[Handsome face or ugly face—which do you want to live with?]
[Handsome face or ugly face—which do you want to live with?]
I figured it was a question with an obvious answer. Living with a handsome face obviously came with way more perks, no doubt about it.
But that didn't always guarantee absolute happiness.
"Ah... sorry."
Having learned from experience that leaving any room for hope was the worst possible move, I looked down at Doa with the most indifferent expression I could muster.
"I... I really mean it...! I seriously want to get to know you, oppa..."
Her trembling voice betrayed just how tense she was.
"...Sorry, but I have zero interest in getting to know you."
"Do you... have a girlfriend...? I thought you didn't..."
"Nah, that's not it..."
There was no need to explain to Doa why I didn't need a girlfriend.
"Then... could you at least tell me why you're turning me down?"
As moisture began to well up in her big eyes, I let out a deep sigh. Rejecting someone else's confession was straight-up labor. Pointless, exhausting emotional labor with zero reward. Why did I have to care this much about a total stranger?
"Just... you're not my type."
"Ah..."
Shadows crept over her hurt expression. Don't make that face. You're just into me because of my looks anyway. It lacked the plausibility for a shoujo manga final-scene kind of face—woefully so, in my opinion.
"Sorry. I'm heading out first."
I stood up from the bench, leaving Doa with her head bowed, and pulled out my phone.
[19:20]
Still forty minutes until Luca's stream. Perfect—head home, shower, scarf down some cup ramen while watching... Yeah, Luca's stream would definitely pull me out of this lingering funk today.
Ding!
Of all days, Luca had to go off-stream today. Talk about rotten luck.
That's what I thought.