Irony of Revenge

Chapter 5

Jinyoung had not left his house since the morning today as it was Sunday and Sundays were both his and Jieun's holidays, except when there were important business matters to deal with. They would usually meet at his or her place, or go out somewhere on Sundays.

Now, at Jinyoung's place, they were in a room which was designed for relaxation only, with the long couches, a table and glass walls, which overlooked the city.

They had been here together since the morning and had just had lunch, which had been cooked by Jieun and brought here. On the long couch, Jieun was snuggling against Jinyoung's chest and playing with his shirt hem. On the table before them were two coffees, which were pretty much ignored.

"I was on the phone to Mom and Dad yesterday. They were asking about you. Maybe we both should pay them a visit one of these days. Which day?" Jieun said, while her finger tips were absently touching Jinyoung's shirt buttons.

"Maybe, next week. Sunday?"

"Okay then. I'll let them know. What about uncle? It's been like ages since I last met him."

"He's doing fine. Fully enjoying his freedom. He was here just a few days ago. Looked like he'd got even fitter than me."

"That's great. By the way, I heard that Mark comes to the golf club often these days. So, you two are getting along well, I guess?"

Just the mention of Mark gave Jinyoung an unsteady feeling which was followed by some sort of warmth going through him. He gripped Jieun's shoulder to remind himself of the reality and to control whatever was going through his mind at the moment.

"He's just been there twice. But yes, it's nice to be with him. Always great to chat with him."

Jinyoung smiled as the words he and Mark had said and the things they had done, flashed through his mind.

"Speaking of him, what about calling him and Hyebin? They might be free and we can hang out here. I'll make a call to Hyebin."

Before Jinyoung could even reply, Jieun was already getting up and taking out her phone from her bag, to give her friend a ring.

"Hey, Hyebin, where're you now? ... Oh, really? I'm at Jinyoung's place. You wanna come over? With Mark? ... Okay. Text me then."

The call was ended and Jieun turned to Jinyoung, "Seems like she needs to check first whether Mark can come along. It's so rare for all four of us to meet, so it'll be great if he can come too."

Jinyoung did not know what to feel about this situation, whether he should anticipate Mark's presence or hope that Mark would not come because if he did, it would be difficult for Jinyoung to act indifferent around him.

"Oh, he's coming after all!" Jieun said, looking at her phone and probably having seen the text message. "I should send her the address."

Jinyoung could only hope now that things would not be as hard for him as he was imagining at the moment. And a part of him was both nervous and excited by the fact that Mark was going to see and even be in his place. He felt Mark's opinions on something related to him did matter to him.

It had been about an hour since that text, when both Mark and Hyebin arrived. Jinyoung and Jieun went downstairs to lead them up to the relaxation room. What surprised the hosts, however, was that Mark and Hyebin had bought a pizza and soju.

"If we are hanging out, we'll as well have something to eat and drink," Hyebin said, as she and Mark entered the house.

Afterwards, they took a moment to look around the house and seemed to be impressed by its simple yet grand aura.

"Let's go upstairs," Jieun said, starting to go ahead and up the stairs. Hyebin went fast to walk with her friend, leaving the two guys behind.

"So this is your place? It's really nice. You live here alone?" Mark said, staring around as they went up the stairs.

"Yes, my father has his own place," Jinyoung said, "I thought you wouldn't be free. I was wrong then."

"Actually, I'd just finished the morning schedule when Hyebin phoned me. But I've no more schedule for the rest of the day. So, here I'm."

Mark's lips parted a little when he saw the room they were going to be in. "What's this for?"

"This room? It's just for relaxation. Actually, it was a spare room, so I had it changed into something like this. You see, it overlooks the city."

"This is a nice idea, Jinyoung. So, you were chilling out with Jieun before we came?" Mark asked.

"Hmm."

Jieun and Hyebin were placing the pizza box and soju bottles on the table and make them ready to eat and drink. Then they occupied the couches, opposite each other, and waited for their boyfriends to join them. Jinyoung and Mark parted, reluctantly, and took the seats beside their girlfriends.

"Yay! Let's enjoy our afternoon!" Jieun said, reaching for two slices of the pizza and giving one of them to Jinyoung.

"Oh, I like the atmosphere of this room. Romantic. And we're practically having a double date. Great," Hyebin said.

As they had their food and talked, Jinyoung could not help but keep taking glances at Mark's direction, and often their eyes met.

At one time, just when they were looking at each other, Hyebin nudged Mark and pointed at her lips, indicating that she had some sauce on her lips and wanted him to wipe it off. It was just a normal thing for a couple to do but it made Jinyoung uneasy.

As if Mark could feel Jinyoung's narrowed eyes on him and Hyebin, he turned his eyes slightly to look at Jinyoung. But when Hyebin nudged him again, he grabbed the tissue that had been laid near the pizza and wiped the sauce away.

Jinyoung turned away not to let his frustration get obvious and then gulped down the soju just to distract himself.

When the pizza was finished and they had had enough soju, the bottles and pizza box were put away and the table was cleared.

"Ahh! I feel like napping," Jieun said, stretching her arms.

"No, you don't. We're here to hang out, not to sleep, remember?" Hyebin said.

"I'm just saying."

Jieun then lay down on the couch, putting her head on Jinyoung's lap. Just as her head touched Jinyoung's thighs, Mark's eyes darted to them and stared hard at her head nuzzling against both Jinyoung's stomach and thighs.

Then his eyes turned upward to find Jinyoung's and for a moment, his gaze remained intent and sharp. But slowly, his expression softened and gave Jinyoung a smile. But Jinyoung felt that smile was so lifeless.