Runner-up's Revenge

Hana seemed to fall deep into thought as she ate her expensive meal. She probably wondered what exactly Dowon had done to Dahye in high school. She believed Dowon was too kind-hearted, which was a problem for Dahye.

“Dowon has such a one-track mind. Whenever he was focused on his studies, he would forget to be considerate of others. Have you noticed that, Hana?”

Hana shimmering eyes were perceptive. She clearly knew that Dahye was pretending to reminisce about Dowon’s high school days in order to subtly belittle him.

“No,” Hana responded thoughtfully. “I’ve only known Dowon to be a kind and wonderful person.”

At that, Dahye’s brows shot skyward and she rested her chin in her hand.

“Really?” she asked, trying to rein in a sneer. “I guess Dowon is a romantic. I would have never predicted that.”

Hana tilted her head.

“I don’t think I understand you. Love aside… He’s so caring that I worry he doesn’t think of himself. Wasn’t he like that when you knew him?”

It didn’t seem like an intentionally biting remark, but Dahye’s nerves were struck nonetheless.

“ Is he?” she gritted out. “I guess we were very young then. People change.”

Dowon flinched at the poorly-concealed venom in Dahye’s tone. Hana seemed to ponder her next words before slowly opening her mouth.

“One time, I was too sick to even call someone for help. I just lay in bed and didn’t move… But Dowon came by and found me like that. He picked me up and carried me to the hospital on his back. I found out later that he had run barefoot. If that isn’t a good person, I don’t know what is.”

Dahye tried to argue but closed her mouth. She gulped down some tea, the lukewarm, bland liquid failing to quench her thirst.

How the hell is Dowon Lee a good person? Are you out of your mind?

She wanted to refute all Hana’s claims and shout the truth in her face until Hana believed it. Hana was obviously being deceived. If she could see Dowon in his high school years, even once, she would almost certainly run away. There was nothing more contradictory in the world than the words “Dowon” and “wonderful” in the same sentence.

Or maybe Dowon was pretending to be kind, choosing his targets. Just like Dahye was now putting on an overly polite face for Hana. If so, why did he pretend to be nice to Hana? Why didn’t he bother to put on the same act for Dahye and their classmates?

Was it because Hana was pretty? The reason Dowon never gave Dahye the time of day—was it not related to academics, but to appearance? Dahye felt like yanking the tablecloth out from under the dishes and upending the table.

Hana’s pale face seemed to be even more colorless. “Um… I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.” She stood and made her way toward the restroom sign.

Dahye could tell that Hana had been feeling increasingly uncomfortable as the conversation progressed. No matter how well Hana managed her expression, there was no way she’d failed to notice Dahye’s disdain for Dowon. Dahye tried to get herself under control, tossing back the last of the tea.

“I’ll go to the bathroom too,” she muttered, pushing herself up from the table.

She followed Hana towards the bathroom, swinging the door open to see her washing her hands. She hadn’t even pretended to enter one of the stalls. Dahye placed her bag by the sink and pretended to apply lipstick as she eyed Hana in the mirror.

“Not feeling well?”

“Oh, no,” Hana said quietly. “I’m fine. Sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault for suggesting we have dinner out of nowhere—”

“It’s not that, I wanted to come,” Hana mumbled as she dried her hands.

This kind, innocent girl must have been completely fooled by Dowon. Dahye snapped the lid back on the lipstick and held out her phone to Hana.

“Can I call you next time I get another meal voucher like this? I don’t like eating alone.”

“Uh…”

Hana stared down at the phone, but didn’t make a move to take it.

“Eating alone is nice,” she said finally. “Why don’t you try it? You might enjoy yourself.”

Is she a spokesperson for solitary dining? Dahye smiled sweetly through her vague irritation and extended the phone towards the other woman.

“Then how about a cafe? You seemed to enjoy cake when I last saw you.”

“I’m allergic to cake, sorry.”

There’s no such thing. Dahye gritted her teeth and gestured again for Hana to take the phone.

“Then how about drinks? It’s been so long since I had drinks with a girlfriend—”

“It’s been too long since I last drank. I’m nervous to do it again because I beat someone up last time.”

That couldn’t be true. Hana had to be lying. Then again, Dahye recalled her first, rather violent encounter with Hana, and conceded it was possible.

Taking advantage of Dahye’s hesitation, Hana slipped over to the bathroom door.

“Hana, um—”

“The food was really delicious. Thank you for today.”

When Dahye rushed to follow her out, Hana and Dowon were already getting ready to leave. Dahye smiled, her lips trembling.

“Let’s do this again sometime. I had so much fun today.”

It hadn’t been fun at all. Dahye forced a smile, and Hana mirrored the stiff, insincere expression, lifting the corners of her mouth.

“I had fun too.”

Even in the final moment, Hana refused to say she would see Dahye again. After they parted ways, and Dahye had watched Hana and Dowon vanish down the street, Dahye slid down a filthy alley wall.

She made a sound of disbelief. “What is happening?”

Dahye hadn’t actually gotten that voucher from someone. She bought it with her own money. At the time, she considered it the price of belittling Dowon. But she hadn’t managed to enjoy the food or scorn Dowon properly.

Even worse, she hadn’t been able to save Hana, who had naively fallen for Dowon’s deception, and she wouldn’t have the chance to try again.

“This is so frustrating!”

She hurled her bag against the opposite wall, where it hit the grimy ground with a thud. It was irritating to imagine Hana’s shining face, smiling like a person blinded by love.

***

The route to Hana’s house always put Dowon at ease. The familiar journey should have made him feel comfortable, but after the disastrous meal with Dahye, he felt as if gravity was clinging to him with more ferocity than normal. It wasn’t the fancy food or tea that was weighing him down, but Dahye’s words that seemed to be piling onto his shoulders, pressing him harder and harder into the earth below.

“Dowon, are you okay? You look pale.”

“No, I’m fine.”

He met Hana’s eyes as she walked beside him. Concern was written across her face. Dowon couldn’t focus on anything with Dahye’s words ringing in his ears. While Hana persistently defended him, Dowon had found himself unable to say a single word.

How could he argue that Hana wasn’t too good for him? Just as math problems have one, undeniably true solution, the fact that Hana was too good for Dowon was and would always be true. In fact, for Dowon to even be mentioned in the same sentence seemed unfair to Hana.

“Should I buy some digestion medicine?”

“No, I’m really okay. I think I’ll feel better after resting a bit.”

“Alright, let’s get back then.”

Hana slid her arms around Dowon’s arm. He had always tried his best to treat Hana well, but she seemed to be overly grateful. She’d argued with Dahye using things Dowon had done but couldn’t even remember.

The reason Dowon treated Hana so well was because she was so far out of his league. Out of all the people Dowon had met in his life so far, Hana was the prettiest, kindest, and most lovable. Dowon’s good deeds were his way to thank her for being in his life.

Every time Hana expressed gratitude for the things he did, Dowon felt an increasing sense of disconnect. The person Hana knew and the person he really was were two different people. He wasn’t as great a person as Hana thought. It was just like Dahye said; Hana was too good for him.

Hana could surely meet someone much better than him. Dowon wondered if she would be better off without him in her life. Was Hana trapped at rock bottom because he was dragging her down? Was he the one holding Hana back from success?

All this time, he’d thought he was helping Hana, but was he actually ruining her?

“Why is Dahye acting like that?” Hana’s voice was laced with anger. Dowon, snapping out of his miserable spiral of self-hatred, blinked stupidly at her.

“Huh?”

“She was disrespectful from the moment she started talking, classmate or not. Who does she think she is?”

Hana’s rage was building. She clutched Dowon’s arm and shook it as if she could shove her feelings into him.

“I hate how she talks as if she knows you. I tried to correct her politely because she’s your friend, but she just kept going. She doesn’t know when to stop.”

Hana suddenly stopped and took Dowon’s face in her hands, turning him to look at her. Her cold hands sharpened his focus.

“I don’t care what kind of person you were in the past,” she said, staring hard into his eyes. “You’re such an amazing person now. Anyone who disrespects you is disrespecting me for liking you.”

Dowon buried his face in Hana’s hands. Hana was truly too good for him. Beyond what words could express. At this moment, Dowon could almost believe she was an angel sent by God to make him come to his senses.

“Thank you,” he murmured into her palms.

Dowon was overcome by the urge to do something for her. Something more than he was doing now. Not just things anyone could do with time and energy, but something better, using money or whatever else he might have at his disposal.

But Dowon had only one thing to offer: actions. He knew that all too well.

“Hana, wait a second.”

Dowon jogged to the convenience store, leaving Hana across the road. Then he came back with a box.

“What’s this?” she asked, confused.

Dowon hesitated, feeling his face warm. “It looks like you.”

Hana examined the cheap box of snacks in her hands. It had only cost him 1,000 won, but on the outside of the snack box was a limited edition design with a popular character. It was a cute rabbit character with round, sparkling eyes.

“What—-”

Hana stared intently at the box and then started laughing out loud.

“I’m not this cute, though,” she said, once she could speak again.

“You’re cuter than that.”

“My eyes aren’t this big either.”

“They’re bigger than that.”

“If they were bigger than this, I don’t think I’d be able to close my eyes.”

Hana’s laughter faded and she held the box closer to her eyes to inspect the rabbit’s oversized eyes. Dowon tried to hold back his laughter when Hana, fighting a smile, prodded him in the side.

“Thank you, I love it!” She gave him a bright smile. Dowon thought that her smile was a thousand times more beautiful and a thousand times more adorable than the little rabbit on the snack box.

***

Hana wanted to pick up laminating sleeves. She was planning to preserve the rabbit on the box so she could look at it forever. So, for the first time in a very long while, she walked towards the stationery store without Dowon.

“Ah, this is cute…”

This store was slightly larger than others. Hana looked excitedly around the store, almost overwhelmed by the explosion of color. She passed by cute stickers, tumblers with characters printed on them, and other decorative knick knacks. In her pursuit of her laminating sleeves, Hana was distracted by a display of postcards.

Should I write him a letter…?

Dowon’s complexion had worsened recently. Even though Hana didn’t know why, she could guess that Dahye was probably a core reason. Maybe if Dowon saw her handwritten words on a pretty postcard, he would feel a bit better. Maybe he would even begin to understand how grateful she was for his presence in her life.

Hana knew too well that, in certain mental states, it was hard to believe others, even if they were being sincere. She was all too familiar with such states, prompting her to try her best to do something to help Dowon out of it.

“Do I even own a pen?”

She couldn’t quite remember if she had a decent pen at home. Figuring it was never bad to have an extra pen, Hana reached out to grab one.

Another hand appeared over hers, grasping the pen she’d selected.

“Hana, what are you doing here?”

Hana turned to look at the owner of the voice. Dahye was smiling gently as she took the pen from its peg.