A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 121

121. Love Is Never Enough

It must have been when I was nine.

Jihun, an ordinary child who loved playing Go, chose the school’s Go gifted class instead of private tutoring. All grades from 1st to 6th grade took the class together, and there was only one boy his age.

Yoo Su-il. He was a cheerful and smart friend with a fair and handsome face.

Jihun became quite close to Su-il. The Go gifted class met once a week, but they often hung out after school. And one day, he went to Su-il’s house.

It was a small place, just one room and a living room. The living room was tiny, about the size of Jihun’s bathroom.

Su-il showed Jihun a Go board, who seemed a bit awkward. A large signature was engraved on the Go board.

“Look at this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s Lee Kang-ho 9-dan’s [highest rank in Go] signature. Don’t you know him?”

Su-il mentioned the name of the professional Go player who was ranked No. 1 in the world at the time and had made Korea a powerhouse in Go.

“Is this Lee Kang-ho 9-dan’s signature?”

“Yeah! My mom waited in front of the tournament hall for hours to get it.”

Su-il said proudly.

‘Mom waited in front of the tournament hall to get the signature?’ Jihun’s eyes widened. It was something Jihun couldn’t imagine.

“This is now our family heirloom. My mom said so.”

“Why is someone else’s signature your family heirloom?”

“Because he’s that important.”

“…….”

“I’m going to be the best Go player in the world like Lee Kang-ho 9-dan,” Su-il said confidently. It was admirable and enviable to see him confidently speaking about his dream at such a young age.

“What about you? Are you going to be a Go player too?”

Su-il asked.

“Yeah. I want to do that too.”

Jihun nodded lightly. In fact, he didn’t have any dreams, but he said that because he liked his friend’s enthusiasm.

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

Jihun was lost in thought, recalling a memory from 20 years ago.

A friend who was quite close at one time but whose mother wouldn’t allow them to play together often.

‘I wonder what that friend is doing now. I don’t think he became a Go player.’

“This Go board? A police officer gave it to me. As a housewarming gift.”

Yena answered Jihun’s question about where the Go board came from.

“The police officer who lived next door?”

“Yeah! Dad, this is not an ordinary Go board, it’s a Go board signed by the Go player who has won the most championships in Korea.”

Yena explained to her father as Bae Il had told her before.

“The police officer gave you something very precious?”

“Yeah! That’s right.”

Jihun stroked the signature on the Go board once again. There was only a signature on the Go board, and no date was written. It was a signature that he didn’t know when it was made.

‘That can’t be.’

Jihun smiled wryly, feeling ridiculous for even thinking of his childhood friend.

‘It must be one of the many signatures a professional Go player makes when they reach the top. He must have signed thousands and tens of thousands of signatures while he was active, so it’s just one of them.’

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

Late at night, Eun-yeop received a call on his way to his parents’ house. It was CEO Ham Dae-geun.

“Yes, CEO.”

[I thought you’d be waiting, so I called.]

Dae-geun’s voice was quite bright. It seemed that he was satisfied with the blind date with Eun-bi.

“Was it okay? I was wondering if our Eun-bi made any mistakes.”

[Mistakes? She only showed me a very pretty and charming side.]

Eun-yeop secretly sighed in relief.

[It’s a bit early, but I’d like to meet her again with the intention of marriage.]

“I think that would be welcome news for Eun-bi too.”

[Was Chae Eun-bi’s reaction okay too?]

“Of course. It was good.”

Eun-yeop hadn’t contacted Eun-bi yet, but he lied smoothly.

[Oh, it didn’t look like that when I saw her in person.]

“My sister is a bit shy.”

[I see. Anyway, that’s a relief.]

Dae-geun expressed his sincere joy. Eun-yeop reminded Dae-geun of the subsequent steps.

“How about contacting Eun-bi directly around tomorrow? I’d recommend that you reschedule your date.”

[I barely made time for the blind date. My schedule is packed… but I have to make time even if I have to force it. I can’t get married after seeing her once. Hahaha.]

Eun-yeop also laughed at Dae-geun’s hearty laughter, even though he didn’t find it particularly funny.

[Anyway, please take care of me. If the relationship continues well, you’ll be my brother-in-law by the end of the year.]

“It makes me feel good just to hear you say that. I’ll support you both too.”

Eun-yeop politely gave his best wishes and hung up the phone.

He arrived at his parents’ house around the time he finished the call. Eun-yeop went to his father’s study.

“Father.”

“Yes.”

Chae Seo-bok, the father of Chae Eun-yeop and Chae Eun-bi, was a reappointed Supreme Court Justice who had been in the Supreme Court for nine years.

Two years ago, he showed his desire to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but he was waiting for the right opportunity. He had ambitions to enter politics after retiring this year, leaving his term.

Eun-yeop supported his father’s ambitions.

“The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is about to resign. He said he has cancer.”

“…Is that so?”

“The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said he would recommend me to the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president], what do you think?”

Eun-yeop was surprised by the unexpected news.

Since the Supreme Court Justice requires morality and integrity, Chae Seo-bok had not been able to build public awareness. That’s why Chairman Jung Jae-gwang was needed.

Chairman Jung Jae-gwang of the Seryun Group was the most respected conglomerate chairman in Korea, and marrying his daughter through a love marriage with such a person would be Seo-bok’s pride. He was trying to enter politics with that momentum.

“It’s a pity that I have to give up the general election next year, but I’ve already broken up with Chairman Jung Jae-gwang.”

Seo-bok expressed his complicated feelings. Eun-yeop, who had finished thinking, conveyed his opinion.

“It may take longer to enter politics, but the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court seems to be a good way to gain recognition.”

“What recognition does the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court have?”

Seo-bok scoffed. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the third-highest position in the Korean order of precedence. He receives the highest protocol after the President and the Speaker of the National Assembly, but people don’t know it well. In fact, an individual minister or an individual member of the National Assembly is much more popular with civilians.

“It depends on what you do. I think it would be good to prepare a lot of remarks that can touch the hearts of the public at the 인사청문회 [confirmation hearing].”

Seo-bok stroked his chin at Eun-yeop’s idea.

“You can serve as a great Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who will be remembered in history for a few years, and you don’t have to be a member of the National Assembly, you can get nominated and go straight to the Blue House. Of course, you don’t have to complete your term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.”

Seo-bok laughed heartily at Eun-yeop’s clever suggestion. If it were to be like that, it would be the best choice.

Seo-bok, who laughed moderately, asked about his daughter’s well-being.

“How’s Eun-bi?”

“She met Ham Dae-geun, the president of Daegeun Corporation, today. Ham Dae-geun likes Eun-bi.”

“Ham Dae-geun. He’s aggressive, but he knows how to keep his manners. What does Eun-bi say?”

“I don’t think she hates it.”

“Try to persuade her well. It will be good for her.”

“Yes.”

“You can’t buy happiness with money, but it’s true that the more you have, the happier you become.”

Eun-yeop nodded greatly at Seo-bok’s theory. Eun-yeop had always felt inferior to those who were richer than him. He had the greatest honor, but he deeply sympathized with Seo-bok because he had often been frustrated because his financial situation was not good.

‘In fact, the second generation of chaebols [family-owned conglomerates] are just stupid people with a lot of money.’

Eun-yeop thought that he and his father, who were smart and doing good things for society, should be the most successful people in the world.

“If I become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I have to act more cleanly. Maybe you’ll be frustrated too.”

“Father, pursue honor. Leave the fundraising to me.”

Eun-yeop answered firmly. He had a good reason to marry Eun-bi off quickly.

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

“I’m home.”

Jeong-oh returned home after finishing her overtime work. As always, Yena ran to greet her.

“Mommy!”

“Princess Yena!”

When she picked up Yena, Guk-soon and Ji-hun also approached. It was a new scene that she had to face today.

“Did you have dinner?”

Ji-hun asked today what Guk-soon always asked first.

“Yes.”

“With whom?”

The aspect of the following question was different, though.

Jeong-oh couldn’t answer because she had dinner with Deputy Manager Kwak Dong-jae, who had just arrived today.

“Mom, the doll burst. Sew it up.”

As if she noticed Jeong-oh’s difficult situation, Yena urgently requested.

“Oh, the doll burst? Mom will sew it up. Let’s go!”

Jeong-oh quickly took Yena’s hand and headed to Yena’s room.

The doll Yena was talking about was a kangaroo doll that Jeong-oh bought while on a business trip to Australia.

“Where’s the baby kangaroo?”

“It’s with the koala.”

“Bring all the torn dolls. I’ll sew them all up.”

Following her mother’s orders, Yena moved diligently. Among the dolls she brought while moving, some were torn. Jeong-oh sewed each stitch and reshaped the dolls.

Yena put the baby kangaroo doll in and out of the pocket of the well-sewn kangaroo doll and said to Jeong-oh.

“Mom, Dobin is going to have a sibling. Then Dobin will have two siblings.”

“Does it look good? How is it?”

“Dobin says it’s hard to take care of his siblings. But I was a little envious.”

“Why were you envious?”

“Because I thought it would be more fun to play with a sibling.”

“Does Yena want to have a sibling too?”

“Yes.”

Yena answered right away as if she had been waiting.

“Will Yena be nice to her sibling if she has one?”

“Yes. Yena will love her a lot.”

“Wouldn’t you be upset if Mom only takes care of her sibling?”

“Mom can take care of Yena too.”

“Still. You might feel like Yena is being deprived of love.”

Yena slowly nodded at her mother’s assumption.

“It’s okay to love my sibling.”

“…….”

“But you can’t share Yena’s love.”

“…….”

“I hope you love my sibling too, and love Yena a lot.”

Because love is never enough, no matter how much you receive.

Yena’s greedy and sincere answer penetrated deep into Jeong-oh’s heart.

‘I think I’m going to announce my marriage soon. I had no idea whether the aftermath would be big or small. It was something that required a firm mental preparation, and I had to take care of Yena before that. I haven’t finished my homework yet.’

Ji-hun was seen peeking in front of the door. Jeong-oh briefly gestured to Ji-hun and started talking.

“Yena, you have to change your name now. Now Yena will be Jeong Yena, not Lee Yena.”

Yena couldn’t say anything and looked at her mother, surprised by the unexpected topic.

“Because Dad is Jeong Ji-hun, our Yena will also be Jeong Yena. Just like Dobin is Park Dobin because he follows his father’s last name.”

“…….”

“Do you understand?”

Yena recalled what the police officer had said. She realized that changing her name meant this.

“Is that how everyone does it?”

“Yes. Everyone does that. And when Yena’s sibling is born, Yena’s sibling will be like that too.”

“Is it because Mom doesn’t want to be Lee Yena’s mom?”

The child was about to cry.

“Even if I become Jeong Yena, will you still be by my side?”

“Of course.”

Jeong-oh answered reliably to the question that seemed somehow uneasy.

‘She won’t be able to throw away the seven years she lived as ‘Lee Yena’ right away. When the child comes back from outside and doesn’t wash her hands, when she insists on eating ice cream, when she laughs without sleeping, Jeong-oh will sometimes habitually call her ‘Lee Yena’.’

‘Yena will also be like that. When someone calls ‘Lee Yena’, she will suddenly answer or flinch and turn around.’

“Mom will always be by our Yena’s side. As long as Yena wants me to be there, for the rest of her life if Yena wants. Mom will be by Yena’s side forever.”

Jeong-oh pulled her daughter, who was rubbing her sparkling eyes, close and hugged her tightly.

“Mom can’t be separated from you.”

My pretty love.

“From the moment you were born, no, even longer before that, we were destined.”

My angel. I love you forever.