Chapter 1
Sweetly, You Reach for Metw: there's a brief mention of attempted assault following, "She doesn’t question why she feels the same way about Spider-Woman." it's nothing graphic and very brief so I don't think it warrants an actual tw tag but just to be on the safe side, read that scene with caution or continue until "It's over before it even really starts" if that would make you more comfortable
Joohyun startles at the thud outside her window. It’s too late for visitors, but between midnight visits and early morning goodbyes, Joohyun’s grown accustomed to unlocked balcony doors and windows left cracked open.
Nevermind the fact that she lives on the top floor of a high rise condominium.
The figure outside is dark and lean in the minimal lighting—a terrifying sight for anyone less practiced—but Joohyun just finds it comforting, her heart beating first in excitement and then in concern when she watches the way the body hunches over, hand splayed against the window to stay upright, back arching in deep, shuddering breaths. Without thinking, Joohyun rushes towards the balcony.
“Seulgi!” Joohyun calls, hands hovering unsurely, torn between wanting to help and not wanting to cause the girl anymore pain than she’s already in. After a quick scan, Joohyun can see the various rips in Seulgi’s suit, blood seeping out of deep scratches along her torso and thighs, more bruises and cuts surely coloring the skin that Joohyun can’t see. Tentatively, she reaches out, guiding Seulgi to put an arm around her shoulder. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Carefully, Seulgi pulls the mask off her face, dark hair tumbling down around her shoulders. She quirks a crooked smile up at Joohyun despite the swollen eye and the split in her lip and the blood spilling from the gash on her cheek. “You should see the other guy.”
Joohyun rolls her eyes, fond even in her worry. She leads Seulgi to the couch in her living room, setting her carefully down and cooing sympathetically when Seulgi sighs and groans at the strain on her injuries the movement has caused. When she’s sure Seulgi won’t try anything stupid, Joohyun leaves her to retrieve the first aid kit she’s specifically curated for moments like this.
Before, Joohyun used to be squeamish at the sight of blood, grimacing and turning away even when it was just a small prick from a shot at the doctor’s office. But now, Joohyun has tools specifically for suturing, gauze dressing in every size available, and all the pain medications and antiseptic one could acquire legally.
a shaky breath to calm herself, Joohyun returns to the living room. Seulgi hasn’t moved an inch, eyes closed as she puts pressure on the cuts on her stomach. Blood spills onto Joohyun’s couch, and—not for the first time—Joohyun is thankful she decided on black leather for easy cleanups.
“Look at you,” Joohyun tsks, gently prying Seulgi’s fingers away so she can better assess the damage. The cuts are long and deep, as if Seulgi had been clawed at with the intent of ripping her open. The sight makes Joohyun want to both cry and throw up, unable to stomach even the thought of someone larger than life like Seulgi being torn apart so brutally. Carefully, Joohyun cuts around the shredded bits of Seulgi’s suit to gain better access. “How did this happen?”
Seulgi’s silent for a long moment, hissing intermittently with every dab of alcohol soaked cotton on her open wounds. Joohyun’s convinced Seulgi will probably dodge the question in the way she usually does, but then—
“They’re getting stronger,” Seulgi whispers. “I don’t—I can’t—” She inhales sharply, turning pleading eyes to Joohyun. “I can’t save everyone.”
Abandoning the cotton pads she’d been using, Joohyun pulls Seulgi towards her. Hands framing Seulgi’s cheeks as she tips her forehead to hers.
“You don’t have to save everyone,” Joohyun says, harsh but meaningful, imploring Seulgi to believe her just this once. “It’s not your responsibility.”
Seulgi shakes her head, closing her eyes to Joohyun’s weighted stare. “If not me, then who else?”
Anybody else, Joohyun wants to scream but doesn’t because now’s not the time for a rehash of this argument. Not when Seulgi’s been torn to pieces in more ways than one, and Joohyun can barely hold her together. Instead, she stays mum, focusing on what she can do right now, and goes back to cleaning Seulgi’s wounds.
“Just leave it,” Seulgi tells her, when Joohyun moves for the suturing thread. “It’ll heal on its own eventually.”
Joohyun levels her with a glare. “It’ll heal faster if I close it now.”
But Seulgi just shakes her head, opening up her arms invitingly. “Please?”
Reluctant to agree but unwilling to say no to such a simple request, Joohyun puts the kit away, settling instead into Seulgi’s arms, careful not to jostle her too much.
“Were you busy?” Seulgi asks, noticing the forgotten script on Joohyun’s coffee table. “I’m sorry if I ruined your night.”
“You could never ruin my night,” Joohyun answers and Seulgi scoffs, probably remembering all the times—just like this one—when Seulgi would barge in unannounced and Joohyun was forced to drop everything she was doing just to accommodate her. Joohyun pokes at her side. “I like when you come by. It means—” you’re still alive, goes unsaid but Seulgi seems to hear it anyway, pulling Joohyun a little more firmly to her side. “It means, I get to see you again.”
“I’ll come by more, then,” Seulgi promises, then adds a little wryly, “outside of the suit.”
Reflexively, Joohyun runs her fingers across the suit’s fabric, appreciating the way the material slides beneath her skin. It had gone through various updates and fixes over time, but the foundation always stayed the same. Joohyun has to admit that the red and blue is always a sight for sore eyes, even when it shows up mangled and destroyed like tonight.
“I don’t mind the suit,” Joohyun responds.
Seulgi hums, burying her nose in Joohyun’s hair. “But it’s nice to be normal sometimes, right?”
Her breaths come easier now, the skin on her stomach already pulling itself closed one painstaking second at a time. Joohyun can feel all this happening beneath her fingers and yet, somehow, pressed together like this, it’s easy to ignore. Instead of webslinging girlfriends and mastermind villains, they’re just two lovers, sitting on the couch watching the city lights twinkle around them outside.
“Yeah,” Joohyun agrees, pressing a lingering kiss to Seulgi’s cheek, “it is.”
They find each other again at a party.
Years since Joohyun had last seen the girl, she doesn’t recognize her right away, especially not with the way she’s hiding behind the lens of her camera.
“No pictures, please,” Joohyun says reflexively, shying away from the lens pointed right at her face. The girl lowers her camera, shooting a pointed look between it and Joohyun, and then Joohyun remembers where she is and the party she’s at and the person she’s supposed to be at the moment and sighs. “Right, of course. Sorry.”
Her pose is automatic, drilled into her after years of classes and training. A slight uptick of , eyes curved just so to seem genuine, robotic and empty just like everything else in this industry. Not that anyone cares. Her face is pretty enough that no one even notices a soulless expression every now and then. No one except for this girl, who frowns as soon as the picture is taken, glancing down at her screen before approaching Joohyun cautiously.
“Are you all right?” she asks and Joohyun startles, already expecting her to have left. She smiles at Joohyun kindly, and Joohyun tilts her head, curious about the interaction that’s about to take place. “Sorry, I just noticed you seemed a little…” she trails off then, staring at Joohyun a little too intently than what Joohyun’s used to, even as an actress. Recognition seems to dawn on her, eyes widening in shock as she gasps in clarity.
Oh no, Joohyun thinks warily, a fan.
Until—
“Joohyun?”
The use of her real name shocks her. No one outside of family, friends, and her immediate staff ever call her by her real name. There’s the occasional fan, too, who feel like they’re comfortable enough for that. Which, in a way, they are since they’re arguably responsible for much of her fame. Still, this girl doesn’t quite strike Joohyun as one such dedicated person.
She narrows her eyes suspiciously. “You know my name?”
The girl laughs, suddenly shy. “Of course, I do. It’s me”—she points at herself—“Seulgi?” The name is familiar, as is the face it’s attached to now that Joohyun thinks about it, but it’s been so long and Joohyun’s met so many people that the memory doesn’t come to her right away. Taking her silence as forgetfulness, the girl—Seulgi—immediately backtracks, expression dropping. “Oh, you must not remember me. That’s okay! I mean, I was still a junior when you graduated, and it’s not like we were close or anything, so I don’t know why I thought you might. Anyway, I’ll just be going now.”
She moves to step away, and, whether it be the unexpected rambling or the cute way she seems to practically trip over herself in her haste to leave, Joohyun suddenly remembers.
“Seulgi? Kang Seulgi?” she asks, stopping Seulgi with a hand to her arm. She feels Seulgi tense beneath her palm. “From high school?”
Seulgi breathes a sigh of relief, relaxing. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Oh my god!” Joohyun exclaims, the english leaving instinctively. It’s been so long; Seulgi doesn’t seem anything like the awkward, gangly girl Joohyun remembers from all those years ago. When Joohyun had graduated, she’d promised herself that Seulgi would be one of the people she’d keep in touch with. Of all the people at that school, Seulgi was the nicest. The kind of girl who’d always offer up her seat to strangers or lend a helping hand even if she didn’t know you personally. Joohyun can recall more than one afternoon spent with Seulgi, hunched over their chemistry textbooks in the dingy school library as Seulgi attempted to help Joohyun understand that week’s lesson.
But that was years ago and despite her plans, Joohyun had moved to Seoul and gotten into an entertainment company and forgotten all about her life just outside the city with the cute junior who used to tutor her. Now, here that junior is, standing in front of Joohyun at a crowded party full of A list celebrities, looking at Joohyun for all the world like she’s still just that girl who could barely figure out how to balance an equation.
“How are you? What have you been up to? What are you doing here?” The questions leave Joohyun quickly, still a little too rattled at seeing a ghost from her past in the flesh to remember how to be graceful. Seulgi doesn’t seem to mind, though, laughing off the interrogation easily.
“I’m good,” Seulgi answers. She lifts her camera and waves it at Joohyun as she explains, “Just here to take pictures. Changmin hired me.”
“Changmin?” Joohyun questions. The host of the party is a known business shark; the only reason Joohyun’s even here is because he invests in her company and had specifically requested her presence. Joohyun has never liked the guy, and she can’t imagine how someone as sweet as Seulgi could end up working with the likes of him. “You know Changmin?”
“Sort of,” Seulgi answers, bashful. “The original photographer he hired canceled last minute, and I do freelance in my spare time. One of our mutual friends put us in touch, so”—Seulgi shrugs, smiling lightly at the interested expression on Joohyun’s face—“here I am.”
It’s only then that Joohyun fully takes notice of the camera hanging around Seulgi’s neck. It’s not an unfamiliar sight—Seulgi used to always walk around with one in high school—but Joohyun never figured Seulgi would make a career out of it.
“Wow, I never thought you’d end up as a photographer,” Joohyun voices. Before Seulgi can take offense, she clarifies, “I mean, I know you were in the yearbook club, but you were always so into science too.”
“Oh, I still am.” Seulgi ducks her head, blushing. The sight of it makes Joohyun smile, remembering how easy it was to make Seulgi flustered. It’s nice to see that of all the things that have changed in Joohyun’s life, Seulgi is still the same. “This is just a side job,” Seulgi explains around a short laugh. “It helps with the bills and all.”
“Right, I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Hanlim High School’s two time science fair winner,” Joohyun teases.
Seulgi flushes a deep red, even as she corrects meekly, “Three time, actually. I won my last year, too.”
“Of course you did,” Joohyun huffs out a laugh, shaking her head fondly, not surprised in the slightest.
“What about you?” Seulgi nods towards her, probably eager for a subject change. She never was the type to revel in attention the way Joohyun does. “What have you been up to all these years?” Her brows knit together in curiosity, eying Joohyun and the expensive dress she’s wearing before roaming around the venue around them. “Actually, what are you even doing at a party like this?”
She doesn’t ask it offensively, just genuinely curious in a way that tells Joohyun Seulgi really has no idea who she is. It’s refreshing if not surprising. Joohyun isn't the biggest name in the industry, but between a successful drama or two and all the CF deals she’s been pulling, her name and face are a bit more commonplace than Joohyun’s ever expected for herself. Seulgi’s always been full of surprises, though. Joohyun should have known she’d be too busy in her own world to check up on a passing girl from high school.
“Oh, I’m just—”
“Irene! There you are!”
Speak of the devil, Joohyun thinks as Changmin enters with a flourish. He towers over them both, ignoring Seulgi entirely as he lays a hand on Joohyun’s shoulder.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he says at the same time Seulgi asks, “Irene?”
“My stage name,” Joohyun answers her, and she almost laughs at the way Seulgi’s eyes widen in recognition for the second time that night, finally seeming to have made the connection. Perhaps Seulgi wasn’t as oblivious as Joohyun thought.
Seulgi looks as if she’s going to say more, but Changmin scowls, only just now noticing Seulgi standing next to them. “Was she bothering you?” he asks Joohyun before glaring pointedly at Seulgi. “Seulgi, I thought I told you to stay out of the way.”
“She wasn’t bothering me,” Joohyun placates, not appreciating the way he’s talking down towards Seulgi. Her tone lowers in barely concealed annoyance. “We were just talking.”
It doesn’t appease Changmin, though, who continues to stare at Seulgi in contempt. “Well you shouldn’t be. Seulgi has a job to do; I’m not paying her to stand around chatting. And you.” He shifts his gaze back towards Joohyun, hand curling around her arm possessively. Joohyun just barely resists the urge to shrug him off, heeding the reminder of her manager to keep Changmin happy tonight. “You have people to meet,” he tells Joohyun, tugging at her insistently. “Come on.”
He begins to guide Joohyun away, sparing only one last glare Seulgi’s way, but Joohyun breaks free from his hold. Changmin gives her a withering look that Joohyun meets with one of her own. Her company may need him, but he needs Joohyun’s presence just as much. If he wants her to play the role of charming, mindless doll then he has to earn it. Her look serves its intended reminder, Changmin backing off subtly.
“Just give me a second,” Joohyun requests, already turning back around to Seulgi before he can stop her. She hears him groan in annoyance behind her, but she doesn’t care. She can handle Changmin later. “I’m sorry about that,” Joohyun tells Seulgi, frowning slightly.
“That’s okay,” Seulgi says, then nods her head to the party going on around them. “I should probably be heading back out there anyway.”
Joohyun nods and it should be the end of the conversation, but Joohyun doesn’t want to let Seulgi go just yet, feeling compelled to say something, anything more just to have another moment with this girl she hasn’t seen in years. Biting at her lip, Joohyun spares a moment for contemplation. Through it all, Seulgi hasn’t dropped the easy grin stretched across her lips, an image so reminiscent of all the times Joohyun would turn around in class to find Seulgi already beaming back at her.
“It was really good to see you again, Seulgi,” Joohyun says, hoping Seulgi can tell how much she means it. Even if it’s been years and Joohyun hasn’t thought of Seulgi in so long, it’s been nice to see someone who only remembers Joohyun for the person she used to be and not the person she currently is. Feeling shyer than normal, Joohyun continues softly, “I’m not sure if I’ll have another free moment tonight, but if you wanted, maybe we could catch up sometime?” She makes a face, looking down at the dress she’s wearing then to the party around them. She adds, “Preferably, somewhere less formal.”
“Y-Yeah, of course!” Seulgi sputters, the sight of it more than a little endearing. “I’d like that.”
“Great! Let’s just exchange—”
“Irene,” Changmin calls impatiently, and Joohyun groans, tipping her head back in annoyance.
Seulgi smiles sympathetically. “You should probably get back to him before he has an aneurysm.” Joohyun giggles, agreeing wordlessly. Seulgi roots around in her pocket, taking out her wallet. She pulls out a business card, handing it over to Joohyun bashfully. “Here. My number’s on there so just call me whenever you’re free, and we can meet up or something.”
The card is mostly minimalist with just Seulgi’s name, number, and occupation. Turning it over, Joohyun can see how the back is covered in transparent lines branching and intersecting with each other—not unlike a spider web. She thinks nothing of it, tucking the card away into her clutch. “I’ll do that,” Joohyun smiles gratefully at her. “It really was good to see you again, Seulgi.”
Behind them, Changmin continues to huff in annoyance, and Joohyun takes that as the cue that she should leave now before he takes his misplaced anger out on someone else. Still, she lingers just a little bit longer.
“You too, Irene,” Seulgi teases, and Joohyun rolls her eyes. Smiling sincerely, Seulgi’s eyes soften as she says, “But really, I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
Joohyun leaves it at that, now neither the time nor place to have a discussion of that gravity, even if Seulgi only meant it as a harmless compliment. With one last parting grin, Joohyun returns to Changmin who ushers her along impatiently. He’s muttering about her needing to meet some important businessman or CEO or some person or another, but Joohyun ignores him, chancing one last glance back in Seulgi’s direction.
Seulgi has her camera raised again, snapping another picture of Joohyun’s retreating form just as Joohyun raises a brow at her. It catches Seulgi off guard, who lowers the camera with a sort of dazed expression on her face. With one last quirk of her lips, Joohyun flits back around to follow behind Changmin into a sea of famous faces. She doesn’t pay them any mind, though, still stuck on the image of Seulgi watching her, frozen in place like she’d just seen a star.
Joohyun doesn’t realize it immediately, but she meets Seulgi again much sooner than she expects. To be fair, it’s hard to think about anything at all when there’s an abnormally giant hand wrapped tightly around her neck, suspending her in the air.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” the hulking beast of a man admonishes, his eyes a freakish yellow as he glares at her.
Joohyun isn’t stupid, she knew someone like Changmin would be involved in sketchy dealings on the side. She just didn’t expect him to be dumb enough to let it be dragged into an event as high profile as this. One second Changmin had been parading Joohyun around like some kind of trophy, hoping that between her face and her mysterious personality, some of his slimy business partners would be seduced enough into investing some of their millions into his empire, and the next second, there’d been a loud boom and various screams of horror as hordes of men, all armed and masked, waltzed in looking for Changmin to finally pay them their dues. Honestly, Joohyun would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit grateful for the distraction—some of Changmin’s buddies getting a little bit too close for comfort.
Until now, that is.
Joohyun grasps at the hand around , willing the beastly man to let go, but, if anything, her struggling just makes him latch on tighter. The air leaves her lungs, Joohyun heaving desperately for oxygen that won't come. He smirks at her, teeth brown and decaying. Joohyun's only regret is that she didn't get to look at something prettier before she dies. It’s that stray thought that has her hoping through all of this, that Seulgi at least makes it out okay.
"Not so brave now are you, little girl?"
Truthfully, Joohyun hadn't felt brave earlier when she'd tossed that glass at his head, but she'd been acting on impulse. The sight of him towering over a girl much smaller than him, threatening her with vulgar words and lewd actions had hit a little too close to home and Joohyun had reacted without thinking. She’d only realized what she’d done when he’d turned harsh eyes onto her, singling Joohyun out as the culprit immediately.
"It's a shame," he sneers at her, walking them back towards the open balcony. She kicks uselessly, but he just squeezes harder, laughing when he notices the way Joohyun begins to go limp from oxygen deprivation. "You really are quite pretty."
Joohyun can just barely see Changmin standing wide eyed behind them, two armed goons at his back, holding him in place.
What an idiot, Joohyun thinks, letting herself die at one of Changmin's parties of all places. At least she’d go out as a hero.
The man barely spares her one last glance before she's thrown, the weightlessness of the fall a welcome respite even if it's to her imminent death. She doesn't even scream, throat feeling too tight for such an action, but she reaches up like she could grab onto the ledge that's getting further and further away. She wonders, if she could go back, if she’d still do the same thing. Was saving that girl really worth it if Joohyun just got herself killed anyway? And who’s going to stop him from doing what he wants now that Joohyun’s gone? How do superheroes do this? How do they decide who lives and dies?
The air is cold as it whips around her, and Joohyun has to ponder why no one ever mentions just how much time you have to think before you die.
She shuts her eyes, bracing herself for the impact she hopes will kill her quickly, but it just feels soft, too soft. And warm. It holds her gently, cradling around like a protective embrace. She latches onto it subconsciously, nuzzling into the warmth she's found herself surrounded by.
Who'd have thought death could feel so sweet?
"Are you all right?"
Joohyun's eyes snap open to find the farthest thing from death to greet her.
The narrowed eyes of the mask don't give anything away, but even still, Joohyun can feel the concern behind that covered gaze.
"What—" she rasps, breaking into a cough. feels raw, and it's only then that Joohyun remembers the hand wrapped and the cruel way she'd been tossed over the side of a 50 story building like a rag doll.
But instead of plummeting to her death like she expected, Joohyun's found herself caught by a spider instead.
She turns fearful eyes to the ground below them, finding that they're still suspended quite far up, Spider-Woman having caught her somewhere between the 20th and 30th floors. Instinctually, she squirms in terror, not enjoying the feeling of her feet dangling over nothing or the fact that it's only a strong arm wrapped around her waist that's keeping her from falling any further.
"Hold on," Spider-Woman says, encouraging Joohyun to grab more firmly onto her. When she's sure Joohyun's arms are secured around her neck, she sticks her arm out. A short thwip is all Joohyun hears before they're suddenly shooting through the air. Joohyun coughs out another gasp, Spider-Woman swinging them gracefully before arching up and forward, shooting another web to catch them as they fall. The speed of it makes Joohyun’s stomach flip uncomfortably, the sudden lurch forward on the upswing more intense than any rollercoaster Joohyun’s been on.
"It's okay," Joohyun hears in her ear, not even realizing she'd closed her eyes, "I've got you. I won't let you fall."
It's comforting even though Joohyun feels like she's floating, her entire being tethered to a singular person and the thin strings of webbing they use to swing around the buildings of Seoul. Burying her face into the crook of Spider-Woman's neck, Joohyun accepts her fate. If this is how she's going to go, at least she can say it was in the arms of a superhero.
Spider-Woman’s body is strong where it presses against Joohyun’s. Joohyun can feel the way the muscles in her body flex and relax with each jump and pull of her web, easily shouldering both their weights as she swings from one web to the next. If Joohyun still wasn’t so rattled by being so close to dying, she could maybe appreciate the wind flowing through her hair and the easy way Spider-Woman’s carrying her like it’s no effort at all. If Joohyun still didn’t feel like she was about to fall to her death, she could also maybe appreciate the way they’re flying through the air, the city far below them as Spider-Woman guides them between building after building.
What felt like hours but couldn't have been more than mere moments later, Joohyun feels Spider-Woman jump nimbly, a soft thud indicating she'd stuck the landing. Still, Joohyun continues to hold on, not trusting her ears.
"It's all right," Spider-Woman tells her softly. "You're safe now. You can let go."
Tentatively, Joohyun cracks an eye open. They're on the roof of some building. Distantly, Joohyun can hear the various sirens all heading towards a building that couldn't be more than a few blocks away. Awkwardly, she untangles herself from Spider-Woman's body, ignoring the fact that some time during the short trip she'd wrapped her legs around Spider-Woman's waist.
Spider-Woman stands before her, and, in the aftermath of so much adrenaline, all Joohyun can think is that Spider-Woman is much shorter than Joohyun thought she’d be. Only a few inches taller, Spider-Woman is still somehow both an imposing presence and a familiar one. It’s a wonder how after so many years in Seoul, Joohyun’s never run into Spider-Woman before outside of the occasional city sighting. Even if she was just an actress, Joohyun’s met a lot of people in high up places, and if there was anyone known for staying up above, it’d be the woman in front of her.
Her next thought is that Spider-Woman’s suit has certainly done her body a lot of favors. Lithe and lean, Joohyun can see how the suit clings to sinewy arms and legs, accentuating strong lines and unfairly proportionate limbs. Joohyun gets lost in the red and blue, the black lines criss crossing like a web across her torso, the clear whites her eyes are hiding behind, the smooth plane of her stomach—
Spider-Woman coughs, shifting from side to side awkwardly, and Joohyun realizes that in her haze, she’d been caught, silent and staring, for too long. She blushes, shaking her head out of her stupor.
"Sorry," Joohyun manages to get out, voice still hoarse from almost being choked to death.
“D-Don’t worry about it,” Spider-Woman seems to fumble, ducking her masked head in bashfulness as she rubs at the back of her neck. It’s an endearing sight—one that reminds Joohyun vaguely of someone else. She just can’t pinpoint who at the moment.
“And thank you,” Joohyun remembers. She coughs, willing her voice to cooperate. Spider-Woman steps towards her in concern before backing off when Joohyun shoots her a wry smile, rubbing at . “For saving my life,” Joohyun finishes.
"Of course," Spider-Woman says easily. "Just doing my job." She tilts her head then, the mask somehow doing little to obscure the friendliness of the gesture. "Well, my side job really," she adds around a short laugh.
Joohyun narrows her eyes, something in the wording of that phrase and the breezy way she'd awkwardly laughed it off striking a chord with her.
"Your voice—" Joohyun starts, trying to grasp onto the familiarity, but Spider-Woman seems to remember herself.
"I should head back out there," she tells Joohyun, nodding back towards the building the party is in, and it feels like something Joohyun's already heard before. A weird sense of déjà vu Joohyun can't for the life of her figure out why she feels. Spider-Woman's already backing away, closer to the ledge. "You should go to the hospital if you can and get checked out. There should be an elevator to get down from here."
"Wait—" Joohyun tries, but Spider-Woman just gives her a friendly salute before swiftly jumping over the side of the building. Joohyun rushes to follow her, Spider-Woman already swinging away, nothing more than a blur of red and blue as she propels herself from building to building.
There was something in her demeanor and the easy way she'd spoken to Joohyun. Like an old friend or an acquaintance. Surely, someone Joohyun's met before. Someone who knew her. Someone like—
"No way," Joohyun sighs, clutching pathetically at her bruised neck.
Almost dying must have messed with her head.
After all, there's no way someone like Kang Seulgi could be Spider-Woman.
It takes a while for Joohyun to remember Seulgi’s business card sitting at the bottom of her clutch. Between Changmin’s disastrous party and the picture of Joohyun in the arms of Spider-Woman, swinging over the streets of Seoul, that someone had managed to take, Joohyun’s management had had a field day with her. She’d been instructed to stay inside and had gone on what her management called “a hiatus to take care of her health.” Now, two months later, Joohyun chances upon the business card by sheer luck, having been digging around all her recently used bags in search of chapstick that had mysteriously gone missing.
Rolling around the card in her hands for a moment, Joohyun throws caution to the wind, sending a quick text she hopes reads as casual.
Hey! It’s Joohyun! Sorry, it took so long for me to get in touch, Things have been kind of hectic lately...anyway, if you’re still willing, maybe we can catch up soon?
Thankfully, Seulgi’s response is quick, easing some of the relative anxiety that always comes with new social interactions.
Hi! I’m glad you reached out! I can meet tomorrow if you’re free? Coffee?
Joohyun doesn’t like coffee, but she’s not going to turn Seulgi down over something so trivial.
Sounds good. Time and place?
That’s how Joohyun finds herself here, a hat low on her head, sitting in the back of a small coffee shop somewhere in Hongdae. She orders a sweet tea, swirling her straw around the liquid, and waits idly for Seulgi to arrive. Joohyun usually likes to teeter the line between too early and just on time—years of having to show up for call times and business meetings ingraining into her the need to always make a good first impression with timeliness—but when their designated meeting time comes and goes, Joohyun frowns. She doesn’t remember Seulgi as the type to stand her up without warning. Though, it has been years since Joohyun’s known the girl. Maybe Seulgi’s not as unchanging as Joohyun originally thought.
“I’m so sorry!” Seulgi says, frenzied as she drops her bag down to the floor next to the table, unfurling the scarf around her neck with hurried fingers. “Did you already order? Would you like something else? Let me just order really quickly, and then I’ll come back—”
“Seulgi, wait,” Joohyun calls, urging Seulgi to stop her frantic movements. Finally, Seulgi stills and Joohyun gasps, reaching towards her face. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Seulgi freezes as Joohyun wipes the blood from the split in her lip. It’s small but deep and the blood pools incessantly even with the napkin Joohyun holds against it. Above her eyebrow is another scrape, shallow but with what looks like pieces of gravel stuck to it. Joohyun brushes the dirt away, forgetting for a second that this is only the second time she’s seen Seulgi in so many years.
“Oh, this?” Seulgi says, laughing awkwardly as she gingerly takes the napkin from Joohyun’s hands to hold herself, stepping back slightly. If Joohyun wasn’t so concerned by the state of her face, she might have noticed the red beginning to color Seulgi’s cheeks. “I just ran into a bike, no big deal.”
Joohyun frowns. “You ran into a bike?”
Seulgi smiles, wincing when the movement strains the cut. “Uh, yes! I mean no!” Seulgi sputters and Joohyun’s brows pinch together. “I mean, I got ran into by a bike. Then I fell and hit my face?”
The explanation is strange, as is the way Seulgi seems to be confused by the story herself, but Joohyun just chalks it off to Seulgi most likely feeling the latent effects of hurting her head. Glancing around them, Joohyun notices the other patrons in the shop beginning to look their way. Not wanting to risk another picture leaking of her online, Joohyun pulls her cap lower and bends to pick up Seulgi’s bag.
“Come on,” she tells a confused Seulgi, leading her out of the shop with a hand to her arm. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up at my place? I don’t live too far from here.”
Seulgi pouts even as she lets herself be pulled along. “We don’t have to! It’s nothing, really. It barely even hurts. See!”
Joohyun raises a brow as Seulgi shoots Joohyun a wide smile, grimacing only slightly when the cut stretches taut and begins to drip more heavily. Joohyun rolls her eyes at her, concerned and charmed all at once.
“Come on.”
Seulgi doesn’t put up any more of an argument. It’s a short taxi ride to her place in Gangnam, Seulgi dutifully keeping pressure on her lip even as her eyes marvel at the rows of gleaming buildings that they pass. Her eyes are dazed as Joohyun leads her out of the taxi and through the expansive lobby of her building. When they get into the elevator and Joohyun puts her key in for the top floor, Seulgi whistles.
“Wow, now I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t recognize you sooner.”
Joohyun smirks at her. “Only now?”
Seulgi lowers her head, sheepish. “Okay, I was embarrassed before too.”
“It’s fine,” Joohyun says, waving it away. “Not everyone pays attention to stuff like that.”
Seulgi frowns. “But I really have no excuse! I buy the soju you’re endorsing all the time!”
Joohyun barks out a laugh. “Okay, maybe that is a little embarrassing then.”
Joohyun’s never had a particular attachment to her apartment. She always felt it was a little too big, a little too impersonal. She isn’t one for interior decorating and most of the furniture had been picked out by other people because Joohyun didn’t have the time to do it herself, but she knows it’s objectively a nice place. Sitting on the top floor of the building, the floor to ceiling windows provide a pleasant view of the surrounding city, and the cleaning lady always ensures that there’s never a speck of dust to be seen.
Despite knowing all this, Joohyun still feels shy as she watches Seulgi step around her apartment. It’s not often she has guests over, especially ones who used to know her so personally. Seeing someone from her past take up space somewhere in her present has Joohyun crossing and uncrossing her arms anxiously.
“I’ll go get the first aid kit,” Joohyun announces, not being able to stand watching Seulgi inspect the few trinkets Joohyun had bothered putting up around her living room. When she returns, Seulgi has her head tipped back, napkin now pressed to her nose as she stands awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Are you all right?”
Seulgi waves off her concern with a chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. Just a little nosebleed; must have hit my face harder than I thought earlier.”
Lips downturned, Joohyun guides Seulgi to sit on the couch. The nosebleed has mostly stopped by now, same with the split in her lip, but Joohyun still takes her time cleaning it with careful pats of cotton dipped in alcohol. Through it all, Seulgi is pliant beneath her fingertips, eyes dutifully turned upwards as Joohyun flits about her face. The sight of it makes something fond and indulgent settle deep in Joohyun’s chest and she pushes it away resolutely.
“There, all done,” Joohyun finishes, pressing a bandage softly over the scape on Seulgi’s forehead.
Seulgi smiles gently at her. “Thanks, and I’m sorry again for ruining our hang out.”
“You didn’t ruin anything,” Joohyun assures. “Honestly, being out right now is a little hard for me anyway.”
“Because of Spider-Woman?” Seulgi asks, flushing immediately when Joohyun quirks a brow at her. “I saw the pictures,” she explains.
Joohyun hums. “Yeah, and everything else with that party. Oh!” Joohyun turns to her more fully, remembering Seulgi had been there too. “How did you make it out okay? I never really got any details over how it all ended.” She also probably should have checked in with Seulgi sooner, all things considered, but Seulgi doesn’t seem to mind and she’d ended up all right in the end anyway.
“Uh,” Seulgi scratches at her cheek, eyes searching the ceiling above her. “Well, it kind of happened really fast. I just hid mostly and then next thing I knew, Spider-Woman had cleared out the room and we were all allowed to leave.” She shrugs. “I don’t really remember it that well, to be honest.”
Joohyun nods. “That’s understandable. I’m glad you’re okay.” She smiles bitterly. “And I’m sorry for not checking in on you sooner.”
Seulgi shakes her head fervently. “No don’t be! If anything I’m just thankful you’re okay. That bruise around your neck looked pretty nasty.”
Joohyun narrows her eyes, suspicious. In the picture with Spider-Woman her neck hadn’t been visible, and afterwards her company had made sure that details surrounding her injuries didn’t get out. There’s no way Seulgi could have known about that. “How’d you know about my neck?”
Eyes widening, Seulgi rears back suddenly. “Oh! I, uh, I saw you get grabbed.” She grimaces. “It looked really painful, so I just assumed…”
Nodding, Joohyun relaxes, relieved for reasons she can’t really explain. “It healed up all right. My company gave me some time off, at least, so that was nice.”
Seulgi gives a curious look. “Do you not normally get time off?”
“Not really,” Joohyun shakes her head. “But I kind of prefer it that way. I never really know what to do when I’m not busy.”
“There’s lots of things you can do!” Seulgi tells her. “I love days off!”
Joohyun smiles crookedly at her, amused at this sudden display of enthusiasm. “Well, what do you do then?”
Seulgi’s mouth opens then closes. She purses her lips. “I….actually haven’t had a day off in a while. I’ve always got something going on, so.”
“You’re free now,” Joohyun tells her. “What would you like to do?”
“Honestly? Take a nap.” Seulgi laughs, and Joohyun joins her. “But ordering in and watching a movie sounds fun too.”
Joohyun grins. “I can work with that.”
So they order from a Chinese place down the street and put a movie on—not one that Joohyun’s in, though Seulgi sure did try to insist—and sit on the couch together, laughing and talking like there aren’t any years between them at all.
It’s nice, Joohyun realizes. She’s missed the easiness that came with having a friend without any expectations, especially one as attentive and caring as Seulgi who somehow still remembers Joohyun’s aversion to chicken and love for soda even after all this time. Joohyun didn’t notice it before, but she’s been in desperate need of a presence like Seulgi for a while. Her easy going nature and blasé attitude towards things refreshing to Joohyun who’s so used to people who only want to demand and control.
Sitting on the couch like this, it almost feels like no time has passed between them at all.
Halfway through the movie, though, they hear the telltale sound of sirens blaring down the street below them. Strangely, Seulgi had already tensed before it even passed, head turned towards the large windows in concern.
“Must be something big happening,” Joohyun comments, when more sirens fly by not a second later. She’s got her phone out, ready to check if there’s any breaking news, when Seulgi suddenly stands. Joohyun startles, staring up at Seulgi confusedly.
Seulgi smiles down at her sheepishly, but there’s something off about it, the muscles in her face uncharacteristically tight. “I’m sorry, but I actually just remembered that I left something important back in the lab. I need to go check on it.”
“Oh,” Joohyun says, not being able to hide the disappointment in her tone. She’d been enjoying hanging out with Seulgi, but Seulgi had mentioned earlier how she’d been interning with some big name physicist on a project Joohyun couldn’t even pretend to understand. She’d expressed how she’d been struggling with a pesky problem in the research and while Joohyun couldn’t specifically relate, she understood the fear of inadequacy well enough. So, plastering on her best understanding smile, Joohyun tells her, “You should probably go quickly then.”
Seulgi’s thankful grin is enough to quell any of Joohyun’s lingering upset. “Thank you. We’ll do this again soon? I still want to finish this movie.”
Joohyun nods, pleased at the prospect. “Of course. I’ll look forward to it.”
She walks Seulgi to the elevator, Seulgi’s body literally thrumming with nervous energy. Joohyun frowns. She must really be worried about whatever she left at the lab.
“Be careful, okay?” Joohyun says. “And don’t run into any more bikes!”
Seulgi looks at her in confusion and Joohyun raises a pointed brow, staring at the bandage still plastered to Seulgi’s head. Seulgi’s eyes light up in recognition.
“Oh, right! I promise I’ll be careful around bikes from now on.”
Joohyun grins, shaking her head as Seulgi enters the elevator. “Bye, Seulgi.”
Seulgi beams back at her, looking so much like the girl from high school that Joohyun used to know; it makes her chest ache. She raises her hand in a parting wave. “Bye, Joohyun.”
The elevator doors close on her and Joohyun returns to the couch, the sirens outside still blaring outside in a restless song. Later, Joohyun will open up a news site and see a picture of Spider-Woman swinging through the streets of Gangnam, only a few blocks away from Joohyun’s own apartment, and she’ll think nothing of it, switching instead to her messages to text Seulgi a sweet goodnight.
The thing about Seulgi, Joohyun learns, is that she’s notoriously flighty. If she isn’t running late, she’s leaving early. Most of the time, it’s a combination of the two. Joohyun doesn’t think anything about it immediately—Seulgi’s a busy woman after all. Still, Joohyun can admit to being a little disappointed every time Seulgi has to cut their time short, especially since Joohyun is used to being the one who ignores messages and bails on planned get togethers.
Like now, Joohyun sighs, watching as Seulgi’s expression suddenly drops. Distantly, she can hear sirens passing the street behind them. “Let me guess—you have to go?”
Seulgi looks up from her phone, wincing apologetically. She begins to gather her things. “I’m really sorry; it’s the lab again.”
Joohyun nods, no longer surprised. “Of course. I’ll text you later.”
Seulgi frowns at her. “We’ll hang out longer next time, I promise.”
Joohyun hums, indifferent. “Right.”
Seulgi sighs. “I’m really sorry. It’s just everything with the lab and some other stuff going on—” She’s cut off by the sound of another siren passing by. She glances down at her phone again, the screen lighting up continuously.
“Just go, Seulgi,” Joohyun says, shooing the girl away. “We can talk later. Clearly, you’re needed somewhere else.”
Seulgi purses her lips. “I’ll make it up to you, okay? I promise!”
Joohyun’s come to learn that Seulgi’s promises don’t really amount to much, but she nods anyway, hoping to appease the younger girl. She knows Seulgi means well; it’s not her fault, Joohyun’s lonely and needy for her attention.
It’s then that Joohyun takes notice of the bruise on Seulgi’s arm, an angry purple extending the length of her forearm, swirling over and around like she’d been roughly grabbed.
“Hey, wait. What happened to your arm?”
Seulgi pauses from where she’d been reaching down for her bag, gaze landing on the injury in question.
“Oh, this?” Seulgi says, shifting uncomfortably as she stares down at her arm. “I was just, uh, testing a new project in the lab. It’s a prosthetic controlled through neural pathways in the brain—clearly it still needs a little work. That’s actually what I’m heading to the lab for right now.” She ends it with a laugh, something Joohyun’s noticed she does whenever she’s feeling awkward.
Joohyun accepts the explanation easily, though. If there’s anything she’s noticed about her time with Seulgi it’s that the girl is a walking disaster. Without fail, there’s always some sort of new injury on her person, whether from the lab or otherwise. Joohyun’s seriously starting to consider carrying around extra band-aids just for her.
“Well, be careful, okay? You’re always getting hurt; I feel like I have to keep an eye on you all the time.” She says it in a rare moment of honesty, willing her cheeks not to heat up at the tender smile Seulgi gives her.
“I will. You should be careful, too.”
Joohyun gives her an amused grin. “What do I need to be careful for? I’m just an actress.”
Seulgi’s look is mysterious, and not for the first time Joohyun is curious about what’s going on in that head of hers. “You never know. It’s a dangerous world out there, and Spider-Woman can’t always be around to save you.”
It’s not always that Seulgi brings up Spider-Woman, if ever at all, but Joohyun is also quickly learning that for whatever reason, Seulgi doesn’t like the superhero very much. She’s always brushing off topics related to the hero, side-stepping the conversation or moving it along quickly when she can. Joohyun finds it curious, but figured Seulgi probably just wasn’t a fan. Not everyone finds masked vigilantism heroic after all.
With one last goodbye, Seulgi’s off, practically running out of the restaurant they’re in. Joohyun watches her go, her back disappearing into the crowded street instantly, phone pressed to her ear.
For a moment, Joohyun considers what it must be like to always be in a rush, constantly running from one place to the next, always needed, always called upon. Police cars speed passed then, sirens cutting through the silence, and, strangely, Joohyun wonders if somewhere out there, Spider-Woman is answering to their call the same way Seulgi is her lab.
“You work too much,” Seungwan tells her with little to no preamble, swiveling around in her chair to level Joohyun with a pointed stare.
Joohyun scoffs, indignant. "I literally just took a two month break."
"Yes, that your company forced you on after you almost died."
"I didn't 'almost' die, I was saved!"
Seungwan rolls her eyes. "Whatever, you almost weren't saved if that makes you feel better, ergo you almost died." She ignores Joohyun's huff of disagreement. "Did you even go home at all? What did your parents say?"
"They—" Joohyun stops, swallows. How are her parents? "They’re fine.” She waves away the question. “Don't you want to ask me about it?"
Discreetly, she checks her phone, sending off a text to Seulgi.
When was the last time you went home?
"Why?" Seungwan asks, turning back to the soundboard in front of her. "I've already read all about how Spider-Woman heroically caught you from falling to your death. What more is there to tell?"
Joohyun pokes at her. "You're not curious? Not even a little bit?"
Seungwan fiddles with the computer in front of her, shifting around buttons and playing with levels Joohyun doesn't understand in the slightest. She sighs, turning back to Joohyun. "All right, I’ll bite. What was she like?"
Joohyun mulls it over, chewing at her lip. When asked about it before, Joohyun hadn't said much. There'd been a lot going on, Spider-Woman was just doing her job, Joohyun was just thankful, really, that she'd been saved at all. But Seungwan isn't a news outlet hoping to get a scoop or her managers looking for answers to tell the company. Seungwan's a friend—probably Joohyun's only friend next to Seulgi who'd been surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing—and Joohyun's maybe been itching to talk about some of her Spider-Woman related thoughts.
"Honestly? She was surprisingly normal."
"Really?"
Joohyun nods. "Yeah, she kind of felt….like a friend? Like someone I might run into on the street."
Seungwan hums. "Well, I guess they don't call her your friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman for nothing."
"True," Joohyun agrees and offers up nothing else.
Seungwan raises a brow. "That's it? You hounded me to ask you about it and that's all you're going to say?"
Joohyun makes a face at her before growing quiet. "Well," she considers, unsure how to go about this. "There is something else…"
"What?"
"There was something about her. Something…. familiar?"
Seungwan sits back, interested. "What do you mean?"
"Just that, after she saved me she said—" Joohyun cuts off again, no longer sure that she actually wants to share her weird interaction with Korea’s spider.
"She said what?" Seungwan prompts, leaning forward probably a little more eagerly than she intended.
Joohyun shakes her head. "Nothing. It's nothing." At Seungwan's unimpressed look, Joohyun points towards the laptop in front of her as a distraction. "Hey, why don't you show me that song you said you were working on."
Seungwan lights up at the idea, her previous interest in Joohyun's Spider-Woman encounter forgotten. As she opens up the file on her computer, Joohyun's phone brightens with a new message.
Not for a while >.<
Joohyun smiles at the response, sending one back quickly.
Me too. We should go together some time.
"Who's that?"
Joohyun startles, nearly dropping her phone. "No one. Just a friend."
Seungwan shoots her a pointed look. "I know all your friends and you don't look like that when you text them."
"This is an old friend; you don't know her," Joohyun says around an annoyed roll of her eyes.
"An old friend?" Seungwan questions curiously.
"From high school."
Seungwan makes a noise of intrigue. "I didn't know you still kept in touch with your high school friends."
"I don't, or well, I didn't. We met again at Changmin's party and exchanged numbers. We hang out sometimes."
“Sometimes?” Seungwan asks, voice suggestive, and Joohyun flushes.
“Every now and then,” Joohyun amends. “Aren’t you going to show me that song?”
Seungwan makes a face at her that tells Joohyun Seungwan knows exactly what Joohyun’s doing. Thankfully, Seungwan lets it pass without argument.
“Yeah, okay. So I want to know what you think about the bridge.”
On her lap, Joohyun’s phone lights up with another message, but she ignores it, waiting for Seungwan’s attention to return to her laptop. She’s not sure why she feels like being secretive, just that for right now Seulgi is something Joohyun wants to keep all to herself.
She doesn’t question why she feels the same way about Spider-Woman.
Joohyun’s second run in with Spider-Woman is unexpected. It’s probably her own fault for going out so late, but she was hungry and filming ended late and the convenience store was just around the corner anyway. She’s made the trip down so many times that the nice store owner knows her personally by now and always makes sure that the other customers don’t bother her when she comes in.
It was supposed to be like any other trip.
Except the late hour and the slight rain always has a tendency to bring out the darkest of people. Joohyun doesn’t even notice the hooded figures that step out of the alley way nor the way they begin to trail after her when she passes. She blames it on being so tired, missing the usual alertness she normally has when making a journey such as this. The only warning she gets is the distinct chilling sensation Joohyun feels crawling down her spine, hair on the back of her neck standing, every nerve suddenly acutely aware of her surroundings and how not safe she is.
“It’s a woman's hidden superpower,” her mom told her once, hands gentle as they brushed her hair, "it keeps us safe." And Joohyun understands it now because there’s a fear only a woman could understand when you’re suddenly face to face with two grown men much bigger than you in the dead of night with no one else around. It's instinctual almost.
“Let me go,” she says but it’s futile, lacking any kind of strength. She's not normally the type to give up so easily, but there are situations that would make anyone feel frozen and this is one of them. Their smiles only grow in the wake of her struggle, and Joohyun feels dread. Only someone truly sick enjoys the thought of someone helpless.
They pull her close to them with rough hands, fingers harsh where they grip around her wrist. Joohyun winces, flinching back at the smell of alcohol rampant on their bodies.
“You’re very pretty,” one says, smile sinister as he nears her face.
“Please,” she tries and they laugh, enjoying the fear that’s clear in her eyes. They tighten their hold on her, eager for their prize.
It was just supposed to be like any other trip.
“This will be fun,” the other decides, smirking to himself as they begin to drag her towards the alley, out of sight and away from any passersby.
She drags her feet, kicking and yelling in the vain attempt that someone, anyone would hear her, but it’s useless as one places a dirty palm over , muffling her. She’s never cursed her small stature any more than in this moment when they easily pull her along with minimal effort like a predator would its wounded prey. Ready to be killed and devoured for their next meal.
Joohyun just prays it’s over quick.
“Let her go.”
The voice is strong, powerful. It has Joohyun snapping her eyes open, prone as she is against the wall behind her. The men turn confused, heads swiveling from side to side to find the person it belongs to until a sharp whistle from above has them darting their heads up.
"Up here!"
Crouched low on the lower roof of the building is the silhouette of a spider, the blood red of her suit barely visible in the dim lighting of the moon and the piercing white outline of her masked eyes a startling contrast to the dank alleyway they’re in.
“Took you long enough,” Spider-Woman mocks breezily once the men have finally turned their attention to her. Belatedly, they release their hold on Joohyun, realizing the presence they’re in.
Joohyun watches in mild amusement as their whole demeanor shifts, hands raising in surrender as they bow low.
“We weren’t doing anything!”
“She wanted it! We swear!”
“Please don’t hurt us!”
Joohyun scowls at their patheticness, hoping Spider-Woman is smart enough not to buy into their crap. The marks around her wrist are sore and red, her hair messy from how she’d been writhing in struggle, and her shirt slightly torn around the collar from where they’d aggressively tugged. Anyone with eyes could see what was happening and Spider-Woman seems to agree, posure shifting just so, poised for attack.
“This will be fun,” Spider-Woman echoes their earlier words and both men gasp.
It’s over before it even really starts. They try to run but Spider-Woman incapacitates them easily, webs shooting out with a quick flick of her wrist. It’s the first time Joohyun’s ever seen in her action up close, and it’s hard not to be mesmerized by the acrobatic display of her movements. Flipping easily down, Spider-Woman hits them each with a web to the face, dodging effortlessly when they try to rush at her and pinning them quickly down with elegant kicks and short, quick jabs to their torsos. In the end, they’re in a tangled heap on the floor, webbing locked around them while Spider-Woman stands above them, brushing the dirt off her suit.
The whole ordeal lasted mere seconds, and Joohyun can only gape in awe.
“Are you all right?” Spider-Woman asks, attention finally turned towards Joohyun once she’s sure the men aren’t moving.
Joohyun can’t find the words to respond, still stuck on her worst nightmare almost coming to life, and the fact that she’s just been saved by Spider-Woman again.
“I—” her voice comes out shaky, mouth opening and closing with an unspoken fear. She only realizes she’s still tense, body curled inward in an automatic fight or flight stance, when Spider-Woman steps towards her and she instinctively flinches back.
"It's okay," Spider-Woman calms, palms up in appeasement, then makes a show of inhaling and exhaling deeply, encouraging Joohyun to follow along. “Just breathe.”
Joohyun does with a difficult drag of her lungs. Breathe in—one, two, three—breathe out—one, two, three. Again and again until her muscles relax and the spring in her body begins to unfurl, one breath at a time.
"Thank you,” Joohyun eventually manages, slumped back against the wall in exhaustion rather than fear. “For saving me." She grimaces, adding, “Again.”
"Just doing my job," Spider-Woman replies simply.
Joohyun snorts, recalling their previous conversation. "Your side job?"
Spider-Woman lets out an amused chuckle. "Yeah, something like that." Then, when she notices how Joohyun has her head leaned against the wall tiredly, asks, "Can I offer you a lift home?"
Joohyun looks at her, noticing once again how her suit hides very little of her body. She remembers how it felt to cling onto that body, flying through the air with an arm wrapped securely around her waist, and blushes. "Oh, you don't have to. I don't live far from here."
"I don't mind, and I'd feel better if I knew you got home safe." Even though Joohyun can’t see her face, she can hear the frown in her voice and it makes her smile, reminding her of another girl, far away, who looks at Joohyun with a pinch between her brows whenever she notices Joohyun not taking care of herself properly.
She can almost imagine what Seulgi would say now, if she were here.
“Just take the ride!” she’d say. “It’s safer!”
And who is Joohyun to argue with that logic?
“Okay,” Joohyun replies hesitantly.
Spider-Woman’s body lifts, bouncing on her heels with a single clap of her hands. “Great!” She pauses then, fumbling as she steps closer to Joohyun, arms rising and falling unsurely. She looks nervous, probably remembering that taking Joohyun home would require actually touching her, and Joohyun can’t help but be endeared.
“Um, just. Here.” She opens her arms and Joohyun steps into them after only a slight hesitation. If she thinks about it more she’ll change her mind and it’s a little too late for that with how Spider-Woman circles her arm around Joohyun’s waist, pulling Joohyun flush against her. “Hold on tight,” she mutters, waiting for Joohyun to wrap her arms around Spider-Woman’s neck.
When Joohyun does, Spider-Woman stares at her for a quiet moment, their faces close together. Like this, Joohyun can see how the webbed lining on her suit cuts across her mask, the material sturdy and rough beneath her skin. Joohyun itches to take it off, to see what’s hiding underneath, but she resists, fingers flexing where they rest at the back of Spider-Woman’s neck.
With a quick extension of the hero’s arm, Joohyun hears the tell-tale sound of her web releasing before they’re suddenly shooting up. Joohyun muffles her shocked scream in Spider-Woman’s neck until they land on the side of the roof with one easy jump.
"Which building is yours?" Spider-Woman asks even as she shoots another web, propelling them up and forward in a giant swing. Joohyun doesn’t even notice that they’re already moving in the direction of her building.
"Gangnam villas,” Joohyun mumbles, hiding her face in Spider-Woman’s shoulder. “The white one up the street."
The journey there is short—Joohyun wasn’t kidding when she said she lived nearby—but even in the brief amount of time, Joohyun can still confidently say that she hasn’t gotten used to the sudden swoop in her stomach every time they release from one web to the next. The brief moment of weightlessness as they float with Earth’s gravity is enough to make her heart lurch, grasping onto the hero’s neck in a way that can’t be comfortable. Still, Spider-Woman just holds her tighter, fingers warm where they grab onto Joohyun’s side, until they finally jump onto solid ground again.
Releasing the death grip she’d had around Spider-Woman, Joohyun steps back, legs slightly shaky at the feel of concrete beneath her feet. She looks around at the familiar balcony curiously. "How'd you know I lived on the top floor?"
Spider-Woman shrugs. "You're Irene, of course you'd live on the top floor."
Joohyun raises an amused eyebrow. "You know who I am?"
"Why wouldn't I? I buy your soju!" She says it with a pleased tone, obviously proud of herself as she lifts her chin and puffs her chest. Despite herself, Joohyun finds it all disarmingly charming and eerily reminiscent of a certain science obsessed, photography nerd.
She hides her smile behind the sleeve of her shirt. "You'd be surprised. I have a friend who does too, and she had no idea who I was when we first saw each other again."
Spider-Woman crosses her arms. "She must be a pretty dumb friend then."
"She has her moments," Joohyun agrees with a laugh. Then, because the moment feels too comfortable, too casual for being saved by Korea’s favorite superhero, Joohyun tips her head towards the city. “Well, I’m sure you have better things to do than hang around here. Thank you again for everything.”
Spider-Woman inclines her head. “Of course. Be careful, okay? It’s a dangerous world out there, and I won’t always be around to save you.”
The line is a little too familiar that Joohyun whips her head back around so fast she feels her neck tingle uncomfortably from the whiplash. Spider-Woman doesn’t seem to notice, though, gazing out at the city lights in thought.
Heart pounding, Joohyun pushes out every thought that’s suddenly just invaded her mind. There’s no way. Not even when their voices sound similar, or their body types are almost identical. There’s just no way.
“Your track record says otherwise,” Joohyun jokes, hoping her tone comes out as casual even when she’s feeling anything but.
“Let’s hope it stays that way then,” Spider-Woman says around a laugh that Joohyun’s heard so many times before. She narrows her eyes at Spider-Woman’s back as she steps towards the balcony wall, hopping onto it with a light jump. She perches on the ledge in a crouch, and the line of her back feels familiar now. The cut of her shoulders angled in a way that Joohyun thinks she should have recognized sooner. She turns to look at Joohyun from over her shoulder. “Goodnight, Joohyun.”
Then she jumps, swinging into the city one graceful arch at a time.
There’s no way, but then Joohyun thinks of Seulgi always running late or running out, coffee dates cut short with every blare of a siren, mysterious calls from the lab at all hours of the day, all the cuts and bruises from being ‘clumsy.’
There’s no way, but it all makes sense now. Changmin’s party, Spider-Woman saving her, Seulgi knowing about the bruise around her neck.
There’s no way and yet—
“Goodnight, Seulgi.”
Minutes later, Seulgi calls her. She’s just got off work, she says, and is wondering if Joohyun’s busy. She sounds casual enough, but Joohyun can read between the lines, hears the tinge of concern she wouldn’t have normally picked up on if she wasn’t already looking. When she tells Seulgi about her night—the two men, the run in with Spider-Woman—she’s not surprised when Seulgi asks if she can come over.
Seulgi hugs her when she arrives, long arms encasing Joohyun, shoulders just perfect enough for Joohyun to hold onto. It feels familiar, it feels like—
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Seulgi whispers in her ear, concern and distress etched into her tone like she’s personally ashamed that she wasn’t there to help Joohyun sooner.
“I’m fine, Seulgi,” Joohyun soothes even as she melts a little bit more into the embrace, eagerly accepting the comfort Seulgi is providing her in a hold that screams of desperation and regret.
No, Joohyun decides, it can’t be. Seulgi wouldn’t react like this if she saw Joohyun earlier, not if she was the one to personally save her.
No, Seulgi couldn’t possibly be Spider-Woman.
Could she?
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