Recovery

Chapter Thirty-One: Uncertainty

"We're doing well." Y/n stole a glance from the fox, quickly looking back as she returned the glance. "How are you and your boyfriend?"

"I can't talk about it," Minju trailed. "Sorry..."

"It's okay."

The dishes clanked together with only the running water keeping the air from stagnating. Y/n cautiously peeked through the corner of his eye, taking in his ex's features.

"Am I prettier than Chaewon or something?" Minju smirked.

Y/n flinched causing the plate in his hands to slip. He quickly caught the dish, turning to the fox, "What??"

"You keep looking at me," Minju giggled. "I'm just trying to break the awkward air with some jokes."

"Oh." Y/n cleared his throat, "You guys have your own strengths."

Minju nodded with a satisfied hum, "Good answer. I'm happy to see you've grown."

"Thanks..."

"Are you two dating?" Minju questioned.

Uncertainty filled Y/n's eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but a simple yes felt like a lie—or at least not the complete truth.

"I... don't know," Y/n mumbled.

"But you like her," Minju continued. "She seems to like you."

Y/n pondered his relationship with the radish. Though they were more than close enough to date, the word 'like' didn't feel appropriate to describe the situation. He felt that a stronger word should fit their relationship, yet even 'like' seemed like too much.

"Something's telling me there might be some misunderstandings going on here," Minju trailed.

"What makes you say that?" Y/n asked defeatedly.

Minju bumped Y/n with her shoulder, chortling, "I know you well, Y/n. Don't let what I say get in the way of you two. I might just be misinterpreting things."

"You didn't say anything negative though," Y/n mumbled.

"You worry too much," Minju waved dismissively.

In that moment, time slowed for Y/n. Minju's smile reminded him of their younger years, calming his nerves. He paid closer attention to her matured features, widening his eyes as his heart fluttered.

"Minju..."

The fox hummed, turning to Y/n with curious eyes. Their glossy brown hue seemed refined; more attractive than it used to.

"What's up?" she asked.

Y/n let off a heavy sigh. He felt a special connection to Chaewon, and spent more time with her than he did Minju. Yet, something about the fox allured him. Minju shined brighter than Chaewon. She made Y/n look forward to the next minute, but also made him miss the passing seconds.

"I don't know what to do."

"About?" Minju asked softly.

Y/n held his breath in fear of his honest response. There was no way telling Minju how he felt in the moment would end well; she has a boyfriend and she mentioned she knows how he felt toward Chaewon.

"I don't think I can say it," Y/n frowned. The knot in his stomach tightened as the two parts of him clashed.

Curiosity swirled in Minju's eyes. She dried her hands, leaning toward Y/n with a mischievous smirk. "Why? Did you do something bad?"

Y/n looked away, "No..."

The fox stepped forward, throwing a hitch in Y/n's breathing. A sly smile spread across her face, and her eyes sharpened. "Then why can't you tell me?"

"It's..." Y/n gulped, "It's just not something I can tell you."

Minju stepped back with a sigh, "Okay. You should talk to your father about it or something. He's always understanding."

"I think I'll be fine."

"What's taking you two so long?" Chaewon asked. She squeezed herself between the two. Without hesitating, Chaewon washed her hands before turning her attention to the dishes, "The others are already upstairs, Minju. You should go join them."

"Oh, okay." Minju dried her hands off, leaving Y/n and Chaewon alone at the sink.

Once more, the clanking of porcelain filled the kitchen, yet it only came from Chaewon. Y/n dried his hands, opting to dry the dishes as they came out. Compared to Minju, the radish felt... distant. She stood closer than Minju did. The pair had spent more time together, and talked about topics deeper than anything Y/n and Minju did. Yet, for some reason, Chaewon felt further away.

He could talk about anything with her. She was his other half, but not quite the other half he would have expected her to be. The way she talked, and her other mannerisms changed only when the pair was in the presence of another person. Otherwise, he never would have guessed she liked him if he didn't know.

"Chae... do you like me?"

"What kind of question is that?" Chaewon chuckled. "After everything we've done? The answer should be right there."

Y/n frowned, "I guess... but we've never had sex—actual sex —before. What separates us from friends with benefits?"

"Is that what this is about?" Chaewon handed Y/n a plate whilst reaching for another, "I'm not comfortable with that, but we can talk about this once we get home-"

"What I mean is, our relationship feels weird. We haven't made anything official, nor confirmed anything," Y/n explained.

"So you're asking what we are," Chaewon concluded.

"Yeah."

Chaewon sighed. She turned the faucet off while she stared into the plate she held. One by one, she counted the stains on the plate before setting it down. "I don't know. It's hard for me to say too."

"Do you like me?" Y/n asked.

"I don't know," the radish repeated. "I want you all to myself, and that's all I can think of. Just- Just give me time to think."

"Okay," Y/n exhaled. "I think that works out because I need to think about it too."

"For now, let's just act normally. We can talk about it again tonight or whenever it's convenient," Chaewon proposed.