Pah Doyeon is the main protagonist in Love Thy Neighbor. She is a veterinary college student, who grew up on an orphanage and was adopted into a wealthy family and moves to the apartment next door to a sad housewife whose husband left her at the mercy of loan sharks.
Biography[]
Doyeon was born in 1999, it is unknown who her biological parents are as she was abandoned at the catholic orphanage at an early age. Since the beginning, Doyeon wanted nothing more than to be chosen, she was taught that being a good kid was all that it took for people to love her, so, she behaved as nicely as she could for her whole life, to the point of suppressing regular human emotions, such as anger, sadness and despair, in favor of developing a nice persona that pleased others around her, especially the adults. This, however, had the opposite effect, as the kids from the orphanage would take advantage of her compliance and kindness, making her cover up for any mischief they partook in; Doyeon was forced to grow up very quickly, as the more time she spent in the orphanage, the more responsible she became for the other kids, and that sense of adult responsibility would put off potential adopters, leaving her behind once again.
It wasn't until 2013, at 14 years old, that the Eun family adopted her, following the death of their oldest son Noeul. Doyeon's new family consisted of her father, a big name in the education business who would eventually run for Minister of Education; her mother, a university professor, and her younger sister Morae; it is heavily implied that Doyeon's adoption was not out of love or compatibility, but as a way of furthering her father's career in politics, since adopting an orphan no else wanted could be seen as an act of benevolence. Doyeon excelled in studying, sports and community life, she wanted to prove herself to her parents as much as possible, but Morae seemed to catch onto her act very quickly, making the two sisters estranged from one another even under the same roof.
At some point, Doyeon applied and got accepted into Hankuk University with a full scholarship, under the mentorship of Sarika Hwang, of the veterinary department; she makes friends, even dates a few boys, but she doesn't allow herself to show any emotion that isn't kindness and generosity towards others. She moves into an apartment building close to her school, but can't seem to get any sleep, as, during the day, her neighbor is harassed by loud loan sharks and, at night, she hears her crying through the bedroom wall every single night.
At the start of the series, Doyeon has been hearing Jinju's cries for 2 months, trying to think of a way to help her, until loan sharks attempt to break her door down, and she saves Jinju from getting kidnapped.
Yuri Feats[]
With Jinju[]
After saving her from loan sharks, Doyeon asks Jinju to live with her for a while, which she, without any other choices, accepts. Doyeon shows nothing but kindness to Jinju and, eventually, develop romantic feelings for the married woman as the two get closer. Once their relationship turns sexual, Doyeon shows interest in pleasing Jinju, trying to make her feel the best she can but ultimately not being able to penetrate Jinju's cold and aloof persona and feeling like sex is the only way the two can connect. Despite being rejected, Doyeon still goes out of her way to protect Jinju and cater to her needs and does everything she can to try and stick together, even at the expense of her safety and happiness.
After chapter 44, the two break up as Jinju's husband returns and, but are quickly reunited after Jinju reaches for Doyeon again, who agrees to become her mistress as long as Jinju wants, since it's the only way she feels she can be close to her true love, the two meet up and have sex often, escaping Jinju's husband to see each other. As of chapter 65, Doyeon is spiraling with depression, waiting for Jinju to take any sort of action.
Trivia[]
- Despite being a veterinary student, animals seem to despise Doyeon
- She mostly wears checkered patterns and flannels, both in season one and season two, but when she's mad/depressed, she uses black
- Her most prominent feature is her eyebrows, which Jinju finds very attractive.
- She's a demisexual lesbian, with Jinju being the first person she's actually loved and felt sexually attracted to