Chapter 114
“Don’t you ever get tired of looking at the person you love?”
‘Isn’t that obvious?’
With that question, Ryu Jaerin could respond more confidently than anyone else.
And indeed, that was the case.
Starting with the photoshoot in their school uniforms together,
to movie posters featuring Kim Donghu prominently,
collecting everything related to Kim Donghu was Jaerin’s hobby.
Not to mention,
“Donghu is getting better and better at acting.”
If it featured Kim Donghu, she made sure to watch it all.
Ryu Jaerin was truly the embodiment of a fervent fan.
So when she saw a figure with a similar physique in that narrow alley,
she unconsciously imposed Donghu’s image over it.
“I’m telling you, it looks just the same.”
First of all, Donghu had an aura that could not be hidden, no matter how much he tried.
His height and proportions were enviable,
and those solid muscles followed seamlessly along,
it was a physique that no one could replace.
However, she wasn’t entirely sure.
“Donghu doesn’t usually wear clothes like that.”
Jaerin, who knew exactly, very, very, very well what kind of outfits Donghu liked,
thought it was just a miraculous coincidence that there was someone with such a similar physique.
But then—
“…The police called; there was a knife-wielding maniac caught in your neighborhood.”
“Yeah?”
“They said you were being stalked. That was the motive. He’s been completely subdued, and it seems he gave up easily, so he just spilled everything.”
Originally, I didn’t want to mention it, but I thought it might be good for you to know.
Jaerin was genuinely shocked by her manager’s call from the day before.
Stalker? What in the world does that mean?
To me? Out of the blue like this?
“You mean he was scared?”
“Yeah, um… I heard someone beat him up. Of course, that was just a fan, right? Just took care of a stalker.”
“W-who did it?”
“I don’t know, but apparently, he’s a really good fighter. It’s not easy to completely subdue a guy with a knife. They say the guy was dressed entirely in black.”
In any case, we’re not going to mention who the stalker was to the media;
just in case an article comes out later, I thought I’d give you a heads-up.
Listening to the account of the incident from her manager,
Jaerin thought,
“Then that person in black clothes was Donghu.”
In fact, there was no other option.
An unexpected stalker,
and a man dressed in black who came to save her.
Everything fit together like destiny.
Yes, just like that moment when we first met.
“Haa…”
A deep breath slipped out.
“Are you okay? Were you scared?”
“Ah, no, I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt or anything, so it’s really nothing.”
“Good, good. Thank you for thinking like that. Anyway, I’m really relieved. I want to contact the person who helped, but he hasn’t shown up.”
Unlike Jaerin, who was already feeling assured,
her manager still seemed shocked and continued talking.
“Contact him?”
“We want to make sure we thank him from our side; it’s the least we can do.”
“Oh… of course, we absolutely have to thank him.”
As she said that, Jaerin turned her head to the side.
The wall she saw was the one connecting her to the neighboring house.
“Yeah, so just take it easy for now. If there’s anything else to relay, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Yes, please do.”
“Okay, I’ll hang up now.”
“Sure.”
Click.
As soon as she hung up, Jaerin rushed to prepare the cake batter.
She glanced at the time.
“If I start now, I can deliver the cake by tomorrow morning.”
Jaerin busied her hands.
“He saved me like that, and he hasn’t even contacted me.”
She realized that was Donghu’s way of being considerate.
Sometimes it’s better not to know, and since everything ended well,
he probably felt there was no need to instill unnecessary anxiety.
She understood it all,
but that kind of delicateness drove a person crazy.
Could it be said that she couldn’t help but love him?
Figuring out how to express these unspeakable feelings was itself challenging.
“Done.”
With all preparations complete, Jaerin sent a KakaoTalk message to Donghu the next morning.
< (Link to the article about the hero who caught the stalker) “Man, it’s so cold, right?” “Yeah? Yeah.” Beside me was Jin Yuseong, a senior I had grown quite close to after the oyster soup and rice. “You came in pretty early today, didn’t you?” “You’re the one who showed up two hours before, so don’t even go there. And don’t call me senior, okay? What did I say?” “Uh, older brother?” “Exactly, from now on, call me that.” “Yes, brother.” I had no idea what was so important about that, but, “Oh, Kim Donghu! Here you are.” Suddenly, director Yoon Seongbin showed up. It was odd to see him before shooting even started. As that question popped into my mind, “Um… could you possibly do something like a sword dance? Or maybe show us some martial arts…?” It seemed like he had something urgent to discuss. “I can do that.” “Oh! Um, then can we film that part separately later?” “Sure.” It’s not like it was difficult, and it helps the movie, so there was no reason to refuse. ‘What could it possibly be?’ Before I could ask, What is going on? At that moment, A text from Sims came through, Suddenly, the article’s content caught me off guard.
<Donghu, is this you?
With her certainty embedded in the message,
Jaerin immediately,
**Knock, knock, knock.**
Waited in front of Donghu’s place, cake in hand.
After a brief wait, the door opened with a clatter.
“Huh? Cake? But what... what did that KakaoTalk mean?”
As the door opened, Donghu came into Jaerin’s view.
“What do you mean what? Why are you asking when you already know? It’s you, Donghu.”
The fierce glint in Jaerin's eyes shone brightly.
++++++
How did she know?
What was the basis?
It wasn’t me.
-There are moments where no justification is needed.
When the other person walks in with 100% confidence,
denial is meaningless, and only confrontation is allowed.
Simply put, it’s as if a battleground has opened up.
When Jaerin showed up at my house with a cake,
I pondered a few possibilities.
“Hmmm, did the agency tell her?”
That was the most straightforward assumption.
But still, there’s no way she’d know my identity.
‘After all, it’s an area without CCTV; there are only eyewitness accounts.’
And even that clue would likely be vague.
The incident itself occurred when the streetlight had switched off for a brief moment.
‘I had kept my voice hidden from that stalker…’
I hadn’t left any clue that could pinpoint my identity.
But how could Jaerin be this sure?
Even more so...
“Thanks so much for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I’d really…”
“Uh, uh, huh?”
“Let’s eat the cake first; I just baked it, and it’s super delicious, okay?”
Jaerin didn’t even give me a chance to escape.
She perfectly missed the golden opportunity to deny it,
naturally entering the house and starting to set up the cake.
A continuous state of panic.
I desperately tried to formulate a response suggesting there was some misunderstanding, but—
“Donghu, why did you leave your clothes like that?”
In front of the TV,
my detective getup from earlier was carelessly strewn about.
If anyone were to scold me for that,
I could vehemently retort.
“I never expected to get caught in just one day! Who would’ve predicted this?!”
Who would’ve guessed?
This was utterly absurd.
“Do you like Nutella? This is supposedly the chocolate of the devil. So I thought I’d make a cake out of it.”
Jaerin didn’t ask me how I caught the stalker,
nor did she inquire further about the stalker.
It didn’t matter how it happened;
the fact remained that she had been saved,
and that was the most important truth.
With a soft smile throughout, Jaerin soon finished setting up the cake.
The fantastic combination of whipped cream and Nutella,
topped off with fresh strawberries and bananas added on the spot.
It wouldn’t be odd for someone to drool, yet, for some reason, a strange tension filled the air.
‘It’s definitely my house, so why does it feel weird?’
But how did she really know?
That curiosity stopped me from taking the initiative here.
I wanted to ask,
but asking would be akin to confessing I had been her knight in shining armor.
“Can you come eat with me? I worked really hard to make this…”
With her gentle and soft voice,
somewhere deep and rich, I was somehow pulled into my seat.
Then continued,
“But what makes you so sure it’s me? The odds are way higher that it might not be.”
A throwdown question with no reservations.
If Jaerin showed any openings, I was ready to make my escape.
But—
“Donghu, it’s you.”
Jaerin had no cracks in her defense.
“...”
It felt almost like saying,
“1+1=2,”
where no one would ever utter something foolish like,
“Actually, it’s a window,”
in response to such a clear and concise answer.
“I’d like that part with a lot of strawberries, please!”
I decided to give up on everything and just eat the cake.
“Why not? I’ll feed you since you saved me. Just open your mouth wide, okay?”
“Uh, okay.”
Uh-oh, I was about to be fed.
“We feel like a newlywed couple; whenever you want a cake, just tell me, and I’ll bake it for you.”
“Pfft... cough, huh? *Cough, cough!*”
The sudden fit of coughing was just an additional surprise.
+++++
In any case, after the stalker incident was neatly resolved,
time swiftly passed to Christmas day.
As Mariah Carey's Christmas tune resonated in the street,
I was getting ready for filming
in any case, while we chatted away with Yuseong,
With a request that went beyond simple action, I calmly nodded my head.
And actually, I knew that scene was planned for filming,
so it made me wonder why he was asking this now.
director Yoon Seongbin dashed away.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
-[Kiryuu Souta, feeling shocked after sudden visit to Korea! “There’s an incredible actor in Korea,” who is that ‘incredible actor’ according to the Japanese master, Kiryuu Souta?!]