Chapter 5
Behind the Mask of a Hero
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Arondight had dominated every screen and billboard in Galahad City for days.
Ever since he fought against Red Hilt, the current rank no. 2 villain in the city, his name has been all over the social media feeds, reels, TheyTube channels, and other platforms.
Every tag related to him has recently become trending, like #Arondight, #GoldenSpear, #ArondightVsRedHilt, and so on. And when Skyline Heroics, one of the city's most influential hero agencies, announced that Arondight would officially spearhead the pursuit of Red Hilt, the public's attention was focused on him even more.
But with the rise of fame also came the wildest speculation from the public regarding the true identity of the trending hero, and some of it was off the mark. Given his striking looks and well-built physique, many girls were convinced he must have been a model who abandoned magazine covers to become a savior. Some claimed Arondight had to be an actor secretly trained by the agency to be a hero. Others were convinced he was just an ordinary salaryman living a double life. And, of course, a few insisted he came from a wealthy, powerful family with connections to the hero industry.
Something like that.
And Adrian sighed in disappointment as he simply stole a peek at those recent posts and group discussions about Arondight's true identity on his cellphone.
When the owner of the comic shop where he worked passed in front of him, he quickly shoved his phone aside. He busied himself wrapping stacks of comic books, waiting for the courier to pick up. His hands continued to work, but his ears were focused on the far end of aisle seven, about fifty meters away from where he was, where he could hear a group of women whispering excitedly. Then their voices would rise whenever Arondight's name came up.
"Did you see the news? Arondight and Red Hilt are the hot topics right now!"
"I know, right? They're number one on both Z and SpaceBook!"
"I can't help but wonder who Arondight really is. Just look at him! He was so refined! He has to be a billionaire CEO by day, then a hero by night. Omg, he's like living fanfiction!"
After hearing those comments, Adrian pressed his lips together and kept himself busy with work.
Because in reality, Arondight (also known as the Golden Hero of Galahad City) was far less glamorous than the rumors themselves. He was just Adrian Garland, a 27-year-old, discreet gay man who spent most of his days manning the cashier at a local comic book shop at Galahad's Central Terminal, who also happens to be a man who had just gotten out of a three-year relationship and was still adjusting to being single again.
No one could have guessed that the man the world worshipped as a shining symbol of justice was also the guy bagging their weekly comic book orders from Hoppiee.
Of course, as heroes, they couldn't reveal their identities. It was part of their oath when they decided to work as a hero. But sometimes, he is tempted to reveal his identity just to correct people's wild rumors about him. Adrian knows this is among the things he must endure as a hero. Still, sometimes he can't help but feel pressured because of people's high expectations of him.
But in the end, he would always come back to why he chose to become a hero. He had chosen this path simply because he wanted to protect those who could not defend themselves and to use his power against those who preyed on the powerless. And if these are among the burdens he must bear as a hero, he would simply have to learn to carry them.
And that's what he's trying to do...
"Would you wrap this up, please?" A woman in the same store uniform tossed a comic book onto the counter before Adrian, causing the young man to snap out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" Adrian blinked, then he glanced at the cover of the comic book with his eyes wide open. "Wait, is this...Xiǎo Gēge's new release?! I thought it was already sold out!"
The woman smirked knowingly as she rested her elbows on the counter and said, "Yup. And that's the last one that we've got. I know how crazy you are about that author and his works, so I saved you a copy before it was sold out."
Who wouldn't be? Xiǎo Gēge is one of the reasons why Adrian dreamed of becoming a hero despite being a novice in this type of work. Adrian has a secret crush on this author. Besides being very good at drawing and writing stories, Gēge was rumored to be as strikingly handsome as the characters he drew. However, no one had ever confirmed it since the anonymous author had never been seen in person, even at his own fan meetups and book signing events.
That's why Adrian blinked at her in confusion, unsure what to say in response to his friend's gesture. But before he could even reply, the woman reached across the counter. She patted his cheek and said, "I'm giving that to you for free, dummy-ass!" and then her tone slowly turned soft. She said, "I've noticed you've been a little down these past few days, and I figured maybe you just need something good to read to lift your mood. So don't stay sad, okay? You lose your beauty, especially when you frown." She winked at Adrian and added, "Besides, you're at the cashier all day. If you keep looking gloomy like that, it'll scare the customers away."
For a moment, Adrian's practiced smile slipped away and was replaced by his soft, genuine chuckle. He stared at the glossy cover of his favorite comic book in his hands despite its colors blurring just slightly behind the glassy sheen in his eyes.
"Thank you, Elaine..." he murmured softly. Adrian truly appreciated Elaine's gesture to ease the sting of his breakup with his boyfriend of three years. But the truth was, Adrian wasn't too affected by it as people thought the entire time. Sometimes he still felt the pang of sadness, but it wasn't why he had been so anxious for the past few days.
It was the thing that happened between him and the villain whom he was supposed to defeat, and that was something no one could ever know. Not even Elaine, even if she's one of his closest and most trusted friends.
So despite his distress, he tried his best to act normally so Elaine could not notice.
"So, what's up? Are you meeting someone new now?" Elaine leaned forward on the counter with a mischievous grin on her lips. "Because I know a few people who've been eyeing you for ages. Maybe it's time you gave them a chance?"
"Nah, I don't want to." Adrian shook his head and then carefully put the still-wrapped comic book that Elaine had given him into his bag. "I think I will focus more on work for now..."
Elaine raised a brow and responded, "Focus? On this?" She gestured around the comic shop and said, "Oh, no, please! If you pour all your energy into this place, the only people you'll meet will probably be geeks and weirdos. Believe me, Nothing will ever happen to your love life here!"
Adrian chuckled faintly at his friend's teasing. But deep down, Elaine's words hit something that reminded the young man about his actual situation, something he couldn't share without risking his career and dignity.
When he said he'd focus on "work," he hadn't meant the shop. But what he meant was his real job; his job as a hero hunting down the city's most notorious villain, Red Hilt.
Adrian wasn't sure how long he could keep doing his job as a hero while keeping his reputation spotless in the eyes of the public. Once the public finds out what has really happened between him and Red Hilt, that he has hooked up with the villain he is supposed to be hunting, he is sure to be flooded with controversy.
The young man's face suddenly turned pale. He could already picture his name blowing up across every news feed as the hero who had slept with the enemy. And that thought alone made him want to slam his head into the cash register until it stopped working.
What on earth had possessed him to agree to that? He knew he could not excuse himself by blaming one of Red Hilt's red shadows for him to justify that it was the villain's mind control, that he was powerless that time to resist, or he wasn't in his right state of mind to think clearly, and yet, he still gave in.
Why?
Was it because...Red Hilt just happened to be his type?
Adrian winced sourly the moment that thought crossed his mind.
No! That couldn't be it!
Although if he was being brutally honest with himself, Red Hilt being infuriatingly good-looking hadn't helped his resolve at the time.
Still, Adrian knew that wasn't the case. Maybe the villain's unnervingly blunt words landed on the wrong side of his rationality. And there he was, so stupid and reckless enough that he let himself give in far too easily when he should have resisted.
Deep down, Adrian knew his body had been craving it.
The chance to be kissed again, to be touched...
To feel...wanted.
Still, none of those reasons would definitely excuse him from taking full responsibility for what he had done. He was a hero, and his first and only priority should always be the welfare and safety of the people of Galahad City. So there's no reason for him to entertain any kind of weakness or give in that easily to the temptation just to satisfy his own.
That's right.
What happened between them should never happen again! Even if Red Hilt threw him with his charm, or even if the villain's words would tempt him again, Adrian swore that he would never give in.
For the sake of his duty...
For his pride...
For the people who believed in Arondight.
And most of all...
...for himself.
"Hellooo? Earth to Adriaaaan!"
Adrian blinked rapidly as he snapped back to reality when he heard Elaine's voice, waving a hand in front of his face with an exaggerated pout.
"Oh, was I...zoning out?" he asked, scrambling for an excuse.
"Yes! And you were this close to drooling all over the cash register," she teased, exaggerating her fingers to show how close Adrian was to drooling over the cash register. "So, what were you daydreaming about this time, huh?"
Adrian forced a small laugh, stuffing the comic book deeper into his bag.
"Nothing," he said quickly, plastering his usual, practiced smile back into place. "Just thinking about work stuff."
Elaine rolled her eyes, not really convinced by his answers. "Work stuff, my ass." But she let it go with a playful shrug.
That day ended without much issue on Adrian's part as a normal citizen of Galahad City, and he got home from the comic shop at around nine that evening.
Luckily, no hero missions were waiting for him that night, so he could finally have a whole night's rest without worrying much about doing public appearances.
Adrian resides at Whiteridge District, a quiet residential area on the city's edge with barely five thousand residents. The neighborhood was dotted with old, crumbling buildings. Most of it was abandoned or repurposed as makeshift shelters by the less fortunate. His simple apartment was on the second floor overlooking a slice of the city's skyline. He'd chosen it deliberately because it gives him enough view of the entire city, and enough secrecy to make for an easy escape without being discovered if trouble ever came knocking.
When the young man got home from work, he immediately dropped his bag by the door, slipped off his shoes, and hung his jacket near the entrance. He headed straight to the couch. He tugged loose the buttons of his shirt and collapsed against the cushions with a long, tired exhale.
After quite some time on the couch, his stomach suddenly grumbled. He's thinking about heading out for dinner. And lately, he'd been craving squidballs from that little street stall near the red-light district.
Yes, those crispy squidballs that are greasy, cheap, and way too addictive when you dip them in sweet and sour sauce.
So what he did next was to pick up his wallet to check if the discount coupon he'd stashed a week ago was still there. But instead of eyeing the coupon, his eyes suddenly landed on something else.
A card. A business card, to be precise.
It was an expensive-looking kind of business card. It was thick and smooth and even carried a faint smell of premium scented paper, almost like the scent of roses. He saw a name embossed in it that read: Ivan Ross. Beneath it was the company name "CrimsonTech Systems Incorporated", and on the side of the card was a number: +0856-441-xxxx
And just below the card's name were two words scrawled in neat handwriting using blue ink.
Call me.
Adrian frowned after reading it.
He didn't remember ever putting this card in his wallet. How long has it even been there?
And then, just like a jolt of lightning, his memory tugged him back to the events three months ago, that night at the bar where he met a guy who looked like a bartender.
Oh, fuck...that man?
Adrian gave his forehead a hard pat as he recalled that night that had only happened because he'd been too drunk, too reckless, and too careless that he ended up having sex with a stranger.
But of course, three months had passed since then. It was enough time for that stranger to have forgotten him. He may have already had. So there was no reason for Adrian to disrupt this stranger's quiet life just because of that single mistake.
But Adrian's conscience couldn't bear not to apologize for what had happened to them that day at the bar. Adrian needed to apologize, perhaps to set himself free from the guilt and to clear things up, that he hadn't been...what the man might've thought he was.
Adrian's stomach twisted sourly the moment that thought crossed his mind. He doesn't want this person, Ivan Ross, to keep believing that the person he met at the bar (Adrian) was just some shameless man who would mess around with random strangers without a second thought.
So with a shaky breath, the young man grabbed his phone and dialed the numbers on the card.
Adrian was honestly nervous.
Was he doing the right thing? Or is this a bad idea?
No, this is stupid!
Adrian almost hung up the call when a handsome voice suddenly spoke on the other end.
"Hello?"
Adrian's throat instantly went dry as the reality of what he'd just done sank in. He was so nervous that he couldn't think of a better response.
What he could manage at that time was a short, shaky reply.
"M-Mr. Ross, right?"
There was a moment of pause on the other end of the line when, suddenly, Ivan's tone changed into a more deliberate and unsettling calm manner.
"....so, you finally called."
Adrian's breath hitched slightly when he heard Ivan Ross's response on the other line.
Something about the stranger's tone made the hairs on his neck oddly rise, as if he had heard the man's voice somewhere recently, but he didn't know exactly where and when.
And then, with that same unsettling calmness in his tone, Ivan added and said...
"I was beginning to wonder if I should go and find you myself."