Recovery

Chapter Twenty: Reminiscence

Y/n downed a shot, exhaling hoarsely. He place his shot glass on the counter with a wide smile. Slowly, he swayed in his spot with Gaeul and Minjeong clinging to his arms--both women tinged with a light pink.

"See, Gaeul ssi? It's better like this," Minjeong smiled.

Gaeul scrunched her nose, "You're just trying to get laid."

Minjeong raised an eyebrow, flashing the other a mischievous smirk, "And you're not? If so, I'll happily claim my throne~"

"I'll never let you have him."

Gaeul pulled Y/n's arm closer to her body, causing him to sway further. Minjeong responded in proper with a tug of her own. Between the two bickering parties, Y/n felt nothing but two different textures: the soft, gentle material of Gaeul's hoodie, and Minjeong's delicate and warm skin.

I should call her...

Y/n slipped from his seat, and the two women's grasps, leaving them confused. He worked his way into his room before clumsily navigating to Minju's contact.

A gentle smile spread across his face as he stared at the old contact photo. With the press of a button, the white light shedding on his face disappeared. Y/n placed the phone to his ear, dropping onto his bed.

His heart raced with anticipation, wondering how the endearing airhead would greet him.

It's been what... three years?

"Hello?"

Y/n's heart sank to his feet. The soothing feminine voice he expected to hear did not touch his ears. Instead, a man's voice rumbled in his ear, draining him of his excitement.

"Oppa, who's calling me?"

Y/n shot up clutching his shirt, "That was Minju!"

"Yes," the man replied. "Who is this?"

"I'm... Kim Y/n. An old friend of Minju's."

Though slurred, Y/n pat himself on the back for getting his message across. He listened eagerly while the man passed the phone to Minju, whispering what he assumed to be his clumsy message.

"Y/n? What's up?"

"Hey, Minmin..." Y/n's smile touched his ears, warming his heart with an innocent bliss he hadn't felt since his childhood. "It's been a while!"

"Eung. You sound drunk," she giggled.

"Very," Y/n chuckled.

"What's the occasion?"

Y/n dropped backward, crashing into his pillows, "Chaewon and I made up after something happened."

"And you're having celebratory drinks because of that...?" Minju's apprehension seeped through her amusement, grounding Y/n back to reality.

"Yeah." Y/n paused to collect his thoughts, "I just thought I'd call you to see how things are going."

"Things are going well. Shortly after I moved, I met another idiot like you." Minju giggled as the male voice butted in from the background, leaving Y/n with an empty feeling in his heart. "Just like you, he likes to cause trouble—though his is a little more... destructive."

"Destructive?"

"I can't talk about it, but you and him are very alike. I guess I have a thing for idiots~" she cooed.

Y/n rested his forearm over his eyes, sighing lightly. "I assume that was your boyfriend that picked up the phone?"

"Yep!"

A slight jab pinched at Y/n's stomach. He recognized the foolishness of his feelings, but he couldn't help but drown in regret.

"He, a friend of ours, and I fought crime in high school. We took down a powerful gang, and stuff. It was crazy! We were like the three musketeers!!"

Y/n forced a smile onto his face, hoping it would reflect in his voice. "Fighting crime, huh?"

"Opps- I said too much," Minju giggled. "Anyway, I have to go. It was nice talking to you again, Y/n!! Tell Chaewonie I said hi!"

"Likewise. Take care."

As his phone beeped, Y/n dropped the device onto his bed. He splayed his arms and legs out across the bed, heaving another of many heavy sighs.

Why am I feeling like this...?

Y/n placed his arm over his eyes once more, allowing the moonlight to swallow him. Before he knew it, his arm jolted, and he felt sober. The rush he felt just mere moments prior felt like an entire night ago.

Upon reaching for his phone, Y/n felt a petite body nestled between his free arm and ribs. He reached for the figure's shoulder, rubbing Gaeul's hoodie with his thumb. Carefully, he traced her arm to his chest where her hand rested.

While his eyes adjusted to the dark room, Y/n took in the maid's peaceful expression. Unlike Chaewon, and Minjeong, Gaeul resembled that of a proper woman.

Behind her anger issues, Chaewon acted more akin to a high schooler; Minjeong appeared more like a young woman, but Gaeul reminded him of what he'd expect a college student to act like.

Y/n layered his hand on top of Gaeul's, dancing on the edge of intertwining his fingers with hers. A rush filled his heart with a sense of belonging. It traveled with his blood to the corners of his body, eventually reaching his brain.

No... I can't take advantage of her.

Y/n pulled away, ensuring not to wake his maid before quietly moving to his door. He twisted the handle, eyeing Gaeul every degree, until the door freely opened. Outside, Minjeong turned to Y/n with a solemn frown.

"Hey."

"H-Hey..."

Minjeong took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She allowed a moment to pass before exhaling, revealing her orbs with the same solemn expression—only with a hint of determination.

"I want you to level with me. Do you despise my presence?"

"I don't know if we should-"

"I'm sober," she interrupted. "By the looks of it, you are too."

"I don't know how to answer that..." Y/n trailed.

Minjeong pursed her lips, sighing, "That's already a red flag, but... tell me the first answer that comes to your head. If you don't want me around, I'll leave without a trace. You don't have to worry about my feelings."

Y/n fiddled with his fingers. He tapped his other hand against his thigh, holding his breath in anticipation for an answer—one that would make sense to himself.

"I don't dislike you," he started. A weight pulled at his throat from his chest, while another pushed down from his head, dragging his words through every inch of his neck. "I just feel... uncomfortable. I don't know how Chaewon would react to you being around—she seemed to be fine with it when I mentioned you earlier, but I don't know—I care about her a lot, and if you being around makes her uncomfortable too, I wouldn't be happy about it."

"I see..." Minjeong balled her hand into a fist atop her jean shorts. "Well, I'll need time to think about that answer."

She slid off her chair, gesturing toward the filled dish rack, "I cleaned everything up since your maid walked into your room and never came back out. Good night, Y/n."

"Good night..."

Part of Y/n felt guilty. It weighed at him just like all of his other piling emotions as Minjeong left his dorm, leaving Y/n in a conflicted pool of his thoughts.