fuck paper straws, dom thought as he chewed on the cardboard end of one. this is the worst invention ever. whose brilliant idea was it anyway? politician ryu. definitely politician ryu. there's a reason father hates him. he pulled the straw up to swirl the chocolate bitsâonly for it to catch at the slits in the lid. seriously, fuck these straws!! who cares about the environment!!!
"... respectful and sweet ..."
nari was still talking about minjun. correction. she was still defending minjun. dom didn't get it. who in their right minds would defend their ex? better question: "why are you still friends with an ex?"
this was nari they were talking about. if minjun had broken her heart, she'd make his life a living hell and dom wouldn't hear the end of it. if she'd broken minjun's heart, then she wouldn't want anything to do with him because that chapter of her life was over. it didn't make any sense. there was something more that she wasn't letting onâ
"what?"
dom didn't know much german, but he's sure that he'd caught the words date me. he stared at her through his sunglasses, his heart thundering in his ears as his brain worked over time to connect the dots. nari randomly bringing up her ex ... talking highly of him ... defending him ... then telling dom to date her ...
oh.
that must be it.
dom's fingers fell from the paper straw. a flicker of hurt crossed his eyes, mimicking the way his lips pressed into a line. his jaw was set, and he looked as rigid as ever.
"i'm not going to be your rebound," he said slowly, quietly, measuring out each syllable with great care to avoid letting on how hard her request punched him in the gut. had this been anyone else, dom would've spat fire at them for the audacity.
but this was nari.
he liked nari.
nari didnât realize heâd understood her until he spoke.
for a second, she just stared at him, the words not quite landing, as if her brain needed an extra moment to catch up with what sheâd heard. âmy⌠what?â
the confusion on her face was immediate and genuine. she had no idea what he was talking about suddenly. sheâd mumbled so impulsively that she hadnât fully registered what came out of her own mouth, let alone what he added right after. it just made no sense, in any reality, that dom could think even for a second that he could ever be a mereâŚÂ
ârebound?!â
her eyes widened, posture straightening as the meaning finally clicked in her mind. her lips were parted in disbelief, letting go of the straw sheâd been biting on. a small chuckle escaped her, more incredulous than anything. she was stunned, to put it simply. what kind of alternate reality did dominic ahn live in?
âoppa, i wasnâtâŚâ she paused, exhaling through her nose as she searched for the right way to explain without making it worse. a slight panic overcame her at first. the urgent need to correct his train of thought, to plead, to make sure he couldnât be seriously thinking she was that kind of person. not to him, never to him.Â
but then embarrassment took over, followed by annoyance. because didnât he have ears to freaking listen to her? to understand from her tone that what happened with minjun was of so little significance that she didnât care at all? that they remained friends because the feelings never really went beyond that, and that âdatingâ had meant practically nothing?
no, of course. he had to misunderstand. had to make her look like a silly little girl incapable of making rational decisions. he was reacting exactly like she feared. like an overprotective brother. not like a⌠man.
âthereâs nothing to rebound from,â she scoffed, looking at him like he suddenly grew three heads. âit didnât even break my heart. it was just⌠something that happened?â she bit her lip, trying really hard to fight off the tears threatening to spill over. not because she was sad, exactly. well, maybe a little hurt. frustrated, too. embarrassed. âwhy are you being so mean? i⌠i only said that becauseâŚâ she looked away, trying to come up with something plausible. something better than âi have had a massive crush on you for as long as i can remember and i donât know what to do about itâ. nothing comes to mind. âitâs fine, i get it. you donâtâŚâ her nails dug into her palms.


















