A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 110

110. An Urgent Request

“What exactly am I hearing right now?!”

Jae-kwang’s furious voice echoed throughout the bedroom.

“You hired a voice actor to break Ji-heon and that girl up? You did something like that?”

Young-mi was overwhelmed with bewilderment. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

“Why? Why on earth would you do that?!”

“…….”

“How could you do that to someone who even had a child!”

“I didn’t know!”

Young-mi’s voice finally burst out as Jae-kwang pressed her. Tears welled up in her eyes, fueled by the bitterness of feeling unfairly accused.

“I didn’t know! She didn’t tell me, that girl!”

*You don’t know how she stabbed me in the back. You don’t know how much my insides are rotting and decaying.*

Still consumed by the thought of losing her son to Lee Jung-oh, Young-mi continued to see herself as the victim.

“That’s why I’m doing this. That girl, Lee Jung-oh, secretly had a child and raised her. Without our permission!”

“Woman, you even hired a voice actor to break them up!”

Jae-kwang scolded, frustrated.

If Young-mi didn’t know about Lee Jung-oh’s pregnancy, it wasn’t because Lee Jung-oh didn’t tell her, but because she couldn’t. The Lee Jung-oh that Jae-kwang met was a confident person who was polite but spoke her mind. She probably would have told them if she had the chance—that she was pregnant.

Young-mi’s face flushed red as if she was possessed, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

“What exactly did you tell the voice actor to say?”

Jae-kwang, who had suppressed his anger, calmly pressed her.

“What did you say that made him not look for her even once in seven years?”

“…….”

“Should I contact Chae Eun-yeop directly and ask him?”

Only after Jae-kwang mentioned Chae Eun-yeop did Young-mi burst into tears and reveal what had happened seven years ago.

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

12 PM the next day. Max Planning Production Team 2.

A text message came from Ji-heon.

– Jung-oh. It’s Jung-oh. Let’s go.

Hearing a joke that teachers used to make since school days from Jung Ji-heon felt new and trivial.

Jung-oh chuckled and stood up from her seat.

They decided to go to the district office during lunch break to register their marriage.

The day before yesterday was the proposal, yesterday was the house contract, and today was the marriage registration. With big events happening one by one each day, even the strong-willed Lee Jung-oh couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. In the midst of all this, Ji-heon’s silly jokes seemed to ease her tense mind.

The marriage registration process was simple, except for the long wait due to the lunch crowd. All you had to do was submit the prepared documents to the district office along with your ID. It was a very easy task, but Ji-heon had a serious expression as if he was being extremely cautious.

Ji-heon, who submitted the marriage registration form with the signatures of Seung-gyu and Jin-seo as witnesses, asked the staff member.

“When will the completion be processed?”

“You will receive a notification text message by tomorrow.”

“Not today?”

“You have to wait a day.”

“What do I have to do to get it processed today?”

“Are you trying to get a loan for newlyweds?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why are you requesting it so urgently?”

*What reason? It’s just that he’s impatient.*

Jung-oh, who was looking at Ji-heon and the district office employee with blurry eyes, quickly grabbed Ji-heon’s wrist.

“It’s okay. Thank you for your help.”

Jung-oh greeted the employee and quickly left the district office with Ji-heon.

“What’s the matter with waiting a day? There’s nothing that urgent.”

Jung-oh scolded, and Ji-heon replied awkwardly.

“I was just asking. I was just wondering when it would be processed.”

*Just one day until the marriage registration is completed.* How could someone who is so impatient that he can’t even wait a single day have endured these eventful days until now?

Of course, there were many things he decided on his own, but he waited quite patiently when she told him to wait.

Ji-heon, who had shaken off his worries about the marriage registration process, recited his plans for the future.

“I’ll look for a place where we can have a private wedding. Let’s invite only the guests we really want to come and have a small wedding. Or, we can have a fancy one. Tell me if there’s anything you want. I’ll do it.”

“Okay.”

“And Yena will hate being separated from us, so let’s take Yena and your mother on our honeymoon. Ask your mother if there are any travel destinations she wants to go to.”

*Is this man not working and only thinking about marriage all day?*

“The house is neat, but I want to make the kitchen more comfortable, and since Yena is there, we need to make the stairs and rooftop safe. I’ll start construction tomorrow and have it all done by next week. Then we’ll wallpaper, clean up, and move in right away.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Haa.

He let out a refreshing sigh after listing his plans. His sigh gently landed on her shoulder.

Ji-heon, who wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, said in a calm voice.

“We’re married. We are.”

“Yeah. We’ve become a family.”

Jung-oh also put her hand on the arm that he wrapped around her.

“It would have been cooler if the marriage registration was completed the moment we walked out of the district office today.”

“Was that why you were doing that?”

It seems that’s the reason since he didn’t answer. That was why he persistently asked the employee so many questions after submitting the marriage registration form.

It was funny and lovely to see Ji-heon having such trivial thoughts.

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

After lunch, Ji-heon dropped Jung-oh off at the company and went straight to see Jae-kwang.

Just a month ago, going to see his father was like an annual event, but at some point, it became not awkward to go see his father.

“Father.”

“Yes.”

Jae-kwang, who was leaning back in his chair and lost in thought, stood up at Ji-heon’s call.

“Sit down.”

Jae-kwang, who offered Ji-heon a seat on the sofa in a voice that was heavier than usual, sat opposite him.

“I heard you registered your marriage?”

“Yes. I went to the district office with Jung-oh during lunch.”

“Okay. Congratulations.”

Jae-kwang’s expression as he congratulated his son was not very bright. Ji-heon didn’t care much. He knew that the bright appearances that Jae-kwang had shown to Jung-oh and Yena recently were not his father’s true self.

“I heard you got a house too.”

“Yes. Yesterday. There was a nice apartment near Seung-gyu’s house, so I signed the contract right away.”

“And you’ll be living with your mother-in-law?”

“Yes.”

“Won’t it be uncomfortable?”

“My mother always makes me feel comfortable. She’s a really good person.”

*His son now has a new mother.*

A faint shadow fell on Jae-kwang’s face as he listened to Ji-heon’s voice.

“Okay. As long as you’re happy.”

Jae-kwang carefully sipped his tea to moisten his dry lips. He sensed that if he told his son this story now, the relationship between mother and son would become even more distant. In fact, he wanted to hide it forever, but since Chae Eun-yeop was involved, there was no other way.

“I found out how you broke up with Yena’s mother seven years ago.”

The smile that had bloomed on the face of the son, who was about to start a new beginning with marriage and moving, disappeared in an instant.

“Your mother… hired someone…”

Jae-kwang continued cautiously. The voice that had continued calmly gradually became smaller and more insecure. It was the first time he had been so aware of his son’s feelings.

Throughout the story, Ji-heon was clenching his fists tightly on his knees. His fists could be seen trembling. He didn’t shout in anger, but Jae-kwang could guess the silent scream in that silence. It was a difficult time for Jae-kwang as well.

After Jae-kwang told him everything, Ji-heon said.

“I didn’t think about the voice actor, but I had a rough idea. I thought it was something my mother had done. However, the fact that Chae Eun-yeop also knew about it is a bit concerning.”

His voice was surprisingly calm and composed. Ji-heon also seemed to be able to react more rationally because Chae Eun-yeop was involved.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“…….”

“Your mother isn’t such a vicious person, but she becomes extremely sensitive when it comes to your affairs. Your mother said she didn’t even know she had a child.”

“Father.”

Jae-kwang’s lame excuses, which could only be seen as excuses to his son, were interrupted by Ji-heon’s call.

“I can understand my father’s desire to protect my mother. That’s enough.”

His father is not the kind of person who would be disappointed in his mother and turn away because of this. His father will not be able to deny the years he has lived with his mother.

Ji-heon thought that was the right thing to do. It felt like the gears that had been moving out of sync were finally finding their place.

*I’m me. My mother is my mother.*

“I won’t see my mother anymore, but you’ll continue to live with her, Father. So I’m okay. I don’t want to worry about my mother anymore.”

Jae-kwang silently closed his mouth and stared at the empty teacup for a long time.

*His son has his own life.*

It took time to accept what he knew well. Jae-kwang, who had decided what was the way to maintain peace, quietly nodded and changed the subject.

“By the way, about the man who hit you with a car seven years ago.”

“Kim Jin-gu?”

“He’s been released from prison, and he’s still harboring resentment about your accident. He apparently threatened Chae Eun-bi.”

Jae-kwang told Ji-heon the story that Young-mi had revealed.

“He resented Chae Eun-bi, who testified as a witness?”

“It seems like he has something unfair too. It’s been seven years, but he’s still doing that, so I think he’s trying to get money from Chae Eun-bi using that as an excuse.”

“…….”

“Anyway, be careful. It’s better to postpone the marriage registration announcement a little bit.”

Jae-kwang carefully urged Ji-heon.

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

After receiving the call from Kim Jin-gu, Eun-bi continued to feel nauseous. She felt like she was going to throw up even when she was still, and she didn’t want to eat anything. In that state, Eun-bi went to meet Eun-yeop.

She felt like she was having trouble breathing when she went out on the street. She felt like someone would pop out from somewhere and strangle her at any moment. With her body stiff from fear, she reached Eun-yeop’s company.

Eun-yeop was working in the office. When Eun-bi opened the door and entered, Eun-yeop glanced at her once and then lowered his head back to the pile of documents.

“Why did you tell me to come all the way here?”

Eun-yeop handed Eun-bi the documents. It was a document with a business card attached. It was the business card of someone who works at an advertising company that Eun-bi also knew the name of.

“I told them about you. Go for an interview.”

It wasn’t as good as Max Planning, but it was still a company with a good reputation. While Eun-bi was lying blankly, Eun-yeop had found her a job to transfer to.

*Still, blood is thicker than water.* Eun-bi was a little touched by her brother’s consideration.

“Don’t want to work? If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“No. I have to work.”

“…….”

“Thank you.”

Eun-yeop suddenly handed Eun-bi another document as she shyly thanked him while fiddling with the documents. It was a list containing the resumes of unfamiliar men, one by one.

“What is this?”

“There’s no choice. Meet all the men on there. They’re good people.”

“…….”

“The man on the first page is at 6 o’clock today.”

She was grateful, but the real purpose of calling her to the company was to have her go on blind dates.

“What is this? They’re all in their 40s.”

Eun-bi was shocked after looking through all the documents. Eun-yeop scoffed at Eun-bi’s attitude as if he was dumbfounded.

“Chae Eun-bi, are you in a position to be picky? Who would take you?”

“…….”

“You want to get revenge on Jung Ji-heon too, don’t you? To do that, you have to meet a man who is more amazing than Jung Ji-heon.”

Although she was angry inside, Eun-bi couldn’t argue with Eun-yeop.

“Don’t go in that state, go to the salon and fix your hair. Buy some decent clothes to wear too.”

Eun-yeop handed her a card as if he was doing her a favor.