A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 168

168. An Imperfect Day

December. The weather hadn’t been cold, so I was completely relaxed, but for some reason, snow started falling from the early hours of this morning. It wasn’t even in the weather forecast.

Looking out the window, Jeong-o’s face clouded over with worry.

It was the first snow of the season, but Jeong-o couldn’t be happy about it. When it snows, the roads get slippery, the traffic gets heavy, and people complain.

Jeong-o muttered to herself.

“We’re doomed, we’re doomed…….”

“Mom, are we doomed?”

Yena, who had woken up at some point, came to her side and asked. Yena had also woken up from a light nap. Startled, Jeong-o stammered.

“Uh, well…….”

“Because it’s snowing?”

“Yeah.”

“I like it when it snows!”

Yena shouted in an excited voice.

Right. If my daughter likes it, then it must be good.

Before she knew it, Jeong-o was thinking like Guk-soon.

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

Team Leader Seong Mi-ran, sensing that the snowfall was unusual, left home early and arrived at the wedding hall quite early.

She greeted Jeong-o, who was always pretty but looked even more beautiful today, as if she was about to ascend to heaven, and met Gi-hoon as she moved away. Gi-hoon had also arrived early.

“Team Leader, you’re here early?”

“Yeah. You have to come early to reserve a seat at a hotel wedding.”

Gi-hoon nodded silently at Mi-ran’s theory. Mi-ran’s heart ached at the sight of Gi-hoon nodding silently, when he would usually have laughed and said ‘haha’.

“Gi-hoon, don’t cry.”

“Huh? Why would I cry?”

“Just. Don’t cry.”

“Ah, Team Leader, don’t tease me.”

Gi-hoon’s face turned slightly red as he waved his hand. In the meantime, Eun-ju also arrived at the wedding hall and ran over.

Eun-ju also said a word as soon as she saw Gi-hoon.

“Gi-hoon, are you okay? You didn’t have to come.”

“Why wouldn’t I come? Of course, I had to come.”

“Here. I prepared this for Gi-hoon. A handkerchief.”

“Ah. Assistant Manager.”

“Wash it clean and return it.”

Gi-hoon sighed bitterly and accepted the handkerchief. If he kept refusing and denying it strongly, these people would obviously tease him even more.

“I didn’t think Assistant Manager Go would come, but you’re here.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You don’t like Director Lee.”

“I don’t like him, but what can I do?”

“…….”

“Capitalist society can’t be helped.”

Gi-hoon’s expression hardened at Eun-ju’s listless grumbling. Without realizing that Gi-hoon had frozen, Eun-ju said in a low voice.

“There are fewer people than I expected for a *chaebol* [family-owned conglomerate] wedding. I guess Director Lee doesn’t have any friends.”

“That’s right.”

Huh.

Eun-ju turned her head, startled by the dark voice coming from behind. Ji-heon was standing there. Even to Eun-ju, who didn’t like Ji-heon, Ji-heon looked quite handsome today. Enough to think that he would look good with Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-o.

“I don’t have many friends.”

“…….”

“So, you have to take a lot of pictures pretending to be close.”

However, Eun-ju couldn’t get used to the joke that Ji-heon was making. Eun-ju tried to escape from Ji-heon with a capitalist smile, but Ji-heon spoke again.

“Have you seen Jeong-o?”

“She’s in the bride waiting room right now. Haven’t you seen her?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“…….”

“I’m saying that Jeong-o is pretty, so if you haven’t seen her, go and see her quickly.”

……I can’t curse on this happy day!

Eun-ju suppressed the urge to scream and turned her head with a blank expression. She quickly found an escape route. She recognized Princess Yena, whom she had only heard about and seen in pictures.

“You must be Princess Yena!”

“Yes. Who are you?”

Yena, wearing a white dress and a tiara on her head, blinked her big eyes, making it feel like she was watching an animation with a princess appearing right in front of her.

Eun-ju’s voice rose as beautifully as the sound of jade beads on a silver platter. Gi-hoon, who had been slightly hardened by Ji-heon, flared his nostrils.

“She’s my mom’s coworker. Her name is Go Eun-ju.”

“Ah! Princess Assistant Manager!”

Eun-ju became even more excited when Yena showed a welcoming reaction.

“That’s right! I’m a princess too. Nice to meet you, Princess Yena!”

A meeting of princesses. A meeting of the century was achieved.

Gi-hoon couldn’t adapt to Eun-ju’s appearance as a kind older sister and couldn’t say anything.

The wedding time was approaching.

The preparation bell rang, and Ji-heon entered the bride waiting room.

Jeong-o perfectly pulled off the wedding dress even though she was four months pregnant. Of course, it was because she chose the dress well, but unlike her complaints that she had gained weight from eating so well during her pregnancy, Jeong-o was in the form of a goddess with almost no excess fat.

So much so that the groom forgot it was his own wedding and stared blankly.

Ji-heon stood still for a moment, even though he was aware that the ceremony was about to begin. His eyes grew hot. It was the scene he had imagined seven years ago. Even the feeling of being sorry for making his pregnant girlfriend wear a wedding dress was the same as back then.

It felt like he was regaining the time he had lost. Only today, it felt like he could go back to seven years ago.

“Are you ready?”

“……Hoo-oo-oo.”

At Ji-heon’s affectionate voice, Jeong-o took a long sigh with a stiff face.

A dress that wouldn’t strain *Shim-kung* [heart-fluttering]. Pretty and stable shoes. And a husband who would hold her hand and walk the wedding road together.

Everything was perfect, but she kept feeling stiff.

She had raised a child, but it was her first wedding.

It was the first event where she was the main character in front of her child.

Sensing Jeong-o’s tension, Ji-heon said.

“Shall I carry you?”

Pfft.

Jeong-o’s frozen expression melted. But Ji-heon was serious. If Jeong-o couldn’t take a single step, he felt like he could carry Jeong-o and walk bravely.

What couldn’t he do for the bride he wanted to pluck the stars and moon for?

Then, Yena waved her hand from outside the waiting room.

“Bye, Mom! I’ll go first!”

Today’s ceremony begins with Yena and Do-bin’s entrance. People exclaimed as they watched the flower girls who had taken their places at the entrance of the hall.

Jeong-o also cheered up and got up from her seat. Ji-heon took Jeong-o’s hand. After Jeong-o and Ji-heon arrived at the entrance, the ceremony began.

Amidst cheers, applause, and laughter, Yena and Do-bin, dressed beautifully, entered with a basket each. As they had practiced the day before, the two children sprinkled the petals in the baskets beautifully on the wedding road. But after five steps, Do-bin stopped.

“Huh? I don’t have any petals.”

The generous Do-bin had emptied the petal basket in three handfuls. When they practiced the day before, there were no petals in the basket, so they only pretended, so he couldn’t gauge how many times he should sprinkle the petals.

The two children stopped in their places and checked inside the baskets. People burst into laughter as they watched the children seriously looking into the baskets.

Only two people’s faces hardened palely. It was Seung-gyu and Jin-seo.

Just as Jin-seo, who was watching anxiously, was about to run after her son.

“I’ll share mine. Use it sparingly.”

Yena shared her petals with Do-bin without panicking.

People applauded as if they had made a promise as the two children calmly solved the problem. Seung-gyu and Jin-seo also simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

After the fairy-like children’s entrance ended safely, now it was the bride and groom’s entrance.

The atmosphere of the hall changed completely. All the lights except for the wedding road were turned off, and the spotlight shone on the bride and groom.

Light permeated into Jeong-o’s eyes, which had closed and opened at the sudden lighting. She could see the road she had to walk clearly. It would be very daunting if she had to walk that road alone, but she felt reassured because there was someone holding her hand next to her.

And at the end of that road, Mom, Yena, and Mother, Father.

The gazes of the four people waiting for her to walk were like another lamp.

As she walked, there was a place where the petals were clumped together. Jeong-o, who didn’t know what had happened in the hall just before, could imagine.

Did some child spill all the petals in the basket?

Did people laugh and applaud because of that?

Imagining that scene, Jeong-o could also smile.

It would be nice to be perfect, but imperfect things are also good.

In our memories, some imperfect moments remain longer than any perfect whole.

Strangely enough, imperfect days create perfect happiness.

Jeong-o thought as she stepped on the flower path made by the children. She didn’t have to wait for a flower shower anymore.

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

The wedding ended safely, but the snow didn’t stop. The snow, which had stopped briefly during the wedding, fell even more heavily.

The plane was canceled, and the honeymoon was delayed by a day.

The plane…… first class…… I was looking forward to it.

But Ji-heon smiled, saying it was even better. The reason was revealed the next day.

“Honey. Jeong-o.”

Ji-heon woke Jeong-o up at five in the morning.

“No…… what time is it…….”

Jeong-o complained, lifting her eyelids heavily. Then, a sparrow-like voice was heard.

“Mom! Wake up! Let’s go see the snow!”

Yena and Ji-heon were already up and fully armed.

Jeong-o reluctantly got up, staggering. She thought Yena had bothered her dad, but for some reason, Ji-heon looked more excited than Yena. Come to think of it, she had spent spring, summer, and fall with Ji-heon, but winter had been alone. It was her first winter, her first snow with Ji-heon.

She almost missed the happiness of the first snow because she was busy with the wedding.

The moment she dressed warmly and came out to the living room, Guk-soon’s door also opened.

“Where are you going at this early hour?”

“We’re going to see the snow. Let’s go together, Mom!”

Jeong-o coaxed Guk-soon as if she had become a child. Guk-soon chuckled as if she couldn’t help it and went back into her room to put on her coat and came out.

The apartment was still in the middle of the night.

No, it was quieter than midnight.

The whole world, where the snow had stopped, was as white and quiet as if it were covered with a white cotton blanket.

The child opened her mouth wide as she looked at the thickly piled snow.

“Wow!”

Yena moved her feet as if stamping a seal on the road that no one had stepped on. She exclaimed ‘wow’ several times as she watched her feet sink deeply.

“Dad! Look at this! My footprints are so big!”

“Are those Yena’s footprints? Didn’t a bear go by?”

“No! They’re Yena’s footprints!”

The child laughed heartily at Ji-heon’s joke and walked back. It felt like the sound of the child’s laughter remained on the snowy road where the footprints were imprinted.

I’ll let you be the first to step on the snow that has piled up overnight.

Ji-heon fulfilled his wish from seven years ago.

It was nice to see Yena and Ji-heon, who were like a puppy on a snowy day, but Jeong-o gradually felt chilly. As she gestured to go back home, Yena pointed to the clean snowfield and asked.

“Mom, can’t Yena lie down here?”

“No.”

“Whyyy.”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“Just don’t catch one.”

“Do you think the cold asks for your permission before coming? If I say no, it’s no.”

Why are children like that? Why do they want to lie on the snow?

Jeong-o couldn’t understand and cut her off, but Guk-soon muttered next to her.

“You’re just like her. Just like you.”

“No, what did I do.”

“You were like that when you were just her age.”

While Jeong-o was standing still with a shocked expression, Ji-heon persuaded Jeong-o.

“Let her do it once.”

“Hehe!”

As soon as Ji-heon showed a sign of permission, Yena plopped down on the snowfield. Jeong-o nagged again.

“You’ll freeze!”

“Dad will melt me. Do it.”

“Wow!”

Yena lay down and waved her arms and legs as if she had returned to her baby days. Then, she smiled brightly as if she was overjoyed.

“Mom, Yena is all melted.”

At that, Jeong-o also melted away.

Jeong-o pressed the phone’s shooting button and captured Yena and Ji-heon, whose noses were red, in one frame. Guk-soon, who glanced at the photo, said.

“They’re just alike.”

“I know. They look so much alike.”

“You’re the same too. All three of you are the same.”

“Then Mom is the same too. Because Mom is the same as me.”

Guk-soon burst into laughter at Jeong-o’s retort.

In the meantime, Ji-heon put his coat over Jeong-o’s shoulders. The warmth that Ji-heon had been holding was transferred to Jeong-o.

Jeong-o thought that right now was the most beautiful moment in her life.

End of main story.