A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 166

166. She’s My Daughter! She is My Daughter!

External passageway of the stadium’s spectator stands.

Jaein just kept wailing.

She thought her son would clinch the victory, but it was an unexpected defeat.

Jaein, who had been the best in the lower grades of the new Baduk [Go] academy, lost in the third match, shocking Jaein’s mother as well. But even more than shock, she felt ashamed.

She had bragged so much to the other parents at the academy. She had wanted to crush the noses of those mothers who seemed to sneer at her son’s boasting.

She couldn’t have been more embarrassed.

“Let’s go.”

Jaein’s mother grabbed Jaein’s arm, who was still crying. But Jaein wouldn’t move, as if gum were stuck to the bottom of his shoes.

“Let’s go quickly! What’s the point of crying here!”

Waaah, waaah, waaah.

“Are you going to keep embarrassing Mom here? Go home and cry.”

Only when she spoke coldly and harshly did Jaein finally start to move, sobbing. But he still wasn’t over it and continued to whine.

“It’s all because of Jung Yena! If it weren’t for her, I would have won first place!”

“What first place when you can’t even beat a seven-year-old!”

Of course, Jaein’s mother didn’t listen to such complaints.

“Hurry up! Be ashamed!”

Jiheon, who had just entered the Olympic handball stadium, stopped in his tracks when he heard the name ‘Jung Yena’ from an unexpected place.

Not far away, Hong Jaein, teary-eyed, and Hong Jaein’s mother, who seemed angry, were having a small argument.

From what he heard, it seemed that Yena and Hong Jaein had faced off again. Hong Jaein had been arrogant and had been soundly defeated by Yena’s true skills.

Jiheon smiled and approached Jaein.

“Oh, you came too?”

Jaein’s eyebrows furrowed as he recognized Jiheon’s face through his sobs. Jiheon asked in a gentle voice.

“Did you lose to our Yena?”

Gently teasing the child.

“That’s too bad. Study harder. Okay?”

And study some character too.

Jaein’s mother, who also recognized Jiheon, stood between Jaein and Jiheon, hiding the child behind her. She seemed nervous to have recognized Jiheon.

“Let’s go quickly!”

Jaein’s mother grabbed her son’s hand again. But Jaein was too upset to let it go. Jaein shook off his mother’s hand and stood there, asking Jiheon.

“You work at a bar, right?”

“…What?”

Jiheon’s eyebrow twitched at Jaein’s absurd and bold question.

“My mom said you work at a bar…”

“Stop it!”

Slap!

In the end, Jaein’s mother hit her son. The slap was so hard that the child fell to the ground.

Last July, when moving the children’s Baduk [Go] academy, Jaein’s mother had said nonsense in front of Jaein. She said that Yena’s father looked so handsome that he must work at a bar. The child remembered that story and confronted Jiheon.

But after that, Jaein’s mother learned the truth. Jung Jiheon, Yena’s father, was not a man who worked at a bar, but the second son of a large corporation’s chairman.

She hadn’t told Jaein that fact. There was no opportunity to tell him. In the end, the truth was not updated, and Jaein was about to say something rude when he was slapped by his excited mother.

The stadium hallway became quiet in an instant. Children and parents who had finished the Baduk [Go] match and were leaving watched the scene. A couple of them thought that this should not be overlooked and immediately took out their phones.

“Hello. This is the police station, right? I’d like to report child abuse.”

“What’s it to you! I’m disciplining my son!”

When Jaein’s mother approached the reporter and tried to snatch the phone, the reporter coldly retorted.

“Are you even his real mother? They say you shouldn’t even hit them with flowers. How can you hit a child!”

“I heard you were scolding him because he lost the match.”

“When did I ever!”

As several people ganged up on her, Jaein’s mother’s face turned bright red. At that moment, a police officer who had received a report while patrolling outside the stadium building came inside.

“Who made the report?”

“Here! This woman hit the child!”

“There’s a camera over here, so the woman’s assault on the child must have been recorded!”

Waaah! In the meantime, Jaein burst into tears again. More people gathered.

Jiheon quietly watched the commotion, then slowly moved away from them and ran to the entrance of the spectator stands.

Fortunately, it was easy to find Jungo in the spectator stands.

“Oppa! [Honey/Sweetheart]”

Jungo, whose nose was red and eyes were filled with tears, hugged Jiheon’s neck.

Jiheon couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Why are you crying! Why!”

“Our Yena is doing so well!”

“You scared me!”

“No, our Yena is doing so well. She’s in the quarterfinals now! Isn’t that something to cry about?”

“It’s natural for Yena to do well. She takes after me.”

He said, overwhelmed with emotion, but Jungo’s excitement quickly faded when her husband replied as if it were obvious.

Hmph.

Jungo wiped her tear-soaked eyes and calmed herself down, then sat down. Jiheon thought about telling Jungo what had happened outside the stadium, but he held back.

Jungo, who had been sitting sulkily, glanced at Jiheon and asked bluntly.

“What happened to Chae Eunyeop?”

“Life imprisonment.”

“Oh!”

She was quickly relieved by the fortunate news. Jiheon, who had expected Jungo to react this way, secretly smiled. He found it amusing to tease his wife.

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

Quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally the finals.

Yena, who had easily defeated her opponents in six matches, was finally about to face her last game.

The stadium was bustling. Everyone was surprised that a seven-year-old had made it to the finals.

She had plenty of experience playing Baduk [Go] in front of her peers at the academy, but it was the first time so many people were paying attention to her. Yena was also very nervous.

She looked up and saw her mom and dad in the spectator stands. Her mom and dad must have noticed that Yena had made eye contact with them, as they waved their arms wildly. It was the first time she had seen her usually composed dad looking so flustered.

Soon, her opponent finished her match and came.

Her opponent was the winner of the August tournament. A second-grader.

“Hello, Yena. I’m Kang Saebom.”

The opponent, after checking Yena’s name tag, greeted her first. Yena opened her mouth.

“I’ve seen you play before.”

“Really? When?”

“On August 6th. At the tournament.”

Yena had forfeited the tournament last time and briefly went to the police station, then returned to the stadium to watch the finals. She still remembered that match.

“You were there then too?”

“Yes.”

“But why didn’t you win a prize?”

“I lost then.”

“Then your skills must have improved in the meantime!”

Saebom accepted Yena’s words with a serious expression. Talking to Saebom made her feel less nervous.

The match began with everyone watching.

Yena’s eyes moved quickly. The final match was definitely different from the previous matches. It felt like playing against a teacher.

But Yena was someone who could continue to grow even in that situation. When Saebom placed a stone in an unexpected place, her heart beat fast with curiosity.

“Why did you put it here?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you this. I’m trying to defend this side.”

Even though she said she wasn’t supposed to tell her, Saebom kindly answered Yena’s innocent question.

After a while, Saebom also asked, as if returning the favor.

“Why did you put it here?”

“Because I thought you would put it here.”

Saebom also enjoyed Baduk [Go]. She wondered why she had only met such a talent now.

“How old were you when you started playing Baduk [Go]?”

“Seven years old.”

“Then it hasn’t even been a year?”

“Yes. How about you?”

“I’ve been playing for two years.”

As the two people’s voices occasionally rose, the supervisor gave them a look. Saebom quietly said to Yena.

“The teacher told us not to talk, so let’s not talk.”

“Okay.”

The two focused on the match. When she was on the defensive, Saebom took a deep breath and stroked her chest. Yena kept fidgeting with her hands on her lap.

The two people’s time limit decreased at the same rate, and Saebom was the first to use her overtime.

Because it was an important match, the timekeeper sitting next to her counted down the seconds.

“Last 10 seconds, one, two, three, four…”

Saebom placed her stone, rushed by time. It was a mistake. She slowly sighed, as if regretting the mistake.

When Yena quickly attacked, Saebom was blocked again.

Finally, the last overtime.

The timekeeper counted again.

“Last 10 seconds, one, two…”

“I lost.”

Saebom accepted the result and put down the stone she was holding. Small tears welled up in her eyes.

“Wow! You’re really good!”

But Saebom sincerely admired and praised Yena.

The supervisor announced.

“The winner of the lower grades is Jung Yena. The runner-up is Kang Saebom.”

Saebom reached out her hand to Yena first. A bright smile bloomed on Yena’s face, who had been sitting blankly. Yena took Saebom’s hand.

Applause and cheers were heard from everywhere.

“What’s your dream?”

“Police officer! What about you?”

“I want to become a Baduk [Go] professional.”

“…”

“There aren’t many female Baduk [Go] professionals who beat male Baduk [Go] professionals. So I want to try it.”

Her sister’s voice, proudly talking about her dream, sounded cool. Yena’s heart was also excited.

“But I think you can do it too!”

“Then I’ll talk to my friend.”

“Why?”

“Because I promised my friend that we would become police officers together.”

“Wow! That’s cool!”

Soon, the stadium door opened and the audience came in. Saebom’s mother came in first. Jungo and Jiheon were flustered.

“Mom, I got second place!”

Saebom shouted to her mother in a lisping voice. Saebom, who had been a mature older sister to Yena, was just like any other spoiled daughter in front of her mother.

“Congratulations! My princess!”

Saebom’s mother hugged Saebom and said. Saebom introduced Yena to her mother.

“I played well too, but she played better. But she’s only seven years old.”

“Really? Oh! Congratulations! You’re very good at Baduk [Go]!”

Saebom’s mother took Yena’s hand. Yena liked the warm warmth.

“Can I call you?”

Saebom asked Yena.

“Yes!”

“Give me your phone number.”

Yena made a Baduk [Go] friend.

Jungo and Jiheon also rushed to the stadium. No, they couldn’t run. Jiheon safely protected his pregnant wife and entered the stadium at a fast pace. They saw Yena surrounded by people.

Jungo couldn’t hide her excited heart.

She’s my daughter! She is my daughter!

Everyone in the world! Please look at my daughter!

My daughter is such a great child!

She wanted to shout so that the stadium would be filled with her voice.

“Yena!”

“Mom!”

Yena shouted and ran over. It was Dad’s job to pick up the running child and hug her.

“Congratulations, Yena.”

“Dad, I told you I would win first place, right? Aren’t I great?”

“Yes. You’re really great. My daughter.”

A reporter intervened in the three people’s emotional reunion.

“Excuse me. Can I have a brief interview with the winner?”

Jiheon looked at the camera the reporter was holding and said quietly.

“No pictures.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The reporter, feeling the murderous look in Jiheon’s eyes, nodded his head and answered.

“Jung Yena, you entered the lower grades today and won. Congratulations. How old were you when you started learning Baduk [Go]?”

“Seven years old.”

“That’s amazing. What do you want to be when you grow up, Jung Yena?”

“Police officer! But I don’t know yet.”

“Who do you respect the most?”

Jungo and Jiheon, who were watching Yena’s interview from the side, swallowed at the same time.

What if she says Mom? What if she says Dad? Then I’ll have to do an interview too. If they ask me how I raised such a smart child, what should I say? Should I just say that the genes are excellent?

Yena, unaware of her parents’ worries, answered loudly.

“Mr. Lee Sedol!”

Jungo and Jiheon opened their mouths at the child’s bright answer.