Keep it in the Family (31) - This Abyss of Mine II (Patreon)

Mia's POV:

Mia picked up her phone, the screen’s glare harsh in the dark. She opened his official Kakao account, the one she meticulously curated. The notifications were a waterfall. Hundreds of new followers. Dozens of messages. She scrolled, her thumb a numb metronome of taps. 

Her eyes scanned the comments under the post-match interview clip she’d uploaded.

“Jae-il Oppa is the future! ㅠㅠ So handsome!”

“That final goal was insane! Marry me, Jae-il! LOL”

“Can’t believe he’s only 15… he’s built different.”

Then she saw it. A comment from @sunny.eonni, the same girl who’d been spamming his DMs. That bitch! Again!

“You were incredible today, Oppa! You made my heart stop. Let me know when you’re free to celebrate properly 😉”

A hot, sour wave of anger washed over Mia. Without a second thought, her finger hovered over the comment, then pressed down. Delete. Gone. A small, ugly flicker of satisfaction ignited in her chest, a sour victory that tasted like ash.

She knew she shouldn’t. She was his social media manager, not his moral gatekeeper.

It was her job to build his brand, to engage with his fans, not to play bodyguard to his DMs. But she couldn’t help it. The thought of these girls, these women, looking at him the way they did—like he was a prize, a commodity—made her skin crawl.

Perhaps she should relinquish the social media job to Su Ah. The youngest knew her way around the internet, anyway.

With a frustrated sigh, Mia tossed her phone onto her nightstand, plunging the room into a thick, oppressive silence. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, the blue-white light of her phone screen a muted glow in her periphery.

Mia tossed the sheets aside, it was too damn hot. A thin sheen of sweat clung to her forehead and the nape of her neck, making the air feel thicker, harder to breathe in. She couldn’t sleep.

Then again, it'd always been like this lately, especially the last month.

Ever since Jae-il’s success became apparent. Because the more the world noticed him, the more unreachable he became. And the more unreachable he was, the worse the feeling got. Like craving a fruit that hung just a little too high—one you weren't supposed to want in the first place.

Her eyes were still wide open. Wide, awake. Restless.

All she could see was the ceiling. That was all. There was nothing to look at, and she was so damn bored and restless... so she did what she had to do to ease her mind: her hands moved on their own. 

...

Once she cleaned herself up and changed her panties, she crept out of her bedroom. A desperate thirst clawed at her throat. Water. She needed water. She descended the stairs, each step a muffled echo, and tiptoed towards the kitchen.

She filled a glass and drank deeply, the cold liquid soothing the rawness of her voice. But even as the discomfort ebbed, her heart kept its furious pace, an endless reminder of her transgression.

Mia put the glass down, leaning heavily against the countertop, eyes screwed shut, willing her heartbeat to slow down. She managed it, somehow. Good. 'It's fine. As long as I don't do anything, I can... I can...'

"You okay?"

She froze.

Oh, damn.

Like a rusty machine, she turned around. Of course it had to be him! Jae-il. Did he know of her inner conflict and decided to torment her for it? 

He was there, standing in the doorway of the living room; he had been outside, a towel clinging to his shoulders. Shit. Had she been so out of it that she didn't even hear him?

His hair was damp and messy, a sign of his late-night dip in the backyard pool. Their father recently bought it to encourage Jae-il to relax after practice. She hadn't even considered he'd use it this late at night!

"You okay?" Jae-il repeated, a frown crinkling his forehead.

She could see the lines on his brow.

"Yeah." Mia croaked out, quickly trying to clear her throat. "I'm fine. Couldn't sleep. My room's... too hot."

He stepped closer, the faint scent of chlorine mingling with the fabric conditioner, and stopped a couple of feet from her.

Her eyes traced his form. He was shirtless, the waistband of his briefs peeking over. 

Mia forced her eyes away from his abs to stare at the clock behind him, her mind conjuring the image of those strong, capable fingers caressing her—

She shook herself inwardly. 'No, stop!' She told herself.

Mia turned away from him to grab a second glass of water, the cold from the refrigerator washing over her as she reached in. The icy chill of the water helped ground her.

He settled himself beside her, sighing. "Yeah, it's been warmer lately. The pool helped."

"That's great." She answered, her voice a thin veneer of calm. She handed him a glass. 

His fingers grazed hers. 

She quickly pulled back. "How... how's practice?" She asked quickly. Desperately changing the subject to distract her traitorous mind from wandering places she couldn’t allow it to go. 'Focus on the conversation.'

"It's been intense, as always." Jae-il took the water gratefully, draining half the glass in a single pull.

"I can tell." Mia remarked, her gaze lingering on the muscles flexing in his throat. "But you seem happy doing it."

He finished off his drink and nodded slowly. "I am." The answer was short and sincere, and a small smile tugged at his lips as he turned away, placing his glass on the countertop next to her empty one. "It's what I've always wanted, so of course I enjoy doing it."

"Hmmm..." Mia hummed, absent-mindedly.

Spacing out helped, a little.

"Anyway... how's my Kakao page going?" He asked.

Her cheeks burned. Her hands fumbled.

"Oh! It's... great. You have, uh, so many more fans now." She responded. “Like a celebrity. Your last video went viral and people have been leaving so many... umm... nice comments about how talented you are." She hid one of her eyes behind a curtain of butter-yellow hair.

"Really? That's good. I don't really care about social media presence and all of that stuff, but I'm glad you're taking good care of my page." He smiled gently. The moonlight caught the curve of his mouth, casting a soft glow. "Thank you, Noona."

"Ah! Of course!" Mia responded, the compliment feeling heavier than it should have, her heart skipping a beat. “Of course! I told ya I’d be doing a good job, didn’t I?” She grinned widely. 

Jae-il nodded. A moment passed before he leaned back.

"Hmm, say, since tomorrow is our off-day, why don't you join me in the pool? You look sweaty, red, and kind out of it." He offered, the words rolling from his lips without thought. 

The offer itself was innocent enough. Yet Mia couldn't help but feel as though something heavy had dropped in her stomach.

'No. Absolutely not.'

"Sure, why not."

She blinked.

Fuck.A/N: The chapter has been edited to remove content that goes against Patreon's guidelines.

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