Recovery

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Most Dangerous Game

Gaeul organized the food and drinks atop the coffee table, nodding with approval. She clapped her hands, quickly turning to her dorm mates.

"How about we play a game?"

Y/n and Chaewon tilted their heads, "Game?"

Gaeul placed her hands on her hips, "Things have been feeling weird lately! I feel like if we play a game, we'll all be able to be close again."

Y/n turned to Chaewon, shrugging, "Why not?"

Chaewon collected three shot glasses on top of the table. She cracked the first bottle open, eyeing Gaeul, "So what are we playing?"

"Never have I ever," she beamed.

The three students took a side of the table. Chaewon and Y/n bit into their own pieces of chicken while Gaeul cleared her throat.

"Never have I ever... skipped school."

Chaewon took a shot, exhaling as the liquid bit at her throat. She grinned at Y/n's curious expression, "I wasn't exactly a star student at my old school."

"Why am I not surprised?" Y/n chuckled before downing his own. He hummed while he watched his two maids eat. "Never have I ever stolen anything."

"Drink up~" Chaewon cooed. "I've never stolen anything, and I'm pretty sure Gaeul's a goody-two-shoes."

"Yep," Gaeul nodded.

"Damn..."

Chaewon racked her brain for something she could attack both Y/n and Gaeul with. She searched and searched, yet nothing she could think of applied to both of them, but not herself.

I guess I don't mind taking a shot.

"Never have I ever drunk-called an ex."

Y/n sighed. He took another shot, earning wide eyes from both maids. "I called her to check up on how she was doing. No more, no less."

Gaeul nodded. She played with her glass before grinning toward Chaewon, "Never have I ever gotten seriously hung over."

The radish glared daggers into her peer while she took a shot. Beneath the game, a small string of competition sparked between the two maids.

"Never have I ever broken a bone," Y/n said, interrupting the tension.

Gaeul poured into her glass, taking in the silence of the others. "I used to play basketball."

"Did it hurt?" Chaewon questioned.

"A lot."

The three continued playing, slowly falling further and further into inebriation. In spite of their earlier feelings, they all laughed together. Time flew past them before they realized, and the night aged like fine wine.

Gaeul rose from her spot. She glowed both in her cheeks as well as her smile. "I'm going to take a shower."

The other two Kims nodded in silence. With the click of Chaewon's door, the radish placed herself next to Y/n. Immediately she noticed a hint of unease in her master. She eyed his face through the corner of her sight, sighing softly as he distanced himself when she scooted closer.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chaewon mumbled.

"Wrong?" Y/n repeated. "What do you mean?"

Chaewon hunched forward, "It feels like you've been distancing yourself from me since this morning."

Y/n gulped. He rubbed his clenched heart before turning to the radish maid. "I'm just scared of making you uncomfortable again. I don't want to make anymore mistakes."

"You haven't." Chaewon scooted closer, pressing her shoulder against Y/n's, "But it made me sad that you were avoiding me."

A heavy silence fell between the two. The heater roared above them, yet neither felt any chill. Hues of pink tinged their cheeks. For what felt like only a couple seconds, the master and maid duo stared into each other's eyes. Their expressions softened, and slowly, they leaned in.

"You need to figure that out before you make a mistake."

Chaewon froze. She opened her eyes, watching Y/n lean forward, awaiting the reciprocation of their kiss. His eyes hid behind their lids, and he kept himself vulnerable in the soft light.

Without letting another moment pass, she completed the kiss. Chaewon wrapped her arms around Y/n's neck as Y/n did her waist. The sweet taste of plum mixed with the bitter alcohol in his mouth, mirroring the feelings in her heart.

She pressed deeper and deeper, allowing Y/n to lower her onto her back. Soft whimpers passed between her lips as Y/n pressed his thigh between her legs. Her waist filled her head with numbing static at the touch of his hand, creating a shallow euphoria.

Y/n parted the kiss, drawing pants from both Kims. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, smiling before diving into her neck. As he reached underneath her shirt, Chaewon grabbed Y/n's wrist.

"Gaeul might see us."

Y/n pressed the pads of his fingers against his maid's delicate midriff, exhaling a warm breath against her skin. "We can go into my room."

As though a train screeched to a stop in her mind, the moment came to a halt. Chaewon pulled herself from under Y/n. She fixed her clothes with a weighted, guilty frown.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. I need some time to sort my feelings out."

Without another word, Chaewon walked into her room, leaving Y/n alone. He slapped himself over and over and over, spewing drunken curses before sweeping his arm across the coffee table. Boxes and bottles alike flew and crashed into the carpet; as the noise settled, Y/n sat in silence with his head on the table.

No words he could string together would suffice in his frustration. Guilt, sorrow, and shame added studs to the baseball bat that he felt slamming against his consciousness.

I'm so fucking stupid.

Y/n stumbled onto his balcony, taking in the midnight air. Unlike his dorm, nature's ambience brought him an inexplicable comfort.

Fuck...

Chaewon curled on her bed, gripping her pillow. She searched through every wrinkle in her brain for an answer. Why did she do that? Within her confusion, disgust bubbled in her stomach. Whether disgust toward herself for ruining the moment, or disgust toward the moment itself, it didn't matter. She hated the position she put herself in. Through the distress of her thoughts, the pitter-patter of water in her bathroom gave enough ambiance to lull her into a deep, somber sleep.

Gaeul clutched her fist against her pounding chest. No matter how cold a shower she took, she felt a sweltering heat in her core. It radiated to her head and to her feet, dazing her.

I'm going to do it...