A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 176

176. [Special Edition] The Birth of Number Two

A warm spring. A season perfect for children to play.

The child, now in elementary school, gradually adapted to their new life. From the moment they opened their eyes in the morning until they fell asleep, all they did was play, yet they were learning so much through it.

And for Jiheon, it was the first spring spent with their child. Preparing for the child’s first picnic, planting trees together, admiring the cherry blossoms that filled the apartment complex – before they knew it, May was just around the corner.

The time had come to welcome a new family member.

Next to Jeong-o and Jiheon’s bedroom, a baby room was being created. The top contributors to decorating the baby room were Yena and Youngmi.

Every week, Youngmi visited Jeong-o’s house and decorated the baby room with Yena. Naturally, the baby room was quickly filled with things Yena liked. Yena would give instructions, and Youngmi would create them.

Since learning to knit at Christmas, Youngmi’s skills had improved rapidly. Yena’s demands became increasingly difficult each day, so she had no choice but to improve. Under the rigorous tutelage of Instructor Yena, Youngmi made clothes for all sorts of dolls and had now reached the point of making dolls by hand.

“Grandma, I asked you to make Shimkoong [a character or doll] smaller than the Yena doll, like a small rabbit. What’s the point if the Yena doll and Shimkoong doll are the same size?”

“Grandma can only make them this size *for now*.”

“You can do it if you try harder!”

“Okay. Grandma hasn’t tried hard enough yet. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You can do better next time. Make another one quickly!”

“You want me to make this again?”

“You messed up, so you have to do it again.”

From a distance, Jeong-o secretly smiled as she overheard their conversation. No one probably realizes that what Yena says to her grandmother is exactly what Director Jung Ji-heon of Max Planning says to his employees.

Youngmi, completely unaware of this, never complained, no matter how much Yena nagged. She only admired how well her granddaughter could express herself.

In any case, she was proud to decorate her grandchild’s room with handmade items. Staying busy also kept her healthy. Yena was helping Youngmi heal, both in the past and now.

The baby room was soon filled with colorful items, including the comforter, mobile, and dolls made by Grandma, as well as many gifts from friends and acquaintances. Yena also frequently visited her younger sibling’s room, which reflected her taste, eagerly awaiting the baby’s arrival.

As the due date approached, Jeong-o wasn’t too worried, even though the baby was larger than average.

Unlike her first pregnancy, she had a strong support system, and everyone catered to her needs, which naturally gave her strength. Above all, having a husband this time was incredibly reassuring.

Ji-heon himself became a bit more high-strung. This sensitivity stemmed from his desire to take the best possible care of Jeong-o.

“Why is there no color in your hands? Are you having contractions?”

“Contractions? Not yet.”

“I’m still so worried. Should I take the day off?”

“You still have to go. You’re the department head.”

“What if you suddenly go into labor? I need to take you to the hospital.”

“Then you can rush to the hospital. I can get there on my own. Mom is here, so it’s okay.”

“Your mother has to look after Yena.”

“Are you just trying to avoid going to work?”

Jeong-o hit the nail on the head.

Ji-heon didn’t deny it but quietly looked at Jeong-o like a docile baby animal.

With Jeong-o on childcare leave at the end of April, Ji-heon also felt that going to work was meaningless. The person he needed to protect was at home, not at the company, so his mind was on home all day.

“Hurry up and go to work. Since I’m not there, you have to work extra hard for my share.”

“Sigh… I don’t want to go.”

Ji-heon didn’t hide his feelings and sighed deeply.

“Simkung [term of endearment for the baby, meaning ‘heart-throb’], don’t cause trouble and be good. Dad will finish work quickly and come home.”

“I told you not to do a half-assed job!”

Jeong-o snapped as Ji-heon jokingly spoke to her belly. As if the baby found his dad’s joke funny, it kicked her belly a few times. It was so strong that Ji-heon could clearly see her belly rippling.

After shooing her husband off to work and her child off to school, a peaceful quiet finally settled over the house. Jeong-o and Guk-soon sat side-by-side in the living room, savoring the tranquility.

Guk-soon watched Jeong-o’s belly, noticing the subtle movements, and remarked,

“I wonder what kind of little troublemaker is trying to make their grand entrance, not giving Mom a moment’s peace.”

“It’s just hiccups,” Jeong-o replied, certain of the baby’s rhythmic movements. She didn’t feel them as much when she was moving around, but when she sat still, she could clearly feel the baby’s little kicks and nudges.

“But it’s been hiccuping for such a long time today, it’s making me a little worried. Simkung [term of endearment for the baby, meaning ‘heart-throb’], please stop hiccuping now,” Jeong-o said, lowering her head and speaking softly to her belly. At that moment, she felt a distinct ‘pop’ inside.

“Ah…….”

“What’s wrong?” Guk-soon asked, her voice laced with concern.

Jeong-o’s suddenly pale face answered Guk-soon’s question before she could even speak.

Guk-soon immediately started to get Jeong-o ready and called Ji-heon.

“Yes, Mother?”

“Oh, Son-in-law, you need to get to the hospital right away. I think her water just broke!”

“I’m about to take a taxi to the hospital.”

“I’ll be right there. It’ll take 10 minutes.”

Ji-heon really did rush home in less than 10 minutes. Jeong-o, surprised by his speed, asked,

“How did you get here in nine minutes? Did you even go to work?”

“…….”

“Why aren’t you answering? You really didn’t go to work?”

“I did go. I went to the office, then to a meeting, and came straight here. I’ve been scheduling meetings around this area lately.”

*Scheduling meetings around here?*

Jeong-o was dumbfounded and sighed amidst the chaos.

In any case, thanks to her husband, who put her first, Jeong-o quickly arrived at the hospital.

She was guided to a family delivery room, changed her clothes, and underwent several tests. Before she knew it, it was afternoon, and the contractions were gradually intensifying.

The contractions continued, but the baby hadn’t descended at all, and they said it would take a long time. Jeong-o curled up on her side and sobbed.

“I’m scared…….”

Ji-heon soothed Jeong-o. He was also inexplicably anxious and nervous, his mind so blank that he couldn’t remember the words of encouragement he had prepared, but he steeled himself. He had to be a dependable husband for his wife.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m scared I won’t have the strength to push because I’m hungry…….”

“……Huh?”

“I should have eaten a lot before coming…….”

Ji-heon felt a little relieved at Jeong-o’s regretful grumbling. *At least she’s still got her appetite,* he thought.

“Simkung-ah [term of endearment for the baby, meaning ‘heartthrob’], you have to come out today. Not tomorrow…….”

Even in her weakened state, Jeong-o continued to mutter.

“If you’re going to come out tomorrow, you might as well come out the day after tomorrow…….”

“The day after tomorrow is not good. Prolonged labor is dangerous. You need to come out by dawn tomorrow at the latest,” a nurse said, entering to check on Jeong-o’s progress. She had overheard Jeong-o’s muttering. Jeong-o shook her head at the nurse’s advice.

“No. I can’t come out at dawn tomorrow…….”

“Simkung-ah [term of endearment for the baby, meaning ‘heartthrob’], please just come out today… It’s Parents’ Day tomorrow…….”

Hic.

A burst of laughter almost escaped him, but Ji-heon quickly covered his mouth. His wife, trying to remember everything even in pain, was so adorable and lovable. He knew, though, that if he revealed his amusement, he’d only be met with twice the complaints, so he maintained a serious expression.

There really was no time for laughter. The contractions were coming more frequently, and Jeong-o’s grip on Ji-heon’s hand tightened.

Jeong-o’s short nails dug deep, leaving marks and bruises on the back of Ji-heon’s hand. But neither Ji-heon nor Jeong-o noticed.

“Haa, haa…….”

Jeong-o’s breathing grew increasingly rapid. Ji-heon stayed by her side, breathing in sync with Jeong-o, using the techniques they had learned in their birthing class.

The intensity of the pain seemed to peak at 100 and then recede. Watching his wife tremble and groan, Ji-heon’s eyes welled up. The thought that his wife must have been this exhausted seven years ago, when he couldn’t be there to support her, weighed heavily on him.

Thankfully, they had been able to reduce the pain somewhat with an epidural earlier. But even that seemed to be losing its effectiveness.

Time flew by in a daze. Soon, the baby was descending, and the cervix was dilating. The nurses bustled in, transforming the bed into a birthing bed. Then the doctor arrived, and the process moved rapidly.

Ji-heon had never seen Jeong-o struggle so intensely, and he felt helpless. He desperately wanted to rush to her side, wipe her brow, and hold her hand, but he knew husbands weren’t particularly useful during the actual delivery.

While the nurses coached his wife through each push, Ji-heon stood frozen in the background, consumed by worry.

“Mom, push! If you don’t push now, the baby will be in danger.”

In danger?

Jeong-o, who seemed to have momentarily fainted from exhaustion, snapped her eyes open at the doctor’s urgent words, as if jolted awake by an energy drink. Summoning every last bit of strength, she pushed with all her might once more.

“I see the head! Just a little more! One, two!”

Everyone in the room strained along with the doctor’s count, holding their breath in anticipation. And then…

“The baby is out! It’s a boy!”

The baby, with tiny limbs stretched stiffly, was born into the world.

He didn’t cry right away, causing a moment of tense silence. Only after the nurses gently massaged his limbs and the doctor used a suction device to clear his airways did the baby’s first cry ring out, filling the delivery room with its sound.

Ji-heon, who had been standing a step away in a daze, awkwardly walked over when a nurse beckoned him. He carefully cut the baby’s umbilical cord. While the doctor attended to the afterbirth and the nurses cleaned and examined the newborn, Ji-heon gently wiped the sweat from Jeong-o’s brow as she blinked wearily.

A lump formed in his throat, making it difficult to speak.

“You worked so hard, Jeong-o.”

“Even you’re crying, Oppa [older brother or affectionate term for husband]?”

Jeong-o gazed at him quietly, offering a weak smile. Ji-heon hadn’t even realized he was crying until that moment. He wiped away the tears streaming down his face as a nurse brought the baby closer. The baby cried and cried, his tiny face flushed red.

“He weighs 4.0kg.”

…So that’s why Jeong-o had such a hard time…

No wonder the baby looked so chubby and fluffy; Ji-heon’s eyes weren’t deceiving him. He was much bigger than expected.

May 7th, 10 PM. A healthy baby of 4.0kg is born!

A chubby Jeong Ji-heon was born.

Ji-heon carefully held the baby, whose face somehow reminded him of his own childhood photos. The dark stork bite mark on the baby’s red forehead made him chuckle even amidst his tears.

A child who looks like me.

A tingling sensation started in his chest, and a thrill shook his entire body.

The moment of falling in love. A moment when he couldn’t help but fall in love.

“Sim-kung [heart-thump], hello. It’s your dad.”

From the moment he first met Lee Jeong-o eight years ago until now, from breaking up and reuniting to becoming a family and reaching this day, countless days seemed to flash before his eyes.

And so, another destiny arrived.

As if remembering the voice he had heard in his mother’s womb, the baby stopped crying in his father’s arms.