotel's safety director. Not only did he not grow up in an environment with a history of eminences, but he has also never received any education concerning "how to lead a group of morally gray organization members." It's hard to fathom how he manages his job. But when you consider that Wensheng has always been a simple person, his leadership style instantly becomes clear-cut: let competent people do what they're good at, and show up when things are critical.
Since joining Night Chains, Wensheng hasn't avoided those difficult tasks and could be said to possess a fairly proactive (and calm) work attitude. A few Night Chains members who worked with him remarked that he was someone who totally didn't avoid trouble, as he lacked both the skill and willingness. Rather than avoiding, he preferred facing everything head-on, even if it was an extremely problematic trouble. Some of his colleagues took advantage of this and repeatedly dumped their important tasks onto him, and he completed them all as usual.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sagi, who had been discreetly observing Wensheng, grew certain that this young man was a promising talent whom he would like to nurture. With Mr. Sagi's arrangement and guidance, Wensheng's capability was utilized to its full potential, leading him to where he is now. This is a debt of gratitude he would never forget.
It wasn't until Wensheng left Frostville City and settled down in Night Chains that he came to the realization that "hobbies" and "leisure activities" still exist in this world. Life in Frostville City was chilling and agonizing for him. After breaking free from that environment, he spent a long time learning about the outside world and developing his own interests.
Wensheng followed Mr. Sagi to learn about the fundamentals of calligraphy and tea during this process, making solid improvements each day. To get on Mr. Sagi's good side, some people would also suck up to Wensheng, claiming he looked like a prominent family's cultivated son to a tee. In response, he would generally say "I'm simply someone Mr. Sagi took in from the streets" in a flat tone, totally unbothered about their embarrassment.
However, Mr. Sagi apparently cared more about Wensheng's mental state than Wensheng did, continuously encouraging the young man to try and explore new things. As such, Wensheng slowly attempted to change his dressing style, picked up hip-hop dancing lessons, and then entered a claw machine arcade in a mall by mistake one day.
Even though he kept snapping the machine's joystick in the beginning, his technique progressively reached the expert level under Mr. Sagi's guidance. Now, he is regularly spotted standing alone by these claw machines to seek out his new catch, and when he's in a good mood, The Eternal's crew members will be blessed with the stuffed toys he won.
Wensheng, accompanying you at the behest of Mr. Sagi. Hmm. Your scent... No, don't mind me.
What do you need? Just say it.
I practice calligraphy in my free time. It that my hobby? No, "study" or "training" would be more accurate.
I don't care about your goals or ideals. But Mr. Sagi hopes I can assist you, so I'll do my best to make everything go smoothly for you.
"An eye for an eye" is my code of conduct, as is "a kindness for a kindness". Although I've suffered as a result, I have no regrets.
This? It's 75% cocoa dark chocolate. It's not bad. Want some? Wait a moment. I'll write down the address of the shop for you.
Sandalwood... smells good, right? I just need to smell this to calm down.
Mr. Sagi said I should have more interests typical of young people, so I learned street dance. However, I'm only at amateur level currently.
I'm very strong, but before receiving Mr. Sagi's guidance, I couldn't control it well and often broke things... Aren't you afraid? Really? I see... Hmm, nothing.
To me, Night Chains is another family not bound by blood ties. It's just that this family is too big, so it's inevitable that there are people I can't get along with.
My past has been buried under heavy, dirty snow. But Mr. Sagi said that when spring comes, the dirty snow will melt, and new buds will grow on top.
There will always be times when violence is needed to solve problems. If you encounter such situations, just give the order. Trust you? Perhaps. Your scent is warm, different from those immersed in violence.
Are you interested in calligraphy too? Although I'm not at a level where I can guide you, we can practice together. Tell you what, I'll be waiting in the Conductor's Room tomorrow morning at five... Eh, you don't want to?
I'm back. These are my "loot" from the claw machine. If you like them, they're all yours. Why? Because you've always been nice to me. What's wrong?
Let's set out.
It's a win. Carry on.
Time to take them all out.
Stay away!
Freeze!
I've let you down... Mr. Sagi...
I have yet to... repay your kindness...
An eye for an eye, a favor for a favor. Isn't that how it should be?