"VIXX,
neoreul wiihan hero,
V-I-X-X.
Bimil-seureon naye him boyeojul-ke 
like a star.

VIXX, 
a hero for you, 
V-I-X-X.
I’ll show you my secret power 
like a star."

With 20 minutes of snoozes to round out his rest, Dongwoo finally slipped his hand from other the blanket to grab his found and slide his touch to end the alarm. 

Dongwoo pushed the covers immediately off of him in the 5th snooze, feeling much more energized than usual mornings. Maybe it was the piping hot bowl of ramen he made for dinner the night before, followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate to treat his stomach after his second anniversary as a security guard. Maybe it was the fact that it was already 14:00, and Dongwoo took advantage of the extra hours he had to sleep his worries. It was probably a mix of both, and Dongwoo could not be happier.

Sitting at the edge of the couch, Dongwoo stretched his arms out to help wake himself up on a fine afternoon. He blinked his eyes multiple times to adjust to the lighting, the first time he overslept past noon and had to work a graveyard shift for about a month. By the coffee table, his dufflebag was already packed with his uniform, as well as two packets of top ramen and a water bottle thrown in the mix. Dongwoo barely remembered preparing everything the night before, but after knocking out into the sleep of his life, he simply forgot about everything else.

Knock knock.

Someone was at the door. Dongwoo retrieved his pair of basketball shorts to cover up his boxers and rushed to it. Dongwoo blubbered his lips and jumped up-and-down, shaking his body for a final wake-up call before prying the door open.

Standing on the other side was an older man of his same height, dressed up in a pink collared shirt, which was tucked into his shorts. He sported a comeover to cover a shiny balding spot, a look that always slightly grossed out Dongwoo. It was a huge fear that his head could possibly turn into that one day. The man stood in front of his apartment with his arms crossed, tapping his foot on the cement floor. He did not have a single word to tell Dongwoo, as if assuming Dongwoo already knew why he was there.

And Dongwoo did.

"Sungjae, I'm going to pay soon, I haven't gotten my pay yet," Dongwoo promised, bringing his hands together as if he was praying right in front of him.

Kang Sungjae was the landlord of their apartment, and for the past four months, Dongwoo paid his rent late due to unfortunate circumstances.

"I can't allow you to keep paying me late all the time. The first time was fine, but now you need to keep your life together and collect your responsibilities in a timely manner," Sungjae scolded.

"This was a hiccup. I told you already, I had to pay a lot for my car accident."

Starting at the four month period when Dongwoo paid for his rent late, he suffered a car accident that totaled his own truck as well as his belongings in the trunk, which included his laptop and phone. Dongwoo had barely finished paying everything off the month before, having to tap into his own personal savings to get him in the clear. Now that that was over, Dongwoo needed to clear his rent situation. 

"I'm giving you one final warning. Pay your rent as soon as your paid, or you're out of this apartment." Leaving no room for a response, Sungjae firmly laid down the rules and walked away.

"Wait, let me explain!" Dongwoo peeked his head out the window and watched Sungjae walk away. Taking a deep breath, he banged his head on the side of the door and bit his tongue.

Dongwoo knew the trouble he could possibly be in and what he got himself into. Self-loathing was not Dongwoo's best quality, but Dongwoo was always quick to blame himself for something not under his control, even if he tried his best to get out of it. If something went wrong, it was because Dongwoo was flawed, not because of luck and circumstance. Don't sweat it. You'll get the money soon, and you'll pay the rent. You'll be fine.

Dongwoo grunted, looking over his shoulder to stare at the picture of him and his dad. "Give me strength, dad. The world is a tough place."

-<()>-

Dongwoo ran errands around 15:00 to drop by the grocery market for some more food. Standing in line for checkout, Dongwoo looked over his basket to double-check that he had everything needed for the following weeks:

Milk, peaches, water, tea, and a bag of frozen fried chicken. 

But the most important thing Dongwoo needed to buy was sitting on a rack by the checkout, waiting for Dongwoo to place his hands on a copy and take it home with him like a toy he saved money for: his comics. Superman, to be exact. 

Kim's Mart was the only grocery market in the neighborhood selling manhwas, let alone comics from other foreign countries. Japanese, German, and American comics were sold by the counter for people to read, as well as other interesting novelty trinkets of interest. Dongwoo picked up the latest edition of Superman and placed it in his basket, watching the conveyor belt pass and reach Mrs. Hwan at the register.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hwan," Dongwoo greeted with a bright smile, bowing at 90 degrees respectfully to his elder.

Dongwoo was a regular customer at the market, and Mrs. Hwan practically memorized what Dongwoo bought week-to-week. "You're coming in later than usual," she commented.

"I have the graveyard shift tonight, so I have a whole afternoon to myself. Gonna drop these groceries off at my apartment, buy dinner, then work for the rest of the evening."

Mrs. Hwan scanned the items and rolled them to the other side for Dongwoo to pick up on his own and pack his bag. "No ramen for dinner tonight?"

The ramen diet. Without a big budget to spend with, Dongwoo resorted to eating cheap ramen majority of his time at the apartment, and if he went to a restaurant with Sunggyu or another coworker, it was a cheap ramen place. "I actually have some ramen to bring to work tonight, but I'm gonna save that for late when I'm really tired. My mom called me yesterday and told me she made octopus stew... I've been craving it ever since."

"You always complain when your mom talks about this famous octopus stew in your family, and all I have to say is, is it that good?" Mrs. Hwan smirked, scanning Dongwoo's comic as the last item in line.

Dongwoo grabbed his comic and rolled it up, pointing it right at Mrs. Hwan's face. "It doesn't get any better than octopus," he joked, throwing the Superman comic into his bag and reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

"No," Mrs. Hwan shook her head, putting her hand out towards Dongwoo. "It's on the house. For being a loyal customer, and after you told me about your rent situation last week, think of this as a rain check."

"I can't let you do that," Dongwoo hummed. If there was one thing Dongwoo never allowed, it was for others to pay for his mistakes. If something was his fault, then he wanted to suffer it on his own and did not want the debt of owing the people he cared for. Even if it meant going through a risky rent situation like this, he refused money from his mom and Sunggyu. Dongwoo was never a greedy person, and he saw this as a selfish action. 

"Think of it as, you helped save the store last week by reinforcing the windows and sealing the leaks before that storm came in. Dongwoo, please don't worry today. Just go to work and read your comic," Mrs. Hwan responded with a sincere smile. After fostering a relationship with the boy for so long, she wanted nothing but him to truly be happy.

I did help out the store last week, didn't I? Dongwoo remembered that. Right before one of the biggest storms of the month, Dongwoo helped fix the windows when Mr. Hwan was bedridden with sickness. Mrs. Hwan was persistent in keeping Dongwoo's money in his wallet, and though it bothered him, it was better for him to not argue with an older woman. "Thanks, Mrs. Hwan," Dongwoo blushed. "And I want you to know, I didn't save the store last week just for this to happen. I did it because I care about you."

-<()>-

Bingo Cafe.

Dongwoo's favorite place for octopus stew, other than his childhood home. It was the only place that satisfied his taste buds, cooking the octopus to a tender finish that was easy for him to chew. Mixed with potatoes, spicy flavorings, and tiny pieces of pork, it was the closest thing he could get to true endearment. 

Dongwoo only ate there on special occasion, meaning when his mom bragged to him when he ate the soup. It was the first time Dongwoo had not eaten at a ramen restaurant for a full month, and the meal reminded Dongwoo of the wonders of other delectable foods that did not include carbohydrated noodles mixed with a watery broth. 

With one hand on his chopsticks, he used the other hand to turn the pages of his new Supeman comic. When it came to reading comics, nothing immersed him more than the bright pictures with flashing onomatopoeias and a riveting plot on saving the world. This week, Superman got himself into a mess with a villain named Brainiac. Brainiac was a common villain of the comic series, and his main expertise was his vast knowledge on the sciences, controlling minds, and technology.

Dongwoo picked up a piece of octopus and placed it on his tongue, biting off the tentacles slowly as he read a page of Superman confronting Brainiac on the streets of Metropolis. "Can you imagine someone having a mind like that," Dongwoo muttered to himself. "Having a mind where you know everything in the world... that's impossible."

"Is that who I think it is? Jang Dongwoo?!"

Dongwoo stared up from his table, his jaw dropping as he saw a familiar face from his past. "No way... Nam Woohyun?"

Woohyun stood right in front of him with a wide grin on his face. Dongwoo stood up from his seat immediately to greet his old friend with a warm hug. "Dongwoo, I haven't seen you in two years! How are you?!"

"I'm good, I'm good!" Dongwoo smiled, releasing his hug to see Woohyun face-to-face. "I have work later tonight, so I'm eating dinner right now. How are you Woohyun? It's really nice seeing you again."

"I'm good. I actually have work later tonight as well. I'm training a new rookie over there." Woohyun pointed out a younger pupil saving a table for their duo, intensely staring at a menu and minding his own business in the restaurant. "Kids like that, they're nervous around me."

"He looks like he's having a miserable time... ya, you're not scaring him, are you?" Dongwoo joked.

"Well, as an officer, sometimes you have to show authority over those below you," Woohyun smirked, pointing to his silver badge to brag. Woohyun had been a cop for the past two years, training for three years before that until his position now. Five years in the academy, and the rest was history. "Where do you work now? We should catch up over dinner soon. Do you come here often?"

"Not a lot. Maybe once a month," Dongwoo shrugged, scratching the bag of his head as a strange feeling overcame him. It was without a doubt a pleasure to see Woohyun once more, but that all changed. Suddenly Dongwoo grew uncomfortable, no longer enjoying the company of his old friend. "I work as a security guard at the National Museum, and my shifts vary by schedule. But you still have my number, right? You can always call me and I will meet up with you."

"A security guard?" Woohyun pressed his lips together and nodded his head, trying to find an appropriate response for the reveal. "Yeah, I do have your number by the way. I'll call you ok?"

"Yeah," Dongwoo laughed nervously. "I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Yup. Goodnight Dongwoo," Woohyun waved, turning around to walk away, but stopping midway for one final comment. "Good luck out there, by the way," he finished with a faint smile, turning around to walk away.

Dongwoo bit his lip, continuing the stand as he saw Woohyun walking towards the rookie cop. The two of them acknowledged each other with a smile, sitting down together to go about their business to order food.

There was something irritating with the way Woohyun told him, "Good luck out there", leaving an uncomfortable taste in Dongwoo's mouth that was unrelated to any type of octopus dish. Glancing at the Superman comic on his table, Dongwoo stared at the "S" emblem on Clark Kent's chest, then another double take to Woohyun and his own police badge. A symbol of status. A symbol of permanence.

A symbol of heroism.

Dongwoo cleared his throat, sitting back down to stare at his octopus meal. He forced himself to eat the rest of the octopus stew, but some things were no longer good to him.

-<()>-

Dongwoo quietly arrived at work an hour before his shift, sulking his way to the locker room to change into his uniform. Chanshik and Shin had finished their museum closing shifts and were changing out of their uniform when they caught an uncharacteristic Dongwoo dragging his dufflebag into the room and careless dropping it on the bench. 

Stop feeling this way, Dongwoo.

Dongwoo took a seat on the bench and slipped his pants off, ping his bag and mechanically putting his uniform on. All of this done without any acknowledgement of his coworkers around him.

"Jang, how's your day going?" Chanshik asked, sharing a worried look with Shin.

"It's good. I slept in and had a good dinner." Dongwoo could care less to elaborate after that.

"We should leave him alone," Shin suggested, taking his backpack and ready to leave shift. "Maybe he's just having a bad day."

"Well, I remember overhearing Sunggyu arguing with him a couple weeks ago because Dongwoo refused to accept his money to pay rent," Chanshik whispered in Shin's ear. "Maybe it has to do with that?"

"Let's just go," Shin lowered his head. "I'm hungry, and if he doesn't want to talk then we shouldn't force him. Especially not before his shift."

Chanshik nodded his head, sticking his hands into his pockets and gesturing for them to leave silently. Dongwoo had finished buckling his pants as he heard the footsteps of Chanshik and Shin leaving the room. Dongwoo knew he was acting differently, unlike the cheerful person he normally was. He felt a little bad for treating his coworkers in that way, but the little things started building up to outweigh the good. One could simply label this a bad day, but for Dongwoo it was more than that. His spirit was belittled, and it seemed like everything he had been working towards was for nothing.

There was one more piece of uniform Dongwoo had to put on, ping the pocket to retrieve his nametag. A symbol of mediocrity. A symbol of mistakes.

A symbol of weakness.

Dongwoo shook his head, trying to knock the bad thoughts out of his head. No, stop thinking that way, Dongwoo. Just stop. With one deep breath, Dongwoo stood up from the bench and pinned the nametag to his shirt.

Jang Dongwoo.

Title: Security Guard.

His shift would start now.