"Isn't it true that you never get tired of looking at someone you love?"

"Of course, it is."

Ryu Jaerin could answer this question more confidently than anyone else.
It was true for her, too.

From the school uniform photoshoots she did with Kim Donghu,
to the movie posters featuring him as the lead actor—
collecting anything related to Kim Donghu was Ryu Jaerin's hobby.

On top of that:

"Donghu keeps getting better at acting."

If it had anything to do with Kim Donghu, she wouldn’t miss it.
Ryu Jaerin was, in every sense, a passionate fan of Kim Donghu.

So when she saw someone with a similar build in that narrow alley,
her subconscious automatically overlaid Kim Donghu’s image onto that figure.

"The more I think about it, the more they look alike."

After all, Kim Donghu’s physique was impossible to hide.
His proportions were so striking they could only be described as superior,
from his perfectly balanced frame to his solidly built muscles—
his physicality was unmatched and irreplaceable.

However, she hadn’t been certain.

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

Since Jaerin knew very, very well what kind of clothes Donghu liked,
she thought it must have been someone with a similar build—
an incredible coincidence, perhaps.

But then:

-...The police called. You know that armed guy caught near your neighborhood?
"Yes?"
-Turns out he was a stalker. That was his intent. He was already completely subdued when they found him. Guess he got so scared he confessed everything.

If her manager hadn’t called and told her,
Ryu Jaerin might never have known.

A stalker? What was that about?
Was it targeted at her? All of a sudden?

"He was scared?"
-Yeah, he said someone beat him up, but it wasn’t just a beating—it was a perfect takedown.
"Who... who did that?"
-No idea, but apparently, whoever it was is crazy skilled. It’s not easy to subdue an armed person like that. I heard the description was all black clothing.

-Anyway, the media isn’t going to report who the stalker was targeting. Just letting you know in case it comes up later. Thought it’d be better to tell you now.

As she listened to her manager recount the details of the incident,
Ryu Jaerin thought to herself:

"So the person in black was Donghu."

There was no other possibility.

A stalker suddenly appearing,
and then being saved by a man in black.

The whole sequence of events felt like fate—
just like that moment when they first met.

"Haah...."

A deep sigh escaped her.

"Are you okay? Were you really scared?"
"Oh, no. I didn’t get hurt or suffer anything, so I’m totally fine."
-Thanks for saying that. It’s such a relief. We’d really like to contact the person who helped you, but they haven’t shown up.

Unlike Jaerin, who was now reassured,
her manager seemed unable to calm down and continued talking.

"Contact them?"
-Yeah, we’d like to properly thank them. It’s the right thing to do.
"Ah... thanking them. Yes, absolutely. It should be done thoroughly."

Turning her head slightly,
Jaerin’s gaze fell on the wall connecting to the next-door apartment.

-Anyway, take it easy for now. I’ll let you know if there’s anything else.
"Yes, please let me know."
-Alright. Talk soon.

Click.

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

She glanced at the clock.

"If I start now, I can give him the cake tomorrow morning."

With that, she got to work.

"He saves me and doesn’t even leave a word."

She understood that it was Donghu’s way of being considerate.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Since everything had ended well, he must’ve thought there was no need to add to her unease.

She got it. She really did.

But that very thoughtfulness drove her crazy.
How could anyone not fall for him?
She didn’t even know how to put her feelings into words.

"It’s done."

Once everything was ready, Jaerin sent a message to Donghu the next morning.

(Link to the article about the hero who stopped the stalker)
Donghu, was this you?
< Huh?
It was you, wasn’t it.

The message, sent with certainty,
was quickly followed by:

Thump, thump, thump.

Jaerin stood outside Donghu’s door with the cake in hand.

After a short wait:

Click.

"Huh? A cake? But, uh, what did your text mean?"

The door opened, and Donghu appeared in her view.

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

Jaerin’s eyes gleamed with the sharpness of a predator.

 

Some moments don’t require dialogue.

When the other person approaches with absolute certainty,
denials are meaningless.
All that’s left is to face them head-on.

In a way, it’s like stepping into a ring.

When Jaerin came to his door holding a cake,
Donghu quickly considered a few possibilities.

"Did her agency tell her?"

It seemed like the simplest explanation.
But even then, they wouldn’t have been able to identify him.

"After all, the incident happened in an area without CCTV. The only clues would’ve been eyewitness accounts."

And even those would’ve been vague,
since the incident occurred while the streetlights were out.

"I even disguised my voice when dealing with the stalker."

There were no clues that could’ve definitively identified him.
So how could Jaerin be so certain?

And yet:

"Thank you for saving me. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened...."
"W-wait, uh, what?"
"Let’s eat the cake first. I just baked it—it’s really good."

Jaerin gave him no room to escape.
She effortlessly moved into his home, setting up the cake like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Donghu, flustered, tried to stammer out a denial.

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

And then, Jaerin spotted the black outfit—the one he had used to disguise himself.

If anyone asked why he had left it there:

"Because I didn’t think I’d be found out in just one day! Who could’ve predicted this?!"

No one could have.
It was an absolutely absurd situation.

"Do you like Nutella? It’s called the devil’s chocolate, so I made a cake with it."

Jaerin didn’t ask about how he had subdued the stalker
or what had led him to act.

The fact that he saved her didn’t change,
and for her, that was the most important truth.

Jaerin, with a gentle smile, finished setting up the cake.
A perfect combination of whipped cream and Nutella,
topped with freshly sliced strawberries and bananas.

Even though it made Donghu’s mouth water,
a strange tension lingered in the air.

"It’s my house, so why does it feel like this?"

Still, how had she figured it out?
That question kept him from regaining control of the situation.

He wanted to ask,
but doing so would essentially confirm he had saved her.

"Can’t you come eat? I worked really hard on this."

Her soft, melodious voice somehow pulled him to his seat.

And then:

"But how are you so sure it was me? There’s a higher chance it wasn’t."

A desperate last-ditch question.
If Jaerin showed even a hint of doubt, he could slip away.

But:

"Donghu, it was you."

Jaerin left no room for argument.

"...."

It was as indisputable as saying, 1+1=2.

With her unshakable certainty,

"Can I have the part with extra strawberries?"

Donghu gave up and decided to just eat the cake.

"Of course! Since you saved me, I’ll feed you. Just sit back and open your mouth, okay?"
"O-okay."

And so, he let her feed him the cake.

"We look like a newlywed couple doing this. Just let me know whenever you want cake—I’ll bake it for you."
"Pfft...! Ack, cough, what?!"

A sudden cough was the cherry on top of the situation.

 

Eventually, the stalker incident was resolved cleanly.
Time passed, and Christmas Day arrived.

Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit played in the streets as I warmed up for the next scene of The Traitor: Roots of Corruption.

"Man, it’s freezing, huh?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, definitely."

Beside me was Jin Yuseong, who I had grown much closer to since our oyster soup dinner.

"You’re here early again today."
"You got here two hours ago. You can’t talk. And stop calling me ‘sunbae.’ What did I tell you to call me?"
"Uh... hyung?"
"Right. Just call me hyung from now on."
"Okay, hyung."

I didn’t get why it mattered so much to him,
but as we chatted,

"Ah, Actor Kim Donghu! You’re here."

Director Yoon Seongbin suddenly approached.

It wasn’t time to start filming yet, so why was he here?
I couldn’t help but wonder as he asked:

"Could you perform something like sword dancing? Or perhaps showcase some martial arts?"

There seemed to be a specific reason for his request,
and though he was asking about more than simple action sequences, I nodded calmly.

"I can do that."
"Ah, wonderful! Then could we arrange a separate shoot for those scenes later?"
"Of course."

It wasn’t a difficult request, and it would help the movie,
so I had no reason to refuse.

But wasn’t a scene like that already planned?
Why was he suddenly making this request?

"What could it be?"

I was about to ask,
but before I could, Director Yoon Seongbin hurried off.

Just as I was left wondering what was going on,

Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!

I got a message from Simms.

-[Kiryu Souta, Japanese film legend, shocks Korea with his visit! "There’s an incredible actor here." Who is this "incredible actor" Kiryu Souta speaks of?]

The message was as unexpected as it was intriguing.