A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 113

113. Time Travel

The next day. Jiheon’s office.

“Jung Jiheon.”

Jiheon didn’t hear Seunggyu calling him repeatedly as he visited his office. He was lost in thought about the news the counselor had delivered the day before and the email he had subsequently checked.

Jiheon had also shown the counselor the email Kim Jingu had sent before his death. The counselor said he knew nothing about it.

He also said that he had never closely followed a subject of observation in this way. It was far from Jiheon’s request, so Jiheon quickly accepted the counselor’s answer.

If so, someone from another group was following Kim Jingu. And Kim Jingu thought that pursuer was Jiheon.

But why?

“Hey, Jung Jiheon.”

While he was thinking about the complicated matter, Seunggyu called Jiheon again. Only then did Jiheon turn his head and look at Seunggyu.

“Why are you so out of it?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Jiheon had called Seunggyu first because he had looked into hypnotherapy specialists. He felt sorry for being distracted when his friend had come to see him.

Seunggyu snorted and handed him a piece of paper.

“You can contact them. A university senior of mine went to medical school and became a psychiatrist. He said the best hypnotherapist he knows is with them.”

Among Seunggyu’s university classmates majoring in psychology, there were quite a few psychological counselors and psychiatrists. Seunggyu introduced Jiheon to the most capable and reliable person among them.

“Let me know how it goes after you go. You don’t have to continue the consultation for my sake, and you can stop at any time if it doesn’t suit you.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.”

Jiheon answered, staring blankly at the paper Seunggyu handed him.

Could he really recover his lost memories with hypnotherapy? Could he even remember the hit-and-run accident Kim Jingu caused?

Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations. But he was holding onto the hope of even one in ten thousand. He would be glad if he could recall even a few minutes of the lost three years.

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

When he first signed the contract for the house, the moving day seemed so far away, but it was already just around the corner. Jeongo slowly started packing. Even though they were using a packing service, she had to figure out what to throw away beforehand.

“Oppa, is it okay for you to be here like this? Aren’t you going to pack?”

Late at night, Jeongo asked Jiheon, who was sitting next to her without going home even after putting Yena to sleep, in a sulky tone.

If he wasn’t going to help her pack, he should go and rest, but she didn’t know why he was staring at her with such suggestive eyes.

Despite her nagging, Jiheon, who had been watching her all along, opened his mouth after a long time.

“Jeongo, I have something to tell you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“First of all.”

Jiheon’s voice was lower than before, as if it were a serious topic.

“The phone call you received seven years ago was from a voice actor hired by my mother.”

Jeongo’s expression, which had been firmly set as she looked at Jiheon, changed.

“……How did you know that, Oppa?”

“My father told me. He heard my mother talking to Chae Eunyeop.”

“So, Chae Eunyeop knew about it too?”

“It seems my mother hired a voice actor who knew Chae Eunyeop. He found out through the voice actor.”

‘That person really gets around,’ Jeongo muttered with a heavy sigh. She was actually worried about Jiheon. She felt heartbroken when she thought about how he must have felt when he found out his mother had done such a terrible thing.

Jiheon seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he asked about Jeongo’s feelings first.

“How do you feel?”

“I expected it to be something similar, so I’m not particularly surprised. How about you, Oppa?”

“Me too.”

“If you’re having a hard time, you can always talk to me.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

The hand that reacted to her words moved towards her.

Even seven years ago, he had a habit of unconsciously touching Jeongo whenever she was by his side. If her hair covered her face, he would sweep it back, and even after sweeping it back, he would continue to stroke her hair. Those unconscious actions tugged at Jeongo’s heart.

“And what’s the second thing?”

Jeongo quickly asked before the heat in his eyes deepened. Jiheon also withdrew his hand and answered.

“Seunggyu looked into hypnotherapy. I’m thinking of going.”

“Oh, really? I hope it works.”

“Yeah. You’ll come with me, right?”

“Of course.”

Jeongo readily agreed. Jiheon was relieved that she seemed a little excited.

“I hope you remember something, Oppa.”

Jeongo revealed a few more of her true feelings.

“But I’m also a little scared. If your past was more difficult than I thought, I don’t think we need to bring back those memories.”

“Well. Even if it was very difficult, I want to remember everything.”

“…….”

“You were there then.”

Hehe. It was a cheesy thing to say, but Jeongo smiled contentedly, seemingly not disliking it. Jiheon asked Jeongo.

“Seven years ago… is there anything you want to ask me, the past me?”

“Yes! There is.”

Jeongo answered right away.

“I’m curious why you didn’t introduce me to any of your friends.”

“…….”

“If I had known Section Chief Park Seunggyu, we wouldn’t have broken up like that.”

“I think I know why… I understand.”

“And there’s more.”

“…….”

“Oppa didn’t like me drinking very much.”

“I didn’t?”

“Yeah. It got better later, but in the beginning of our relationship, you really hated it. You didn’t openly get angry, but you said we couldn’t even drink together. I want to know why.”

“…….”

“And there’s more.”

The things she was curious about kept coming. She was so excited that she wondered how she had endured all this time.

“Would you have married me even if I hadn’t gotten pregnant? Would we have dated for a long, long time?”

“Should I answer that now?”

Jiheon opened his mouth to her pure question. He felt like he could answer this question with confidence.

“Until I met you again, I thought I was still a virgin. I thought I would become a wizard someday [a self-deprecating joke about being single for a long time].”

“…….”

“Even if it wasn’t then, I would have married you. Then there would be a little kid a little younger than Yena now.”

There’s only one Lee Jeongo in the world, and if you weren’t there, I would have been alone all along.

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

The next day, Jiheon and Jeongo left work after only working the morning shift and went to a counseling clinic.

It was a special case, so Jeongo went into the consultation room first. The doctor wanted to talk to the client’s spouse first to understand the client’s condition and get hints about the direction of hypnosis.

The doctor was a man with a kind-looking impression.

“Hello. Ms. Lee Jeongo. You are Mr. Jung Jiheon’s spouse, right?”

“Yes. We were lovers seven years ago. After many twists and turns, we met again and got married this time. We have a seven-year-old daughter.”

“Mr. Jung Jiheon and Ms. Lee Jeongo, your daughter.”

“Yes.”

“You two seem to be destined for each other.”

The doctor spoke gently so that Jeongo could answer comfortably and without 부담 [burden/pressure, implying she can speak freely].

“When you met again, what was your first impression of Mr. Jung Jiheon?”

“I met him again as my boss at work, and he was very sharp in the beginning. I think he was especially hard on me. But even though he was sensitive, he had a kind side. He would call me separately to ask how I was doing, or he would accompany me to difficult company dinners……”

“You mean he paid special attention to you? Even though he had no memories?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever feel like Mr. Jung Jiheon was doing the same things as he did seven years ago, or that he was holding onto some memory?”

“It’s a skinship [physical affection] issue… I was a little surprised that the way he did skinship was the same. Other than that… Ah! There’s a studio apartment I used to live in. I ran into him in front of it. It seemed like Jiheon had come there while walking aimlessly. And in Jiheon’s house, there’s a room decorated similarly to my studio apartment. He said that he had a vague image in his head and that he decorated the room that way because he liked that memory. I have a picture of that room, would you like to see it?”

Jeongo took out her phone and found a picture of the last room in Jiheon’s house. The doctor, who had zoomed in on the picture to check every corner, said.

“Thank you. It would be helpful if you could send it to me too.”

The doctor also gathered detailed information about the day of the accident and the day before, what happened to Jiheon seven years ago, and his impression at that time. After a fairly long consultation, Jeongo came out of the consultation room. Now it was Jiheon’s turn.

Jiheon was guided to a more comfortable room. After Jiheon entered the room, Jeongo entered the room next to Jiheon’s. It was structured so that she could check Jiheon’s condition through a glass wall.

“How are you feeling now?”

Jiheon, who was leaning back in his chair according to the doctor’s instructions, answered. His voice was a little stiff.

“Not bad, just a little nervous.”

“Let’s loosen your shoulders a bit. Move around lightly to loosen up any stiff spots and take the most comfortable position.”

The doctor gave various instructions to help Jiheon relax. After a while, when Jiheon’s body became a little more comfortable, the doctor asked about trivial things such as the temperature of the room, the feeling of the room, the doctor’s impression, and the doctor’s voice, gradually becoming more 친밀 [intimate/familiar].

“Your body will relax. Comfortably.”

Soon, Jiheon closed his eyes.

“There’s nothing to worry about. And your spouse is nearby.”

Comfortably. Comfortably. Focusing on stabilizing Jiheon’s mind, the doctor continued to speak gently.

“If you’re ready, spread out your hand and show me your palm.”

Jiheon slowly spread out his hand. That seemingly insignificant movement seemed a little difficult. It seemed like he was fighting something inside. Nevertheless, he didn’t open his eyes. He could move his hand, but he looked like he was in a sleep state.

“Now we’re going to take a time travel to a very long time ago.”

The doctor’s gentle voice continued.

“I just graduated from high school. Who’s next to me?”

“……Friends.”

“Are there any friends you know by name?”

“Jang Hyeonsu, Jo Sooyoung, Lee Jaejeong, Jeong Seongrok, Lee Chunggu… Chae Eunyeop.”

“How do you feel?”

“Relieved.”

“Why relieved?”

“Because the long college entrance exam is over… and because I decided to become independent.”

“So you wanted to become independent from your family.”

“…….”

“Shall we go home now? Home is always the same. Right?”

The doctor gradually approached the past.

Jiheon rolled his eyes inside his eyelids and remained silent, only answering the doctor’s questions briefly. He didn’t seem to be in much pain. After a long time, the doctor was able to attempt to access the memories of seven years ago.

The doctor described the picture he had received from Jeongo and continued to speak.

“Then let’s go to a more recent time. I’m in the middle of a room. It’s a very small room, there’s a pastel-toned bed, and next to it there’s a wooden desk, and a refrigerator smaller than the desk. ……It’s my girlfriend’s studio apartment.”

At the words ‘girlfriend’s studio apartment,’ Jiheon’s fingertips twitched. A stiff expression appeared on his relaxed face. The reactions of lost memories and unlost memories were different from the start.

The lips that had been tightly closed parted. A heavy sigh escaped from between his lips.

“And if you open the desk drawer, there’s a pregnancy test.”

It felt like a dream.

A blurry pregnancy test was visible in a pinhole-sized field of vision. Jiheon frowned deeply. A short answer came out.

“……No.”

“No?”

At that moment.

Ugh.

Staggering and straightening his back, Jiheon bent over, making a retching sound. He felt like his internal organs were turning upside down, and even vomit came up.

Ugh.

“Mr. Jung Jiheon.”

Jeongo, who had been watching Jiheon from the opposite room, also got up from her seat.

The doctor also came closer and stroked Jiheon’s back.

He barely managed to suppress the nausea, but a headache rushed in. He also felt like he couldn’t breathe. He felt a bone-chilling cold that felt like it was cutting into his flesh.

His arms and legs trembled, and he curled up his back like a shrimp and held his arms tightly.

“Mr. Jung Jiheon, it’s okay. Breathe slowly. Hooo, hooo.”

The doctor tried to calm him down, but his body didn’t listen.

Even though he was clearly opening his eyes, he couldn’t see anything. It was as if someone was covering his eyes.

“Jeongo.”

He barely, 힘겹게 [with difficulty], made a voice.

“Lee Jeongo.”

The doctor urgently opened the opposite door at the desperate voice that sounded like he was about to run out of breath. Jeongo ran over and embraced Jiheon’s head. Jiheon hurriedly hugged Jeongo’s waist as if he had found something to grab onto from a cliff.

Huhuhu. Huhuhu.

It took a long time to 정리 [compose] his breathing.

“Mr. Jung Jiheon?”

The doctor, who was watching closely, asked.

“Have you ever received hypnotherapy before?”

His voice was calm, but a slightly embarrassed expression was visible.

Jiheon’s eyes widened.