A Child Who Resembles Me [EN]: Chapter 69

69. Back to You Again (2)

In Jiheon’s car.

Jeong-o recounted everything to Jiheon, answering his question about how they broke up. She told him about the events of November 2nd, seven years ago, and the situation she faced immediately after the hit-and-run the next day.

She even told him what ‘Jiheon’ had said during the phone call two weeks after the accident.

Jeong-o had been anxious that he might not believe her, but her fears were unfounded. Jiheon quickly understood her situation and shared her suspicions. It was an obvious conclusion.

“I never made that call. It must have been my mother. She must have been hiding something.”

“…….”

“Maybe she hired someone, or manipulated things somehow.”

Jeong-o nodded carefully, adding her own thoughts.

“When I think about it, your mother doesn’t seem to know about Yena. If she did, she would have stopped me from joining Max Planning. Or maybe she would have stopped you from seeing me.”

The honorific ‘Oppa’ [older brother or male friend] slipped out naturally. Even amidst the seriousness, Jiheon found himself distracted by it. The casual use of informal speech felt both awkward and incredibly endearing.

So, this is what we were like.

The urge to hug and kiss her delayed his response several times.

“That’s right.”

“I think she believed that phone call had completely severed our connection back then.”

Jiheon nodded in agreement.

Jeong-o felt a pang of regret. If she had known they could communicate so openly, she would have told him everything sooner.

But the fact that he had figured it out on his own held significance. Jeong-o decided that everything had happened for the best.

Without dwelling on sentimentality, Jeong-o pressed on with the backlog of information.

Jeong Jiheon needed to be brought up to speed. She had to quickly update him on everything that had happened so far, preparing him to handle any situation.

Jeong-o diligently moved on to the next topic.

“And there’s someone you need to be careful of.”

Jeong-o’s serious expression immediately captured Jiheon’s attention.

“Actually, I was planning to meet with a lawyer. I was worried that if I told you the truth, I might lose Yena.”

“Seriously, Lee Jeong-o, you’re so cautious…….”

“That kind of anxiety is natural. After everything I’ve been through, how can I be at ease?”

Jeong-o retorted, a little annoyed by Jiheon’s sigh and gentle scolding.

Jeong-o’s reaction was perfectly understandable. Jiheon could empathize completely, but understanding didn’t negate his feelings of frustration.

Jeong-o continued, “But when I went to the law firm for a consultation, I met lawyer Chae Eun-yeop.”

“Chae Eun-bi’s older brother, Chae Eun-yeop?”

“Yeah. He hid his name and set a trap, approaching me under false pretenses.”

“…….”

“Chae Eun-yeop seemed to know that Yena is your child.”

Jeong-o carefully recounted her experience with the law firm and the conversations that took place in his office.

Jiheon frowned deeply, lines etching his forehead, and leaned back in his seat, appearing bewildered.

“Eun-yeop is my friend. That’s how he knew Chae Eun-bi.”

“…….”

“Of course, I don’t trust him implicitly. But it’s shocking that he would do something like that.”

First his mother, now his friend. Jeong-o worried that the truth might shake his foundations. But for his sake, it was a truth he needed to confront.

After a moment, he nodded, as if he had sorted through his thoughts.

“Thank you. For telling me.”

“There’s more.”

“There’s more?”

Jiheon’s voice rose slightly. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to hear it, nor was it a complaint about the amount of information. It was because he felt sorry for her, for having to carry these secrets alone for so long.

Jeong-o continued calmly.

“About two months ago, Yena was almost kidnapped in front of her academy.”

Jiheon’s eyes widened. Seeing his fist clench tightly, Jeong-o felt a lump in her throat, as if she were reliving that moment.

She told Jiheon everything that had happened that day and showed him the CCTV footage she had received from the police. Sharing the details of the note found in Yena’s bag brought a sense of relief and reassurance.

Now she had an ally to fight alongside her. The tip of her nose tingled.

“That’s why I couldn’t tell you earlier. I was worried that you might have known about Yena’s existence beforehand and were trying to scare me.”

Jiheon looked at her with tearful eyes, his jaw tight with a sense of injustice. His expression was almost comical, leaving Jeong-o a little dumbfounded.

“Think about my past experiences! How could I just trust you! Besides, you were a jerk back then!”

At Jeong-o’s impassioned plea, Jiheon lowered his head and sighed.

She assumed he was reflecting, but his response after the sigh was:

“Let’s get married first.”

It was so typical of Jeong Jiheon.

Joy, sorrow, delight, pity, expectation, and regret. A torrent of emotions and thoughts surged through her, each wave followed by another. It was an overwhelming night, ending on such a decisive and unexpected note.

Jeong-o laughed, but Jiheon remained serious.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Let’s take things slow.”

“What are you talking about? We should do it right away.”

“Yena is the most important thing.”

“…….”

“Becoming a family has to happen after Yena accepts it. Okay?”

Jeong-o laughed again at his bewildered expression, as if he had just grasped a profound truth.

Jeong Jiheon.

When you become a parent, your entire world shifts. It’s inevitable.

Like the earth’s rotation, the changing seasons, the refraction of light underwater, the diurnal cycle of winds from sea to land and back. Life transforms naturally.

The child gradually becomes the center of your existence. But I’m okay with it because I grow stronger to protect my child.

Now that you know there’s a child, you’ll understand my feelings.

“When Yena acknowledges you, then you can start making preparations.”

The man, his eyes still glistening with unshed tears, nodded with a somewhat pitiful but earnest expression.

“First, I want to find out how much lawyer Chae Eun-yeop knows and who that woman was who tried to kidnap our Yena.”

“I’ll find out.”

“Act normal, so you don’t arouse suspicion. I’ll think about the best approach for now.”

Jeong-o clearly outlined her plans. Her heart was full, but she knew she needed to remain vigilant, especially during times like these.

“I’ll talk to my mom around dinner time tomorrow. I can’t today. It’s late.”

“…….”

“And my mom had a hard time today.”

She wanted to tell him everything, even about Chae Eun-bi’s visit to her mother’s restaurant, but she held back, fearing it would overwhelm him.

“Okay. Go inside quickly.”

“Can you let go of my hand?”

Jeong-o asked teasingly. Despite telling her to go inside as if everything was settled, he was still holding her hand tightly, so tightly that her fingertips were numb.

How heartless of me.

Jiheon grumbled inwardly and reluctantly released her hand. He couldn’t recall the romance of seven years ago, but he could infer a few things.

He must have felt sad every time they parted, and it must have taken him a while to let go of her hand.

Let’s never break up again.

He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, afraid he might cry again, and released Jeong-o. She waved as she got out of the car. Jiheon smiled, watching her.

“Oppa.”

Jeong-o called out just before opening the entrance door to the villa.

“Now, don’t forget me.”

The warm plea carried on the summer night air brushed against his heart. Jiheon immediately ran to her and embraced her.

Jeong-o, completely enveloped in his broad embrace, returned the hug.

The memories had faded, but one burning emotion remained intact. The heart that once called out for Jeong-o was still beating passionately for the same person.

Let’s never break up again.

* * * * * * *

A night filled with so much that sleep seemed impossible.

Jeong-o woke to the sound of clattering in the kitchen after only a few hours of sleep. She got up and went straight to the kitchen.

“Why are you up already? You could have slept longer.”

Guksoon said as Jeong-o approached.

“Didn’t you work overtime yesterday? You seemed to get home late.”

Jeong-o could sense her mother’s sadness, the quiet sobs in her room when she thought her daughter couldn’t hear.

“I didn’t work much overtime. I just met someone.”

“You’re so diligent.”

Guksoon said, stirring soybean paste into the pot. Soon, the fragrant aroma of soybean paste stew filled the kitchen.

It’s been seven years of mornings like this with Mom. How can I ever express my gratitude to her, for being here consistently for seven years?

“Mom.”

Jeong-o went behind Guksoon and quietly hugged her.

“Mom, shall we do something fun today?”

“Aren’t you going to work?”

“I’ll take a day off.”

“How long has it been since you took a day off? You’ll get fired.”

“Even if I get fired, you’ll take care of me, Mom.”

“How can I take care of you? You eat as much as an elephant.”

“Hey, the elephant was a bit much.”

“Yeah. Not an elephant. I have to offer you meat too, then.”

There was a forced cheerfulness in her mother’s voice. A strong mother who always tried to hide her vulnerabilities from her daughter.

Lee Jeong-o, born as the daughter of Lee Guksoon, was the luckiest person in the world.

“Let’s be happy. And healthy.”

“Why? Are you going to quit your job and become a singer now?”

“Oh, geez. My mom has no sense of atmosphere.”

“Where do I have time to create an atmosphere? I don’t even have time to set the table.”

Jeong-o sighed and released her arms at her mother’s cynical reply. Her heart ached at her mother’s nonchalant appearance, but she also felt energized.

Jeong-o, who had regained her strength with a hearty breakfast, headed to work.

Yena and Jeong-o greeted cheerfully.

“Grandma, I’m off.”

“Mom, I’m off. See you in the evening.”

Guksoon waved to the cute mother and daughter.

“Have a good day. Be careful of cars, my puppy.”

“Okay!”

Jeong-o held Yena’s hand and walked down the stairs. The daycare bus didn’t come into the alley in front of the house, so Jeong-o took Yena to the main road every morning on her way to work.

“You’re out early today.”

Jeong-o said, checking the time on her phone as she opened the entrance door to the villa. Yena pointed ahead.

“Mom, look over there.”

Jeong-o looked up and saw Jiheon walking towards them.

While Jeong-o froze in surprise, Jiheon quickly approached and greeted Yena first.

“Yena, hello?”

“Hello.”

Jeong-o asked, bypassing a greeting.

“……Did you get any sleep?”

“Thanks to you.”

Was he saying he slept well because of her, or that he didn’t sleep at all? Jeong-o frowned at his ambiguous answer.

Jiheon, oblivious to Jeong-o’s reaction, stared at Yena for a long time.

There was no way he could have slept.

Jiheon, who arrived home late, tossed and turned all night. He got up early, washed up, and returned to Jeong-o’s house. He was excited, hurt, and overwhelmed.

He tried to recall the events of seven years ago, but his memories remained elusive. Instead, he focused on the day he met Jeong-o again and the day he first met Yena.

As expected, he had many regrets. From not remembering Yena’s birthday and harassing Jeong-o, to not offering a kind word to either of them. The memory of not hugging Yena when she asked for one was etched in his heart like a nail.

Seeing Yena again, the desire to hug her just once tormented him.

Yena, unaware of Jiheon’s inner turmoil, asked firmly.

“Why did you come, mister?”

“I came to see Yena.”

“…….”

“I’ll come every day now.”

Although she asked grumpily, the corners of her lips hinted at a smile, as if she didn’t dislike his answer. Still, Yena replied without losing her composure.

“But I can’t play with you, mister. I have to go to daycare.”

“Okay. Let’s play on the days you don’t go to daycare.”

Instead of hugging her, Jiheon held out his hand. Unlike before, Yena took it immediately. The ticklish sensation of her small fingers sent a wave of emotion through him. His nose tingled again.

Jeong-o. Our child will be really pretty.

The forgotten memory resurfaced, as if stretching after a long sleep.

……At that time, I was going to propose, and when I thought about the child, I felt a tickling sensation in my chest, as if fingers had formed there for the first time.

‘Ah…….’

Jiheon quietly sighed, hoping the two wouldn’t notice.

His head no longer throbbed.

To the baby who will be born someday.

I’ll let you be the first to step on the fresh snow.

I’ll show you the rising stars.

I’ll teach you how to ride a bike.

I’ll hold your hand.

I’ll protect you.

I’ll look into your eyes and tell you I love you.