Runner-up's Revenge

Dahye stood numbly at the entryway of her apartment.

As she was about to take her shoes off, all the strength drained from her body and she collapsed right there, in the doorway. She painstakingly slipped her heels off with her fingers. It felt as if the soles of her feet had hardened to match the curve of the shoes.

She barely managed to bring her foot down on the floor. The flat surface felt foreign.

She gave a short, humorless laugh to the empty air around her. “I want to quit.”

Hanban Bank.

That wonderful workplace that everyone admired Dahye for, asking how she got in whenever she mentioned the name. But that satisfaction couldn’t completely dissolve the immense amount of stress that same workplace gave her.

Dahye lay sprawled on the living room floor, having barely made it out of the entryway. Lately, her commute home felt more exhausting than ever. It was all because of Dowon Lee.

“What exactly is the problem?” she asked herself.

For the past few weeks, Dahye had been venting her stress by criticizing and mocking Dowon. Not just work stress, but all the frustration of her past as well.

There was still a lot piled up, but she thought, this way, she might be able to enjoy the way home a little more, like others with hobbies did.

Until she found out that the destitute Dowon, who had nothing, was loved by such a beautiful woman and was actually happy.

“Why on earth is that gorgeous woman attracted to a guy who only knows how to study, ignores and looks down on others, and doesn’t know how to socialize?”

There must be something wrong with that woman too. She certainly seemed that way. Hitting Dowon in front of customers, suddenly deflating and crying, repeating the word “producer” over and over again. She seemed emotionally unstable.

But was that the problem? Dahye was annoyed that Dowon, who didn’t deserve to be loved, was somehow deceiving a woman to be in a relationship with him.

“Is my shirt a bit tight?”

Feeling suffocated despite lying still, Dahye sat up. Without getting up, she gazed over at the entryway mirror.

“What’s wrong with my skin?” she murmured, touching her fingertips to her cheek.
“Maybe it’s the new setting powder.”

Dahye knew it wasn’t the new powder that was making her complexion look so lifeless. Her skin was losing its glow, turning dull and tired. The dark circles she had carefully covered with concealer that morning had already crept back into place.

Dahye moved downward, pinching her stomach under her shirt.

“What’s this…?”

She was sure her stomach used to be smooth and firm, but recently, after too many late-night meals following work dinners, a small belly had started to poke out. Dahye took a deep breath and pressed her stomach flat with her palm.

Dahye was popular. A slender figure, pretty face, and a kind personality. Her whole life, she’d been called pretty wherever she went. However, that wasn’t important to Dahye right now. She rubbed her face and thought of that woman.

“Hana…”

She was an incredible beauty. A naturally slender figure that looked like she had never been fat in her life, big eyes, and even when she suddenly slumped over and cried, it was like a scene from a movie. A born beauty who even made beating a guy half to death seem quirky and cute.

“There’s no way someone like that would like Dowon Lee. Not unless she’s crazy.”

She was a hysterical woman. Hana probably didn’t genuinely like Dowon. There was no way. Even if she did like him, it was clearly because she was insane. If she was that emotionally turbulent, those feelings must be fleeting and fickle, too.

“That must be it.”

Dahye got up, muttering that she couldn’t waste any more time. She entered the bathroom, deliberately avoiding the mirror in the living room. Even though she had reached a clear conclusion, she didn’t feel any better.

“It has to be.”

***

“Dowon, I’m sorry… I should have taken my meds like you told me to. I’m sorry for causing problems for you.”

Dowon quietly looked at Hana’s face, with a sweet, gentle voice, and doe eyes full of apology. She was finally back on track, having taken her medication for the first time in a while.

It had been a long time since he had seen Hana, in her normal state, standing inside the convenience store. She had come to the convenience store hesitantly, and now stood in front of the counter to begin her public apology.

“What are you sorry for? Everything’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I attacked you. I can’t believe I was so violent. It must have come on from the mania… I’m really sorry. And also—.”

“Also?” he interrupted, puzzled. “There’s nothing else.”

Hana fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled, “The fish, when I made you dinner… I think I grilled it really badly…”

Hana’s eyes sparkled under the convenience store lights as she spoke timidly at the ground. Dowon waved his hand, trying to hold in his laughter.

“No, it was really delicious. I think I even chewed through every bone in the fish.”

“You don’t have to lie—was it really good?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it really was delicious.”

“I’ll make it for you again next time you eat at my place. I’m really sorry.”

Hana started going through a list of every wrong she’d ever committed, down to the tiniest error. She didn’t grill the fish properly, the seasoning for the vegetables was too salty, she didn’t even lift her arms when he was covering her with a blanket, she made him fetch the air conditioner remote when it was only a few steps away…

“I don’t know what else to say, but I’m really sorry. I’m so upset with myself—”

“Hana, it’s really okay. If you apologize for the things I do because I want to, what does that make me?”

“Because you want to?”

Dowon liked Hana. Sincerely. Hana was sweet and beautiful. She respected Dowon and never failed to be considerate of him.

In fact, she was so considerate that it made him wonder if she ever thought about herself. So naturally, Dowon began to imagine a future with Hana.

“Dowon, why would someone like you… like someone like me…”

But Hana had turned him down. Sometimes, when she was out of her mind, she would ask Dowon to marry her, so it didn’t seem like she lacked any feelings for Dowon. In truth, it frustrated him a bit.

Hana always turned him down, saying that Dowon was too good for her and that she was too lowly.

“Hana, someday I—”

Dowon clamped his mouth shut. He thought that someday, when he really became successful, and had the ability to support not only himself, but someone else, he would try to ask her to be his girlfriend again. At that point, he could say, “No matter what kind of person you are, I don’t care. I can take care of someone like you, just come as you are.”

Of course, he knew that it might take a very long time, or that he might never accomplish that goal in his lifetime. He felt miserable that he couldn’t even tell her to wait for him with confidence.

At that moment, Dahye entered with impeccably bad timing.

“Hello, Dowon. Were you busy today?”

Dowon quickly grabbed the counter’s edge. Should he try to hide Hana, or should he attempt to send Dahye away? What would Hana think if she heard the way Dahye spoke to him?

However, Dahye was using an uncommonly kind voice, without a trace of her usual mockery.

“You look especially good today. Your hair is neat too.”

Dowon flushed. “Why are you suddenly—”

“Did you get a new haircut because I said short hair suits you well?”

Dahye was speaking sweetly, just like the first time she came to the convenience store. As Dahye slowly walked towards the refrigerator, Hana’s body stiffened.

“Hana, um…”

“There’s no promotion on citron tea today either. Hmm, want some coffee?”

“No, wait—”

“Why? Do you prefer citron tea too?”

The longer Dahye spoke, the more Hana seemed to sink. Looking back and forth between Dahye and Dowon, she seemed to be thinking about how lowly she was by comparison. As soon as he saw Hana’s face, Dowon hastily tried to stop Dahye in her tracks.

It would create a huge problem if Hana misunderstood his relationship with her.

Dahye was clearly just building up to mock him more effectively. She was obviously trying to lull him into a false sense of security with warm water before plunging him into a boiling pot. He really didn’t want any kind of miscommunication creating tension with Hana.

“Dahye, wait. Why are you—”

“I got a meal voucher for Hills Hotel,” she interrupted. “Do you want to go together?”

Dowon was flummoxed. “What?”

Maybe there was a class reunion at Hills Hotel? Had all his classmates, except Dowon, become so successful that they could hold it at such an expensive place?

“What are you talking about?” Dowon replied, utterly bemused.

“Everyone else said they’re busy…” she sighed. “Won’t you come with me? With your girlfriend?”

“Wh—what?”

He almost broke down and demanded that she reveal her ulterior motive. It was crazy. Was she trying to thoroughly put him down in front of Hana?

He had to refuse, if only for Hana’s sake. The introverted Hana would not want to have a meal with a complete stranger, and even less so with Dahye, who had been witness to her earlier breakdown.

There was no way this could end well for Dowon or Hana. Dowon tried to smile as he opened his mouth to reply.

“Yeah, about that, well—”

“Let’s go,” Hana answered, looking straight at Dahye.

Dowon gaped at her. “What?”

“Let’s go, Dowon.”

Hana had a serious expression on her pretty face. Dowon wished time would stop right then.

***

“Let’s sit here. Hana, please sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Dowon and Hana sat side by side on upholstered chairs, looking across at Dahye. They were both intimidated by the marble floor, sparkling chandelier, and neatly set table with every piece of its carefully-considered cutlery.

“I’m Dahye Yoon, Dowon’s classmate. We’ve met before, if you remember.”

“Ah, yes… I’m Hana Baek,” Hana answered, staring intently at Dahye’s face. Dowon wanted to pinch his own cheek to see if this conversation was real.

“Are you the same age as Dowon?”

“Yes, I am.”

As he listened quietly to Hana and Dahye’s conversation, Dowon imagined standing on thin ice. It felt like it could break under his feet at any moment, and Dahye was sitting in a plush, red velvet chair, watching it happen.

Every word from Dahye was a stone she dropped onto the fragile surface.

“Then Hana, what would you like to drink?”

“Uh, I’ll… just look at the menu for a moment.”

Despite the anxious atmosphere, Dowon felt a sense of inferiority about Dahye using hotel meal vouchers on someone like him.

Would Dahye really have used the meal voucher because she liked Dowon? Of course not, she must have used it as a way to remind Dowon of his position compared to hers.

Did she purchase it? Was it a company perk? Did she have a connection here? Whatever it was, he envied that she could use an expensive meal voucher, just to make an old classmate feel ashamed. His envy and shame bubbled into anger.

“Hana, are you feeling okay?” Dowon asked, finally breaking his silence. “If you want to leave at any point, we can go.”

Dowon checked Hana’s complexion. If she said she wanted to leave, he was planning to get up and leave without another word to Dahye. It was bad enough that Dowon was being humiliated, but he hated the idea of Hana being part of the collateral damage.

However, Hana nodded vaguely, keeping her eyes fixed on Dahye.

“I’m fine, Dowon.”

***

Dahye returned Hana’s steady gaze. She smiled lightly and examined the other woman’s striking features. Dahye looked calm on the outside, but inside, her feelings were so complex and heavy that she felt like she might sink into the champagne glass.

“I’m not sure what to drink. There are too many options.”

“Dahye, what are you torn between? If you choose one, I’ll order the other.”

“Really?”

As Dahye was contemplating drinks, Hana smiled softly and pointed at the menu.

“Yeah, because I’m having trouble deciding too… Dahye, do you want to order Earl Grey?”

“That sounds good. Thanks.”

Hana effortlessly eradicated Dahye’s dilemma while simultaneously beginning to choose Dowon’s drink.

“Dowon, didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well today? How about herbal tea?”

“Yeah I did. That would be nice, thanks.”

“But that might be a bit bitter…”

“I don’t mind bitter things.”

“Liar. You always drink iced mochas. Even last time, you ordered an americano without thinking and then gave it to me.”

“Hey, that was ages ago,” he protested with a laugh

Hana hit Dowon’s shoulder gently and puffed up her cheeks in a pout. Dowon grinned at Hana’s mock anger, but flushed a bit all the same.

“That means you stole my iced mocha. Are you going to do that again today?”

“Okay, okay,” he conceded. “Then what’s the sweetest thing here?”

“Hmm, just a minute…”

Hana held onto Dowon’s arm with slender fingers and reviewed the menu. It was obvious that they really were close. Even Hana’s chattering about how angry she was seemed sweet. Dahye briefly recalled Hana’s white cheeks, rounded in their pout.

Hana probably paid a lot of attention to others. So, even without speaking up, she was instinctively considerate of Dahye and Dowon. While doing so, she also gently teased Dowon into choosing a drink he would like.

They seemed to go well together. It was kind of nice to see them deliberating over the menu.

Isn’t Hana too good for Dowon, though? Dahye thought.

“How is it, dating Dowon?”

“Excuse me?” Hana looked up at Dahye with her wide doe eyes.

Dahye pushed the newly-arrived Earl Grey tea towards Hana and said, “From what I’ve heard, Dowon’s schedule seems pretty irregular. It must be hard to make plans.”

“Ah, the convenience store…?”

“It must be inconvenient to have to schedule out your time together. I heard he has to work a lot of extra shifts, too, right?”

Dahye wanted to say it outright to Hana. Is dating Dowon really that good? Why do you accommodate him so much?

“Umm, I’m okay with it. Dowon always comes to my place. If anything, I feel sorry.”

“Still, you should have proper dates. Does Dowon take you to nice places?”

Dahye closed her mouth for a moment after the question left her lips. Did she want to interfere with their relationship? Dahye was spitting words out at random, without even knowing her own reasoning.

Why was she doing this? She secretly clenched her fist tightly against her thigh.

“Um… What I mean is,” she started to amend.

“I think you might have misunderstood… I’m not dating Dowon.”

Dahye froze. “What?”

Hana fidgeted and peeked up to see Dahye and Dowon’s reactions.

“How could I date Dowon… Dowon is too good for me. You might not know, Dahye, but Dowon does so much for me. He’s so kind, and also—”

What on earth is she saying? Dahye knew all too well that Dowon definitely was not the kind of guy who deserved such praise.

Dahye clenched her fist even tighter. She could feel her nails digging into her palm.

“What are you saying? Hana, you’re a hundred times better than him. Why would you say something like that?”

“Hey, Dahye,” Dowon mumbled. “I’m right here…”

“You’re pretty, kind, gentle… Hana, what are you thinking? What’s so great about Dowon Lee?”

Dahye slammed her fist on the table. The cup of tea wobbled for a moment. While Dowon was fidgeting uncomfortably, Hana had already lowered her head and was slumped down in her seat.

“Dowon should meet someone who is a better match… He’s way too good for me.”

“What does that mean, Hana?” Dahye demanded. “From my perspective—”

“Dahye, you still don’t know Dowon well enough. Really, seriously… I’m not a good match for him.”

Hana lowered her head as if she was about to hit her head on the table. Dowon sighed, rubbing his forehead. It seemed Dahye wasn’t the only one feeling frustrated.

“I know him,’ Dahye said, her voice somewhat harsh now. “Really, Hana, you’re a hundred times—no—a thousand times— actually, a hundred million times too good for him.”

Dahye felt so frustrated she wanted to scream.

Why on earth? What’s so great about Dowon Lee that this pretty and kind girl is trembling and practically flattening herself against the table? Dahye was at the point of wanting to grab Dowon by the collar and command him to admit what he had done.

Despite Dahye’s words through gritted teeth, Hana bit her lip and softly answered.

“Dowon should really meet a better person than me.”