“This is pretty embarrassing.” Jae Hyun said as he watched the footage of him going up against Doctor Death.

“Especially when you think about the whole nation watching it.” Tae Yong nodded in agreement, sitting by Jae Hyun on the couch.

“I got saved by these kids?” The younger asked as his eyes trained on the boys who began to fight Doctor Death after he was unconscious. “Who are they? There are more superheros out there? People with superpowers as cool as those?”

Jae Hyun watched as one of the boys swung around with what he assumed were super webs, and the other used a bow and arrows to shoot at Doctor Death while teleporting in and out through the air. “They have such amazing powers. . .”

“Yes, but even then, they were pretty weak against him,” Tae Yong spoke, just as the two boys began to turn on each other. “They’re so young and that one is so hot-headed, they lost control of their powers easily.”

Jae Hyun gasped, watching as the two boys began to fall to their doom, right before Johnny and Tae Yong came in, swooping the two kids up right before they hit the ground. It was so cool how they just flew in out of nowhere and were able to save them. He was in awe.

“We definitely weren’t planning on coming in,” Johnny said, walking into the room with what Jae Hyun could only assume was his super suit. “But those kids were dumb. They have such great powers like teleportation and heightened senses  and heightened eye sight with super webs sharp aim,  but it's such a waste if they can’t work together well, causing them to lose control.”

“What kind of powers do you two have?” Jae Hyun asked as he looked up at the two.

“Tae Yong’s powers are-” Johnny paused as he looked over at the guy. “Unknown. He doesn’t really know the limits to his powers.”

Jae Hyun frowned, wanting to question his words, but Johnny continued talking before he could. “And I have super intellect. I’ve always been smart, though, but with the powers it just became heightened and, well, I have omni fabrication, which means I’m very good at building stuff.”

“It’s much cooler when you see it in action,” Tae Yong said, looking over at Jae Hyun. “He built his suit.”

Jae Hyun nodded, impressed as he looked back at the screen where he could see Johnny in his suit, looking much cooler than the hoodie he wore, or the hoodies the other kids wore. “You two look cool there,” He said as he remained focused on the screen. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could a frown appeared on his face as he heard Doctor Death’s last words before he disappeared.

“Did he really say that?” Jae Hyun asked in disbelief as he turned to look at Johnny and Tae Yong. “That he would worry about me?”

“Don’t feel flattered,” Tae Yong said, shaking his head. “Doctor Death isn’t the true villain here. He’s only someone with powers that enjoys using them for his own entertainment. Messed up? Sure. But he’s not truly evil. That’s one of the only reasons we never stepped in to help you. We knew he would never go as far to actually hurt people.”

Jae Hyun looked down, feeling himself tense up at Tae Yong’s words. He was irritated. He understood what he was saying, but he still felt annoyed that someone actually could have gotten hurt while they sat and watched. “So what do we do about Doctor Death, then?”

Tae Yong looked over at Johnny who still stood there holding Jae Hyun’s suit. “First, try this on.”

Jae Hyun looked up. Johnny was unfolding the suit, revealing the blue suit with the white touches and the big, silver J in the center. It was amazing. It was him. But he frowned, noticing the Korean flag behind the J.

“Why?” He asked, looking at Johnny and then Tae Yong.

“For now, we need you to be the protector of the people of South Korea. The nation loves you. They respect you. And they need someone they can look up to as their defender, and trust me, no one fits the role more than you with your valiant heart,” Tae Yong explained as he leaned back on the couch. He signaled his head in the direction of the suit. “Go ahead. Try it on.”

And Jae Hyun tried it on. It was kind of tight, but it was breathable. Like yoga pants. He felt like he could move, testing it out by stretching his arms and legs. He nodded, looking at himself in the mirror. He liked it. It made him feel like he could do so much.

“It’s a good look on you,” Johnny said as he walked into the room.

Jae Hyun nodded slowly as he kept scanning himself up and down. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat and turned around, seeing Tae Yong standing at the doorway and Johnny sitting on a chair. “So what now?”

“Well, for now,” Johnny said, crossing a leg over the other, “Captain J and Doctor Death must keep fighting. As an image, you need to be known as the hero for the people to completely trust you. And as that continues, we believe ‘New Heroes’ will come out. Then we strike as a team.”

Jae Hyun nodded, understanding only half of what Johnny was saying, but not wanting to ask any more questions. “Okay. Then let’s do this.”

Yuta woke up with a massive headache in a dark room, not able to remember anything that happened the night before. Had he drank after his internship with Han Sol? Did his friend help him home? How did he get to bed? Was he even in bed?”

The lights flickered on, and Yuta’s hands instinctively went up to his eyes, not adjusted to the brightness. He groaned as he pulled his hands away and his eyes began to adjust, immediately scanning the room, and noticing the figure standing at the doorway.

“Why am I in a hospital?” Yuta asked the doctor who held a clipboard in one hand.

“You don’t remember?” The doctor asked, raised eyebrow as he brought up his clipboard to scribble something down. Yuta shook his head.

The doctor frowned, as if debating on what to tell Yuta. Finally, he made up his mind and walked up to him. “You got in a car accident last night. By Han river. The people at your job said you went out for a break with your friend and there was an explosion at the factory next to the building, so no one noticed when you two didn’t come back. But from reports, it looks like you and your friend were driving by Han river, and then drove in by chance. His body hasn’t been found yet, but you were washed up against the river, on the opposite side of where your job is.”

Yuta shook his head, not able to process what was being said. He and Han Sol drove across the bridge and got in a car accident by the river? Why were they all the way over there during their break time? Why was Han Sol missing? Why wasn’t Yuta missing? How long had he been unconscious, and how long had his best friend been missing? Was he in the river?

As Yuta keep coming up with questions, his breathing began to grow faster and the heart monitor besides him began to beep fast and loud. But he couldn’t hear it. He couldn’t hear the doctor tell him to calm down, he couldn’t see the nurses and doctors rush in, he couldn’t hear the series of medical terms they were throwing around or the crazed rumbling around as he began to panic.

All he could see were blurry images of the night before. All he could hear where the panicked voices, the screams. When he told Han Sol it was a bad idea. When Han Sol got in the car and he followed behind. When the two were driving and laughing. And then the crash. And Yuta swimming out through the window. Trying to help Han Sol out.

And then things went black.

The next time Yuta woke up, he was aware of where he was and what had happened the previous night. The room was dark once again, except for the clock on the side that glowed lightly, letting him know it was Saturday, six p.m., the day after. He had been knocked out that long?

Yuta let out a shaky breath, eyes filling with tears as he thought about Han Sol. His best friend. He was gone. Missing. Dead. No, he wasn’t dead, he reminded himself. But then he shook his head. He was dead, drowned at the bottom of the river, his body not found yet. Dead.

And Yuta, somehow lucky, was sitting in a hospital room alone. Alone, because his family was back in Japan including his father who took a break from work and returned home for the summer, most likely unaware of his happenings. Alone because even though he seemed bright and loud all the time, he was insecure and shy and hadn’t met many people since he had arrived in Korea. Alone, because the only person who had stuck with him even when he wasn’t fluent in the language, was dead.

Yuta broke down. His vision went blurry as the tears began to fall, one after another, and then all at once. His hands went up to his face as he began gasping for air, choking from the shaky inhales and sobs.

When Yuta stopped crying he stayed hugging his knees close, sitting in the dark room, listening to the heart monitor and staring at the wall. His cheeks were stained with tears, and the headache he had before had only worsened, now feeling as if his brain had swelled and it was pounding against his skull. He sighed, knowing he couldn’t stay there forever. He was okay, physically at least.

Before he could process what he was doing, Yuta began to pull off whatever was stuck into his arm and stood up from the bed, glancing at the clock before he walked over to the door. It was close to seven, and for some reason that made him anxious. As if he was late for something. But he shrugged the feeling off and walked out of his hospital room, roaming through the empty hallways as he looked for an elevator. He wasn’t sure what floor he was on, but he assumed it was high, because when he glanced out the windows the ground was too far below.

Yuta stopped walking, hearing footsteps and muffled voices approaching his way. He quickly turned into the next hallway, scared to get caught. He wasn’t sure why that would scare him. He really doubted the doctors would force him to stay against his will, but just in case, he still hid until they passed by.

When the coast was clear, Yuta kept on walking, heading for the elevator the doctors had just stepped out from. He clicked the button for the first floor and stepped back, holding his hands together behind his back as he waited. He looked up, watching the numbers change as he neared the first floor. 3, 2, 1. Ding!

The elevator doors opened and Yuta stepped out, looking around to see many nurses and patients walking around. And then he saw the entrance doors. Glancing around to make sure no one saw him, he quickly rushed to the doors and walked out. He kept walking and walking, taking several turns here and there, avoiding making eye contact with anyone, aware of the strange looks people were sending him. And then he stopped when he realized where his footsteps had left him. Maine street.

It was the place he often went to with Han Sol during the weekends when they needed to release some stress. The small little shops, the food stands, and the movie theater at the far end.

Yuta began walking again, taking slow steps as he looked around, flashbacks of him and Han Sol walking around the street coming back to him with every step he took. Without realizing, he was in tears once again, standing at the end of the street, across from the movie theater he had often gone to with Han Sol. And he was staring at a stranger who stood in front of the theater, staring back at him.

Yuta felt dizzy once again, and his eyes shut tight for a few seconds before opening once again. The stranger was gone.

Si Cheng groaned, kicking his shoes off as soon as he walked into the house and practically tearing off his jacket before throwing it on the couch.

“I’m assuming he was there?” Ten asked from the couch, not bothering to look up from his phone as he felt the empty space besides him sink. “I told you his unconscious mind would lead him there. While the unconscious mind is psychologically not an actual thing here in the human world, back where we are from it is a side effect of memory manipulation where we are from. Therefore, he still showed up to your date place because while he not remember it anymore, it was already in his plans before I manipulated his memory.”

Si Cheng let out a huff, crossing his arms together as he leaned his head back. “I didn’t even say where I went.”

“Don’t need to,” Ten hummed. “I know you too well.”

“He seemed sad.” Si Cheng ignored Ten. “He was in tears when I saw him.”

“In his mind, his best friend just died, so it’s only natural,” Ten said, still not looking up from his phone.

“Did you really have to give him such a sad memory?” Si Cheng huffed again.

Ten finally put down his phone, and turned to look at his friend. He scanned his face and pursed his lips. “Do you like him?”

Si Cheng tensed up, throwing a side-glance at Ten before his eyes focused on the coffee table in front of them. “Of course not.”

Ten kept staring at him, unconvinced by his words. Finally, he stopped and leaned back, picking his phone back up and going back to his game. “Okay. Good. I went through a lot of trouble setting up the entire accident with my powers so he could start anew without having to worry about you or Han Sol being taken by some crazy, twisted humans. Imagine if he remembered what happened to Han Sol and tried messing with those guys that took our crystal? They would kill him without a doubt. I would know, I have dealt with them before."

“Thank you,” Si Cheng finally said. He uncrossed his arms and looked over at Ten. “I know it wasn’t easy erasing his mind, manipulating his memories, and arranging that whole scene with your powers. Especially in the state you’re in. And having to go back to that place where you-"

Ten shook his head, stopping the boy from talking any further. “Don’t worry about it. It’s the least I could do for you after all the trouble you’re going through to get me home.”

Si Cheng smiled. “Of course. Our home planet was getting boring without you, after all.”

Yuta woke up that Monday more exhausted than he had ever felt in his life. It hadn’t even been three full days since his best friend had died and he had attended his funeral, talked with his family over the phone, and was now supposed to go back to school as if nothing happened. His job had given a week break, at least. But he still didn’t feel like rolling out of bed.

Yuta did so anyways, knowing if he didn’t attend school it would go bad for him in the long run. He got ready as usual. He made himself breakfast as usual. He fed his dog and cat as usual. And he walked to his university as usual. But he didn’t feel like usual. He felt empty inside. He felt alone. He was doing everything on autopilot while his mind remained too cloudy for him to process anything.

Which was why he didn’t understand when he found himself standing in front of the convenience store across from his school. He frowned, coming to his senses as he looked down at his phone to check the time. He still had an hour before classes began, so why had he woken up and headed out so early?

Yuta sighed, walking into the convenience store anyway. Might as well spend his one hour of break in a place with food. But he ended up not buying anything and just sat at the counter, staring out the window because he had eaten at home already. So he watched the people walk by.

Kids walked down the street, heading to the bus stop to head to school. Busy adults also walked down the street, heading to their jobs. And then college students passed by, all looking down at their phones as they crossed the street.

Yuta sighed, resting his cheek on his palm. It was such a sunny, beautiful morning and he was spending it inside the convenience store, staring at other people living their lives as he no longer felt any worth in his. Before he realized it, he was tearing up once again, feeling that same suffocated pain in his chest as his breathing fastened.

I need to get out of here, was all he was able to think as he stumbled to get up from his seat and quickly walked out. He found himself in an alley, sitting against the brick wall as he sobbed into his hands. He let it all out. All the frustration and pain he was feeling. That was what Yuta tended to do. He wouldn’t bottle up until he exploded, and he wouldn’t shelf away any feelings. He always let things out, knowing a goody cry would help. But this time was different.

Yuta cried, and cried, and cried. And he wasn’t feeling any better. He only felt more and more suffocated with each passing moment, and his sobs got lounder, and his heart ached more. And slowly, with every sob, his heart rate fastened and his breathing became more suffocated. It got so bad that Yuta was gasping for air as he began to clutch his chest. And then he heard the ringing. It was loud and sharp and jabbing at his brain. And then his vision began to blur. It faded, focusing and un-focusing. And then he shut his eyes tight, falling down completely as he tried to stop the aching he felt all over his body. And then it happened.

It was short, lasting less than a second, but he felt it was like an eternity. A series of flashing images ran through his head: Han Sol in pain, a building in flames, collapsing and turning to ashes, people running down the street in fear, a face. A beautiful face. And Yuta could hear the shouts, the anguish, and someone calling his name.

With a loud gasp, Yuta snapped out of it, eyes opening wide and staring straight at the brick wall across from him. What was that?! He questioned as he remained staring at the wall, trying to sort out of all the images he had seen. But he only ended up with more questions. Why did he see Han Sol, surrounded by glass and shouting in pain? He couldn’t find any memory in his mind of that, so why did he see that so vividly? And then the building collapsing; He was sure he had never seen anything like that before. Not outside of tv, at least. But that hadn’t felt like it was from tv; It had felt like he was there, living the moment. And then he had also heard the panicked shouts of the people. And lastly. . . that face.

That beautiful face was the last image Yuta had seen, staring at him with pained, pitying eyes. A look that tugged at Yuta’s heart as soon as the image had flashed by. So stunning, yet so sad.

Yuta didn’t know how to react after that. He hasn’t sure what that had been, but he was starting to think maybe he shouldn’t have left the hospital. There was something wrong with him for sure. But he chose not to think about it any further and stood up, dusting himself before he walked out of the dark alley. If there was something wrong with him, it would only become worse if he kept thinking about. Maybe acting like normal would make him feel like he actually was normal.

--

Okay this chapter was a lot more angsty than I remember when writing it. But I guess I needed to show Yuta's grief before we go on to better parts. Nae also complained the last three chapters have been too much about WayV and Yuwin and that it is "biased", so the next chapter won't be them I guess :( Also, in case no one remembers, Yuta was anxious about it being close to seven because that was when he had his date with Winwin that day, but he couldn't remember because Ten erased his memory. The last few updates were slow so I felt the need to say this. -J

-J

"Hahaha, I do that"

And you are biased

~Nae