𓍯38𓂃

I sighed, staring at the plain hospital ceiling as I picked at the last few grains of rice in my bowl. The warmth of the food settled in my stomach, but there was still a weird hollowness inside me.

Dae, sitting across from me, rested his chin on his palm. "You okay?"

I huffed out a laugh. "I mean, I did just wake up from a drug-induced coma, so, you know, I've been better."

Dae rolled his eyes. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," I interrupted, putting my bowl aside. "I guess I just... it sucks."

Dae tilted his head. "Not being able to perform?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, but... not as much as I thought it would." I let my fingers trace random patterns on the hospital blanket. "I spent months practising, working so hard, and now I can't even go up there and do what I came here to do. It's just... unfair."

Dae leaned back in his chair, watching me carefully. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "It is unfair."

I glanced at him. "You're not going to try to give me a 'everything happens for a reason' speech?"

He scoffed. "Do I look like that kind of person?"

I smirked. "No. You look like the kind of person who'd fight someone on sight."

Dae shrugged. "Only if they deserve it."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I guess I should be angrier. Or sadder. But I don't know... A part of me is just relieved I woke up at all." I looked down at my hands. "I don't want this to be my whole story, you know? I don't want to be 'that girl who got poisoned at the competition.'"

Dae was quiet for a moment before he said, "That's not who you are."

I looked up at him.

He met my gaze, serious. "You're Dove. The girl who throws pillows when she's mad. The girl who eats like she's in a food competition. The girl who-" He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "The girl who'll get back up. No matter what."

Something about the way he said it made my chest feel warm.

I exhaled, leaning back against the pillows. "You're getting sappy on me, Dae."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Next time, I'll just let you mope."

I grinned. "Good. I deserve at least some moping time."

Dae shook his head, but he was smiling. "Whatever you say, Dove."

Dae sighed, crossing his arms. "It's probably Stella. She's always had it out for you. If it is her, I swear-"

"Dae." I cut him off, shaking my head. "As much as I hate Stella, I don't think it's her."

His eyebrows shot up. "Are you serious? She's been jealous of you this entire time. She literally treats everything like a competition."

"I know, but..." I bit my lip, thinking back. "She's not stupid. If she was going to sabotage me, she wouldn't do something so messy."

Dae frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Then who else would do it?"

I hesitated before saying, "Eunice."

He blinked. "What?"

I sat up straighter. "Yesterday, before I drank the honey lemon water, Eunice bumped into me." I frowned at the memory. "And she was... weird about it. Like, really weird. I remember thinking it was strange at the time, but I didn't dwell on it because-well, I had a performance to think about."

Dae's expression darkened. "Eunice?" He shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. She's not the type."

I gave him a flat look. "Neither was I, but I still got drugged, didn't I?"

He opened his mouth, then shut it, looking frustrated.

I continued, "I'm not saying she definitely did it, but she's acting suspicious. And if she really had nothing to do with it, why was she so weird after bumping into me?"

Dae exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Minho, Megan, and Hyejin went to question Stella. If they don't get any leads, I'll tell them to look into Eunice."

I nodded. "Good. Because something's not right."

Dae sat back, still looking tense. "If Eunice did do it..." He clenched his jaw. "She won't get away with it."

I chuckled, reaching over to pry his clenched fist open, finger by finger. "Relax, Dae. You're gonna break something."

He let out a sharp breath, letting me loosen his grip, but I could still feel the tension in his hand. His jaw was tight, his eyes stormy with frustration.

"Dove, you almost died," he muttered, like he couldn't believe I was being so casual about it.

I smiled, squeezing his now-open hand. "But I didn't." I tilted my head. "And I'm okay. I'm here."

Dae looked at me, something flickering in his eyes-something I couldn't quite name. He exhaled through his nose, running his free hand through his hair. "You could've-"

"But I didn't," I repeated, shaking our hands a little for emphasis. "And I refuse to let this turn me into some sad, tragic main character. I'm not a victim, Dae."

He sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "I know."

I grinned. "Good. Now, stop looking like you're about to fight someone. At least wait until we know who to fight."

Without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed his forehead softly. I pulled back quickly, a playful smile tugging at my lips. "There. A little reminder that I'm fine."

Dae froze for a second, blinking at me, his eyes wide with shock before his expression softened. He huffed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You're impossible."

"And you love it," I teased, leaning back against the pillows.

Dae rolled his eyes but didn't deny it.

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First kiss of the book oml-🛐

I promised myself I'd only release the Dae book after I'm done with 'love, dove', but it's getting SO HARD