Earth-46: A Spidersona Story | Book 1

Issue #2: Canon Event

Ji-Hoon's eyes slowly fluttered open as the blaring alarm roused him from his slumber. He groggily swiped at the alarm clock, inadvertently shattering it into fragments. Startled, Ji-Hoon jolted upright, his sheets flung off his chest. As he examined his hand, he noticed his black t-shirt seemed to have shrunk, revealing well-defined muscles. Hastily tossing aside the blanket, he hurried to a nearby mirror and removed his shirt, revealing a remarkably muscular physique. Despite already being in decent shape, the reflection staring back at Ji-Hoon displayed twice the muscle mass and an impressive six-pack. Ji-Hoon stood there, astonished, this was far from the usual changes experienced during puberty.

Ji-Hoon opted for looser-fitting attire, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. Throughout the morning, he couldn't help but ponder how on earth he ended up with such an aesthetically pleasing physique. Could it really be attributed to that spider bite? It seemed implausible.

"Dude, you alright? I've never seen your brows furrowed like that before. Everything okay?" Ethan's voice snapped Ji-Hoon out of his trance. The two sat on a bench in the school courtyard, taking a breather from the long school day.

Ji-Hoon blinked a few times before responding, "Yeah, just...thinking."

Ethan chuckled, finding amusement in his friend's perplexed expression. "Man, this is a whole new side of you. What's got the usually stoic Ji-Hoon Kim lost in thought?"

Ji-Hoon began to drift off again when a sudden disturbance interrupted his thoughts.

"For the last time, Kyle," Mia mocked, deliberately emphasizing his name. "I will not go out with you. The message should have been clear after the last ten times."

"Oh, come on, baby. You. Me. We'd be amazing together. Why not give me a chance?" Kyle persisted, oozing entitlement.

"No." Mia stated firmly.

Without wasting a moment, Kyle slyly snaked his arm around Mia's waist. "Oh, pretty please?" he whined.

"Ew, get your disgusting hands off me, you weirdo!" Mia forcefully pushed Kyle's face away, visibly repulsed by his presence.

Ji-Hoon's fists clenched, and he gritted his teeth. Despite always despising self-entitled pricks like Kyle, today his resentment has reached it's limit.

Ethan glanced at his friend's trembling figure and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? Take it easy, man—"

Ji-Hoon pushed himself off the bench, brushing off Ethan's hand, and stormed towards Kyle. "Hey, asshole! Didn't you hear her? Back off!" Ji-Hoon shouted, drawing the attention of onlookers who reacted with murmurs of anticipation.

Kyle swiftly turned around and sneered at Ji-Hoon. "Get lost, you nobody. This is none of your business."

Ji-Hoon forcefully shoved Kyle away from Mia. "I said. Back. Off." Mia stared at Ji-Hoon in awe while the crowd grew, intensifying the excitement.

"You're gonna regret that, pal," Kyle snarled.

Kyle advanced, attempting to land an unskilled punch on Ji-Hoon's face. Time seemed to slow down as Ji-Hoon sensed the danger, a tingling sensation alerting him. His hair stood on end.

Without overthinking, Ji-Hoon swiftly ducked and evaded Kyle's punch, causing the bully to stumble forward. The crowd erupted in laughter and jeers at Kyle's expense.

Enraged, Kyle's cheeks turned red. "You fucker!" he yelled in frustration. He threw a flurry of wild punches at Ji-Hoon, who effortlessly weaved in and out of the strikes as time seemingly slowed down for him.