Irony of Revenge

Chapter 1

Park Jinyoung put the final touches to his dressing process, tucking his shirt in. His dark hair had been neatly combed and his body gave a soft scent of perfume.

With the cream-colour shirt and the long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and the style pants, he looked quite formal although the occasion he needed to be was only a friendly one.

When he was satisfied with his appearance, he took the car key, wallet and phone from the bedside table, and left the room.

Downstairs in the living-room, Kim Jieun, his girlfriend, was on one of the couches, waiting for him. She was in a cream-colour lace dress that matched his style and her long hair was tied loosely on her back, which made her look calm and elegant.

She got to her feet and gave Jinyoung a smile when he was in the living-room. Her eyes ran over his whole body for a quick moment, before she got to his side and held his arm.

"You look and smell so good," she said, clinging to him. "Let's go now?"

He gave a silent nod and after switching off the lights and locking the main door, they were outside, as the breeze of the night welcomed them.

In the car, as they headed for the designated restaurant, Jieun talked about her friend, Yoon Hyebin, while Jinyoung was focusing on the road ahead. As usual, it was all good things about Hyebin that Jieun talked about. He rarely heard anything bad about Hyebin from Jieun.

He had met Hyebin only a couple of times during the two years of his relationship with Jieun. The two girls would hang out whenever they could make time, which was not, however, very often, given that they both had hectic, successful lives.

Jieun owned a famous jewellery shop named Colourful Dream, which was a household name and had the small branches around the whole country. Jinyoung had just taken over his father's golf club when he met Jieun at a formal party. Their relationship had always been in a slow, steady rhythm.

Hyebin, on the other hand, was a successful fashion designer and always had that pride and confidence in herself for being able to stand on her own feet when her parents were not around anymore. Until two months ago, she had been known, among her friends, for never having taken interest in relationships. It had all been until a new, rising model came to her life and won her heart.

Because of the busy schedules, both Jieun and Jinyoung had never been introduced to Mark Tuan, Hyebin's boyfriend, in person. That was also why this friendly gathering had been arranged by Hyebin for all of them to meet and have a long chat together.

When Jinyoung and Jieun arrived at the restaurant, they were led to the private room where Hyebin and Mark were waiting for them.

Hyebin, excitedly, waved at her friend and Jinyoung, who entered the room. The room door was softly closed behind them and they walked to the table which was about the centre of the room.

Hyebin was, as usual, beautiful, in her black sleeveless dress. Jinyoung's eyes, curiously, fell on the model beside her, just as he turned to look up at Jinyoung. Mark was in a black silk shirt with two buttons unfastened, showing off his fine chest muscles. Jinyoung silently acknowledged his good looks.

"Hey, have you been waiting for us long?" Jieun said, as she and Jinyoung seated themselves on the other side of the table.

"Not really. You're on time. Let's order food first," Hyebin said. There was the telephone hung on the wall and Hyebin reached for it, to order food.

When the food ordering process had been done, Hyebin slightly leaned against Mark and said, with a smile, "Jieun and Jinyoung, meet my boyfriend, Mark Tuan. I'm sure you've heard about him a lot. Mark, this is Jieun, my friend, and that's Jinyoung, her boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Mark said, with a smile, "I've heard a lot about you from Hyebin even though we get to meet each other only now."

"Nice to meet you too. You were also Hyebin's topic whenever we met during these past two months. She never stopped talking about you. I've seen you on TV before too. Really glad to meet you in person."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mark-ssi," Jinyoung said.

"We all know each other now. How splendid! We can go on double dates now," Hyebin said, with a laugh.

"And yet, you two will be the only ones who can't make time for that. Jinyoung and I are always available." Jieun tilted her head to Jinyoung to see his approving nod.

"Right, you've hit the nail on the head there. Anyway, I don't need to be a third-wheel on your dates anymore. But you know, Jieun, it's not at all easy to date a heartthrob, like him," Hyebin said, almost whining and leaning against Mark, "I'm afraid of his fans."

"You know that they approve of our relationship, Hyebin. My fans aren't that narrow-minded," Mark said.

"Alright, alright, you win. I love you. So even if they don't like me, I'm going to stick to you anyway."

Soon the food arrived, and their attention was shifted to it. There was not much conversation as they ate. However, when it was time for dessert, the talk started again, especially between Jieun and Hyebin, who were catching up on each other's lives. Mark and Jinyoung were mostly left out and at last, they turned their attention to each other instead.

Mark's dark eyes regarded Jinyoung amiably and gave him a smile. Jinyoung was once again reminded of Mark's handsome features and built body that would look attractive in any clothes. It must all be the typical charm of a model. Whatever it was, Jinyoung was well aware it and appreciated it in silence.

"I heard that you run Park Golf Club?" Mark initiated the conversation, "Then you must be really good at playing golf, I guess? I'm actually interested in golf but I can't play it."

"I'm quite good at it, Mark-ssi," Jinyoung replied.

"Just call me Mark. We're friends now anyway. So you can play golf well?"

"You can say so. If you're interested, you're welcome to come and play there anytime you want," Jinyoung said, "You'll also have privacy there. I understand that it's an important matter when you're a celebrity."

"Oh, you're so good at getting a customer, Jinyoung," Mark said, with a chuckle.

"You're a bit wrong there. I'm inviting you to come and play there for free. You just said we're friends. I'm not that business-minded. So, just come to the club whenever you want to."

"Indeed. Thanks, Jinyoung."

Mark smiled and that somehow warmed Jinyoung. After a while, the two girls turned to them to talk and the rest of the dinner went smooth. Jinyoung found the dinner exciting and interesting, unlike the other occasions Jieun had brought him to. It was fascinating to hear Mark talk about his experiences in the entertainment industry, and maybe because he was a model, Jinyoung could not help but notice his charisma at times, as Mark talked in enthusiasm. Mark was interesting in his eyes and Jinyoung hoped it would not be the last time they met.