# Chapter 57
As the primary guardian who personally raised Doha during his adolescence, Jaei directly reported matters related to Doha’s academic performance and educational background to Doha’s mother.
“He graduated high school safely and well, but he didn’t prepare for college entrance exams.”
“That seems right. I checked his profile and news articles every day, and there was no mention of college.”
She wore an expression suggesting she had sufficiently anticipated this, but Jaei, feeling responsible, added an explanation.
“I think it would be good for Doha to attend an acting department, but it might be easier to enroll after building up some activity experience. There’s a lot to learn in school, but I also think it’s good to continue working on projects without taking breaks when opportunities come. So we postponed it to next year. Since I had experienced these things first, my opinion was heavily reflected.”
His mother nodded with an extremely grateful expression.
“Jaei, thank you so much. Anyway, that means he couldn’t go to college based on grades alone.”
She pinpointed the fact quite well. Doha and Jaei, who suddenly became solemn, nodded with sad faces.
For a long time, they shared updates about each other’s lives, shed tears, and also laughed. After saying they would keep in touch and meet frequently from now on, Jaei carefully gathered Doha’s clothes he had brought to show her and held them in his arms. She reached out her hands to receive them from Jaei. But Jaei tilted his head and didn’t think of handing them over.
“Aunt, I’ll take these back with me. I thought seeing these would make you certain that he’s really Doha. I brought them today to show you.”
“I see. Jaei. But these were originally in my possession.”
She spoke really kindly and affectionately. So Jaei spoke even more kindly.
“Aunt, I really love you. But 13 years ago, when you took Doha’s belongings, I gave you everything unconditionally. You took these clothes then too. Since they’ve come back to me, could I keep them?”
Jaei spoke with a slightly tearful, cute manner. Though embarrassing to say in front of Doha’s mother, from Jaei’s perspective, these were “clothes of my baby whom I love more than life.” While a sweet and affectionate dispute over the ownership of the clothes was occurring, Doha’s hand suddenly shot out.
“Mom, I’m really sorry.”
Doha hid Jaei, who was holding his clothes to his chest, behind his back. Jaei, completely hidden by Doha’s large body, awkwardly peeked out his eyes. Doha pulled her into a tight embrace and said:
“I’m really very sorry for saying this on a day like today, but… Mom, you already have a husband.”
“Oh my!”
Her eyes widened at the unexpectedly bold display of filial impiety. Jaei also opened his eyes wide. But Doha didn’t easily stop the filial impiety he had begun.
“You have an ex-husband and another son too. You already have most of the clothes I wore and things I used when I was young.”
“That’s true. But those should originally be with me, Doha.”
“These clothes are too precious to Jaei. Instead, you have my baby clothes.”
As Doha finished speaking, actor Lee Jaei began sobbing loudly. He buried his face in the coat of the beloved baby bear he had met twice in his life and wiped away tears. Doha’s mother wore an expression of slight disbelief at the filial impiety of Doha, who had been the world’s most filial son, but since she had no intention of defeating her son, she gently wiped away the tears flowing down Jaei’s cheeks with her finger.
“Our pretty one, don’t cry.”
“I love you, Aunt.”
Jaei, who had been shedding fake tears, shed real tears once more thanks to her calling him by the nickname she used when he was young.
Jaei, who had always practiced passive filial impiety toward his own parents, was greatly surprised by the active filial impiety Doha showed today. Indeed, someone who had died and come back to life was different in many ways. Jaei thought he wanted to repay Doha’s filial impiety with the same.
He felt like he wanted to summon the courage to reveal his relationship with Doha to his parents with his own mouth. Though he wasn’t sure what consequences would follow.
* * *
We focused on our respective tasks and handled the missions given to us one by one. Doha humbly waited for the final day that would come for him and began learning self-defense, while Jaei was dedicating three hours a day to brain development through various mobile games, trying somehow to change the plot in the middle.
Currently, Jaei’s biggest concern was the issue of meeting with the motorcycle driver. He thought that even if he met him, he obviously shouldn’t reveal Lee Jaei’s identity. However, it was difficult to gauge whether meeting would be more beneficial, or if the meeting would be a needless action.
He thought from the driver’s perspective. If he met someone who wanted to reveal the truth of that day, wouldn’t he naturally contact Hong Duyoung and ask, “What’s going on,” and “Deal with this”?
Doha sat on the bed reading a new drama script, and Jaei was sitting on top of Doha in the same position. Jaei, who was earnestly playing a trap game with his phone, wiggling his butt, muttered:
“Doha. I have a good idea.”
“Mmhmm, Jaei.”
“What if I use my biggest concern in reverse?”
“Tell me first. I’ll listen to the end. But you can’t be put in danger.”
“I’m thinking of setting a trap.”
“You can’t do that.”
Doha extended his finger and terminated the trap game on the screen. At Doha’s firm response, Jaei asked in a disappointed voice:
“You said you’d listen to me till the end.”
He turned his head and found Doha’s lips for a smooching kiss. Doha, who had put down the script he was reading, grabbed Jaei’s nape with one hand, gently swallowed his lips and delved between them, then lightly bit the tip of Jaei’s nose without hurting him.
“It seems dangerous even without listening.”
“Doha. Trust me, just once.”
“I’ve never not trusted Jaei. So I’ll just not trust you this one time, okay?”
But Jaei ignored Doha’s words and continued:
“I want to meet that driver. Me, directly. Revealing my full identity.”
At this, Doha let out a deep sigh, buried his face in Jaei’s shoulder, and whispered:
“If you become endangered, I’ll just give up on revenge or anything like that. I’m fine living in an unjust state. What’s the use of all this if you get hurt?”
“I’ve really thought about it a lot.”
Doha silently inhaled and listened to Jaei’s voice. After kissing Doha’s ear three times, Jaei said:
“Hong Duyoung can’t endanger me. You’ve finished filming ‘Detox,’ but I’m far from finished. That person is absolutely not someone who would stop without completing his work till the end. So I need to move faster and wrap everything up before filming ends. It’s safer to end it as quickly as possible rather than dragging it out.”
“Actors can just be replaced. He killed me and replaced me with another child actor.”
“Doha, I’m Lee Jaei. Director Hong Duyoung’s Lee Jaei.”
Jaei stared into Doha’s eyes as he spoke. It wasn’t something Jaei particularly wanted to bring up, but it was also something he had to say at this moment to persuade Doha. After staring intently into Jaei’s eyes for a moment, Doha couldn’t deny what Jaei wanted to say. Yes, to Hong Duyoung, Lee Jaei was a truly special existence. Especially for this film.
Jaei continued in a desperate voice:
“It has to be me, not you. You just keep pretending that I’m the target. Pretend you don’t love me. Just do that for me. I’m safe enough, so please, you stay in a safe place.”
Doha grabbed Jaei’s cheek with his hand and gently pinched his cheeks, then kissed his lips with complicated feelings. And while caressing Jaei’s small head with his large hand, he calmly asked:
“Then tell me your thoughts in detail from beginning to end. Really detailed. If there’s anything more I can do, I’ll do it. Protecting Jaei.”
The very next morning, Jaei met the motorcycle driver with his full identity disclosed. Doha couldn’t accompany him, but instead, Jaei was buried among two managers and two security guards.
To Jaei’s straightforward question of ‘Weren’t you ordered by someone to kill that boy from Haesung-dong,’ the driver, as expected, only repeated the words, ‘I made a big mistake that day, running away was the worst action, I’m really sorry, I’ve paid for my crimes and gotten out, so please forgive me.’ As expected, he didn’t seem to have any intention of confessing the truth.
However, Jaei didn’t go there to hear the truth from him. He didn’t go to hear Hong Duyoung’s name, nor did he go to ask him to turn himself in. The most important thing was to let Hong Duyoung know that ‘Lee Jaei knows the truth.’
As expected, that evening, Hong Duyoung contacted him right away.
―Jaei, I have something urgent to discuss. Come to my house now. If you don’t come, I’ll go to your house.
“Do I have to go to your place? Would you like to have a drink with me outside after so long?”
―It’s about the scenario. I still haven’t given you much of Heejai’s script, right? I’m thinking of wrapping it up tonight, but I’m really worried about the ending. I need your help, Jaei. Because you are Heejai himself.
“Okay. Then I’ll go now.”
After hanging up, he packed his bag meticulously. There were many things to prepare. Doha, who had pulled down a black ball cap, also prepared to leave the house. Jaei, who quickly approached behind Doha as he was looking in the mirror in front of the front door, hugged Doha’s waist and spoke lovingly as usual:
“Doha, Doha. I love you so much.”
“Jaei. Have I said these words before?”
“What words are you talking about this time? Say it quickly.”
Doha, who turned around to face Jaei, said bravely:
“Jaei is my life. Jaei is my soul.”
“Wow, really?”
Doha tilted his head to the side and gave a quick kiss on the lips of Jaei, who was beaming with joy despite his cliché expression. Then, poking his soft cheeks with his fingers, he continued:
“My soul remained here, so I came back. I thought I was able to return by accumulating points through my own hardship, but thinking about it now, that’s not it. Because you survived somehow despite your hardship, you pulled me back.”
