# Chapter 64
Jaei’s parents couldn’t come to Korea immediately, so they checked on Jaei and Doha’s condition through close relatives. After confirming that the boys were neither in danger nor in a difficult situation, they arrived in the country ten days after Jaei had captured Hong Duyoung.
The four family members gathered at the original home where they had lived together during Jaei’s childhood. His father stood with both hands on his waist, and his mother stood with her arms crossed. Having heard that Doha had been revealed as “the half-brother of the deceased Ryu Doha” and that his younger brother Ryu Seungha had appeared with Doha’s mother, they were in a state of great confusion.
They had valid reasons to think Doha’s identity was Seungha. Because of this, they couldn’t logically understand the facts that had been publicly revealed. They couldn’t comprehend why Lee Doha introduced himself as “Ryu Doha” from the moment he first appeared, why Lee Doha recognized “Ryu Doha’s” birthday as his own, and why he behaved exactly like the young “Ryu Doha.” None of it made sense. All these assumptions were only valid under the premise that Doha’s mother had brainwashed Ryu Seungha and raised him as Ryu Doha.
They placed Doha like a mannequin and observed his form for a long time, tilting their heads with suspicious eyes. Doha was willingly standing in one place for 30 minutes, playing the role of an exhibit. For a long time, he had greatly enjoyed having Jaei’s family and relatives admire his cuteness and show interest in him. It was because he always wanted to repay them with his shockingly adorable self.
After examining Doha up and down for a long time, his father touched Doha’s large, solid torso with his hand and unconsciously muttered:
“When did you grow so big? You’re bigger every time I see you.”
“Celebrity management is really good. I think our Doha is now the most handsome among actors in their twenties.”
At his mother’s words, Jaei poked his small face out from behind. His mother patted Jaei’s cheek, who was asking “What about me?” and simply answered, “Of course, you’re tied for first place.” Jaei, who thought Doha was the most handsome person in the world, nodded with satisfaction.
Anyway, Jaei’s affectionate but unimaginative parents, after scientifically exploring Doha’s identity based on reality, asked Jaei:
“Jaei. When you met your aunt this time, what did she say when she saw Doha?”
“She said he’s her baby. That Doha had returned alive. She said it as soon as she saw his face.”
Jaei spoke calmly as if it was nothing. His parents’ faces showed anxiety at those words.
“You said you met your uncle too? What did your uncle say when he saw Doha?”
“Of course, he said it was definitely Ryu Doha who had returned. Uncle said that for Doha’s future, he wouldn’t mind at all if people misunderstood that he had an illegitimate child.”
Lee Jaei, who was the only one who had been certain that Doha was “Ryu Doha’s reincarnation” after picking him up in front of the tteokbokki restaurant, shrugged his shoulders smugly.
Jaei’s parents looked at each other and sighed deeply. If parents who have raised a child from infancy say without a doubt that this is their child, then that’s simply the truth. No further evidence was needed.
They, who had consistently emphasized that they truly loved Doha with parental hearts, were at a loss. Having been pushed back by the love of biological parents and having nowhere else to retreat, they began to explain to Doha in a flustered manner.
“Doha. So, the thing is…”
“Mom, Dad, I now remember the time when I used to call you aunt and uncle. But it breaks my heart that you didn’t recognize me.”
The shamelessly brazen Ryu Doha spoke with an expression like the Little Match Girl, pretending to be infinitely pitiful. Beside him, Lee Jaei made a small fist, stamped one foot, and enthusiastically added his own exclamations:
“That’s awful! That’s awful! It hurts! It hurts!”
Beside Jaei, who was playing the role of cheerleader, Doha hid his face with both hands and pretended to be sad, then made himself small and quickly embraced his mother. She stroked Doha’s back as if she couldn’t believe this reality and replied:
“You remember the old days? You really remember?”
“Yes. Let’s play a quiz game after we eat later. If you give me questions about things that happened in the past, I’ll answer them correctly. Of course, it’s hard to remember everything because I was so young. Please keep that in mind.”
“My goodness, what is all this about? I’m so sorry. Our youngest. You must feel hurt. Honestly, I can’t believe such a thing is possible.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just love me more from now on. All I need is greater love directed at me.”
At Doha’s words, his father, who had been deep in serious thought, slowly opened his mouth to prove his love for Doha:
“I discussed this with your mother on the plane, and I think it would be best to hire a killer to kill Hong Duyoung.”
Then his mother nodded and replied:
“Yes, we could eliminate him when he’s being transported for trial.”
His father looked back and forth between Doha and Jaei and continued:
“I’ve already conveyed a message to Hong Duyoung through someone. That you’re both my sons, and if he dares to touch my sons, I’ll cut off his head.”
Doha and Jaei rolled their four large eyeballs around. Surprised by their parents’ extreme love, they stopped teasing them and sheepishly backed away. If they teased them more, it seemed like they would contact a killer right away.
Everyone’s baby Ryu Doha, with two mothers, two fathers—four parents in total—plus the great protector Lee Jaei, felt the utmost sense of security and slept comfortably like a child taking a nap. Jaei lay down next to Doha, stroking his sleeping head, gently caressing his cheeks, and kissed his forehead. Actually, he had planned to confess his relationship with Doha to his parents today if the opportunity arose. But he decided not to say anything.
He thought his parents already knew his heart, but today wasn’t the day. At least for the time being, he wanted to keep them in a normal parent-child relationship. He didn’t want to cause any changes when everyone was perfectly happy. Even if it would be a very slight change, no different from before, he wanted to avoid it if possible. This is because Lee Jaei is a person who is sensitive to even small changes.
* * *
With Hong Duyoung’s film being canceled, Doha’s second project became the drama “Focal Plane Shutter” instead of “Detox.” However, the lead actor withdrew after finishing the poster shoot. Doha, who had to wait until a new actor appeared, opened his round eyes every morning and monitored public opinion.
As it was a work receiving great attention even before broadcasting, people poured out disappointed reactions. They wondered if there would be any actor willing to step in and endure the constant comparisons for a project that had been known as “so-and-so’s drama” since before production.
Since it was a romantic comedy drama with focus concentrated on the two main characters, Doha, despite being a rookie, could be cast as a supporting role in the miniseries. There were opinions to change the increasingly popular Ryu Doha to the main role, but even in Doha’s opinion, it was clearly premature, and the character didn’t match his age from the beginning.
Prospective viewers eagerly began virtual casting. Names of male actors enjoying similar popularity levels as the withdrawn actor poured out. Among them, Jaei’s name was mentioned quite a bit.
In fact, Jaei wasn’t in a position to be mentioned here originally. He mainly worked in films and usually took on the lead role in genre dramas. Although there were many works where melodrama was mixed into the plot, he rarely did works where melodrama was the main plot. He was even further from light romantic comedies.
Nevertheless, Jaei’s name came up occasionally, and the reason was simple. Since Ryu Doha was among the cast, the only possibility was that he might appear due to their friendship. However, the majority opinion was that the great Lee Jaei would hardly appear as a replacement for another actor.
Ryu Doha, Lee Jaei’s closest confidant, could only laugh. Right now, that Lee Jaei was clinging to his side, choosing his next project, and of course, there was no way Jaei would appear in “Focal Plane Shutter.”
Putting down his phone and staring blankly at Jaei’s beautiful face, he kissed him as if enchanted. He was getting enchanted by Jaei about 70 times a day on average. Since he kissed him every time he was enchanted, they pressed their lips together about 70 times a day.
Jaei, who had succeeded in enchanting Doha for the 34th time today, smiled with crinkled eyes and crawled up onto Doha’s body. Then he revealed a very important secret. Doha, who was both Jaei’s closest confidant and long-time fan, perked up his ears to hear directly about Jaei’s next project.
“Doha, Doha. I’ve made my choice now! I want to do something sexy.”
At Jaei’s bold declaration, Doha felt dizzy for a moment, but he gripped his consciousness and tried to support his favorite actor’s project choice. After exhaling lightly, he patted Jaei’s bottom and asked maturely:
“How sexy is it? If it’s a good project, you should do it.”
“It’s with a French director. There are sex scenes with two Western male actors. One is a model. With this, I’ll go to Cannes one more time.”
“Hyung, how could you do this to me?”
At this moment, Doha, who quickly found a position advantageous to himself, filled his large eyes with tears.
