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Mai cooled off pretty quickly. She'd always been calm and collected — that was exactly why Jack could afford to be so blunt with her.
"Weren't you the one so fixated on signing that contract? Then why do you even care if I go back to acting or not?"
Her sharp gaze could've cut glass. The irritation behind her words carried a weight that made it hard to look her in the eye.
"Because I think your current condition might be connected to that," Jack said evenly. "And honestly, if you stay the way you are now, going back won't be easy anyway. So we've got to fix your mindset first. Otherwise, who knows how far this influence might spread."
It wasn't an unreasonable theory — so reasonable, in fact, that Mai couldn't find a comeback.
She stayed silent for two seconds before grumbling, "Fine, let's say you're right. Still pisses me off, though."
"…Why?"
"Because you deliberately provoked me. And I still had to play along with it."
He blinked. That's what she was mad about?
God, how could someone be this adorable and still so hard to handle?
Jack couldn't help but chuckle, a teasing glint in his eye. "How about this — I'll let you slap me to get it out of your system."
"Seriously?"
Mai actually looked interested.
"Go for it! Getting bullied by a beautiful girl is my favorite pastime." He said it with a straight face.
She just stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
"…You're such a pervert."
Her cheeks flushed, and with a small huff she turned away, deciding he wasn't worth it.
Jack just smiled quietly.
A moment later, realization dawned on Mai's face.
"Wait… did you do that on purpose?"
Her pretty eyes narrowed, glinting with danger.
"Oh? Is that what you think?" He didn't answer directly, only raised a brow with a faint smirk.
That tiny expression shift alone was enough to make Mai want to scream. He really knew how to push her buttons.
"You still want me to tell you what's going on or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm all ears. Promise."
"Ugh. Gross. Now I don't even feel like talking anymore." She gave him a pointed glare, mood flipping like a page.
"Come on now, demons make excellent listeners."
With a little snap of his fingers, Jack settled in with a grin, ready for story time.
Mai rolled her eyes but, after a sigh, decided to just get it over with.
"When I was in my third year of middle school, something happened during a swimsuit photoshoot with my mom…"
She paused noticeably at the word mom, then added, "—who was also my manager. We ended up having a really awful fight."
Her voice grew sharper.
"She promised me, no swimsuits, ever. But then she went behind my back and signed the contract anyway — said it'd 'sell better that way.'"
Just recalling it made anger flash across her face.
"In her eyes, I was nothing more than a money-making tool!"
Every word dripped with thorns.
Jack tilted his head, piecing the story together. So that's why she'd cut ties with her family… and probably why she quit acting — a sort of revenge.
"But you actually love acting, don't you? Throwing away everything you worked for over that… doesn't seem worth it."
Mai's expression darkened instantly. Not the response she wanted.
"See? You don't get it at all!"
"You're right," he said simply. "My parents died young, so I can't really understand. Sorry."
The calmness in his voice made her falter for a moment.
"But," he continued, "you already know the truth, don't you? You just don't want to admit that you acted on impulse instead of thinking things through."
"You're so annoying!" she snapped, glaring daggers at him.
"Didn't I tell you to hit me? Been waiting."
Whoosh!
This time, she didn't hold back — her hand came swinging.
Jack tilted his head lazily, letting her slap cut through empty air.
"Don't dodge!"
"I never said I wouldn't." He grinned.
Her glare turned fierce. Then, without warning, she stomped on his foot.
Jack froze. "…You little—"
"What?" she said flatly, grinding her heel in just a bit for emphasis.
"Ow— okay, okay, I'm sorry!"
"Sorry for what? Did you even do anything wrong?" Her tone was icy.
"I was wrong for… thinking angry Mai looked cute, so I purposely made you mad."
He said it quietly, but it landed like a spark.
Mai blinked, caught off guard — then quickly recovered, cheeks slightly pink. "That just makes it more unforgivable!"
Still, her foot eased up.
"Jack."
Her sudden use of his name made him look up.
"Yes, my queen?" he replied with mock obedience.
"Stay with me tomorrow too."
"Huh?"
He paused, mentally checking if he had plans tomorrow —
— and immediately regretted it, because her heel pressed down again.
"Ow, ow! What's with the sudden mood swing?"
"I saw you hesitate when I invited you. That's why I'm mad," she said airily.
"…Or maybe you're just nervous because it's your first time asking a guy to hang out?" he teased, leaning a bit closer to catch her eyes.
Her face turned a shade pinker. For just a second, her composure cracked — a flicker of surprise and shyness that he caught before she smoothed it over.
Damn, he thought. Her expression control really is top-tier.
Typical of a pro actress. Absolutely flawless.
Mai, of course, wasn't about to admit anything.
"It's just an invitation. And since it's you, it's easy — all I have to do is call, and you'll come running, wagging your tail, right?"
"Hmm… why does that sound like you're calling me a dog?" Jack mused, rubbing his chin.
"You said it, not me." A tiny, satisfied smile curled her lips.
"Mai, your personality is seriously wicked."
"Right back at you."
But her casual "stay with me tomorrow" wasn't casual at all — it carried a quiet determination.
Jack noticed. He smiled softly. "Then tomorrow, let's go talk to your mom. She still remembers you, right?"
She didn't reply, but her silence was enough of an answer.
Her mother — of course she was one of the key people affected by this.
Once Mai faced that part of her past, the strange influence around her would stop spreading. Then, with her presence back in the entertainment world, she could rebuild her influence and break the "atmosphere" for good.
It really could all be resolved tomorrow.
Jack let out a small sigh, lips curling faintly.
All this… just for a contract.
Man, I'm really working overtime for this one.
"..."
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