“You understood that explosion of inferiority complex? You? The human embodiment of the opposite of inferiority? Stop lying.”
Wooyeon sounded genuinely outraged.
“I’ve known you for over twelve years, you idiot. From trainee days until now. You’ve been the number one ace since the day you joined the company. Who are you trying to fool?!”
“…I told you to fix the way you talk. That always slips out on broadcasts eventually.”
Doha shot him a look of utter exasperation.
“I hide it well.”
“You’ll get caught eventually.”
“I’ll handle it. Just answer the question.”
“…You’re stubborn too.”
Shaking his head, Doha closed his eyes.
“How could I not understand inferiority?”
“!”
“It’s something I felt every time I looked at you guys.”
Wooyeon immediately turned toward him in shock.
He simply couldn’t believe it.
Lee Doha?
The man who looked like he had been born to be an idol?
The man so perfect that even his antis could only come up with ridiculous complaints like “he seems suspicious,” “it’s all probably fake,” or “there’s nothing known about his past or private life”?
That Lee Doha felt inferior?
“You?! Lee Doha, you felt inferior looking at us?! Why? When? How?”
Wooyeon asked with a stunned expression.
“W-Wait. Don’t tell me you were jealous of my perfect face...? Was your type actually my face all along...?”
“Just die.”
The sincerity in Doha’s voice was unmistakable.
Pretending to be wounded, Wooyeon scooted closer and leaned on one elbow, resting his chin on his hand as he stared down at Doha.
No matter how he looked at it, the guy was perfect.
What was he even talking about?
“Then what? What do you possibly lack, you greedy sinner?”
At Wooyeon’s bewildered tone, Doha laughed softly.
“…A place to return to.”
“!”
“You guys have one.”
A place that would always be on your side no matter what mistakes you made.
When the entire world turned its back on them.
When everyone eventually stopped paying attention.
When the day came that nobody remembered them anymore.
At moments like that—
They had somewhere to go.
The more love Doha received from the public, the more clearly he understood how much hatred and disappointment would come if he ever failed.
That was why he envied the others.
The members had families.
Families who would protect them no matter what happened.
“But if the fans turn away from me... I really have nowhere to go.”
Doha murmured quietly.
At the end of that confession—
Instead of answering—
Thud.
“??”
Wooyeon kicked him in the side.
“What are you doing...?”
Ignoring Doha’s disbelief, Wooyeon grinned.
After all, he knew he was probably the only person in the world who ever got to see expressions this honest from Lee Doha.
“What do you mean you have nowhere to return to, you idiot?”
“!”
“Do you want to make the people listening feel sorry for being your home?”
The moment she heard that—
Yewon climbed back onto the bed.
For some reason, she felt that she shouldn’t listen any further.
“......”
So that was it.
He thought he had nowhere to return to.
That was why he never opened his heart to anyone.
That was why he had been cold toward Ieon when Ieon said he wanted to rest.
Because he didn’t want to disappoint the fans.
Yewon buried her face in her pillow.
She understood Doha better than anyone.
Because she too had spent her life desperately trying not to disappoint people.
Because she knew she had nowhere to hide if she did.
‘...In that case.’
My existence—
must never become a disappointment to the world.
Yewon’s mind began racing.
Instead of becoming a reason for people to dislike Lee Doha—
she had to become a reason for people to like him even more.
‘...And someday.’
I want to become Uncle Doha’s place to return to.
Just like Uncle Wooyeon.
...But before that—
‘First I need to get Uncle Wooyeon back into the dorms.’
For everyone’s sake.
Looking at the situation now, it seemed possible with only a small push.
The two of them were getting along much better than she had expected.
They bickered constantly, but the affection underneath was obvious.
‘Then I’ll create that opportunity.’
As quickly as possible.
“Guys~! I’m here~!”
It was late that night when Youngoh barged into Doha’s apartment.
He entered smiling brightly while carrying bags labeled “Jangchungdong Giant Jokbal.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
Unfortunately, none of the three people greeting him looked particularly happy.
“U-Umm...? W-Why is the atmosphere in this house so gloomy...?”
Youngoh broke into a cold sweat.
He had specifically sent Wooyeon—the only consistently cheerful and outgoing member of Glit—to lighten the mood.
Apparently it had not worked.
‘...W-Why do even you look depressed, Wooyeon?!’
Youngoh wanted to cry.
If even Wooyeon’s energy had been drained, there was no hope for this household.
“You bought jokbal...? Did you bring bossam too...?”
“Half-and-half jokbal, garlic bossam, and a large fruit makguksu! You think I don’t know your tastes?”
“Good job...”
Wooyeon accepted the food in a weak voice and shuffled toward the table.
Doha silently followed behind him.
“......?!”
Taking advantage of the moment, Youngoh quickly grabbed Yewon and whispered.
“Y-Yewon. What happened while Uncle was gone...?”
Seeing that everyone was around the same age, yet Youngoh had voluntarily accepted being called Mister, Yewon felt a little sorry for him.
“They cried.”
“!!!”
“While hugging each other.”
“!!!”
Those two?
The guys who looked like they wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed?
Youngoh felt a chill run down his spine.
“W-Why were they crying...?”
“Because they love each other too much.”
“......?????”
That was the most unbelievable sentence he had heard all year.
Youngoh stared at her in complete disbelief.
Yewon merely shrugged.
It was true.
Believe it or don’t.
Still trapped in confusion, the four of them began eating quietly.
“Hey, Yewon. You can’t eat spicy jokbal, right? What a tragedy. This stuff is incredible.”
“......”
Yewon silently sharpened a metaphorical knife.
Because spicy jokbal and spicy tteokbokki were actually some of her favorite foods.
But—
‘A seven-year-old who loves super spicy food? That completely breaks character.’
As an actress, breaking character was unacceptable.
“Yes. I can’t eat it. Spicy food hurts my tummy!”
“Wow. That’s so sad.”
Wooyeon said with a face that clearly wasn’t sad at all as he stuffed a giant piece of spicy jokbal into his mouth.
His expression practically screamed:
Jealous? Totally jealous, right?
“......”
He’s so annoying.
Yewon smiled sweetly while silently cursing him.
At that moment, Doha looked at Youngoh.
“I told you to rest. Why did you come again? I already said I’d feel bad giving you work if you kept doing this.”
“I-I didn’t exactly come because I wanted to....”
“Hey. He’s an employee too. Do you think he wanted to spend his day off with a gloomy guy like you? Looking at his face, he obviously came because he has something to say.”
“What?”
At Wooyeon’s words, Doha frowned.
“U-Uh... the CEO... asked how things were going....”
“!”
From what Yewon could gather, the meeting with the fake uncle had only involved Doha and the manager.
But now—
The CEO knew.
Yewon quietly focused on her bossam and pretended not to hear.
Well, considering the chaos at the funeral, there was no way the company president wouldn’t know.
‘...He’s probably the reason no articles have been published yet.’
Having worked in entertainment herself, Yewon understood how the industry worked.
“Looks like he spilled everything. As expected of the CEO’s nephew.”
“You told him everything?”
Doha’s expression immediately darkened.
“I-I did tell him, but!! It isn’t necessarily a bad thing!!!”
Youngoh hurriedly confessed with his eyes squeezed shut.
“How is that not bad? Hm? You internal spy, infiltrator, traitor, double agent. How is that not bad?”
Wooyeon lightly scolded him.
The words were light.
The content was not.
Under Doha’s terrifying glare—
“Seriously!!! After hearing everything, the CEO said, ‘That’s excellent news!’”
...Excellent news?
What kind of nonsense was that?
All three of them simultaneously dropped their pieces of jokbal and turned toward Youngoh.