After everything that had happened, I urged Minjun to have a seat in the kitchen of this studio. The school provided us with three separate rooms: one bedroom for me, one for Minjun, and the kitchen and living room combined. Even though we were going to be roommates, there was still some privacy left for this apartment. Thank god it wasn't something congested with no walls or panels.
But from afar, the room looked like a pig's barn on the outside. However, the interior design wasn't that shabby compared to other places I had seen before. It had all the things we needed for a house to function.
Luckily, the house that Yong university provided also had every appliance we would need to survive. We didn't have to buy a stove or anything else, since we could use the devices in store for us. The University had provided us with a fridge, internet access, a cabinet, a water system, a working shower we could control the temperature, and a sofa. It was like heaven sent.
But the table inside the kitchen became an interrogation room, with the window as our only witness from everything that occurred. I had dimmed the lights to add a thrilling atmosphere for this moment. However, the luminance coming from the window destroyed my thoughts.
The curtains covered the insides. Nobody noticed the flying pants or the naked and honed body of this handsome man. If word came out that the superhero was inside this room, those robbers he had put into jail would hunt him down and his family. Minjun also brought up his father.
I sat on the chair and forced Minjun to sit on the opposite side. He requested to rest for the time being after everything he had gone through, but I refused. This was more important. Minjun finally gave in and sat parallel to me, with his eyes returning my gaze.
Before everything could start, rumbling sounds echoed inside the room. I tried looking for the sound's origin, but there was nothing I could think of except for monsters hiding behind the walls. But within a few seconds, my eyes glued themselves to Minjun. He covered his abdomen and lowered his head.
"I…. haven't eaten anything yet. Sorry."
The clock told us it was a lovely afternoon, where the sun showers its light the highest. Minjun also said he hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch and went crime-fighting outside with an empty stomach. If I had done that to my mom, she would have already freaked out and ran to the nearest cafeteria to buy a decent meal. Despite struggling with money, she made no excuse to feed me. My mom did all of that as a loving parent. I missed her already.
"Fine. You can eat first," I said, and brought up my phone. I wanted to scroll on the internet while waiting for Minjun to finish his business.
Minjun left his seat and went to the fridge to fetch those frozen meats inside the small fridge. It was just a burger that came from the nearest convenience store. Well, at least there was something. After taking the food out, he placed them on a plate and stood beside the stove. Both of his hands rested on his hips, with his stern face gawking at the pan. Even after a few minutes had passed, I had seen no smoke or smelled no food inside the room.
"Hey! Are you even cooking? You just have to let the frozen food thaw, open the stove, place some spices, and cook," I explained, as if it was the natural thing to do.
However, Minjun stared at me like a deer in the headlights. If he were a kid, he would've cried already. "I'm sorry. I usually buy food after taking out crimes. But after the recent one, those robbers tried stabbing me with a kitchen knife and hitting me with a bottle."
"Oh, you poor thing."
I didn't want to have any debates or slow downtime. Since my stomach also showed signs of craving for food, I rose from my seat and went to the pan.
"Move aside and let me handle the cooking," I uttered.
Minjun obeyed like a dog without a bone and went back to his chair. He waited to cook the burger, swimming with the leftover oil from the container. The sizzling sounds kept the two of us company. After a while, I finally broke the silence and tried questioning him in front of the stove.
"Why are you fighting criminals when you can just sit back inside this room and act like a normal citizen? You'll eventually get yourself killed if you continue saving them."
"I know. But I have this power, and it must have a reason for it. I can't just let them die or be in trouble without helping those people," Minjun answered.
"Then what's in it for you?" I asked once more.
"Nothing. I gain nothing from it. But by saving someone, I help everyone. Maybe that could change something in this world."
"So you're like an angel who helps everyone in need, huh?" I said, and turned around to face him. "But what happens if your powers, like now, are on cooldown? Or if you have to choose who to save? Short story, you can't save everyone. You could be a superhero for all you want, but there would be others who would be killed and cannot be saved. What happens after that?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I see one. And besides, it doesn't affect me now, does it?"
"It doesn't. But if we're going to be roommates, I might as well help you."
"Stay out of my way. It's too dangerous."
"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm just offering you the little aid I could give. But if you don't want it, fine. I'm not pushing you or anything. Anyway, lunch is served. I don't have money, but cheers for a free meal. I have my packed lunch, but I will use that later…. For my dinner."
"Do whatever you want. I do owe you."
After our conversation, the two of us sat at the table and dug into our meal. It was the frozen burger earlier with crippling spices left from the drawers. The meat's aroma entered our nostrils and lured us near our plate. This was the best thing that I could do.
However, something strange happened with Minjun. It was as if he had felt something beyond the capabilities of t human senses. He got off from his seat and looked at the wall, while clenching his fist. He barely ate the food that I prepared. But the scene beyond the wall must be something more important than his dying stomach.
"What is it? What's wrong with the wall? Are we under attack? Do you have a sixth sense or what? Please don't tell me I'm going to die, because I won't! If I die, I'll blame you for it!" I panicked.
"Nobody's going to die except for me if necessary or if I'm already late in the scene. Check your phone if there's a live robbery happening. Or just open it and tell me the map."
Despite worrying for my safety, I did as Minjun told me and opened my application. Within seconds, my screen brightened and showed me the map of South Korea. Minjun pointed at some place and marked it.
"What?" I asked.
"I marked down the source of the sound. Just stay on guard and don't follow me. There's a crime happening not far from here," Minjun answered.
"What do you mean, a crime is happening? And how the hell did you figure that out, Sherlock?"
"My senses are dialled up to eleven, meaning I could hear and see more than you. If you don't want to get hurt, I advise you to stay inside this room and don't go out. Be a good cat and do as I say?"
As soon as Minjun said those words, he went towards the window and turned into a blob of metallic liquid. Minjun also absorbed the shorts, mask, and shirt he called as a superhero outfit and launched himself outside the window. We were on the tenth floor, by the way. The moment he landed on the ground, Minjun splashed like a bucket of water but collected himself afterward. It was as the article had portrayed him. A weirdo.
"Just like that, you're going to leave me here? I thought you had a cooldown?!"
If my memory had served me right, Minjun could not access his powers until thirty minutes would pass by. Even though he had turned into that slime, he could barely use his powers. Minjun told me about it earlier.
I valued my life. And there was no way for me to help Minjun out there in the open, even if I could desperately try. He was a superhero who could bend metals. I was just an eighteen-year-old girl who had become a Yong University student. Even if I went there, how could I help him?
However, if I wanted to become an aspiring journalist, I would visit those dangerous sites. If I wished to inform the mass, I needed to take the risk and unravel the truth. Like Minjun, I would help if I could tell the media that the hallway was not safe.
And that thought was enough to drive me towards the streets.