Recovery

Chapter Four: New Face

Y/n rolled the final suitcase into his dorm, straightening it with a heavy sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, chuckling as he turned to Chaewon.

"And you said I couldn't do it~"

"No, I said you wouldn't make it very far without complaining," she corrected.

Y/n grinned, "And did I?"

"Yes," Chaewon grinned back. "I recall you asking me, 'Why are there so many stairs?"

"Deserved, no?" Y/n gestured to the mass of suitcases crowding their living room. "Let's not forget that most of this stuff belongs to you. I only carried it for your sake."

Chaewon segregated her belongings. She chortled at her master's playful argument, "Yeah, yeah. So the other people here don't get the wrong idea."

With her luggage emptied onto her bed, Chaewon turned toward Y/n's room with a smile. The idea of, once more, having two separate rooms felt like a joke. She never used her room at Y/n's mansion anyway.

Okay, Kim Chaewon, you will sleep in your own room from now on!

It wasn't as spacious as their old rooms, but it was more than her old house. The entire apartment felt like a steal to the radish.

As soon as they walked in, their kitchen greeted them with a washing machine and dryer in an attached closet. Opposite to the sink and washing machine was a bar counter with four seats. Behind the seats, a spacious living room led into a balcony and their own rooms—each equipped with its own bathroom.

The apartment came completely furnished as well with a new reclining couch, wooden coffee table, leather armchair, and a TV. Two extra TV's stationed in each room respectively complemented the queen sized beds and desks.

Despite having to bring their own cutlery, dishes and bathroom supplies, the place felt too good to be true to the maid. Even the closet and bathtubs were larger than she expected.

I wonder how much his family is paying for this place...

Chaewon stepped into Y/n's room with an amused smile. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man laying on his bed with his phone in hand.

"Where's all your stuff?" she asked.

"Put away," Y/n replied without batting an eye.

"What?" Chaewon scanned the room, "How?"

Y/n pointed toward his closet, "I don't have as much stuff as you do. I also put the dishes and stuff away."

Chaewon scoffed, "Wow... I didn't know you were so responsible."

"I can do stuff without you, you know," Y/n retorted.

"Sure~"

Chaewon strut back to her room with a heightened vigor. She folded and hung her clothes using the techniques she honed with her time at the Kim mansion.

Following the monotonous sorting, Chaewon stepped back into her living room. While she still lived in conditions way above her peers, she finally got the chance to live the life of a normal student—bring a joyous excitement to her chest.

The idea of making new friends, hanging out, maybe even getting drunk, made her heart race and her smile grow larger.

"Mr. Kim, I'm going to head out to buy groceries!" Chaewon shouted.

Y/n emerged from his room with a sweater and pants, smiling, "Perfect. I was just about to do the same. You don't have to call me that, by the way."

"I feel responsible for getting the groceries," Chaewon pouted. "You don't have to come with. Also, I'm still legally your maid so I'm sticking with it."

Y/n rolled his eyes earning a smug grin from the radish.

"Feel free to grab any snacks you see," Y/n gestured. "I going to familiarize myself with the grocery store."

"I'll pass," Chaewon chortled. "I don't want to get fat."

Y/n paced away from the radish with his hand raised, "A little chub never hurts if it means you're happy~"

Unlike his old community, the people he passed belonged to his age group. All of the new faces were those he could imagine walking past on campus.

Deeper inside the store, Y/n browsed the cereal isle. To his right, a small girl reached for a shelf just out of reach. He tried to hide the double-take he took, but their eyes met.

"Is this the one you want?" he asked, pointing toward a bright red box.

The girl nodded, prompting Y/n to extend the cardboard container toward her.

"Where are your parents? How did you get here?" Y/n surveyed the isle before turning back to the small figure.

"I'm a student..."

Y/n's eyes widened. Before he could prepare for an apology, an ear-bursting laugh boomed from behind him, startling him.

"Sorry about my friend here." A man stepped next to the female student. His shoulder eclipsed her head, and his smile shed light on her face like the sun. "Thank you for helping her. My name's Kwangsun—this is Daeun."

"Ah... I'm Y/n," he replied, scratching his head.

The two students bowed before walking away, leaving Y/n with a perplexed expression on his face.

There has to be at least thirty centimeters [a foot] between them...

"Mr. Kim, what are you looking at-?"

Y/n jumped in his spot, "Gah-!! You scared me; I told you not to call me that in public."

"They'll understand if I explain our situation," Chaewon dismissed. "Did you spot a pretty woman while you were looking for cereal?"

"N-No. Just some random students."

"That you found cute?" Chaewon grinned.

"Aish-" Y/n sighed, "Let's just get our stuff."