Supernerd! MARK

07 | party pooper

My Economics class had been cancelled at the very last minute today, which is why I find myself at home instead of school.

I sit on our dingy second-hand couch with my legs crossed, arms hugged over a pillow as I skim through the channels on the TV to decide on what to watch while I eat my oatmeal.

I pause on the news channel, the screen showing a video of the masked man whose name has been making it's rounds lately, and I find myself tuning in.

It seems as though everything Spider-Man does nowadays would only land him on the news, be it big or small. His heroic act of the day is saving some random person's dog from a tree, and I find myself smiling at the footage as he passes the tiny Bichon to the sniffling guy, and despite his masked face, I can tell that he's talking to the him, presumably saying some reassuring words.

I pause, and my mind suddenly going back to a few days ago at my own experience with the masked vigilante. As much as I don't want to remember it, my brain can't seem to stop rewinding the moments of my near-accident since it happened, and it finally dawns upon me today that I've never once heard Spider-Man's voice despite our close contact a few nights ago.

I find it weird, of course, considering the footage I'm watching of him currently shows that he's able to speak just fine.

Before I could continue my train of thought, I hear our main door swing open, and in walks Chaerin.

"Whatcha doing?" She asks as she flops on the couch next to me. The footage is no longer showing on the screen, but a static photo of the Spider-Man is seen on the green screen behind the newscaster as she wraps up and moves on to the next segment.

I shrug, taking a spoonful of my oatmeal. Though I had expected Chaerin to comment about the vigilante like she always does, she is weirdly quiet, and I turn around to face her.

"Yena, are you sure you alright?" My roommate asks warily, and I know she's being serious.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I question as I lower the volume of the TV.

"I never really got to ask you how you're doing after the accident. I'm sorry," Chaerin admits guiltily, and I find myself frowning.

I had only managed to tell my two roommates about what had happened after I calmed down, though my story about having been saved by the Spider-Man wasn't really a priority in their books— they were just glad I'm okay. Because I was adamant on going to school the next day, no one really brought up the accident anymore— until today, that is— though it's hard to miss the worried looks they would cast me whenever they thought I wasn't looking.

"Don't say that," I assure her. "I'm fine, really."

"Yeah, but... you've been quiet lately. It worries us, you know? And as much as Jaemin wouldn't admit it, I know he's worried about you too."

I fumble with my fingers. "Chaerin," I say suddenly, and my roommate perks up from beside me. "What if... what if you find out that the Spider-Man is actually someone you know?" I find myself asking the question that has been gnawing at the back of my brain lately.

I know that I've been trying to convince myself that Mark Lee isn't the Spider-Man, but it's hard to shake away my thoughts when the evidence is right there.

"Suddenly?" Chaerin questions, and even though I can tell she's interested in what may have prompted me to ask, she doesn't prod. "I don't know. Maybe I'll ask him for his ass routine," she jokes, and I find myself laughing for the first time in a few days.

"In all seriousness, though," she continues. "I guess I'll continue to keep it a secret. I mean, there must be a reason why he chooses to stay masked, right?" She says, and I'm glad that she shares the same sentiments as me. "Though, I'll probably have him bribe me into keeping his secret."