# Chapter 90
Jaei shot Doha a look of intense suspicion. The fact that he was trying to win by kneeling naked immediately after meeting Seo Eunho meant that he had either committed some sin or was desperately wanting something.
Jaei, who had just returned from his morning exercise, was in a very refreshing mood, but to tease Doha, he quickly prepared two small, cute horns on his head. Sitting seductively with his legs crossed, he spoke with displeasure.
“Ryu Doha, I see you’ve finally committed a hot and steamy infidelity at the internet café. Did you cozily play omok with Seo Eunho on the same side? How could you play such a dangerous and thrilling game with someone other than me? That’s something people do only after dating for at least two years.”
When Jaei displayed his acting skills by being snippy, Doha crawled across the floor on his knees. Doha soothed Jaei’s heart by sitting obediently in front of the camera and filling it with his pretty face. Jaei, who quickly withdrew his complaints, drummed his flat stomach with his palm. Though his stomach was empty, examining every corner of Doha’s face made him feel as full as if he’d eaten nutritious food. Doha, confirming that the two small horns on Jaei’s head had disappeared, spoke affectionately:
—Jaei, Jaei.
“Yes, yes, Doha.”
In truth, Jaei was confident he wouldn’t get angry no matter what Doha brought up. Surprisingly, at this moment, his mental state was quite healthy. As expected, starting a new project had quickly restored his damaged heart. While immersed in acting and receiving positive feedback from staff and colleagues, his self-esteem as an actor was gradually recovering. Although it had only been a week, now that he was actually working with new people, he understood why Doha had been so eager to send him here.
Doha was very fond of the films by the director Jaei was currently working with, and had spent a lot of time studying her films when he began learning to act. Doha actively encouraged Jaei to take the role because he knew she was a director who strived to create works that respected both actors and audiences. Jaei was so embarrassed and sorry for having doubted Doha’s sincerity toward him that he would often blush in his sleep.
He had also made tremendous efforts to regain his mental health. He had received treatment at the hospital and taken medication right up until his departure, and now he woke up early every morning to exercise and made sure to eat properly. As promised to Doha, he also took time to walk in the sunlight daily.
Yesterday, after completing all his daily tasks, he sat on a bench holding his Angel Tteokbokki, blankly looking up at the sky and thinking of Doha. His face burned intensely. Just like having had an uncomfortable dream, his recent suspicions of Doha felt ridiculously forced. If he had been lying in bed, he would have kicked the blanket vigorously. How could it be possible? The idea that Ryu Doha would betray Lee Jaei.
Having confirmed Jaei’s infinitely generous expression, Doha cautiously spoke:
—CEO Lee Jaei, I have a favor to ask you.
“Sure, speak comfortably. Don’t feel too pressured because I’m such an important person.”
Wiggling his feet and crossing his legs the other way, Jaei straightened his shoulders majestically and perked up his large ears to Doha’s voice.
—I’ll schedule some work again. Not dramas or commercials, but one-time schedules like variety shows. Until you return.
“Do you feel like you’ve rested enough? Your energy is overflowing? I’m happy when Doha works. I’ll talk to the company tomorrow.”
Jaei, delighted that he could see Doha’s new schedule from a foreign country, sparkled his eyes with joy. Doha continued:
—So what I want to ask is, I’d like to have one more manager… Okay, I’ll be honest without making excuses. Honestly, one is still enough, but I’m asking you to create and employ just one more with your almighty CEO powers.
At that moment, Jaei felt a slightly unpleasant energy brushing over the crown of his head. Removing the smile from his face, Jaei blinked his eyes demurely and asked:
“Could it be… S… Se…”
Soon, Doha boldly spat out the three syllables that Jaei couldn’t bring himself to say.
—Seo Eunho, I’ll hire him as my manager briefly. He says he has no intention of acting for the time being. It seems he’s planning to follow you into your new project as a minor role when you start in Korea. So I need a way to keep him close to me right now.
“Doha, Doha, go to the living room TV cabinet and open the first aid kit. I bought a non-contact thermometer. Bring it here and shoot it at your handsome forehead. Let’s check if you have a fever.”
Obediently nodding his head, Doha scurried away and returned with the thermometer, checking his temperature in front of Jaei. 36.8 degrees, a normal temperature. Jaei tilted his head.
“That’s strange. You don’t have a fever?”
Jaei wasn’t angry at all right now. He just felt that Doha’s request wasn’t something a person with a normal temperature would say. He blinked his eyes quickly five times, and Doha blinked back at the same speed. Jaei soon nodded with a disapproving expression.
“Fine, do it. I’ll talk to the director tomorrow when I go to the company. Go ahead and keep Seo Eunho tucked under your arm while I’m gone.”
Despite Jaei’s lukewarm response, Doha happily and honestly replied:
—Thank you so much for trusting someone as inadequate as me, Jaei. I was really worried you’d be sad.
Noticing that Doha was completely devoid of playfulness at the moment, Jaei calmly filled his chest with mischief to balance the playfulness. He opened his eyes sorrowfully and slightly lowered his head.
“But Doha, I…”
—Jaei, what’s wrong? You’re making that scary expression again. The expression that chills one’s liver and gall.
“I just received a formal confession from Sean on my way back from exercising with him. He said if I’m interested in dating, I should come to his room.”
Doha looked as if he had anticipated all this, but moistened his lips and anxiously said:
—No, Jaei. If you go to that room, your retirement ad will be on Line 2 of the subway!
“We’ll probably be displayed side by side anyway. Then it won’t be lonely. Goodbye!”
Jaei raised his palm brightly in farewell. Instantly, Doha’s eyes turned red. Jaei switched his video call device from laptop to phone and gracefully left the room with the phone in hand. Then, as if doing a live broadcast, he slyly reported his whereabouts to Doha in real-time.
“Hello, this is Lee Jaei. Right now, I’m heading to Hollywood star Sean Alex’s room.”
—No, no. It’s dangerous there! You’ll suffer a very dangerous fate!
“After exercising with Sean, I found his body is extremely sexy. It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed anyone, so I’m going to start with a light kiss.”
In response to Jaei’s malicious provocation, Doha threw down the thermometer he was holding and ran off somewhere. Soon after, Doha reappeared, clutching his passport and hastily putting on a t-shirt. He looked ready to fly to America right away. At that moment, Jaei dropped his phone to the floor. Simultaneously, Doha’s scream rang out.
“Kiss me…”
Jaei, who had softly requested a kiss, soon began a deep kiss with smooching sounds. In the quiet corridor, Jaei’s kissing sounds and Doha’s screams echoed together. After a while, the fallen phone was picked up by Jaei’s hand. Doha, who had been booking a flight with trembling lips, stared at the monitor with a pale face. The camera revealed Jaei’s face and the figure of the person he was kissing.
Jaei was eagerly kissing the cheek of a small boyfriend held in his hand. That little fellow who had repeatedly stabbed Doha’s nose and chest with needles was now blatantly taking revenge on Doha. After finishing the kiss, Jaei gazed at Doha with utterly loving eyes and said:
“Doha, please always keep me tucked under your arm too. So no one else can get in there.”
* * *
Instead of living at the bottom by doing things humans shouldn’t do, work part-time as Ryu Doha’s manager.
This proposal could feel like a simple kindness based on humanitarianism from Seo Eunho’s perspective. There was no reason for Seo Eunho to refuse—he could earn money while spending time next to Doha whom he admired, and simultaneously gain a much easier path to approach Jaei. Still administratively 17 years old and unable to drive, he would follow Doha’s schedule while running errands. It was literally creating a non-existent job to employ him.
Doha, who had packed his schedule tightly as if planning to appear on every existing variety show, greeted Seo Eunho at the office wearing a t-shirt he had personally made on the day he hired him as a part-timer. It was a t-shirt with a large elementary school ID photo of actor Lee Jaei emblazoned on the chest. At Doha’s side, a small cotton ball Jaei was peeking out his eyes, fiercely monitoring Seo Eunho.
While sitting in the back seat of the vehicle for schedule moves, Doha nearly lost his eyeballs trying to figure out Seo Eunho’s phone lock pattern as he sat in the passenger seat. It took three whole days to identify it accurately. He monitored his actions at every moment and perked up his ears whenever he talked to someone on the phone.
And he deliberately chose schedules that allowed him to stay in provincial hotels for one or more nights. This was because there was information that could be obtained at rest areas or hotels.
After filming a variety show where he plunged into a mudflat, Doha had a video call with Jaei as usual at the provincial accommodation where he would stay for a day. Then he lay down on the bed, looking tired as if he would fall asleep immediately. He had deliberately declared he would go to sleep at the time when Jaei was leaving to film a movie. This way, he intelligently ended the video call without broadcasting his sleeping state to Jaei.
He tiptoed out of the room and switched rooms with his manager hyung who was staying next door. The fact that he was sharing a room with Seo Eunho at the hotel today was absolutely secret from Jaei. Officially, manager hyung and Seo Eunho shared a room, while celebrity Ryu Doha had a room to himself. If Jaei discovered they had switched rooms, Doha would have to receive a baldness-promoting injection. Both Ryu Doha and Lee Jaei would become unhappy together.
Seo Eunho was taking a shower in the bathroom. This was the golden opportunity Doha had been targeting. After sending manager hyung to his room, Doha urgently began searching Seo Eunho’s phone. And he recorded his phone screen with his own phone.
[My salary comes in on the 20th of next month. Let’s make the deal then. I’m telling you I can definitely buy it with my salary.]
