Recovery

Chapter Forty-Two: Origins

Over the next few days, Y/n found himself forced to sit up as Chaewon would put her head on his lap every chance she got to. Though he didn't mind, the act of sitting up instead of laying down wasn't his favorite. Alas, the boy treasured every second he got to spend with his maid as he never knew if the two would grow distant again. For reasons he couldn't explain to himself, Y/n felt a weight on his shoulders--something he didn't have when he pet Yuri. Unsure of what he was feeling, the boy turned to the only person he felt had the answer.

"Dad?"

Mr. Kim looked up from his chair at the dining table. Papers littered the table and the man looked stressed, but despite the situation, he set his glasses onto the desk, giving Y/n all of his attention.

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"Fire away."

"So... I've been feeling a weight on my shoulders."

"Weight? Like your shoulders are stiff? Or..."

"A metaphorical weight."

"Ah..."

"I can't really explain why as I myself don't know why."

"Because of guilt?"

"That's the only reason I can think of, but I don't know... I- Chaewon likes to rest her head on my lap, and so I pet her head in turn. I did the same with Yuri ah originally, and it helped me a lot. I felt more peaceful then than I had in weeks, but with Chaewon it doesn't feel the same."

"Is there something you need to sort out between you two? It could be that since you and Yuri ah are like siblings and haven't done anything wrong to each other that you're able to feel that way."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Does this have to do with the incident earlier?"

"I'm not sure..."

"If you can, try to talk things out with her. If you're able to confess something or talk out the problem then I'm sure at least a portion of the guilt will go away. If it does, then time will do the rest."

"How do I know what I should say?"

"Think about what's happened in the time that you knew Chaewon ah. If you did something to wrong her or hurt her, there's a chance it's that. There's also the chance that you're subconsciously feeling guilty about something else completely unrelated, but that's for you to find out."

"I see... Thank you, Dad."

"Anytime."

As Y/n turned around, Mr. Kim put his glasses back on, resuming what he was doing prior to the interruption.

Y/n pursed his lips. The thought of confessing to Chaewon about the bad things he's done was a difficult task. Once more, it seemed like he was finally in a good position with Chaewon again, and he didn't want to ruin the chance he had. Unsure, the boy walked back to his bed to see Chaewon sleeping peacefully. Taking advantage of the situation, Y/n slid into bed, sighing as he finally got the chance to lay down. 

Maybe I should just sleep this off. I can think about it later when I have a clearer head.

With his mind made up, Y/n closed his eyes, drifting off to dreamland not too long after.

Chaewon flinched, opening her eyes. To her utter shock, the maid was back in her house. Everything was still intact, a stark contrast to what she last remembered. Ignoring the oddity, the radish walked out of her room to find her father drinking in front of the TV.