A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 143

143. I Know This Feeling

“Mom, is Dad coming today?”

“Yes, he is.”

Yena asked the same question every ten minutes.

“Mom, is Dad coming today?”

“Yes, he is. I told you.”

“But why isn’t he here yet?”

“He’s just running late at work. He’ll be here soon.”

Jeong-oh was also just waiting, so she couldn’t give a definite answer. Still, she felt relieved, knowing that everything was resolved.

Jeong-oh watched all the events unfold in real-time through online news. She worried that even the slightest thing might harm Ji-heon or Seryun Group, but surprisingly, everything went smoothly.

After all her anxieties were relieved, Jeong-oh stroked her belly and went to Guk-soon. Guk-soon was at the table, studying for her Korean cuisine chef certification with a book open.

“Mom.”

Guk-soon lowered her magnifying glasses and asked bluntly,

“What? What do you want to eat now?”

“Tch. Do you think I’m a pig? You always say that whenever I call you.”

“Then why did you call me?”

“What are we having for breakfast tomorrow?”

Guk-soon scoffed as if she couldn’t believe it, and playfully tapped Jeong-oh’s butt.

“Aigoo [Oh my goodness], our little pig. What would you think about all day if you couldn’t think about food?”

“No, it’s just in front of you, Mom. I’m just like a normal person in front of others. I didn’t have much of an appetite for a week because I was worried about my husband, but now my appetite is finally coming back.”

“No appetite? You didn’t skip any meals or anything.”

“Aigoo, really. I just mean it didn’t feel like I was eating even when I was.”

Guk-soon smiled comfortably at Jeong-oh’s excuse. The atmosphere in the house had been heavy for the week Ji-heon was stuck at work, but now the worries were gone.

Guk-soon cut a pear and placed it in front of Jeong-oh. When Jeong-oh tried to eat the remaining flesh around the core instead of the nicely cut pieces, Guk-soon immediately handed her a well-cut slice.

“Don’t eat that, eat this.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Take it. Quickly.”

Guk-soon pushed it to her mouth, so Jeong-oh had no choice but to put down the pear core she was holding.

“You only eat the pretty things. Everything.”

Jeong-oh shrugged as if she didn’t understand why her mom was saying that, and accepted the fruit Guk-soon offered. Just then, they heard the sound of the door opening.

“Dad!”

Yena shouted and ran out first. Jeong-oh and Guk-soon followed.

“Wow!”

While Ji-heon was lifting Yena up, Jeong-oh also shouted and went to hug Ji-heon.

Ji-heon, who had never received such a welcome, was bewildered at first, but his face soon lit up brightly.

“Yena, were you good?”

“Yes. Is Dad all done with being busy?”

“Yes. All done.”

“You don’t have to work late anymore?”

“That’s right. I won’t be working late anymore.”

“Wow!” Yena cheered. Guk-soon also came over and asked,

“You’ve been through a lot. Aigoo, you’ve been through so much. Are you tired? Have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“What did you eat?”

“Just, bread…….”

“Is that enough? Eat some more. I’ll grill you some mackerel.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“Go wash up quickly.”

Before Ji-heon could stop her, Guk-soon immediately left for the kitchen.

Finally, he was home.

The relief that fact gave him almost brought tears to his eyes.

Ji-heon cleaned his plate of the seven-course meal prepared by his mother-in-law.

“Do you want more rice? Is it not enough?”

“No. I ate a lot. Thank you.”

“No, I’m the one who’s thankful.”

Guk-soon responded with a pleased expression to Ji-heon’s greeting.

“Mother, I think I like women.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I like Mother, and of course, I like Jeong-oh, and I like Yena too. That’s why I love being home so much.”

Guk-soon, who had been taken aback by the unexpected confession and narrowed her eyes, soon burst into laughter.

Indeed, her son-in-law’s impression was different from when she first met him. At first, she was worried whether this naive young man who had grown up so sheltered could be a good husband to her child and a good father to her grandchild, but it turned out he was a smooth talker who was flawless even as a son-in-law.

“I hope only girls are born from now on.”

“I think it will be a son.”

“Pardon?”

“No, never mind.”

Guk-soon quickly covered her mouth, thinking she had been too forward in following her son-in-law’s lead, and secretly laughed.

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

After Chae Eun-yeop was arrested, the company quickly returned to normal.

Ji-heon, who finally had time to take care of himself, visited the hypnotherapy center with Jeong-oh. Ji-heon told the doctor, who asked how he had been, about what had happened and the feelings he had experienced during that time. Chae Eun-yeop also appeared at the end of the story.

“A friend named Chae Eun-yeop—no, I can’t really call him a friend—a guy who kept confronting me, was arrested. I heard about him from someone else, and they said that Chae Eun-yeop even studied hypnotism to manipulate people. When I heard the word ‘hypnotism,’ I suddenly had a headache and felt so nauseous I wanted to throw up. …I think I have a negative reaction to hypnotism itself.”

Jeong-oh, who had been listening intently to Ji-heon’s story as if she were being drawn in, also felt a bit nauseous.

Jeong-oh rubbed her chest and cleared her throat.

‘Did I get too immersed?’

It was a strange feeling.

While Jeong-oh was tilting her head, Ji-heon on the other side of the glass wall was attempting his second hypnotherapy session.

“Whether it’s a negative reaction to hypnotism or some other reason, let’s try again today. Personally, I don’t want Ji-heon to be in pain when he tries to recall the past. I’m going to focus on that and try hypnosis. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes.”

Ji-heon, who trusted the doctor, replied firmly.

Soon, Ji-heon closed his eyes according to the doctor’s instructions.

The doctor described Jeong-oh’s old room, just like last time. This time, he was able to describe it more accurately than before, having received pictures of the view outside the room and the actual studio apartment where Jeong-oh had lived. Unlike before, Ji-heon’s breathing was quite stable.

“Can you picture the room well?”

After a long wait, an answer came out.

“……Yes.”

The doctor quietly felt relieved that Ji-heon was able to picture the room in his head without any resistance. However, there was also the possibility that this was a mixed memory. Ji-heon had also decorated his previous home to look like Jeong-oh’s studio apartment.

“You spent a lot of time in that room. Can you picture that?”

“…….”

“Tell me if it’s too difficult.”

Despite the doctor’s concern, Ji-heon showed no reaction. Occasionally, his fingertips and brow twitched, making Jeong-oh anxious.

After a while, Ji-heon spoke.

“I made……food.”

Jeong-oh’s eyes welled up with tears.

“What kind of food did you make?”

He couldn’t recall that far, and Ji-heon closed his mouth again in response to the doctor’s question.

Seven years ago. It was so long ago that even ordinary people who hadn’t experienced any accidents would have difficulty remembering unless it was a special event. The doctor carefully continued.

“Then shall we move on to another time? You found a pregnancy test in your girlfriend’s room.”

This was the point where he had tried to recall his memories before and stopped. It was a point where a reaction had occurred, so the doctor couldn’t give up. Ji-heon’s brow furrowed deeply. Jeong-oh felt nauseous just watching him.

Haah.

Ji-heon sighed deeply and opened his eyes. He had failed to recall the memories in detail, but it could be said that he had achieved some progress. Ji-heon woke up from the hypnosis without a major reaction and didn’t feel nauseous. There was also no pain.

But it seemed that all the suffering had been transferred to Jeong-oh. Jeong-oh couldn’t stand the nausea and went straight to the bathroom.

“Ugh.”

She couldn’t even make it to the toilet and grabbed onto the sink. She didn’t throw up what she had eaten, but the nausea continued a few more times.

Knock knock knock.

“Jeong-oh. Are you okay?”

Ji-heon, who had come out of the consultation room, knocked on the bathroom door and spoke. Jeong-oh couldn’t answer right away and caught her breath.

I know this feeling.

Tears welled up again in Jeong-oh’s eyes as she recalled her memories from a long time ago.

But it wasn’t this bad a long time ago.

Somehow, she had a feeling that someone incredibly great was coming, and goosebumps rose on her arms.

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

Eun-yeop remained imprisoned. But there was hope.

Everything was proceeding as usual, but the police and prosecutors were dragging their feet a bit, as if there were many things that were bothering them, and it took quite a long time even to get to the pre-arrest suspect interrogation. And the court had not yet issued a ruling.

If an arrest warrant is not issued within 48 hours of the suspect’s arrest, the police must release the suspect.

The 48 hours from the police to the prosecutor to the judge to issue an arrest warrant is actually tight just with the procedure itself. If one part starts to get blocked, the work cannot be completed.

Eun-yeop was confident that he would be released soon. There wasn’t much time left until his release. Someone was pressuring him, but someone else seemed to be protecting him. Eun-yeop believed it was his father’s influence.

His brain, which had been blocked when he was arrested, began to restart.

It was a real mystery that the police found Kim Jin-gu’s cell phone. He had hidden the cell phone in a place where no one could find it unless they smashed everything in the house. He had definitely turned it off too.

It seemed that someone had found the cell phone and handed it over to the police.

‘It must be that bastard Jeong Ji-heon.’

Eun-yeop, who had jumped to the conclusion that Ji-heon was the culprit, pictured in his mind the things he had to do as soon as he left the police station.

‘Jeong Ji-heon, I’ll make sure you can’t move a muscle.’

Just as he clenched his fist, vowing revenge, the door to the detention center opened.

“Chae Eun-yeop. Come out.”

The police seemed to be much more polite than before. From that attitude alone, Eun-yeop could guess his fate. He was finally going to be able to leave. Eun-yeop’s face subtly flushed.

Eun-yeop came out of the detention center, dusted off his clothes, and asked,

“What was the result?”

“You’re released.”

“Non-detention investigation, I see.”

Eun-yeop cheered inwardly. The smile in his heart quickly spread outward.

That’s right.

‘Jeong Ji-heon, look at this. This is how powerful my father is.’

Eun-yeop was so thrilled with his victory that he felt nauseous. The police said to Eun-yeop, who was feeling that way, with a solemn expression,

“It seems that a warrant review may be conducted again in a week.”

“……Pardon?”

“Mr. Chae Eun-yeop, your father has passed away. Please go quickly.”

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

Someone’s life is setting, and someone’s life is slowly blooming.

On her way home from work, Jeong-oh stopped by the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.

With mixed emotions, she naturally recalled that day seven years ago.

The day she first bought a pregnancy test at the pharmacy. Even though a lot of time had passed, the memory of that day was as vivid as the two red lines back then.

That day seven years ago, the four tests Jeong-oh bought all told her the same result. Jeong-oh hesitated to tell Ji-heon this fact rashly, but Ji-heon found the test in Jeong-oh’s room.

He gently comforted Jeong-oh, who was scared, and said that they should go to the hospital together to get a prenatal care booklet [a record of prenatal care].

After making such a reassuring promise, he disappeared the next day. So Jeong-oh thought she had been abandoned.

It was a memory of regret for Jeong-oh as well.

If I hadn’t given up on him then, if I had stood up more strongly against his mother, if I had contacted him again even after three months or a year… Then we would have definitely been different.

With a heavy heart, Jeong-oh arbitrarily imagined the time she had missed.

Jeong Ji-heon cutting the baby’s umbilical cord, Jeong Ji-heon cheering at the baby’s first steps, Jeong Ji-heon taking a commemorative photo with the baby at the first birthday party, Jeong Ji-heon teaching the baby Go [a strategy board game]…… Beautiful scenes she had not experienced unfolded in her mind.

Tears welled up in her eyes because she felt sorry for the time that had passed, but a smile stopped the tears. She was excited at the thought that it was another new beginning. She was also looking forward to it. It was a feeling she had never felt seven years ago.

Thump, thump, thump…….

Jeong-oh’s heart was beating fast as she sat alone in the bedroom, waiting for the results of the test.