Dinner with Min-a
While Min-a paced anxiously in front of the restaurant, Dohyung was walking toward her from a short distance away. He wasn't late for their appointment. In fact, he had set out early to arrive thirty minutes ahead of schedule, but Min-a had beaten him to it.
Even from afar, Min-a's attire was visibly out of season. She wore a long-sleeved white t-shirt and long jeans. Though she had tidied her hair slightly compared to when he saw her at the convenience store, her bangs still covered half of her face.
Her long sleeves and pants, meant to hide the scars on her arms and legs, combined with the long hair concealing the scars on her face, made her look stiflingly hot in the rapidly warming summer weather—enough to make anyone passing by feel hot just looking at her.
Seeing Min-a forced to dress like that just to hide her wounds filled Dohyung with a profound sense of pity and guilt. He also worried about how she would react to the truths he planned to confess today. Yet, he had no intention of backing down.
"Hi, how have you been?" Dohyung called out, stepping forward briskly to greet her.
Startled by the sudden voice, Min-a flinched and took a step back. But when she realized the man speaking to her was the same one from the convenience store who claimed to be Kim Dohyung, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, hel... hello..."
"You're really early. I thought I got here early myself."
"Oh... well... I was worried I might be late..."
Dohyung felt a pang of regret seeing her still address him so formally, sensing the emotional distance she kept between them.
Maybe she still can't believe I'm really Kim Dohyung. Come to think of it, it's only been a few days since we ran into each other.
Dohyung understood her hesitation. If a strange man approached out of nowhere claiming to be an old high school classmate, who would believe him right away? It would be one thing if they had been close and she could recognize familiar traces in his face, but they hadn't been. Their only connection was that Min-a had stepped in to help him when he was being bullied.
And because of that single connection, her life was...
Dohyung resolved once more that he would make Min-a happy, no matter what, to make up for the life that had been ruined because of him.
Just as Dohyung was about to lead her inside the restaurant after their greetings, Min-a spoke up.
"Th-thank you!"
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?"
"Thanks to the money you gave me to replace my phone last time, I was able to get a new one."
Min-a pulled the new phone out of her bag to show him. Seeing it, Dohyung recalled her old phone with its shattered screen.
"Oh, that? That was the least I could do since I was the one who broke your screen."
Min-a shook her head at his words.
"Still, barely anyone would give that much money just to buy a new phone..."
"Wait, but that doesn't look like the latest model..."
"Ah... well, I don't really need a fancy new model. I barely have anyone to contact anyway... Instead, with the leftover money, I was able to cook a delicious meal for my mother for the first time in a long while. I'm truly grateful."
Dohyung was taken aback as Min-a bowed her head to express her gratitude.
"No, don't be! I'm just glad you're happy with it. And you can drop the formalities with me. We went to the same school, even if it was only for a short time, right?"
"Ah... but still..."
"I really don't mind."
Min-a hesitated, unable to find an answer, before finally nodding meekly. Seeing her like that, a smile naturally rose to Dohyung's lips—a genuine, unforced smile.
Ever since he resolved to seek vengeance, Dohyung had always forced himself to smile as much as possible. There were two reasons for this. First, it was to keep his sanity in check. If he couldn't suppress the boiling rage inside him, he might have slaughtered his four targets the moment he laid eyes on them. To keep that fury at bay, he maintained a smiling facade, which was also why he smiled even while inflicting agonizing torture.
Second, it was to instill absolute terror in his victims. While it is frightening to face an assailant with a wrathful face, it is infinitely more chilling to watch someone inflict violence with a smile. Thus, Dohyung trained himself to smile constantly, even if his heart was completely cold.
Even when he drank alone in his room, using the screams of the trash suffering in the basement as his side dish, he had forced himself to act amused. His revenge was succeeding, and it was undeniably satisfying... yet all that remained inside him was a hollow void. No positive emotions ever bloomed.
But the smile just now had risen naturally from the depths of his heart. Though Dohyung himself had not yet realized this change.
"Let's head inside. Aren't you hungry?" Dohyung gestured toward the entrance. But Min-a hesitated, unable to take a step forward.
"Um... but isn't this place incredibly expensive? We don't have to eat somewhere like this..."
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Dohyung extended his right hand to her. "Don't worry about the money. Tonight is my treat."
Min-a looked at him, her expression filled with confusion. "...Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you being so nice to me? Honestly, you and I... we only went to the same high school for a little while..."
In truth, Min-a had been anxious ever since she met him. She couldn't fathom why he was treating her so well. She had no money, she wasn't beautiful, and her body was covered in hideous scars. She couldn't understand why he would approach her, which only fueled her anxiety that he might have some hidden, ulterior motive.
Sensing her anxiety, Dohyung kept his hand extended and spoke softly. "Because you gave me hope back then. If it weren't for you... I might have completely broken down. I want to repay you for that."
"Hope...? I didn't do anything... I only... told Han Eunji to stop bullying you, and that was it..."
"And I was incredibly grateful for that."
Min-a's eyes widened at his words. Dohyung lowered his hand and met her gaze directly.
"To you, and to anyone else watching, your actions might have seemed insignificant. You could say it changed nothing in the end, since the bullying didn't stop afterward."
Even as he spoke, Dohyung couldn't quite identify the emotion swelling in his chest. Yet, he didn't stop.
"But because of what you did, I am alive today. Thanks to that one small act... knowing there was at least one person willing to stand up for me made me truly happy. I should have told you back then, but I'm only saying it now. Thank you so much for standing up for me."
Dohyung bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees, to show his gratitude.
"N-no, it's fine... I didn't do anything to deserve such thanks..."
"And I am truly sorry!"
"Huh...?" Min-a stared at him, utterly confused by his sudden apology right after his expression of gratitude. "Why are you suddenly apologizing...?"
"That's..." Dohyung tried to answer her. But when it came to actually saying the words, they caught in his throat. The crushing guilt of knowing he was the root cause of her ruined life choked him. He had originally planned to apologize immediately upon meeting her and explain everything, but the reality was far harder.
Seeing the usually confident Dohyung struggle to speak, Min-a sensed something was amiss. Did he do something so terrible to me that he can't even say it? I don't remember anything like that...
Min-a harbored absolutely no ill will toward Dohyung. He simply didn't know this because he wasn't using magic to read her mind. Perhaps if he knew her true thoughts, he could have spoken freely. But bound by his very human fear that she might resent him, he remained silent.
"Um... shall we go inside and talk?" Min-a suggested first, breaking the heavy silence.
"Ah, should we? Yes, let's do that." Dohyung lifted his head and offered his hand once more. Min-a looked at his hand, took it gently, and the two of them slowly walked into the restaurant together.
A server approached them inside the lobby. "Welcome. Do you have a reservation? May I have your name, please?"
"I booked under Kim Dohyung."
"Yes, Mr. Kim. Right this way, please." After confirming the reservation, the server guided them deeper into the restaurant.
"We will bring out your course shortly. Please wait just a moment." The server bowed politely, closed the door, and left the private room.
Min-a looked around the room in awe, having never been to such a high-end restaurant before. The ceiling was adorned with a glittering chandelier, and the room was filled with elegant decorations. Watching her, Dohyung smiled warmly.
"Wow... this place looks incredibly expensive. It's so spacious, too... But why is there no one else here?" Min-a murmured, looking around in wonder at the fact that only she and Dohyung were seated in the massive, luxurious dining hall.
"That's because... I rented out the entire place for the day."
"Ah, I see... Wait, the whole place?"
"Yeah. I booked the entire restaurant so no other guests could come in."
Min-a gasped, stunned by his casual admission of renting out such an expensive establishment. "Why? Why would you do that?"
"So you can feel comfortable."
"Huh? Me?"
Dohyung pointed toward her covered arms. "You... have things you don't want others to see, don't you? I figured you wouldn't want to be in a crowded place with those. So I rented the whole place out so you wouldn't have to worry about anyone else."
Min-a's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with both hands, utterly overwhelmed by his unimaginable consideration. She had suspected he was wealthy, but she never dreamed she would experience something she had only ever seen in television dramas.
"So just relax. You don't have to worry about anyone else's eyes here."
"...Thank you."
As they talked, the server returned and began serving a variety of dishes. Dohyung urged Min-a to eat as much as she liked, and she thanked him before taking delicate bites of the food.
"Mmm... it's delicious. It's so good, I wish I could pack some up to share with my parents..."
"Really? I'll have the staff pack some up for you later, then."
"Really? I feel like all I've been doing today is thanking you..."
Dohyung shook his head. "Like I said before... I'm buying this because I'm grateful to you. Eat up."
Min-a nodded and continued eating. Watching her, Dohyung steeled his resolve once more.
"You asked me earlier why I was apologizing, right?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll tell you why. And... there's something else I must tell you."
Dohyung intended to explain everything to Min-a today. Everything about his revenge. No matter what she might think of him afterward.