#also i am a fellow closeted lesbian rika truther so that's also a major reason why she never got to fully process her feelings

[natasha-in-space]

Are Chaewon and Rika like an established couple? Sorry if that's a weird question, haha (⌒_⌒;)

Not a weird question at all!! Any and all questions about my OC's are more than welcome, I'll happily ramble about anything.

And the short answer is: no.

The longer answer is: it's complicated. Do they ever get together as a fully established couple in my canon? No, they do not. Maybe years down the line after Mint Eye is destroyed and they both find peace within themselves and atone for their crimes... But it's highly unlikely, honestly. Their ending is not a happy one.

Chaewon has been infatuated with Rika since their first meeting, that infatuation gradually blossoming into genuine love and appreciation for her as a person once they become friends. Chaewon loves her romantically, but she also loves her as a dear friend. She never really tries shooting her shot. For all she knows, Rika is perfectly happy with Jihyun, and she is no competition to him when it comes to Rika's heart. She's not as generous on words, nor is she all that smart to keep up with all the philosophical talk they do. So, she stays pining. Is that healthy? No. But Chaewon, at the time of meeting Rika, is a pretty isolated individual. In a way, she feels like Rika is one of the only good things left in her life.

That is to say... the seeds for turning her love into something more twisted and unhealthy were always there. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't work out if things were different.

Is that love mutual from Rika's side? In truth, yes. But she never gets to process that or admit that to herself. Not fully, anyway. She only fully comes to terms with her love for Chaewon as a fully romantic one when the Mint Eye is destroyed and she sees Chaewon be put at risk for her sake. Before it all went wrong, she genuinely viewed Chaewon as a good friend. In time, she even became her closest friend, after Jihyun and Mika, of course. She still kept a noticeable distance between them. Too terrified to show her 'real self' to anyone but V.

In a way, they both viewed each other as better than the other. And that kept them from ever actually opening up to each other fully. Rika thought of Chaewon as a strong-willed, determined woman that she couldn't help but admire. She wished she could be strong like her, without being cruel.

Once Chaewon follows Rika and becomes a part of Mint Eye and her personal bodyguard? Things get even more complicated. They never put a label on what they have. Never refer to each other as lovers, or partners. Everyone in Magenta knows that Chaewon has a special connection to their Savior, as she trusts her with her safety wholeheartedly and always listens to her input. But that's very much it. They are not affectionate in front of other believers. Not physically nor emotionally. Chaewon shows her devotion through direct actions, and Rika does so by letting Chaewon make her own choices freely. It's subtle. The only one who ever notices it is Ray and Saeran.

In Mint Eye, Chaewon becomes Rika's rock that she relies on. And Rika becomes Chaewon justification for everything she does. While before they were two people with mutual attraction that wasn't acted upon due to poor communication, now they become two codependent people using each other to feel better about themselves. Now it's definitely unhealthy.

Not that either of them cares.

Behind closed doors, they are affectionate. They hold hands, caress one another, they even get intimate with one another on more than one occasion. With Chaewon, Rika gets the feeling of control and adoration she craves. While Chaewon gets to indulge in fantasies she never got to have before that.

But she's still not V. And Rika's obsession with V never actually goes away or takes second place.

And Chaewon doesn't challenge her on that either, for fear of losing her affection. That's why she grows to resent V as much as she does. While before she used to bitterly accept the fact that Jihyun was simply better than her, not it feels like he is actively taking Rika away from her. Her hatred of V is a reflection of her own insecurities about not being good enough.

Their relationship is ALSO the reason Rika grows to resent Natasha in turn. She sees herself in Natasha. An alternative 'what if', if only she wasn't too scared of being open and vulnerable with another person.

While Rika's and Chaewon's relationship is a gradual change from a relatively healthy beginning into an unhealthy and codependent one, Natasha's and Ray's/Saeran's relationship is a change from an unhealthy situation into a genuine connection built on mutual trust and understanding. They are parallel to each other.

Do they ever get to the 'I love you' stage? Chaewon whispers those words to Rika many times, often while they are laying in bed together and, for a moment, it feels like it's only the two of them in the entire world. But Rika only manages to say it back when she begs Chaewon to escape right before Magenta (and Mint Eye as a whole) gets dismantled. In a way, in the end, Rika chooses to be selfless out of her love for Chaewon. Asking her to escape and leave her, because she wants her to have a better life. And Chaewon chooses to be selfish and stay by Rika's side through it all. Something she seemingly has always done, but never fully let herself admit fully.

They do get to express their true feelings to each other in the end, in a way.

They get separate after that, and they each have a journey of attunement and self-discovery ahead of them. Will they ever cross paths again and start anew? I genuinely don't know. It's left to interpretation, depending on the universe I'm working with :)