dark side | minsung

01

Cashing a punch was never a nice way to start a night.

He staggered backward, slightly thrown off balance by the sudden counterattack. But he quickly composed himself, taking a more offensive stance. His head was pounding where the guy in front of him had punched him, but he couldn't let the pain get to him. No, he had an opponent to knock out, preferably before the police would arrive.

Even though they both had the same goal – protecting the city – the hero preferred to keep his distance from the police. Rather, he preferred to keep his distance from anyone in general.

But he'd come back to that later.

With his head still spinning from his opponent's strike, he ducked to dodge another attack, before he dashed forward at lightning speed. His fist collided with the man's jaw, the punch carrying more strength than an ordinary human could muster. The delinquent was sent flying backward, crashing against a wall like a sack of potatoes. Then he fell limply to the pavement, next to the dump container that occupied the dark alley.

The hero inched closer, squatting down to see how the man was doing. It seemed like he had knocked him unconscious, which was much to his satisfaction. Now the police could take him effortlessly, and that gad been his goal from the start, ever since he saw the man running away from the cops.

Now he had to hurry.

Glancing up to estimate how tall the wall stood, he cocked his head to the side. Easy peasy, he thought, leaping into the air with a firm kick against the pavement. He swiftly landed on the  rooftop, that rose up to about thirty feet from the ground. And right on time, for the alley was painted red and blue as the first cop car arrived.

The superhero hid in the shadows, taking off his mask to breathe prolerly again. He took in the fresh air diligently and allowed himself a moment to just breathe in and out. Then he reached up to touch his lips, and when he retreated his hand, his fingertips were coated in blood.

"Shit," he muttered. "I'm bleeding."

He had to tend to his wound as soon as he got home, but first he had to make sure the police took the delinquent. He watched from the shadows how the unconscious figure was handcuffed and dragged into the back of a police van that had just arrived.

His job was done.

With mild aversion, he put his mask back on. The inside was probably covered in blood from the cut on his lip, which was pretty gross. He'd have to wash it out later tonight, to make sure it would be all fresh the next time he was needed in Seoul – probably later today.

He got up from his seated position and started running before he leapt into the air once more. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he made his way to where he lived, moving at inhuman speed. No one would be able to see him, just how he liked it.

No one really knew about his existence. Sure, there were rumors about some sort of mysterious hero, but it was nothing concrete. No one had ever seen him donning his mask and suit. He had no superhero alias and for as far as he was aware of, the people of Seoul hadn't made one up for him yet. He was no one, just a loner who happened to protect his city from crime and darkness.

He liked it that way.

There was no way someone would find out about his secret because he hardly was involved with anyone. He had left his friends, abandoned his studies, all he did was working tons of shifts at various jobs during the more peaceful hours of a day, but even there he kept social interactions to a bare minimum.

Even through the sturdy fabric of his mask, he felt the evening breeze on his skin as he traversed the city's skyline. He was almost flying as he leapt, and he absolutely loved it. He felt so alive.

His heart was pumping with adrenaline as if it was his first time, but in reality, he'd been doing this for years now. He found out about his superpowers six years ago, merely by accident, and it only took him two months to decide to take on the role of Seoul's protector.

As a familiar apartment building came in sight, he slowed down significantly. He jumped down from a roof and landed in another dark bystreet. He hid behind a dumpster and quickly took off his mask. Under his command, the fabric of his suit crawled back until it vanished completely, leaving him in a hoodie and sweatpants and extremely messy blue hair.

Now he was just Han Jisung.

Still a loner, still a nobody, but someone who pretended to live a somewhat normal life, with too many jobs and too little social interactions and a secret too big to carry.

He nonchalantly walked out of the alley, glancing left and right before he crossed the road. He patted the pockets of his sweats in order to find the key to his apartment, fidgeting the item in his hand as he entered the building and began to climb the stairs to the second floor.

"I'm home," he announced to absolutely no one as he entered his residence. He kicked off his worn-out sneakers and ventured into the bathroom, where he looked at his mirror image.

A tired boy glanced back, with dull eyes and a nasty cut on his lip. There was a bruise blooming on Jisung's jaw, and he wondered what kind of excuse he had to make up to get away with that.

Sighing deeply, he rummaged through a drawer until he found what he was looking for; sterile gauzes and a bottle of disinfectant. Washing his hands first, he soaked the gauze in the cleansing liquid and gingerly dabbed it against his split lip. It stung, and Jisung hissed in pain but continued nevertheless. It had to be done.

As he finished, he checked for more injuries, but aside from the massive bruise on his jaw, he found none. Was it already too late for an ice pack? He had no idea, but it probably wouldn't hurt to try. He'd grab one from his freezer as soon as he was in the kitchen.

He had acted rashly today, going after a delinquent who obviously wasn't afraid of using violence. Of course it resulted in Jisung cashing a punch as well, what else did he expect? He should've been more careful, it hurt like Hell and how the heck was he going to explain this?

Oh, hi Boss, I got punched in the face while cornering a criminal, but I'm fine, don't worry!

Yeah, no.

He gripped the edges of the sink, still staring at himself. The glaze was pleasantly cold under his fingertips, and he stood like that for a while as he observed his injuries. Yes, he had some superpowers, but that didn't make him invinsible. If only it worked like that.

His strengths were extraordinary, but his weaknesses were all too human. He suffered pain, could break bones – heck, he could die while protecting the city.

But it was worth the risk.

It wasn't like he had anything else to live for. There was nothing, no one, all there was for him was his duty to keep Seoul safe. That was his curse as superhuman. Burdened with responsibilities and secrets so big, bigger than anyone his age should carry.

Maybe, just maybe, he was lonely.

Lonely, and often tearing at the seams.

But it mattered not. He just had to fulfill his duty until he died. That was his life.

His life as a superhero.

——

okay so, while i'm going to finish lessons in love first, i wanted to upload this to give you all a little preview. so yeah, coming soon.

dark side | minsung