# Chapter 92
Jaei arrived in Korea about 2 hours ago. Having completed all the main filming, Jaei boarded a flight after wrapping up his schedule earlier than planned, following discussions with the director and production team. After entering the country, he headed straight home, but Doha wasn’t in either the 902 or 1002 apartment. He had already confirmed that Doha didn’t have any separate schedule today.
Sensing something suspicious, Jaei began searching every corner of the house for traces of Doha’s infidelity. He thoroughly examined both the 9th and 10th floors, approximately 100 pyeong in total, but found no toothbrushes belonging to others or suspicious possessions. He also rechecked the number of condoms he had counted before leaving, but they remained unchanged.
He rummaged through the closet to check for unfamiliar underwear or socks. What Jaei discovered in the closet wasn’t an unfamiliar pair of underwear but a t-shirt. It had a very suspicious appearance. It was a white t-shirt with Jaei’s elementary school graduation photo printed large across the chest, something celebrities usually called “variety show penalty clothing.” It appeared to be a product personally made by Ryu Doha.
In the bedroom, on the king-sized bed he shared with Doha, a small cotton Jaei doll was lying quietly under the covers. And a total of ten small Doha dolls surrounded the small Jaei. Just like warriors guarding Lee Jaei. After gently patting the heads of the diligent Dohas protecting Jaei one by one, he left the house again.
He deliberately didn’t contact Doha and tracked his whereabouts. Soon, he obtained valuable information that Doha had appeared at the office and was meeting with Seo Eunho. He headed straight to the office and met Seo Eunho there. Seo Eunho greeted Jaei with the brightest face he’d ever seen. He used to be so pale that his bones showed through his skin, with dark circles under his eyes, but something good must have happened—his cheeks had filled out plumply and his complexion had brightened. It looked as if he’d applied makeup concealer shade #13 under his eyes.
“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you to return, Lee Jaei-ssi.”
It was a very unpleasant greeting.
Jaei rolled his large eyes back and forth, looking alternately at Seo Eunho and Ryu Doha. Doha’s face was filled with worry, and he seemed very flustered that Jaei had returned without notice. It was exactly the same dark expression he had during their video call.
Something that would make Seo Eunho happy but Ryu Doha unhappy. What could that possibly be?
“It’s a bit hot in here. Should I open the window?” said Doha after leaving a quick kiss on Jaei’s forehead. He walked around the large, long table toward the window, then suddenly released his grip, dropping the latte that Seo Eunho was about to drink onto the floor. The dangerous beverage that might have contained a potentially lethal drug spilled all over the floor.
Doha spoke smoothly to Seo Eunho, who flinched and frowned.
“Ah, sorry. My hand suddenly lost strength. I’ll get you another one.”
Then he looked at Jaei and said:
“Jaei, I’ll clean this up in a bit. I’ll get down on my knees and wipe it up, so look forward to seeing me from behind.”
“I should record that on video,” Jaei replied. Seo Eunho, who had been illegally imagining Doha’s backside as he cleaned up beside Jaei, his official boyfriend, nervously asked Doha, who was opening the window:
“Can I at least have that? An Americano.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll get you one. Just wait a moment.”
Smirking as he casually replied, Doha ignored Seo Eunho’s request and returned to Jaei. Although his plans were disrupted by Jaei’s unexpected appearance, this was also Doha’s last chance. He couldn’t miss this opportunity that might never come again.
He stood with his back to Seo Eunho, holding an Americano with a straw in it. He tightly embraced Jaei’s thin body with one arm and playfully kissed his soft cheek repeatedly while spouting nonsense:
“Jaei, I can really tell that holding a study-abroad cat that drank American water feels different.”
“Hmm…”
The study-abroad cat, who had wrapped both arms tightly around Doha’s waist, made a displeased sound. Doha playfully swayed Jaei’s body in his arms from side to side, as if exchanging welcome greetings. Then he buried his lips in Jaei’s large ear and whispered very important information in a tiny voice:
“Seo Eunho put drugs in this coffee. I don’t think it’s too potent. That bastard will probably try to escape through death if his crimes are exposed, so save him and make him pay for what he did. There’s enough evidence. His phone and laptop. Check my phone too. And tell him to cooperate to increase Hong Duyoung’s sentence.”
“Ryu Doha. What are you? Why are you acting like this?”
Jaei asked as he pulled away from Doha’s embrace and pushed against his chest. It was suspicious that the tone wasn’t “let’s do this together” but rather “you do it.” Doha smiled casually as usual, gently caressing Jaei’s face.
The Americano in Doha’s hand was already about half gone. Just then, Doha’s wrist twisted and the cup containing the remaining coffee dropped to the floor. At that, Seo Eunho burst into tears and screamed.
Jaei staggered momentarily at the chilling sensation running down his spine. Though he quickly assessed the situation, he didn’t shed tears. Doha, also without shedding tears, calmly answered with his remaining strength:
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to show you this side of me. Why did things get so complicated…”
They say that in cases of attempted murder, if the victim doesn’t suffer significant harm, it often ends with a suspended sentence. Even when the harm is substantial, the sentence is often not very long, so the perpetrator can only be properly punished if the damage is certain. And in cases of premeditated crime, the punishment is slightly more severe.
So Ryu Doha intended to become a victim himself, serving as evidence to prove Seo Eunho’s premeditated crime. To protect Jaei, he would have Seo Eunho detained for a long period, awaken his conscience there, and make him reflect. This was the best solution that the still young and foolish Ryu Doha could choose.
“Why did you come back so early…”
He choked up momentarily, feeling sorry for Jaei. He thought he would have fully recovered before Jaei returned. He really didn’t expect Jaei to show up today.
At the sound of Seo Eunho’s scream, staff members rushed into the conference room, and Jaei, his eyes reddened, supported the staggering Doha and said:
“No, Doha. I’m late, I’m late again. I was late 13 years ago, and I’m late again.”
Jaei, who had never been more clearheaded in his entire life, muttered as if talking to himself. With the light fading from his eyes, Jaei looked away from Doha, who had begun convulsing before him. He needed to keep his wits about him. Staring at Doha, who was slowly dying, wouldn’t change anything. It would only create trauma.
He spoke calmly in a low voice to the staff:
“Please take him to the hospital as quickly as possible or call an ambulance. I think Doha drank something he shouldn’t have. Please call the police as well.”
Just before closing his eyes, Doha, who had begun vomiting while being carried on the manager’s back, said to Seo Eunho:
“I’m giving you one last chance. Please, live as yourself…”
Seo Eunho, who had put the person he loved in mortal danger with his own hands, shook violently and wailed loudly. He crawled on all fours as if intending to lick up the latte that Doha had spilled. Then he grabbed the windowsill, attempting to jump out the window.
Jaei, having entrusted Doha to others, strode toward the window, grabbed Seo Eunho by the nape of his neck, and slammed his head straight into the floor.
“Hey, you son of a bitch. You fucking bastard.”
Right now, Jaei was using words he normally wouldn’t utter and doing things he had never done before in reality, only in performances, without hesitation. He grabbed Seo Eunho by the hair and mercilessly kicked his body. Then he straddled him, grabbed him by the collar, and shouted with bulging eyes:
“You stupid bastard. How many chances did we give you, and this is how you handle things? Why can’t you let go of your greed!”
Seo Eunho trembled, his lips quivering as he cried inconsolably. His tears only dried up Jaei’s own tears, who struck his head hard with his fist and shouted:
“Live! If you were born again so painfully, don’t die, live! Live and pay for what you’ve done!”
“Sob… sob…”
“That’s what Doha wants. Doha pities you. It’s ridiculous, but so do I. I feel sorry for you. We can’t help but feel that way about you. We can’t completely hate you. Fuck, it’s really infuriating.”
Though agitated, he didn’t break down in tears. Jaei pummeled Seo Eunho’s face and trampled his body as if to crush him until the police arrived.
* * *
Day 27. It’s the fifth day since the extreme and reckless madman Ryu Doha was hospitalized.
An email arrived for Wang Jaeyoung, Jaei’s online persona. It was from a friend named Ryu Dochun. Ryu Dochun was a secret friend of Wang Jaeyoung, whose name meant “peach born in spring.” But right now, Wang Jaeyoung’s friend Ryu Dochun was in a deep sleep and couldn’t send emails. So it’s presumed that the email had been scheduled to arrive on today’s date.
After parking his car, Jaei tightly gripped the relationship phone he shared with Doha and slowly read the long email he had sent. He absorbed each sentence as if chewing and swallowing it.
Delete this email after reading it. I’ll delete it from my sent box too.
Jaei, I’m going to be a little sick before you arrive. I’ll be sick for a few days and then I’ll get up soon. I asked the company not to tell you anything about what happens to me until you return. So by the time you read this email, I’ll probably already have recovered completely and will be holding you in my arms, perfectly healthy.
At that time, I’ll hold you in my arms, stroke your head, and say, “You worked hard coming back, thanks for choosing innocent me even though you have the world’s second sexiest man by your side.”
I will never leave you. They say I can survive without complications if I’m taken to the hospital right away. I’m also quite regretful that I have to prove my innocence through such extreme methods. Even though I’ve been working hard to develop my brain because I’m foolish, I couldn’t think of any other way. No matter how much I practice playing baduk, it’s still easier for me to use my body than my head.
This is just hypothetical, but in the off chance that I have to leave you for a while, don’t worry. You’ve already sent me away twice, so a third time shouldn’t be difficult, right? I believe you can wait well without crying. If it’s you who leaves instead of me, we will never be able to meet again. It’s not a world that sweet and tender you could endure. But I know that place well, so I can come back again. That’s why this was something I had to resolve from the beginning.
Don’t be too sad about what I’m about to say, it’s just a hypothesis. How about being born as a bear after me? About two years old. How cute would that be? No, bears have shorter lifespans than humans, so that won’t work. I guess it’s better if I’m born as a twenty-year-old human again so you can touch me as much as you want.
My face is already known, so it might be hard to be an actor in the next life. So next time, I plan to drop onto a remote island. I’ll catch fish, harvest seaweed, and live well like a primitive man, self-sufficient, so you should search for me by visiting every island in Korea. After you find me, hide me there secretly and come visit me occasionally.
But… if I actually leave you, I might want to rest a little. Don’t worry if I’m late. Just think that I’m taking a short break because I’m tired. I’ll come back without being too late. Please explain well to my mom and dad too, I’m asking you. But you’re probably laughing a lot reading this. I’m already with you laughing and joking around anyway. Just thinking about reading this together makes me feel awkward and embarrassed.
Jaei, I love you unchangingly. From that moment when eight-year-old you cried and butted your soft head against me, until now.
