A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 156

Chae Eun-yeop woke up…

Jung-oh’s steps toward the convenience store at noon felt heavy after parting with the police. She thought she should quickly buy juice and go back to the hospital room. However, after purchasing the juice and while paying, the police officer she had met earlier rushed over and called her.

“Excuse me, ma’am, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, officer.”

“You said your mother is hospitalized, right? What’s the room number?”

“It’s room 2040. What’s wrong?”

“We heard that Chae Eun-yeop has disappeared. We were wondering if he might have gone there.”

At the police’s words, her vision momentarily went dark.

Mother, and…

‘Yena!’

Jung-oh abandoned the juice she had paid for and ran with the police.

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

As soon as Yena ran out of the hospital room, Eun-yeop turned around. Jung Yena was more important than Jang Young-mi. He felt that cutting off Jung Yena’s breath was the only way to get proper revenge.

He should have done that from the start. He should have gotten rid of the brat.

That would have been much easier. That would have been the best way to leave the biggest scar on the Jung family.

However, as Eun-yeop tried to follow Yena, he was immediately stopped by Young-mi. Young-mi, who had already gotten out of bed, was holding onto his ankle tightly.

“Let go! Has this old woman gone crazy!”

Eun-yeop kicked Young-mi with all his might, but it was no use. Young-mi held onto Eun-yeop as if she had turned into a stone. It was impossible to know where the woman, who had become emaciated from her illness and was unrecognizable from her former self, was getting such strength.

“Mommy!”

While Young-mi was holding on, the child’s mournful voice was heard from outside the hospital room. Eun-yeop became anxious.

People would be rushing in soon. He had to do something, anything, before there was no time left.

Eun-yeop changed his target again and lowered his body. It seemed better to get rid of Young-mi first. Young-mi’s eyes, filled with fear while confronting her terror, thrilled him. Eun-yeop grabbed Young-mi’s emaciated neck.

Young-mi tried desperately to escape, but she couldn’t avoid Eun-yeop’s grip. Her breath was being squeezed out.

“You know what? Even if I kill you now, I won’t die. At most, I’ll get life imprisonment.”

Eun-yeop said, flashing his bloodshot eyes. It was the last struggle of someone who had hit rock bottom in life and had nothing left to lose.

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

The caregiver, having come out of the hospital room, thought she should change the pillowcase and went to find the administrative staff. The administrative staff took out a new pillowcase from the storage.

“Mommy!”

At that moment, a child’s voice was heard in the hallway. Startled, the caregiver rushed out.

Next to Young-mi’s hospital room.

“Mommyyy!”

A young couple perked up their ears at the sound coming from the hallway.

“Who is calling for their mom like that?”

“Did they lose their mom?”

“Why don’t you go out and see? It can’t be, but it sounds just like our child.”

The man came out of the hospital room. People from other hospital rooms also came out after hearing Yena’s voice.

“Little one, why are you crying? Did you lose your mom?”

“A bad person came into my grandma’s room,” Yena said in a tearful but clear voice.

Sounds were coming from the room Yena pointed to. People rushed over. The nurse on duty followed behind.

“Mommyyy…”

Yena continued to cry and look for her mom. Like a magic spell, the elevator doors opened. As soon as Jung-oh appeared, Yena’s crying became even more intense.

“Mommyyyyy!”

“Yena!”

Jung-oh hugged Yena tightly.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“A bad person came into grandma’s room,” Yena said, crying.

People were rushing to Young-mi’s hospital room and sounds were coming from inside, so the police officer who came down in the elevator with them immediately ran to Young-mi’s hospital room. Jung-oh also picked up Yena and headed to the hospital room.

Young-mi’s resistance, which had been twisting and turning, disappeared. Confirming Young-mi’s limp figure, Eun-yeop took a long, deep breath and stood up. Now he had to go find the brat.

At that moment, people rushed into the hospital room.

“What are you doing here, patient!”

The nurse shouted. Even in the urgent moment, Eun-yeop came up with a trick.

“No… she was unconscious…”

However, the man from the next room did not believe him.

“No. The child said he was a bad person.”

Eun-yeop’s eyes changed. Eun-yeop picked up the IV pole that Young-mi had thrown away and waved it threateningly at the people.

“Get out of here!”

“Patient! You can’t do this here! Get a grip!”

“Chae Eun-yeop!”

While the nurse was shouting, the police officer came in.

Eun-yeop swung the pole with all his might. But the police officer didn’t care and moved forward. Eventually, the pole hit the police officer’s head. Even while being hit, the police officer reached out and grabbed the pole. In that gap, people surrounded Eun-yeop.

“Get out of the way! Let go!”

Eun-yeop’s struggles were so violent that everyone had to work together to hold him down. Finally, the police officer who pinned Eun-yeop to the ground handcuffed him.

“Why is this bastard so fine?”

The police officer said bitterly. As if getting a hint from that, Eun-yeop, who was completely restrained, suddenly asked the police officer with a softened face.

“Officer, where is this? Why am I here…?”

He was trying to create an excuse to appeal for leniency in court due to diminished capacity.

“Is this guy crazy?”

The police officer frowned as if he was seeing all kinds of crazy people.

While the police officer was dragging Eun-yeop out, Jung-oh also entered the hospital room with Yena in her arms. There was no time to shower Eun-yeop with insults.

“Madam! Madam!”

The caregiver shouted.

In the messily disarranged hospital room, Young-mi was lying as if dead. Just carelessly on the floor.

“Mother…”

Jung-oh was in a state of panic.

The nurse quickly checked her breathing. Young-mi was not breathing. Her heart had also stopped.

“Quickly, call a doctor!”

The nurse shouted to the people and tried CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] herself.

“Mother, Mother.”

Jung-oh also went closer and called Young-mi.

A desperate moment for everyone.

The nurse’s whole body was soaked with sweat. After one cycle of chest compressions and artificial respiration, Young-mi’s lips moved faintly. Jung-oh put her ear to Young-mi’s chest.

A faint heartbeat was heard.

“I hear it. A heartbeat.”

Another cycle of CPR was performed. Jung-oh held Young-mi’s hand tightly next to her and checked Young-mi’s condition. Artificial respiration was performed again, and finally, the faint breath that had been continuing burst out.

Haah, the gathered people each exclaimed.

“Mother, are you okay?”

Jung-oh shouted loudly near Young-mi. Young-mi, whose breathing had stabilized, blinked her eyes while looking at Jung-oh.

Haah…

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Jung-oh, who thanked the nurse, collapsed forward as if all the strength had drained from her body.

Thank you. God.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Yena also burst into tears again.

For some reason, Young-mi liked the sound of the child’s crying.

In front of Young-mi’s eyes was a child whose bangs were soaked with sweat and tears. The center of the child’s forehead was as red as if it was on fire. It was a salmon patch [a type of birthmark] in the shape of a flame, just like her son’s.

‘Can I let go now? Will I be a little more comfortable then?’ At that moment, her son’s voice flashed in her mind.

She couldn’t let go of the request her son had made to her.

“Overcome it. Get healthy and apologize again. I’ll keep waiting.”

Could that have held onto her life?

Tears also welled up in Young-mi’s eyes.

Listening to the child’s pleasant crying, Young-mi closed her eyes again as if falling asleep.

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

Eun-yeop was immediately transferred to the detention center. Since it was confirmed that his body was fine, there was no need for him to stay in the hospital any longer.

Ji-heon and Jae-gwang, who heard the news, rushed over.

“Daddy!”

Yena, who found Ji-heon at the end of the hallway, ran and hugged him.

“Yena, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah! But Grandma almost died.”

Yena replied.

Young-mi, who had fallen into a deep sleep and woke up, underwent an examination. Fortunately, CPR was performed in time, but Young-mi had bruises all over again. Young-mi’s chemotherapy was postponed by one day.

The doctor said to start preparing for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [a procedure to replace damaged or diseased blood-forming cells with healthy ones] immediately after chemotherapy. And he called Ji-heon based on the genetic precision test records delivered from the genetics research center to the hospital.

Ji-heon visited the doctor’s office with Yena, who wouldn’t leave her dad’s side.

“I would like you to retest Jung Ji-heon’s genes.”

Ji-heon asked, stating the doctor’s opinion.

“Yes. I’ll get tested as many times as you want, but is there a problem?”

“Your and your granddaughter’s genotypes match. So, just in case, I was wondering if you could have your son tested again.”

“I don’t match, but my daughter matches?”

“Yes. That can happen. It’s the result of coincidence and blood ties aligning.”

Yena, who had been listening to Ji-heon and the doctor’s conversation, asked.

“Dad, genes are that, right? A map in the blood.”

“So that granddaughter is you?”

The doctor, who turned his head, looked at Yena with a brightened expression.

“Yes. There are similar parts in that map in the blood, so you can save your grandmother.”

The doctor added an explanation to Yena’s question.

“Save Grandma with the map in Yena’s blood?”

Yena also asked an additional question. This time, Ji-heon answered.

“Maybe, but Yena can’t do it.”

“Why?”

“Yena is still too young to do it.”

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a lighter procedure for the donor compared to bone marrow transplantation, but it was not something that could be easily recommended to a young child. Injections are required a few days before the transplant, and a significant amount of blood must be drawn on the day of donation.

It was a difficult process for a young child to endure. From the perspective of a father who did not know what long-term effects all the procedures would have on the child, he could not agree to the donation.

“Why? Nightingale told me to help sick people!”

But Yena persistently pressed. (Nightingale refers to Florence Nightingale, a celebrated figure in nursing.)

The doctor smiled as if he was impressed by the child and told the truth.

“Donations between unrelated people are possible from the age of 18, but family donations are possible even for children. In our hospital, an eight-year-old donated hematopoietic stem cells and saved his twelve-year-old brother.”

“Dad, Yena can do it too!”

“No, still no. Yena.”

“Why not?”

Yena asked again as if she didn’t understand at all.

Ji-heon closed his mouth with a firm face. It was because he had too smart a child.

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

Yena, fascinated by the fact that her blood could save her grandmother, eventually sulked at her father’s opposition. Even after returning home, Yena insisted that she would never talk to her father again. Still, Ji-heon did not change his mind.

From Jung-oh’s point of view, Ji-heon’s decision was a little disappointing.

If the child wanted to, if she was proud of the fact that she could save her grandmother…

Hematopoietic stem cell donation is not something that would endanger her life. There is the inconvenience of getting injections and being hospitalized for a few days, but it is a small sacrifice compared to other transplants.

“But… we can save Mother…”

“Still, we shouldn’t touch Yena.”

Jung-oh tried to persuade him, but it was no use.

Jung Ji-heon and Jung Yena. Both father and daughter had stubbornness that could not be broken. As Jung-oh looked gloomy, Ji-heon turned around and approached Jung-oh again to comfort her.

“Let’s talk again after my test results come out. If I can’t do it, we can look for a donor. Even among strangers, there is a 1 in 20,000 chance that the genotypes will match. Mother will be able to receive a donation.”

1 in 20,000. That number seemed daunting to Jung-oh.

Kook-soon approached Jung-oh, who was pouting.

“What’s wrong? I heard there was a big deal at the hospital. Is that why?”

“No, that’s been resolved…”

Jung-oh told Kook-soon everything that had happened today. The incident of Eun-yeop raiding the hospital room, the ordeal Young-mi had gone through because of it, the fact that Yena and Young-mi’s HLA [human leukocyte antigen] types matched, and the fact that Yena wanted to donate hematopoietic stem cells.

Kook-soon, who listened to Jung-oh’s story attentively, nodded silently.

“So, that means Yena’s that is needed, right?”

“Hematopoietic stem cells.”

“Yes. Hematopoietic stem cells.”

Kook-soon nodded once more, left her seat, picked up her phone, and put on her reading glasses. Jung-oh blankly watched Kook-soon. Kook-soon had a very serious expression and was searching for something on her phone.

And after a while, Kook-soon, who took off her reading glasses, said with a brightened face.

“There’s a way. Jung-oh.”

“…?”

“There is. There’s a way. Everything will be alright. Our Yena doesn’t have to suffer.”

Mom said. There is a way.

Mom’s words are never wrong.

So, Jung-oh’s heart was pounding even though she didn’t know what that method was.

“Everything will be alright. Mother-in-law will be fine now too.”

Trust Mom.

Kook-soon’s smile gave her a thrilling conviction.