Runner-up's Revenge

Dahye thought back to yesterday’s call. This new kind of communication was much more enjoyable.

Rather than pouring out emotions, listing the day’s troubles, or acknowledging pent-up anger or feelings of inferiority, it was far better to have trivial, pointless conversations with Dowon.

Dahye looked down at her phone, recalling the days she despised Dowon. No, it shouldn’t be spoken of in the past tense. Dahye still despised Dowon now.

However, she realized that it had been dwindling at a rapid pace, so subtly that she only just noticed it now. A lot of time had passed since she first discovered Dowon at that convenience store. In recent days, as their conversations became friendlier, Dahye found herself feeling almost close to him. Beyond that, Dowon was even more pitiful than she had thought. He was struggling just to keep his head above water.

Dowon seemed far too fragile for Dahye to unleash her years-old resentment on him now. Perhaps this was a case where her conscience had devoured her hatred.

“He sounded like he was enjoying himself, too.”

That’s what Dahye liked the most. It seemed like Dowon was genuinely smiling and talking with ease. Dowon, who had been acting like a customer service representative all this time, freely shared his own stories yesterday. He listened to Dahye’s sincerely in turn.

It was a casual call between friends where both people on the phone wanted to chat. Dahye was satisfied by the change in their calls.

Although she was pleased, it didn’t mean that the difficult things disappeared. Dahye smiled at her boss who kept pounding the table in front of her at the company dinner.

He started giving life advice to Dahye, sharing clichés that everyone already knew, expecting to be praised for this genius. He was the quintessential “boomer;” someone who would never understand—even on his deathbed—that his situation was entirely different from Dahye’s or anyone else’s.

“Dahye, what I’m saying is that, in both the company and your social life, the key is to take the direct approach. If you work hard and face things head-on, there’s nothing you can’t overcome. These days, young people are too weak and quick to give up, but if you just keep at it, you’ll get there, trust me.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the advice.”

“Of course, I’m not saying you’re weak like other kids your age.”

Fucking stubborn bastard. Dahye pretended to listen to his prattling with a fake smile.

This was the problem with public enterprises. Every company might have one or two people like this, but in places like banks, they were everywhere. Dahye glanced around her.

Shit, they dumped him on me.

All the other employees were drinking among themselves. It seemed they had paired Dahye with the boss in advance, knowing the drunken boss would talk himself into self-preening circles under the guise of advising a promising underling.

To Dahye, this gathering felt less like a company reward and more like an extension of work.

“Yes, this has been fun. Everyone get home safely!”

The good mood evaporated on the spot. As soon as the dinner ended, Dahye hurriedly left, almost fleeing the scene. She walked for about ten minutes to catch a taxi from a distance, fearing someone might suggest sharing the ride if they were headed in the same direction.

“I hate my life, seriously.”

Maybe it was because it was a busy time, with everyone escaping their own company dinners, but she couldn’t catch a taxi. Dahye just stood there blankly on the sidewalk, watching the cars speed by. She wondered if she even needed to go home at all.

“I wonder what Dowon is doing now.”

Suddenly, the idea of a pleasant chat with Dowon was sounding far better than simply going home. Dahye decided she wanted to talk with Dowon, just the two of them.

She wanted only him, without Hana. That way, Dowon’s sole focus would be on Dahye, not taking care of Hana.

“…Is this wrong?”

Dahye tapped the tip of her shoe on the ground. She brushed back her bangs. She was also afraid that Dowon might see it as an extension of work.

However, Dowon and Dahye could still have a nice conversation—something they had proven just yesterday. Besides, at this moment, it seemed like both Dowon and Dahye were in the perfect headspace for a friendly chat, unlike all the time they spent holding resentment against one another.

I should apologize too.

With her current feelings of regret, it seemed impossible to talk with total ease or have phone calls with Dowon. Not knowing about Dowon’s difficult situation didn’t excuse Dahye’s actions.

She needed to make sure he knew that she only recently learned about his life, and that she was all the more sorry because of it.

Dahye pondered for a long time. Unable to even think about catching a cab, she kept staring at the ground before finally holding up her phone.

***

“Dowon, look at me.”

“Sorry…”

Hana was in his arms. Although Dowon was dazed by that fact, he had to answer Dahye’s texts. He’d turn to look at his phone on instinct when he heard it buzz.

Dahye Yoon: Want to talk?

Dahye Yoon: I’d like to talk to you about high school and stuff

Dahye Yoon: But with Hana there, it would like we’re leaving her out

Dahye Yoon: Let’s meet, just the two of us

Dahye asked to meet alone. Dowon almost bit his tongue. Knowing why Hana was clinging to him like this made it even harder to make a decision.

“Dowon? What’s over there?”

Hana rubbed her cheek against Dowon’s neck. She was nestled in his lap with her arms flung around his neck.

Even when Dowon pushed her away, saying it didn’t seem right, or made other excuses to create some distance, Hana kept refusing to back off.

So Dowon stopped trying. He was afraid of hurting Hana if he rejected her. Because he knew Hana needed something from him right now.

Dowon raised his head and met Hana’s eyes. With their noses nearly touching, Hana reminded Dowon of a sad little puppy.

She looked like a trembling puppy that still brought her head up to be petted when a hand was extended.

Her dog-like eyes begged not to be abandoned, promising to do well, and Dowon found it heartbreaking.

Hana was lovely, someone he cared for deeply, and a companion and friend who had worked hard to overcome difficult times with him. Even if taking care of and helping Hana was exhausting for Dowon now, he had no intention of abandoning her. He couldn’t do that.

“…Dowon?”

But Dowon’s gaze kept turning towards his phone. Avoiding Hana’s eyes, Dowon mulled over his words before speaking.

“Hana.”

“Yes?”

“…Can I go meet Dahye?”

Hana’s arms tightened around Dowon’s neck.

“Why?”

“Dahye says she wants to talk about high school times, that she has no other friends to do it with… But… she just wants to meet with me.”

Dowon was keeping his conscience clear. He didn’t want to lie to Hana. Perhaps it would have been better for both of them if he had lied about his reason for leaving and kept it a secret from Hana forever. If Dowon had put a little more effort into keeping his meeting with Dahye a secret, nothing would have happened.

But Dowon made a lazy choice, one that allowed him to stretch his legs tonight and keep his conscience intact.

“I don’t really… have a reason to say no.” Dowon spoke as if trying to persuade Hana that he was telling the truth. Hana’s face contorted.

She looked down at Dowon from her perch on his lap. Their faces grew closer. As Dowon closed his eyes tightly in response, Hana’s hair tickled Dowon’s collarbones.

She rested her cheek on Dowon’s shoulder. Every time Hana spoke, her lips brushed along the side of Dowon’s neck.

“Are you going to drink?”

“I’m not sure…”

“How much will you drink? Until when?”

“Not sure about that either….”

“Are you going to a nice bar? Are you going somewhere you haven’t been with me?” Hana mumbled as she poked Dowon’s side and back with her fingers. He could feel her face twisting into an exaggerated expression, her voice briefly on the verge of tears before turning angry. She remained with her face buried in his shoulder, preventing him from gauging her expression.

Hana tightened her stranglehold even more. She seemed to quiver with anxiety every time she felt Dowon’s body stiffen.

***

“So do you remember when Minwoo ran off with all the toilet paper and tissues that one time? He went through and opened every single locker one by one.”

“I remember. That bastard’s nickname was Tissue Hunter, wasn’t it?”

“But the teacher misunderstood the nickname and thought it was bullying, so he gathered all the boys to scold them, right?”

Dahye and Dowon started laughing hysterically. Reminiscing about their old, shared memories was much more entertaining than Dowon had expected. The incident with Minwoo Lee had been one of the highlights of the year back then. Minwoo had been teased after getting trapped in the bathroom because he ran out of toilet paper. In retaliation he had thrown all the toilet paper he could find from the rooftop, telling everyone to experience it for themselves.

Then, the conversation turned toward some of the more scandalous high school gossip.

“Minyoung actually liked Junghoon, but then Seunghwan asked Junghoon to help him because he liked Minyoung.”

“Junghoon and Seunghwan were super close friends, weren’t they?”

“Yeah. So Junghoon, the guy she liked, was trying hard to set her up with someone else. I bet you can guess how that turned out.”

“So that’s why she went all dark and depressed.”

“Yep.”

Minyoung Choi, after realizing the guy she had a crush on was completely clueless and was trying to set her up with his friend, went through a huge reality check. Eventually, she shifted her entire attitude and became a BL (Boys’ Love) enthusiast.

Dowon and Dahye laughed so hard they were about to cry. Dowon’s stomach felt like it was going to split. He now understood why people got excited talking about the past every time they met.

“…So, about… You know.”

Dowon tilted his head. “Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

Dahye spoke cautiously, not specifying exactly what she was sorry for.

“We were kind of… You know, in high school. I guess I’ve been holding onto those feelings.”

Dowon made a noncommittal sound and looked down at the table. He could see Dahye fidgeting with her fingers.

“So, um…” he started, not even sure what he was going to say.

“No, it’s okay,” Dahye said quickly. “Hey, I was also kind of… like that back then.”

As soon as Dowon heard Dahye’s words, regrets from the past rushed in. Recalling the days he wished he had been a little nicer to Dahye, rather than acting like an egotistical fool, Dowon twisted his fingers together uncomfortably.

“If I hadn’t acted like that then, you—”

Dowon’s phone vibrated in his pocket, interrupting the heartfelt words he’d been about to say.

“Ah, sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Answer it.”

Dahye gestured toward his pocket. Dowon apologized and pulled his phone out. Hana’s name glowed on the screen.

“Oh, Hana.”

Thinking it would be awkward to answer the phone in front of Dahye, he stood up from his seat as he spoke. But then, Dowon froze on the spot.

“Hana?”

Her voice wasn’t coming through, as if the connection was faulty. He could hear some kind of noise but couldn’t identify it.

“Hana.”

“Dowon.” Hana finally spoke. “Why didn’t you look at my text?”

Dowon hastily pulled his phone from his ear and looked at the screen. There was a message from Hana, sent just a few minutes ago.

Hana Baek: (Photo)

Dowon opened the messenger to see the photo Hana had sent.

“…Hana.”

The photo was a viewpoint from a rooftop, looking down at the road below.

“Hana, where are you now… What are you doing?”

Dowon’s legs began to carry him toward the entrance. Dahye could clearly sense something was wrong, and followed after him.

“Dowon, what is it? What’s going on?”

“Hana, where are you now!” Dowon half-yelled into the phone. Adrenaline was coursing through his bloodstream.

Hana didn’t respond. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind. Just as Dowon began to shake, unsure whether to call a taxi or just dial 112, Hana’s voice finally broke through.

“I don’t think I can keep going. It’s just too hard for me, Dowon.” The statement flowed from Hana’s lips without hesitation.

“Be happy with Dahye.”