Recovery

Chapter Six: Guest

"I'm surprised you didn't call him, 'Mr. Kim," Gaeul grinned. "Are you gonna get punished for that?"

Y/n's eyes widened. He whisked his head around, meeting Chaewon's dismissive wave.

"They went to a different restaurant," Chaewon assured. "Y/n... told me that he didn't want people getting the wrong idea while we're here."

"You didn't have to struggle that hard..." Y/n mumbled.

Gaeul raised an eyebrow, "So you're still his maid?"

Chaewon nodded. She approached the cashier with a wide smile on her face whilst pointing to the various items nestled in the glass display case.

"You're really lucky to have her, you know," Gaeul remarked. "To have the most beautiful woman from our class as your maid."

"Don't put yourself down like that, Gaeul ssi," Y/n frowned.

Gaeul squinted.

"I-I mean!! She's beautiful, but she has a tempter..." Y/n chuckled nervously, scratching his head as the radish maid glared back at him.

"Regardless," Gaeul sighed. "I hope you're cherishing her."

Y/n pounded his fist against his chest, "With all my heart!!"

The trio planted themselves in their prior chairs, each eyeing their own meal. Logos of not only the restaurants, but the university splayed itself on the packaging, plastic utensils, and even the napkins.

"I'd expect no less from such an expressive school..." Gaeul trialed.

"Speaking of which, how did you get here?" Y/n questioned. "I always thought of you as a middle class student."

"I am; I got a lot of scholarships and stuff. It's still expensive as hell, but at least I can afford it with less debt," Gaeul explained.

"You too?" Kwangsun parked himself in his seat, grinning with his large bowl of rice in hand, "I'm going to be swimming in debt, but it'll be worth it!!"

"What are you here for?" Gaeul questioned.

Kwangsun pointed toward himself and Daeun "Pharmacy!"

Y/n raised an eyebrow, "Both of you?"

The student nodded. He split the eggs atop his meal, causing the yolks to spill over his hamburger patty and into his rice like waterfalls of liquid gold.

"How about you guys?"

"Business," Gaeul and Chaewon answered in tandem.

Y/n scratched the back of his head, "I'm just here for a general education... maybe a bachelors in... something..."

"He's going to inherit his father's company, so he's just here for the college experience," Chaewon explained.

"Ah..." Kwangsun nodded, "How nice."

Lunch carried on smoothly. Y/n didn't expect much, but he learned a lot about Gaeul and the pair Chaewon brought with her. He learned about Gaeul's lack of friends in high school, and that Kwangsun moved from his home town in hopes to make a fortune.

Daeun didn't speak much, if at all, during their break. He figured she was either shy, or not much of a talker. Alas, he was glad the group got along well.

Y/n dove into the couch, sighing, "First day over!!"

Chaewon poked her head into the living room, "I'm going to do some homework before I cook dinner, Mr. Kim."

"You're not going to drop that while we're alone, are you?" Y/n groaned.

The radish giggled, "You know it~"

Y/n sighed. He shifted onto his back with his forearm over his eyes. A small searing pain stung at his eyes, begging him to keep them closed. Before he knew it, Y/n fell asleep.

He awoke to a savory scent wafting through the apartment. Harsh sizzles and cracks of oil hissed in the kitchen; what smelled like frying pork belly punched at the man's gut.

"How was your nap?"

Chaewon's brown hair faced Y/n, but he knew he was the subject of her question.

"Good," Y/n mumbled.

"Dinner's almost ready. You should wash up before you eat." Chaewon gestured toward Y/n's room with a pair of silicon tongs, "Gaeul is coming over."

"Gaeul?!" Y/n furrowed his eyebrows, "Why?? How?"

"She texted me that she didn't know what to cook, so I invited her over," Chaewon replied.

Y/n scoffed, "When did you two exchange numbers?"

Chaewon locked the tongs before placing them in the sink, "After lunch ended. You were in your own world while we all gave each other our contact information; I told them it was fine since we live together."

Y/n eyes widened, "How did the other two react??"

"They didn't seem to care," Chaewon waved dismissively. "Now go wash up. She's almost here."

Y/n tossed his towel onto his bed, tugging on his damp collar. "I can't believe this is happening day one."

He stepped into the living room, taking in the various fragrances of the night's dinner. At their bar counter, Chaewon and Gaeul giggled, sending unsettling chills through the student's body.

"About time you finished," Gaeul grinned.

Gaeul pulled her hands from her black hoodie, resting them on legs. Black stockings hugged her skin, guiding Y/n's eyes to her eye-catchingly short jean shorts A simple, yet somewhat attractive outfit.

"You like what you see?" Gaeul asked, dragging Y/n's attention away from her outfit.

"You better not be thinking indecent things," Chaewon commented.

"I wasn't," Y/n mumbled. "I just thought her outfit looked good."

Gaeul smiled, "Why thank you."

As they ate the night sky turned darker, and droplets of rain began to tap against the window.

"Ah... I didn't bring an umbrella with me," Gaeul frowned.

"You're welcome to stay here for the night," Y/n proposed.

Gaeul glanced toward the two residents with a raised eyebrow. "Wow, out of the two of you, I expected Chaewon to be the one extending that invitation."

Chaewon shook her head, "I would, but Mr. Kim is the one who technically owns this dorm. As his maid-"

Chaewon's head flicked forward as Y/n smacked the back of her head.

"Quit it, will you?"

Chaewon rubbed her head with a frown. She glanced toward Gaeul, eyeing the woman's wide glare before turning her head to Y/n.

"What was that for??" Gaeul questioned.

Chaewon turned back to her guest, pushing her palms toward her, "It's okay-"

"No! That was not okay!!" Gaeul interrupted.

"I'll talk about it later with him," Chaewon assured. "Let's finish our dinner."

Gaeul sighed, "Fine."