12 — The First Match

Mia’s POV:

Mia stared at the ceiling of the living room, the glow from the TV casting shifting shadows across her face. The detergent commercial had long finished, but her mind was elsewhere, replaying the conversation with Jae-il.

"Blondes, huh?" She muttered again, twirling a strand of her dark hair around her finger.

She'd always been confident in her appearance—she knew she was pretty, had heard it enough times from relatives and family friends. But something about Jae-il's casual admission bothered her in a way she couldn't quite articulate. It wasn't jealousy, exactly. It was more like... disappointment?

The thought made her sit up abruptly.

Why would she care what type of girls her little brother liked? It was weird enough that she'd even asked in the first place.

She grabbed the remote and flicked through channels, trying to distract herself.

A romantic drama appeared on screen—some melodramatic scene where a woman was confessing her feelings to a man who looked remarkably uninterested. Mia snorted and changed the channel again.

Another show, another set of commercials, none of which could pull her attention away from the nagging feeling in her chest.

With a sigh, she turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the coffee table.

She lay there for a few more minutes, eyes closed but mind far too active for sleep to claim her. Eventually, she pulled herself to her feet, her sock-clad feet dragging a little as she headed towards her own room.

Mia briefly glanced at Jae-il's room as she passed by.

"Are you jealous of the blonde on TV?"

She startled as a voice came out of nowhere and whipped around to see Su Ah, standing in the dim hallway with her book in hand, a slight arch to her brow that hinted at amusement.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Mia retorted, her tone accusatory but not entirely upset.

Su Ah shook her head. "Just walking down to grab a drink. Overheard you guys. Couldn't help myself."

"Spying little..." Mia started, but then realized it wasn’t worth the energy. "I'm not jealous. Don't be ridiculous."

Su Ah didn't look convinced but she didn't push the topic. "Alright." Her eyes flickered from Mia's annoyed expression to the dark hallway ahead.

"So what, do I have to dye my hair?" Mia huffed after a beat of silence.

"Isn't it a bit too soon for you to be concerned about Jae-il's love life?"

"......" Mia opened and then shut her mouth, unable to refute her point. She wasn’t exactly concerned about his love life. It wasn’t her business anyway. So what was bothering her anyway?

"He might not find someone good. What am I supposed to do? He needs help. What kind of a sister would I be otherwise?" She said instead, looking away, her voice tinged with defiance..

Su Ah sighed, her voice softening as if dealing with a petulant toddler. Wasn't Mia supposed to be the older sister? "I don't think he requires our help, Unnie. All the boys his age aren't into relationships or anything." She then tilted her head. "But even if that was the case, why are you being so... worked up? Even for you, this isn't something you should care about this much." There it was; her usual perceptiveness.

"Maybe I should bleach it. It looks good on some girls I know at school..." Mia continued, as if she hadn't heard her sister's words, staring intently at the long strands of black. Then a sly smile curled on her lips as a thought seemed to strike her. She turned her gaze to Su Ah. "You know what, I'll go blonde. How would that look on me?"

Su Ah, exasperated and no longer interested in humoring Mia, turned back towards the kitchen to fetch some water. Mia followed closely, like a stray pup looking for approval, continuing her train of thought aloud, contemplating shades and styles that might suit her best. Su Ah didn't care about any of it; her attention was solely focused on the water, as Mia's words rolled past like the relentless chatter of the TV.

"Or, you think blonde isn't good? I dunno." Mia shrugged.

"Just go to bed, Unnie. You'll forget about all of this come morning." Su Ah sighed yet again. She just wanted a drink, damn it.

And so Mia went to her bed, while Su Ah went back into the embrace of the novel she had been reading earlier.

Except that the novel turned out to be quite disturbing. Who'd have thought that relationships between relatives was a thing?

She shook her head and put the book back into the shelf, hopefully to gather dust and be forgotten.

xXx

Jae-il's POV:

The opening day for the Seoul under-10's competition had rolled in quickly. Too quickly. I could almost see time itself speeding up, and the days becoming mere moments that were swept away in a river's flow.

However, this was precisely what I needed to make sure my future plans wouldn't get all muddied up due to the circumstances.

As always, I woke up early, got dressed, ate breakfast and waited outside for Yeong Gu to finish and take me to the venue.

"You ready for the ceremony, champ?"

"As I'll ever be." I shrugged as I made to enter his vehicle.

My dad glanced over, his expression serious. He leaned in and gave me a gentle nudge. "You know, it's alright if you feel nervous."

"I'm not nervous." I replied, then sighed, understanding exactly what my words implied to a parent's ear. "It's okay. Really. I'm not afraid."

"If you say so, but you don't have to always put up a brave front." He responded with a hint of pride, as he always did. His face always brightened up when he heard me saying things beyond my age.

Then, we took off towards the destination. "You have your lunch, change of clothes, shoes, and other stuff in the backpack?" Yeong Gu inquired.

"Yep." I tapped on the backpack, its contents securely packed and double-checked by Eun Ha before we had set out.

"Good. It'll be hard for your mom and sisters to make it in time, what with all the other things on her schedule." Yeong Gu commented.

"No problem." I said calmly. It was just a training session, and not even the first one.

They didn’t have to come watch.

"No problem, he says." Yeong Gu muttered to himself, as we moved towards the stadium.

...

He dropped me off at the stadium; he said he couldn't overstay either due to work. Another business trip that'd keep him away for another week, likely.

Apparently, that was a normal thing in the Korean corporate scene. And Yeong Gu held quite a high position in that ladder.

I waved him off. Then, with a last glance at his departing figure, I turned my focus to the building before me. In the past few weeks, it had become a familiar sight as I participated in various training sessions.

Inside, the place was bustling with energy, excitement tangible in the air as people moved about. I slipped inside and quietly navigated until I reached the locker room. It wasn't particularly hard to find considering the signs.

Upon arrival, the room was abuzz with a blend of nervousness, excitement, and the usual banter. Though, for some reason, today the tension was more pronounced than usual.

The moment I stepped in, several pairs of eyes swiveled my way.

The first voice to greet me wasn’t one from my teammates. Instead, it was from one of the assistants of the U-8 team. He looked so nondescript that I'd always forget his name.

"Ah! If it isn't little Jae-il!" His greeting was enthusiastic. "Everyone, the team's ace is here!"

A cacophony of voices followed, a few even calling out 'Ayyy, the ace has arrived!' And 'Who let this guy in here?'

All lighthearted ribbings.

"Hey." I acknowledged with a casual wave.

"Right on time, Jae-il." Coach Park gave me a slight nod, his cap slightly lowered. "I was just about to make it official."

I merely raised an eyebrow as I joined my teammates in a loose semi-circle around the coach.

Coach Park's gaze swept across the room, ensuring all eyes were on him, before he began. "This weekend is a significant moment in our football calendar." He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "We have managed to bring our team together and build something we're all immensely proud of."

He gestured towards our jerseys. "This sunday marks the start of our first match. This is neither the Seoul Youth Cup or the K-League International Cup." Coach Park stated, pausing for effect, ensuring his next words would resonate deeply. "But for us, it might as well be. It represents the same things; an opportunity for growth, recognition, and unity."

His pause this time felt more profound than just for emphasis. He looked straight at me.

"I am appointing Cha Jae-il as the captain for this sunday's opening game and, if the boy accepts, for the entirety of the season."

A burst of applause rang out.

Coach Park's eyes were darkened by the shadow of his cap.

The assistans were all enthused, clapping the hardest of everyone.

I merely nodded. Nothing new. Just another step in the same old routine.

Sung Hynwoo patted my back with a big smile on his face. I had become a 'bro' of sorts to this boy, though the feeling was mostly unilateral.

"Yes! You've earned this, bro! Congrats!" Sung Hyunwoo beamed.

"Thanks." I said back to him with an amicable smile.

As the noise started to settle, the other players returned their attention to Coach Park.

"Get ready. It's time to show everyone out there the potential of FC Seoul Youth Academy." Coach Park added as the final note, then ushered us out onto the field.