A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 161

161. Did You Get Your Memory Back?

7 years ago. Jiheon’s birthday.

It was the first birthday after they started dating.

Jeong-o invited Jiheon to her house. When Jiheon arrived, Jeong-o ran out to greet him.

“Let’s go up quickly.”

Jiheon felt a tickle in his heart at Jeong-o’s urging. Expecting something on his birthday was something he had only felt when he was very young, and he felt like he was back in his childhood. Of course, he couldn’t feel like a child to the core. He was a healthy, grown man.

Jiheon felt a little guilty about his dark thoughts as he watched his girlfriend’s excited steps as she climbed the stairs.

Soon, Jeong-o opened the front door and offered her congratulations.

“Ta-da! Happy birthday, Oppa!” [Oppa is a Korean term used by a younger woman to refer to an older brother or boyfriend.]

A small table was set with a meal inside the front door. The small table was full of side dishes. The food looked delicious.

Jiheon’s eyes widened. He had cooked many dishes for Jeong-o, but he had never been fed by her. Jeong-o, who used to say that she was a disaster in the kitchen and that her mother wouldn’t even let her cook rice, couldn’t have suddenly become a culinary genius overnight.

“Did you make this?”

“My mom sent it.”

“Even the seaweed soup?”

“If you eat the seaweed soup I made, you’ll want to take back your birthday.”

“Did you tell her it was my birthday?”

“No. My mom does everything I want to eat.”

“…So your mother sent all this thinking you were going to eat it?”

“I’m going to eat everything Oppa leaves behind anyway.”

Jeong-o answered innocently. Jiheon felt dizzy. He was in a position to gratefully accept the food that his girlfriend’s mother, whom he had never met, had painstakingly prepared.

“My mom will be happy if Oppa enjoys it.”

“You didn’t tell her I was going to eat it.”

“My mom is happy when I’m happy. If Oppa enjoys it, I’ll be happy, so my mom will be happy too.”

In addition to feeling sorry for the mother he had not met, a sense of envy sprouted. There was a deep love between Jeong-o and Jeong-o’s mother that Jiheon could not hope to have. Jeong-o always had the face of a daughter who was full of love.

“Did you get a lot of congratulations from your mother and father, Oppa?”

As if she knew what Jiheon was thinking about his family’s atmosphere, Jeong-o asked about his parents. Jiheon couldn’t tell her a loving story like Jeong-o’s. There was no such affection in Jiheon’s family.

“My mother called this morning. She said happy birthday.”

Jeong-o nodded at Jiheon’s monotonous answer. There were no further questions. Jeong-o seemed to be gradually realizing that Jiheon was reluctant to talk about his family.

“Oppa, eat quickly. But I did the plating. With the best dishes in our house.”

Jiheon couldn’t help but laugh at his girlfriend’s smug expression. All the food was really delicious.

Especially the seaweed soup was the best. It was like a taste that fully conveyed the love for her daughter far away. Jiheon became sincerely grateful to Jeong-o’s mother, whom he had never met.

As they emptied the abundant lunch table, Jeong-o smiled bashfully as she took something out from under the bed.

“And Oppa, I prepared a gift too.”

There was another gift.

“Ta-da!”

Jeong-o held out a box. Jiheon opened the box with a pounding heart. And as soon as he checked the contents, he burst out laughing.

Two books. It was a gift worthy of Lee Jeong-o.

“I didn’t have enough money to buy something nice. I’ll buy you something else next week when I get my part-time job salary. But it’s a special book. My favorite book.”

“So you’re giving me the one you were reading?”

“No. I bought a new one.”

“You should give me the one you were reading. This is a replica of your favorite book.”

“No. I like the letters engraved in it.”

Jiheon teased Jeong-o for fun, making a playfully sulky face. Jeong-o, who had become sullen at the expression, drooped her shoulders and got up from her seat.

“Okay. I’ll exchange it for you.”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Why?”

“You wrote something here.”

On the very first page of the book, there was Jeong-o’s handwriting. He liked the few lines Jeong-o wrote more than the contents of the book.

“Thank you. You don’t have to buy me anything else.”

A smile of satisfaction spread across Jeong-o’s face, which had been on the verge of tears. Jiheon’s hand moved on its own because he loved her so much. Jeong-o’s eyes tensed up as the large hand that wrapped around her cheek slowly tickled her chin.

“…Huh? Why?”

“A reward for the gift.”

“…”

“You gave me your favorite thing, so I have to repay you too.”

“No, Jeong Jiheon. Why are you being so lewd?”

Jeong-o’s faint criticism was soon buried in Jiheon’s lips.

From broad daylight. As if he had deliberately received a gift in order to reciprocate it.

For Jiheon, his birthday was a good day to express his feelings explicitly. After having a girlfriend, Jiheon was always in that kind of mood whenever his girlfriend was next to him.

But no matter how eager he was, he would not have done anything if she did not want it.

“But Jeong-o.”

Jiheon, who had briefly removed his heated lips, called Jeong-o, fidgeting with his hand inside her T-shirt.

“Did you buy new underwear?”

“…How did you know that?”

“I can tell just by touching it.”

At Jiheon’s answer, all of Jeong-o’s exposed skin turned red. Jiheon quickly recognized the change as well.

“Thank you.”

“No, what are you thanking me for?”

Jeong-o’s flustered voice was once again devoured by Jiheon. Her short breaths wriggled and became entangled in his breath.

It was the happiest birthday for Jiheon.

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

4 a.m. Jiheon woke up from his sleep.

His mother was also fast asleep, so Jiheon quietly left the hospital room.

The world was still dark. But Jiheon’s mind was clear and refreshed, as if the old fog had cleared. His heart was pounding so hard that he couldn’t get behind the wheel right away.

Jiheon calmed himself down and drove after a long time. Jiheon headed to Jaegwang and Youngmi’s house, his parents’ house.

The caretaker was also surprised by Jiheon’s sudden visit. Jiheon moved carefully, making sure not to wake the others in the house.

The place he was looking for was the warehouse where he kept his old belongings. He had once rummaged through this place to find his cell phone that he had used 7 years ago. He remembered inadvertently passing by two books at that time.

‘I found it.’

It wasn’t difficult to find the books he had passed by again. Jiheon opened the book cover with a fluttering heart.

「Oppa, happy birthday!

My heart wants to pick the stars and the moon for you, but I’m sorry that I only have two books.

But you’ll be able to find stars and moons in the books instead.

I’ll buy you more books later when I make a lot of money.

Happy, happy birthday!」

Jiheon’s eyes welled up at Jeong-o’s simple handwriting.

Lee Jeong-o kept her promise to make a lot of money and buy more books.

Such a lovely person.

As if worried that the process of him regaining his memory would be painful, she didn’t say anything. She consistently threw hints, but she didn’t deliberately bring up past stories. She didn’t stimulate him.

His memory didn’t come back in a flash, like a flash of light. It didn’t come suddenly and without warning one day either.

It was thanks to Jeong-o’s patience, who firmly believed that his memory would return someday and watched over him with the same love as 7 years ago. It was thanks to the peace of mind and comfort she had given him all along.

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

Early dawn.

Jiheon returned home and carefully opened the middle door. The sensor light turned on as he took off his shoes and entered the house. He heard footsteps at the sign.

Jeong-o ran out.

“Were you awake?”

“No. I fell asleep in the living room.”

Jeong-o replied as if it were nothing. She couldn’t rest comfortably in bed and fell asleep on the living room sofa while waiting for Jiheon. Jiheon felt sorry for her. He had called her last night and told her he would be late.

“I told you I’d be late.”

“I slept well. It’s okay. But why were you late? Did something happen?”

Jeong-o lightly brushed off Jiheon’s nagging and asked urgently.

“Did you talk to your mother?”

What happened? Did the conflict resolve itself? Why is it so late? Jeong-o became worried because Jiheon didn’t mention his mother.

Jiheon reflected again on Jeong-o’s innocent eyes.

He leaned over and hugged Jeong-o tightly. Emotions overflowed and his breath became hot.

The head and heart that remembered 7 years ago hesitated to say which words to say first.

Like Lee Jeong-o 7 years ago, who burst into tears at the Korean language coming from a land full of English, he felt like he was about to burst into tears.

He carefully told her the story she was curious about.

“My mother said she was sorry.”

“And Oppa accepted it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good job. Good job.”

“I got an apology first.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Jeong-o was pleased and happy as if it were her own business, hiding the trembling end of her words.

“I’m glad. I’m really glad. You must be tired. Sleep a little more.”

“Okay. Let’s sleep together.”

Jiheon decided to put Jeong-o to sleep first, so he left her arms and went to the bathroom.

Jeong-o stared blankly at Jiheon’s back, then picked up the coat Jiheon had taken off. But somehow the pocket was bulging. She tilted her head and put her hand into the pocket.

“Huh. What is this?”

There was a tangerine in the pocket. There was also a tangerine in the other pocket.

Jeong-o chuckled at the thought of the old days.

7 years ago, Jeong-o would occasionally put chocolates or candies in Jiheon’s coat pocket. And on the last day they met, she put a tangerine in it.

‘Did he get some of his memory back? Or is it just a coincidence?’

Jiheon remembered some of November 2nd and November 3rd 7 years ago through hypnosis. But he didn’t even remember that she had put a tangerine in his pocket. There was no regret. Jeong-o was proud and happy that he had remembered that much.

She doesn’t have great greed. It would be nice if his memory came back, but it didn’t matter if it didn’t come back as it is.

‘Ah, but I’m excited. I’m just excited.’

But unlike her firm heart, her heart was pounding when she found the tangerine in his pocket. Jeong-o shook her head.

In the meantime, she found an envelope on the spot where his coat was placed. It was a thick envelope. Judging from the thickness and folded marks of the envelope, it must have contained a book. Jeong-o picked up the envelope, glanced inside, and put it back down.

‘Uh?’

But after a while, she picked up the envelope again.

The cover of a book she knew well was faintly visible inside the envelope.

No way.

Her pulse quickened like the heartbeat of Sim Kung [Korean slang for a heart-fluttering feeling] that she had heard in the hospital. She put her hand into the envelope and checked the book.

Thornton Wilder’s 「Our Town」. And…….

They were the books she had given Jiheon as a birthday present 7 years ago.

Jeong-o turned the pages with trembling fingertips. The writing she had written 7 years ago was still on the first page.

Haa.

Her throat was choked with the welcome writing.

Did her mother give it to him? Or did he find it?

Then she heard a voice from behind.

“The reason I didn’t let you drink was because you were pretty.”

The movement of stroking the letters on the first page of the book stopped. Jiheon, who had returned, hugged Jeong-o from behind. She felt a hot breath over her shoulder. Her face also became hot.

“Because you’re pretty, I was afraid that someone would steal you when I wasn’t around, and that I would act impulsively when I was around.”

Jeong-o slowly turned her body and faced Jiheon.

She couldn’t hide her trembling voice. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“……Did you get your memory back?”

Instead of answering, he stretched his lips into a long smile.

Kyaaaa!

Forgetting that it was still dawn, Jeong-o screamed and hugged Jiheon’s neck.