# Chapter 97
Doha’s father is currently living in Korea again. Doha regularly sent a portion of his earnings to his parents every month, but each time, both his father and mother would return pocket money to him in amounts larger than what he had sent them. Doha took this as meaning “now no one in our family is struggling because of money.”
On days when he received such pocket money, a walnut would appear on Doha’s tightly closed jaw. Jaei found it so endearing when Doha would stare at him, jut out his lips, and hold back tears that he would gently touch the walnut with his fingertips and then kiss it. If his parents hadn’t separated, wouldn’t Doha have naturally returned to their embrace and lived with them? Even if that had happened, Jaei wouldn’t have felt disappointed at all.
Due to the relationship that had become ambiguous to explain, Doha wasn’t able to meet his mother and father very often. However, none of Doha’s family members blamed his mother for leaving his father with Seungha. Not even Doha’s father.
Right before filming began for his first leading role drama, Doha made a big decision. Since his mother and father were still legally married, Seungha occasionally faced difficulties not being able to become the son of the new father who raised him. They couldn’t continue living like this. Therefore, someone needed to have courage now. If his relationship with his mother was resolved, his father could also start anew.
Doha gathered his father and mother at a traditional Korean restaurant they had visited as a family when he was very small, before their financial situation declined. When his mother opened the sliding door and entered the room, she didn’t know what to do when she saw his father sitting there. It was an entirely predictable situation. To ease the awkwardness, the special guest actor, Mr. Lee Jaei, was also present.
Chewing on grilled deodeok root, Doha spoke nonchalantly as if nothing was wrong.
“I’m really sorry. I’m about to start a drama soon, and since I don’t have much time left, I ended up calling both mom and dad at the same time. Is that okay? It’s convenient to meet everyone at once.”
Doha spoke as if he was inviting ex-lovers to a group chat just because he was too lazy, to say what he wanted to say. Whenever the suffocating atmosphere continued, guest actor Mr. Lee Jaei worked hard to raise the mood. As the meal continued and the atmosphere seemed to lighten, Doha brought up what he wanted to say.
“How about getting a divorce now? Wouldn’t it be good to have a clean break and each live a new life? Mom, Dad.”
At that moment, to prevent the atmosphere from sinking, the mood-maker Mr. Lee Jaei immediately shouted:
“That’s right! Auntie, Uncle. Be happy, both of you, happy. Happiness and health are the most important!”
“Right, right.”
Doha chimed in after Jaei’s shout. Doha and Jaei clapped their hands together in cheerful voices and kept being noisy without pause. With all their effort, the air barely managed to stay light rather than sinking.
His father, who had been nodding, soon slowly spoke to his mother.
“Let’s do as Doha says. I’ll also meet a good person and live well. But if we could be reborn like Doha in the future, could you give me one more chance then? I think I could do better the second time.”
“…”
His mother, who had been silently crying for some time, couldn’t answer. His father handed her a tissue and said:
“I’m sorry if that’s not possible.”
A walnut finally appeared on Doha’s jaw, who had been trying hard to appear cheerful. Doha caressed his mother’s wet hand, and soon tears began to pour from both Doha’s and his father’s eyes as well. Just as the three family members were about to break down in sobs while looking into each other’s eyes, the only non-family member present began wailing. At that heartbreaking sound, Doha’s family all stopped crying.
Today’s guest, Mr. Lee Jaei, was lying face down on the floor, unable to bear the sadness, sobbing uncontrollably. It was an unbearable sadness for Jaei. In an instant, Doha’s eyes dried up as he lifted Jaei, who was flatter on the floor than a cushion, gathered him in his arms, and stroked his head while apologizing to his parents.
“I’m really sorry. He still needs a lot of care.”
“He’s still so cute, just like always, Jaei is.”
His mother, who had missed her chance to sob, patted Jaei’s back as she spoke.
* * *
There was a time when death seemed like the only answer. But now, almost unbelievably, Jaei had become someone who craved and desired life more than anyone else. After overcoming every crisis that had come into their lives one by one with Doha, everything began to flow surprisingly smoothly. The last remaining concern for Jaei was Hong Duyoung’s final sentencing.
Whenever his heart felt burdened, Jaei would often rely on shamanism. These periods came regularly. Today too, Jaei was on his shamanism tour, starting with a pre-dawn bell-ringing with a Buddhist monk. There was only one reason why Jaei’s mind was complicated.
Last night, news about Hong Duyoung’s additional murder of a minor had finally been reported. Evidence that he had killed Seo Eunho, or rather, 17-year-old child actor Kang Seungyeon, had been made public. The evidence provided by Kang Seungyeon’s bereaved sister consisted of dozens of memory cards that recorded all the time Kang Seungyeon had spent with Hong Duyoung.
Kang Seungyeon had considered it a tremendous honor when Hong Duyoung personally gave him acting lessons. Of course, for Hong Duyoung, that time was work for a new screenplay. Kang Seungyeon secretly recorded the sessions to rewatch and study Hong Duyoung’s teachings. Those videos chronologically documented Hong Duyoung’s daily life as he intentionally brainwashed and gaslighted Kang Seungyeon.
“How would it feel to die by my hands? Like falling from an apartment rooftop like a bat with broken wings.”
“It would be a true honor.”
The content of their conversation in the video was the same as the dialogue from the movie “Fruit Bat.”
According to what Jaei learned during his visit with Kang Seungyeon, as Hong Duyoung pushed him closer to death, Kang Seungyeon thought that the videos he recorded could potentially harm Hong Duyoung. So he hid the memory cards in a place only he knew about. At that time, he didn’t hide them to preserve evidence but to protect Hong Duyoung. They were too precious to throw away. He never thought that Hong Duyoung would actually push him from the rooftop.
After checking the news, Jaei was feeling a deep loneliness in his heart. That’s why he started his shamanism tour. At the fourth destination of today’s tour, a Daesinjiao religious facility, Jaei stood face to face with the familiar clergy member and shared his concerns.
“Hong Duyoung has a disease. I’m not sure how that will factor into his sentencing. Hong Duyoung’s lawyers might play with words and get his sentence reduced… He could be released early because of his illness. Of course, I’ll do everything I can. But I think that despite all my efforts, there might be things beyond my power.”
The clergy offered comforting words to Jaei:
“Humans must abide by the law. When the law fails to fulfill its role, punishing sinners beyond the law is in the realm of God. If you’ve done everything you can as a human, that’s enough. Living a visibly happy life is revenge.”
Though Jaei was non-religious, he understood well why people turned to religion in times of difficulty. Having received good advice again today, Jaei bowed and turned around.
As Jaei was pushing the glass door to leave, he was asked for an autograph by a young man who appeared to be an employee.
“Your name?”
“Yoon Taeju.”
As Jaei signed, he glanced at the young man from time to time. He had a face handsome enough to put directly in front of a camera. Lee Jaei, the CEO who had run his agency quite solidly for over a year, had plans to recruit a new actor for his company.
He was endlessly contemplating whether to recruit an established actor or to discover a newcomer. The problem was that whenever the latter was mentioned, Doha would make the face of a two-year-old whose parents had just had another child born a year apart.
The young man kindly spoke while waving both hands like stars, like an amusement park part-timer:
“Actor, God is on the side of the good.”
Although Jaei hesitated briefly because the young man seemed very religious, he soon handed him a business card he had taken from his wallet along with the signed paper.
“Thank you very much. And this is my business card. Don’t feel pressured, but if you ever think about making a debut, please contact our company.”
Jaei also waved his hands like twinkling stars toward him.
The person to decorate the ending course of today’s shamanism tour was, of course, the fairy lady known to be the most skilled throughout Seoul. The fairy lady, who hadn’t been giving clear answers to Jaei’s concerns, confidently shouted after selling Jaei “an amulet that ruins a sinner’s life”:
“That Hong bastard. He’ll die within 10 years!”
“Really? How will he die? Will he die in prison or after he gets out?”
“The location isn’t clear. But I see a future where he dies slowly and terribly, twisting his hands and feet.”
“So you’re saying that person will be unhappy anyway?”
Jaei, with tears in his eyes at the good news, expressed deep gratitude to the fairy lady for her good words and purchased an expensive 20cm Hong Duyoung doll made roughly by tying cotton and fabric together with rubber bands.
After finishing the tour and heading home, Jaei’s steps were very light.
Lee Jaei had done everything he could. And he would continue to do everything possible in the future, living a life with Doha that others would envy. That’s enough.
He bought spicy garlic chicken that Doha liked and entered the house, tempting him with the smell of chicken.
“Doha, Doha. The head of this household has arrived.”
Doha, who came running out after smelling the chicken, put his hand on his belly button and politely greeted his master. Since it wasn’t yet 6 PM, both Doha and Jaei were allowed to eat chicken.
Sitting at the dining table and chewing on crispy chicken, Jaei chatted about what had happened to him today.
“I gave my business card to someone today. I did street casting just based on their face. I don’t know if they’ll contact me though.”
Doha, who was poking the chicken with a fork in his left hand and stabbing a Hong Duyoung doll with a needle in his right hand, stared at Jaei with sad eyes. In an instant, he made the face of a two-year-old firstborn whose parents had just had another child born a year apart and muttered in a deflated voice:
“I understand… CEO…”
However, less than a minute later, as if he had never been dejected, he shrugged his shoulders and shouted in a positive voice:
“Anyway, the CEO’s lover is me.”
