A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 134

134. It Won’t Be Long Now

As soon as Jae-kwang left the conference room, he pressed the call button.

“Grandpa!”

The child’s adorable voice sent a tingling vibration through his heart.

“Yes, my granddaughter! Have you eaten?”

The eyes of the secretary standing next to Jae-kwang widened. Jae-kwang’s voice, talking to his granddaughter, seemed to have risen an octave.

*Such a light voice from our solemn, dignified, and serious Chairman.* It was so weightless that she was worried Jae-kwang’s body might float away with his voice.

Of course, Jae-kwang didn’t care whether the secretary was surprised or not.

“I ate lunch, but I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

“Okay. You should eat soon. Why did our princess call?”

“Grandpa, I ate all the candy.”

“You ate it all?”

“Yes.”

“Good job. Grandpa will make you more. Should I make them in animal shapes this time?”

“Yes!”

“What animal should I make?”

“A kangaroo!”

Kangaroo. *Kangaroo received.* [Meaning: He acknowledges the request.]

Its appearance was difficult, but there was nothing he couldn’t make. It was an opportunity to show that he was qualified to be the grandfather of a baby Picasso.

“Okay. Grandpa will make you more, so tell your mom and come visit again. Okay?”

“Yes! Goodbye, Grandpa!”

Already hanging up?

The call was short. The granddaughter, having delivered her message, said goodbye coolly.

Jae-kwang also didn’t want to be remembered as a clingy grandfather, so he accepted it right away.

“Okay, okay. Our princess, have a delicious dinner!”

“Yes!”

With a hearty reply, the phone hung up. Jae-kwang stared blankly at his phone. The end of the happy call was the beginning of another long wait.

* * * * * *

Eun-yeop was troubled by the employee from the genetics lab. He kept contacting her, saying it would be better to quit the company because he was being pressured, and that she should take responsibility for his livelihood since he was harmed because of her.

Eun-yeop had set aside funds separately for the genetics lab employee. She had to be careful because it was something she couldn’t reveal even to Ham Dae-geun.

The fact that Eun-bi and her friend had received a complaint was also a troublesome matter. She shouldn’t make any noise until her father received his appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but even a trivial complaint could become fodder for reporters.

In the end, Eun-yeop decided she would have to visit Ji-heon.

As she entered the lobby of the Max Planning building, Ham Dae-geun called. Eun-yeop answered the phone cheerfully.

“Yes, CEO.”

“Lawyer, are you busy?”

“I’m busy, but I always have time to take your call, CEO. What is it?”

“I can’t get in touch with Eun-bi. She hasn’t answered her phone for days. I was wondering if she might be sick, so I called.”

“Ah…”

Eun-yeop dragged out her voice. She saw Ji-heon passing by in the distance. It seemed he was returning to the company after finishing an external schedule.

“I think she’s not feeling well. I’ll tell her to call you.”

Eun-yeop quickly hung up and ran to Ji-heon.

“Ji-heon.”

At Eun-yeop’s call, Ji-heon turned his head.

The look of disgust, as if looking at something less than a bug, grated on Eun-yeop’s nerves. Although she was seething inside, Eun-yeop smiled.

“I heard the news. Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Just as Ji-heon, who had snapped briefly, was about to turn his head, Eun-yeop grabbed him again.

“You know Eun-bi is having a hard time these days, right? But she even received a complaint, so she’s a mess. I heard Eun-bi’s friend also received a complaint, and Eun-bi said she’s so stressed from both sides that she wants to die.”

Like a swan paddling madly underwater, it wasn’t easy to maintain an elegant and dignified appearance on the outside while secretly doing behind-the-scenes work. Eun-yeop decided to suppress her pride for a while, focusing only on one goal.

“If you push Eun-bi too hard, it might look like you still have feelings for her. Let’s just think of it as a happening and move on. We still have old feelings for each other, right? Huh?”

“I also considered our old feelings and only filed two complaints for now. I’ll have to watch from now on.”

Ji-heon also smiled at Eun-yeop’s persuasion. That arrogant smile, from someone who had reigned from above since birth and had never seen the dirty side of the world, irritated Eun-yeop.

“Have fun wandering around in the meantime. Do a lot of things you want to do.”

“…….”

“Our country’s laws need a lot of time to catch a villain like you, so you’re still walking around the world, but that won’t be for long now.”

Ji-heon’s words were meaningful. It gave her a chilling thought that Jung Ji-heon might also be hiding a submarine somewhere and quietly working underwater, just like Eun-yeop was paddling desperately. Eun-yeop’s fist clenched tightly below her waist.

* * * * * *

Eun-bi was lying still at home. She had turned off her phone, so she had nothing to fidget with, and she just stared blankly at the baby’s ultrasound photo she had received from the hospital.

It was amazing that a tiny thing, 2.5cm, not even two finger joints, was dominating her body and mind. She resented that it had taken its place in her body without permission, but she also felt sorry for it because it was a life.

Too small, the child could not decide its own fate. Eun-bi was the only person who could choose the child’s life or death.

As she was caught up in various thoughts, she heard the doorbell ring. She ignored it at first because she wasn’t expecting anyone, but soon the sound of knocking on the door became so loud that she got up.

“Chae Eun-bi, I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

“Huh.”

It was Ham Dae-geun’s voice. He had come without any notice. Well, she had turned off her phone, so it couldn’t be helped.

Eun-bi didn’t want to open the door, but she thought her neighbors would complain, so she had no choice but to open it. But she couldn’t hide her displeasure.

“CEO, what brings you here so suddenly…”

Dae-geun strode inside without even greeting her. He was different from the way she had seen him so far. The gentle attitude from before was nowhere to be found. Eun-bi was nervous because Dae-geun’s fierce expression was scary, but she shouted, wanting to be respected.

“Even if we’re getting married, this is rude!”

“What? Rude? Rude?”

Dae-geun, who had been looking around, shouted at Eun-bi with bloodshot eyes.

“I thought something was strange.”

Dae-geun took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to Eun-bi. It was Eun-bi’s hospital record. He had done a background check because he was suspicious that he couldn’t reach Eun-bi.

“How… how could you do this?”

Eun-bi also retorted in disbelief. Dae-geun turned to Eun-bi, then discovered the photo stuck under the pillow behind Eun-bi.

“Ah…!”

Eun-bi tried to stop him, but she couldn’t overcome Dae-geun’s rough strength.

Dae-geun picked up the photo. Eun-bi’s eyes turned white.

A photo with Eun-bi’s name, the fetus’s gestational age and size, and the fetus’s appearance. The undeniable existence of the child.

Dae-geun said, trembling,

“Erase it immediately.”

That was Ham Dae-geun’s pure heart. It was the greatest consideration he could give. He couldn’t bring himself to break off the marriage. Chae Eun-bi’s beauty and refinement, including the excellent members of Chae Eun-bi’s family, was something Dae-geun could not have in this life.

Also, if Chae Eun-bi’s father became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he would get back several times his investment. So he couldn’t give up the marriage.

“Do you even know how much I’ve invested in you? Huh?”

“…….”

“Erase it immediately.”

Dae-geun took the hospital records and the fetal photo and left Eun-bi’s house. Eun-bi felt pain in her lower abdomen from the sudden shock and collapsed to the floor.

* * * * * *

Eun-yeop’s office.

Eun-yeop, who felt even more bitter after meeting Ji-heon, tapped on the PC keyboard but stopped several times. She couldn’t stand being annoyed by Jung Ji-heon. The thought of that look that regarded her as less than a bug kept making her angry.

In the meantime, Ham Dae-geun came to the office. Eun-yeop stood up awkwardly.

“CEO, what brings you here at this hour…”

Dae-geun, who burst into the office, grabbed Eun-yeop by the collar without warning.

“You’re pushing a pregnant woman onto me?”

Eun-yeop was also very nervous at Dae-geun’s face, which was red and purple, as if he was about to cut off someone’s breath right away.

“I think there’s some misunderstanding, CEO.”

“What misunderstanding! I went and checked everything!”

Dae-geun threw Eun-bi’s medical records, which he had investigated, and the fetal photo he had brought from Eun-bi’s house, all at once onto the floor of Eun-yeop’s office.

Eun-yeop was also thrown onto the office floor.

Eun-yeop picked up the paper, touching the floor with trembling hands. It was a photo of a 9-week-old fetus.

“What? 9 weeks pregnant? You creepy things.”

Her sister said she took the medicine, but she didn’t. Maybe she was planning to deceive him into thinking it was Ham Dae-geun’s child. Eun-yeop was also speechless at her sister’s ignorant behavior.

“No wonder she dragged me into her bed. She must have been planning to put another guy’s baby in her and pretend it was mine. That’s why you were all so impatient. Huh?”

“…….”

“How much did you look down on me…”

“No, CEO. It’s not like that.”

Eun-yeop pleaded with Dae-geun without being able to get up from the floor. If she didn’t hold on to Dae-geun now, she couldn’t guarantee the future of her family.

“What do you mean it’s not?”

“I’m talking about the honor of our family!”

“…….”

“Eun-bi will have surgery. Eun-bi is just scared right now.”

Eun-yeop slowly got up, watching Dae-geun’s expression.

“These days, surgery is common. It’s safe, and it doesn’t affect future pregnancies at all. You know that too, CEO.”

“…….”

“You have to understand, CEO. She’s a pitiful and unfortunate child.”

Eun-yeop pleaded with tearful eyes. Anyone could see that she was an older brother struggling because he felt sorry for his sister’s situation.

Dae-geun’s eyebrows furrowed. Gradually controlling his excited breathing, Dae-geun looked at Eun-yeop.

“She was taken advantage of. My sister was taken advantage of.”

“Who…”

“Who else would it be? You know it too, CEO. The guy who made my sister a social outcast and had an affair with another woman and started a family.”

Dae-geun’s eyes widened at Eun-yeop’s earnest expression, which had not been able to dispel his suspicion.

*That gigolo-like guy.*

Before deciding to marry, Dae-geun had completed a background check on Chae Eun-bi. He was bothered by the fact that she had been dating Jung Ji-heon, the second son of the CEO of Seryun Group, for a long time. But recently, there were rumors that it wasn’t a romantic relationship.

He was uncomfortable with the rumors, the truth of which he could not know, but Dae-geun decided to marry anyway because Chae Eun-bi was so pretty and Chae Eun-bi’s family was excellent.

On the one hand, he compromised with reality, thinking that it didn’t make sense for a pretty thirty-year-old woman to have no past at all.

But pregnancy was another matter.

Confirming Dae-geun’s expression, who had completely fallen for his sob story, Eun-yeop confirmed a glimmer of hope.

Eun-yeop’s eyes lit up.

*This could be an opportunity!*

“Jung Ji-heon. That’s how disgusting that guy is.”

An opportunity to tear apart Jung Ji-heon’s life.