A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 131

131. What Happened?

Jiheon remembered something Jeong-o had said a while back. Seven years ago, Jeong Jiheon hadn’t liked her drinking. Jeong-o had mentioned being curious about the reason. Even though his memories hadn’t fully returned, he felt he understood why.

Lee Jeong-o was simply too beautiful.

His mind knew he shouldn’t take advantage of someone intoxicated, but his desires kept surfacing. If he felt this way now, how much more tormented must he have been at the beginning of their relationship?

“I should have taken pictures from every angle. I should have taken lots of videos, too…”

Jeong-o disregarded Jiheon’s advice to restrain herself, repeatedly lamenting about Yena, tears streaming down her face. Her clear tears welled up in her radiant eyes, captivating Jiheon despite her innocent expression. As if under a spell, Jiheon leaned in.

She kept snacking on fruit, and how much of Yena’s candy had she swiped? Her breath smelled sweet. Caught crying, she couldn’t seem to stop her drunken rambling even as he kissed her. Her voice tickled.

He pulled away, tilting his head and looking at Jeong-o with a sigh he couldn’t quite suppress. The moisture clinging to her eyelashes, like the tip of a brush loaded with vibrant paint, seemed capable of transforming his chest into a canvas, ready for any masterpiece.

Should he stop here, or should he try to persuade her somehow? Torn between conscience and desire, Jiheon called out to Jeong-o.

“Honey.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“Why, honey?”

Half-opening her reddened eyes, Jeong-o responded in kind. Her voice was sweet, like the breath he had just tasted. Another sigh escaped Jiheon’s lips, which had tightened with inner conflict.

Her eyes, her touch, her voice. Whatever it was, Jeong Jiheon was utterly unable to resist anything about Lee Jeong-o.

The next morning.

*Drrr*. Jeong-o woke to the alarm and reached to turn it off, but she was startled and burrowed deeper into the blanket.

Where are my clothes? Why am I like this?

She had fallen asleep soundly and woken up not in the master bedroom, but in the adjacent room, completely out of her pajamas.

In the seven years she’d shared a room with her child, she’d never woken up like this, not even once. Even on nights when she’d drunk far more than yesterday, she always woke up neatly beside her child in the morning. There was no way she would have naturally ended up like this on her own.

Fortunately, her clothes were within reach. The way they were folded was so distinctive that Jeong-o immediately knew who was responsible. She quickly dressed and left the room. Guksun’s laughter drifted from the kitchen.

“I told our son-in-law to cut the tofu, and he made it into perfect cubes?”

“Mother, you said 1.5cm [approximately 0.6 inches].”

“You only needed to cut it 1.5cm on one side, but you did it on all four sides.”

“Still, I’m better than Jeong-o, right?”

“Is that even a question?”

Ms. Lee Guksun was beaming, her words filled with amusement. As Jeong-o approached, she saw her mother-in-law and son-in-law standing side-by-side in the kitchen, cooking together. Jeong-o felt a pang in her heart at the sight of their matching aprons, like a couple.

“You’re awake?”

Jiheon, who had been chatting with Guksun, noticed Jeong-o first and asked.

“Oppa, you need to get ready for work.”

“Oh my, yes. You need to hurry and get ready. What would people say if our director [a high-ranking position in a company] is late in the morning?”

Guksun chimed in, urging Jeong-o along. Eventually, Jiheon took off his apron and left the kitchen. Jeong-o grabbed Jiheon’s hand and led him to an empty room, asking,

“What happened last night?”

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“Well, I was sleeping without any clothes on.”

“You must have been very hot.”

“Ha. Do you think I wouldn’t know?”

Even when Jeong-o’s temper flared, Jiheon simply shrugged. He was infuriating, but there wasn’t time for a lengthy argument. Jeong-o glared at him and warned.

“I’m letting you off the hook this time.”

“…”

“If you do it again, I’ll do the same to you. No exceptions.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t that be even better?”

The threat had no effect whatsoever.

*Slap!* In the end, Jeong-o smacked Jiheon on the arm.

“Ouch. That hurts. Honey.”

Jiheon pouted and lowered his eyes, but Jeong-o wasn’t buying it.

“What happened to you in the past 7 years, Oppa?”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I feel like I’m seeing a pervert who’s been upgraded a lot compared to 7 years ago?”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something huge, but I didn’t do anything. Really. And…”

“…”

“If that’s your reaction to that, then our married life in the future will be truly amazing and mysterious.”

…What’s so mysterious about it?

Jeong-o, dumbfounded, sighed and shouted into the air.

“I’m not going to drink anymore!”

“Yes. That’s what I wanted. Don’t drink.”

Jiheon quickly added his wish to Jeong-o’s resolution.

*Lee Jeong-o, you have no idea how conscientious and kind I am. Never.*

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

A day that stood in stark contrast to the peace of the house.

It was nice that Yena had chosen her dad as her companion for the Go [a strategic board game] tournament, but the work he’d neglected by taking the day off was now tormenting Jiheon from Monday morning.

Amidst the chaos, news kept pouring in: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court’s resignation, and the nomination of a candidate to replace him.

The judge nominated by the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the President of South Korea] as the candidate for Chief Justice was, unsurprisingly, Chae Seobok.

Once the motion for approval of appointment, submitted by the government to the National Assembly, is referred, a confirmation hearing will be held. Judge Chae Seobok already went through a confirmation hearing when he became a Supreme Court Justice, so he will likely become Chief Justice without any issues.

Thinking about it made his mouth feel dry. Even though he knew he wouldn’t contact the Chae Eunyeop family anymore and that his parents wouldn’t visit, he was still concerned.

If Chae Seobok became Chief Justice, he felt the Seryun Group would be at risk. He had a strong premonition that Chae Seobok, driven by political ambition, would collude with a member of the National Assembly to put pressure on the group.

In any case, there was no room for Chae Eunyeop to deeply intrude on Jiheon’s day. After completing his busy schedule, he visited the hypnotherapy center in the afternoon. With the household matters somewhat settled, he was able to resume counseling.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Jiheon. Your spouse didn’t come with you today.”

The doctor warmly greeted Jiheon, who had returned after a long break.

“Yes. She’s busy with work, and I wanted to have a general counseling session instead of hypnosis today.”

“That would be good. We can start hypnotherapy again when you feel less resistant. How have you been feeling lately?”

“Very good. My new family is wonderful, and I’m feeling a sense of belonging that I’ve never felt before. This morning, I helped my mother-in-law with cooking, and although I didn’t do much, I found it more enjoyable than I expected.”

“Is this your first time cooking?”

“No. I heard that I used to cook for my wife 7 years ago. I don’t remember, though.”

“…”

“I didn’t try to remember and cook; I just enjoyed it.”

A smile, like the one he had worn this morning, appeared on Jiheon’s lips as he answered.

“On Sunday, I met my brother and sorted out the emotions that had been building up. I learned about my brother’s hardships that I hadn’t even considered, and I realized I was only thinking about myself too much.”

The doctor observed Jiheon’s more relaxed demeanor. Unlike before, there was little anxiety in his eyes. He could see that Jiheon was regaining stability.

“And recently, I met a friend from 24 years ago. He was a friend I had been thinking about a lot recently.”

“Why were you thinking about him a lot?”

“I think I wanted to apologize.”

The doctor nodded thoughtfully. The ultimate goal of general hypnotherapy is to release the repressed self.

In that sense, there could be no better treatment for Jiheon than a stable life. Perhaps the people who support Jiheon now, more than himself, could be better therapists.

“Why do you want to regain your memories? Aren’t you happy enough now? Wouldn’t it be okay just to have a stable mind?”

“I’m not obsessed with it. But… I want to give my wife a gift.”

“…”

“I thought she might be lonely if she was the only one remembering the time I’ve forgotten. I want to remember at least one thing. I want to show her that I’m still trying.”

The doctor smiled at Jiheon’s sincere answer.

“Mr. Jeong Jiheon is truly in a healthy love.”

The doctor also felt motivated.

“Okay. Let’s work hard together. We’ll be able to bring back something, something precious.”

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

Eunbi went to the hospital for the first time. It was her first time receiving a proper gynecological examination.

“I’m not married yet, but I’ll be coming with my husband soon.”

Eunbi told the doctor before the examination. She was nervous about the doctor’s gaze, feeling judged as an unwed mother with an unwanted pregnancy.

The doctor nodded curtly and led her to the examination table. Eunbi saw her child for the first time. The baby, like a tiny teddy bear, was nestled comfortably in a small space.

“It’s the size of 8 weeks and 2 days. The heartbeat is good, too.”

The doctor said, letting her hear the heartbeat. Surprised, Eunbi’s heart pounded rapidly in response.

The baby was bigger than she’d imagined. She wished she had met Ham Daekeun even one day sooner. It wouldn’t be easy to deceive Ham Daekeun in the early stages of pregnancy, when the appearance of the fetus changes drastically depending on the gestational age.

Should she give up the baby after all?

Her brother Eunyeop must already believe she had an abortion. But in this state, she can’t even use medication. She was destined to suffer twice as much if the attempt failed.

If that got into her parents’ ears, into Ham Daekeun’s ears, into other people’s ears, her life would be ruined, as Eunyeop always said.

Weighed down by worries, she left the hospital.

As soon as she stepped outside, she received a call from her mother.

[What are you doing wandering around that I can’t reach you?]

Her mother’s voice was sharp as soon as she answered.

“I was busy.”

[What are you busy with? You don’t even work.]

“…”

[Come home and bring some side dishes to your brother.]

“Why bother packing side dishes when he won’t even eat them?”

[You never listen the first time. Try to be even half as good as your brother before you say such things.]

“…”

[Your brother is a busy person. How would he feel if there was nothing in the house when he’s hungry?]

They were people who only cared about her brother. After her relationship with Jiheon fell apart, her parents neglected Eunbi even more. Nevertheless, she still pathetically craved their affection.

Eunbi grumbled but still stopped by her parents’ house to pack her brother’s side dish bundle. The bundle was heavy, and she had to set it down and pick it up several times. After all her effort, she was drenched in sweat when she arrived in front of her brother’s house.

Eunbi breathed a sigh of relief only after putting the side dishes in the refrigerator. News about her father was playing on TV.

*Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Chae Seobok*. Her heart pounded with pride. Indeed, they were a remarkable family, as anyone could see.

Eunbi cheered up and began to clean the house. She did the laundry, emptied the trash can, and tidied up the mess, all while thinking about the baby.

Should she give up the baby or keep it? Giving it up was dangerous for her body, and keeping it was dangerous for her mind. Eunbi’s hands, which had been diligently moving at the crossroads of that choice, suddenly froze.

Her brother’s desk drawer, which she had opened to put in documents, contained a cell phone she hadn’t seen before. It was in a ziplock bag. Anxious curiosity took over her fingertips. She knew she shouldn’t, but Eunbi opened the ziplock bag as if possessed.

A cell phone that was turned off. But when she pressed and held the power button, it flickered to life. The cell phone had battery power remaining.

*Dugun, dugun*. Her heart, as she looked at the cell phone, was beating as fiercely as the baby she had seen today. And…

“Kyaa!”

As soon as the home screen appeared, Eunbi screamed and dropped the cell phone.

A face she had seen once filled the screen.

Kim Jingu. It was Kim Jingu’s cell phone.

Her brother had killed Kim Jingu!