dark side | minsung

03

Today's shift had been nothing out of the ordinary. It was just Chan making a fuss over his bruises and his obsession with energy drinks, getting weird looks from customers once they spottet the prominent discolouring on his jaw – an old lady even commented on it, and she insisted on buying him cookies to make him feel better.

Jisung wasn't going to lie; the old lady's kindness had been the highlight of his day, maybe even his week.

So there he was, perched atop the roof of a tall building in downtown Seoul, munching away on the chocolate chip cookies as he gazed out over the city.

It was somewhere around two am, and the city was quiet. For as far as he could see, the streets were void of people and no cars traversed the roads. It was only Jisung, with the moon and stars keeping him company on this dark, quiescent  night. But the peace could shift into chaos in merely the blink of an eye, as the hero had so often experienced. All it took was one delinquent who chose to disrupt the serenity, and Jisung would have to abandon his yummy cookies on the rooftop and chase after the culprit.

But for now, he could enjoy a moment of tranquility amidts the turmoil that painted his life. It was mid summer, and it was pleasant to spend the nights outside. The gentle breeze played with his midnight blue hair, softly tousling the strands. Jisung released a satisfied sigh, content with his current situation.

It were moments like these that made it all worth it. The stress, the all-nighters he pulled so often, the loneliness – that was gnawing at him even now. It was like a curse, and it instantly spoiled his mood.

He chose this life, for fuck's sake, very willingly so. He kept to himself for a solid reason, his isolation wasn't for nothing. When Jisung chose to exploit his inhuman abilities, he traded his life for the safety of the city. What he felt, what he thought, it all meant nothing.

What mattered was the city and its people.

Jisung had lost his appetite, and the cookie in his mouth suddenly tasted like dry cardboard. While he had felt at peace not even a minute ago, not much was left from that moment of bliss. He hated his selfish mind, always giving in to the longing he felt.

He chose to be alone.

Then why was it eating away at him like that? Why did it have such an impact on his mood, while he should be indifferent about it?

He was sixteen when he first found out about his superpowers. Jisung had been in denial for a whole week, but as soon as he realized that they were for real, he began to burn the bridges between himself and those who used to be close to him. He abandoned his friends, his family, he started working multiple jobs to save up money so he could move out right when he turned eighteen. Then he severed ties with his parents, too, just to protect his secret.

That's why it didn't make sense. He had been utterly alone for over four years now, but instead of getting used to it, he only got more lonely with each day that passed.

Sure, he talked with his co-workers, the customers, sometimes even random people he met on the street as he brought around the newspaper, and he had Chan who treated him like a friend.  But he kept them all at an arm's length. Jisung didn't have anyone close to him.

He grew restless as he sat on the roof, and unable to keep himself seated any longer, he got to his feet, grabbing his mask on his way up. Usually he loved spending some leisury time on a select few rooftops that offered a particularly nice view, but lately he was growing frustrated and couldn't find it in him to sit still for long.

The hero let his eyes wander over the streets below, taking in the desolated asphalt maze that spread out afore him. The streetlights were tiny dots in the darkness as they illuminated the empty city, but Jisung was so high up that he didn't really see much at all.

Sighing deeply, he raked his fingers through his dark blue bangs to move them away from his forehead before putting on his mask. This part of town might have been quiet, but maybe his aid was needed elsewhere in the large capital. The young hero surely hoped so, for he could use a little distraction.

He started running before he jumped, levitating in the air for a brief moment until he landed on the next rooftop. He made his way through the city using the rooftops, using his high altitude to keep an eye on what happened below. Jisung had a keen eye, trained by experience. He saw everything he needed to see, but tonight was quiet and there wasn't anything going on in the parts of town he patrolled. Apparently, he was not needed tonight.

After two hours of running and leaping non-stop, he finally gave up and landed on the ground, taking off his mask and suit in a dark alley. He was too tired to jump freely, and it was safer for him to walk to his apartment building from there on. Who knew what would happen if he stayed that high up in the air while being dazed by exhaustion? As unhappy as he was, Jisung did not want to find out what would happen if he were to fall from a high altitude.

When he finally got home, it was nearing six in the morning. The male was dead tired, and he didn't even bother to change into a pair of sweats before flopping down onto his bed. His phone told him his next alarm would go off in two hours and ten minutes, and he would have to make do with such few hours of sleep.

Jisung sighed, burying himself in his covers. Fortunately, he had a pack of energy drinks waiting for him tomorrow.

——

this was such a filler, i'm sorry ><

time to bring in a hot villain