But upon entering the room, a wounded man around my age greeted my eyes. The guy had gashes and bruises all over his body as if someone abused him. But there was nobody there except for the man and me. He was like a fish out of water. I didn't know why, but I got the feeling this was the roommate the old man was talking about before. He lifted his head and gazed at my figure while motioning his hand.
"OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" I shouted.
"C-Close the door. Please. Don't let anyone see me," the guy pleaded, as he motioned his fingers across the door. "And please don't shout. People might hear us."
Did he want to close the door for his privacy concerns because he was half-naked? That was what I believed in. By instinct, I heeded his advice and locked the door behind me, without even questioning the mysterious injured man.
Even though he had grazed on his body, the man still looked fresh as ever. He had blood dripping from his mouth as if he had a fistfight with someone. His uniform was badly torn off, revealing some parts of his body. It was thanks to those holes I could see his perfectly built and honed body.
He was a second-year student, judging by the badge he had on his patch. We had those. I didn't have one, considering that I was still a freshman.
My heart pounded around a million beats per minute after gawking at the man's six-pack abs and his face gasping for air. Despite getting beaten up by a mysterious force, the man still looked like a model. He was hot, even hotter than the pesky sun.
"What happened to you? Why are you hurt? Should I call the cops? An Ambulance?" I asked in a panic.
"No. No cops or hospitals. I….. I can heal," the man answered, while waving his hands at me.
"Excuse me? Heal? As in regenerate your body? Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. You need medical guidance. And I am no doctor! I am a freaking journalist who….."
Before I could even complete my sentence, the man magically teleported right in front of my face. He placed his left hand to cover my mouth and used the other to maintain his balance against the wall. His smell wafted through my nostrils and exited my…. NO! THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT! AND WHY THE HELL AM I ENJOYING THIS.
Despite my constant retort, my body refused to obey my command. It was as if every cell inside me got charmed by him and this man's broad shoulders and half-naked upper body. I hated it. But at the same time, my body liked it. Did anyone notice the heat rising through the roof as if this place became a volcano of some sort? I did!
"Please…. Don't tell anyone," the man pleaded, and finally lost his conscience.
But I didn't let him kiss the ground just yet. My waiting arms caught him before he could crash against the floor. My body couldn't handle the weight, so I slid with him. My legs became the man's cushion as the two of us were stuck together like spoon and fork. However, I refused these sudden events and escaped from the handsome man's crushing weight, even if my body cursed me.
"I know some first aid thingies. But my stock knowledge was probably a year ago….Maybe a decade, even. Do you mind if…." At the end of the day, I offered him my help and pointed at his wounds painted on his body.
The man widened his eyes at my offer and reluctantly nodded at my words. He had no other choice. I would've helped him even if he didn't give me an answer. It was just my nature to help people in need, especially a handsome one. That was just a bonus. He wasn't anything like the Kpop groups claiming the world, but this guy had his own charm.
"I'd love that…. Thank you."
It took me a while, but I got the hang of it. Using all the guy's spare clothes, I ripped them off, made them as towels, and covered his wounds. I needed to seal them so that this man wouldn't fall unconscious because of blood loss. If there was one thing I wished for, it was him staying sane for a little while until he heals his wounds.
As luck would have it, he healed. His skin regenerated as if he was some sort of reptile who had regenerative capabilities. Was that normal? Nobody could give me an answer, except for his skin patching together.
But that wasn't the last part of his surprise. When I squinted my eyes, grey materials looked like metals coursing through his veins. It had no rusts. I thought that those were scraps that came from a bullet! But no, it didn't. It was as if those metal pieces came right inside his body and helped him heal his wounds as platelets would.
While wiping off the dirt from his body, I couldn't help but ask the man. "What's wrong with your body? Are those metals? Are you into piercing yourself with metal? Is that a culture from this university? A sophomore and a senior?"
"No," the guy answered. "You're…. just seeing things."
Since I didn't like his answer, I squeezed the towel drenched in warm water and pinched it near his wounds. The man uncontrollably jerked backward, but I had my hands gripped on his shoulders. He can't escape from me.
"I am giving you first aid. All I ask for are answers. If you wouldn't want me to pinch your wounds and open that door, I advise you to tell me everything I asked for. Got it?"
The guy nodded. If he didn't want to accept my terms, I would leave this place and demand the guy downstairs for a change of apartment. If he refuses, I will send a message to the dean. He might listen to me.
"I don't go around telling this…. Ouch! Hey, that hurts!" the guy narrated, but got cut off after accidentally slipping my hand.
"Whoops. Sorry. Anyway, continue."
"As I was saying, I don't go around telling this in public. You're the second one. I'm actually the hero spiralling around the news."
"BWAHAHAHAH! Come on, man. There's a limit to telling a joke, right? Don't kid around, okay? It's bad manners," I reacted, and burst into tears.
However, after a few seconds of chuckling up a storm, the guy never burst his bubble. He just glared at me as if I did something terrible! His gaze was like a dagger that pierced my maiden heart. I hated it. But, then again, my body loved it.
"What? You're the weirdo, running around with that metallic element around you like Magneto from X-Men? Seriously?" I said, and changed my tone.
"Is that a problem?" the guy replied. "And I'm not Magneto. Magneto is a mutant that manipulates all forms of magnetism, summons force fields, and shoots electromagnetic pulses that can disable electronic devices. All I could do is to bend these metals into my will in exchange for my energy. I can only use my powers within roughly thirty minutes. And it has a cooldown of one hour, regardless of whether I sleep, exercise, or eat. Although I can still use my power, I could barely control it from how I want to use it. And why am I explaining this to you?"
"So you're like Toph from Avatar? Do you know that series? It was awesome. Do you bend or do martial arts to summon the metals? Can you even summon them without using anything, or do you just use the metals surrounding you? And can you bend other metals like gold, silver, bronze, aluminium, and others?"
"I don't know. But the thing is, I am not Magneto, and I am not Toph or a descendant of the avatar. I am just a guy who got this power after…."
"Bitten by a radioactive spider?" I interposed.
"Let me finish."
"Okay."
"I am just a guy who recently got this power after mixing supplements to my laboratory," the boy elucidated. "I'm just learning about it, and just as confused as you."
"Laboratory? As in a Science lab?" I interrupted.
"Yes. But it's just a garage. Actually, it's my room. I already put the sample inside the trash. Nothing was left of it. And even if it had any remaining droplets, I couldn't do anything about it. There's little I could do with my tools inside my room. Not this. My other room."
"I have no idea what you just said, but I don't buy it. This life is not like in the comics or X-Men. We don't have those 'Mutants' or superheroes. You're not even Aang or the avatar! Tell me the truth this time. I won't laugh."
"I am saying the truth. And why are you even here in my room in the first place? Shouldn't you be in an empty room alone, since you're a girl?"
I grunted and replied, "I was, especially when this shady apartment that came from a popular school had all the rooms reserved for the new generation students. But no! I have no other choice but to be stuck with you, with all due respect. How do they do that, anyway?"
"So you're saying that I cannot be trusted? Because I'm a guy?" the man asked.
"Yes, but not entirely true. It just so happens that you're a guy and I'm a girl, and we need some privacy."
"Yeah, sure."
"I'm just saying that…. Why are we changing the subject? I am asking for these grey things inside and outside your body! This isn't about me! It's about you!" I retorted, and hauled the topic back to the guy. "It has been a rough day, and I was told to stay here for four years. I don't care anymore. All I'm asking for is you, and whatever that thing is. Oh, look. It's oozing out from your veins and…."
The moment I pointed out the melted metal inside the guy's body, he waved his hand and inserted the fluid back inside of him. It was a peculiar interaction, but it did the job. Doctors wouldn't agree to his idea, and they would spin their heads, digesting what had happened.
It was what the man had mentioned. He healed his body back to its original form within a few minutes. The wounds I noticed earlier disappeared as if it didn't happen. However, he still had his torn uniform, which served as your evidence.
"I need to get you a pair of clothes, Mr. Magneto."
"The name's Minjun. Minjun Kangjeon. Partially Japanese, but not really."
"Okay, Minjun, who is partially Japanese, but not really. Tell me where your clothes are, so I can fetch them for you. I don't want a handsome naked man inside this room."
"Excuse me?" Minjun uttered.
As I rose from the ground, he pulled me back from the ground and waved his other hand. My brain had turned off during the time, considering the distance between Minjun and I. We were at point-blank range. I will kiss him if he continues to do this.
However, that thought subsided when his pants, made of steel, flew towards him and covered his lowered body. But, the thing was, the pants he had were made of cotton. He just recently told me he could bend metal for over thirty minutes and had a cooldown of an hour like he was some sort of a video game character.
"How'd you do that?" I asked.
"Do what? This? I told you I could bend metals to my will. Any metal that you could think of, I could swing it around like this," Minjun answered.
"I know, you idiot. I mean, that! THAT! That thing... C-C-Clothing is floating like a fish with wings when it's made of cotton! That ain't metal in my eyes, you doofus!"
"Oh, I see. Here. If you look closely, I inserted some metallic buttons all around my pants, which was why I could summon them."
"For?" I queried him a question, while tilting my head.
"So I won't stand up and grab them whenever I need to change."
"And?" I added? "That doesn't answer my question."
"And I also need to change into my superhero costume, so no one would notice me," he answered. "Happy?"
"You mean your mask and your pyjamas?" I mumbled.
"I'm working on it."
After all the conversation we had, the two of us went to the table and discussed everything. I didn't want to live with a roommate who was part superhero and student. However, what choice did I have?