Chapter 19: 19 — Limitless

Cha Mia's POV:

Mia had to cooperate with Dae Ho to make her secret escape. It was not deep into the night, so the hallways had a higher risk of being more trafficked. Or so they thought. Eun Ha, as per usual, was hyper-focused on her household chores. Yeong Gu was playing golf downstairs.

As for Su Ah... she was likely to be cooped up in her room.

Dae Ho still insisted on erring on the side of caution. So, he opened the door, quietly, looked both ways, and when the perimeter was secured, he gave her the green light. Mia tip-toed her way out, not forgetting to pinch her little brother's face.

"Rude." He mumbled while nursing his cheek.

She smirked, winked at him, and then scuttled back to her room.

The hurried pitter-patter of her bare feet faded once she found safety beyond the door. She closed it, leaning into its frame to support the weight of her body — and her emotions.

Her thoughts were in disarray. Her heart was like a woodpecker chucking away. Her lungs were continuously short on oxygen. All of the blood congested in her cheeks. If it were a cliché animation, steam would be coming out of her face.

Mia brought a finger up to her lips, tracing the soft edges and the drool smeared across its corners. Dae Ho's warmth still lingered there.

'There's no way this will be the last time…'

She was being honest earlier. None of that shit should have happened. Everything should have stayed platonic and problem-free. A chaste relationship between siblings.

However, as Mia recalled Dae Ho's words, she couldn't still her heart.

He said 'no strings attached', and then proceeded to cover her in a fucking web of it.

Mia groaned, suddenly reminded of the gift Dae Ho had left on her neck. 'Tch… bastard…' She ran a hand across the welt, fingers rubbing against the teeth marks. 'I should have left one on him too.'

She wrinkled her nose, feeling an unpleasant stickiness between her legs. Ah, right, he had marked her down there too.

As much as her body was caked in bodily fluids, she couldn't help but smile.

The air between Dae Ho and Mia had become more… breathable? Was that a good way to describe it? She didn't know, but she was happy nonetheless. Of course, the sexual tension was always there, and likely always will, but Mia didn't feel like she had to walk on tip-toes anymore when it came to expressing her emotions or her moods.

The only problem was keeping everything under wraps.

Mia didn't want to hide under his bed every time someone came looking for him, which turned out to be mostly her mother.

With that train of thought railing through her mind, she headed to the bathroom.

…

As night drew on, instead of a sweater, Mia opted for some light clothes. A tank top and dolphin shorts. She hopped on her bed, turned around, and swung her legs in the air as she browsed through her notifications.

There were way too many of them. Usually, she'd be thumbing through each one of them, but it'd only delay her real purpose. Therefore, with a swipe of her finger, she deleted everything, and opened her KakaoTalk.

The screen flashed and a list of contacts showed up.

— Dae Ho —

Her finger hovered over the icon. She had given him her old smartphone since she didn't use it anymore. A young man like him couldn't be without one; that fool had broken his twice already.

Mia tapped on his contact, and a barren chat overtook the screen. 'Should I text him?' She didn't want to be too pushy or clingy. The optimal outcome would be for him to be clinging all over her, but with this 'new' Dae Ho, it didn't seem like it'd happen.

Her fingers moved on their own.

— Hey

He didn't reply. Actually, he didn't even log in to see the text.

Maybe it was a bad idea. And as the minutes passed, the frustration grew more and more, twisting and wrapping into a ball of regret in the pit of her stomach.

'What the fuck is wrong with me?'

Not even half a day had gone by since they had sex, twice, and she was already seeking him out again. The flimsy excuses she told herself didn't hold water. She hated that she was feeling 'that' way. It stung, because Dae Ho's feelings were vague. There was no clear answer. She appreciated his honesty, but his words and actions didn't match.

He said — more like 'implied' — he wanted to keep things casual.

Then he said he really, really liked her.

And when he held her? When he comforted her?

Mia felt like she meant the whole world to him.

A chirping melody went off, a faint vibration accompanying it. She immediately unlocked her phone. A new message popped up right under hers.

— Hey, if you want to talk, you can come over

Would she come across as desperate if she replied way too fast? He made her wait five whole minutes. As a rule of thumb, she should make him wait at least that much.

Fuck that. She was too impatient to get a conversation going.

— Nah. I'm in my bed. Too comfy to get up

— Should I come over then?

— No. Stay there

— Why?

— Just stay there

— ????

A smile flashed across her face.

— What r u up to anyway?

— Working out a little

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— Whaaaat? You're always working out

— But you like it, don't you? ????

Mia bit her bottom lip as she spammed a row of little faces with steam coming out of their nose.

— Haven't you had enough exercise for a day? ????

— I don't know. I feel like I could go for another round… and another… and another…

Despite her best efforts to stop it, a blush flared up on her cheeks.

— Pfft. Liar…

— ????

— Hmm. Maybe I should get some yoga in too? 

She smiled, tapping a sticker on the list below. A blushing bear flashed under her message with a 'pop' sound.

— Copycat lol

— I've been doing this shit way before you!

A crying 'Apeach' sticker sprung up.

Mia rolled her eyes. She sunk her face further into the pillow, staring at the now-silent chat. A question churned in her mind. It was one that had been shelved away ever since she had given him a massage.

It was not out of choice, but of circumstance. Now, however, was a perfect time. Her thumbs scampered across the keyboard.

— Say… what did you and mom talk about the other day?

Contrary to the previous interaction, his answer didn't come instantly.

Just when her suspicions were growing to alarming levels, a message popped up.

— She was concerned

— About what?

— About me. She wanted to make sure I was fine. You know how she is… she's been overthinking a lot. Weren't you also the same? You almost tore my door off its hinges haha. Anyway, everything's alright now, so don't worry

That made sense, yes. Mia heaved a deep sigh as she sorted out her jumble of thoughts.

— I was not concerned. I was suspicious.

— Sure sure

The conversation went on for another half an hour before both of them called it quits. Mia turned off the lights and lay there, phone in her hand.

Mia might have said she was sleepy, but honestly, she could probably stay up for another couple of hours. Due to 'very' recent events, if she closed her eyes right now, her mind would wander to certain memories that would only have a particular effect on her body.

'Whatever…' 

Sleep would beckon her on its own.

With that new motivation in mind, Mia hopped on NewTube and scrolled through her feed.

──⇌ ⋆★⋆ ⇋──

I've made a few more discoveries about this body. A seemingly endless well of stamina was not its most impressive trait. No, far from it. The first 'peculiarity' I came to find out — by accident, mind you — was that I had a higher pain tolerance. A way higher tolerance, in fact.

But even that could be, somehow, attributed to having gone through death once. It was not as if there was a scientific explanation, backed by solid evidence, behind it.

Maybe it had an effect on my mind. I didn't feel any different, really.

Was it all subconscious?

The second 'peculiarity' was the sudden spike in strength I had. The muscles of this body were growing exceedingly fast and strong. I thought I was an ectomorph, which was why I increased my calorie intake.

The first results should not be showing up this soon. It'd take time and dedication — a lot of dedication — to get where I was in my past life.

The third 'peculiarity' was my mind-body coordination. Whenever I balanced the ball on my feet, or attempted a flashy skill, like the hocus pocus, each set of movements was carried out with the maximum efficiency and accuracy.

There was not a single time where I thought 'I'm about to mess this up…' No, my feet would perfectly translate every command given with no delay or stuttering.

I was stronger, faster, more 'vigorous', resistant, and skilled.

And so I wondered… what were the limits to this body? How far could I push it before I hit an insurmountable wall? Would there be any walls in my path to the absolute peak anyway?

Because I knew that, with my experience and talent, coupled with this blessed physical form, there'd be no stopping me from conquering the football world.

Not only football.

I could branch out, couldn't I? Sure, I wanted to focus on one thing at a time, but trying out a few different sports would be beneficial, even if I decided not to make a career out of them.

The sun's harsh glares made my morning run harder to bear, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I was slightly short-winded, but otherwise, I didn't feel like I had just run over ten laps around the neighborhood.

I could go for more, but I did promise Go Bong I'd drop by his house.

'I'm not even that interested in drones…'

Still, after what he said last time, I would feel extremely bad if I stopped associating with him.

Like it or not, he was my friend. Maybe he'd grow on me. Maybe not. I had no intention of forcing a friendship between us, but the least I could do right now was to give him a chance.

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