Supernerd! MARK

37 | the best of both worlds

"... the gang named Neo Seoul which has been responsible for the spread of the drug notoriously known as Gold Dust. The Seoul Police Department has stated that..."

"Huh." Chaerin crosses her arms. "I wonder how much the police had to lie. This isn't even half of what actually happened."

"They didn't lie," Sera pipes in. "They just... omitted information."

I keep my gaze on the television, though my mind is somewhere else as the newscaster drones on about the case.

It has been a good two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital, yet all the news and media seem to want to talk about is Neo Seoul.

I try to avoid it as much as possible, but Chaerin had convinced me to watch the news today, saying something about it being the police's last statement regarding the case.

How she knew that, I'm not sure.

Sera was right. A lot of the things that actually happened didn't appear in the police commissioner's statement, which came as a surprise to me despite Detective Doyoung assuring me that he has us in his best interest— I guess it was wrong of me to doubt him, but who can blame me?

The news had mentioned Kun's involvement in the case— how he was the one behind the spreading of the drug in our university, but there was no mention about my hostage situation or of Haechan getting shot, which I truly appreciate. It made going to school a bit more bearable, even if I had to be in the midst of gossiping students who couldn't seem to get over the fact that our professor has been behind it all along.

It is a crazy thing to think about. I don't blame them.

There was no mention of Mark in the news either; neither was there any about Mr. Seo. I know that the police force doesn't like being affiliated with Spider-Man, especially because it makes them look incapable of doing their jobs, so if anything, I'm sure they would have jumped head first into exposing Mark's identity if they had the chance. It makes me wonder just what strings Jaehyun and Doyoung had to pull in order to keep this under wraps.

"... last seen on the day of the drug bust, and people have been wondering, where is Spider-Man?"

The mention of Mark causes me to snap my attention back to the screen, only for the commercials to start playing.

Chaerin sighs, reaching for the remote to turn the volume down. "You know, I can't believe the guy I've been raving about has been Lee Mark all along. Damn, I gotta apologise to him for calling him a nerd... and more."

"And this is why you should be nice to everyone!" Sera pipes in, and Chaerin sticks out her tongue as a reply.

I glance at my phone, seeing that there are no new notifications— no surprise there. I had left Mark a few messages after I got his note two weeks ago, but all of them were left unread. Haechan tells me that Mark hasn't been home either, leaving not just me wondering where the hell he could be.

I know thinking about it would only dampen my mood even more, but who can blame me?

"I should get ready." I stand up, dusting off my pants. My shift at Moon's doesn't start in another hour and a half, but at least getting ready would keep my mind off things.

"I should get going too. Nana's waiting for me." Sera follows suit, leaving Chaerin sprawled on the couch alone.

"I'll see you later!" She calls out when Sera and I walk out the door.

We're greeted by Jaemin when we reach the lobby, who instantly gives his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. When the both of them bid me goodbye, I find myself staring at their retreating backs as I wonder just when it would be my turn again.