A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 171

171. [Side Story] Working Dad (3)

His wife hung up the phone so coldly, but Jiheon couldn’t give up. After thinking hard, he headed to the department store.

The department store was near his company, so it didn’t take long to get there.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Ah, Director.”

The two interns, who had been chatting comfortably in the conference room, straightened up when Jiheon returned. In fact, they couldn’t help but feel nervous in front of the Managing Director.

‘There’s no need to work this hard, being so aware of everything. On Christmas Eve,’ Jiheon thought.

Jiheon quickly decided to let them go home and placed what he had bought from the department store on the table.

“It’s a cake. I bought the most expensive one in the store. I thought you two were working too hard, so I wanted to give you a little Christmas spirit.”

“Wow… Thank you!”

“Thank you, Director.”

As expected, the interns were touched. It was as Jiheon had expected.

“Ah, but what should I do… I chose the wrong cake. I bought an ice cream cake.”

“…”

“I guess you should quickly put it in the freezer at home before it melts.”

“Then we’ll eat it here and work more!”

However, it wasn’t easy to break the interns’ enthusiasm. Jiheon flinched for a moment at their awkward zeal and replied.

“Take it home and eat it with your family. How proud would your parents be if you told them you received a gift from the company?”

“Still, we have to work…”

“I understand your passion, but you should spend the Christmas holiday with your family. They’ll be waiting for you. Go home quickly.”

‘You young people, listen to your older brother.’

‘I can’t go home until you guys leave.’

“I can finish up the work. It’s just the first draft of the proposal, so there’s plenty of time later. Let’s check it later and improve it further.”

Despite Jiheon’s continued persuasion, the interns hesitated, looking burdened. Jiheon approached them, tidied up their desks, and personally handed them the cake box.

“You both worked hard. Thank you so much for the feedback today.”

“…No, we’re the ones who are grateful, Director.”

“Thank you for thinking of the interns like this. Thank you so much.”

The interns reluctantly got up from their seats, repeatedly expressing their gratitude for Jiheon’s thoughtfulness.

After sending the interns home, Jiheon hurried home. The roads were congested because it was Christmas Eve. He even wanted to abandon his car and run in his anxiousness.

Barely reaching the apartment parking lot in 50 minutes, Jiheon couldn’t wait for the elevator, which was stopped on another floor, and hurriedly climbed the stairs. He thought 7 floors would be easy, but he still became breathless and sweaty.

Anyway, he arrived home safely.

“Yena!”

Jiheon shouted loudly as he opened the front door.

“You’re here?”

But the voice that greeted Jiheon was none other than his mother, Jang Youngmi. Jiheon moved his feet with a dazed expression.

“Daddy!”

Yena called out to Jiheon belatedly. Yena, wearing a Santa hat, was laughing while putting reindeer antlers on Jaekwang, whose nose had turned Rudolph-red.

“You’re here?”

Jaekwang also looked up and asked. Jaekwang’s Rudolph nose sparkled like the Christmas tree lights. Jiheon was bewildered by his ridiculous appearance, which was far from the dignity of the Chairman.

“When did you come?”

“I finished work early and came straight here. I heard you were refining the proposal on a day like today?”

“…”

“Those who can’t work well always make a fuss about working when others are playing.”

“That’s right.”

Jeong-oh, who had approached him, chimed in on Jaekwang’s teasing, making fun of Jiheon. Jiheon slowly blinked his eyes, which were glistening with tears.

‘So that’s why Yena was laughing so much.’

‘That’s why Jeong-oh said it was okay. Because she had something to rely on.’

Jiheon turned his head and asked Youngmi.

“What are you doing, Mother?”

“Making a scarf.”

Youngmi replied, moving the knitting needles clumsily.

Guksun was good at cooking, and Jaekwang was good at playing with children, but Youngmi was awkward at everything, so she hurriedly learned to knit. Youngmi was knitting scarves for the dolls, listening to her granddaughter’s nagging.

“Grandma, I told you the koala is yellow.”

“Ah, that’s right. That’s right. Then what should I do with this? I’m almost done.”

“Do it again. Quickly.”

“Okay. But Grandma can’t see well. I have to look at it for a long time.”

“Then you can do it slowly.”

“You told me to do it quickly.”

Youngmi and Yena had become very close. Jiheon pursed his lips, amused by his mother being at the mercy of his granddaughter.

The family, gathered together for Christmas, had a small party with the cake Jiheon had brought. Jaekwang and Youngmi continued to play with Yena for a long time afterward before leaving late at night.

Finally, at 10 p.m., Yena forced her heavy eyelids open and said to Jiheon.

“Daddy, I’m not going to sleep today.”

“You have to sleep. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I’m going to watch Santa Claus come and then sleep.”

“…”

“The older kids at the baduk [a strategy board game] academy keep saying there’s no Santa Claus. But there really is!”

“How does Yena know there’s a Santa Claus?”

“Because I got a present on Christmas.”

Jiheon could easily guess who had been playing the role of Santa Claus all along.

“Still, you have to sleep. Santa Claus will only come when Yena is asleep.”

“Then how do I take a picture?”

“Why are you taking a picture?”

“I was going to take a picture of Santa Claus?”

“Santa Claus is so fast that it’s hard to take a picture.”

“Why is he fast?”

“He has to visit all the children’s houses in the world, so how busy would he be?”

“So I can’t take a picture?”

“Yeah. You can’t take a picture.”

Yena’s eyes welled up at Jiheon’s answer. Jiheon’s heart ached at his daughter’s sullen expression.

“…Instead, Daddy will take a picture for you. Yena, go to sleep quickly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“Then promise!”

There was no other way to protect his child’s innocence.

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Jeong-oh and Guksun hurriedly disguised Jiheon.

“We have a Santa hat, and we only need to take a picture of the upper body, so we can roughly sew a red cloth to make it look like a Santa suit. And take the picture blurry, as if it was taken in a hurry.”

“Put some cotton on your face, Jeong Seo-bang [term of endearment for a son-in-law]. You need to cover your face with a beard.”

The two were quite serious. Jiheon suspected that Jeong-oh and Guksun were plotting with Yena to make fun of him, as they seemed excited.

Anyway, the appearance of Santa Claus was somewhat complete.

Jeong-oh turned off all the lights in the room and handed Jiheon the prepared gift.

“Put this in front of the tree. Then I’ll take a picture.”

Jiheon put the gift in front of the Christmas tree in the living room as Jeong-oh instructed.

Click, click, click!

“Good job! Well done!”

Jeong-oh, the photographer who had completed his mission, clapped his hands and cheered.

Jiheon also sighed in relief and took off his beard.

The picture turned out quite plausible. Only Jiheon’s broad back and the side of his face with a thick white beard were vaguely visible, so it seemed that no one would recognize him.

Although he had been suffering from overwork at the company, the ending was excellent. Merry Christmas!

However, the night was not over yet.

Drrr. Jiheon’s phone rang. Unexpectedly, it was Seunggyu.

Jiheon was worried that something big had happened and immediately answered the phone.

“Hello.”

[Dear Santa?]

Contrary to Jiheon’s worries, Seunggyu’s voice was nothing but frivolous. Jiheon glared at Jeong-oh with narrowed eyes. Jeong-oh also seemed guilty and slowly moved his feet to the opposite side of Jiheon.

“Are you calling to make fun of me?”

[No, I’m asking you to come to my house.]

“Why? What’s wrong?”

[Please come to our house and take a commemorative photo. Santa…]

“…I’m hanging up.”

[Friend! I’ll respect you from now on!]

“Hang up.”

Jiheon hung up the phone mercilessly and questioned Jeong-oh.

“Did you tell Seunggyu? That I dressed up as Santa?”

“No, Dobin was worried too, so I just sent him the picture… Sorry!”

Jiheon grabbed Jeong-oh, who was trying to run away, before he could even finish his sentence.

“Where are you going? You have to come with me.”

“…”

“Lead the way.”

At Jiheon’s threat, Jeong-oh ended up hitting the road together.

As Seunggyu requested, Jiheon dressed up as Santa and placed gifts at the bedside of the sleeping Dobin and Doyoon.

Click. A surprisingly realistic photo was taken. Seunggyu and Jinseo were satisfied.

Jiheon grumbled belatedly after completing his mission.

“Next year, make sure to tell the kids that there’s no Santa Claus. Why am I suffering while that guy gets all the credit?”

“Hey. You have to protect their innocence.”

Seunggyu retorted nonchalantly.

“I’ll do it next year. Thank you so, so much, friend.”

“Thank you so much, Jiheon.”

Still, Jiheon didn’t feel bad after hearing so many thanks from his friend and his wife.

Now really, Merry Christmas!

It was a happy Christmas for everyone.

On the way home after parting with Seunggyu and his wife,

Jeong-oh discovered a star in the sky and shouted.

“Oh! You can see a star today!”

Before he could respond, Jiheon’s phone vibrated again. Jiheon checked his phone screen and ignored it with a blank expression, so Jeong-oh asked.

“Who is it at this hour?”

“Curious?”

“I’m asking because I’m curious.”

At those words, Jiheon’s sulky heart melted away.

Jiheon had been upset by his wife’s coldness.

‘She smiles and whispers sweet nothings to his mother, no, even to Assistant Manager Go Eunju, but why is his wife so cold only to him?’

‘Why is Lee Jeong-oh not interested in him? He only has Lee Jeong-oh.’

He kept getting twisted and jealous, seeing his wife, who didn’t have the same possessiveness as him.

‘He’s such an easy man. His heart melts easily with just one word from you.’

“An intern is grateful. For listening to their opinions well.”

“Oh. An intern even sends you a text?”

“I’m a respected person, you know.”

Jiheon raised his chin and retorted.

In the southern sky, which he glanced at absentmindedly, there were a few stars as Jeong-oh had said. Jiheon pointed to the brightest star among them.

“That’s Sirius. The brightest star you can see from here.”

Jiheon, who had been studying stars in his spare time to answer Yena’s questions about stars at any time, explained.

“Sirius is about 8 light-years away from Earth.”

It meant that it would take about 8 years for the light from Sirius to reach Earth.

Jeong-oh immediately asked.

“Then the star we’re seeing now is the appearance of about 8 years ago?”

“That’s right.”

“Then from that star, they can see Earth from about 8 years ago now?”

“I guess so.”

Jiheon’s eyes sparkled as he answered. It was as if the stars in the sky had fallen down.

“8 years ago was right before we met. Then from that star, they can watch our history?”

“That’s right. They’ll be able to watch our Yena grow up from the beginning.”

Ah…

His calm voice was somehow choked up.

The memory of losing something precious made his life poignant. ‘Her husband would probably live with that star engraved in his heart for the rest of his life.’

Jeong-oh answered in a cheerful voice, as if to lift the sunken mood.

“Then we can see our husband working sloppily back then!”

“What’s the point of seeing me working sloppily?”

Jiheon said as if there was nothing to see in his past, but Jeong-oh thought differently.

‘You’re not the only one who missed me and Yena.’

‘I missed you too. I’m sad that I can’t see you back then either.’

‘I’m sorry too. I’m as sorry as I love you.’

Jeong-oh held Jiheon’s hand as if to caress his heart.

Just as Jiheon was about to put that hand in his pocket, his phone vibrated again.

Seunggyu had just sent the picture he had taken earlier. Jiheon’s eyes flashed as he trembled after seeing the picture.

Jeong-oh, who recognized the picture, couldn’t help but laugh.

“Someday, our Yena will know that the person in this picture is her dad. And she’ll become a happier person.”

Dear Jeong Jiheon.

It’s always a shame when time passes, but good things will definitely happen as time goes by.