Chapter Text
what makes superman, super?
"two size jumbo supercoffees, please." gunwook makes himself smaller as he speaks to the teenage barista on the other side of the counter. he offers a pitiful smile when he adds, trying not to make her job any harder. "oh, one with wiped cream on top and chocolate sprinkles, thank you."
"will that be all?" the barista deadpans, tapping something on the machine before her. gunwook shakes his head, fighting the urge not to twist and play with his tie, as a way to control his nerves. "name,"
"park gunwook," he pulls out his phone, tapping the reader in a quick motion to finish the order. "thank you,"
the girl ignores him and turns around to prepare his order.
gunwook leans against the counter, shuffling to the side, to make room for the other people in line. he checks his wrist watch. still on time. looking at the rest of the staff, he fits right in—baby-faced and awkward-looking. although, he visibly lacks in the angst department. maybe it's his clothes; gray two-piece suit, white dress shirt and thick-rimmed glasses slipping down his nose bridge.
less than five minutes later, he walks away with two jumbo-sized supercups, a special drink themed after seoul's favorite superhero. not his thing, because gunwook isn't a big fan of coffee, but he's honored anyway. he makes his way to the place next door—an overwhelmingly tall building, covered with large windows, reflecting its greatness and influence around the city.
gunwook takes the elevator in a rush, and nearly trips his way out as he approaches kum junhyeon's desk. he hands him one of the drinks, running his trembling fingers through his hair. a restless feeling has settled deep inside of him, and he hasn't taken a sip of caffeine.
"thank you," junhyeon sings, scrolling absent-mindedly through his ipad. finally, he glances up at his friend. "i thought you didn't take coffee,"
"i don't," gunwook adjusts his glasses.
juhyeon brings his cup to his lips, humming over the steam. "then…?"
"it's for quanrui," gunwook adds, breathless. he glances over his shoulder, to the elevator he's gotten out of. the doors remain closed, and there's no change in the atmosphere that implies the other's arrival anytime soon.
"you and your crush… how long has this been going on for?"
"it's not a crush," gunwook debates, purposefully ignoring junhyeon's question. "he just returned from a big event in shanghai. so… i want to welcome him back. i'd do this for anyone,"
"okay, sure. that explains the coffee," junhyeon squints. "but what about the bouquet? isn't that too obvious?"
"bouquet?" gunwook glances at him.
"that one," junhyeon uses a pen to point at the comically large bouquet of red roses resting on shen quanrui's—or ricky's—desk. it doesn't fit the rest of the office, and people occasionally glance at it as if they expect the flowers to explode in glamorous sparks of red.
"oh… those, those aren't from me," gunwook shuffles.
junhyeon falters. he stares at the flowers, then back at his friend, like he's unsure of what to say to make the situation any better. he reaches for gunwook, patting his arm. "he'll appreciate the coffee, i'm sure,"
despite the clear attempt of kindness lacing his voice, gunwook struggles to see how those words can ever be true. he stares at the cup, then back at the flowers.
it's in that moment that the elevator door ring, and chatter spreads around the office. looking over his shoulders, he's not surprised to see that ricky has arrived.
there he is. all black, as per usual. black suit, black tie, black shoes and a suitcase. his dyed blond hair has faded since the last time gunwook saw him, so the black roots are a lot more present. it adds a charm to his sharp eyes and features. he makes his way to his desk while scrolling on his phone, but he smiles and nods to the co-workers that call out his name and welcome him back.
junhyeon waves, and ricky smiles politely. their eyes meet for a moment, and before gunwook can bring his hand up to wave at him, ricky has walked past him like it means nothing. of course, it doesn't. it's eye contact.
gunwook watches the journalist's following moves with crushing anxiety. a feeling he's struggled to get used to. there they are—the bright flowers, calling out to everyone around the office. ricky's welcoming gift. was it the company? the ceo, congratulating him on a job well done? or… someone else entirely?
not that gunwook should think about it. it isn't his business. but his curiosity does speak louder. he waits for the moment ricky will read the small card attached to the flowers and gasp in surprise. maybe he'll make a phone call and thank that other person, that must have missed him more dearly than anyone else here.
to his surprise, however, ricky stares at the flowers for less than a second before removing his jacket and taking his seat. he yanks the card, scans it, and shakes his head in slight amusement. if not mild irritation. he checks a few loose papers around his desk, deciding whether they're worth reading or not, before opening his laptop.
gunwook is stunned.
but he takes that moment to approach.
"good morning, quanrui," he says. because he makes sure to say quanrui, instead of ricky. "this is for you. welcome back,"
"hm?" ricky's eyes dart up, admired by his present. he accepts the drink. "a supercoffee? you must've read my mind. i really needed that, thank you, um, gunwook, right?"
"yes, gunwook," he breathes out. "how was shanghai?"
"quite nostalgic, you know," ricky takes a sip of his coffee. his eyes double in size. "wiped cream and sprinkles? have you been stalking me or something?"
gunwook chuckles. "no, no, sorry. um, your review on… superhero drinks stuck with me, so i remembered it,"
"you're sweet," ricky turns to his work. "it's good to be back. i'll see you around?"
"yeah, yeah," gunwook moves back, careful not to trip on his shoes, and make a fool of himself. "welcome back... again,"
"thank you," ricky laughs, shaking his head. "again,"
subject: invitation: exclusive press access to corpone's latest technology reveal
from: [email protected]
to: [email protected]; [email protected]
dear mr. shen and mr. park,
i hope this email finds you both well.
i’m reaching out to formally invite you to a special press event at corpone headquarters this coming friday, june 20th. this will be an exclusive opportunity for a select group of journalists to gain firsthand insight into their new project.
the event will include a closed q&a session with corpone lead scientists. this scoop will be part of a cross-publication feature.
please confirm your availability by wednesday, 12:00 pm, so we can arrange clearance and send over your press credentials.
feel free to reach out with any questions.
best regards,
park chanyeol
staff correspondent
the daily planet
seoul, south korea
gunwook rubs his eyes as he scans the email again, pushing his glasses up so he can check the words again, to make sure he's read it correctly… yes. corpone… scoop on their new technology.
that should be interesting, for lack of a better word.
corpone is… a special case. it was originally organized as an aerospace engineering firm started in the top-floor offices of the daily planet building in seoul, and has since become one of the world's largest, most diversified multinational conglomerates. and it is sinisterly linked to most attacks gunwook has seen, although he has yet to garner enough evidence to prove it.
the company has been awfully quiet since their last major scandal. last year, it was heavily suspected that they were responsible for the monster attacks in seoul. those genetically-advanced creatures hadn't looked like anything gunwo—or rather, superman has seen before in his life. the ceo—park woosang, a bald man with a mean stare but sweet words—appeared in public to deny the accusations, affirming that corpone was an ethical place that focused solely on the betterment of society.
"yeah, right," junhyeon had said, then, as they watched the news over their break. "as if i'm going to believe a rich person,"
that had made him laugh.
look, gunwook isn't one to judge. his parents taught him to always look for the best in people, and that's what he prefers to do, unlike a certain caped crusader. but he cannot ignore the restless feeling inside him, the longer he stares at corpone's logo.
the betterment of society…
the ceo, whom he's only ever met as superman, doesn't… come across as a genuine person. like he's hiding something. the way the man's eyes had lingered on him made gunwook feel… targeted. perhaps this is his opportunity to unveil the truth.
to discover, once and for all, if corpone is the root of evil.
even better for him, ricky is coming with.
that's the first time they've worked together—as gunwook and ricky, that is. superman… well, gunwook has interacted with the journalist more times as superman than in his civilian form. it's easier for him, when he's not stumbling over his words.
plus, ricky seems to have a good nose for trouble. no matter what, no matter where, or who superman is fighting, he's going to be there; camera and microphone in hand, eager to catch some good footage or some inside scoop.
superman has saved him five times by now, all easily avoidable situations that ricky managed to get himself into. gunwook still remembers the look of panic in ricky's face when he managed to catch him mid-air, hands firm on his waist.
the journalist's trembling arms were wrapped around his neck, and he breathed out, voice shaky and desperate, that he genuinely thought he was going to die. relief had settled in gunwook's heart, but he tried not to let it show.
"it's okay," gunwook had whispered. "you're safe now… i caught you again, mr. shen,"
ricky's wide eyes turned to him, lips parted in surprise. slowly, gunwook brought them down, forgetting about the chaos around them. touch gentle, he helped ricky stabilize himself on the floor, knees weak from the adrenaline crash. he could hear the other's heartbeat, and feared his chest must hurt quite a bit.
"how do you…?" for the first time since he's met him, ricky was speechless. "how do you know my name?"
the look on his face was endearing, like a scared kitten who's just jumped two feet into the air. gunwook was speechless, too, as he did not have a rehearsed excuse for that. ricky must've noticed the look in superman's eyes, because he recollected himself, running his trembling fingers through his hair.
"try not to get yourself in trouble again, mr. shen," that's all gunwook said, doubling down on the name before flying away.
the corpone building stands in the center of seoul. like a towering, opposing monument, daring you to try and compare to its greatness. its reflective glass panels gleam against the city skyline, and gunwook adjusts his glasses before darting his eyes away from it. the building is impossibly tall, and it feels less like a workplace and more like a statement.
gunwook stands still outside the main entrance, a cold feeling settling in his chest as he remembers the horrific-looking creatures he's had to fight, and the look on the ceo's face when they shook hands.
he looks to the street right as a soft yellow BYD parks. ricky steps into view, shoving his pocket mirror inside his bag like he'd just checked his makeup.
he looks flawless, though; black from collar to cuff. his jacket is short, made of thick wool. the black turtleneck hugs his frame, and his social pants match. it all blends in together, and it makes gunwook's light blue button-up and light pants stand out even more.
"good morning," ricky says, adjusting the strap of his bag hanging from his shoulder. "are you ready to find out if park woosang is a misunderstood genius or a maniac?"
the words bring a small smile to his face. gunwook pushes the door open, motioning for ricky to go in first. "it sounds to me like you already have your opinions on him, quanrui,"
"yes. i've heard rumors. strange shipments. things disappearing from public records. unregistered tech that doesn't match anything on corpone's press releases… it's all too odd, is it not? but i must remain impartial for now," ricky glances over his shoulder, and gunwook trails after him like an eager puppy.
inside, everything is too clean. too quiet. he spots a few other journalists shuffling together, waiting for the q&a to start. gunwook tenses, almost immediately. the air is unnaturally crisp. there is something inhuman about this silence. like the walls are watching. like the staff wishes to keep them away from whatever is going on in there.
he can hear the faint sound of machinery at a distance. so distant in fact that he cannot make out what it is. he can't smell anything. and although his eyes dart up and down, piercing through walls, he cannot spot anything out of the ordinary. still the machine continues… hidden somewhere in this building.
is that the advanced technology they're here to learn more about?
or is it something else?
"gunwook—" ricky’s voice pulls him back to the present. gunwook jumps. "oh, are you okay?"
gunwook blinks, trying to focus on ricky's voice rather than the distant noises. "hm? yes, yes. i apologize. i got... distracted thinking."
ricky tucks his hands into his jacket, offering a small smile. "don't worry. i get it. it's very different from the daily planet, no?" ricky leans in to joke. "it feels like the only emotion allowed here is compliance."
gunwook huffs in amusement as they walk toward the group of journalists, waiting for the doors of the conference room to open. he's seen many news reports taking place inside the conference room—wine walls, glass panels. one of them had been the very quick interview the ceo had done to dismiss corpone's involvement with the attacks, shutting down speculation in a matter of seconds.
the doors are pushed open, and the journalists are welcomed inside. three rows of chairs have been positioned in the center of the room, all turned to the podium standing under a screen displaying corpone's logo.
the journalists take their seats, whispering amongst themselves when they spot ricky. ricky sits on the front row, unbothered by the comments, and gunwook joins him.
when the door hisses open, dr. choi sooyoung enters, dressed like she's ready to go back to her laboratory as soon as this conference is over. beside her stands a tall, narrow-faced assistant with a tablet and a visible security badge clipped to his belt.
"thank you for joining us today," dr. choi says, stopping by the podium. she offers them a distant smile. "today, corpone presents project daedalus," the screen behind her shows the image of a machine… it's a circular chamber, enclosed. is that what's making the sound gunwook heard? "an advanced interface designed to support the rehabilitation of non-terrestrial combatants. in partnership with the international sentient species alliance, we are working to better understand hostile alien behavior patterns through immersive neuro-simulation and behavioral redirection."
the room falls silent. the journalists have pulled out their notes, scribbling down the words the scientist has said. gunwook keeps his eyes on the image displayed, picturing the creatures he's fought trapped in there. doesn't look very comfortable.
"rehabilitation," sooyoung repeats. "not containment. not termination."
the first question comes. a woman from the globe asks, "what justifies the risk? some of these beings have leveled entire cities… if it wasn't for superman, we'd all be doomed. what happens if you can't control it?"
dr. choi nods, "it's so clear we’ve learned nothing from destruction. daedalus operates under the belief that if we can understand why they attack, we may learn how to stop the cycle before it starts."
ricky raises his hand, "what safeguards exist to prevent psychological manipulation or… coercion during this ‘rehabilitation’?"
a pause.
dr. choi stares at them. "daedalus is designed to read intention and generate empathy loops, not overwrite identity. it does not force compliance. it invites dialogue."
gunwook brings his hands up. "and what happens to the ones who refuse dialogue?"
"they remain in protective isolation," dr. choi says, after a beat. "monitored. studied. safely contained."
more questions come, hands going up in the air to understand project daedalus better. questions about ethics, neural stability, permission, and consent. each answer from dr. choi is smooth, technically correct, like corpone has thought of it all… but something about the way she avoids eye contact when she says safely contained puts a weight in gunwook’s chest.
superman has been "safely contained" before, captive by government orders very early on in his life as a hero. it wasn't comfortable, but he pushed through, trapped for hours with a single shard of kryptonite keeping him down. it was painful. suffocating. but he pushed through. really did. when he first showed up, people didn't know what to make of him. "too powerful, too good," some said. he's been called a threat multiple times, even though he's only trying to help. being honest about his alien background only stirred some government officials away from him. despite wanting to give corpone the benefit of the doubt, he cannot help but… worry.
as they get out of the conference room, ricky whispers, reaching to touch his arm, "do you think it'll actually work?"
gunwook doesn't respond right away. he looks over his shoulder to dr. choi sooyoung's face, to the way she speaks casually to the journalists that approach her, with a rehearsed smile and smooth pleasantries. he eyes the way her name is stitched in her lab coat, and that uncomfortable feeling doesn't leave him.
in face, it grows.
a few seconds later, he feels it again. when they're making their way out of the conference room, it returns—the low hum beneath the floorboards.
"maybe it works…" gunwook finally says. "but i don’t trust why they want it to."
ricky gives him a look.
rehabilitation is the last word on screen before it turns off, but he doubts that's all corpone wishes to do.
and if they're doing something wrong, then superman will find out.
the city is asleep, and superman flies above the corpone building, red cape flapping behind him. his heart hammers in his chest, persistent, and he cannot wash away that worry.
there he is, the symbol of hope. the man who has sworn to keep the city safe, to do what most couldn't with the powers he was born with. the suit is deep blue. across his chest, a bold red "S" stands out in golden yellow. there's no mask or helmet to hide his face from curious eyes, but there's something about him that makes people unable to spot him for who he is when he isn't saving the world.
his eyes remain focused on its glass panels, aware of the potential threat hiding in there, of the secret and evil intents that corpone masks behind their formal, cooperate facade.
everything is quiet at night, but he won't let himself believe that corpone isn't working right now. superman knows the truth… evil doesn't sleep. evil doesn't have time for breaks. and superman won't let them get close to whatever their goal is with that machine.
he focuses on the walls, and a beam of red light shoots toward the building, so he can scan the insides of the building without actually being there… the walls peel away before his mind can process it, opening a path for him to explore: floor by floor, level by level. x-ray vision, above all other powers, is the one he never uses in his civilian form. it's too obvious.
the above-ground floors of corpone are what you expect. he's already seen it earlier today, so he doesn't pay any mind to it now.
it's what happens beneath the corporation's floor that catches his eyes, since they aren't on the official blueprints of the corporation. there have been rumors about the hidden truth of that place, but no civilian has been able to prove it.
sublevel 7.
superman descends, like a blur. too fast for cameras.
no sonic boom. no punching through walls to make some grand entrance. it's not the time for that. he's here to uncover the truth and leave without alerting anyone of his actions.
within seconds, he’s inside.
he flies through corridors and reaches sublevel 7.
the hum of daedalus gets louder now. the hallways extend endlessly, pure clinical white everywhere, and he cannot help but feel… off.
superman presses his hand to the side of the wall and listens.
it gets louder and louder by the second, like the machine is reacting to his presence. its low and deep, like its activated right now. it makes him furrow his eyebrows.
could corpone be experimenting on aliens right now?
following the noise, superman approaches the last door in sublevel 7. now, the hum is louder than ever. before he can think of finding a way in, he overhears the conversation between two scientists.
a man says, "… if subject b keeps responding, we’re ready to scale. the alliance review is next week."
a woman sighs. "we need to keep things private. if one of those daily planet boys leaks anything, we'll have to do something about it. it hasn't been long since corpone was involved with that… situation. and we can't risk another hit to our reputation."
that's doctor choi. he recognizes her voice from the q&a session. the woman's hushed tone catches his attention, and the hero stays in place.
the daily planet boys? leaking information? what is she so afraid of already? for all he knows, gunwook and ricky don't have anything tangible to expose corpone of yet.
superman's eyes narrow.
"let them chase rumors. they're not going to get their hands on anything," the scientist speaks, arrogance lacing his words. "no one will believe them if there’s no proof."
the click of doctor choi's heels sounds louder, closer. the woman makes sure to add, as dismissive as ever, "then make sure there isn’t proof. and if they get anything—"
the pause makes his skin crawl. gunwook’s jaw tightens.
the scientists sighs, humorous, "i know, i'll know what to do with them,"
he steps back, eyes glowing. if he lacked self-control, superman would've breached through the door to take a good look at the machine and whatever else the scientists of corpone are hiding in there, and put an end of it all. he'd rather to do that than ever let anything happen to ricky.
the idea of bursting in there does sound appealing right now.
however, before he can move… something catches his attention from the corner of his eyes.
one of the doors is pushed open, and a shape rushes out.
a slim figure, dressed in black from head to toe. bag across his back, clinging to folders and loose papers, muttering to himself. even with his head ducked low, superman recognizes him.
ricky.
what is he doing here?
before he can think of something to say—to tell the journalist to get out of there as fast as possible—ricky stumbles and those files drop from his hands, scattered across the floor, exposing his snooping to anyone with eyes to see.
there's a beeping sound, and the doors begin to slide.
doctor choi.
she's leaving.
if she sees ricky here, he'll be in trouble. and they need to have whatever files those are. he trusts him enough to know that ricky must've gotten something important for them.
superman slams both hands against the door, to keep it from moving. the sound of the thud against the metal echoes in the empty hallway.
"the door—is someone holding the door?!" doctor choi screams from inside the room. she slams her body against it, but it doesn't change anything. "open the door!"
ricky looks back, eyes wide. he looks pale, distressed, but his shoulders relax when he realizes it's him.
"superman," he lets out, voice airy, light.
the doors tremble pathetically. the shape of his hands is branded in the metal.
alarms go off on sublevel 7. the lights turn red, flicking in warning, as they inform everyone on that floor that there's something going wrong.
ricky stumbles to his feet, having collected all of his things.
superman points to the end of the hallway, in a quiet demand that ricky get out of there as quickly as possible.
he hears the sound of security approaching, heavy steps coming from the stairs.
"superman!" doctor choi screams from inside, voice shaky and unstable, unlike the way the woman had presented to the world up until this point. "you and your little journalist friend will not get away with this."
ricky turns around to make his leave. but security arrives, weapons pointed at his face.
"hands up!" one of them shouts, but ricky doesn't falter, doesn't move.
he merely looks over his shoulder back at superman.
heart ticking inside him, gunwook has 0.2 seconds to react before ricky gets shot, before everything gets ruined.
and he does.
chaos erupts in sublevel 7.
the doors are freed from the weight of his hands, and they slide open. doctor choi rushes out, holding a gun of her own. she leans against the wall for support, aiming it at him.
superman flies forward.
he wraps one arm around ricky's waist and uses the other arm to push through the guards and make space for them to get out of there.
perhaps he's too aggressive about it, because the guards slam against the wall and slide to the floor, with no chance to react or defend themselves.
people shout. he feels a tug at his red cape, but that doesn't stop him.
superman shoots up the stairs.
"oh my god—oh my god—" ricky screams, clinging to him, eyes shut tight.
although he wants to comfort him, to say that he's alright and safe now with him, not a word leaves him. the adrenaline rushing through his veins silence him.
superman doesn't waste another second before getting them out of the corpone building.
no one sees them leave.
they’re gone.
time slows when they fly through the city.
the starry night sky guides them out of there, welcoming them into a world different from the clinical walls of corpone. gunwook allows his worries to dissipate, at last, if only for a moment. he lets out a sigh, eyes turned to the bright dots up in the sky.
ricky stops screaming in panic, curled up against him. he breathes heavily, head resting in the crook of superman's neck. he can picture his eyes shut tight, too scared to look around at the darkness that surrounds them. one of ricky's hands caresses the hair at his nape, but gunwook isn't sure if ricky is trying to soothe him or himself.
regardless, it's a welcoming feeling that helps his heartbeat go back to normal.
"thank you…" ricky whispers.
superman looks back at him, heart shaky. ricky's face is flushed, so close. he stares at him with such big, gentle eyes, it's disarming. a lot more disarming than any amount of kryptonite. ricky clings to those folders and documents, but they don't seem nearly as important as this proximity between them.
"you need to stop getting yourself in trouble, mr. shen," superman whispers. "or… at the very least, let me know ahead of time. if i hadn't been there, you—"
"shhh…" ricky's lips pull up into a small smile when he interrupts him. "i don't know. i kind of like the thrill,"
superman huffs, "i can see that…"
he stops at the rooftop of the daily planet. he doesn't want to let go just yet, but the hero is aware that he cannot hold onto ricky until sunrise. even if he's able to communicate more openly with him when he's not in his civilian form, that'd still be wrong of him.
superman is careful when he releases ricky onto the concrete floor.
the journalist's legs are shaky, but he makes an effort to look well-composed. he runs his hands over his clothes, and skims through the pages he's stolen from corpone to make sure he's got all he needs.
then, he looks back at superman.
“what were you doing there…?”
gunwook turns to face the city.
ricky’s voice drops. "superman…?"
he stares ahead. "well, i've heard the rumors," superman says. "so i decided to investigate,"
"you know you can't just go into places like that," ricky says. "meddling in this too much will make people curious about you again,"
"i'm…" superman's shoulders go up. "i just want to make sure they aren't up to anything evil,"
"a lot of people think you're evil, superman,"
"me?" superman turns, baffled. offended. his face burns red. "i—i don't understand why. all i've done is help the city. that's all i want to do,"
"i know," ricky's smile is small, but it hits superman like a truck. he crosses his arm. "i'm just saying… not everyone believes in your intentions to do good." he shuffles close to stand by his side, and the two of them stare into seoul. ricky admits, "hm… i don't trust corpone. never have. never will. no matter what they claim. i just can't. something about them rubs me the wrong way…"
"you were almost caught," superman points out.
"… i'm always willing to risk it. what kind of journalist would i be if i didn't?" ricky shrugs, not at all bothered by the hero's worry. "what were they gonna do, anyway? lock me in that daedalus machine?"
"i wouldn't put that past them," superman shakes his head, mildly amused, but the image of ricky being trapped in that machine lingers in his mind for a second too long.
"oh, i'm so scared," ricky laughs.
there's silence for a moment. it's comfortable and warm. the night breeze is a little chilly, and he wonders if ricky's skin feel cold, or if he'd like a jacket. even if he didn't have one at the moment, gunwook can find a way to make sure that he's warm and comfortable...
superman feels ricky's eyes on him. he tries not to be affected by it.
he turns back to ricky, eyes hard. "i trust you'll expose whatever you found. i want to know how deep this goes…"
ricky lifts his chin. "what are you suggesting? you're gonna meddle again?"
superman stares out, eyes landing on the corpone building at a distance. "if i have to…" he says. "if corpone is up to no good, the next time i go there," he says. "i'm not sneaking out until daedalus is destroyed. i'll make sure of it,"
he steps toward the edge of the rooftop. then, he looks back at ricky, offering the journalist a small smile. "have a good night, mr. shen,"
with a whoosh of wind, superman disappears, flying onto the night sky. and ricky stands alone, heart racing in his chest.
"you won't believe what i got. this is going to change everything!" ricky approaches and drops the folders and files onto his desk, smile big and excited, like he's spent the whole night awake, waiting for the chance to speak to park gunwook.
gunwook freezes, shoulders going up in embarrassment.
the corners of his lips are covered with sugar, and it looks like he's guilty of a crime. he lowers his box of doughnuts to hide it under his paperwork, but it's too late for that.
ricky blinks. "oh—am i interrupting you? i can come back later—"
"no—no—" gunwook nearly chokes on his sweets, the motivation he needed almost every morning before getting to work. he forces it down his throat, cleaning his lips. "do… do you want doughnuts?"
ricky plays with the cuffs of his dress shirt. "um… yes, actually. i'd like one,"
gunwook offers him the box, with a bashful smile. he's thankful for the time ricky takes to pick a doughnut, as he uses it to clean himself even more, so he doesn't look like a complete idiot who cannot eat a few doughnuts without looking like a messy kid.
"what is it that you wanted to show me? you seemed excited…" gunwook plays innocent, like he doesn't recognize the folders and files dropped in his desk. he reaches for one of them. "oh, is this from corpone?"
"yes," ricky smiles. "i may have done… some extra hours the other night. nothing to worry about. how's your column on the q&a?"
"it's almost finished," gunwook glances at his work computer. "i only need it to review it a few more times, and send it to the boss," then, he leans in. "but… extra hours?"
ricky takes a bite of his strawberry doughnut, a pleased little hum falling from his lips. "these are blueprints of daedalus and some notes taken from their scientists and other researchers. look at this—"
ricky reaches for one of the papers in that mess. when he leans in, gunwook takes a whiff of his cologne, and it sends him spiralling. he smells so good.
focus. focus.
"does this look familiar to you?"
he points to the figure of a person registered in one of the papers, as a potential subject to undergo daedalus. gunwook furrows his eyebrows and scans the other papers — the aliens represented are all identical to the ones he's faced before; animal-like and violent.
except for that one.
it's superman.
it's him.
his suspicions are confirmed the longer he stares at it. it's superman, with analysis on his strength, corporal mass, and other physical advantages that corpone needs to be aware of… for when they plug him into their brainwashing machine.
it's so obvious. he should've assumed from the very beginning.
there's no way corpone isn't interested in turning daedalus into a weapon of total control.
their ultimate goal is to control him. if they have superman as their machine, they'll have everything needed to control seoul, to control south korea, and even the rest of the world.
gunwook tenses up, and he stares back at ricky, trying not to seem too affected by that revelation.
"we need to be smart about this," ricky reads his mind. "i… saw superman, when i stole this,"
"you did?" gunwook adjusts his glasses.
"yes. i don't think he knows, this part," ricky points. "but it's something that affects him, i think he should be aware of. we don't know if corpone plans on attacking him and attaching him into that machine. but…" he shakes his head. "we need to talk to him."
talk to him… talk to superman.
oh.
the words repeat in his head like a mantra, and out of everything he's seen and fought over the years, that has to be the most terrifying of all. gunwook pauses, staring at the way ricky eats his doughnuts, deep in his thoughts.
is he thinking of superman? thinking of how to approach the hero? or worried that the machine might take control of the city's beloved hero?
"so, um, you want to talk to superman? isn't he… like, kind of avoidant?" gunwook tries to dissuade ricky from that idea, forcing a small smile to appear on his face to hide his nervousness. "i mean, he's a chill dude. very chill, actually. but i heard he lives in an ice castle,"
ricky dismisses his ramble. "he's always flying around when there's trouble. talking to him won't be too hard. i think we should meet him, yes,"
"we?!" gunwook tilts his head to the side.
"yes, gunwook, we," ricky chuckles, staring right at him. "we're in this together, right?"
gunwook needs a moment before nodding.
the doughnuts might have made him sick.
throughout the rest of the day, gunwook doesn't feel at ease. he ends up breaking five pens, and he only doesn't break his computer because junhyeon moves it out of his reach.
"relax, man," junhyeon says, shaking his head in disbelief. he pats gunwook's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "what's got you so nervous? is it the article on corpone? they're not gonna sue you over it, i promise—well, don't take my word for it. but i doubt they'd go that far,"
he catches himself glancing at shen ricky so many times, the journalist not only notices it, but smiles awkwardly and waves, like he's unsure of whether or not to approach him again. gunwook doesn't want to be approached. he knows himself. even with all his power, when he's anxious like this, he becomes a babbling mess. if ricky presses too much, or leans in too much, gunwook fears he'll spill the truth—that he's superman. the hero and symbol of hope of the city. that he's been keeping this a secret for so long. that he's the one that has rescued him all of those times, the one that held his waist and pulled him close, and stared at him like ricky was prettier than all the stars up in the sky.
because he is.
ricky is the prettiest thing in the world.
the thought of going with ricky to meet superman sends shivers up his spine. no one, other than his parents and the members of the justice gang know about his powers. he's made sure to keep his identity a secret for their safety.
what can he do?
how can he run from that?
if he pretends to be sick, ricky might not believe him. or worse, he'll think gunwook is incompetent and weak. and he doesn't want that… above all else, he wants ricky to like him. like like him. to like him as gunwook, and not just superman.
this one-sided crush began a while back. gunwook still remembers the very first time he saw ricky, and the many times they shared the elevator together. gunwook would look at him, then look away before he noticed, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt because suddenly, it had gotten hot and stuffy in there. they got locked up in the archive room for about an hour once, but gunwook hadn't dared to strike conversation with him. despite his confident appearance and intimidating reputation, ricky is very shy. so, naturally, the two of them stood there, unsure of what to do with themselves, until junhyeon opened the door and rescued them from that crushing silence.
staring at his reflection, gunwook washes his face in the restroom.
he'll find a way to deal with this, even if superman takes a blow. superman can afford to take a hit to his connection with the journalist, whereas he cannot. he's already failed and fumbled far too many times, thanks to his undying feelings. they can schedule to meet up, and the hero can skip. maybe there's an attack. or a problem in his ice castle. the excuses don't really matter. so long as ricky doesn't discover the truth, so long as he doesn't think less of gunwook for it.
he stares at himself without the glasses, straightens his back. he doesn't go to great lengths to hide his secret identity, unlike other superheroes. when he first started, even the word super got a reaction out of him, and gunwook thought he was being obvious.
turns out, with the way he is—awkward, nerdy, hesitant—no one assumes he's superman. strong, confident… inspirational.
why would they… right?
"oh, hi," ricky steps out of one of the stalls, and gunwook nearly falls to his knees, snatching his glasses and putting them on.
there's a pause. ricky blinks.
"… did i scare you?" ricky chuckles, staring right at him.
gunwook shakes his head.
"are you leaving now?" ricky checks his wrist watch.
"uh, yes. are you?" gunwook grabs paper towels to dry his hands, using that as an excuse not to look at ricky right now.
he's normal. he's normal and not nervous at all. he's normal, not nervous at all and he doesn't have a crush on shen ricky. no. pfft. as if. that'd be stupid. very stupid and unachievable.
"yes," ricky nods. "i planned on doing overtime, but i have a date,"
"a date?" gunwook feels as though he's just been fed three tons of kryptonite.
"i'm babysitting hanbin's cat because he has an actual date, you know," ricky explains, approaching the sink to wash his hands. he smiles when he looks back at gunwook's dumb expression. "she's just the sweetest thing in the world, so i'm super excited,"
a cat! sung hanbin's cat—not a man. or a woman. ricky is going to babysit a cat… date was said jokingly. okay. okay, great. let's relax now, gunwook tells himself, despite still feeling nervous.
"you're like a cat," gunwook blurts out.
"am i?" ricky squints. but the way he smiles makes it clear that he likes that. "what makes you say that?"
"oh, just… your mannerisms," gunwook begins to explain, but he doesn't feel too confident in his words. "and your face. you have very cat-like eyes. i'm sure others have said so,"
"they have, yes," ricky dries his hands and leans against the counter, like they have all the time in the world to just talk to each other—to talk about how ricky looks like a cat. "i really like cats."
saying he's more of a dog person feels wrong, so gunwook opts to say, "i've always wanted one growing up. i lived at a farm, so i was surrounded by other animals," he crosses his arms. "i still do,"
ricky hums in agreement, eyes sparkling with excitement. he can see mischief cross the journalist's eyes before it's replaced with doe-like innocence never seen before.
it knocks the air out of gunwook's lungs. but ricky outright murders him when he moves forward, and says, "well, you already have me now,"
then he leaves.
gunwook is now alone in the restroom, and he fears that not even kryptonite can break him down like that.