A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 178

178. [Extra] The Children Grow Up Too Fast (2)

Everyone paused, noticing Yena’s reaction.

Only then did Jeong-oh understand the problem.

Jin-seo had warned her before her second child was born that the firstborn often feels as though a husband has brought home another woman when a sibling arrives.

Moreover, Guk-soon had mentioned that morning that Yena was upset because her mom hadn’t called.

Jeong-oh had been careful not to hurt Yena’s feelings right up until she brought the baby into the hospital room, but she’d forgotten everything the moment the baby started wailing.

“Oh, right. Yes. Okay. I’ll put her down.”

Flustered, Jeong-oh quickly placed the baby back in the bassinet. The baby’s loud crying made her anxious. She felt she should hold her; that seemed the only way to stop the crying.

Fortunately, her mother understood her daughter’s anxious heart. Guk-soon picked up the baby and soothed her instead. In her grandmother’s arms, the baby’s crying gradually subsided, and Yena’s stiff expression soon relaxed.

“Princess Yena!”

Jeong-oh, who had been momentarily flustered, called Yena with open arms. Yena ran to her and hugged her mother.

“I’m sorry Mom couldn’t call yesterday.”

As soon as her mother apologized, Yena couldn’t stay angry any longer.

“It’s okay. And Mom, Yena made this.”

“What is it?”

“A letter. Because today is Parents’ Day.”

Parents’ Day. The touching words flushed Jeong-oh’s face. She unfolded the letter. The neat, carefully pressed handwriting brought tears to her eyes.

– Mom, thank you for loving me. Dad, thank you for being Yena’s dad. I love you both.

“Mom, and this flower!”

Before Jeong-oh could reread the letter, Yena held out a paper flower.

“Did Yena make it?”

“Yes! I made it at school yesterday. Put it on quickly.”

With the attention, Yena’s eyes sparkled with renewed vitality.

However, Jeong-oh hesitated to pin the paper flower on her chest. Holding the baby with a paper flower on her chest, she worried the rough edges might scratch the baby.

Ji-heon, without a second thought, had already pinned his paper flower on his chest, simply happy because Yena had made it for him.

Right. She couldn’t disappoint Yena.

Jeong-oh also pinned the paper flower on her chest.

Seeing the carnations on her mom and dad’s chests, Yena smiled contentedly. Now, she felt like she could give love to her younger sibling too.

“Grandma, I want to hold the baby too.”

“Does our puppy want to hold her little sibling?”

At the welcoming response, Guk-soon sat Yena down. Yena received the baby from her grandmother’s arms.

“The baby can’t hold her head up on her own yet, so you have to support her neck like this. Can you do it?”

Yena became cautious with Guk-soon’s careful words and actions. Afraid of dropping her, Yena held her breath in the position her grandmother had shown her.

“How is it, holding your little sister?”

Ji-heon asked.

The answer came a while later.

“…Warm.”

“And?”

“It’s fun.”

“What’s fun?”

“The way her lips move like a fool.”

The baby, constantly turning her head to the side and wiggling her lips, was amusing.

“Your sister is hungry and looking for something to eat.”

Ji-heon told her the reason. Yena nodded as if she understood. Ji-heon seized the opportunity to ask Yena for permission.

“Can the baby go to Mom now? Can Yena hand her over to Mom?”

“Yes.”

Yena, with Ji-heon’s help, carefully stood up while holding the baby. The little sister in her arms was passed over to her mother. Although she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart as her mother held the baby tightly, it was better than the initial shock.

* * * * * * *

Jeong-oh decided to have postpartum care at home. She thought it would be best to stay close to Yena, who was in elementary school, so she wouldn’t feel left out.

Thus, full-fledged newborn care began quickly. However, while her intentions were good, reality was very different from her ideals.

Wahhhh!

The crying of the second child, who was awake day and night, made Yena wake up and sob as well.

“Mom… It’s too loud, I can’t sleep….”

“Did our Yena wake up? Sorry, sorry.”

Jeong-oh hugged the baby and soothed her while apologizing to Yena. However, Yena whined even more sadly. Ji-heon took Yena’s hand.

“Dad will put you back to sleep, let’s go.”

“Nooo.”

She meant she wanted her mom to put her to sleep.

After the second child was born, Yena became clingy again.

Inevitably, Jeong-oh put the crying baby down and took Yena’s hand.

“Let’s go to your room. Mom will put you to sleep.”

Raising two children was hard. It was completely different from raising just one child. Moreover, since the first child was in elementary school, she would remember all of this properly.

She had to do her best not to make the first child feel neglected. Jeong-oh repeatedly despaired as she tried to be perfect. She began to fear that she wouldn’t be a good mother to both children.

* * * * * * *

Jin-seo’s house was an even more chaotic battlefield.

However, Jin-seo had long since finished worrying about the same things as Jeong-oh and had given up on many things, so she was more relaxed than Jeong-oh. She had become so relaxed that she couldn’t even check her child’s school life on time.

Jin-seo, who checked Do-bin’s online notice [school bulletin board] in the morning, quickly called Do-bin.

“Park Do-bin! You have a dictation test today. Why didn’t you tell Mom?”

The online notice stated that the homeroom teacher would select 10 out of 20 sentences that she had announced in advance last week for today’s test. It was Park Do-bin’s first test in his life.

“Huh? That?”

Do-bin answered nonchalantly, as if it were someone else’s business.

“I don’t need to do it because I don’t know what will come out.”

“You have to try everything because you don’t know what will come out!”

If only he wouldn’t talk back.

Her voice rose because of her son from the morning. After raising her voice, she quickly lost her energy.

I was really diligent. My husband was also diligent. Who did this kid take after? Is this kid really my son? The thoughts she had put aside crept back into her head.

“Park Do-bin, should I pull out some hair?”

“Why hair?”

The moment she put her hand on Do-bin’s head, wondering if she should really do a paternity test, her chest throbbed.

What if, what if this kid really isn’t my son? If he’s not my son and I have to send him back to his original home, can I do that? I raised this child? He grew up this much in my arms?

Jin-seo, who had become serious, opened her mouth heavily.

“…Do-bin. You know you were born in a very big hospital, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What if. What if. When Do-bin was a baby, you and another friend got switched at that hospital.”

“….”

“So, the mom and dad now aren’t Do-bin’s real mom and dad, but switched, and there are real mom and dad somewhere else.”

“Then where are they?”

“Huh?”

“My real mom and dad. Where do they live?”

“No. Not real, just what if.”

“Why are you talking about that?”

“So, it’s just a what if. If that’s the case, will Do-bin go to his real mom and dad?”

“Can’t I go back and forth?”

“…Why?”

“If I get scolded there, I’ll come here, and if I get scolded here, I’ll go there.”

“….”

“I can’t choose just one.”

She thought he would cling to her, saying, ‘Mom, I want to be Mom’s son, I’ll listen to you from now on,’ but her son was more realistic and rational than she thought. Rather, Jin-seo was shocked.

Do-bin seemed a little excited.

“Mom, can I tell Yena about this?”

“Tell her what?”

“That I also have real mom and dad.”

“No! I said what if!”

Seung-gyu, who had come closer, stifled a laugh at the two’s conversation.

Do-bin, who had become unnecessarily serious, tilted his head thoughtfully and asked Seung-gyu.

“Dad, did you see me coming out of Mom’s belly?”

Seung-gyu replied jokingly.

“Did I see it, did I not see it… I don’t remember….”

“Then am I not Dad’s son?”

“I guess. Did I buy you from the mart [supermarket]? I don’t remember very well.”

“How much did you pay?”

“About… was it 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD]?”

Jin-seo could only scoff at her husband’s joke, who was adding fuel to the fire instead of trying to soothe the child.

She was even more dumbfounded by her son’s reaction, who took this seriously.

“Wow! Then I can be sold for a million won [approximately $750 USD]! Then that would be good, Mom.”

“Why would I sell you!”

Jin-seo’s temper flared up from the morning because of the father and son’s banter.

“He is your son. He is Park Seung-gyu’s son.”

Jin-seo said with a deep sigh.

* * * * * * *

After class, as always, Do-bin ran to Yena.

“Yena. Let’s go home.”

But Yena was not in a good mood. Yena didn’t even pack her bag and sat still, saying gloomily.

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Why? Did you also get 50 points on the dictation test?”

“No. Because Mom doesn’t play with me.”

“….”

“Our mom only likes Yejun.”

“That’s not true. I have a younger sibling, and I know that it’s not that your mom only likes Yejun, but she takes care of Yejun more because Yejun can’t do anything yet.”

“Dad can take care of him, and Grandma can take care of him too.”

Do-bin tried to comfort her, but it was no use.

“I didn’t have a dad, but Yejun has a dad. So Mom can just be my mom.”

Dad is receiving the love that I didn’t receive, so Mom can love me a little less.

Do-bin was also choked up at Yena’s heartfelt plea, filled with tears.

He remembered what his mom had said in the morning. When Mom told him that his real mom and dad might be somewhere else, he was actually a little nervous.

He was afraid that she would take him to his real mom and dad right away. He understood that it was right to go to his real mom and dad, but he couldn’t be sure if he could love them as much as his current mom and dad.

“This is a secret, but I’ll only tell you.”

Do-bin opened his mouth in a serious voice.

“Actually, my mom and dad might not be my real mom and dad either?”

“Really? How did you know?”

“Mom told me.”

Yena’s eyes widened at Do-bin’s confession.

“Then what are you going to do? Are you going to your real mom and dad?”

Yena, who had been sobbing, finally burst into tears. It was tears of sadness at the fact that Do-bin might leave.

Do-bin was embarrassed. He was a little pleased that his girlfriend was so sad about his absence, as if he were a man with a story.

But he couldn’t keep Yena crying, so he quickly sorted out the situation.

“No, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“….”

“Your mom really loves you.”

Yena stopped crying and wiped away her tears at the story Do-bin was telling her.

“Our mom loves me this much even though she’s not real, so how much would your mom love you since she’s real. Isn’t that right?”

Do-bin’s logic was too flimsy, but on the other hand, it was plausible. Perhaps it was because Do-bin’s situation was considered more pitiful, so she was able to accept her own situation as fortunate.

“And the reason your mom is being good to Yejun now is to make Yejun listen to her later.”

Do-bin went on to tell her the secret of life. Yena’s eyes became serious.

“So you just have to bear it and be good to Yejun. You have to be good to him so he’ll listen to you later.”

It was the composure of someone who had two younger siblings.

“Just bear it for four years. Then you can make him do all the errands.”

“….”

“If you have toys you want to throw away, you can give them to him. You can also play beauty salon with Yejun’s hair.”

Do-bin carefully recited the benefits of being the firstborn.