Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Sorry!"

"My bad-"

They both started speaking at the same time, then instinctively stepped back.

Their eyes locked, and beyond the awkwardness, there was a hint of something else brewing - perhaps a flirtatious tension.

Roseanne: "You..."

Owen Reynolds: "I..."

"Why don't you go first, Professor?"

Owen Reynolds looked down, seemingly lost in thought or maybe wrestling with his words.

When he finally looked up, it was as if he had made a decision: "Roseanne, I actually—" "Look at that, done and dusted!" The stallholder's laid-back voice cut through the moment. Roseanne, already flushing with embarrassment, seized the chance to divert her gaze. "That was quick?"

Stallholder: "No helping it, mate, I'm just that good."

With that, he pushed the clay figurine towards her.

One glance and Roseanne couldn't help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.

She should have known better than to expect anything.

The previous figurines, though blurry in features, at least had discernible faces.

This one...

The features were missing, replaced by two vague humanoid shapes, heads leaning into one another... Wait a minute!

Roseanne's eyes widened.

This design...

"You... you modeled this after people? It's hardly recognizable..."

"How can you not see it? It's obvious! It's you two getting cozy! Look at the heads, the necks, the lips touching..."

Roseanne: "!!"

Owen Reynolds averted his gaze, looking elsewhere, then cleared his throat subtly.

Stallholder: "Still don't see it? Let me point it out again, here's the head..."

"No, that's okay!"

Stallholder: "?"

Roseanne earnestly said, "I see it now."

"For real? You're not pulling my leg?"

"Seriously."

Stallholder: "YES! Knew my sculpting wasn't that bad, you just didn't believe!" Meanwhile, in the livestream chat-

[Even through the screen, I can feel the second-hand embarrassment.]

[Mack, give her a break, she's about to crumble.]

[I'm genuinely scared she's going to start crying any second.]

[Can someone please shut him up? SOS!]

"Here, take it."

Roseanne instinctively stepped back: "No, no, that's okay?"

"Why not? You said it looked just like us. Why wouldn't you want it?" Roseanne: "..."

"I'll take it." Owen Reynolds reached out for it.

But...

Roseanne quickly pulled him away.

"It's just... don't run! We haven't taken it yet!"

The stallholder, looking at the figurine he couldn't hand off, scratched his head then moved closer to his phone: "What's the deal? Is there a wild beast chasing them?"

[Mack, be sensible! You made such a figurine, of course, the lady's embarrassed!]

[You couldn't sculpt the features, didn't miss a chance to sculpt kissing.]

but

swflovnem

[Mack's still an innocent baby, I won't allow you guys to forgive him!]

Mack, the blogger, reading these comments, was about to respond when suddenly- "Sorry, can I have that figurine?"

Owen Reynolds unexpectedly came not only that but also took out

back, on

his phone to scan the QR code on the stall's sign for payment,

belongs to en.kikistoric

Mack, a bit dazed: "...Didn't you just run off?"

"Yeah, but came back."

Only he returned, the girl from before was nowhere in sight.

"So, you think my work's not too shabby, huh?!" Mack's eyes sparkled.

Owen Reynolds smiled slightly: "Yes. It's quite remarkable."

"Alright! Here you go "

Owen Reynolds: "Could you pack it in a box? I don't want it to get damaged." "No problem, just give me a sec!" And with that, he quickly wrapped it up. Worried about it getting damaged... he must really appreciate his art...