# Chapter 84
Contrary to my belief that Seo Eunho would try to harm me, he unexpectedly turned out to be someone who made efforts to maintain a good relationship with me. He became increasingly friendly as time passed, and Jaei also did his best to remain polite toward him.
His problem, however, was that he couldn’t hide his affection for Doha and displayed it openly from time to time. An even bigger issue was that by saying things like “I like you too, be happy with Doha,” he ultimately made Lee Jaei think of himself as overly sensitive.
Until now, Jaei had openly expressed his jealousy and discomfort to Doha. Doha had also done everything he could. He had knelt before Jaei countless times to explain his relationship with Seo Eunho, had run errands wearing pressure point slippers, and had endured torture with his fingertips pressed against acupressure points.
Doha had explained everything within his ability and had literally rolled around on the floor like Jaei’s doormat. He had always expressed his affection generously to clear his tarnished name.
The sudden date with Seo Eunho? Uncomfortable, but there was an explanation for why he did it. Calling Seo Eunho’s name in his sleep? It felt like my heart was breaking, but what explanation could I demand for that? He said he had dreamed of a world I didn’t know, and what answer could I expect other than that Seo Eunho, who had been there with him, appeared in his dream?
Ultimately, the root of this discomfort was that there existed a world I didn’t know about Doha, and this wasn’t something Doha could resolve. It was Lee Jaei who ended up looking like a narrow-minded, crazy person for continuing to feel anxious about their relationship.
The next day, Doha had a filming schedule. Today’s scene, set in a classroom, would be Seo Eunho’s final appearance. I didn’t know when or where I might meet Seo Eunho again, but at least the obligation to face him was disappearing.
After finishing the shoot, Doha moved on to film his remaining scenes, and after confirming he had some free time, Jaei invited Seo Eunho into his car. They talked alone without managers, but to prepare for any possible danger, he left the door open on his side. To be honest, he was sick and tired of constantly holding onto Seo Eunho and talking to him, and it hurt his heart.
With small horns sprouting on his head, Jaei asked Seo Eunho in a bitter tone:
“You haven’t met Doha privately since that day, have you? I’ve been so busy this week that I couldn’t keep track of where Doha was or what he was doing.”
“Why don’t you ask Doha? He’ll obviously say he hasn’t met with me.”
This way of speaking was begging for a knock on the head. It was a blood-draining manner of speech that left an escape route for himself while only planting doubt. Where had he learned such bad habits at such a young age before his death? Probably from Hong Duyoung. After all, Hong Duyoung was the god of gaslighting.
Jaei clenched his not-at-all-threatening fist, ready to deliver a knock on the head if necessary. With sharp eyes, he continued:
“Stop using Doha’s photo as your phone background. I want you to behave properly. This is a warning.”
“Why? It’s okay to use Lee Jaei-ssi’s photo but not Doha’s? Doha is a celebrity too. I like both of you, so I put both. One photo each, fairly.”
Seo Eunho spoke with an expression that called for two knocks on the head. So Jaei prepared one more bean-sized fist.
“Seo Eunho-ssi, the way you like me and Doha is different.”
“No, you seem upset since that day Doha and I went out together. Instead of treating me like this, blame Doha’s behavior. Why should I be responsible for him wanting to meet me and being nice to me? I’m also a victim of the fishing pond he’s created.”
Seo Eunho continued, as if he couldn’t hold back his temper any longer:
“If you’re going to be like this, let’s have another three-way meeting. Anyway, Ryu Doha will say I’m lying again like before. He’ll make up all sorts of excuses and deceive Lee Jaei-ssi. He’ll claim he did nothing wrong and that I’m just a strange kid. The truth is, he likes me but has no intention of breaking up with you.”
“What? He likes you?”
“If I were in his position, I wouldn’t break up with you either. Why would he? You’re a top star who can give him everything he wants—who would leave you for someone like me with no money, no family, and no popularity? I’m an easy guy who would agree to have a secret affair anytime, so why would he break up with you to date me? He can just meet me secretly.”
“What the hell are you saying? This guy must be crazy!”
Jaei shouted in shock, raising both fists. If he hadn’t been actor Lee Jaei, these fists would have already struck the man’s eyelids once each. If it had been Doha, he would have pinched and bitten, but Seo Eunho wasn’t someone he wanted to punish that way. Watching Jaei’s pathetic fists waving in the air, Seo Eunho continued:
“I genuinely like you too, Lee Jaei-ssi, so I wanted you both to stay happy. That’s why I’ve been quietly having feelings for Doha behind the scenes. I was minding my own business, but you keep provoking me, so I’m getting upset too.”
Jaei, who had never won a fight against anyone except Ryu Doha who always let him win, fanned himself with his hand to cool his head. A cool head prevents losing one’s temper. After lowering the temperature, he tapped the top of his head with his palm.
Seo Eunho opened the car door and added:
“Anyway, thanks for your hard work filming the drama, and I’ll see you at the wrap party, Lee Jaei-ssi. Stay strong. And don’t forget that I’m your fan.”
He patted Jaei’s shoulder and smirked.
After finishing his final shoot, Doha was busy building a house with Go stones while waiting for his beloved husband to return. He was planning a battle to defeat Seo Eunho, assuming the white stones were Ryu Doha and the black stones were Seo Eunho. Doha, whose brain size had been growing robustly, could actually feel himself becoming more intelligent.
An hour later, Jaei sat quietly across from Doha. With legs pulled together and arms wrapped around them, Jaei simply blinked silently as he watched Doha’s brain training. He now knew well that there was no point in telling Doha about what had happened with Seo Eunho. As Seo Eunho had said, what Doha would say, what Doha would do, what Doha could do—everything was predetermined. And simply thinking this way made him feel like he had fallen into the trap set by Seo Eunho.
There are people who declare they’ll play “scissors” before starting a game of rock-paper-scissors. The opponent becomes confused, not knowing whether it’s a lie or the truth. Seo Eunho was exactly that kind of person.
“I’m meeting Sean Alex this weekend.”
“Can I come to the meeting too? I want to meddle a bit. The Lee Doha inside me really wants to meddle in our hyung’s next project.”
“But Doha, is it just my imagination? You really seem like someone who wants me to leave for America. I keep getting that feeling.”
Doha raised his head and stared directly into Jaei’s eyes. Just as Doha was about to answer, a notification arrived on Jaei’s phone. It was a message from Sean Alex. Doha boldly took Jaei’s phone and checked their conversation history.
That man, completely infatuated with Jaei, was sending him DMs in Korean with the help of staff members. Jaei, who had been responding rarely and only for business purposes, had suddenly gone overboard this afternoon, sending affectionate, lengthy replies. As if they were a couple who had mutual feelings for each other before dating.
After checking Jaei’s replies, Doha completely wiped the smile off his face and stared at Jaei with angry eyes. After being lost in thought for a moment, he calmly asked, searching for a reason:
“Are you angry with me about something?”
“…”
“Tell me if I did something wrong. There’s no other reason why you would act this way with another man.”
At Doha’s composed question, suppressing his anger, Jaei lowered his head briefly. Soon, he revealed the embarrassing reason:
“You called out Seo Eunho’s name in your sleep yesterday.”
Caught off guard, Doha quickly cleared the Go board between them and said urgently:
“Jaei, I’ll tell you everything honestly. I didn’t want to say anything until the filming was over because I was worried about you. You’re already not sleeping properly because of your schedule, and I didn’t want you to worry about anything else.”
Doha pulled Jaei into his arms and slowly, honestly spilled everything. He thought it would be an unbelievable story for Jaei, a terrifyingly creepy story. And he hoped that Jaei wouldn’t be too frightened and would rely on him. However, the stunned Jaei just smiled as if it wasn’t a big deal, even after hearing this incredible story.
“Then Seo Eunho could become me and be with you forever. With my money, my fame. If such a thing is really possible.”
“I can prevent it. Don’t be afraid. You just need to proceed with your schedule as planned.”
“Doha, do you want it too? For that person to become me. Since someone you like would become a popular actor who can give you everything you want…”
Doha shouted at Jaei’s completely unexpected response:
“What insane nonsense are you talking about! Lee Jaei! Come to your senses! Did you talk to him again? What did he say to you? I told you to tell me everything when you talk to him!”
Having lost confidence in being loved by Doha, Jaei silently shed tears without answering. Seeing Jaei like this, Doha sighed deeply. They had been played. There was no other way to describe it than being played by Seo Eunho. He had manipulated Jaei’s psychological state by repeatedly touching his sensitive nerves. Doha pitied Jaei. He couldn’t bear how pitiful he was.
“Haah… haah…”
He barely managed to hold back the curses trying to escape his mouth. There would be no point in dragging Seo Eunho in and beating him in front of Jaei. After all, Seo Eunho was a self that would be discarded. Since it didn’t matter if Ryu Doha called him a liar, he was tormenting Jaei by telling lies as he pleased.
All he had to do was avoid being killed by Ryu Doha. He probably also knew that there was absolutely no way Ryu Doha would kill someone and ruin his own life.
Curling up his body, Jaei began to blame himself as he cried:
“I’m so sorry. I think I’m mentally ill again. I thought I had become stronger since you came back… I should have gone to the hospital before showing you this side of me. I’m ashamed.”
With an embarrassed expression, Jaei hid his face with his long hands and wept silently. Doha made a pained sound and cried sorrowfully along with Jaei. After biting his lip and hitting his thigh with his fist, he knelt down and said in a voice mixed with anger:
“Jaei. I’ll prove myself again so you can trust me. I’ll heal all your pain. I can do it.”
