A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 14

14. Someone Knows

A quiet office.

Jiheon watched Jeongo as if observing the sun at its highest point. [A metaphor for intense scrutiny.]

In a secluded space, free from interruptions, he wanted to observe her in a relaxed manner.

Her intensely nervous demeanor was a constant, yet even within that, she revealed subtle nuances each time.

Initially, she resembled a dragonfly ensnared in a net, then a detective seizing his wrist, followed by a grieving widow shedding tears, and now, a rookie employee brimming with enthusiasm.

However, while observation was enjoyable, he wanted to remain detached. Jiheon snapped coldly, as he would with anyone.

“Did you star in an advertisement so iconic that your name would be etched in history?”

Her eyes flickered at Jiheon’s coldness, as if a change of heart had occurred within her as well.

After a pause, she spoke with difficulty.

“…Director, I have something to say.”

After moving her dry lips a few times, she strengthened her voice, as if having made a firm decision.

Drrrrr. Drrrrr.

The vibration interrupted her words.

“Isn’t that a call?”

“No. It’s alright.”

Jeongo covered her pocket, as if unwilling to be disturbed.

The vibration persisted.

“Take it. It might be urgent.”

Jiheon gestured, as if doing her a favor.

He was also curious about the caller.

She retrieved her phone from her pocket, seemingly unable to resist. After checking the caller ID, she tilted her head and rose from her seat, bowing.

“I’ll step outside to take the call.”

Jiheon’s eyes widened.

No, that’s not right!

Before Jiheon could intervene, Jeongo swiftly exited the office.

Ha….

That wasn’t his intention. He meant for her to answer the call there, in the office.

“Yes, Teacher.”

Her voice drifted from outside. It seemed the ‘Teacher’ was the caller.

Jiheon had no choice but to await her return.

10 minutes, 20 minutes….

In the silence she left behind, Jiheon merely watched the clock.

What kind of call lasts 30 minutes?

‘Could the Teacher be a client?’

After 30 minutes, Jiheon could no longer bear it and opened the door. The secretary stood up.

“Is Deputy Lee Jeongo still…?”

“Yes? Deputy Lee Jeongo left a while ago.”

…What an absurd situation.

“Tell her to return.”

At Jiheon’s sharp tone, the secretary hastily picked up the phone.

Soon, news reached the office.

“Director, Deputy Lee Jeongo has left the building.”

Without explanation, without announcing her departure, after claiming to have something to say.

Ha.

He couldn’t help but sigh at the absurdity.

He tried to remain unaffected, but felt thoroughly outmaneuvered.

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

[Yena’s mother, Yena… hasn’t come… The teacher went to pick her up on time, but it seems the kindergarten bus arrived early and she got off early.]

Upon hearing the shocking news, Jeongo rushed out of the company, without even tidying her desk.

She didn’t even announce her departure until she was in the taxi. Unable to explain the full situation, Team Leader Seongmi understood with a generous heart.

It was around 퇴근시간 [quitting time], so the taxi crawled along.

The minute ticking by in the car felt like an hour, no, a year. Jeongo pleaded.

“Driver, quickly, quickly….”

“I can’t go any faster here.”

“My child is missing… She got off the bus, but it arrived early… The child, at the academy, disappeared….”

Jeongo spoke incoherently, her words tumbling out. The congested road felt like it was constricting her breath.

Though disorganized, Jeongo’s desperate heart was conveyed. The driver, understanding her situation, became proactive, taking the fastest route he knew.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the Baduk [Go] academy.

“Teacher!”

Jeongo leaped out of the taxi and ran towards the head of the Baduk academy.

People were gathered in front of the building: the head of the academy, assistant teachers, a boy, a girl, and a woman of similar age to Jeongo.

“Yena’s mother.”

“Where is our Yena? Did you find Yena?”

“We found her. We just received a call.”

“Where is she?”

“The police are with her. They said they’re bringing her here.”

Haaaaaa.

God, thank you.

Relieved by the news, Jeongo placed her hand on her chest and sat down.

The head of the academy and the woman standing beside her supported Jeongo.

“You must have been very worried. …I’m sorry.”

Jeongo shook her head at the apology. Tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away and looked up.

Meeting her gaze, the unfamiliar woman who had supported Jeongo greeted her.

“Hello. I’m Dobin’s mother, a friend from Yena’s academy. Dobin likes Yena… so he wanted to see her before going home.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

Jeongo greeted Jinseo, Dobin’s mother.

The boy of Yena’s age standing next to Jinseo bowed and shyly hid behind his mother.

So you’re Dobin.

Even though she was 정신이 없는 [out of her mind], she was glad and grateful to see Yena’s peer.

The moment she regained her balance and stood up, she saw two figures walking hand in hand in the distance: a tall man in a 청록색 [cerulean] police uniform and Yena.

“Yena!”

Jeongo ran towards Yena.

“Mom!”

Yena also ran over.

Jeongo embraced Yena tightly. She knew she should scold her for causing such worry, but a tearful voice emerged.

“Let me see. Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Where did you go? How could you wander off alone?”

“I didn’t go alone. A strange lady said she was the academy teacher and took my hand.”

Yena said clearly.

“She said she was the academy teacher?”

Jeongo felt a chill.

“Yeah. She took me and then later said, ‘Oh, who are you?’ and let go of my hand.”

Her heart sank. This was a serious issue. Looking at the police officer, he said.

“We plan to investigate as she seems suspicious. We will review CCTV footage from the area and contact you again.”

The officer, after briefly explaining the plan, introduced himself belatedly.

“I’m Kwon Baeil, from the Hwayang Police Station.”

He was a handsome man with a fair complexion and a gentle demeanor. It was hard to imagine him interrogating criminals.

“Yes. Hello. Thank you so much.”

Jeongo bowed deeply. Baeil, smiling comfortably, explained the situation.

“A colleague spotted this friend while patrolling. This boyfriend here has a very good voice.”

Baeil pointed to Dobin, whose cheeks flushed red.

“We quickly realized someone was missing, so my colleague went to look for her, but Yena ran away when she saw him. I guess she thought he was a scary 아저씨 [middle-aged man] because he wasn’t wearing a uniform.”

“아저씨….”

Yena pouted, embarrassed by Baeil’s explanation. The two seemed to have bonded.

Baeil continued.

“In the end, I had to go and bring her. She had gone all the way to the fire station alone.”

“The police station wasn’t visible. So I went looking for it.”

Yena said firmly.

Jeongo held Yena’s hand tightly.

It’s a relief it ended like this.

God, thank you….

She realized once again that her daughter was her whole life, a fact etched in her bones.

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

Jiheon, forgetting about 퇴근 [leaving work], sat with his chin propped up, only looking at the clock.

No contact from Lee Jeongo, who had disappeared without a word, for over an hour.

She probably forgot he was waiting.

Just past 7 PM, a knock finally came.

“Yes.”

However, the person who entered was not Lee Jeongo, but his friend Park Seunggyu.

Jiheon’s expression, which had been upright, turned fierce again.

“Aren’t you 퇴근 [off work] yet?”

Seunggyu asked casually and sat down at the 접견 [meeting] table, in the same seat Jeongo had occupied. Jiheon’s sidelong glance sharpened. Seunggyu, oblivious, began to boast about his son.

“Shall I tell you a funny story? There’s a girl my son is smitten with.”

“You’re talking like your son is twenty years old.”

“That’s how kids are these days. Even seven-year-olds are precocious.”

“……”

“He fell in love at first sight. He told me secretly, without his mother knowing. Kids these days are really interesting.”

“It might be interesting for you, but wouldn’t that girl’s father be shocked to hear that story?”

Seunggyu’s eyes glazed over at Jiheon’s sarcastic tone.

Why is that girl’s father relevant?

And what’s wrong with my son?

And, are there any fathers who would be shocked by the words ‘fell in love at first sight’?

…It seems something unpleasant has happened to my friend.

Seunggyu rose and approached Jiheon. As their eyes met, Jiheon looked away, ignoring him.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

“Something’s definitely wrong.”

“There’s nothing. Just 퇴근 [going home].”

Jiheon, looking elsewhere, resembled a sulky child. Seunggyu chuckled and made a joke.

“You don’t like me.”

“What are you talking about? I like you a lot.”

“You like me? You?”

The joke became serious.

Seunggyu’s face flushed, as if he had never heard such a confession from his friend in 16 years.

“Of course. I like you.”

Jiheon turned back and gave a faint smile.

But somehow, that smile felt crooked.

“That’s why I keep you by my side. Despite being someone my mother sent.”

Seunggyu’s expression hardened.

Seunggyu’s pride, believing he had built a friendship with his friend rather than being seen as just an employee, crumbled.

Jiheon continued heartlessly.

“I’ll treat you well. I shouldn’t do anything to disappoint you.”

“…So you’ve been seeing me as just that kind of guy.”

Seunggyu choked up at his friend’s attitude, who didn’t even flinch at this terrible revelation.

Jiheon was a friend Seunggyu always pitied, even though he endured more 욕 [scolding] than rice with his 공평한 싸가지 없음 [equal rudeness] towards all employees.

That friend, for the first time, evoked resentment.

“You think I’m a joke, don’t you?”

“I never said you were a joke. I said I liked you.”

“No. You must think so. You’ll keep thinking that way inside. Do you think I don’t know your duplicity?”

Seunggyu also voiced words he had long suppressed.

About the human being named Jeong Jiheon that Park Seunggyu had observed for so long.

“You’re like that in everything. You abandon the best option and choose the second best. You always put in only 80% of the effort when you could invest 100%, 150%. You get 2nd or 3rd place when you could get 1st place. You’re like that. You don’t put effort into anything, any relationship. Your life is easy. Isn’t it?”

When he saw Jiheon, he was reminded of a battery that automatically discharged when it was 80% charged.

Not doing his best, quietly finding a compromise at a 적당한 [suitable] point, and quietly maintaining his position.

A guy who deliberately lowered the world’s expectations and lived comfortably by just ‘pretending’.

But, was that really an easy life?

Is the life of a guy who only pretends really easy?

So he offered affection. Because he felt pity for his friend.

Because he was calm and silent even on the day he lost all the memories he had built up for 3 years and woke up.

“You don’t have anything precious. Everyone who has passed through your life is insignificant to you.”

Jiheon’s expression remained unchanged even at Seunggyu’s harsh words.

A blank expression, as if it couldn’t be helped even if he lost a friend because of this.

Seunggyu, who had uttered the harsh words, suddenly felt sad at that expression.

He couldn’t hate him even while resenting him. Foolishly.

“Even so, I support you.”

“……”

“You may not believe it, but even in this moment when I’m so angry, I support you, you bastard. I don’t understand why you live like that at all, but I still think of you as a friend.”

You don’t know how much I care about you, how pitiful I think you are. Forever.

“I’m on your side, not your mother’s. You bad guy.”

Seunggyu poured out his pent-up feelings, prepared for the end, and left the office.

쾅 [Slam].

He deliberately slammed the door shut.

But his departing steps were heavy.

He thought he had poured out all his feelings, but the remaining feelings still clung to his ankle like lingering attachments.

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

A few minutes later, the kindergarten teacher rushed over, aghast.

“I’m so sorry for leaving Yena behind. It’s all my fault.”

The kindergarten teacher shed tears and repeatedly bowed her head.

It was true that the kindergarten had made a mistake, but it was difficult for Jeongo to be angry because the teacher was so apologetic.

“It’s okay. But it’s something that should never happen again. Would it be too much trouble if you could contact the academy a few minutes before arriving in the future?”

“Yes. I will do that in the future.”

If a problem has erupted and has barely been resolved, then efforts should be made to prevent it in the future.

She had received a promise from the police that they would also make efforts to prevent it, so she should trust and rely on them, and let go of her worries.

Jeongo received Yena’s kindergarten bag with a much more relaxed face. She shook the bag as if something was inside.

“Mom, there’s a drawing in the bag. We made a zoo at kindergarten today.”

Inside the bag was a paper frame with the word ‘Zoo’ written on it.

“What animal is this?”

“That’s a deer.”

…Yena, do you really think this is a deer?

Whether it was a deer or a lion, or a mantis, Jeongo laughed at the fact that she had to acknowledge this special animal with a green body and carnivorous teeth as a deer.

In the meantime, a note sticking out from the front pocket of the bag was visible.

Jeongo took out the note without thinking.

The letters written in the note were….

– Looks like the mother, personality like the father. A child who resembles both by half.

And, the playfully drawn Seryun Group logo….

Jeongo’s peaceful smile crumbled. It felt like her heart was dropping to her feet.

Someone knows.

That I gave birth to Jeong Jiheon’s child.