나은
HIS POWERS WERE meant to be used for good. That's at least what Jungkook had been told by Master Chan on his first day as a superhero, when he first started to use his powers that he grew to love so quickly. But why did it suddenly feel like it was a curse? He hurt his friend with those powers. His powers. And he wasn't powerful enough to save her with these powers. They were the reason she was in the hospital. It was Jungkook's fault. He was to blame.
He would remind himself of that constantly as he sat down in the hospital waiting room alongside his friends, scattered around the empty room in silence. He was sat on a chair, his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought as he pressed his elbows on his knees, his gaze glued to the tiled floor.
"What would that villain want with her or her father anyway?" Seokjin grumbled, crossing his arms in thought as he sat down beside Yoongi.
"Jungkook, do you know?" asked Namjoon gently. When he didn't answer, he raised his eyebrows in worry before speaking up softer. "Jungkook?"
A tear slid down Jungkook's cheek before he buried his face into his hands, crying into them as his shoulders shook, unable to hide his emotions further.
Jimin frowned before quickly going to Jungkook, sitting beside him and placing his hand on his back, where he rubbed small comforting circles. "It's okay, Jungkookie."
"It's not okay!" he sobbed, tearing himself away from Jimin, not angry at him, but rather at himself, feeling undeserving of any comfort. "She got hurt because of me."
"No, Jungkook, she didn't. Don't tell yourself that," said Seokjin worriedly.
"You don't understand," Jungkook shook his head, sniffling heavily. How could they? He failed at his only job; protecting others. And on top of that, his powers that he swore to use to protect were used to hurt one of the only people he cared about. "I could have protected her."
"You did the best you could, Jungkook. We can't all be superheroes like Raven or Firedrake. You were there and that mattered," Jimin told him, making Jungkook shake his head in denial.
But I am, Jungkook cursed at himself in his mind.
The sound of footsteps replaced the silence that followed, making the eight raise their heads in alarm. They were expecting to see a nurse walk through the door, except it wasn't.
Mina's father walked into the room, his worried secretary beside him along with a few bodyguards. Jungkook began to feel his blood boil. Not only was her father late to come to the hospital, he barely looked concerned for his daughter.
Her father looked around the room, seeing a few familiar faces, crossing his arms impatiently. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
Jungkook immediately stood up, his fists clenched with anger as he glared at him. "We're her friends, the only people who actually give a damn about your daughter. Unlike you."
"Jungkook," Namjoon said timidly, attempting to keep him from doing something he might regret to possibly the most powerful man in the city. But Jungkook didn't care in that moment; power was something that he didn't give a shit about.
Sungyun squinted at the audacity of this boy, remembering him to be the one who talked back to him the first day they met in Mina's room. "You don't need to be here-"
"Mina was in danger, and where were you?" Jungkook cut him off, his voice suddenly loud and making a few of his friends shrink behind him. They'd never seen Jungkook so angry at someone, and it was making their hearts race and their shoulders tense. "How could you let her be alone?"
"I don't appreciate you talking to me like this, little boy," he sternly said, stepping closer to him as he began to hover over him. They made intense eye contact, almost an unspoken challenge between the two before Sungyun spoke up.
"I'm dismissing you. All of you," Sungyun cocked his eyebrow at Jungkook before looking at the rest. "My men will escort you out."
"Of course," Jungkook scoffed, ignoring the man who had gently grabbed onto his arm, ready to escort him out. "Use your privilege."
Sungyun's eyes followed Jungkook as he and his friends faded in the distance, down the hallway as they were being escorted by his bodyguards. His chest puffed at the thought of some little boy talking down to him like that.
He had a feeling that wasn't the last time he would see him.
-
You should have been better.
You let her get hurt.
You swore to protect.
Jungkook's covered fists collided with the punching bag repeatedly, his body hunched over as his mind raged. Each punch was getting stronger with every fleeting thought in his clouded mind, the sounds booming through the empty and dark gym. His wrists were aching, his shoulders were tightening, but he never refrained, hissing with each aggressive blow to the denting punching bag, being pushed back every second as if it wanted to get away from him.
With one more staggering punch, the punching bag gave out, flying away from Jungkook and sliding across the gym floor, the sand spilling out from the rip Jungkook created.
He panted heavily, his hooded eyes glaring at the punching bag while his fists were still clenched. His breaths were the only sound filling the room, until a pair of footsteps overpowered them.
"I knew I'd find you here," said the person who walked in. Jungkook's eyes fell to the floor as he recognized the voice, his shoulders still heaving.
"How did you find me, Master?" he asked, his voice low, ignoring the trickle of sweat dripping down his temple.
"Your usual gym's lights are on past closing," Master answered.
"I'm sorry I snuck in," Jungkook sighed, beginning to untie the bandages over his knuckles. "I needed to think."
"Is it about today?" Master asked, causing Jungkook to pause, his eyes faltering over his hands. The very hands that created the fire that hurt his friend.
The lump in Jungkook's throat was too large to swallow, and a soft sob escaped from Jungkook's lips, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I-I was supposed to be there. I was so stupid to leave her in that room, I-I should have taken her outside and then transformed, but I was just trying to become Firedrake as quick as I could," he said with a broken, fragile voice.
"Hey," Master began to walk toward the boy. "I always tell you to trust your instincts, and you did. You had no idea the fire was going to get that big."
"Exactly. And I couldn't even stop it," Jungkook looked up for the first time, darting to Master once before his glossy eyes reached the ceiling, trying to hide his tears.
Master wanted to reassure him that she was fine. He knew it was Mina, and he consequently knew Mina was Raven, so he was aware that she wouldn't have done anything without a reason. She went back into that room to protect her identity, putting Jungkook's life first to protect his own identity.
However, Master knew that Jungkook had no idea the person who he feels so guilty about getting hurt was just fine, probably already healed by herself in the hospital. He couldn't tell him this, so he just wanted to try his best to comfort the boy.
"You must care about her a lot," he said, putting his hands into his pockets.
Jungkook nodded timidly. "She's one of my closest friends. She doesn't deserve to get hurt the way that she did. Especially because of Shadow."
"It's a bit strange for him to show his face so suddenly. Do you remember what he looks like?" Master titled his head.
"He was wearing a full mask, I couldn't see any aspect of his face," he replied, looking down at his hands as he continued unwrapping the bandages around his swollen knuckles. "His voice was weird and distorted too."
"It seems he really wants to hide his identity," Master pointed out, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"I'm going to kill him and make him pay for what he did today," Jungkook seethed.
"Revenge may be the easy path, Jungkook, but you have to remember who these powers you were given are for," he sent him a calming smile, which caused Jungkook's shoulders to shrink.
"The people, not me," he mumbled. "I understand."
Jungkook took a breath before looking up at his master, a glare of determination in his eyes. "I want to be more powerful. I don't want anyone else I care about and love getting hurt."