Ch.114Donghu, it’s you, isn’t it?

Do you love someone so much that you never get tired of looking at them?

‘Isn’t that obvious?’

Ryu Jaerin could answer this question more confidently than anyone else.

And it was true in reality.

Starting with the school uniform photoshoot she did with Kim Donghu,

To movie broadsides featuring Kim Donghu as the main character.

Collecting everything related to Kim Donghu was Ryu Jaerin’s hobby.

On top of that.

‘Donghu’s acting is getting better and better.’

She made sure to watch anything featuring Kim Donghu.

Ryu Jaerin was the very definition of a devoted fan.

So when she saw someone with a similar build in that narrow alley,

Unconsciously, Jaerin superimposed Kim Donghu’s image over them.

‘Even thinking about it again, they’re identical.’

First of all, Kim Donghu’s physique had an aura that couldn’t be hidden even if he tried.

His superior height and proportions,

And the well-defined muscles that followed,

A physique that no one else could replicate.

But she hadn’t been certain.

‘Donghu doesn’t usually wear clothes like that.’

Since Jaerin knew very, extremely, incredibly well what clothes Donghu preferred,

She thought it was just someone with a similar build by some miraculous coincidence.

But then.

-…I got a call from the police station, about that knife-wielding assailant caught in your neighborhood.

“Yes.”

-He was a stalker targeting you. That was his purpose. He was already completely subdued, and he was so scared that he confessed everything.

I wasn’t going to tell you, but I thought you should know.

Ryu Jaerin was truly shocked by her manager’s call the previous day.

A stalker? What does that even mean?

Targeting me? So suddenly?

“You said he was scared?”

-Yes, he… claimed someone beat him up one-sidedly, but that’s just his way of saying someone subdued a stalker.

“W-who was it?”

-I don’t know, but they must be an amazing fighter. I heard it’s not easy to subdue someone with a knife so perfectly. From what I heard, the person was dressed all in black.

Anyway, we’re trying to keep your name out of the media,

So I’m calling to let you know in advance in case any articles come out later,

So you won’t be surprised.

While listening to her manager explain the incident,

Jaerin thought to herself.

‘So that person dressed in black was Donghu.’

There was no other explanation.

A stalker appearing out of nowhere,

And a man in black clothes who saved her.

Everything fit together like fate.

Yes, just like that moment when we first met.

“Haah….”

She let out a deep sigh.

-Are you okay? Are you shocked?

“No, no. I’m really fine since I wasn’t actually hurt or harmed in any way.”

-I see. Thanks for thinking that way. Anyway, I’m really relieved. I’d like to contact the person who helped, but they haven’t shown up.

Unlike Jaerin who was already at ease,

Her manager was still trying to calm her startled heart as she continued talking.

“Contact them?”

-We want to properly thank them from our side. It’s only right that we should.

“Ah… thank them, yes, we absolutely must, properly.”

As Jaerin said this, she turned her head to the side.

Her gaze, accompanied by a deep smile, fell on the wall.

Specifically, the wall connecting to the neighboring apartment.

-Well, anyway, get some rest for now. I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.

“Yes, please do let me know.”

-Okay, got it. I’ll hang up now.

“Okay.”

Click.

As soon as the call ended, Jaerin immediately started preparing cake batter.

Glance.

After briefly checking the time.

‘If I start preparing now, I can give him the cake tomorrow morning.’

Jaerin busily moved her arms.

‘So you save me like that, and don’t even contact me.’

She knew it was Donghu’s way of being considerate.

Sometimes it’s better not to know certain things,

And since everything ended well, there was no need to cause unnecessary anxiety.

She understood everything,

She understood, but…

That kind of thoughtfulness drove her crazy.

Should she say she couldn’t help but love him?

It was difficult to express these unspeakable feelings.

“Done.”

After finishing all the preparations, the next morning Jaerin immediately sent Donghu a KakaoTalk message.

<(Link to article about the hero who caught a stalker)

<Donghu, is this you?

<Huh?

<It’s you

A message filled with certainty.

After sending it like that,

Jaerin immediately,

Knock knock knock.

Waited in front of Donghu’s door with the cake.

After waiting for a moment.

Click.

“Huh? Cake? But what… what did that KakaoTalk message mean?”

As the door opened, Donghu came into Jaerin’s view.

“What do you mean? You know exactly what I mean. It was you, Donghu.”

Jaerin’s predatory eyes flashed.

++++++

How did you know?

What evidence do you have?

It wasn’t me.

-There are moments when such lines are unnecessary.

When someone comes to you with 100% certainty.

Denial is meaningless, and only confrontation is permitted.

Simply put, the arena has opened.

When Jaerin came to my door with cake,

I thought of several possibilities.

‘Hmm, did the agency tell her?’

That was the easiest possibility to consider.

But even so, they couldn’t have known my identity.

‘There were no CCTV cameras in that area, so witness testimonies are the only clues.’

And even those clues would be vague.

The incident itself happened when the street light was temporarily out.

‘I even disguised my voice when talking to that stalker.’

I didn’t leave any clues that could identify me.

So how could Jaerin be so certain?

Moreover.

“Thank you so much for saving me. If it weren’t for you, really…”

“Uh, um, huh?”

“Let’s eat the cake first. I just baked it, so it’s really delicious.”

Jaerin didn’t even give me a chance to escape.

She made me completely miss the golden opportunity to deny it,

And naturally came into my house and started setting up the cake.

I was continuously flustered.

I hurriedly tried to respond that there must be some misunderstanding, but.

“Donghu, how can you leave your clothes lying around like that?”

In front of the TV,

My Detective Co*an villain costume was lying there like a shed skin.

If someone asked why I left it there,

I could glare and retort:

‘I didn’t expect to be found out in just one day! Who could have predicted that?!’

Who would have known?

It was that unbelievable.

“Do you like Nutella? They call it the devil’s chocolate. That’s why I made it into a cake.”

Jaerin didn’t ask how I caught the stalker,

Or how that person was identified as a stalker.

As if regardless of how it happened, the fact that I saved her remained unchanged,

And that was the only important truth.

Jaerin, who maintained a gentle smile throughout, had already finished setting up the cake.

The fantastic combination of whipped cream and Nutella.

With freshly sliced strawberries and bananas on top.

It wouldn’t be strange to drool,

But somehow I felt a strange tension.

‘This is definitely my house, but why do I feel this way?’

But really, how did she know?

That curiosity prevented me from taking control of the current situation.

I wanted to ask,

But asking would be like confessing that I saved her.

“Won’t you come and eat? I really put my heart into making this…”

At that gentle, soft, and somehow intense voice, I sat down as if enchanted.

And then came:

“But what made you so certain it was me? The chances of it not being me are higher.”

A desperate, no-retreat question thrown out.

I was planning to escape if Jaerin showed any hesitation.

But.

“Donghu, it is you.”

Jaerin showed no weakness.

“…”

It was like, well,

Similar to saying “1+1=2.”

No one would make a foolish response like “Actually, that’s a window” to such a short and concise answer delivered with such certainty.

“Can I have the piece with lots of strawberries on top?”

I gave up on everything and decided to just eat the cake.

“Of course, but since you saved me, I’ll feed you. Donghu, just relax and open your mouth, okay?”

“Uh, okay.”

No, I decided to be fed the cake.

“We’re like newlyweds like this. Whenever you want cake, just tell me and I’ll bake it for you like this.”

“Pffft… *cough* *choke* What? *cough* *cough*”

The choking was just a bonus.

+++++

Anyway, after the stalker incident was cleanly resolved,

Time flew by and it was Christmas Day.

With Mariah’s Christmas pension song playing on the streets,

I was warming up for the filming of “Traitor: The Root of Corruption.”

“Wow, it’s so cold. Right?”

“Huh? Yes, yes.”

Beside me was Senior Jin Yuseong, whom I’d grown closer to since the oyster soup incident.

“You came early today too, senior?”

“That’s rich coming from someone who arrived two hours early, and didn’t I tell you not to call me senior? What did I say?”

“B-bro.”

“Right, call me bro from now on.”

“Yes, bro.”

I don’t understand why that’s so important,

But anyway, while chatting pleasantly with Yuseong hyung,

“Ah, Actor Kim Donghu! Here you are.”

Suddenly Director Yoon Seongbin approached.

It’s still before filming starts, what could this be about?

While I was wondering,

“Um… would you be able to perform something like a sword dance? Or some kind of martial arts demonstration…”

A question that seemed to have some circumstance behind it.

To this request for something beyond simple action, I nodded calmly.

“Yes, I can.”

“Ah, great! Then could we film that part separately later?”

“Yes, of course.”

It wasn’t difficult, and if it helped the film, there was no reason to refuse.

And I knew such scenes were already scheduled to be filmed,

So why was he suddenly making this request?

‘What could it be?’

As I was about to ask,

Before my question could reach him, Director Yoon Seongbin hurriedly left.

What’s going on? I wondered.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

A message arrived from Sims.

-[Kiryu Sota’s shocking comments during surprise visit to Korea! “There’s an amazing actor in Korea,” Who is the ‘amazing actor’ mentioned by Japanese master Kiryu Sota?!]

It contained an unexpected news article.