the door to the classroom opened, a short man with graying hair and a thick mustache walking in. the class exchanged friendly smiles as the teacher got situated in the front of the class.

"welcome to hero support. my name is..." the teacher jumped behind a chalkboard, quickly changing out of his clothes and into his sidekick ensemble. he striked a pose as he jumped onto his desk and said, "minguk boy!"

the teacher stood there awkwardly, feeling disheartened from a lack of reaction from the students.

"of course, nowadays," he sighed as he climbed off his desk carefully, "i just go by mr. boy."

"but this year, it's gonna be my privilege to help each of you become the very best hero support that you can be."

"without hero support, why, there wouldn't be any heroes!" mr. boy said as he placed his hands on his hips. his shoulders slumped as he read the expressions of the students. "all right, there probably would be heroes, but they would be very lonely! very, very lonely..."

chan tried to conceal a chuckle at mr. boy trying to lift the spirits of the students. the young boy was slowly starting to accept his position as hero support, but it didn't help when even the teachers weren't as confident in their own abilities as well.

"– another word for hero support would be the unremarkables."

vernon snorted quietly as he said, "... so, boring?"

mr. boy sighed quietly. he heard this at least once a school year. he looked at the seating chart and made note of the student's name. "yes, mr chwe. you could say that. though i don't like to use such disheartening words–"

"you just called us unremarkable."

mr. boy paused, quickly turning around to face the wall as he said, "... anyways, another thing you must know: you don't get to pick your names or your costumes. on graduation day, you'll be assigned to your hero, and then he o-o-or she will decide what you'll be called and what you'll wear."

mr. boy moved to the wall next to the door, reaching for a string that was attached to a rolled up poster, "i think this is done mostly in an attempt to avoid clashing colors. that's why when i was paired with," he paused for dramatic effect as he pulled the poster down, revealing a large painting of mr. boy and the commander in color coordinated uniforms, "the commander, red, white, and blue it was."

the class sat in silenced awe, some of them looking at chan in curiosity. chan was surprised as well, raising his hand as he said, "excuse me. i didn't know you worked for the commander."

"i worked with the commander. we were a team. mr... mr.." mr. boy looked down at the seating chart in his hand again. "stronghold." he paused, looking down at the clipboard again, and then looking up at the young boy in disbelief. "stronghold? you... juwon's son?"

chan nodded awkwardly. "yeah." he said, a strained smile on his face.

"and he never–" mr. boy gestured to the poster behind him, an embarrassed look on his face, "– he never mentioned me to you?"

"i-i don't think so." chan shook his head regretfully.

mr. boy nodded, an understanding look on his face as he said, "ma-makes sense. that makes perfect sense because the commander does not have time to sit around flipping through scrapbooks that i took the time to make for him." he finished with a small frown, looking down at the seating chart as he moved back to his desk.

"no, the commander's got to be out there saving the world! with your mom," mr. boy's voice dropped an octave as he continued, "your mom. she ever mention me?"

chan knew the answer was no, but he didn't want to upset the teacher further. just as he was about to respond, the lights flickered off, and the walls began to shake. dust started falling from the ceiling.

as the students looked visibly alarmed, mr. boy said, "incoming!" and flew away just as there was a tiny explosion in the next room. the class let out shrieks of surprise at the impact, bracing themselves for more just in case.

the class soon settled down as the rumbling stopped. vernon sat back from his crouched position and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the glowing neon yellow light emanating from behind him. he turned around and let out a quiet scoff.

"oh, look. he does glow." vernon said, gesturing behind him to the tall boy who was sitting there with a smug look on his face as his classmates turned to look at him.

mingyu chuckled loudly at that. "I told you." he said with a nod in the direction of his friends.

the class turned to the doorway as they heard approaching footsteps, a little startled as a man with a massive head walked in dramatically, a flashlight in his hands as he entered the room.

"greetings." the man said, a mysterious tone in his voice as he continued, "there was a little misfire in the mad science lab. no need to panic... unless you're a single cell organism."

mr. boy scoffed loudly as he said, "mr. medulla. we, the unremarkables, are trained never to panic."

mr. medulla looked around for the teacher, an unimpressed look on his face as he looked up and saw mr. boy clinging onto the air conditioning vent attached to the ceiling. this didn't surprise mr. medulla at all. mr. boy was known for being a scaredy cat.

and just as the vent collapsed, so did mr. boy. as the teacher fell to the floor, the students in the class laughed. mr. boy stood up quickly, a garbage can on his head as he tried to gather his bearings.

"my bad." mr. medulla said, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "i'll get the nurse... unless she's injured."

the class went back to normal after that. mr. boy brought up several mechanisms to assist the sidekicks with their missions, asking the class if they'd like to try them out. and that's how the rest of the class went. chan used a toolbelt that could shoot a tiny arrow into any object and lift him away, which the class found exciting. even as it struggled to lift mingyu and eventually drop him to the ground, the class was still excited.

the days went by like that. they learned more and more about being sidekicks – or, the unremarkables as mr. boy so delicately put it – and as the days passed, chan started to accept that he was a sidekick. he had fun in hero support class, learning how to use certain tools and how to quickly change costumes. he even grew accustomed to the crazy bus rides every morning.

so when it came time to study for an exam, he thought it would be okay to invite his friends over. there they were, sitting around the living room with their hero support textbooks cracked open. various snacks and drinks were scattered onto the coffee table as the group of sidekicks tried to focus on the practice questions for the exam.

"okay, number one." chan said, tapping his pencil against his textbook as he continued, "a radioactive zombie is charging at your hero. do you hand him a) his silver-tipped crossbow. b) a wooden spike. c–"

mingyu groaned loudly, waving his hand dismissively as he said, "yo, that's so weak, man. i'm already holding his crossbow. why can't i just shoot him myself?" he looked around at his friends, hoping one of them would back him up.

"because we're hero support." seokmin said, slightly agitated that he had to keep reminding the tall boy about their position.

"if your hero asks for a crossbow, you hand it to him." minghao said absentmindedly as he drew doodles onto his worksheet.

"or her." seungkwan cut in.

seokmin ignored seungkwan as he continued. "by the way, mingyu. you can't kill a zombie. you can only re-kill him."

"or her." seungkwan said louder this time, clear annoyance on his face.

a loud voice from the entryway spoke up, startling the group as he said, "so, if you kids are all in here, who's out there saving the world?" juwon asked, unconsciously striking a pose as he put his hands on his hips. he was still in his supersuit, which signaled that he was just coming back from a mission.

the group looked excited at the presence of the commander, but chan looked genuinely startled. "dad! why are you home so early?" he asked with a strained smile, feeling nervousness bubbling up inside of him.

"after i stopped the superdome from collapsing, i was watching the game and got to thinking, it's been a while since chan and i played some soccer together. i thought i'd hustle back home, but i see you and seungkwan have already made some friends." juwon smiled brightly as he looked around at the group of kids sitting in the living room.

seokmin tossed his textbook aside as he stood up excitedly and said, "it's an honor to meet you, sir." he reached a hand out and gave the commander a firm handshake, not surprised at the tight squeeze the man gave back.

"what's your name, what's your power?"

"i'm seokmin, and i melt." seokmin said a bright smile as he looked up at the older man.

juwon's smile faltered, but he nodded amicably as he said, "okay."

juwon looked beside seokmin and smiled as he saw mingyu approaching him, recognizing the boy from the times he and chan hung out. "ah, mingyu. your power came in over the summer, correct?"

"yep. i glow."

"i see." juwon said with an amused smile, feeling his spirit fall even more but not wanting it to show.

vernon stood up and reached over to give the commander a handshake. "vernon. i shapeshift."

juwon looked excited as he exclaimed, "shapeshift!" he'd met plenty of shapeshifters in his day, so this kid seemed promising to him.

"into a guinea pig."

"... great. great."

juwon trailed off, looking at the skinny boy walking towards him with a delicate hand on his chest as he formally bowed. "hello. my name is minghao. my korean name is seo myungho, and i'm a jumper."

juwon looked mildly interested as he leaned a bit closer. "a jumper? how high?"

"ah, the highest i ever got was to the top of a skyscraper."

juwon's eyes widened in amazement as he said, "wow, now that is impressive."

minghao chuckled awkwardly as he nodded. "yes, everyone else seems to agree. unfortunately, coach boomer does not."

juwon's expression fell. he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he shook his head. "ah. i see he's still the same as he was in high school. don't let it get to you, son." he said, giving the young boy an encouraging pat on the shoulder. chan felt a twinge of hope in his heart at the gesture. maybe he wouldn't be so upset when he found out chan was a sidekick as well.

juwon clapped his hands as he looked around the room. "well! i'm gonna make myself a sandwich. anybody want one?" he asked.

the group politely declined as they took their former seats. the commander nodded as he said, "pleasure meeting everyone." and walked into the kitchen.

chan felt conflicted as he watched his father walk away. he could tell that his father was being friendly, but he wanted to know how his father really felt. so he excused himself from the group and walked into the kitchen.

chan watched his father make himself a sandwich, a distant look in the older man's eye as he was deep in thought. his father looked at up at the presence of chan and warmly smiled at his son. this relieved chan's nerves a little as he stood on the other side of the counter facing his father.

"can i ask you something?" his father said, hands busy as he continued to make his snack.

"does mingyu really... glow?"

chan laughed awkwardly, shrugging as he said, "sometimes."

juwon shook his head in disbelief. "they have really lowered the bar for superheroes at that school since i went there." he said, gesturing wildly with his butter knife as he continued, "and that myungho kid definitely should have been in the hero class."

juwon tsked loudly as he shook his head. "that boomer. still picking on kids, huh?" he mumbled to himself.

chan moved to the counter behind his father and cleared his throat nervously as he said, "well, actually, mingyu is a sidekick."

juwon turned to his son, a slightly pleased look on his face as he said, "oh! well, that makes sense." he chuckled quietly as he turned back to his sandwich.

chan paused for a moment, feeling a sudden surge of confidence as he said, "actually, they're all sidekicks."

juwon turned to his son silently, looking proud as he said, "good for you, son. a kid of your stature hanging out with a bunch of sidekicks. as a first year? pfft, i didn't have the guts." he chuckled to himself as he turned around, "and i can only imagine what your grandfather would have said if i'd brought some of them home."

chan grimaced slightly as he looked at his friends, thankful that they weren't able to hear their conversation. "you know, there's nothing wrong with being hero support." he said nervously as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"sidekick. though, i hear they're calling them unremarkables now. poor kids." juwon said in dismay, shaking his head softly at the thought. "i used to have one, chan. saved my life once, too! what was his name..."

chan felt the nervousness pool in his stomach again as he continued, "so, then, you'd be fine with–" he fidgeted nervously as he said, "– if i was a sidekick."

juwon shrugged indifferently, too preoccupied with eating his sandwich at this point to fully process what his son was saying. chan didn't notice this and took his silence as a sign to continue.

"w-well, that's good then, because I am."

"am what?"

"a sidekick."

"who is?"

chan grew annoyed at his father's aloofness as he exclaimed, "me! dad, i'm a sidekick, okay?" he sighed quietly as he said, "i washed out of power placement."

juwon turned to his son, his smile falling as he shouted, "washed out?!"

chan stared back nervously as his father said boomer quietly, a smirk on his face as he turned his back to his son. hd paused momentarily before he slammed his fist down onto the counter, all of the objects resting on the surface flying into the air and landing haphazardly in their places.

chan winced slightly, rolling his eyes as he stared ahead at his friends who were now looking at them curiously.

"couldn't make the big time, so now he thinks he can pass judgement on some real heroes, huh?" juwon exclaimed as he began to pace the kitchen, smoke basically coming out of the man's ears as he fumed.

juwon turned to his son as he said, "oh, it's a power trip, chan. that's all it is. just some pathetic attempt to keep bright kids like you and myungho in check. sonic boom? try gym teacher man."

juwon grabbed the home phone and angrily began to dial the school number. chan rolled his eyes as he said, "no, dad, what are you doing?"

"i'm calling the school." he huffed loudly as he continued to punch his fingers into the buttons. "tuh, the tuition we pay them!" he exclaimed, feeling the phone crumble in his hands under the pressure of his fingertips. he let out a disgruntled noise as he tossed the phone to the side.

"dad, don't." chan whined, feeling embarrassed as he watched his dad open up the cabinet which had the spare home phones for this situation – his father has angrily called people before and it always ended with him having to grab a new phone.

chan thought that there was no use in lying anymore.

"dad, it's not coach boomer! it's me, okay? i don't have any powers."

the house sat in silence as juwon turned to chan, his expression falling as he fully faced his son. "but, you never said– i mean, you made it seem like–"

"like i had super strength, like you?" chan smiled sadly at his father.

chan wished he could have kept the illusion going, just a little longer, until he inevitably got his powers. but as the days went by and he lost hope of that ever happening, he knew the day would come that he would have to tell his parents eventually. he just didn't assume that it would hurt this much.

"but i don't."

"but you will, chan!" juwon said as he held his son's shoulders, a determined look on his face as he continued,  "y-you're just a late bloomer! that's what it is!"

chan forced a smile on his face as he said, "maybe. maybe not." he frowned slightly at the disappointed look on his father's face.

great. exactly what i was trying to avoid.

"but i don't care." chan shrugged indifferently, feeling a sense of pride as he continued, "because, really, the fact of the matter is... i'm proud to be a sidekick. actually, i'm proud to be hero support. one of the unremarkables."

chan turned around and walked back to the living room, not wanting to continue the conversation. he knew what his father would say, he knew what his father was thinking. chan was finally starting to be okay with who he was and he didn't want his father's disappointment to get in the way of that.

chan took his former seat next to seungkwan, clearing his throat quietly as he said, "so, i think we pretty much covered the undead." he grabbed his notebook as he continued, "what's next?"

chan let out a few anxious breaths, looking around at the concerned looks of his friends. though they were sad for chan, they looked thankful that he stood up for them. the attention made him nervous, so he turned to seungkwan and asked him why they were staring.

seungkwan realized that chan didn't know they were listening to the conversation chan and his dad were having – which would have been impossible not to hear, the two were basically shouting. seungkwan turned to his friends and gave them a signal, hoping that they would drop the subject. the boys softly nodded, slowly turning back to their textbooks and resuming their group study.

as seokmin read another question from the study sheet, chan and seungkwan exchanged smiles. seungkwan gave chan a soft nudge in the shoulder, the other boy chuckling quietly as he focused back to his group of friends. seungkwan had a soft smile on his face as he continued to look at the boy, a soft blush dusting his cheeks as he looked back to his friends as well.