𝟴: 𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬
The weekend had started a few hours ago, and I was feeling relieved to finally have a break from schoolwork. It was late on Friday night, and I was enjoying some relaxation time in my room. Originally, I had planned to take a much-needed nap, but Taeil unexpectedly came into my room and wanted to spend time with me. At first, I actually wanted to be left alone as I had a pretty hectic week, but Taeil's company wasn't bad. I was lying in a prone position, my legs swinging back and forth in the air as I kept focus on the television in front me. Meanwhile, Taeil was lying supine on my bed.
"You joined the Academic Decathlon team again?" Taeil asked with a hint of disapproval, his voice laced with worry. "Are you not forgetting how much stress it gave you, to both study for the nationals and for your mocks last time?"
I cupped my cheeks, my eyes fully captivated by the pixelated screen. "Yeah I know... But it wouldn't hurt trying one last time. You know?"
Taeil scoffed, I could feel the bed shaking a bit as he sat up. "JM, I'm gonna remind you that it's gonna be your last year. You're gonna have to study both for the nationals, and your finals. Your finals. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
I pivoted my head to look at Taeil. And when I saw the seriousness of his face, I trembled a bit.
I knew he was just being the caring brother he was. I still recalled how upset he had gotten, the time he walked into my room with food, and caught me bawling my eyes off because I failed one of my mock exams. Though, he had got to think of how much I evolved and developed throughout my years in High School. In my opinion, I had personally gotten a lot better education wise.
"I'll be fine Taeil." I assured with a small laugh.
Taeil stared at me with the same frown. He was way too worried about this. When he had noticed that I held not a single doubt, his facial expression slowly calmed down. "Yeah, who am I kidding? You're one of the smartest people I know." His lips turned into a smile. He leaned forward and reached out for my head, to give my hair a messy ruffle.
I carefully pushed his hand away with a small laugh. Following that, Taeil laid next to me on a prone position as well, and we both ended up watching the TV in silence, completely engrossed though not me entirely. My mind was still wandering elsewhere.
I couldn't get the encounter I had with Venom at the rooftop. It still made my mind go crazy.
How did he know my name?
What did he mean about my father's company?
I silently looked over at Taeil. I knew he knew about our father's work, or at least he knew more. "Taeil... Can I ask you something?"
"What is it JM?"
"Do you know... exactly what they do in dad's workplace?"
"You mean MoonDelivery? I believe it operates similarly to FedEx, but with a more advanced approach, handling larger and exclusive items like valuable artwork, furniture, and other similar possessions. MoonDelivery is highly appreciated by wealthy individuals, which explains why father earns a substantial income from it. Why do you ask?"
"Oh... I'm just really curious that's all." I muttered before looking away.
Taeil watched as my face grew more curious and worried. His heart couldn't help but break at the sight of his own sister being in this position. Without no hesitation, he flung himself on me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder, embracing me tightly while planting small kisses on my head. "Come on JM don't be sad~ You're a big girl you can't frown like that anymore silly. I promise someday dad will take a break from his work and spend more time with us."
How funny.
I mean he wasn't wrong about me being upset with dad's absence in our life, however this was something that had been happening for so long that I've been past it.
But my focus was mainly on Venom, and how he said something sketchy about my father's job. And from what Taeil was saying, it didn't seem to match with Venom's assumption from the rooftop.
Perhaps there was an underlying secret to all this?
Or perhaps not. Why would I think of such? Why would I think my father was up to no good?
Letting Taeil be a lovey-dovey brother, I only proceeded watching the TV, and completely shrugged off whatever Taeil was saying. When he noticed that I paid no attention, he finally broke the embrace and sat up. "What about I make Korean stew? It's your favorite~"
My eyes glimmered in the wake of hearing my brother's words. I looked at him, a smile growing on my lips. "Really?"
Taeil nodded his head and crossed his arms in a cool way. "Of course. Anything for my little sister." He jumped off my bed and headed towards the exit. "I'll call you down when it's ready." And with that, he shut the door close and I was left alone in my bedroom again.
I was glad I had Taeil.
I believed that if it weren't for him, I would be miserable at home and stuck with being out of the house all the time with my friends. But since he was here, he always made sure I followed his curfew, in which I actually didn't but at least that gave me a reason to go home. At least home, felt like home, with Taeil.
Thud.
Thud, thud.
There was a sound coming from the wall window to my balcony. A sound that sounded similar to a knock. That definitely crept me out.
Thud. Thud.
"What the hell..." I mumbled to myself.
It made me believe that somebody was in the balcony, but I couldn't see because of the blinds.
Thud. Thud.
I finally jumped off my bed, and my first instinct was to grab the baseball bat that had been residing under my bed. It was a gift from Donghyuck years ago. Did I knew why he gave me this as a gift? Absolutely not, I considered it an impractical gift, but now it turned out to be handy.
I began to make my way towards the balcony, taking quiet and cautious steps. As I approached, my hold on the bat tightened. The distant pounding sound continued to drive my curiosity, intensifying my desire to uncover the mystery concealed by these blinds. When I reached just a step away, I mustered up all my bravery and forcefully unveiled the blinds.
And there he was: Venom.
I experienced a sudden sinking feeling in my chest as I trembled in my position and lifted the bat, fully ready to take a swing. However, Venom, who was positioned on the opposite side of the glass, waved his hand in the air, signaling for me to relax.
What on earth was he doing here?
My body relaxed, as a heave escaped my mouth. Although I was genuinely frightened to see the Venom at my balcony, something about it being him rather than a tall, scary man with a gun, made me feel better. Though, I held my doubts.
I knew somehow, somewhere at anytime that I and Venom would reconnect again after the rooftop. Because I knew he wouldn't just disappear on me, after he got interrupted.
"What are you doing here?!" You could clearly see the exasperated and terrified expression on my face, as well as hear it from my voice. It was no secret.
Venom scratched his head timidly. He pointed at the handle to the wall window, a gesture for me to open it. Then, he clasped his hand together, as though he was begging.
I bit my lower lip and looked at the handle. With a shaky breath, I reached out for it and pushed it open. Venom slowly backed up, then took a seat on the barrier, so casually he wasn't even nervous to think of the possibility of falling. With reluctance, I joined him out in the balcony, I still kept my grip on the bat. Venom stared at me blankly, while sitting. He didn't say anything, as though waiting for me to say something first, so I did.
"You know you're starting to creep me out?"
"That's not my intention. I'm sorry."
"Well, tell me your intentions then. How do you know my name? And how do you know where I live? And... Why are you here?"
"It was all a mistake..."
"What? What's a mistake?"
"I wrongly assumed something about you, as well as your father. I got the wrong person. I'm sorry. You know, being a superhero is not easy so please bear with me. I apologize for the inconvenience Juliane."
My head briefly bowed, an act of relief. With that being said, I felt ease streaming in my body like crazy, after discovering that Venom's suspicion on my family faded. Finally, I could remove this entire situation from my head. "Thank heavens... Well, thanks, good to know." I smiled weakly.
Silence cruised by.
None of us said anything. Of course until he decided to.
"Do you mind... If I just hang around here for a while with you?"
I let out a muffled scoff and drew closer to the barrier. My hand rested on its coldness, as I watched over the view from the balcony. "That's weird. Don't you have better ways to spend your time after this whole Venom duty thing?"
Venom laughed through his mask. "Well it gets pretty lonely being Venom, you know? So I would much appreciate somebody's company."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't Spiderman's company enough?"
"As I said, I don't know Spiderman personally. We're just... business partners."
"So what you're saying is that... you've got no friends?"
"Well, you can say it in that way."
I didn't know what to say. To think that Venom was willingly trying to befriend me, sounded unbelievable. If I had to be completely honest, I found this entire situation quite odd and suspicious. It wasn't a normal occurrence for a vigilante to willingly interact with a mere citizen. It also made me think back to the controversy about Venom as well as Spiderman. Were they truly allies of Queens?So for now, I had to keep it neutral but also be very wary.
I shifted my direction to Venom and stuck my hand out. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself. I'm Juliane Moon."
Venom looked down at my hand, then grabbed it before giving it a shake. "Venom. But you probably already know."
I could feel the material of the his suit. It didn't feel like the ordinary cloth material. It felt different in an odd way. When we stood there and kept our grip on each others' hand, Venom realized that I was inspecting our handshake. And I was indeed, though not the handshake particularly. "Nice suit. What material is it made of?"
When we broke the handshake, Venom stayed on his seat, his hands on his knees. "It's not made of any cloth material. It's actually a symbiote suit." When he noticed the confusion in my face, he chuckled lightly before elaborating. "Symbiotes are a race of extraterrestrial parasites. Some symbiotes are nice and some are bad. I'm lucky to have a nice one." He paused as his eyes widened, then he mumbled. "Although... I think I really shouldn't tel you anything as this is quite confidential."
I tilted my head, not comprehending anything he was saying. But the part "extraterrestrial parasites" made me think of aliens. I knew beforehand that's humans weren't alone in this big universe, but to think that someone was possibly an alien freaked me out. "You're saying you're not... human? And that's how you actually look?"
Venom laughed, his deep voice was so prominent to hear. "No, the Symbiote, Venom, needs a host in order for him to come alive. Which means, I and Venom are one."
I wasn't comprehending anything, but I just nodded my head. "Ah... So that's how you got your vigilante name."
Venom nodded. Then after a while, he cracked a small laugh, appearing like some manic. "He's saying he likes you. He says that you're the first citizen to encounter us, and not ask for a picture."
"Who?"
"Venom. The Symbiote. I can hear him in my head."
I smiled. I found everything about this fascinating, so instead of feeling dubious about Venom, I was quite enjoying his company instead.
"JM, come help me down here and prepare the table! I'm almost done!" Taeil announced from the kitchen downstairs.
Both Venom and I took a glance through the wall window, and we both realized that this should be the end of the conversation. I turned back to Venom, a small timid smile on my lips. "Uhh... I should go now." I said and pointed my thumb towards my bedroom. "Thanks for clarifying the misunderstanding though. I feel like I can relax now without having to think of it."
Venom jumped off the barrier to plant his feet on the ground of the balcony. "It was something I must do anyway so..."
I nodded and turned my heel to head towards my bedroom again, but he stopped me from proceeding.
"Juliane?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll see you around?"
"Yeah... I'll see you around."
NOTE: Hello guys! Just wanna say that the suit for Jaehyun/Venom, is not like the one with Tom Hardy but the one on the pic in the introduction chapter.