The cafeteria was noisy, filled with laughter, random gossip and the clattering of utensils.
The mediocre food aroma was a notable addition to this… teenage sphere.
Seol Hwa sat on the usual table with her new friends, a neutral expression on her divine face.
She was unaware of the subtle but dark changes Jean Grey was going through some rooms away.
Even if she knew, then what about it?
Gwen was sharing a story about her weekend and how she couldn't wait to attend the concert of her favorite band.
At some point, the conversation shifted to some science project that Peter was currently experimenting with.
Both he and Gwen descended into casual trading of exaggerated scientific terms.
Amidst their heated conversation, Seol Hwa was always a listener and observer. She rarely talked but her presence felt compatible in any setting.
The group had already gotten used to her eccentric nature.
But… something was off.
There was one person among them who was usually a brilliant conversationalist, her words never filtered.
She was always vibrant and had a thing for the drama.
Today, she was strangely quiet. So quiet that it felt abnormal.
Mary Jane had a distant look on her face as if the present didn't matter, everything around her blurred.
She constantly tapped her index finger beside the untouched food.
The incessant taps weren't easy to ignore.
Both Peter and Gwen paused their conversation as they had already noticed MJ being very unusual.
"Are you alright, MJ?" Gwen asked with concern.
Peter also looked at her with a slightly worried expression.
Seol Hwa watched them with mild interest.
"I'm fine," MJ quickly replied, her finger never stopping.
"Anyone can believe that nonsense, but not me, Mary Jane Watson. I know something's not right when I see it," Gwen said in a no-nonsense tone, an unamused expression on her face.
"I also don't believe it," Peter muttered silently only for Gwen to shoot a glare at him, effectively shutting him up.
"MJ, tell me what's bothering you. That's what friends are for. And I'm here for you… we are," Gwen continued in a low, empathetic tone, her right hand gently placed on MJ's back.
MJ heavily sighed, her finger pausing mid-action before letting her hand slump on the table.
She looked at the food which had probably gone cold, her appetite nonexistent.
She then slowly looked at Gwen, then Peter and finally… Seol Hwa.
MJ felt in her heart that she could trust the goddess even though she knew very little about her.
Well, truthfully, she was also in no way immune to Seol Hwa's charm.
If she hadn't been taken, committed to someone else, she would have fully entertained the thoughts.
Her bestie, Gwen, seemed to have already 'imprinted' on Seol Hwa.
MJ knew that Gwen was crushing hard, oblivious to her own feelings.
Now, it wasn't the moment for matchmaking but her own heartbreak.
"Harry broke up with me…" MJ slowly shared, a faint tremor in her voice.
"… Over fucking text," she then added with venom.
"Over text? What the fuck!" Gwen exclaimed, her blue eyes widening in disbelief.
Peter touched his cheek, also… surprised.
That was not something he had anticipated from Harry as they were close buddies.
'Man, why would you pull such a low move? What're you thinking? Even if times are hard…' Peter contemplated, various thoughts running through his head.
There was something that only he knew about Harry Osborn, and he hadn't shared the information with anyone. Not even MJ, Harry's girlfriend… no, ex-girlfriend.
"Where the fuck is Harry-shitting-Osborn?!" Gwen fumed, preparing to wage war on behalf of MJ.
A few stares trailed to their table at her outburst which made her calm down a bit.
MJ powerlessly clenched the phone in her left hand.
She wanted to show Gwen and the others the message, but it felt meaningless.
Of all the things to start her Monday, a sudden text breakup hadn't been one of them.
"What a coward. He lacks the balls to speak right to your face. He doesn't deserve to be called a man!" Gwen was genuinely pissed as she also wouldn't wish that on herself or anyone.
A six-month relationship had been downplayed and shat on by a low, text message.
"He didn't even explain his reasons. I don't remember doing anything to hurt our relationship. Why?" MJ tried to find any semblance of reasoning behind Harry's actions.
Maybe it had been something she had done.
Maybe…
"Hush, you aren't wrong. He's the one that's wrong," Gwen stated while gently massaging MJ's back. "You did nothing wrong. That bastard doesn't deserve you."
MJ nodded, her spiraling thoughts receding due to Gwen's care.
Peter frowned. "He…"
He wanted to say something, however he shut his mouth.
Shedding some light into Harry's thinking and situation would only make matters worse.
It would come off as if he was defending Harry.
Taking sides would only bring him more headaches.
'Maybe he would have a reasonable explanation for MJ when he comes back from Geneva… maybe…' Peter winced internally. Deep down, he didn't believe his friend was one to explain. Even if it was done out of self-righteousness.
Harry had told him that he hadn't been feeling good and Norman Osborn, his father and the CEO of Oscorp Industries, had suddenly arranged a trip to Switzerland.
Peter himself didn't know what Harry was suffering from, but he hoped he would recover soon.
Leaving those thoughts aside, he briefly glanced at the serene girl, Seol Hwa, who hadn't spoken much. Only a word or two.
Peter swore those eyes were not the eyes of a normal person. Beyond her undeniable grace that always made his heart both uneasy and excited, he saw subtle indifference.
No living being in the taxonomic hierarchy had such a gaze.
'No wonder spidey sense never remains silent in her presence. She's non-threatening but she seems to look at everything from above, like a… like a god,' Peter thought, turning his head away before he got caught peeking.
'Weird. A god heh… going to school. That's something you'd find in an anime.' His lips twitched.
Seol Hwa elegantly sipped some water, the only thing she could tolerate from the cafeteria's menu.
She looked at Gwen who was taking care of MJ.
"That's his loss. I'll buy us some ice cream from a good Ice Cream Parlor. I swear the flavors will make you forget him in no time," Gwen comforted her.
"Mmmh," MJ weakly nodded. "It's his loss."
'The damage's already done,' Gwen thought with sympathy. 'I doubt even the ice cream can wash away the hurt. Flavors…'
'Flavors?' She suddenly had an epiphany and directed her gaze to Seol Hwa.
'If we're simply talking about flavors, she's the answer. Seol Hwa would know something. Her cooking can definitely ease MJ's mood.'
'I hope I won't impose on her with my decision.' It was a ridiculous line of thought.
"Seol Hwa, I… do you mind if I ask for a favor? Please?" Gwen finally asked, practically begging.
Seol Hwa arched her brows. The first reaction she showed.
"And what type of favor would you want from me? If it goes against my values, I won't bother considering," Seol Hwa calmly answered, setting down the cup.
"No, no, it—it isn't something illegal or anything," Gwen quickly replied, furiously shaking her head.
"You're worthy of my favor then," Seol Hwa said. "Speak."
Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to put some dots together from the way Seol Hwa was speaking but arrived at nothing.
But the seed of suspicion was already there.
"Can you… cook for us? I… I know I'm being selfish and shameless for wanting more from you. I… I've been on the receiving end of most of your favors. You're the only one in the world who I think can help MJ as weird as it is," Gwen rambled nervously, unknowingly tightening her hold on MJ.
Both MJ and Peter looked at Gwen in confusion and then finally at Seol Hwa.
She can cook? What does cooking have to do with heartbreak? And how does Gwen trust her so much?
There was momentary silence.
Gwen gulped tensely, pitifully looking at Seol Hwa, hoping for her divine favor.
Seeing how pitiful the mortal was, Seol Hwa's amber eyes glinted.
"Since you all treat me normally, I'll help you," she said.
Gwen finally exhaled the breath she had been holding. Her face then beamed with excitement and immense relief.
"What's this all about, Gwen?" MJ asked, the curiosity eating at her.
"Well, my dear girlie, if there's a cure for a broken heart, then it would have to be Divine Chef Seol Hwa's cooking," Gwen declared dramatically, smiling at MJ.
MJ looked at Gwen as if she was nuts.
'There goes her devotion to her "divine" crush,' MJ thought, rolling her eyes. A small grin stretched her lips nonetheless.
If Gwen weren't here for her, she might have been deep in the dark, wallowing in an inescapable abyss of depression.
Having her there together with Peter was reassuring. And also… Seol Hwa.
The girl, no, the royalty she exuded deserved a much more grandiose title.
'Just how good is your cooking?' MJ wondered.
Peter casually dabbed some steamed broccoli into his mouth.
He slowly chewed, fearing he might annoy Seol Hwa.
In the events of breakups, his appetite still needed to be satiated.
'Mortal hearts. So fragile,' Seol Hwa mused, looking at the distressed MJ.
'Eventually, you'd have to part ways with even the world you live in.'
'There are no eternal bonds.'
'I won't vilify your connection with the man as much as I want. That's what defines you as a fleeting existence.'
Seol Hwa still held onto her immortal views, other things such as romance were just transient haze.
While Seol Hwa was indulging in her thoughts, she suddenly sensed something.
It was impossible to ignore it even if she wanted to.
There was only one aura in the entire school that was worthy of the Empress's attention.
A faint, elegant smirk curved her smooth lips.
She didn't need to turn to know it was the psychic girl.
No… something was different.
The aura of the entity within her pulsed more aggressively, more possessively.
It was so subtle that it would easily go unnoticed by powerful eyes.
It yearned.
It wanted ownership.
Its dark impulses blended with Jean's emotions.
'Interesting. Very interesting. How did such a being tether itself onto a mortal? Such power… if I had access to the concept it holds, reaching and even surpassing my peak is possible.' Seol Hwa speculated.
'But now that I can feel it a bit more clearly, it seems I might even invite my own disaster. Its realm is above Divine Sovereigns, probably even past my prime.'
'If such an existence can easily hide itself in the mortal world, then this universe is even bigger than I imagine.'
Sensing how intense Jean's gaze was, Seol Hwa slightly turned her head.
From the cafeteria's entrance, a mop of bright red hair came to view followed by fierce blue eyes.
They looked at each other, the world around them fading out of existence, until only two of them remained.
Time seemed to move slowly.
A fiery glint briefly crossed Jean's eyes before disappearing, unnoticed by her.
This time Jean held her gaze a bit longer before eventually diverting her attention to the table her friends sat at.
Seol Hwa retracted her gaze, amusement in her eyes.
'We'll meet soon. But the girl is stronger than you think. Is that the reason you chose her?' she pondered slightly.
Meeting a peer existence was surely both dangerous and exhilarating.
~~~<>~~~
Hell's Kitchen.
Inside a luxurious office on the topmost floor of one of the many buildings he owned, stood a gigantic man near the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
He was dressed in a sophisticated, custom-designed black suit that perfectly accentuated his massive form.
With arms behind his back, he looked as stable as a mountain.
The city lay before his eyes, under his foot.
It was still not enough.
The vision he had for a grander New York, a world built from the backbone of his aspirations, had yet to be actualized.
Time.
Time was all he needed.
There was a knock at the door.
"Enter," said Wilson Fisk – the man, the myth of Hell's Kitchen.
A bespectacled man in a tailored suit entered.
His steps were measured, timed almost rhythmically with the tiny sounds of his limited-edition, expensive watch.
"Sir, Madam Gao and the Yakuza have accepted the deal," James Wesley said respectfully.
"What about the Russians?" Fisk asked without turning.
"They say they need more time," Wesley shared.
"I'll persuade them even more," he added.
Fisk lightly scoffed. "Time is an attribute I don't have in abundance, Wesley."
"I can be an impatient man."
"I await good news from you."
Wesley slightly nodded. "I'll do it, sir."
"What about our current projects?" Fisk asked.
"The ownership of the hotels and buildings owned by the deceased Andrea Maldini brothers has been fully transferred into your ownership, sir," Wesley stated.
"So, no issues affecting our businesses?"
"There is one issue that happened outside our headquarters. In Queens, ten of our men were found dead in one of the warehouses."
"Our contacts at the police force only reported that the flesh and blood of the victims had been brutally siphoned leaving behind ashy bones."
"Bloody mutants?"
"No, sir. There was no evidence pointing to mutants or our rivals. Or even the devil."
"Leave it alone. Ten men are merely replaceable pebbles. Have fairly competent subordinates man that territory. The smell of blood is bound to attract some sharks."
"The vacuum will be filled with our men."
"Good."
"Is there anything else, sir?" Wesley inquired expectantly.
"What… What other fine wine do you suggest for a romantic dinner?" Fisk cleared his throat, removing his arms from his back, playing with the cuffs of his coat.
"Ah, I'd suggest the Domaine de la…."
You never truly know a wine connoisseur until you ask for recommendations. And that was James Wesley.
~~~<>~~~
Yu_ner's Corner:
Hi. Just wanted to stay this week has been hectic. I've been sick for quite a while but I'm glad I'm recovering and it's nothing major after taking medicine. I know my updates are super slow😭 I try my best. i don't have the most optimal devices to write comfortably but I still do it. Life's so busy and tiring but I can only continue pushing through. Anyway, I can promise more updates this week but not exaggerated numbers. Seol Hwa's story needs more narration and the ideas for this story are quite a lot... Like really a lot inside my mind. I'm taking my time to write some quality work. The writing also helps me mental-wise actually. There... there is this release that I feel. It keeps the chaos in my mind in check.
Hope you all have a good day. Bye.
You can read 20+ chapters on my p a treon: https://www.p a t r e o n.com/Yu_ner (remove the spaces)
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