A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 104

104. When the Child Runs to Me

It was noon at Jung-oh’s house, in the bathroom.

The bathroom didn’t have a separate shower stall, and it took a while for the hot water to come through. Holding the showerhead, ready to wash, Ji-heon felt stiffness all over his body. Sleeping on a bed all the time seemed to have taken its toll.

His body was stiff, but his heart was as warm as the hot water now flowing. Ji-heon carefully washed himself, making sure the temporary tattoo on his wrist didn’t come off.

After his shower, the savory smell of seaweed soup filled the house.

“Come and eat quickly, Yena’s dad,” Guk-soon called.

Ji-heon answered and sat at the table, and Yena immediately moved to sit next to him.

Jung-oh, coming out of her room, scolded Yena sharply. “Lee Yena, eat by yourself in the morning. You know Mom and Dad are both busy.”

Yena had been about to ask her dad to feed her. Caught red-handed by her mom reading her mind, she pouted.

But Ji-heon put a side dish on Yena’s rice bowl. “Yena can eat, and Dad will put the side dishes on. Right?”

Yena nodded vigorously at Ji-heon’s kind offer.

Hmph. A father and daughter lovey-dovey scene from morning, huh?

Jung-oh, feeling sulky, sat next to Guk-soon and said in a whiny voice. “Mom, Jung-oh needs side dishes too.”

Guk-soon, watching her thirty-year-old daughter’s *aegyo* [acting cute or innocent], put a meat dish on Jung-oh’s rice bowl.

“Eat. Eat a lot, our pig.”

“Why am I a pig? Yena is a puppy, but why am I a pig? And why are you giving me pig dishes while calling me a pig?”

Even while complaining, Jung-oh gobbled up the side dishes Guk-soon gave her.

Yena giggled and explained the situation to Ji-heon. “Dad, we have nicknames in our house. Mom is a pig, and Yena is a puppy.”

His back ached from sleeping, he had to wait a long time for hot water, and there was no elevator and only one bathroom, but the first morning at Jung-oh’s house was really nice.

A warm breakfast prepared by his mother-in-law, and the chirping of a baby bird, her constant chatter.

Jung-oh’s *aegyo* towards her mom, which was hard to see when they were alone, and her mother’s charisma, not even changing her expression at such displays.

Everything was interesting, and Ji-heon’s eyes wandered around the place. He hoped he could adapt to this environment as soon as possible.

Yena was even more delighted than Ji-heon. After the meal, she ran around the house, asking if she was living with her dad now, and got scolded by Jung-oh a few times. Ji-heon told Yena that they would live together soon.

Yena didn’t let go of Ji-heon’s hand until she got on the kindergarten bus.

“Dad, are you coming again this evening?”

“Of course. I have to come see Yena later.”

“Okay. See you later.”

Waving her hand, Yena pulled Ji-heon’s arm. Ji-heon bent down, and Yena brought her hands to her mouth, indicating she wanted to whisper. Ji-heon bent his legs and sat in front of Yena.

“If I send you a text, you have to send me a text too. Okay?”

A whisper that probably wasn’t a secret. Ji-heon’s toes curled up from the ticklish feeling of the child’s voice.

“What kind of secret talks are you having every day?” Jung-oh asked, having watched the father and daughter’s antics after sending Yena off. She was worried that her daughter was avoiding her more often these days, probably plotting something with her dad.

“It’s a secret. Why? Curious?”

“No. Not curious at all,” Jung-oh said, maintaining her pride as Ji-heon asked teasingly, turning her head to the opposite side. Ji-heon wrapped his arm around Jung-oh’s shoulder and pulled her towards him.

Unlike yesterday’s anxiety, it was an endlessly ticklish and warm morning, so much so that he regretted having to go back to his empty house.

Ji-heon went to work with Jung-oh, dropping her off in front of the company. He felt the awkwardness of the employees he encountered as he passed through the company entrance alone.

He figured it would be like that for a while. He had no choice but to wait for time to pass.

However, when he was with Yena, he felt heartbroken that time was passing by. As expected, the awkwardness at the company didn’t matter because the time spent with Yena was more precious than his reputation at the company.

Rather, the people around him seemed more concerned about his well-being. As soon as Ji-heon arrived at work, Seung-gyu rushed over and scanned him with sharp eyes.

“You’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday?”

“Yeah. I’m going to change.” Ji-heon said, taking a spare shirt out of his drawer.

“Why are you wearing the same clothes?”

“I slept at Jung-oh’s house.”

“Oh. Is the day you live together getting closer?”

“I guess so.” Ji-heon easily steered the conversation in the direction he was curious about, making it easier to bring up the topic. Seung-gyu carefully asked with a pounding heart.

“What are your plans for the house? Are you going to find a new one, or are you going to move Lee Jung-oh’s belongings to the house you live in?”

“I was thinking of looking for a house near where Jung-oh lives now, but now that her mother has quit her restaurant job, it doesn’t matter where we live.”

“Oh!”

“Then how about my neighborhood?”

“That’s good too.”

“Yeah! The apartments in the complex next to ours are really nice too. I looked it up today, and there’s a top-floor unit available. The top-floor apartments there are really great. If you get one there, our Do-bin and Yena can go to school together, go to the Go [a strategy board game] academy together, hang out often, and go on trips together on weekends. That would be really great!” Sensing a positive signal, Seung-gyu excitedly presented a blueprint for the future. Ji-heon’s brow gradually furrowed.

Yena and Do-bin going to the same school….

Until now, he had just been grateful to Do-bin, but now that he was recognized as a father by Yena, his mindset had changed a little.

Do-bin likes Yena. He likes her too much. He might even say he loves her. Didn’t he say he fell in love at first sight once?

He wouldn’t stop Do-bin from liking Yena, but he felt somehow sad if Yena said she liked Do-bin.

What is this feeling? A father’s heart that doesn’t want his child to be taken away by another boy?

“Yeah. I’ll think about it,” Ji-heon answered vaguely.

He didn’t think it would be good to establish a fixed-in-stone opposite-sex friend relationship from a young age. He thought he should subtly warn both Yena and Do-bin.

Ji-heon put the moving story aside for a moment and changed the subject to continue the conversation. “I have something to ask you. You mentioned hypnotherapy last time, right? Do you know any doctors?”

“I don’t know any doctors personally, but I can find out. I know quite a few psychiatrists.”

“Yeah. Then find out for me. Please.”

Seung-gyu nodded and asked, narrowing his eyes. “You had a lukewarm reaction when I suggested it before, but have you changed your mind?”

“Jung-oh told me to.”

“You listen to Lee Jung-oh well, don’t you?”

“……”

“It’s amazing. You’ve become a real person, Jung Ji-heon.”

Ji-heon also acknowledged it and responded with a smile. He didn’t dislike Seung-gyu’s teasing very much.

Seung-gyu looked at Ji-heon with a satisfied expression, as if he were looking at a cute younger brother who had just started to act like a human being.

Seung-gyu’s gaze followed Ji-heon’s fingertips as he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and caught on a strange drawing on his wrist. Jung Ji-heon and a sticker. It was a completely mismatched combination.

“What’s that on your wrist?”

“Ah, this is what our Yena put on this morning……” As if he had been waiting to be asked, Ji-heon showed the temporary tattoo on his wrist and approached Seung-gyu.

“Okay. Okay. Stop it!” As soon as Ji-heon opened his mouth, Seung-gyu covered his ears as if he was fed up and left.

He asked first.

Feeling disappointed that he couldn’t fulfill his desire to brag, Ji-heon finished changing his clothes.

After that, Ji-heon left the company right away.

The place he drove to alone was his parents’ house. Ji-heon called Jae-gwang in front of the house. After a while, Jae-gwang’s stern voice was heard.

[I have to go into a meeting now. Get to the point.]

“Did you talk to Mother yesterday?”

[No. Your mother is bedridden.]

It seemed she couldn’t bring up the story about Jung-oh because she was bedridden. Ji-heon sighed quietly after hanging up the phone.

He didn’t contact Young-mi separately. He didn’t want to contact her. The moment he left the gate, a notification would arrive for Young-mi, so there was no need to contact her separately.

After checking the notification, Young-mi told the resident employee to send Ji-heon to the bedroom.

Yesterday, Young-mi went to break Lee Jung-oh’s spirit, but she returned greatly angered by the different reaction than before. After that, she couldn’t eat and groaned. Recalling the words Jung-oh had said, she felt her heart breaking and pretended to be even more sick.

She wanted her husband to recognize that she was groaning, and she wanted her husband to tell Ji-heon about this fact. If the two men worried about her, she thought her unfair feelings would subside. So she was also looking forward to the notification that Ji-heon had come.

She heard footsteps. Young-mi groaned a little louder.

“Mother.”

Young-mi, who was lying with her back to the door, slowly got up from her seat only after hearing Ji-heon’s voice.

“Yes. Okay. Son.” Still, she was proud that he showed a reaction to the news that his mother was sick.

“Why did you come when you’re busy? You should be at the company.” Looking at Ji-heon admirably, Young-mi said with difficulty.

“That’s what I mean.” However, unlike Young-mi’s affectionate eyes, his gaze was extremely fierce.

“Did you go to Jung-oh?”

“……Did that girl not even have the patience to tell you everything?” She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. She wanted to hear that he had come because he was worried after hearing his father’s story, but it was different from her expectations.

As if it were natural, the story of Lee Jung-oh came out of her son’s mouth first. She was unhappy that her son, who rarely listened to her requests, came all the way to the main house at the word of that girl’s mother.

However, Ji-heon didn’t show any reaction to his mother’s distorted expression.

“I clearly told you. Never go to Jung-oh.”

“…….”

“I also told you that if you go to Jung-oh, I will never see you again.”

“…….”

“I clearly told you, but why did you do that, Mother?” How dare you interfere in my life.

A chillingly low voice rang out sharply, as if it would cut through Young-mi’s skin.

Young-mi’s hands trembled again like yesterday. Now her son was looking down on her as if she were a subordinate.

“My child, who should have grown up the most precious in the world, lived without a father for seven years, and my child’s mother suffered so much, are you really okay with that? Do you really want to torment Jung-oh like that?”

“Torment! What nonsense are you talking about! I was the one who was wronged! I was wronged by that girl yesterday…….”

“Mother.” Ji-heon called Young-mi fiercely.

That cold tone was somehow eerie, as if he knew that she had hired a voice actor a long time ago to steal Lee Jung-oh’s calls.

“Mother. Every time the child runs to me, I have to hold back my tears.” For a very brief moment, tears welled up in her son’s eyes.

“You can’t understand that, can you? Because you’ve never lost a son.” But soon her son’s expression turned cold again. Her heart, which had dropped, seemed to writhe at her feet like a fish that had lost water.

The mother was not aware.

The cruelty of the son, who had been made unable to love anyone by his own hands, by the mother’s power. The obsession, the blindness, when he sprouted love in the barren land of emotions.

Ji-heon was a son who could abandon his mother at any time.

“I don’t want to see you anymore, Mother.”

Thick tears hanging in Young-mi’s eyes fell onto the blanket.

How dare you! How dare you do this to me!