Recovery

Chapter Twenty-Two: Love, Maybe

Y/n winced, hissing as Daeun gently touched an alcohol pad against his wound.

"Sorry, did I press too hard?"

Her gentle voice contrasted with Y/n's stinging pain, confusing his senses. A small tinge of pink surfaced on Y/n's cheeks; his heart skipped in response to Daeun connecting her gaze with his. A deceiving faux innocence glistened in her doe eyes, casting an enchantment on the man's heart.

"No, it just stings," Y/n dismissed, averting his eyes.

The small student hummed while she placed a Band-Aid over his cut. With care like that of a mother, Daeun thumbed over the bandage, smoothening out its creases. Behind Y/n, Chaewon watched the small doll tend to Y/n's wounds with a small frown. Part of her wanted to take Daeun's place—wishing she weren't drunk so she could keep her hands still.

He won't fall for her, right?

She rested her head on her arms, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Why do I care...

Gaeul curled her arm in search of Y/n. She patted and peeked through her eyelids to find her master's bed empty and cold. Slowly she slid out of bed, trudging into the living room.

"Mr. Kim...?"

Strips of moonlight illuminated the large room enough for her to see it was empty. One by one, she checked behind every door in the dorm with a frown.

"Where did you go..."

Gaeul checked the dorm's hallway before slipping back into bed. She replayed the final moments prior to falling asleep while she closed her eyes, curling her fingers as if her master laid beside her.

His warm, but unknowing embrace pulled her closer with his hand on her waist. The act felt forbidden, but was far from the last of guilty pleasures she indulged in. Gaeul's heart raced as she remembered Y/n's actual touch—the exact moment he placed his hand atop hers.

She begged him to intertwine their fingers. In the fleeting seconds he pressed the pads of his fingers between her digits, she wanted to give in. Her heart urged her to spread her hand to welcome his own, but she held back.

I should have let him... I'll try harder from now on.

"So he just started attacking you?" Kwangsun asked.

Y/n hummed, "He told me he'd kill me if I hurt her earlier today, when we first ran into each other, but I kept telling him I didn't do anything."

"And she was crying?"

"Eung."

Chaewon raised her head, grasping at her pounding headache.

"Look who's up," Kwangsun chuckled.

As she rose, Y/n's jacket slid off her back and onto the chair. The world span around the radish, forcing Chaewon out of her chair and toward the back of the store.

"She didn't even eat before she left," Kwangsun mumbled.

Y/n turned toward the direction his radish maid ran off to, sighing. "I wonder what made her drink."

Kwangsun shrugged, "You can ask that yourself."

Upon her return, Y/n knelt onto the ground with his back toward Chaewon. "Let's get you back to our dorm. You seem homesick."

"I'm not-" Chaewon eyed Y/n's smug grin, sighing, "Okay."

She wrapped herself around Y/n's back, allowing the man to lift her into the air. With the addition of his fallen jacket on top of her shoulders, Y/n's scent enveloped Chaewon—through the barf.

Chaewon rested her chin on Y/n's shoulder, melting into his back. "I'm never letting you do this again."

"But the alcohol might," Y/n chuckled.

The pair navigated their way back to Y/n's dorm with the man placing Chaewon in her room before returning to his. He stared at Gaeul's peaceful posture, unsure of how to feel. As if she saved a spot for her master's return, Gaeul laid toward the edge of the bed.

Guilt welled in his chest—guilt that he was taking advantage of her. Of course she allowed and instigated it, but no amount of justification diminished how wrong it felt.

Maybe I'll sleep on the couch.

Y/n slipped out of his room and onto the largest of the three couches in the living room. He scrolled through his phone aimlessly, passing through article after article. Topics that normally piqued his interest dulled in the face of his melancholic rut. The lingering feeling that his current life paled when compared to his high school life sapped the color from his screen. Without realizing, Y/n hovered his finger over the phone app.

A deep sadness washed over Y/n while he stared at his call to Minju. He switched to their old texts, frowning at her giddy demeanor. Her uses of emoji's, exclamation marks, tildes, and other methods of expressions exuded an endearing innocence that pulled him further and further through their history.

Can't believe I didn't know she liked me. It's so obvious.

"Mr. Kim?"

Y/n frantically pressed his phone against his chest, turning around to Chaewon.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing in the living room?" she asked.

Chaewon's freshly dried hair enveloped Y/n in a sense of wonder. He knew not why, but the moonlight accentuated her style, shedding it in a new, captivating light.

"G-Gaeul's sleeping in my bed, and I uh... don't feel comfortable sleeping next to her," he explained.

"Oh, okay. I'll sleep next to her tonight, and you can sleep in my bed."

Y/n grabbed Chaewon's wrist, eliciting a yelp from the radish. "Can we both sleep in your room tonight? I-If you're okay with that. I feel off tonight."

"S-Sure..."

The pair slid under Chaewon's covers, naturally gravitating to one another's embrace. As soon as their skin touched, a sense of security washed over both Y/n and Chaewon.

Y/n pulled Chaewon to his chest, caressing the back of her head. His heart raced and his breathing grew shallow, but he loved it. For the first time since the two met, Chaewon appeared completely vulnerable. She clung closely to his body, and allowed him to rest his hands wherever he wanted. Though faint, the urge to kiss her crown permeated through Y/n's mind.

Chaewon took a deep breath in Y/n's arms, allowing him to pull her by the waist. She melded with his body like a puzzle piece, providing comfort she hadn't felt since they last slept together. Her heart raced alongside Y/n's, seemingly synching through their touch.

Part of Chaewon compelled her to give in—give in to her emotions, and give in to Y/n. She bounced between thinking his heart raced because he liked her, and because he was excited to lay next to her once more. Regardless, Chaewon drifted soundly while Y/n held her closer, and more intimately.

Stupid Y/n...