𝟰: 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥
After hours of staying at Naomi's place for gossiping and light studying, at around 10 pm, I had decided to leave. However, instead of heading straight home, I made a detour to my father's workplace. It had almost been a week since I last interacted with my father. This was primarily due to his constant involvement in either local or international business affairs, resulting in his absence from home.
His busy schedule often made me ponder whether this played a role in my mother's decision to leave him.
Ding.
I finally arrived at the 25th floor, and the doors of the elevator glided apart, unveiling a dim and narrow corridor that eagerly embraced my presence. The emptiness and eeriness of the surroundings sent shivers down my spine, causing a peculiar sensation on my skin. The lack of people in the workplace was completely unexpected, but the late hour seemed to provide a plausible explanation.
As I dismissed my thoughts, I strolled along the hallway, allowing my eyes to roam freely to observe my environment.
My last visit to this place was several years ago, and it appeared as though they had made no alterations to the interior since then. There was nothing new. The atmosphere was dim and rather comforting, reminiscent of its eternal ambiance. Even in the midst of darkness, a glimmer of light emerged from the farthest point of the corridor, emanating through the narrow lite door. Even at that distance, I could discern distinct murmurs originating from the opposite side.
Room 127.
I cautiously placed my hand on the handle and gently pushed the door open to enter. Inside the office, there was a massive table that stretched across the room. Men dressed in tuxedos surrounded it, their focus solely on my father, who was the center of attention. My father appeared impeccable as usual, wearing a white suit and stylishly gelled hair. It seemed like some important meeting, and I felt embarrassed for interrupting as all eyes turned toward me.
"Sweetheart." My father said. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice tinged with concern.
No one else in the room uttered a single word; instead, they stared at me with intense gazes. In that instant, I realized that I should have never come by.
I shuddered. Even though I was filled with anxiety, I was able to let it go and concentrate on my purpose of being here. "Oh... Dad, I have something I wanted to ask you. You see, mom wants to invite the three of us for dinner tomorrow to celebrate her birthday. I was wondering if you could possibly-"
"I'm busy, Juliane." My father disrupted, his head shook as a sign for me to leave. "I'll consider."
I let out a low sigh in response, and then shut the door before walking away. Consider. It was always something he said, but never did.
"Dad, let's attend Taeil's singing competition."
"Dad, wanna join us for dinner?"
"It's my birthday. Can you make time for me?"
Every time he responded to these kinds of questions, it was always with the promise to consider it. But did he actually consider it? No, he didn't. He simply brushed it off and acted like it never happened. He never made time for me or Taeil.
I understood why, but I couldn't help but feel sentimental for the merry days of my childhood, when we were still a complete family. I came to the conclusion that I just had to accept the reality. That time was passing by and things were changing.
Due to my melancholy state, I ended up on the roof of the building. It was a stereotypical resolution often mentioned when someone was experiencing excessive sadness or stress.
I slowly walked towards the edge of the rooftop, placing my hands on the sturdy cement barrier. Carefully, I lifted my legs over the barrier and sat down, my palms pressing against the cement. As I closed my eyes, I became acutely aware of my surroundings. The cool breeze gently caressed my skin, and I could hear the bustling noises from the roads below, even from this lofty height. Everything up here exuded tranquility. From the twinkling stars in the night sky to the vibrant lights on the streets, the panoramic view from the roof was truly breathtaking.
Tranquil. That was all I needed.
"Miss... You don't have to do this."
I detected the presence of someone else through my peripheral vision.
It was Venom.
He was crouching on the concrete barrier, a short distance away from me, with a slightly slouched posture.
I felt my whole body tremor in reaction. It took some time for me to comprehend the present situation. Why on earth was Venom here? In due course, I understood that it was an innocent situation, and I exhaled deeply before calming and stabilizing my breathing by placing my hand on my chest.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm gonna have to ask you to return to the rooftop with caution, miss."
Did he genuinely believe that I was about to commit suicide? I furrowed my eyebrows, embarrassed by the misinterpretation. "Uh... I'm not gonna jump."
His mask's eyes slightly expanded as he realized. "Oh."
There was a period of silence that occurred, and it was uncomfortable. I turned my focus away from him and instead, kept my eyes on the road beneath us. The presence of the vigilante intensified the beating of my heart. This was expected. After all, this wasn't a normal situation to happen. "Aren't you supposed to be down there? Doing you know... rescues or something?"
Venom let out a sigh of relief before settling into the seat beside me. He mimicked my posture by placing his arms on his knees as he gazed at the illuminated city. His actions clearly indicated his desire to stay, but I wasn't sure how to feel about that. "I just did. Taking a short break wouldn't cause any harm." Clarified Venom.
The voice was unfamiliar to me, but I couldn't ignore the fact that his deep and husky voice made me feel nervous. And by nervous, I meant I had a fluttery feeling in my stomach.
I simply nodded and decided to remain silent.
I had a dislike towards being in the presence of others, especially when it involved one of the well-known vigilantes. It had nothing to do with lack of trust, but rather a feeling of unease and awkwardness.
I could just sense his eyes on me, yet I chose not to meet them. "You're being granted the opportunity to be in the company of Queens' famous vigilante, and you're quiet." Venom remarked, tilting his head and crossing his strong arms.
"What am I supposed to say?" I stuttered, continuing to avoid eye contact.
I could sense that he was smiling behind the mask he had on. "A thank you would do. I did save you earlier this morning."
I was taken aback by what he said. That caused my pupils to dilate, as I was surprised by his remarkable memory. I had always assumed that they never remembered the people they rescue, considering the large number of individuals they save on a daily basis. "Yeah, of course. Thank you." I expressed my gratitude, although it may have sounded forced, but Venom disregarded it.
Intrigued, I glanced at him and noticed the peacefulness he exuded just by sitting there. This piqued my curiosity further. "So... Where is your friend, Spiderman?"
"Spiderman? Ah, he's most likely just going about his personal life. I gave him my word that I would cover tonight's patrol." He clarified, displaying such a relaxed and amicable demeanor, as if we were already familiar with each other.
Even though I made a commitment to not theorize that Mark Lee was Spiderman, I couldn't help but have lingering doubts about it. It was a persistent thought that I couldn't shake off. Moreover, with Venom accompanying me, I took advantage of this situation to thoroughly search for clues.
"You guys know each other?"
"We are acquainted, although our relationship is not on a personal level. Our knowledge of each other is solely based on our duty. We do this for the benefit and well-being of Queens."
"Oh, so you know how he looks?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, what does he look like?"
Venom grinned and turned his attention from the streets to me. "Now why would I say that to you?" His voice carried a subtle hint of teasing. "All I'm gonna say is, he's a good looking boy."
Scouring was futile. There was no use in theorizing that Mark Lee was Spiderman, so I abandoned the idea completely.
With a sigh of defeat, I simply dismissed it and tried to appreciate the peaceful scenery and the moment, with stars overhead and the familiarity of Queens surrounding both Venom and me. I would've never imagined that I would be spending part of my evening with Venom on the rooftop of my father's workplace. It was unbelievable.
"Look Juliane, I didn't come here to take a break. I need to ask you something."
For a brief moment, my mind faltered and my eyes took in brightness like a flashlight being suddenly poured at me, and that causes me to momentarily freeze as my mind processed the situation. Following a surge of chills, I finally found my voice. "W- What? How do you know my name?"
Venom shook his head, emphasizing the lack of importance to my question. "That doesn't matter. You just need to hear me out, and you need to promise not to tell anyone about this." The expressionless face of his mask showed how genuinely serious he was being. "We believe your father's business have something to do with the upcoming-"
Thud.
My head quickly turned to see who was entering the rooftop, and when I did, I made eye contact with my father. "Dad," I whispered.
I then shifted my gaze to the side but realized Venom wasn't there anymore. "What..." I wondered to myself and glanced down at the busy city, but Venom was nowhere to be found.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing there? Come on, let's head home."