A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 146

146. November 2nd, 24 Years Ago

It was a day filled with tasks.

Throughout the afternoon, Jeong-o chattered away as she traveled with Ji-heon.

“I’ve had goosebumps all day. How could that happen? Even for things that happened seven years ago, it’s usually hard for most people to remember so vividly.”

“It suddenly came to me, like the barrier blocking my memory had disappeared. Although it’s just the memory of November 2nd, that day.”

“No, you remembered November 3rd too!”

Jeong-o retorted with an excited expression. Ji-heon chuckled at her raised voice, but his smile soon faded.

Could Kim Jin-gu really be the hit-and-run driver?

What on earth did the culprit say to me?

Amidst the excitement and preoccupation, they arrived at their next destination. The couple’s next stop was an OB/GYN clinic.

In truth, Jeong-o wanted to wait a bit longer before going, but she couldn’t resist Ji-heon’s constant nagging since Friday night.

It was only recently that she had accompanied Jin-seo to the OB/GYN for prenatal checkups, and there were no signs then, so it was strange to feel that something in her body had changed in the meantime.

While waiting for their turn, Ji-heon, who had already started counting his chickens before they hatched, whispered,

“Do you think it’ll be a girl or a boy?”

“…You don’t actually think we can find that out today, do you?”

“Of course not. I’ve done some studying. It’s this tiny right now.”

Ji-heon showed her his thumbnail as he replied. Jeong-o felt a pang at his response that he had been studying.

If the accident seven years ago hadn’t happened, he would probably have been the best dad in the world. Maybe he would have cherished and loved the child even more than she would.

“Would you prefer a daughter or a son?”

“I was talking to your mother about it a few days ago.”

“…”

“Back then, I thought daughters were the best, but now I think either a daughter or a son would be great. Either way, they’ll be beautiful since they’ll look like you and me.”

He told her such lovely things, as if he had already started prenatal care. As her heart welled up again, the nurse called Jeong-o’s name. The two of them entered the examination room together.

The doctor, after reviewing the questionnaire, tilted his head, looking at the beautiful couple sitting there with expectant eyes.

“You’ve come early. It hasn’t been long since your period ended…”

“Yes, but the test showed two lines.”

“Even with two lines, it might not be visible. But since you say you have symptoms, let’s check with an ultrasound. Please change your clothes.”

After Jeong-o left to change, Ji-heon’s eyes widened.

“…Why does she need to change clothes?”

“Because we need to do a transvaginal ultrasound.”

Ji-heon was taken aback by the doctor’s response.

“She already has one child… Didn’t you know?”

The doctor stared at Ji-heon as if wondering how he couldn’t know that. Ji-heon felt embarrassed, realizing he hadn’t studied enough.

A moment later, Jeong-o, having changed her clothes, got onto the examination table. Ji-heon tensed up at the sight of Jeong-o’s strained expression. Getting an ultrasound wasn’t easy, and he had been pushing his wife. He felt so sorry for Jeong-o.

“I can see the gestational sac.”

Amidst the confusion, a black pouch appeared on the monitor. Inside the pouch was a small, white ring-like circle.

*That’s the yolk sac! I studied!*

Ji-heon’s eyes sparkled again as he recognized the scene. But there was no time to show off what he had learned. Theory and practice were worlds apart.

“If you come back in one to two weeks, we should be able to hear the heartbeat.”

Even though they couldn’t hear the heartbeat yet, Ji-heon felt like he could hear it. Maybe it was his own heartbeat. He couldn’t control his heart, which was beating so fiercely with excitement.

It was an even more amazing and surprising moment than when a part of his memory had returned.

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

As soon as class ended, Guk-soon quickly left the academy [private educational institution]. She had invited Bae-il over today, so she needed to go grocery shopping. As Guk-soon hurried towards the taxi stand, someone approached her again.

“Madam.”

“Oh, you startled me.”

It was Bae-il again. Bae-il apologized, looking embarrassed.

“Did I surprise you? I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. It’s just because I’m getting old. But have you been here all this time?”

“I had some business nearby. I had an appointment, but I got stood up.”

“Oh dear. What should we do? Was it a woman?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe any woman would stand up our wonderful police officer.”

Bae-il chuckled at Guk-soon’s joke.

“Now I have some free time. Are you heading home? I can give you a ride.”

“No, I have to go to the market to buy groceries. To treat our teacher [referring to Bae-il].”

“Then I’ll take you to the market. I can even take you from the market to your house. I have plenty of time.”

“Well, I’d be grateful, but I’m inviting you to treat you, so I’d feel bad…”

“No, I’d be honored. Let’s go together then.”

Bae-il led the way. His figure was so reliable that Guk-soon felt as if she had gained another prospective son-in-law.

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

After visiting the hypnosis counseling center and the OB/GYN, Jeong-o returned to work and had another busy day. After finishing a heated meeting and returning to her desk, it was already time to leave work.

*Oh right, I didn’t call Mom.*

Today was the day Jin-seo was picking up the kids from the academy. Jeong-o was worried that Guk-soon might forget and go to the academy, missing Jin-seo, so she called her mom right away.

Guk-soon answered the phone after a while. Her voice sounded breathless for some reason.

[Hello?]

“Mom, are you busy?”

[I’m preparing dinner. I’m going to eat with the detective.]

“Mom, that’s tomorrow.”

[Didn’t you hear? They changed it to today. The detective has work tomorrow and is going down to Jinju [city in South Korea], right?]

It was news to her. Jeong-o’s eyes widened.

[So he came home with me. The detective even helped me with the groceries and carried the luggage. He’s at home with me now.]

“Gasp!”

Jeong-o jumped up. She suddenly felt anxious again. She wanted to teleport home, worried about how awkward her mom must be with the detective alone.

Go Eun-ju, the assistant manager, noticed Jeong-o’s pale complexion and spoke up, as if she knew what was coming.

“Something’s happened on that side again, hasn’t it? Again.”

“Ah, Assistant Manager Go, I’m sorry. I think I need to leave early.”

“Why are you apologizing to me? There’s nothing more for Assistant Manager Lee to do today.”

“Well, I… would it be okay if I left just 10 minutes early?”

“You don’t need to get permission from me for that either.”

“I feel bad because I was away from my desk all day and now I’m leaving early again.”

“Assistant Manager Lee, you worked on the weekends too, though. Of course, so did I.”

“…”

“I hope Assistant Manager Lee always takes the lead and leaves work on time. We need to get rid of the bad habit of working overtime in this advertising company. The computer should be turned off at six o’clock.”

Eun-ju clenched her fist with a burning fighting spirit, then smiled. It was the first time in a while that Jeong-o had seen Eun-ju smile.

“I don’t mean you have to tell the director. But I won’t stop you if you insist on telling him.”

“Yes. I’ll tell him.”

Jeong-o smiled, understanding Eun-ju’s meaning perfectly.

“Then I’ll leave work first.”

Jeong-o said goodbye to Eun-ju and quickly left the office.

As soon as she left the company, she called Ji-heon. Ji-heon, who was out on business, answered the phone late.

“Are you busy?”

[No, it’s okay.]

Ji-heon’s voice was dry, as if he wasn’t completely free. But Jeong-o couldn’t hang up right away.

“I heard Detective Kwon Bae-il is coming over today. You should have told me sooner.”

[…I’m hearing this for the first time? Who told you?]

“Mom said so? She said the detective is going down to Jinju tomorrow, so she invited him over today. She said the detective is already at our house.”

[…I didn’t know. I’ll call Bae-il.]

“Okay. Anyway, you need to come home quickly too. The detective is already at our house.”

[Okay. See you later.]

The call ended abruptly. Jeong-o quickly grabbed a taxi and headed home. On the way home, she received a call. This time it was Jin-seo.

“Yes, Unnie [older sister]!”

After experiencing various things, Jeong-o started calling Jin-seo “Unnie” (older sister). The already kind Jin-seo took even better care of Jeong-o than before.

[Jeong-o, I came to pick up the kids, but Yena wants to play at our house. Is it okay if I let her play for an hour and then bring her back?]

“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you.”

[But is something wrong? You sound rushed.]

“You know Detective Kwon Bae-il, right? It turns out he’s Ji-heon’s friend. He helped solve several cases, and we’re grateful, and we’ve been wanting to invite him over for a long time, so we invited him over today.”

[Ah, I see! I heard from Dobin’s dad that the two of them are friends. Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you a few days ago.]

“…”

[There’s a photo of Jeong-o and Yena taken at the flower shop when our Dobin was little.]

“Oh, really? That’s amazing.”

[But what’s even more amazing is that the detective is also in the next photo. The photo shows the detective moving in the direction Jeong-o is going. As if he’s following Jeong-o. Isn’t that strange?]

As she listened to Jin-seo’s excited voice, Jeong-o felt a chill down her spine for some reason. She was reminded of the day she first met Detective Kwon Bae-il in the neighborhood, when she found out he was her next-door neighbor. She felt strange.

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

After finishing the call with Jeong-o, Ji-heon excused himself from the meeting. He was a little flustered. The fact that Bae-il had come to his house without even contacting him.

He belatedly tried to call him, but Bae-il didn’t answer. In any case, he had to go home. As he turned the steering wheel to move the car quickly, it made a screeching sound. At that moment, he was once again trapped in the memory of seven years ago.

Ugh.

Ji-heon stopped the car for a moment and touched his temple.

“…Have you ever heard the name ______?”

Seven years ago, the man who had hit Ji-heon with his car and left him lying there had asked about a name. What was it?

The memory was just out of reach, as if a double or triple layer of fog was blocking the accident. Ji-heon breathed calmly, as the doctor had taught him.

After calming his mind for a few minutes, the fog gradually cleared.

“Have you ever heard the name Kwon Bae-il?”

The moment the memory surfaced, his heart beat violently.

Ji-heon shook his head vigorously. *No. It could be a mistake.*

But he still needed to check properly.

Ji-heon urgently contacted the counselor.

[Yes, customer.]

“Hello. Do you remember that I asked you to find out about Kwon Bae-il before?”

[At that time, you only asked us to find out if there was a record of his name being changed, so we didn’t investigate anything else.]

“Not even a little? Even just a brief history?”

[Just a moment.]

He could hear the sound of something being rummaged through without hanging up. And after a while.

[His single mother passed away on November 2nd, 24 years ago, and he was then adopted by his aunt’s house.]

“His mother’s death anniversary is November 2nd?”

[Looking at it again now, his mother’s birthday and death anniversary are on the same day. November 2nd.]

November 2nd.

The day before Ji-heon’s traffic accident seven years ago.

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

Jeong-o got out of the taxi in front of her house and hurried upstairs.

She opened the front door, but no one came out to greet her. She heard clattering sounds from the kitchen.

As she slowly walked towards the kitchen, something caught her eye.

A hat on the sofa…

A red brim with a navy blue back. A hat with the logo of a Spanish soccer team on the front.

The hat that the woman who lured Yena away a long time ago was wearing.

*Why is this here…*

Feeling a chill and sensing her heartbeat quickening, Jeong-o headed to the kitchen.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Hello.”

Guk-soon and Bae-il, who were working in the kitchen, greeted her together. Bae-il was wearing Ji-heon’s apron. The two of them were preparing a meal together.

“Yes, hello.”

Jeong-o greeted in a small voice.

“Jeong-o, take the police officer away. He keeps trying to help with the kitchen work. He’s a guest.”

Guk-soon said with a smile, as if many interesting things had happened in the meantime.

“Why are you standing there? Come out quickly.”

Jeong-o said to Bae-il as Guk-soon had asked. *Did it sound too serious?* At Jeong-o’s words, Bae-il took a step away from the counter and took off his apron.

Jeong-o carefully parted her lips again.

“But… the hat on the sofa…”

“That’s our police officer’s hat. I put it there so he wouldn’t lose it.”

Guk-soon answered first, cutting her off. Guk-soon didn’t know about the video taken on the day Yena went missing.

“It was the detective’s hat?”

“Yes.”

Bae-il answered briefly to Jeong-o’s question. Nothing could be read from his face, which had a faint smile.

*Why that hat of all things? Why did Detective Kwon Bae-il wear that hat so blatantly?*

As she stood there stiffly, a vibration rang out. It was Jeong-o’s phone. Ji-heon was calling.

“Aren’t you going to answer the phone?”

At Bae-il’s question, Jeong-o slowly reached out and grabbed her phone.

“Hello.”

[Jeong-o, are you home?]

“Yes.”

[Is Kwon Bae-il there too?]

“Yes.”

[Jeong-o, listen carefully. Don’t be surprised.]

With the phone to her ear, she stood there blankly, with Bae-il still in front of her. Bae-il was still smiling. That smile seemed so eerie, unlike before.

[Kwon Bae-il might be more dangerous than you think. Don’t provoke him, just stay still. I’ll be there soon. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.]

The call ended quickly.

“When is Ji-heon coming?”

Bae-il asked. He hadn’t even been told that it was Ji-heon calling, but Bae-il had guessed everything.

A knife was precariously placed on the counter.

*Did he say he liked soccer because he couldn’t kick the criminal?* The words he had said a long time ago came to mind. That joke didn’t suit his kind-looking face, so she had just laughed it off, but the thought that all of that might have been intentional made her shudder.

When Jeong-o stood there silently, Bae-il moved first. In Jeong-o’s heightened state, that movement looked like he was trying to harm Guk-soon. Jeong-o shouted.

“No!”

Because of that, Guk-soon accidentally bumped the counter. The knife that had been precariously placed fell to the floor.

“Why is she suddenly shouting like that? You startled me.”

Guk-soon grumbled, as if it was rude to have a guest over. Bae-il stood still until Guk-soon picked up the knife and moved it safely, then answered.

“No, Madam. Lee Jeong-o is having a natural reaction.”

“…”

“Because she found out who the real culprit in the Lee Yena kidnapping case is.”

To Jeong-o, the gun holster on Bae-il’s belt stood out more than the faint smile on his lips.