Recovery

Chapter Nineteen: Confrontation

A cold, silent breeze swept between the two parties. Jinsang's glare cut deep into Y/n, yet he only looked at Chaewon. A subtle longing swirled in her eyes, hidden behind her pained expression.

"Mr. Kim... What are you doing here? You should be eating dinner by now."

Jinsang turned to Chaewon with furrowed eyebrows, "You know this guy?"

Chaewon nodded. Her frown triggered alarms in the student's mind, prompting him to turn back to Y/n.

"You've got a lot of balls walking up on her while it's getting dark. You're lucky I didn't punch you."

Y/n sighed his irritation way, looking past Jinsang. "I want to apologize for what happened."

"Look here, buddy-"

"It's okay, Jinsang ah," Chaewon interrupted. "You can go home. I need to talk to him."

Jinsang widened his eyes as he turned toward the radish once more, "Are you sure? This guy was creeping up on you. I can stay here if you want."

Chaewon nodded, "He's my roommate. I'll be fine."

With a heavy sigh, the Jinsang turned toward his dorm, but not without shooting Y/n one last glare.

"If I hear you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Y/n watched the man walk away, exhaling softly while Chaewon stepped forward.

"Why aren't you home? It's cold out."

"I've been looking for you," Y/n replied.

"For how long?" Chaewon's eyes furrowed as she stared at his bare arms.

Y/n scratched his head, "I skipped a couple classes to start looking."

"Aigoo..." Chaewon threw her jacket over Y/n's shoulders. The faint smile she wore faded once they locked eyes again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad at you."

"You're just doing your job," Y/n finished.

Chaewon's smile returned to her lips. The expressions she half-forced in her time gone pressed at her cheeks naturally. Without either realizing, they started toward their dorm with both stepping in perfect synch.

"How's Gaeul as a maid?" Chaewon asked.

"It's jarring. Nice, but doesn't feel as normal as you," Y/n chuckled.

"And that girl?"

Y/n sighed, "She insists on sticking by my side. Apparently there's a rivalry between her and Gaeul."

Chaewon tilted her head, "Rivalry?"

"They both said they like me, but don't seem to like each other that much," Y/n explained.

"Like... as in..."

"Romantically."

"So she finally confessed," Chaewon scoffed.

Y/n raised an eyebrow, "Finally?"

Chaewon punched Y/n's arm, "She's liked you since the beginning of the semester!"

Y/n's curiosity turned to shock, spreading his eyes wide open. "Really?!"

"Idiot," the radish mumbled.

In spite the freezing temperatures, both Y/n and Chaewon felt nothing but warmth. It spread from their hearts to their limbs, warming their very steps.

Stars twinkled in the night sky, pulling Y/n's eyes to the animated dots. He recalled the nights he spent with Minju when they had just met. What felt like two immature kids standing on his balcony, watching what stars they could find in the sky seemed like an eternity ago.

Part of Y/n missed the fox. For the first time in years, he felt like calling her—or sending her a text. Not out of longing, but curiosity.

Each time the pair stepped underneath a lamppost's light, Chaewon lunged over the cracks, earning an amused grin from Y/n. He wrapped Chaewon's jacket around her shoulders, prompting the latter to bump into him.

"If you were any other guy, I might have fallen for you tonight," she cooed.

Y/n scoffed, "Shut up."

"What?" Chaewon grinned, bumping into the taller man once more, "You should be flattered. You have rizz."

The radish poked at Y/n's side, causing him to swat her hands away. Soft chuckles and giggles filled the gentle atmosphere, bringing slight rosy tinges to both of their cheeks.

Y/n side eyed Chaewon with a small smirk, "I already know I have rizz. I have two people chasing after me right now."

"And what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"That's a good question," Y/n trailed. "I don't really know how to feel about them. Gaeul is nice to be around, but... it feels like there's something missing about her."

"That's an odd thing to say," Chaewon remarked.

Y/n nodded. "Minjeong ssi, the girl you walked in on, is very clingy. She's the one who told me to go find you though. Whenever she and Gaeul argue, it feels like she's the more reasonable one--even if some of the stuff she says seems a little crazy."

"Wow... You have girls arguing over you. How lucky~" Chaewon chortled. "I might feel left out if I come back."

"Could be good entertainment for you," Y/n chuckled.

The radish guided Y/n to Kwangsun and Daeun's apartment, stopping before the door with a soft sigh. "I'm going to stay here for one more night. I cook dinner for these two, so I wouldn't want to leave them starving. Tomorrow, I'll ask Kwangsun to help me move my stuff back into our dorm."

"Ah- Right." Y/n scratched his neck, taking a deep breath, "I didn't give you my apology. I'm-"

"I don't want it," Chaewon interrupted. "Your apologies are always shitty."

She paused, turning to the door with a soft smile, "What you did today was enough. Don't mess up again."

Y/n stiffened his posture, saluting with a determined grin, "Yes, ma'am!"

Chaewon giggled as she unlocked the front door. With a gentle wave, she bade farewell to her master before disappearing behind the wooden barrier. Once the door clicked, Y/n felt the pressure building in his chest leave. For the first time since the incident, he took a proper, deep breath--free of the piling stress in his life.

Y/n trekked back to his dorm, opening the door to find Gaeul and Minjeong sitting at the bar counter. A pot of kimchi stew simmered on the stove, yet neither showed any signs of eating. The two female students' eyes lit up in Y/n's presence with Gaeul rushing to bow before the man.

It's weird seeing her bow without her dress on...

"Did you find her?" Minjeong asked.

Y/n nodded, heaving a heavy, happy sigh. "Yeah."

"And?" Gaeul prodded.

"She'll be coming back tomorrow."

"Good!" Minjeong clapped. She moved toward the fragrant food, setting three bowls on the counter, "Let's celebrate this occasion with some food! I'm starving!!"

Gaeul leaned toward Y/n's ear, covering the side of her mouth with her hand, "She brought alcohol earlier, saying it worked no matter what happened. I couldn't stop her."

"That's okay," Y/n smiled. "A little bit of alcohol to celebrate wouldn't hurt."

"If you say so..."

With their food stationed before them, and a single bottle of soju greeting the evening atmosphere, the three students clinked shot glasses.

"To a happy recovery!!"