dark side | minsung

17

Getting through his shift was torture.

Jisung was unable to focus on his job. His mind was elsewhere, contemplating whether or not he was about to indulge in another big mistake. The second one in less than twenty-four hours. He was nervous, heart beating, palms sweaty and hands shaking. Well, sweaty and shaky hands weren't convenient when stocking the shelves. He kept dropping items, ignoring the worried gazes Chan shot him. By now, his hyung was sure to realize something was wrong.

Truthfully, there was.

There were a lot of things wrong in the hero's life. For example, the fact that he revealed his face to Seoul's villain. Add to that a lifestyle that was in no way healthy for him, and everything was in shambles. There was nothing about his life that wasn't wrong.

For years, Jisung hadn't cared. He was doing the right thing for others, which made up for all the wrongs for his own.

Selfless, one might call him.

But the hero simply saw it as his duty. He was mysteriously granted superpowers, and he felt like he had to repay that favor by serving the light from the darkness. The crime rates in Seoul had been extremely low the past six years, compared to how they used to be.

He had completely sacrificed himself. Han Jisung wasn't living, he was barely surviving. Unhappy, unhealthy, only feeling a little spark of joy when the annual crime rate was made public.

The hero knew very well he couldn't go on like that much longer – trapped in his solitary life, putting himself at risk when he was supposed to sleep like a normal human being. The only thing that kept him going were his energy drinks and other sources of caffeine. He was empty, miserable, lonely. That was what drove him to pull off his mask last night. His current lifestyle slowly made him lose his marbles.

Maybe it was time to be selfish.

Just for once.

Jisung had to, if he wanted to stay sane. He had no other choice, because living his life like he currently did would be his demise sooner rather than later.

"Ji?" a voice called out. Chan stood behind him, and the Australian looked at him worriedly. "Your hands are shaking. Are you okay?"

"Fairly," Jisung nodded, automatically hiding his hands behind his back – as if his hyung would magically forget about his shaky state now that they were out of sight.

"Does it have anything to do with why you called me so early in the morning?" the male guessed.

The hero hesitated, but then confirmed Chan's words with a curt nod. What was the point of denying it, when he was about to come clean to the older?

"Well, I just wanted to say that our shift has ended," Chan said, motioning to his wristwatch. "Do you uh, want to come over so you can talk freely?"

"Okay," Jisung gave in, getting to his feet. Either Felix or Seungmin would take over his task of stocking the shelves, so he didn't have to worry about tidying up the isle.

He followed the Australian to the employee room, where they changed out of their Seven-Eleven t-shirt before they left the store behind entirely.

No one said a word, but Jisung could tell Chan was brimming with curiosity. It was probably pretty obvious that the hero was going to talk about something that rested heavily upon his heart, and there was no way Chan would expect what he was about to hear. How was he going to take it? Until now, Jisung hadn't worried about that, but now it bloomed in the pit of his stomach.

Much like Jisung, Chan lived in a tall apartment complex, but it was located in a better neighborhood and by far not as run-down as the one Jisung lived in. It was even better on the inside. Unlike the hero, Chan actually took care of his apartment, and there was obviously at least some effort put in the interior.