A child who looks like me

Jung-oh draped one of Ji-heon’s arms over her shoulder as they climbed the stairs.

She wouldn’t usually carry her 20kg daughter up the stairs, yet here she was, helping a man who weighed several times more than that.

Strangely enough, though, she didn’t feel overwhelmed. It almost felt like he was pushing her forward, urging her to keep going.

He had complained of dizziness, but was that just an excuse?

Could it be, perhaps, that this was some kind of revenge? If so, he was truly clever!

Regardless, feeling remorseful for the harsh words she had spoken to him outside, Jung-oh moved forward without complaint.

Huff. Huff.

Her ragged breaths filled the narrow, windless staircase of the building. There are moments when one realizes their feelings through actions.

This was exactly one of those moments. Even in the midst of this struggle, she realized just how much she loved Jeong Ji-heon by not abandoning him and working hard to carry him up the stairs.

“Ji-heon, we’re almost there. Just a little bit further.”

As Jung-oh encouraged him, he seemed to move a bit more easily.

Finally, they reached the fourth floor.

Jung-oh pressed the doorbell to their apartment repeatedly.

Hoo-ahh!

Was this how it felt to reach the summit of a mountain?

When the door opened, Guk-soon was surprised to see Ji-heon leaning on Jung-oh’s shoulder and exclaimed, “What’s going on? Did he drink?”

“No,” Jung-oh replied.

“What happened, then…?”

“He said he can’t go home because he has a headache.”

“If he has a headache, we need to take him to the hospital…”

Guk-soon mumbled, fidgeting anxiously.

“Mother.”

At that moment, Ji-heon called out to Guk-soon. Despite his slumped posture, his voice sounded surprisingly steady.

“Yes, Ye-na’s dad.”

“I’d like to stay over.”

Both Jung-oh and Guk-soon’s mouths dropped open in shock.

His assertiveness made it sound to them as though he was demanding a room.

“Uh, okay. Do whatever you want, Ye-na’s dad.”

However, kind-hearted Guk-soon immediately agreed. She felt relieved that Ji-heon had chosen to stay rather than drive home, which would have worried her even more.

Guk-soon opened her bedroom door and gestured, “Come here. You can sleep here. I’ve made a spot for you.”

“No, I can sleep in the room with Ye-na.”

“Ye-na rolls around, so that won’t work.”

“Then what about the living room…?”

“Just sleep here comfortably.”

“……”

“You can wear these. They’re comfy pants and a t-shirt from the fridge.”

In a daze after unwittingly taking over his mother-in-law’s sleeping space and borrowing her clothes, Ji-heon watched as Guk-soon rearranged the blankets before heading into Jung-oh’s room.

The man who had confidently declared he would stay over just moments ago now looked like a sinner under Guk-soon’s warm hospitality, which struck Jung-oh as a bit amusing. However, she couldn’t shake off the worry she had felt earlier when she saw his face outside the building.

“Just rest for now. Don’t think about anything, just sleep,” she said as she helped Ji-heon into Guk-soon’s room, placing a water bottle beside his head before closing the door.

I guess I’ll sleep in the living room tonight.

Considering going to Ye-na’s room, Jung-oh ultimately spread a blanket in the living room. She was anxious about what might happen to Ji-heon throughout the night.

Panic. If Jung-oh were to name the state she found Ji-heon in, it would be just that. She had never seen him like this before, not even on the day she found out Ye-na was her daughter.

The man who could be cruel to others and seldom showed weakness to her now wore an anxious expression that seemed on the verge of collapsing with just a gentle breeze, which kept Jung-oh awake.

After the lights in the house went out, she tossed and turned for quite some time before finally falling asleep.

About an hour later, she was startled awake by rustling sounds. Sitting up abruptly, Jung-oh blinked her eyes. At her feet sat a large man, resembling a well-trained giant dog, with Guk-soon’s bright pants standing out in the darkness.

“Oh, sorry.”

Seeing Ji-heon rise slowly with a serious expression, Jung-oh let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had returned to his usual self. She called out to him as he was about to enter her room.

“Hey, Ji-heon.”

“……”

“How are you feeling now? Are you okay?”

“……I’m okay.”

He seemed somewhat embarrassed by what had happened just hours ago, answering clumsily.

“What happened? Why did you suddenly act like that?”

Feeling reassured by his response, Jung-oh asked.

Ji-heon cautiously opened his mouth.

“Suddenly, my vision got blurry. It felt like my sight was reduced to just a pinhole…”

He couldn’t bring himself to honestly say that it felt like he was about to suffocate, that the ground seemed to sink and the world was vanishing, and that he was hit by chills that felt like they would cut through his skin.

Seeing her expression, he felt relieved that he hadn’t told her the whole truth. Yet it also felt nice to know that someone cared about him even more than he did himself.

“I’m fine now. It’s nothing.”

“Go to the hospital,” Jung-oh said, her voice trembling with unshed tears.

Knowing roughly what kind of symptoms he was experiencing, Ji-heon responded calmly.

“I’ll feel better after resting.”

“Have you experienced something like this before?”

“Not exactly, but I have had similar experiences.”

“How was it? Was it worse than today?”

Ji-heon found it hard to answer. If his previous experiences had been brief moments of anxiety, today felt more like a panic attack.

Since he didn’t respond, Jung-oh asked another question first.

“Have you been to the hospital? What did they say?”

“They said to rest. They also prescribed some good medication.”

Even though Ji-heon was trying to reassure her, Jung-oh’s expression didn’t relax.

“You weren’t like this before. At least when you were with me, you seemed fine.”

“……”

“Do you think it’s because of the accident seven years ago? Maybe you have some post-traumatic stress?”

That was likely the case. Ji-heon nodded quietly in agreement.

“What about hypnosis therapy? Have you tried it? Should I look into it for you?”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“How can I not worry?”

“The person who worries is you, isn’t it?”

Ji-heon squinted at Jung-oh, and her heart fluttered as if his gaze were a needle.

He knew exactly what she was implying. After boldly telling his mother that he was finally happy, he was now trying to make himself anxious again.

If he had known that her well-meaning words were going to shock him this much, Jung-oh would have kept her mouth shut from the start.

Biting her lips to hide her feelings, she lowered her head.

“Don’t say things like that anymore.”

“……”

“You can’t abandon me.”

That wasn’t what she meant.

It seemed that her words were interpreted by him as having a harsh meaning.

“I have no one but you.”

As he had unconsciously drawn closer, he reached out his hand toward her. The quiet confession in his voice felt so desperate and tender that Jung-oh couldn’t say anything in response.

Ji-heon gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, as if handling a delicate glass bowl. She had to suppress her tears that threatened to spill. There were more hidden tears in the pocket of anxiety he had discovered than she had expected.

I love you. More than you know.

Without you, I don’t want to be anything. What should I do now?

“You just have to be here.”

“Why do you think it’s only me? There are plenty of good people around you.”

“Still, for me, all I need is you.”

Even with Jung-oh’s rebuttal, Ji-heon’s heart didn’t waver.

“What about our Ye-na?”

“Ye-na is yours too.”

“How can Ye-na be mine? Ye-na is Ye-na’s own.”

“Right. You are that kind of person…”

That kind of person, someone I love.

It felt like there wouldn’t be enough time to confess his love even if they talked all night.

“If you’re around, Ye-na will follow. Your mother is your soulmate, so she’ll come along too.”

To Ji-heon, Jung-oh was the center of his world. Like a plant that needs sunlight to bloom, he felt that he needed to receive love from her to share the love inside him with anyone else. He relied on Jung-oh even more than she relied on him.

Seeing Ji-heon’s answer, Jung-oh smiled, seemingly pleased. Ji-heon finally spoke the words he had wanted to say hours ago.

“You must have been surprised to meet my mother.”

“No, not at all. I really wasn’t surprised.”

“……”

“I think I was actually waiting for her to come.”

Jung-oh confessed everything she had discussed with Yeong-mi to Ji-heon.

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

Early morning.

For some reason, Ye-na was the first to wake up. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw her grandmother’s face, she pouted.

“Why is Grandma here? Where’s Mom?”

She thought her mother had gone to work, leaving her behind. Guk-soon got up groggily and replied.

“Can’t Grandma stay for a bit? How long are you going to sleep only with your mom?”

“I’ll sleep with Mom forever!”

Yelling, Ye-na burst through the door and discovered Jung-oh lying in the living room, shaking her awake.

“Mom! Why did you sleep here? I was worried about you!”

Feeling Ye-na’s affectionate complaints melt her heart, Jung-oh smiled sleepily and pulled her daughter into a hug.

“Dad slept in Grandma’s room. So today, everyone has switched rooms.”

“Really?”

She wanted to hug her tighter, but upon hearing Jung-oh’s answer, Ye-na jumped up.

“I need to go see Dad!”

“Dad was sick last night. So let him rest a bit more.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Answering softly, Ye-na tiptoed to Guk-soon’s room.

The cautious behavior didn’t seem to fit her energetic personality.

Jung-oh shook her head, worried about Ye-na.

After discussing things with Jung-oh, Ji-heon, who had fallen asleep late, slowly opened his eyes when he felt a tickle on his hand. A lovely fairy-like girl was quietly moving around in front of him.

So this is what mornings could be like.

Such a morning could exist.

It was a grateful morning for everything that had happened overnight.

The little girl fidgeting beside Ji-heon tilted her head to match his eye level and asked, “Dad, are you really sick?”

“No, I’m not sick.”

Ji-heon replied to her beautiful question with a smile and wrapped the little angel in his arms. Ye-na giggled in his embrace. Their laughter continued for a long time, and eventually, Ji-heon couldn’t help but laugh out loud too.

A little while later, when Ji-heon came into the living room, the first thing he did was greet Guk-soon.

“Mother, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Is Ye-na’s dad feeling better now?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I’m fine. I’m really sorry about last night.”

“No, go wash up and have breakfast.”

Guk-soon seemed to be suppressing a big laugh, which made Ji-heon a bit embarrassed. He wondered if his outfit, with the pants of the refrigerator, looked ridiculous or if he had built a nest on his head. While fiddling with his hair, he headed toward the bathroom but paused before opening the door.

There was a sticker stuck to his right wrist. It was a cute little baby angel, just like Ye-na.

As Ji-heon gazed at his arm, Jung-oh came out of the bathroom. She caught sight of the sticker on his wrist and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s a sticker Ye-na loves.”

She turned to Ye-na, who was standing behind her.

“Yee-Na! How could you play a prank on Dad?”

“That’s the fairy of healing. The fairy of healing made Dad better!”

Ye-na, giggling, answered brightly.

“Dad, you’re not sick at all now, right?”

It was a prescription better than any doctor’s.