[ if he just told Jae-ha that he'd have to exist for eternity with that wound, he wonders if his tune would change. Or if he told Jae-ha how many people he'd tricked and damned to an eternity of despair just for his own amusement, to further his own desires - would he still say that Hikage was smart, and that he deserved that affection? Stephanie would hate him if she knew. That's why he can't stand this. All of it is fake. It won't last if he keeps lying - it won't last if he tells the truth, either. ]

No... You're the one who isn't smart! You don't understand anything. No one cares about me. No one... I'm not someone that people should care about in the first place. They only care about Hikage. The real me is... hahah, the real me is... enough to make them hate me!

[ so he perpetuates this lie so that he can manipulate them more easily. that's all it is. ]