A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 54

Eun-yeop visited Jang Young-mi’s residence on her way home from work. With Ji-heon away on a business trip, the timing was perfect.

She presented her visit as a consultation regarding a real estate dispute under Jang Young-mi’s personal ownership, but her true intentions lay elsewhere.

Young-mi, in turn, had something she wanted to confirm with Eun-yeop. After some hesitation, she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

“Ji-heon suddenly mentioned something… that he broke up with Eun-bi. Is that true?”

Eun-yeop replied casually.

“Did Ji-heon say that? Actually, they’ve broken up and reconciled a few times, so I’m not entirely sure.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know.”

“Even when she was broken up with Ji-heon, Eun-bi apparently called you every time, Mother.”

“Oh, my. Where else would you find such a devoted girl?”

Young-mi lamented, and Eun-yeop offered a faint smile.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into Ji-heon to treat such a kind girl like that.”

“Mother, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Eun-yeop carefully steered the conversation toward her main objective. The moment felt opportune.

“Did Ji-heon happen to have a girlfriend seven years ago?”

Young-mi’s eyes widened at the question. After a pause, she avoided Eun-yeop’s gaze, feigning ignorance.

“Girlfriend? You know our Ji-heon…”

“You can tell me.”

Eun-yeop pressed again. It became difficult for Young-mi to deny it outright.

“It’s really nothing. You couldn’t even call her a girlfriend. There was just this strange girl who followed our son around, and after I explained things clearly, she never contacted him again. All contact was cut off seven years ago. Ji-heon is flawless.”

A wave of relief washed over Eun-yeop.

‘So, she really doesn’t know anything.’

It was clear that Young-mi was unaware of Lee Jung-oh’s current situation. She believed the matter had been resolved cleanly after Sung-woo blocked Lee Jung-oh seven years prior.

‘Then, the solution might be a little easier.’

“I understand it was just a casual encounter anyway. Because Ji-heon back then… was like that.”

Eun-yeop continued, feigning understanding of Young-mi’s feelings.

“But, Mother, you may want to protect Ji-heon, but… the Ji-heon I see as a friend is a little different.”

“……”

“Thanks to the amnesia, Ji-heon’s surroundings were cleaned up once, but Ji-heon’s true nature still remains. You know the rumors from four years ago, right? The women Ji-heon messed with, or was rumored to have messed with. It was really too much. I couldn’t stop him because he seemed to be struggling with the memory loss.”

“……”

“Eun-bi is the only one who can keep Ji-heon in check.”

It was remarkably easy to manipulate someone’s personal life. The mother and son in this family seemed close, yet they were profoundly ignorant of each other’s true selves.

She intended to erode the trust between them, manipulating them both to act according to her will.

“Eun-bi is the only one who can keep Ji-heon in check, Mother.”

Eun-yeop stated firmly.

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

Seung-gyu received the results of his investigation into Lee Jung-oh via email. A tremor ran through his hands, a consequence of his own dishonesty.

Lee Jung-oh. 30 years old.

Her age, address, education, occupation, family history.

The life story of a diligent woman, condensed into a few documents.

The most notable detail, if anything stood out, was that she and her mother were both single mothers.

There was no indication of past relationships or the identity of her child’s father.

Lee Jung-oh’s movements were confined to her home, her mother’s store, and her workplace. Recently, the only anomaly was her frequent visits to the hospital due to her boss, Team Leader Sung Mi-ran’s surgery.

The report was so unremarkable it was almost boring.

However, Seung-gyu’s eyes, which had been skimming the documents, abruptly stopped at the child’s photo.

After rubbing his eyes and re-examining the photo, Seung-gyu returned to the previous page to confirm the child’s name.

Daughter Lee Ye-na. 7 years old.

‘That Ye-na is Lee Ye-na?’

Seung-gyu’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

Ye-na, his son Do-bin’s first love, was Deputy Lee Jung-oh’s daughter?

Seung-gyu leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.

‘Ah. Why is everything so twisted…’

‘Surely, Lee Jung-oh isn’t using Ye-na to intentionally get close to Jung Ji-heon.’

‘My wife isn’t being manipulated by Lee Jung-oh either, is she?’

A sense of unease settled over him. Seung-gyu’s heart, filled with affection for his friend, was now burdened with worry.

How should he break this news to his precious friend?

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

An hour earlier, Ji-heon had spotted Jung-oh lingering near the front desk on the hotel’s first floor. He could sense her hesitation.

He desperately hoped she would leave the lobby, but he couldn’t exert any pressure. He had no choice but to quietly return to his room and wait, hoping to remain unnoticed.

He wanted her to make the final decision herself.

And after a long wait, finally, a knock came at the door.

Even though he had given her the key card, she knocked. Initially, he thought it might be someone else, and his tense expression betrayed his anxiety. But upon confirming her face, flushed with what seemed like embarrassment, his resolve crumbled.

“Director…”

Before she could finish addressing him, he pulled her into his arms, as if snatching her away.

Losing her balance, she was enveloped in his embrace. He held her close, gazing intently at her.

Her eyes, sparkling and trembling as if they held captured stars, seemed to reflect anxiety, a resignation to the events about to unfold, and a profound longing. Ji-heon wanted to absorb it all.

In truth, Jung-oh was afraid.

Jung-oh shuddered as his hot fingers traced the back of her neck. Her body, already heated with anticipation, felt feverish. She reached up to touch his cheek, as if checking for a temperature.

As if he had been waiting for that gesture, he lowered his lips to hers. Reacting to his touch, her hand slid down his cheek.

The heat radiating from his lips intensified, her heartbeat quickened, but as soon as his lips fully met hers, the anxiety she had felt began to dissipate. The raw desire conveyed in his breath ignited other sensations within her.

He touched the buttons on her neatly buttoned blouse with his fingertips. Surprised, she inhaled sharply, and he seized the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Even though she had experienced this before, Jung-oh’s mind was blank, as if it were the first time.

Finally, when he broke the kiss, a soft breath escaped her lips. He gazed at her, as if admiring a beautiful sight, then asked teasingly.

“Do you think we’re just going to kiss?”

His lips were glossy and inviting, his eyes filled with passion and mischief.

She had clearly received a warning to be prepared the day before, so she couldn’t feign innocence and say no. She wasn’t a naive child.

But still, her heart was overflowing.

Ji-heon watched her expression, constantly shifting in subtle ways. It seemed like it would be entertaining just to observe her. But now, he wanted to see her more disheveled. He knew that confirming her desire would drive him even wilder.

“What should I do?”

He asked casually, as if leaving the final choice to her. He was completely captivated by her eyes, which sparkled as if on the verge of tears.

“You know everything.”

She pouted, resenting him for asking when he knew perfectly well why she was there.

He was reasonably satisfied.

He took that as an answer.

He didn’t want to wait any longer. He wouldn’t wait.

As his fingertips, radiating heat, toyed with the buttons, a rough sigh brushed against her cheek.

Her shoulders tilted inward, as if she were ashamed to reveal her body. A primal urge to seize both her arms and hold them to one side surged within him, but Ji-heon savored the precarious moment.

He sensed that this woman, though shy, was gradually yielding her body to his touch.

Ji-heon gently laid her down on the bed and moved to possess her in one swift motion.

But she suddenly raised her upper body.

He paused, lowering his head towards her.

Eyes that looked as if they would burst into tears stared at his exposed body.

A scar.

Jung-oh was looking at the scar from the surgery seven years ago. She traced it with her fingertips and asked in a trembling voice.

“Are you okay?”

“What.”

“You… had an accident, didn’t you.”

At this moment. Quite unexpectedly.

Ji-heon chuckled at Jung-oh, who was inquiring about the distant accident from seven years ago. There was no hint of a smile on her face.

“The scar looks deep.”

“My ribs were broken.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Did the pain from that time vanish along with the memories? Ji-heon had been hospitalized for a long time, but he didn’t retain many difficult memories. Fortunately, there was no damage to his organs.

Ji-heon replied lightly.

“It would be a big problem if it still hurt.”

“You still don’t have your memories.”

She retorted stubbornly.

Are memories important? I don’t know what my past was like?

After visiting ‘The Crown’ [likely a bar or club], his heart felt heavy about his memories. He couldn’t help but fear that he would confront a past that was better left forgotten.

Anyway, isn’t the present more important than the past?

“Do you want me to find my memories?”

“You should. It’s a whole three years’ worth of memories.”

Her expression was invariably sincere.

His heart ached, but he felt a surge of warmth at her concern. He had longed to be cared for in this way.

After a moment, she asked cautiously.

“…How did you live?”

This time, her tone was serious. She even seemed on the verge of tears. Ji-heon watched her quietly, wondering if she was trying to delay the inevitable. As he did so, she added.

“For seven years. If you lose your memories, it’s like losing yourself.”

…No one had ever said that to him.

He felt his own eyes begin to water. He immediately suppressed the darkening mood.

“As I said before, uninterestingly.”

It was true. Ji-heon wasn’t particularly interested in anything in the world. The me before I knew her wasn’t very important. The most exciting moment in his life was now.

At this crucial moment, he felt frustrated and impatient, wondering if this beautiful woman, who was only caressing the scars of the past, shared his desperate desire. He expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Why do you keep touching only there? There are many places to touch.”

It doesn’t hurt at all now.

Rather, if you touch it like that, I’ll go crazy with frustration.

He swallowed the warning.

The fingertips that seemed poised to linger there all day flinched back.

I told her to touch somewhere else, but she’s letting go of my hand altogether.

In some ways, she’s very bold, and in other ways, she’s so careful that I wonder if it’s even necessary. Her actions captivate him every moment.

After teasing her, she reverted to her frightened demeanor.

He couldn’t understand what she was so afraid of, even though she had come prepared for everything, and he longed to delve into her mind.

You don’t know what that desperate heart is that rummages through your clothes because you can’t look into your head.

Ji-heon realized that the noble arrogance he had, wanting to possess her and protect his heart, had been completely shattered.

I want everything from you.