8 — More Than Good

Go Bong called me to hang out, but I politely turned him down. He had a one-track mind; his thoughts seemed to be sexual in nature even though he hadn't the slightest idea as to what 'sex' even was.

'Sex is for bad guys.' That's all he knew.

And until recently, that's all Dae Ho knew too.

Despite my gratitude for Uncle Yeong Gu, that man could have done a better job. His presence was not particularly influential in Dae Ho's life, which resulted in this body's curbed mental growth.

I stared at myself in the mirror, sweat pouring down my skin in streams.

There were a lot of mistakes to undo. A lot of flaws to fix.

I stretched my arms, flexing my shoulders and back. 'Crazy… I can already see a bit of definition.' And it further cemented my belief that this body was either a one-in-a-million, or there was a particular condition that improved each and each aspect of it.

It would also explain why, despite having gone through my morning workout, I was still so full of vitality. The only reason I didn't continue was due to my fear of potentially injuring it.

In fact, I had to take a day off to let my muscles recover.

Too much of something was a bad thing.

I turned away and headed to the bathroom to wash the sweat away. A cold shower was the best treat for sore muscles. Once I was done, I made my way back to my room with a towel around my neck.

Right before I could open the door, another one opened. And out of it walked an exhausted Mia. One hand was up, as if to hold the weight of her head. Her gilded mane was a mess, but she still looked gorgeous.

"Good morning." I greeted pleasantly.

"Ugh…" She groaned. "G'morning…"

"You look like you had a rough night. Coming up with a fever or something?"

Mia's jaw was stiff as she finally turned to look at me. "No… I'm fine." A faint rosy hue crept onto her cheeks, though she immediately shook it off. I tilted my head. She was tense. "I just… had trouble sleeping."

"Hmm…" I stared at her, noticing the way she nervously averted her gaze. And from that angle, her curtain of flaxen hair hid those beautiful, almond eyes. "You should stop using your phone before sleep. It's ruining your brain."

"What are you, my dad?" Despite my not seeing it, I could definitely imagine her rolling her eyes at my words. She crossed her arms, interlocking them right under her bust. "Besides, it's not like I was talking to anyone in particular…"

I didn't know what to make of that. So I decided to skip straight through it and move on to a different topic. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. Do we still have that white, leather ball we used to play around with?"

Mia was a bit stumped by my non-sequitur. "Ball? That was years ago, Dae Ho. If mom didn't throw it away, then it should be in the garage."

"I see…" I rubbed my chin in thought. I wondered if I should just buy a new one at this point. "Thank you, I'll check it out later."

My hand twisted the knob. The door creaked open.

"Why?" Mia's question stopped me. "You've never been interested in sports…"

"Maybe I've just found my passion?"

She was silent for a few seconds, then she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll help you look for it." She said haughtily.

"Really? That's sweet of you." I smiled. "We can get started right after breakfast."

A nod was her reply before she flipped her hair around and walked past me.

I stepped inside my room and closed the door. I tossed the towel over the backrest of a chair and started rummaging around for clothes. Hmm. 'Note to self: buy better clothes.' Some of these shorts were so small and tight that, if I didn't have Dae Ho's memories, I would have believed they belonged to Mia.

Thankfully, not all hope was lost. I found a slim, black shirt and a pair of white shorts that were not something one of my step-sisters would wear to sleep.

"Breakfast is ready!" As if on cue, Eun Ha announced in that lovely, cheerful voice of hers.

I made my way down.

Eun Ha was wearing her flowery, blue apron, and dishwashing gloves. "Good morning, Dae Ho!" She said, smile bright enough to power an entire electrical grid.

"Morning, Auntie."

I took my seat at the table, noticing the bowls and plates full of delicious, Korean-style food.

"Soo…" Eun Ha hummed. "Have you been having… any issues?"

'Oh, she's bringing that up again?'

"Nope. Everything is fine."

"Good. Good. I'm glad!" She chirped, removing her rubber gloves and proceeding to sit down across from me.

The tension between us lessened a bit.

"When will uncle be back?" I asked off-handedly.

"Oh, he should be back tomorrow." Eun Ha replied evenly.

And here I thought she'd be happier to see him again.

The sound of footsteps drew my attention to the stairs, where Mia came down, barefoot, donning a tight blouse and dolphin shorts. She was born with her sex appeal maxed out. I doubted there was any article of clothing out there that could make her look bad.

After a new round of 'Good morning's, Mia plopped her rear next to me, picked up her chopsticks, and started to eat.

I couldn't help but notice her stealing glimpses. And every time I turned to catch her red-handed, she'd immediately look away and stuff a chopstickful of rice into her mouth, pretending nothing was wrong.

I didn't remember Mia behaving this way.

We used to play a lot when we were younger. And although she remained the kind young woman that wormed her way into my, Dae Ho's, heart, she grew up to be a bit standoffish.

Of course, the young woman next to me was nothing like the girl I first met all those years ago. Her dyed, butter-yellow hair seemed more like an act of defiance against nature and social stigma than pure personal choice. Yes, she was incomparably more complex now, a cauldron of bubbling emotions tightly kept behind a haughty mask.

Mia tucked a hefty strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned ever so slightly, mouth open to welcome the chopsticks. And as she did so, her eyes flicked toward me. It was only for a second. Hard to miss yet harder to catch her in the act.

I ignored it and quietly finished my breakfast.

Eun Ha and Mia were also done, so the former got up and started her cleaning duties, customarily refusing our offer to help.

I signaled Mia with my eyes.

She promptly nodded and caught up to me.

…

The garage was a bit dusty, but overall tidier than I expected.

There was steel shelving on one side, their space filled with pails of paint. On the other side, instead, cardboard boxes were stacked up on top of each other. In the middle was a dust-free zone where Yeong Gu's car was parked. Except that the car wasn't there.

"It should be in one of those boxes." Mia noted, tapping her chin. "We keep all of the old stuff in there."

I walked up to one of the boxes and started to go through it. Mia wasn't idle and joined me right away, wrinkling her nose at the clouds of dust that billowed up whenever we moved the items.

"Are you serious about this, it's just an old ball… we can find something else to do…" Mia said, coughing and waving her hand to disperse the specks of dust dancing on her face.

"We?" I observed, amused.

"Why, you don't want to play with me?"

I shrugged. "Do you even know how to kick a ball, or should I teach you?"

Her eyes gleamed with interest. "You're talking as if you're some expert…" Her villain-like smirk was in full place. "Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Dae Ho. But why don't we bet on it, hmm?"

I blinked, tilting my head from my crouched position, to look at her better. "You… want to bet… with me?"

"Of course!" Mia's white teeth were on full display. She placed a hand on her hip and leaned on one side. "If you manage to impress me, I promise I'll do anything you want."

"That sounds juicy. Alright. I'm in." I chuckled.

"I'm not finished." She chided me as she flipped her hair around, staring at me with a faux condescending look. "If you fail, you'll do 'anything' I want."

"That's… a dangerous game you're playing." I hummed, finding the whole situation humorous.

She chuckled behind a hand. "Oh, not at all." Then she plunged her hands inside a cardboard box, and when she pulled them back out, a ball was in her grasp. "Found it."

The white, leather sphere was a bit peeled off, but it looked fine.

Mia threw it at me.

I caught it, and just to mess around with her, I started spinning it on top of my finger. "There's a football pitch nearby. We could go there." I said, watching as the ball whirled faster and faster, its balance never breaking, much to Mia's growing amazement. "Oh, and by the way, my request will involve a humiliating outfit, a handful of oil, and a relaxing massage."

The cocky smile on her face twitched. "You better be as good as you say…"

"Dear, I'm more than good."