A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 76

76. What in the World!

Jihun spoke carefully to Jungo, who was smiling contentedly.

“By the way, we might have to do a paternity test for Yena someday.”

“I’m okay with that. I understand the legal process.”

Jungo nodded easily. But there was one thing that bothered him.

“But I’m not the problem. Yena is the problem.”

Jihun’s shoulders visibly slumped at Jungo’s remark.

“Yena is very perceptive. She might get hurt if she finds out we’re trying to do a paternity test.”

“That’s right. Yena is what’s important…”

Yena is what’s important. Yena is important…

In his mouth, the words ‘Yena is important’ felt like a prayer.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

A lot happened that morning before even going to work.

But Jihun went to work looking refreshed. Secretary Yoon Aera, who was guarding the office, stood up and greeted him.

“Director, you’re here.”

“Yes, hello.”

“Um, Director.”

Secretary Yoon cautiously called out to Jihun, who was about to enter his office. Jihun turned his head.

“I forgot to tell you something yesterday…”

Actually, she hadn’t forgotten. She had been hesitating whether to say it or not, but she finally mustered the courage to tell the story. She felt like she shouldn’t delay any longer.

“The day before yesterday, Ms. Jang Youngmi requested a photo of Deputy Lee Jungo from our division. So… I had no choice but to send it to her.”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Jihun frowned and pondered.

‘Secretary Yoon sent Jungo’s photo to my mother…’

Then some of his mother’s explanation would be true. The explanation that Chae Eunbi had mentioned the name ‘Lee Jungo,’ which led his mother to investigate Lee Jungo separately.

So, is this attempted kidnapping of Yena really unrelated to his mother?

‘Then Chae Eunyeop?’

How much does Chae Eunyeop really know?

Even though he had received a lot of help after the hit-and-run accident seven years ago and had been getting along well out of gratitude, he felt uneasy at the thought that he might have been used by him quite a bit.

Still, with Lee Jungo around, it will all be revealed soon.

“I trusted Secretary Yoon. This is unfortunate.”

Jihun put aside his worries for a moment and scolded his secretary. The secretary didn’t know what to do and lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Be careful from now on. Never pass on information to people outside the company.”

“Yes.”

“Here, ‘people outside the company’ includes partner companies. If someone tries to pry into company information, tell me first.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As Jihun, who had given a stern warning, was about to turn around, he saw someone peeking out at the end of the hallway. It was Seunggyu.

He had rushed over from the morning because he was curious about something he had promised to tell him today.

Jihun entered the office with Seunggyu.

“What’s this? Why so serious from the morning?”

“Something like that happened.”

Seunggyu, who was looking at Jihun with a puzzled expression, immediately changed the subject.

“Hey, you said you’d tell me today. Spill it all.”

Seunggyu had been waiting for work, waiting for the work time, for the first time in a long time. He couldn’t sleep because he was curious about what Jihun would tell him.

Just a few months ago, he looked like he would live without a woman, but he was flirting with Deputy Lee Jungo, and then he asked for help to meet Yena, and yesterday he even met Deputy Lee Jungo’s mother.

This is definitely a sign of marriage, and if he didn’t have a child, why would he even visit Deputy Lee Jungo’s mother?

Jihun opened the door to the mystery.

“Don’t be surprised when you hear this.”

“Okay. I’m ready. Tell me quickly.”

“I lost my memory seven years ago. All the memories of three years were gone.”

“That’s right. But it seems like your memory is coming back a bit.”

“Yeah. That memory was about Lee Jungo.”

“…You knew Deputy Lee Jungo back then?”

“It wasn’t just knowing each other.”

“…No way.”

His heart sank. His eyes flashed.

“No way, no way!”

No way!

Come to think of it, the first meeting between Lee Jungo and Jung Jihun was strange. Jung Jihun was obsessed with Lee Jungo’s appearance, and Lee Jungo had grabbed Jung Jihun’s wrist in front of the elevator.

Lee Jungo knew. It was a natural reaction that came out because he knew Jung Jihun!

Seunggyu jumped up from his seat and waved his hands exaggeratedly. As if he couldn’t accept it.

“Ugh! Don’t tell me! I feel like my heart is falling out!”

It wasn’t even his business, he was just hearing about someone else’s business, but Seunggyu was so excited that his face turned red as if it had happened to him.

“Is it real? Is it real?”

“Yeah. Yena is my biological daughter…”

“Huh! No way!”

Oh my god, oh my god!

Seunggyu, who was stomping his feet in his seat, put his hands on his cheeks like a person who had slipped into Munch’s painting [referencing Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” depicting a figure in anguish], circled the office twice, slammed his head against one wall, and stood there.

What in the world! How can this be!

All sorts of thoughts floated wildly in his head.

‘Jung Jihun was Lee Jungo’s lover? Yena’s biological father is Jung Jihun? Yena, who Dobin likes, that non-existent biological father is Jung Jihun? Then what, what’s going on? I told my wife that Lee Jungo was a single mother. I thought I couldn’t wish Jihun and a single mother well, but thanks to Jinseo, I avoided being cursed? No, no, no. Then Yena is the only granddaughter of a *chaebol* [a wealthy, powerful family or conglomerate] family. Will Yena keep playing with Dobin? Isn’t she not coming to our house anymore? What, I pushed the two of them to get along, but only Dobin is becoming a duck in the Nakdong River [a Korean idiom for being left out or alone]? Am I, as a father, blocking my son’s future?’

A complicated bundle of thoughts piled up in Seunggyu’s head, making even his feet heavy. Seunggyu turned around, staggering, with a look on his face as if he had aged several months in those few seconds.

“…Is this something I should congratulate you on?”

“Of course. It’s a good thing.”

“It’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah. It is.”

“…”

“There are a lot of missed times, and it’s a pity that my memories haven’t all come back yet, but…”

“…”

“It’s a good thing that I can get back to normal even now.”

Jihun’s expression looked comfortable. Seunggyu became uncomfortable in many ways.

“You’re the only one who can listen to this kind of story.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“You’ll let Dobin and Yena keep playing together, right?”

Seunggyu asked for Jihun’s answer with earnestness. He felt like he had become *Eul* [the weaker party in a relationship, often used in business contexts] not only in the company but also in his children’s relationships.

Unexpectedly, Jihun sighed.

“Rather, I need Dobin’s help in that situation.”

“…”

“Yena hasn’t accepted me yet.”

“Ah… she must be confused.”

“Are kids usually like that?”

“Maybe. She’s lived her whole life without a father, so it must feel like a father has dropped from the sky like a bomb.”

“…”

“Hey. But there’s such a connection.”

“I know. There’s such a fate.”

“No, I mean you and me. We’re really connected. Right? What would you have done without me? You wouldn’t have been able to play Go with your daughter even once.”

“…You’re talking like you’ll never be able to play Go for the rest of your life.”

“Anyway, you must never forget this connection. Right now, Yena is closer to Dobin than you, so ask politely if you have anything to ask. Got it?”

He spoke firmly, but his voice was endlessly gentle and soft. Seunggyu vowed never to fight with Jihun for the rest of his life.

After a storm had passed, Seunggyu, who had calmed down, asked a realistic question.

“Then what are you going to do about Deputy Lee Jungo?”

“Huh? Why?”

“You have to send her to another division. You’re in charge of personnel evaluations, so it’s easy for rumors to spread.”

“You didn’t say anything about Chae Eunbi.”

“It’s different with Chae Eunbi. Section Chief Chae Eunbi was here before you came, and you’re giving Deputy Lee Jungo her first evaluation.”

“…”

“It’s better to move her to another division. For you, and for Deputy Lee Jungo.”

I don’t want to.

Jihun couldn’t accept Seunggyu’s argument.

He couldn’t send Jungo to another division. Even now, he was forcibly suppressing the desire to put a desk in this office.

“Park Seunggyu. You know what I’m going to say, right?”

“…”

“Pretend you don’t know.”

He could never let Lee Jungo be taken away to another division.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

「Hello, Attorney Ha Jincheol. This is Lee Jungo. I’m contacting you again after a few days.

There was a commotion at the company recently. That Ms. C I mentioned insulted me in a public place. She screamed in the bathroom, and everyone outside the bathroom could hear it.

I’ve also attached a recording of the incident, so please check it. I hope you’ll be careful not to let the attached data leak out. I’m sending it to you because I trust you, Attorney.

I’ve created the evidence, so can I proceed with the lawsuit now? Please let me know when you’re available to meet.」

[Is it a point of pride that your family has been single mothers for generations? Is promiscuity hereditary? But you should have thought about your life and had an abortion. You wouldn’t want to hear that you’re just like your mother, using your body recklessly.]

Eunyeop, who had checked the email and attachments from Lee Jungo, sighed roughly.

The recording in the attached file was unmistakably Chae Eunbi’s voice. It was a raw, disgusting criticism. Even Eunyeop thought she deserved to be hit.

It was actionable material.

Lee Jungo. She was a woman he had only intended to meet once. To judge what kind of woman she was and what weaknesses she had. He had gained nothing from the previous meeting, but he had no intention of giving her additional consultation because he had met her impersonating a fellow lawyer.

If it weren’t for his sister Chae Eunbi, he would never have even snorted at her.

「I think I can take some time during work. How about meeting at a cafe at 6 PM today? I’ll send you the cafe address.」

Eunyeop sent a short reply to Jungo with a feeling of crying and eating mustard [a Korean idiom for being forced to do something unpleasant] and waited for a reply. Soon after, he received a reply saying she understood.

And at 6:20 PM.

Eunyeop appeared at the cafe 20 minutes late.

“Attorney.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. Work ended later than I thought.”

“No, I’m grateful that you met me like this.”

Jungo had a more relaxed expression than when they first met. Her complexion looked good, so she even looked a little prettier.

But she was just bait to get Jung Jihun.

This woman would never dream that the child’s grandmother had even taken the child’s hair for a paternity test.

Eunyeop smirked and immediately got to the point.

“I’ve checked the data you sent me. But that Ms. C wouldn’t have said this kind of thing out of the blue. Thinking about the context, it seems like something happened before that. Did Lee Jungo provide a trigger that would excite Ms. C?”

“Rather than a trigger, Ms. C led her friends to my mother’s restaurant. She met my daughter there and handed her 50,000 won [approximately $40 USD]. So I just told her that she shouldn’t give such a large amount of money to a child, but Ms. C came out so fiercely.”

Eunyeop’s eyebrows arched in the opposite direction.

That can’t be it? You must have hit her first?

“Was there anything else besides that? For example, did Lee Jungo hit her first?”

“I don’t do that. Things like that.”

“…”

“Why would I do that at work? I’d just clap my hands alone and be done with it [a sarcastic remark implying she’d handle it internally].”

Eunyeop knew that she was lying. The feeling of having to pretend not to know when he knew everything was truly bitter.

“…I understand. I’ll write a complaint. I can write it here now.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s write it quickly and get up.”

Looking at her face, which was turning bright, Eunyeop quietly sneered. He planned to write the complaint very roughly and destroy the evidence.

“But how many people heard it? Can those people be witnesses?”

“Quite a few people heard it, but I honestly don’t know.”

“It would be easier if the witnesses could join us. That’s a shame.”

“Instead, there’s a witness who can prove that Ms. C has been slandering me on a regular basis. It seems like she’s finished work near here, so I’ll call her.”

Oh, no, it doesn’t have to be that far…

Before Eunyeop could stop Jungo, Jungo quickly sent a text message and put down her phone.

She’s going to call more people, I feel an ominous feeling for some reason…

“Um, Ms. Lee Jungo. I suddenly got a call, so I think I have to get up now.”

The moment Eunyeop, who sensed an ominous feeling, got up from his chair, the cafe door opened and someone came in.

“Director, I’m here.”

Jungo raised her hand towards the entrance.

Eunyeop’s face, who was standing awkwardly in his seat, froze.

In the quiet cafe, as if cold water had been poured on it, only Jihun’s footsteps echoed loudly.

Jungo smiled brightly as if to show off and introduced Eunyeop to Jihun.

“Director, this is the person. The lawyer I told you about.”

“What. Chae Eunyeop. The lawyer Lee Jungo was talking about was you?”

Jihun sighed with an expression as if he was looking at something less than a bug, no, even more insignificant.

“What are you talking about, Director? He’s Attorney Ha Jincheol.”

Jungo looked back and forth between Jihun and Eunyeop, making a loud voice as if she were an actor on a stage.

“That’s right, Attorney, your name is Ha Jincheol, right? Say something.”

Even with that clumsy acting, Eunyeop couldn’t say anything.