Marvel: I Evolved Into Superman on My Own

In the dense woods.

A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, creating a soft "shhh" sound.

As if sensing something, Lana Lang slowly raised her head. "Clark?"

The girl was a little surprised to see her neighbor here, but when she saw Jino, Clark's friend, standing beside him, her expression became a bit awkward.

Thanks to Whitney, her relationship with Jino wasn't exactly good.

However, as the most sociable and popular girl at the small town's high school, Lana approached them with a smile.

Lana winked, smiling as she asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Jino glanced at Clark. Perhaps remembering the camera's contents, the tall boy's cheeks were flushed, practically screaming "flustered."

Sigh, it's best to fall in love early, Jino thought, giving Clark's performance a "zero." He swept his gaze over the girl with a half-smile. "We meet again."

Lana felt a bit repulsed by Jino's gaze. Just then, Whitney, who had been behind her, caught up.

"Lana, uh, and Jino."

Seeing Jino there, Whitney's expression was a bit fearful. He felt a phantom ache in his broken arm.

"Whitney." Jino nodded indifferently, acknowledging him. Then, Jino's gaze shifted between the two of them, and he deliberately asked, "It seems you two had a fight?"

He hadn't forgotten Lana's earlier scolding of him, so he naturally wouldn't go easy on them if he could embarrass them now.

Sure enough, when Jino asked, Lana's lovely face stiffened slightly. She gazed deeply at Jino, who had a smile on his lips. She was certain this guy was doing it on purpose.

However, as Clark's "white moonlight," Lana's cheerful and generous personality was definitely a plus. The girl didn't act coy and nodded, answering seriously, "No, we didn't fight. Whitney and I broke up."

"Oh~" Jino drew out the sound, slowly nodding. "Perfect. Clark and I have something important to tell you."

With that, Jino ignored the awkward Whitney, pulling Clark and walking off into the distance, gesturing for Lana to follow.

Watching the three figures walk further and further away, Whitney couldn't help but clench the fist hidden in his sleeve. "Those three jerks!"

On the other side.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Lana stood with her arms crossed. Today, she was wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt, and her smooth, flowing black hair highlighted her youthful vitality.

Jino glanced at Clark, seeing that Clark was still spaced out. Feeling frustrated, he hooked his elbow and sharply struck Clark in the side.

If it were an ordinary person, the former might have been injured, but since both were Men of Steel, Jino's elbow strike truly hurt Clark.

"Hiss!"

Clark gasped, quickly covering his side. When he came to his senses, he saw Lana looking at him with curiosity.

"Ahem, ahem."

Clark pretended nothing was wrong, lowering his right hand from his side. Then, he scratched his head and awkwardly offered the camera in his left hand.

"Lana, I think you need to see this."

"What?"

Lana took the camera. When she saw its contents, the girl's face immediately looked so dark it seemed like it could drip water.

The photos inside recorded details of her life after she returned home.

"We found this camera on a crooked tree not far from your house," Clark explained, scratching his head as he told Lana what had happened.

After hearing Clark's description, Lana stood frozen in place, like a stiff wooden carving.

Anger, grievance, fear—a mix of emotions made Lana involuntarily burst into tears.

"Uh? La-Lana, don't cry."

Clark instinctively looked at Jino, hoping his good friend would offer some advice.

Idiot, Jino sighed inwardly. In this situation, what did a girl need? A firm, reliable hug, a safe harbor that could put her at ease.

Jino extended his right hand and gently pushed Clark's shoulder.

"Wham!"

Clark stumbled and instinctively embraced Lana.

"Mmph!"

Feeling the tall body embrace her, even Lana was startled. Her body tensed, and Clark looked even more awkward and flustered.

God, it was his first time hugging Lana. Smelling the faint, pleasant perfume on the girl, Clark's cheeks grew even redder.

Just then, Jino subtly offered an assist:

"Sigh, I wonder how long that pervert has been secretly photographing you."

At this, Lana cried even more heartbrokenly. Something like this would be a nightmare for anyone.

Lana cried fiercely in Clark's arms.

A rustling sound came from the woods behind them. Jino turned his head and saw Pete, wide-eyed, and Chloe, covering her mouth.

"Uh, maybe we came at a bad time?" Pete hesitated. He remembered Lana had a boyfriend, but now she was hugging Clark.

Chloe, her eyes burning with the fire of gossip, questioned Jino with her gaze, asking what had happened.

Girls in high school are like Hollywood actresses, full of drama and backstabbing.

Lana might have been popular with the boys, but there were plenty of girls who disliked her, and Chloe was naturally one of them. She had always been annoyed by Lana's pretentious behavior, finding her quite fake.

Jino shrugged, walked over to Chloe, and putting an arm around both their shoulders, recounted what had happened.

After hearing Jino's story, Chloe looked at Lana with eyes full of sympathy.

Even though she didn't like Lana, Lana was truly in a pitiful situation.

"Do you know who uses a camera on campus?" Jino looked at Chloe. As the editor of the school newspaper, Chloe was practically the town's walking encyclopedia.

"Hmm, if it's about cameras…"

Chloe rubbed her short blonde hair, as if it helped her think.

A memory flashed through her mind, and Chloe's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember now! Gerry once submitted something to me."

"He wanted to encourage everyone to care for small insects and appreciate their beauty, and for that, he brought a lot of insect photos."

Recalling the scene, Chloe couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.

"Gerry?" Jino narrowed his eyes slightly, a short figure he'd seen at the farmers' market flashing through his mind.

"Who knows where he lives?"

Jino intended to go check it out himself.

"I do!" Little Pete raised his hand. "There's a shortcut nearby that leads to Gerry's house."

"Let's go, we'll check out his place." Jino gestured for Little Pete to lead the way, and then turned his head to call out to Clark and the other person, "You two, stop embracing and come with me to investigate a lead."

Clark, hearing Jino's call, reluctantly let go of Lana. Lana also clearly realized that their recent behavior had been a bit too intimate.

Blushing, the two followed Jino and the others, maintaining a quiet silence amidst everyone's awkward glances.

 End of Chapter