Yohan let out another heavy sigh, struggling to find the right words to convey his extraordinary circumstances. It all felt like a convoluted plot from some fictional story - yet here he was, living this life of mystery and danger that defied belief.
Kian gazed at Yohan with a complex mix of emotions playing across his handsome features. The young man beside him seemed so ordinary on the surface, leading what appeared to be an unremarkable existence.
And yet, in reality, Yohan's life was shrouded in secrets and peril - stalked by unknown assailant and now targeted by foreign gangsters as well? Not to mention this revelation about having a doppelganger cousin who had shared his identity only added to the chaos.
The room fell silent for several long moments until finally broken by Yohan's hesitant voice tinged with frustration.
"What if I told you I spent seventeen years locked away under my uncle's control? Living as nothing more than my cousin's shadow... would any of you believe such a thing?"
Jun and Landon were the only ones not taken aback; they already knew pieces of Yohan's harrowing past. The others, however, stared at him in stunned disbelief.
"No one knows about me," Yohan continued quietly. "Everyone believes there is only one 'Yohan' - my cousin, Yoh. No one has any idea that there exists another person who shares his identity."
Kian immediately gripped Yohan's shoulders with both hands as he searched the young man's face for answers. He wanted to ask many questions about the life Yohan had been living but knew they needed to address the immediate danger facing him first.
"Are you saying these stalker and gangsters could be connected to your cousin somehow?"
Jun stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"We don't have enough information yet to make that determination," Jun explained carefully. "It's possible this stalker may be among those few privy to Yohan's true identity... and that he is targeting Yohan for some reason. As for the gangsters, we can't say with certainty if they are after Yoh or they are actually seeking Yohan himself."
Landon gripped Jun's arm, his eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.
"What do you mean they're after Yohan? Surely it must be Yoh they're looking for! There's no way this could have anything to do with our Yohan..."
Jun didn't look at Landon, but he took Landon's hand in his own reassuringly. His gaze remained fixed on Kian as he shared his unsettling theory.
"I suspect that Yohan's cousin has been stealing his identity since childhood," Jun explained thoughtfully. "Furthermore, it's possible that the man Yohan knows as his uncle is not actually related to him at all - merely someone posing as such."
Kian listened intently, brow furrowed in concentration.
"This is all still speculative," Jun continued cautiously. "But if we consider the possibility that everything about Yohan's life and identity may be fabricated... then these gangsters could very well be connected to whatever secrets surround his true origins."
Yohan and Landon both looked stunned at this revelation. They hadn't expected Jun to have such deep insights into the situation all along - perhaps he had hesitated sharing these theories earlier because even he wasn't fully certain of them yet.
"But..." Jun continued seriously. "The immediate threat against Yohan still comes from his uncle himself who is actively searching for him right now." He adding gravely.
"Yohan managed to evade him for nearly a month, but his uncle's been relentlessly hunting him down. Interestingly, the private investigator Landon hired discovered that since Yohan ran away, his cousin has barely left the house at all - it seems almost as if he's terrified of something or someone. I'm guessing it must be connected to this whole identity mystery."
Yohan furrowed his brows in confusion, clearly surprised by this new information. Landon looked guilty and spoke to him in a low voice.
"I'm so sorry, Yohan... I completely forgot to mention that detail..."
Kian listened intently as Jun laid out his theory about Yohan's stolen identity and the potential true nature of the man he had known as an uncle. The more Kian heard, the more troubled he became - it seemed there was no end to the web of lies surrounding poor Yohan.
"Jun," Kian said thoughtfully after considering everything. "What makes you so certain of your suspicions about Yohan's cousin stealing his identity for all these years?"
Jun met Kian's gaze steadily, his eyes drifting to the folder containing Yohan's personal data.
"The personal details provided here are ostensibly for Yoh, but it contains factual inconsistencies that actually pertain to Yohan himself - like their shared name, birthday, blood type." Jun pointed at the document in question. "And take note of this date of birth listed here; it matches what Yohan told us was his own birthday, not Yoh's. That discrepancy alone is quite telling."
Yohan nodded vigorously in agreement.
"You see... Yoh always celebrates his birthday twice - once publicly by throwing lavish parties with many guests on the date listed there," he said pointing at a paper within the folder. "Then a month later he'll have another private celebration just with his family."
Jun listened intently and added to their discussion.
"Even if we considered that he celebrates this second celebration was for his Chinese birthday, it would still be impossible. Chinese birthdays don't fall on fixed dates each year; they are determined by lunar cycles. Meanwhile you mentioned that these private celebrations occur precisely one month after his public party every single time."
He pressed on with his analysis, "The crucial point is that every single piece of information documented here pertains solely to Yohan. It's inconceivable that two cousins could share such an exact match in all the details - it simply defies probability." He glanced over at Yohan.
"And we still can't say for certain whether he truly is Yohan's cousin or not."
Kian frowned thoughtfully as he processed Jun's reasoning. It was a compelling argument. The more he heard, the more convinced he became that there was indeed something nefarious at play here.
"Yohan," Kian said gently turning to face him directly. "I know this must be incredibly difficult for you - learning that so much of what you thought was true about yourself and your family has been a lie." He reached out to place a comforting hand on Yohan's shoulder.
"But please know that we're all here for you now," Kian assured him earnestly. "We'll help get to the bottom of this mystery surrounding your identity once and for all."
Kian's hand moved from Yohan's shoulder to gently cup his cheek, tilting his face up so their eyes met.
"And you don't have to pretend that you're okay after hearing all this," Kian said softly, his voice filled with genuine concern. "I may not know the full extent of what you've endured, but I can only imagine how much your heart must be aching right now - learning that so much of your life has been built on lies."
As Jun laid out the theories pointing to Yohan's stolen identity and the likelihood that his so-called family was actually a fabrication. Kian noticed something peculiar about Yohan's reaction. Despite the gravity of the revelations, he seemed overly eager and almost excited by it all - as if putting on a brave face for everyone else.
When Kian spoke those words aloud though, something in Yohan snapped. The facade crumbled away and he began sobbing uncontrollably.
"I... I hate them..." Yohan choked out between wracking sobs. "All this time I thought they were my family... I always wondered what I did wrong? Why were they always so cruel to me when we were supposed to be family?"
Yohan buried his face against Kian's chest as the full weight of the betrayal crashed over him.
"But it turns out it was all lies!" he wailed miserably. "And... and I..."
Kian wrapped his arms around Yohan, holding him close as he stroked the younger man's trembling back soothingly. Despite the gentleness of his embrace, Kian's eyes flashed with icy fury at what he had just learned about Yohan's miserable existence under that fake family for nearly two decades.
"Shh," Kian murmured softly into Yohan's hair as if comforting a child. "From now on, you will be fine... you will no longer feel that pain when you are with them... I'll protect you..."
Jun took Landon's hand firmly in his own, guiding him out of the room. Jed grabbed Nathan's arm, pulling him along as well. Cyruss looked torn but a tug on his jacket from Nathan finally persuaded him to follow the others out.
The door clicked shut behind them; in moments, only Kian and a weeping Yohan remained in the suddenly quiet space - two hearts beating in sync as they clung to each other amidst an ocean of uncertainty.