When a meteor crashes into Hyunjin's life, it doesn't just leave a crater-it changes everything.
Embedded within it was an ancient relic, a forgotten piece of a lost civilization, that fused with his very being, granting him superhuman abilities fa...
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The campus was alive with its usual energy—students rushing to their classes, laughter echoing through the hallways, and the crisp autumn air filled with the scent of fallen leaves. Hyunjin barely registered any of it. The vibrant colors of the season, the distant hum of the city, even the familiar faces that passed him by—it was all just a blur. He moved through the crowd as if on autopilot, his mind clouded by exhaustion.
As he rounded a corner, lost in the haze of his thoughts, he collided with another student. The impact was sudden, jolting him out of his stupor. Hyunjin staggered back, his hands reflexively reaching out to steady himself. The other student—a boy with messy brown hair—wasn't as lucky. He stumbled, bumping into a row of lockers with a sharp thud.
"Sorry," Hyunjin mumbled, barely making eye contact as he brushed past the boy.
"No problem," the boy replied, his voice calm and indifferent, though a faint smile flickered across his lips.
The encounter was brief, almost insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but something about it stuck with Hyunjin. He couldn't quite place it, a nagging sense of familiarity that refused to be ignored. Still, he pushed the thought aside, letting the current of students carry him to class.
He slipped into his usual seat, the wooden chair creaking under his weight. The room was filled with the soft rustle of pages and the low murmur of students discussing assignments and weekend plans. Hyunjin's gaze drifted to the front of the class where the teacher droned on about today's lesson. The words blurred together, becoming a monotonous hum in the background.
Hyunjin could barely keep his eyes open, his head drooping forward as sleep threatened to claim him. Longing to return to the comfort of his own bed in the solitude of his room.
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The city's heartbeat had always been a steady pulse, a rhythmic hum that Hyunjin could almost sync with his own. But tonight, that pulse was violently interrupted. The earthquake struck without warning, a sudden, ferocious tremor that shook the city to its core. Buildings swayed precariously, their foundations groaning under the strain. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke, dust, and the sharp tang of fear.
Hyunjin had been patrolling the city when it struck. The ground shook violently beneath him, sending waves of destruction rippling through the streets. Buildings swayed dangerously, and the air was filled with the sounds of collapsing structures and panicked screams.
He was on the scene in seconds, moving with a speed and precision that only his powers allowed. The first house he reached was half-collapsed, its roof caved in and walls crumbling. Without hesitation, Hyunjin used his strength to lift the debris, pulling out a terrified family trapped beneath. Their faces were streaked with dust and fear, but they were alive, and that was all that mattered.
As Hyunjin moved through the rubble, a faint sound caught his attention, something beneath the usual cacophony of an earthquake's destruction. It was almost imperceptible, a low, irregular hum that didn't belong—a strange pattern in the tremors that set his instincts on edge. For a moment, he hesitated, the sound gnawing at the back of his mind before the cries for help pulled him back into action.
One after another, Hyunjin rescued the trapped and injured, his powers making quick work of the destruction. But with each life saved, the toll on his body grew. His muscles ached, and his breath came in ragged gasps. Yet he pushed on, driven by a force greater than his own exhaustion.
When he reached the last house on the street, the situation was dire. The door was completely blocked by rubble, leaving no way in. He opted for a window instead, smashing the glass and slipping inside. As Hyunjin squeezed through the jagged frame, his mask caught on a shard of glass, tearing it from his face. He froze, staring at the ripped fabric in his hand, his pulse quickening. The fragile barrier that had kept his identity safe now hung uselessly from his fingers, exposing him in the very heart of the chaos he had vowed to protect.
A faint, desperate cry pierced through the silence, snapping him back to reality. Hyunjin's breath caught as he strained to locate the sound, every nerve on edge. Another cry echoed through the debris—urgent, fearful, and unmistakably human. He clenched his jaw, someone was still trapped inside, buried under the debris.
For a split second, he hesitated, the weight of his exposed identity pressing down on him. But the choice wasn't really a choice at all. He couldn't abandon someone in need. He glanced down at the mask. He was a hero, and heroes didn't turn away. He knew the risk of exposing his identity. But the alternative, leaving someone to die, was unthinkable.
With a determined sigh, Hyunjin discarded the torn mask and pushed forward. He moved through the rubble with purpose, using his powers to lift debris, his movements careful but swift. As he cleared the wreckage, he finally spotted the source of the cries—a boy, crumpled and dazed, half-buried under a collapsed wall.
Hyunjin's breath hitched as he pulled the boy free, lifting him as if he weighed nothing. Something about the boy felt... familiar, but Hyunjin couldn't place it. His mind was too clouded with fatigue, too focused on getting them both out of there before the rest of the building came down.
He didn't stop until they were safely outside, landing in a secluded spot just as the house gave one final groan and collapsed entirely behind them. The noise was deafening, but Hyunjin barely registered it. His chest heaved, the adrenaline finally beginning to ebb, leaving behind a bone-deep weariness.
He turned to the boy, who was staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. It was in that moment, as their gazes locked, that the familiarity struck him like a bolt of lightning. The messy brown hair, the big eyes filled with both fear and awe, the faint glimmer of recognition flickering in the boy's expression—Hyunjin's mind raced, trying to connect the dots through the fog of his exhaustion.
Then it clicked. The brief encounter earlier that day, the jarring collision in the hallway—this was the same boy. The one who had barely registered in his mind at the time, now standing before him in a completely different context, his face etched with a mixture of shock and gratitude.
"You're... y-you go to my school?" the boy stammered, his voice shaky, disbelief evident in his wide eyes.
The words hung in the air between them, charged with the weight of what had just happened. Hyunjin's mind raced, searching for a way to salvage the situation, a way to undo the impossible. But nothing came. He could only nod, the exhaustion finally catching up with him as he stared at the boy who now knew his deepest secret.
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[A/N: hmmm I wonder who this boy could possibly beeeeee??????]
