" The Girl They Called Devil "

Episode 40: The Story Behind Dea

Dea took a slow breath, his eyes looking far away as if he was seeing the past unfold again. He looked at Yujin and began to speak calmly.

“Alright, now I will tell you everything about my past. First of all, I was born in China—I am not originally from here.”

Yujin listened carefully, then asked curiously, “But wait… you were adopted too, right? How come you are Chinese then?”

Dea smiled faintly and shook his head. “Just listen to the whole story first, okay? Don’t interrupt.”

He continued, “My family and I came here years ago just for a vacation. But before that, I was studying in China, and that’s where I met my best friend—Zhang Lingqi. We grew up together, trained together, and did everything side by side. And you know what? ‘Dea’ is just a nickname I use here. My real Chinese name is Dai Wei.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “So, we were here on vacation, staying in a house we had rented. One evening, we were sitting in the living room watching the news, and suddenly every channel was talking about the same thing. They were saying that a young girl named Yuju had killed her own parents. It was all over the headlines. But when I saw it, I didn’t believe it at all. I said to myself, This can’t be true. A little girl like that could never do something so terrible. It’s just a lie made up by someone.”

Yujin sat quietly, her heart beating a little faster as she listened.

Dea went on, “The very next day, a woman came to our house. She started talking about the same story—telling us about the hostel where you were staying, saying that you were the one who had done it. But as she spoke, I felt something was off about her. She seemed too eager, too sure, and there was something strange in the way she looked at us. I realized she already knew that we had just come from China and that my family was wealthy—we had a lot of money and status. That’s why she kept coming back to our house, trying to get close.”

A small, knowing smile appeared on Dea’s face. “So I made a plan. I said to her, Aunt, if it’s true, can I come to see this hostel and meet this girl myself? She refused immediately and said, No, you can’t go there. Then I told her, I will give you money if you let me go and see for myself. As soon as I mentioned money, her attitude changed completely. She agreed right away and said, Yes, yes, you can come.”

“Then I asked her to talk to my parents. She told them, Don’t worry, I will take good care of your son while he stays there. My parents were hesitant at first and didn’t want to allow it, but that woman kept insisting and promising to look after me. Finally, they agreed and said I could go. That’s how I ended up in the same hostel as you. I went there with only one goal: to find out the truth and see if you were really as bad as everyone said.”

Dea looked at Yujin, remembering those days. “But when I first met you, you were so cold and rude. You barely spoke to anyone, and you kept everyone at a distance. I tried so many things to get close to you, to be your friend, and to help you whenever I could. You pushed me away many times, but I never gave up.”

“One day, I found a way into the room where they kept all the children’s records and files. I looked for yours, and when I opened it, it was written clearly: Suspected of killing her parents. Case closed. But even after reading that, I still did not believe it. There was something in my heart telling me that you were innocent, that you were just a scared child who had lost everything. I didn’t know why I felt that way, but I just knew it wasn’t true.”

“Then, a few days later, the Choi family came to the hostel. They chose you to be their daughter. I was so happy for you—happy that you would finally have a good life, a home, and safety. But even then, I still wanted to find out who had really killed your parents. So I went back to my house and made a decision: I would become strong enough to find the truth and protect you.”

“My father was a very skilled fighter—he had learned martial arts from a young age back in China. He began teaching me everything he knew. Later, I found out about the secret training center run by Lingqi’s father. He allowed me to train there too. Over the years, I practiced hard, competed in many matches, and won several championships. That’s how I earned respect and became known as the second-in-command there.”

Dea leaned forward slightly, his expression becoming softer. “Years passed, and one day I saw you on the news. It was reported that you had become part of the Choi family. But seeing that made me worry— I was afraid that you had become so comfortable and happy in your new life that you would forget everything about your past and your parents. That’s why I transferred to your school. I wanted to get close to you again, to remind you of the truth, and to help you find justice for what happened.”

He finished speaking and looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. “That is the whole story behind me. Everything I did, I did because I wanted to know the truth and make sure no one used your past against you.”

Yujin sat there, her eyes wide as she took in everything he had told her. She had never imagined that Dea had been watching over her and planning for so long, all because he believed in her innocence even when no one else did.