A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 90

90. We Finally Met

Jeong-oh bought Yena ice cream as promised. Jiheon didn’t join them; he dropped Jeong-oh and Yena off at the ice cream shop and then left.

They had been together since yesterday evening, and Yena felt a pang of sadness as her dad disappeared again.

“Mom, isn’t Dad coming to eat ice cream?”

“Dad has things to do. He’s talking to your dad’s father right now. So, Yena’s grandfather.”

“I have a grandfather too?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it amazing?”

Despite Jeong-oh’s excited tone, Yena couldn’t smile. She was honestly nervous.

“But Mom, what if the test results say no? What if it turns out I’m not Dad’s daughter? Then Grandpa isn’t my grandpa either, right?”

Worried about her child, Jeong-oh pulled Yena into a hug. She felt sorry that the child had been so anxious.

How should she explain this?

“You don’t have to worry about that. Yena being Dad’s daughter is as certain as planting beans and getting beans.”

“But beans and red beans might not grow.”

“Why wouldn’t they grow? We planted beans and red beans, didn’t we?”

“The teacher said that for seeds to sprout, grow leaves, and bear fruit, they need water, sunlight, good soil, and protection from bugs.”

“Oh, my smart daughter.”

*That’s right.* It takes a whole village to raise a child. It takes tremendous attention and tremendous love.

Jeong-oh smiled contentedly and hugged Yena tighter. Just as they finished their ice cream, Jeong-oh’s phone vibrated. The results were in.

“Yena, let’s go see Dad now.”

* * * * * *

Jiheon informed his father, Jaekwang, and mother, Youngmi, that he had gone for a paternity test. He even told them which facility he used and when the results would be available, so his parents came at the appointed time.

“Mother, you came too.”

Jiheon, who hadn’t expected Youngmi to come, approached and greeted her.

Youngmi snorted dismissively. She had never disliked her son as much as she did now. But no matter how much she disliked her son, she couldn’t avoid the procedure.

The test results were important to Youngmi as well. It would be a big deal whether the child was his or not.

“Yes. Are the results out?”

“It’s time. I’ll be back.”

Jiheon, after checking the time in response to Youngmi’s question, strode towards the research lab office. The executive secretary, who had been guarding Jaekwang’s side, left with Jiheon.

In the quiet moment, Youngmi asked Jaekwang,

“What brings you here?”

She was upset that a man who hardly showed his face at home would take the time to come all the way here because of a child who might not even be his son’s.

“I just stopped by on the way.”

Jaekwang turned his face away, looking like he was trying to avoid Youngmi’s nagging. Fortunately, Jiheon returned quickly, cutting off their conversation.

“The results?”

Youngmi rushed over and snatched the results from Jiheon’s hand.

The results stated, just as before, ‘No possibility of paternity.’ Youngmi’s eyes flashed as she confirmed the results.

“It came back as a genetic mismatch. It says he’s not the father.”

“See! What did I tell you!”

When she first claimed the results were wrong, she was full of doubt, but still wanted to believe it was her son. But now that the second result also showed no possibility of paternity, she was furious.

“Where are the kid and her mother! Did they run away because they were scared? How can something so absurd happen!”

Youngmi’s voice rose. Jiheon and Jaekwang looked displeased.

Jiheon asked Jaekwang,

“Father, what do you think?”

“I feel complicated.”

Youngmi was even more dumbfounded by Jaekwang’s lukewarm reaction.

“Complicated? Is that all you feel? I’m bursting with frustration. Just thinking about Jiheon being played by that mother and daughter.”

“Jiheon’s mother.”

“Using you! Making me and your dad make this wasted trip! I can’t let this go. I’m going to sue them for fraud.”

“Hey, honey. Jiheon’s mother!”

Jaekwang’s voice also rose as he scolded the agitated Youngmi. Youngmi looked at Jaekwang.

Jaekwang said,

“That was my test.”

“What, …what?”

“It was a DNA test between me and Jiheon.”

Youngmi’s eyes shook at Jaekwang’s confession.

“That’s how the paternity test between me and Jiheon came out. It said Jiheon isn’t my biological son.”

“What, what does that mean…”

Youngmi was stunned, unable to understand what Jaekwang was saying. It felt like Jaekwang was insulting her.

“What nonsense are you talking about? If he’s not your son, whose son is he!”

She felt wronged and dumbfounded. She was talking about Lee Jeong-oh being a con artist, but why was the blame being shifted to her? Why was she being falsely accused?

“I can bet my life on it. I can bet my life!”

She was so dumbfounded that tears welled up. Youngmi abandoned all pretense and confronted Jaekwang.

“I’ve lived looking only at you for as long as our Jiheon’s age, how can you do this to me? What? What test?”

“That’s what I’m saying, woman.”

Jaekwang calmly soothed Youngmi.

“Do I not trust you? Would I doubt Jiheon?”

“…”

“It’s because you didn’t believe Jiheon that he even did this test.”

Youngmi’s eyes still trembled uneasily, unable to grasp the meaning of Jaekwang’s words.

“The paternity test you separately requested, and the paternity test between me and Jiheon now, are both wrong. Someone switched the blood or manipulated the results; anyway, the test was contaminated.”

“Wh-who?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to search thoroughly now to find out what wicked person did this.”

Youngmi’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

Jiheon was watching Youngmi indifferently.

He had deliberately looked for a lab where Chae Eun-yeop could easily approach. He pretended to maintain strict security while leaking various information, so that the information would flow well to Eun-yeop.

As expected, he didn’t know what route he had taken, but Eun-yeop had succeeded in manipulating the test results again. This time, he was relieved that he had succeeded. He needed to confirm that the results of the paternity test between his father and himself had been manipulated so that his father and mother would be convinced.

*How do you feel now, Mother?*

Youngmi glared at Jiheon as if resenting him for deceiving her, but she couldn’t say anything and only trembled with both hands.

“Still, don’t worry too much. Our Jiheon did another test anonymously. Jiheon, how did the other test results come out?”

Jaekwang asked Jiheon. It was an even more nerve-wracking moment for Jaekwang than before.

Jiheon had additionally asked Jaekwang’s executive secretary to conduct the test. He had requested an anonymous paternity test with the hair of Jaekwang, Jiheon, and Yena.

Jiheon received the envelope from Jaekwang’s executive secretary and opened it.

“This one came out correctly.”

This time, Youngmi snatched the results.

Youngmi exhaled deeply at the words ‘Paternity probability = 99.999%’ written in bold on the first page of the results. Youngmi insisted as if she was forcing herself.

“Do you, do you believe this? This result can also be manipulated at will!”

“So I had a test done involving three generations. The test was supervised by my father’s executive secretary.”

Jaekwang’s executive secretary had been with Jaekwang for over 20 years.

“This result says that I am my father’s biological son, and Yena is my biological daughter.”

Jiheon wasn’t careless. He added his father’s test to increase the credibility of the results.

“The result that says I’m not my father’s biological son, the result that says I am my father’s biological son—which one do you believe, Mother?”

It felt like Chae Eun-yeop was watching from somewhere.

*Chae Eun-yeop, you must have bet everything on the second test. You must have jumped to the conclusion that I would give up if the second test also came back negative.*

*You overlooked it—that I am as persistent as you, no, even more persistent than you.*

*No matter how many of my paternity tests you ruin, I’m prepared to do it again and again.*

Jaekwang pursed his lips into a straight line, and Youngmi looked at Jiheon with a face unable to overcome her anger. Jaekwang spoke first.

“Jiheon, did the results come out on the other side?”

“They’re out.”

Jiheon turned his head, looked at the research lab door, smiled, and answered.

Jeong-oh and Yena appeared.

Yena, who found Jiheon, ran quickly.

“Daddy!”

Jiheon lifted Yena, who came to him, in one go.

Jeong-oh, who followed, took out the results from the envelope and handed them to Jiheon.

“Here are the paternity test results.”

This time, it was a blood test report of Yena and Jiheon conducted by another institution.

Again, the same result.

– We acknowledge that client A (Jeong Jiheon) and client B (Lee Yena) are in a biological parent-child relationship with 99.999% certainty.

Jiheon handed the results to Jaekwang.

This time, Youngmi couldn’t bring herself to snatch the results and glanced sideways to check the results. The sentence printed in clear red letters was the first thing that caught her eye.

And, Lee Jeong-oh in front of her.

The child she faced after 7 years was not the innocent and foolish child she had seen 7 years ago. Youngmi felt her legs give way at the sight of Jeong-oh, who did not avoid her gaze and looked at her confidently.

Jeong-oh greeted first.

“Hello, Madam.”

“What?”

“Do you think I’m doing well?”

*Making a child and then stabbing me in the back like this?*

*Not saying a word for 7 years, and now coming out now? Coming now that my son has reached marriageable age?*

Youngmi, who was clenching her fist so tightly that her nails were digging into her skin, couldn’t overcome her anger and left the building first.

Jaekwang, who was watching this with a complicated expression, apologized.

“I’m sorry. My wife is a little sensitive.”

Jeong-oh greeted Jaekwang politely with an unwavering expression.

“Hello, Chairman.”

“Call me comfortably.”

“…”

“We finally met.”

*We were finally able to meet.*

Jaekwang offered a handshake. Jeong-oh hesitated and then took Jaekwang’s outstretched hand. A warm body temperature was transmitted. The tension in his heart eased a little at Jaekwang’s smile.

*Jeong Jiheon resembles his father more than his mother.*

“I’m sorry for making you go through hard times.”

Jaekwang apologized briefly and turned his head. His gaze did not linger on Jeong-oh for long. The biggest reason Jaekwang came at this time was somewhere else.

He wanted to make the child, who was hugged by her dad and only looking at her dad, turn around and notice whether her grandfather was nearby.

“Hello. Yena. It’s Grandpa!”

Jaekwang greeted loudly.

*How much he wanted to say these words!*

Yena turned her head and looked at Jaekwang. Jiheon put down Yena, who he was holding.

Jaekwang bent his knees, made eye contact with Yena, and gently took Yena’s hand.

“I’m your grandfather. I am your grandfather!”