Movie Theater Hero (1/?)
title: Movie Theater Hero
rating: PG-13
genre: crack with an underlying fail attempt at suspense
pairings: (to be revealed~)
characters: Sungmin, Heechul (others will be revealed later on)
warnings: um... fail attempt at suspense?
summary: Sungmin's being stalked... but it's a good thing?
disclaimer: i don't have any affiliation with Super Junior, and I've never written crack so I hope it's moderately funny. (Edited to be a genderbender.)
She was here all the time.
The movie theater, that is.
Every week he'd just sit in the lobby, the hustle and bustle white noise in her ears as she enjoyed the smell of popcorn and gummy worms floating in through his nostrils. In a strange way, it helped her study, and it managed to block out the thoughts that bothered her.
Sometimes she would watch a movie, but not typically. It wasn't really her favorite thing, movie watching, because she had trouble sitting still for long periods of time, and usually the movies that were showing when she came sucked. So instead she settled down in one of the comfy loveseats by the concession stand and sunk into it, looking over his assignment for the day with a dazed look. It was the same routine every day for about a month and a half; she'd sit, unzip her backpack and pull out a bright pink binder and matching glitter pen and get to work.
But pretty soon things started changing.
It happened randomly one day, and at first Sungmin paid it no mind. But he began to notice that the same shadowy figure was sitting nonchalantly in the video game room on the exact same couch every time that Sungmin happened to stroll into the movie theater to study.
She tried to rationalize it. “Come on Sungmin, would you really have a stalker? You're just being paranoid.” She'd tell herself, sitting quietly and trying to ignore the stare she felt burning into her back.
This is when Min began to test just how correct her suspicions were.
Instead of sitting at the same loveseat everyday, she began to do a rotation- each time she studied he would move one seat to the right, and each time she moved to the right and looked around sneakily, she saw the same dark silhouette somewhere nearby. “Okay, okay.” Sungmin whispered to no one. “This is getting way too creepy.” And with that statement on the seventh day of his rotation, she walked out of the theater and vowed to change her habits.
The library was quiet. It was air conditioned and clean and sterile. Too sterile, and too quiet. But Sungmin was not one to give up easily, so she set her books down on a secluded table in the corner just the same, and began to study. She pulled out his cotton candy pink iPod, binder and pen to create a better atmosphere for herself, but just ended up losing concentration when her music proved to be too much of a distraction. Now what to do?
Maybe it would be good to take a break. Yeah, yeah, that'd be a good idea. After all, research shows that students who take a breather while studying do a lot better on tests. So you know, might as well. (That's the excuse Sungmin used, but she knew she was really just bored as hell.)
Stuffing her iPod into his pocket, Sungmin walked over to the nearby water fountain and took a long slurp, the cold liquid refreshing her senses. She leaned back, hands on his hips as she stretched and shook some droplets out of her long hair, black strands in her eyes.
But as she finished his drink and began to walk around the library, she saw something.
It was the hooded man.
She shuddered and walked slowly over to a bookshelf to his right, and the hooded figure moved to get a better view of Sungmin. Pretending not to notice, she pulled a book of the shelf and flipped through, her shaky fingers making the pages rustle.
She saw his stalker leaning against the end of the shelf, also holding a book and looking at him through the corner of his eye
At that moment Sungmin suddenly tackled the man to the ground swiftly and quietly, martial arts skills definitely paying off. The man was on his stomach, breathing hard and making not a single sound. Sungmin hissed darkly into the man's ear, leaning in close.
“I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want, but you should know that I will not tolerate my privacy being violated.” The man struggled under his grip and Sungmin flipped him over and was surprised at what he saw. “A mask...”
It was purple and black, and it covered everything except his eyes and the area around his mouth, similar to that of Batman without the ears. Who did this guy think he was, some sort of superhero? It appeared that he was a mentally disturbed stalker.
Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her stalker had gotten away and ran quite quickly out the exit.
Sungmin decided now that the stalker probably wouldn't be messing with her again- and if by a whim the hooded man planned on following her another time, she would find him no matter what- so she might as well go back to the movie theater.
As she walked in he pulled out a mirror- just in case her hair looked stupid. (She tried out a new gel today and it felt funny.) Whipping out her mirror instantaneously proved that he was very wrong about her earlier hypothesis.
In the reflection of his mirror he was there, sitting silently in the corner of the game room, looking at Sungmin carefully, bowing his head low so that his face and mask didn't show. Sungmin narrowed his eyes.
Storming angrily out of the movie theater as quickly as she came, she ran down the streets, angry and frustrated.
Of course Sungmin should call the police, but she figured that if he gave the hooded man a harsher warning and got a good look at his face, she would be able to solve his problem himself. This is why Sungmin chose to walk to an empty recording studio that she often passed before going to college in the morning.
It was a dumb idea in case the stalker tried to kill her/rape her/kidnap her/implant her with a experimental virus or maybe even worse, but Sungmin sort of overlooked that thought. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins and she wanted to release all the built up tension.
She stood on a balcony of the large glass building and looked over the railing to see pedestrians strolling mindlessly along. Turning her head ever so slightly to the left, she saw the hooded man. “Jackpot!” Sungmin thought to herself, thinking that hercreeper had fallen right into his trap. But when the faraway man started running toward hier he knew something was wrong.
“Sungmin watch out! Run!”
She looked up to see a shimmering cluster falling toward her as a slicing sound whizzed dangerously close. She stared at it breathlessly until he felt someone else sweep him off her feet and carry him down several flights of stairs.
Sungmin was over the man's shoulder now, and as she inhaled the calming scent of his cologne she stared back at the sharp shards that rained behind her. This was not normal. Why was she being carried by a creepy stalker/superhero/potential rapist/possible mad-scientist and why did this happen when she came here? Did the stalker actually try to set this up so he could save her? Would that be possible? She didn't even care at this point as the theories ran through her brain- she would just really prefer to live right now.
“OhGodOhGodI'msosososorryMr.MaskedManandIhopeyouunderstandwasscaredbecauseyouwerestalkingmebutIpromiseifyousavemenowI'llforgeteverythingandIwon'ttellthecopsand-”
“Don't be scared.” The hooded man said, his voice deep and full of confidence. He was looking back at Sungmin with dark, warm brown eyes that seemed to reassure his every fiber and made her feel calm and relaxed... that is, until more glass fell above them. The masked stranger looked back up and his eyes widened. “Shit, shit, shit. Okay, be scared.”
The masked hero managed to run faster until he realized he couldn't outrun the threat any longer, and took a risky move by holding Sungmin tightly in his arms before jumping off one of the flights of stairs and onto the safety of the pavement, Sungmin's hair whipping harshly against the gravitational pull. As the masked man slammed feet first into the ground, the two said and did nothing, the sound of their heaving breaths and glass slamming into the floors above them were a subtle symphony that surrounded them.
Sungmin heard a strange combination of a thudding and slicing sound, and the masked man fell to the ground.
“Damn it Sungmin, why did you have to waltz right over to one of the most dangerous parts of town?” He said, blood dripping from his mouth and a large slab of glass sticking out his back.
“Oh my God! Oh my God I'm so sorry!” Sungmin cried, tears running down her face as she panicked. “Oh God, this is all my fault I-”
“You know, it would be awfully nice if you could manage to do some first aid instead of crying.” Said the wounded man, trying to crack a smirk.
“I don't know, I don't know how-”
“It's okay, I heal pretty well. But I'm just telling you in case you're in another life and death situation with someone who isn't as strong as I am...”
The hole in the man's back began to slowly close, and the gigantic shard was pushed out of his flesh, blood soaking back into his wound as if a tape had been made of the whole thing and then rewound.
“What? H-how did you-”
“That's not important Sungmin. What's important is that you're safe.” The hero said, pulling off his baggy hoodie to reveal his full mask, and a purple blazer over a dark superhero uniform. “I'm sorry if my approach was a bit frightening for you. I was helping you, not stalking you, but I understand if you didn't catch that... stealth mode isn't my forte...”
“Yeah you got that right...” Sungmin murmured. The man stared at her angrily. “Sorry.” She said in embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Anyway, I should introduce myself. Hi, I'm the Purple Strike. You can just call me The Striker or Strikey. Not to be confused with Spikey though, he's my assistant, and not as cool. Here, take my card.”
Sungmin was handed a holographic computer chip that had his picture on it, along with an e-mail address, Facebook account and website. “I'm glad you're okay...” He said shyly, and Sungmin looked up in curiosity. The Striker quickly shook his head and blinked rapidly, flailing his hands. “Because I mean, you're my first civilian. You know, the first one I've protected.” He sure looked flustered for a superhero...
And just like that, The Striker leaned over and kissed Sungmin carefully on the cheek where she had been scratched ever so slightly by glass.
“I'll see you when I see you... and since I'll be improving my sneaking skills, it'll only be me seeing you next time.” He said with a wink before walking over to a car that Sungmin hadn't noticed before.
“W-wait!” She suddenly shouted, and Striker looked back.
“What?”
“T-thank you...”
The young hero smiled.
“Anything for a good citizen like you, Sungmin.”
Ever since that day, Sungmin waited in anticipation for the Striker to come to her aid again, but it had been over a month and he began to lose hope. Because of his absence, Sungmin tried to squash the lingering idea that maybe The Striker really had gotten better at sneaking, because Sungmin knew deep inside that the hero had moved on to find another faceless civilian to protect.
But how did he come to know her? How did he know her name, where she studied...?
That was a dumb question. Maybe he just happened to see she was in danger and decided Sungmin needed a bodyguard. Why would he care otherwise?
Blowing strands of dark hair out of her eyes, Sungmin pouted and let his head fall onto the table beneath her with a loud bang and strong vibration, and he heard a slosh to his right.
“Damn it, Sungmin!” Said a dark haired man as Sungmin searched for the source of the noise. “Do you know how much this coffee costs?!” The tall, thin man hissed angrily, getting an angry finger shaken at him by the librarian.
“I'm sorry, it was just an accident-”
“Yeah, you're one giant accident, that's for sure. Why is it that whenever you're around something always seems to go wrong?” Sungmin bowed his head and Heechul seemed quite satisfied with the insults he hurled at the younger girl.
“I really am sorry...” But Heechul was too far away too hear, and as the intimidating upperclassman walked away to get paper towels while begging the foreign exchange student for a cup of coffee, Sungmin drifted out of the library and went home to her empty apartment.
The whole building was quiet, and Sungmin flipped on her light, casting a yellowish hue across the room. Sure her apartment was a little run down, but it was affordable and had a sort of a vintage look to it with all of the Victorian lanterns and wallpaper. It was perfect for her, and she felt like she could live in the space for a long time.
Settling onto the couch, she looked up at the ceiling in loneliness. It was nice having his apartment and actually cheaper than living in the dorms with the rest of his classmates, but it made her feel even worse on bad days, which is what this was.
She laid back onto his plushy pink pillow and sniffed a little, feeling like no one in the world cared about her, and that everything was going wrong.
“What am I even doing anymore...?” She asked herself, reflecting on her choice to study music, pursue a career with no security or definite pay and to spend four years constantly studying- which might not even give her anything to live on but cheap packs of ramen for the rest of her life. “It's like I'm on a road to nowhere...” She cried, tears soaking into the fluffy fabric beneath her head.
“Now now, I understand that you've missed me, but there's no reason to cry!” Said a familiar voice.
Sungmin jumped up in shock at the sudden sound, and looked over to see The Striker standing authoritatively in front of the swaying curtains, smiling like randomly being inside another person's house without asking was just a normal occurrence for him.
“S-Strikey!” Sungmin blurted out in surprise as she walked over to the hero. She hugged him and the hero patted his back carefully, unsure of what to do. After squeezing him to death for nearly three minutes, she then punched The Striker in the arm.
“Hey! What the hell was that for?!” He asked, rubbing his aching shoulder.
“That's for scaring me!” She punched him again. “And that's for swearing!” She pouted as Striker walked into his kitchen and helped himself to an ice-pack.
“Look, I'm sorry for breaking into your house and everything, but does that really deserve a punch?!”
“Yes, it does! Because as happy as I am to see you again, sneaking into someone's house isn't okay! And you're a superhero anyway, aren't you supposed to have super strength or something?”
“Um, no,” He replied, laying on Sungmin's couch. “Super healing. And it has its limits.”
“Pssh, you're the one who fully healed from a stab wound!” Sungmin protested. “How does that have limits?!”
“It only works under certain conditions! And it still hurts like a bitch every time I get wounded, including just now!” The Striker finished, his face contorted in what looked to be like a lot of pain. “Damn, Sungmin why?” His face was almost purple now, and he fell to the floor.
“Oh God, oh God, it's my fault again! I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry!”
“Stop being sorry and get me some Tylenol or something, for God's sake!”
“Okay! Okay I will! And Mr. Striker, I'm so so-”
“Yes, you're sorry, I know!” He replied, barely choking out words. “Tylenol!”
After getting the pills from his bathroom cabinet, Sungmin filled up a glass of water for the hero and carefully had him sip it, swallowing the pills one at a time. Since it would take time for the medication to work, Sungmin tried to calm the pained Striker by holding his hand, making both of them blush.
“So...” Sungmin squeaked, clearing her throat in order to speak more confidently. “What exactly are the limitations of your power?”
“Well,” The Striker began, what was visible of his face tinged crimson. “I can't tell you all of them- it's kinda a hero thing, you know?” Sungmin nodded. “But one of them is this; when an injury is minor, it hurts like hell and heals slowly. When I get a major injury, like when I took that glass in my back, since I'm already feeling a tremendous amount of pain, it heals quickly and the discomfort subsides almost immediately. It's sort of my body's way of making things equal when I'm hurt. After all, it would be totally unfair if I could heal any injury without consequence. I wish I would've realized that when I created my power...” He said, tapping the glass of water for so Sungmin would pour some for him. He obliged.
“Wait,” Sungmin began, confused. “You created your power? How could you manage-”
“Oh, anything can be done with an understanding of biology, anatomy, basic cell structure and a pinch of math-”
“Okay, stop right there.” Sungmin laughed, and The Striker chuckled along, his voice husky and soft. Things were soon quiet between them, and neither man knew what to say or do. “Um, Mr. Striker?”
“Strikey, please.”
“Um, Strikey... are you feeling better?”
“Much.”
“That's um, that's good... but... why did you come here tonight? I haven't seen you for a while...” The hero smiled.
“No, but I've seen you... I'm always here, Sungmin.” He said, sitting up to brush a stray strand of hair off her forehead with a bashful smile, his face now clear and the pain gone. “I'm never going to stop protecting you. So don't be sad, and have a nice night.”
As the handsome superhero walked out of his front door, Sungmin thought that she might faint.
rating: PG-13
genre: crack with an underlying fail attempt at suspense
pairings: (to be revealed~)
characters: Sungmin, Heechul (others will be revealed later on)
warnings: um... fail attempt at suspense?
summary: Sungmin's being stalked... but it's a good thing?
disclaimer: i don't have any affiliation with Super Junior, and I've never written crack so I hope it's moderately funny. (Edited to be a genderbender.)
She was here all the time.
The movie theater, that is.
Every week he'd just sit in the lobby, the hustle and bustle white noise in her ears as she enjoyed the smell of popcorn and gummy worms floating in through his nostrils. In a strange way, it helped her study, and it managed to block out the thoughts that bothered her.
Sometimes she would watch a movie, but not typically. It wasn't really her favorite thing, movie watching, because she had trouble sitting still for long periods of time, and usually the movies that were showing when she came sucked. So instead she settled down in one of the comfy loveseats by the concession stand and sunk into it, looking over his assignment for the day with a dazed look. It was the same routine every day for about a month and a half; she'd sit, unzip her backpack and pull out a bright pink binder and matching glitter pen and get to work.
But pretty soon things started changing.
It happened randomly one day, and at first Sungmin paid it no mind. But he began to notice that the same shadowy figure was sitting nonchalantly in the video game room on the exact same couch every time that Sungmin happened to stroll into the movie theater to study.
She tried to rationalize it. “Come on Sungmin, would you really have a stalker? You're just being paranoid.” She'd tell herself, sitting quietly and trying to ignore the stare she felt burning into her back.
This is when Min began to test just how correct her suspicions were.
Instead of sitting at the same loveseat everyday, she began to do a rotation- each time she studied he would move one seat to the right, and each time she moved to the right and looked around sneakily, she saw the same dark silhouette somewhere nearby. “Okay, okay.” Sungmin whispered to no one. “This is getting way too creepy.” And with that statement on the seventh day of his rotation, she walked out of the theater and vowed to change her habits.
The library was quiet. It was air conditioned and clean and sterile. Too sterile, and too quiet. But Sungmin was not one to give up easily, so she set her books down on a secluded table in the corner just the same, and began to study. She pulled out his cotton candy pink iPod, binder and pen to create a better atmosphere for herself, but just ended up losing concentration when her music proved to be too much of a distraction. Now what to do?
Maybe it would be good to take a break. Yeah, yeah, that'd be a good idea. After all, research shows that students who take a breather while studying do a lot better on tests. So you know, might as well. (That's the excuse Sungmin used, but she knew she was really just bored as hell.)
Stuffing her iPod into his pocket, Sungmin walked over to the nearby water fountain and took a long slurp, the cold liquid refreshing her senses. She leaned back, hands on his hips as she stretched and shook some droplets out of her long hair, black strands in her eyes.
But as she finished his drink and began to walk around the library, she saw something.
It was the hooded man.
She shuddered and walked slowly over to a bookshelf to his right, and the hooded figure moved to get a better view of Sungmin. Pretending not to notice, she pulled a book of the shelf and flipped through, her shaky fingers making the pages rustle.
She saw his stalker leaning against the end of the shelf, also holding a book and looking at him through the corner of his eye
At that moment Sungmin suddenly tackled the man to the ground swiftly and quietly, martial arts skills definitely paying off. The man was on his stomach, breathing hard and making not a single sound. Sungmin hissed darkly into the man's ear, leaning in close.
“I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want, but you should know that I will not tolerate my privacy being violated.” The man struggled under his grip and Sungmin flipped him over and was surprised at what he saw. “A mask...”
It was purple and black, and it covered everything except his eyes and the area around his mouth, similar to that of Batman without the ears. Who did this guy think he was, some sort of superhero? It appeared that he was a mentally disturbed stalker.
Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her stalker had gotten away and ran quite quickly out the exit.
Sungmin decided now that the stalker probably wouldn't be messing with her again- and if by a whim the hooded man planned on following her another time, she would find him no matter what- so she might as well go back to the movie theater.
As she walked in he pulled out a mirror- just in case her hair looked stupid. (She tried out a new gel today and it felt funny.) Whipping out her mirror instantaneously proved that he was very wrong about her earlier hypothesis.
In the reflection of his mirror he was there, sitting silently in the corner of the game room, looking at Sungmin carefully, bowing his head low so that his face and mask didn't show. Sungmin narrowed his eyes.
Storming angrily out of the movie theater as quickly as she came, she ran down the streets, angry and frustrated.
Of course Sungmin should call the police, but she figured that if he gave the hooded man a harsher warning and got a good look at his face, she would be able to solve his problem himself. This is why Sungmin chose to walk to an empty recording studio that she often passed before going to college in the morning.
It was a dumb idea in case the stalker tried to kill her/rape her/kidnap her/implant her with a experimental virus or maybe even worse, but Sungmin sort of overlooked that thought. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins and she wanted to release all the built up tension.
She stood on a balcony of the large glass building and looked over the railing to see pedestrians strolling mindlessly along. Turning her head ever so slightly to the left, she saw the hooded man. “Jackpot!” Sungmin thought to herself, thinking that hercreeper had fallen right into his trap. But when the faraway man started running toward hier he knew something was wrong.
“Sungmin watch out! Run!”
She looked up to see a shimmering cluster falling toward her as a slicing sound whizzed dangerously close. She stared at it breathlessly until he felt someone else sweep him off her feet and carry him down several flights of stairs.
Sungmin was over the man's shoulder now, and as she inhaled the calming scent of his cologne she stared back at the sharp shards that rained behind her. This was not normal. Why was she being carried by a creepy stalker/superhero/potential rapist/possible mad-scientist and why did this happen when she came here? Did the stalker actually try to set this up so he could save her? Would that be possible? She didn't even care at this point as the theories ran through her brain- she would just really prefer to live right now.
“OhGodOhGodI'msosososorryMr.MaskedManandIhopeyouunderstandwasscaredbecauseyouwerestalkingmebutIpromiseifyousavemenowI'llforgeteverythingandIwon'ttellthecopsand-”
“Don't be scared.” The hooded man said, his voice deep and full of confidence. He was looking back at Sungmin with dark, warm brown eyes that seemed to reassure his every fiber and made her feel calm and relaxed... that is, until more glass fell above them. The masked stranger looked back up and his eyes widened. “Shit, shit, shit. Okay, be scared.”
The masked hero managed to run faster until he realized he couldn't outrun the threat any longer, and took a risky move by holding Sungmin tightly in his arms before jumping off one of the flights of stairs and onto the safety of the pavement, Sungmin's hair whipping harshly against the gravitational pull. As the masked man slammed feet first into the ground, the two said and did nothing, the sound of their heaving breaths and glass slamming into the floors above them were a subtle symphony that surrounded them.
Sungmin heard a strange combination of a thudding and slicing sound, and the masked man fell to the ground.
“Damn it Sungmin, why did you have to waltz right over to one of the most dangerous parts of town?” He said, blood dripping from his mouth and a large slab of glass sticking out his back.
“Oh my God! Oh my God I'm so sorry!” Sungmin cried, tears running down her face as she panicked. “Oh God, this is all my fault I-”
“You know, it would be awfully nice if you could manage to do some first aid instead of crying.” Said the wounded man, trying to crack a smirk.
“I don't know, I don't know how-”
“It's okay, I heal pretty well. But I'm just telling you in case you're in another life and death situation with someone who isn't as strong as I am...”
The hole in the man's back began to slowly close, and the gigantic shard was pushed out of his flesh, blood soaking back into his wound as if a tape had been made of the whole thing and then rewound.
“What? H-how did you-”
“That's not important Sungmin. What's important is that you're safe.” The hero said, pulling off his baggy hoodie to reveal his full mask, and a purple blazer over a dark superhero uniform. “I'm sorry if my approach was a bit frightening for you. I was helping you, not stalking you, but I understand if you didn't catch that... stealth mode isn't my forte...”
“Yeah you got that right...” Sungmin murmured. The man stared at her angrily. “Sorry.” She said in embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Anyway, I should introduce myself. Hi, I'm the Purple Strike. You can just call me The Striker or Strikey. Not to be confused with Spikey though, he's my assistant, and not as cool. Here, take my card.”
Sungmin was handed a holographic computer chip that had his picture on it, along with an e-mail address, Facebook account and website. “I'm glad you're okay...” He said shyly, and Sungmin looked up in curiosity. The Striker quickly shook his head and blinked rapidly, flailing his hands. “Because I mean, you're my first civilian. You know, the first one I've protected.” He sure looked flustered for a superhero...
And just like that, The Striker leaned over and kissed Sungmin carefully on the cheek where she had been scratched ever so slightly by glass.
“I'll see you when I see you... and since I'll be improving my sneaking skills, it'll only be me seeing you next time.” He said with a wink before walking over to a car that Sungmin hadn't noticed before.
“W-wait!” She suddenly shouted, and Striker looked back.
“What?”
“T-thank you...”
The young hero smiled.
“Anything for a good citizen like you, Sungmin.”
Ever since that day, Sungmin waited in anticipation for the Striker to come to her aid again, but it had been over a month and he began to lose hope. Because of his absence, Sungmin tried to squash the lingering idea that maybe The Striker really had gotten better at sneaking, because Sungmin knew deep inside that the hero had moved on to find another faceless civilian to protect.
But how did he come to know her? How did he know her name, where she studied...?
That was a dumb question. Maybe he just happened to see she was in danger and decided Sungmin needed a bodyguard. Why would he care otherwise?
Blowing strands of dark hair out of her eyes, Sungmin pouted and let his head fall onto the table beneath her with a loud bang and strong vibration, and he heard a slosh to his right.
“Damn it, Sungmin!” Said a dark haired man as Sungmin searched for the source of the noise. “Do you know how much this coffee costs?!” The tall, thin man hissed angrily, getting an angry finger shaken at him by the librarian.
“I'm sorry, it was just an accident-”
“Yeah, you're one giant accident, that's for sure. Why is it that whenever you're around something always seems to go wrong?” Sungmin bowed his head and Heechul seemed quite satisfied with the insults he hurled at the younger girl.
“I really am sorry...” But Heechul was too far away too hear, and as the intimidating upperclassman walked away to get paper towels while begging the foreign exchange student for a cup of coffee, Sungmin drifted out of the library and went home to her empty apartment.
The whole building was quiet, and Sungmin flipped on her light, casting a yellowish hue across the room. Sure her apartment was a little run down, but it was affordable and had a sort of a vintage look to it with all of the Victorian lanterns and wallpaper. It was perfect for her, and she felt like she could live in the space for a long time.
Settling onto the couch, she looked up at the ceiling in loneliness. It was nice having his apartment and actually cheaper than living in the dorms with the rest of his classmates, but it made her feel even worse on bad days, which is what this was.
She laid back onto his plushy pink pillow and sniffed a little, feeling like no one in the world cared about her, and that everything was going wrong.
“What am I even doing anymore...?” She asked herself, reflecting on her choice to study music, pursue a career with no security or definite pay and to spend four years constantly studying- which might not even give her anything to live on but cheap packs of ramen for the rest of her life. “It's like I'm on a road to nowhere...” She cried, tears soaking into the fluffy fabric beneath her head.
“Now now, I understand that you've missed me, but there's no reason to cry!” Said a familiar voice.
Sungmin jumped up in shock at the sudden sound, and looked over to see The Striker standing authoritatively in front of the swaying curtains, smiling like randomly being inside another person's house without asking was just a normal occurrence for him.
“S-Strikey!” Sungmin blurted out in surprise as she walked over to the hero. She hugged him and the hero patted his back carefully, unsure of what to do. After squeezing him to death for nearly three minutes, she then punched The Striker in the arm.
“Hey! What the hell was that for?!” He asked, rubbing his aching shoulder.
“That's for scaring me!” She punched him again. “And that's for swearing!” She pouted as Striker walked into his kitchen and helped himself to an ice-pack.
“Look, I'm sorry for breaking into your house and everything, but does that really deserve a punch?!”
“Yes, it does! Because as happy as I am to see you again, sneaking into someone's house isn't okay! And you're a superhero anyway, aren't you supposed to have super strength or something?”
“Um, no,” He replied, laying on Sungmin's couch. “Super healing. And it has its limits.”
“Pssh, you're the one who fully healed from a stab wound!” Sungmin protested. “How does that have limits?!”
“It only works under certain conditions! And it still hurts like a bitch every time I get wounded, including just now!” The Striker finished, his face contorted in what looked to be like a lot of pain. “Damn, Sungmin why?” His face was almost purple now, and he fell to the floor.
“Oh God, oh God, it's my fault again! I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry!”
“Stop being sorry and get me some Tylenol or something, for God's sake!”
“Okay! Okay I will! And Mr. Striker, I'm so so-”
“Yes, you're sorry, I know!” He replied, barely choking out words. “Tylenol!”
After getting the pills from his bathroom cabinet, Sungmin filled up a glass of water for the hero and carefully had him sip it, swallowing the pills one at a time. Since it would take time for the medication to work, Sungmin tried to calm the pained Striker by holding his hand, making both of them blush.
“So...” Sungmin squeaked, clearing her throat in order to speak more confidently. “What exactly are the limitations of your power?”
“Well,” The Striker began, what was visible of his face tinged crimson. “I can't tell you all of them- it's kinda a hero thing, you know?” Sungmin nodded. “But one of them is this; when an injury is minor, it hurts like hell and heals slowly. When I get a major injury, like when I took that glass in my back, since I'm already feeling a tremendous amount of pain, it heals quickly and the discomfort subsides almost immediately. It's sort of my body's way of making things equal when I'm hurt. After all, it would be totally unfair if I could heal any injury without consequence. I wish I would've realized that when I created my power...” He said, tapping the glass of water for so Sungmin would pour some for him. He obliged.
“Wait,” Sungmin began, confused. “You created your power? How could you manage-”
“Oh, anything can be done with an understanding of biology, anatomy, basic cell structure and a pinch of math-”
“Okay, stop right there.” Sungmin laughed, and The Striker chuckled along, his voice husky and soft. Things were soon quiet between them, and neither man knew what to say or do. “Um, Mr. Striker?”
“Strikey, please.”
“Um, Strikey... are you feeling better?”
“Much.”
“That's um, that's good... but... why did you come here tonight? I haven't seen you for a while...” The hero smiled.
“No, but I've seen you... I'm always here, Sungmin.” He said, sitting up to brush a stray strand of hair off her forehead with a bashful smile, his face now clear and the pain gone. “I'm never going to stop protecting you. So don't be sad, and have a nice night.”
As the handsome superhero walked out of his front door, Sungmin thought that she might faint.