Superhuman

A Helping Hand

Yeosang wandered the busy streets of downtown Utopia. The atmosphere was the complete opposite of what one would think of such an urban area: the wind blew a bit harshly, throwing leaves from the dying trees of autumn at Yeosang. The gusts played with his sun kissed brunette hair and his slightly oversized jacket that clung to his body. It was cold, but Yeosang loved it. The leaves shifting from one colour to another lifted his mood; and it had ever since he was a kid. For the past few weeks Yeosang's family had been pestering him with their company. He understood them not being used to him living at his own place, but he needed at least some time to himself. It had been three weeks since he officially moved out of his parents house. Being the youngest child made Yeosang's parents much more attached to him than others'. Sure they could be a bit much sometimes but they had always supported him whenever he needed them.
After a bit of waiting outside of a pretty busy local cafe, a sound caught his attention. There was faint grunting and yelling coming from the alleyway nearby. Yeosang noticed the people that walked by the gap between buildings averting their eyes from the area or picking up their pace. Curious, he tilted his head over to peek just passed the corner. What was revealed to him was a mess. There were three men standing over another, all wearing leather and denim. The man on the ground was covered in bruises and gashes. There was blood clinging to his light brown hair and caked on his right cheek. Without thinking Yeosang hollered down the alley to the three men.
"What the hell are you guys doing? Ganging up three to one on someone? Who the hell thought that was a fair fight?"
Immediately, the three stopped what they were doing and looked to him. The man on the ground coughed while remaining motionless.
"Why the hell is some pretty boy giving us a lesson on how to jump some bitch?" The man that spoke had a gruff voice that complemented his figure. All three of them were dressed in leather and denim; Yeosang could only assume that they were part of some group that beat the shit out of random people for some reason. While weird sounding, gangs weren't unheard of in Utopia.
"How about you just take your pretty face and get the fuck out of here before you look a little like him, eh?" The second guy to talk was younger looking than the first, his slicked back hair was so dark brown that it almost looked black. Out of all three he was the most muscular-looking, being a bit more bigger than the others. His face was broad and chiselled, painted with a weirdly amused grin. Though all three of the men could take Yeosang with ease he hoped his projected confidence would end the encounter. He was wrong.
The first man that yelled at him had struck him in the face, the force knocking Yeosang to the ground. In reality, Yeosang had a fighting spirit but lacked a fighting body; he knew that but it never stopped him from trying. The man continued to kick Yeosang in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. A few seconds passed while he tried to collect his breathing before he was kicked in the back of the head. A ringing started up in his ears as the other two men took turns beating Yeosang. It took a few minutes before they eventually let up and started to leave.
"That'll teach the bitch," one of them smirked. Yeosang watched as the three wandered off into the street. The people passing by all avoided eye contact with them while staring at the two men on the ground, both beaten and bloodied.
It took Yeosang a bit to get up due to his current condition, but after a few seconds he gathered his strength and was able to get up. He stumbled and almost fell back to the ground, catching himself on a trash can. That's when Yeosang remembered the reason why he was in this mess in the first place: the man on the ground. Still trying to shake dizziness from his consciousness, Yeosang bumbled over to the man, slowly helping him up. There was still a ringing in his ears and his head hurt like hell. He definitely had another concussion.
"Thank you," was all that came from the other's mouth other than the occasional cough or strained inhale. Yeosang had to get him to his house and fast. How long had he been beaten? Why did those three men go after him? It just made no sense. The only way that this guy would be in this condition is one of two things: one, they just really didn't like him that much and attacked with that much rage, or two, they had been beating him for a while. Both options brought more questions than answers in than questions so Yeosang just decided to let those questions be for now.
"I can take you to the hospital, you're not looking so good," Yeosang offered as he felt blood start to roam from his nose. The stranger shook his head and attempted to shrug himself away from Yeosang but his legs gave out almost instantly. The man fell back into Yeosang's arms, sending him into a scrambling state of trying to keep the both of them up.
"Well if you don't want to go to the hospital then at least let me take you to my place. I don't live that far from here and you need to rest," There was a moment of silence before the stranger let out a hesitant sigh and nodded.
The pair slowly but surely made their way out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. The people that passed them gave them weird looks and whispered, but no one did anything to help. It was sad really; watching as an entire sidewalk of people didn't even try to help two people that obviously were in need. It bothered Yeosang but it didn't stop him from getting to his apartment. Once there, he sloppily opened the door and helped the stranger onto the couch. Immediately, his roommate entered the living room in a hurry.
The apartment was small but charming. Under normal circumstances Yeosang would love to brag about how he decorated and painted the walls. Sure he might have spent too much money on just decor but it looked great nonetheless. The entryway to the apartment was pretty barren only containing three pairs of shoes and an umbrella. It led into the living room that contained a pair of red plaid couches and a small TV. The floor was a light wood partially covered up by a soft white rug that took up the middle of the room. Small plants and soft stuffed animals decorated the room as well as paintings that were hung up on the four white walls. There were only two plants that hung from the ceiling because Yeosang just started that project, but he'd be damned if it didn't look good. It was hard getting those things up there due to how short he was. The two house plants were young, still not having much to them now, but give it a few months and his English ivy plants would look amazing hanging overhead the TV. After a bit of catching his breath, Yeosang instinctively reached up to scratch the back of his neck and flinched as his nails made contact with a gash, cursing under his breath.
"What the hell are you doing?" It was a phrase that Yeosang was all too familiar with. Yeri, his roommate, had always been the one to get Yeosang out of the trouble that he seemingly always found himself in. Whether it was taking on an extra shift because someone didn't want to work or running an errand for someone, he always seemed to bite off a little more than he could chew. The two had been friends since childhood and their relationship had never changed. Yeri was like the older sister he never had, always being understanding and a helpful guide when he needed someone. Yeri was shorter than both the stranger and Yeosang, her long black hair always held up in a small ponytail and pulled from her delicate face.
"And who are you?"
Oh yeah, Yeosang brought a beaten and bloodied stranger into their apartment.
"He was beaten up by some guys in an alley. He didn't want me to take him to the hospital for some re-" He was cut off by the man on the couch clearing his throat and looking up to them. His brown hair was highlighted with small patches of blood that occasionally slid onto his beige parka jacket. That was going to be hard to wash out.
"I was jumped," he said flatly. "And my name is Jongho." Though he was talking to Yeosang and Yeri, he had his eyes cast to the ground, staring at nothing as he spoke. "I don't need your help if I'm too big of an issue."
"Oh be quiet you," Yeri shook her head. "You're looking worse than Mr. Kang over here so stay there and I'll get you some frozen rice; by the look of things, you both probably got concussed along with whatever the hell those guys did to you." And with that, Yeri was out of sight, passing into the kitchen. Yeosang stepped in her direction when her voice rang out from around the corner. "Sit down Sangie."
Letting out a sigh he sat down next to Jongho, keeping him at a distance. "Sorry I dragged you here. I know it's probably really awkward being carried into a strangers house and lectured by someone you don't know." Yeosang shook his head and brought his gaze down to join Jongho's at the hardwood floor. "She can be really difficult when I do stupid thi-" Once again, Jongho cut him off.
"You're okay," his voice was so dry and monotone that Yeosang almost read sarcasm. "I agreed to come here when you asked. You don't have to apologize for something that I agreed to put myself into. It's okay though, it's nice to be in someone's company while you're hurting."
Yeosang furrowed his brow and looked up from the floor. What did that imply?
Before he had the time to ask, Yeri came back into the room with two bags of frozen rice in each hand. She tossed them at Yeosang and let out a small sigh. "Well I can't really help you too much right now because I have work in thirty minutes so you guys are going to have to help yourselves," she took out a square bandage from her pocket and slowly peeled off the back side, sticking it to the gash on the back of Yeosang's head. He flinched and let out a small hiss in response. "Oh quit being a baby and help Jongho out while I'm gone, okay? You've gotten into trouble like this before so you should be used to it." Though she was saying things that might come off as rude, Yeri always spoke in a bubbly tone. Her sarcastic demeanor really made Yeosang feel at home for no reason in particular.
The sad part was that it was true. For some reason Yeosang had this urge to help people in trouble whether or not it would end up coming back to haunt him. "Yeah yeah I know, I know," He shook his head. "Just get going. You can't be late to work again."
With a slightly amused smirk and a roll of her eyes, Yeri left the two alone, closing the door gently behind her. It was nice to have a moment of quiet as Yeosang's head was pounding and loud noises seemed to make it worse. The room was completely still until Jongho started talking.
"So how long do you expect me to stay here?"
It was a valid question, no matter how brash he was in his tone. Yeosang hadn't thought about how long Jongho would probably need to stay on his couch.
"Well you're free to leave when you want but I'd suggest you take a shower first," Yeosang replied with a shrug. "I have some clothes that'll probably fit you if you want," he gestured to Jungho's bloodied figure.
After a second of thinking Jongho let out a sigh and started at an attempt to get up, wobbling as he did so. Quickly Yeosang rose to his feet and supported the other with his body. The sudden rush made him feel almost nauseous making him teeter on his feet. "I can help you," The shorter of the two nodded. "Just take it slow."
The pair steadily made their way to the bathroom, stopping to lean against the walls occasionally due to both of them losing their balance. Once they got into the bathroom, Yeosang slowly let Jongho lean back onto the sink before stepping back and inhaling deeply. He wasn't used to dealing with whoever he brought home. Under normal circumstances, Yeri would have already taken care of Jongho and had him resting in Yeosang's bed. It was weird having to take care of someone else. He didn't like it all that much which was ironic considering that that was exactly the reason why he was in this mess to begin with.
"Okay well I'm going to grab some extra clothes from my room. Is there anything that you'd prefer wearing?" He awkwardly wiped his clammy hands onto his sweats, breaking eye contact by looking down. The overall presence of Jongho was putting Yeosang into a fidgeting mess.
"I don't really care," was the passive reply that was given to him, but that didn't really come as a surprise. Just judging by their interactions since they met, Yeosang could tell that Jongho wasn't very assertive. With a small sigh he leaned back and took a step out of the bathroom. That's when the dizziness kicked in again.
For a second he stood there, leaning against the door frame while regaining his balance. Once everything was still, the deafening sound of the shower starting up flooded Yeosang's head. The noise stuck him like a truck, sending him nearly falling over. If he was still wondering if he had a concussion or not, that was his answer.
Taking a deep breath, Yeosang wandered into his room and fished through his dresser for any oversized clothes he might have. It was annoying going through a dresser. Back at his childhood home he had a big fancy walk-in closet. Sure he only got it because his parents felt bad for giving him the smallest room of all his siblings, but he enjoyed it very much. One could imagine how happy he was when he figured out that the apartment he'd be moving into had a walk-in closet. That's how it was until Yeri struck a deal with him that he couldn't refuse: give her the room with the walk-in closet in exchange for her moving in with him. She obviously took advantage of Yeosang's stress of not being able to find a roommate.
It took a while, but eventually he found an oversized jacket along with some sweats that didn't quite fit him. There didn't seem to be a shirt that'll fit Jongho, but he just grabbed the biggest one he could find and hoped for the best. When he came back to the bathroom the water was still going, but something was off. Instead of hearing the sound of the water hitting things due to movement, the water never changed. Before jumping to conclusions, Yeosang knocked on the door. To his relief, he was answered by the water turning off and the shower curtain being pushed to the side. When the door opened, Yeosang was greeted with dull brown eyes. They were so flat and expressionless. Normally Yeosang could compare someone to something that they reminded him of. For Yeri, her personality reminded him of the feeling you get when you jump on a trampoline. When you're in the air, you're weightless; you're with no responsibility. The fun of not having a care in the world leaves momentarily when you hit the trampoline. The realness of needing to work for that feeling of carelessness hits you just as hard as you hit the fabric below you; but knowing that you can rely on the outcome of your work as long as you work hard enough is comforting.
With Jongho it was different, granted he had only known him for a grand total of maybe an hour or two, but normally Yeosang had at least a little bit to work with by now. All that he could read from Jongho was that he was hurting. That's not a personality. That's not tangible.
It was then when he realized he was staring. Fuck.
"Uh, here's the clothes I got. I mean they might not fit all that perfectly but it's better than what you had on before, huh?"
Jongho grabbed the clothes that Yeosang held weakly before giving a small exhale. He closed the door and Yeosang could hear the shuffling around of him getting dressed. He was about to wander into the living room before Jongho spoke up. "Why do you do that?"
That took the shorter of the two by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"You always ask a question instead of stating what you want to state," his voice was still flat and lifeless as concrete. When did he ever actually talk like a normal person? Why did everything that Jongho say fall flat and lifeless? Nonetheless, the statement made him freeze and fidget with his shirt again. He was searching for an answer in his head but ultimately, nothing came out of his mouth.
Instead he just turned and went to the living room again. When he sat down on the couch, he heard the door to the bathroom open before Jongho stepped out of the hallway and into the living room. The clothes that Yeosang had gathered were in fact a little too small, but they were doing a better job than the other ones. The sweats that he gave Jongho fit him perfectly luckily enough, but the plain black shirt that he wore was just big enough to fit around his slightly muscular body. Instead of putting on the jacket that Yeosang had lended him, Jongho instead wore his own jacket that was still stained with some blood.
"I appreciate your help, but you didn't have to do anything for me," This time his voice was different. Sure it was still flat, but he spoke softer than before. The concrete had changed to dirt and flowers had started to grow. Maybe that's what Jongho reminded him of; a freshly seeded garden. But that was Yeosang's altruistic side showing. That part of him wanted so desperately to tend that garden and make sure that it grew into a beautiful flower bed. Obviously there wasn't anyone that was looking out for him. The shorter one hesitated before talking.
"So this is pretty awkward but Yeri makes sure that everyone that I bring home is okay," he took out his phone. "Can I get your number so I can send it to her?"
To Yeosang's surprise, he complied. Once he had Jongho into his contacts, he got a text from Yeri.
Yo Yeo, don't forget to get me his number. Oh! Also don't forget to ice his head. We aren't using that rice so you can use that for ice.
He rolled his eyes. Yeri was always ready to give excess food to others because they never really ate anything in the fridge. Despite the pair meaning to make their own food, they always ended up getting busy and ordering take out. Yeosang sent the number and got one of the bags of rice they had been given before, wrapping it in with a washcloth. When he got back into the living room Jongho was on the phone.
"Yeah I know, I know," he shook his head and lingered around the room aimlessly. "I know I promised her I'd take her but I don't have a ride there anymore," he paused and looked down, lightly kicking at a leg of the coffee table. "Alright fine I'll try and find something, okay? Yeah I promise."
Yeosang handed over the rice and Jongho took it, nodding as a thank you. As he gently set the make-shift ice pack onto his head he opened his mouth but didn't say anything for a second. Yeosang guessed he was thinking about what to say.
"I know that this might be me asking a lot but could you possibly take my niece and I to the carnival tonight? I don't have a way to get there but I promised her that I'd take her."
Now he wasn't sure if Jongho was a garden anymore. Maybe he was a hot air balloon that had never been more than three feet off the ground because the way that he spoke made him feel like he was idly soaring through the sky just like how Yeri made him feel like he was jumping in the air.
"Yeah of course," Yeosang replied without hesitation. He wasn't sure why, but the words just flooded from his mouth. God damn that helpful side of him.
"Really? Holy shit that's awesome," Jongho's smile was the flame that he needed to create the lift in the balloon. The same glisten crept its way onto Yeosang's face and it was hard to hide. "I'll text you my address and you can grab me from there."

After around a half an hour Jongho finally gathers his things and makes his way out of the apartment, leaving his bloodied clothes behind to the care of Yeri. With an awkward nod and small wave Yeosang closed the door behind the taller. Immediately after the door closed he set his back to the door and slid down to sit on the floor. Then he echoed those words.
"It's nice to be in someone's company while you're hurting."