A child who looks like me

In Jung-oh’s house bathroom.

The bathroom didn’t have a separate shower, and it took a while for the hot water to come out. As Ji-heon picked up the showerhead to wash himself, he felt stiffness all over his body. After lying in bed for so long, it seemed like his body was sore from it.

While his body felt stiff, his heart was as warm as the hot water now flowing. Ji-heon carefully washed himself, making sure the sticker on his wrist wouldn’t fall off.

When he came out, the comforting smell of seaweed soup was wafting through the house.

“Hurry and come eat, Ye-na’s dad!”

Guk-soon called for Ji-heon. After he responded and sat down at the table, Ye-na moved to sit next to him.

Jung-oh came out of the room and firmly scolded Ye-na.

“Yee-Na, you know you have to eat by yourself in the morning. You know Mom and Dad are busy.”

She had intended to ask her dad to feed her. Now that her true feelings had been revealed to her mom, Ye-na pouted.

However, Ji-heon placed side dishes onto Ye-na’s bowl.

“Ye-na can eat by herself, and Dad can just put the side dishes on. Right?”

At Ji-heon’s kind suggestion, Ye-na nodded her head enthusiastically.

“Hmph. This father-daughter bonding is too sweet from the morning!”

Jung-oh, feeling a bit grumpy, turned to Guk-soon and said in a nasal voice, “Mom, Jung-oh needs side dishes too.”

Watching her thirty-year-old daughter’s cute antics, Guk-soon placed meat side dishes into Jung-oh’s bowl.

“Eat. Eat a lot, our pig.”

“Why am I a pig? Ye-na is a puppy, so why am I a pig? And why give me pig food while calling me a pig?”

Even while complaining, Jung-oh eagerly gobbled up the side dishes that Guk-soon gave her.

Ye-na laughed and explained the situation to Ji-heon.

“Dad, we have nicknames at home. Mom is a pig, and I’m a puppy.”

Even though he had to wait a long time for the hot water to come out, and the house had no elevator and only one bathroom, the first morning spent at Jung-oh’s house felt really nice.

A warm breakfast prepared by his mother, the singing and chattering of a baby bird-like child.

Jung-oh’s affectionate behavior toward her mom, which was rarely seen when they were alone, along with the charisma of her mother, who didn’t change her expression despite such affection.

Everything was fascinating, and Ji-heon’s eyes wandered everywhere. He hoped to adapt to this environment quickly.

Ye-na seemed to enjoy it even more than Ji-heon. After breakfast, she bounced around the house asking if she would be living with Dad now and got scolded by Jung-oh a few times. Ji-heon told Ye-na they should live together soon.

Ye-na didn’t let go of Ji-heon’s hand until she boarded the kindergarten bus.

“Dad, you’ll come again in the evening, right?”

“Of course. I’ll come to see Ye-na.”

“Okay. See you later.”

Waving her hand, Ye-na tugged on Ji-heon’s arm. As Ji-heon bent down, Ye-na put her hands to her mouth. It was a sign for a secret whisper. Ji-heon bent his knees and sat in front of Ye-na.

“If I send a text, you have to send one back. Got it?”

It wasn’t much of a secret, but Ye-na’s voice tickled Ji-heon, making him curl his toes.

“What kind of secret conversation do you have every day?”

After sending Ye-na off, Jung-oh, who had been watching the father-daughter banter, asked, concerned about why her daughter was often avoiding her lately.

“That’s a secret. Why? Are you curious?”

“No, I’m not curious at all!”

When Ji-heon teased her, Jung-oh turned her head away defiantly. Ji-heon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

Unlike yesterday’s anxiety, this morning felt infinitely ticklish and warm. He was almost sad about having to return to his solitary home.

Ji-heon went to work with Jung-oh. After sending her off in front of the office, he felt the awkward glances from the employees he passed as he entered alone.

He thought it would be like this for a while. He had no choice but to wait for time to pass.

However, when he was with Ye-na, time felt too precious, making his heart ache. Ultimately, the time spent with Ye-na was more valuable than his reputation at work, so the discomfort at the office became negligible.

In fact, it seemed that the people around him were more concerned about his well-being. As soon as Seung-kyu saw Ji-heon arrive at the office, he ran over, examining him with keen eyes.

“Are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?”

“Yeah. I was going to change.”

As Ji-heon pulled out an extra shirt from his drawer, he replied.

“Why do you have the same clothes on?”

“I stayed at Jung-oh’s house.”

“Oh, so does that mean you’re one step closer to living together now?”

“In a way, yes.”

Ji-heon made it easier for Seung-kyu to ask questions by providing the information he was curious about. Seung-kyu cautiously asked with a pounding heart.

“What are your plans for the house? Are you going to find a new one, or are you going to move Jung-oh’s stuff into your house?”

“I was thinking about looking for a house near the neighborhood Jung-oh is living in, but now that my mother has stopped working at the restaurant, I don’t think it matters where.”

“Oh!”

“How about our neighborhood?”

“That sounds good too.”

“Great! The apartments in the complex next door are selling really well. I found out today that there’s a listing for the top floor. Those rooftop apartments are amazing. If you get one there, Ye-na and our Dobin can go to school together, attend the Go academy together, play together often, and go on outings on weekends. That would be wonderful!”

Detecting a positive signal, Seung-kyu excitedly laid out a blueprint for their future. Ji-heon’s brow gradually furrowed.

Ye-na and Dobin attending the same school…

Until now, he had been thankful toward Dobin, but now that he had been recognized as a father by Ye-na, his mindset had shifted a bit.

Dobin really likes Ye-na. He probably likes her too much. He might even say he loves her. Didn’t he once mention that he fell for her at first sight?

While Ji-heon didn’t mind Dobin liking Ye-na, he felt a twinge of disappointment at the thought of Ye-na liking Dobin.

What is this feeling? Is it a father’s instinct not to want to lose his child to another boy?

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

Ji-heon responded vaguely.

He didn’t think it would be particularly good for either Ye-na or Dobin to have a crush on each other since they were young. He decided he should subtly caution both of them.

Putting the moving discussion aside for a moment, Ji-heon changed the subject to continue their conversation.

“I have a question. You mentioned hypnosis therapy before, right? Do you know any teachers?”

“I don’t know any personally, but I can look into it. I know quite a few psychiatrists.”

“Okay. Then please find out for me. I’d appreciate it.”

Seung-kyu nodded and squinted, asking, “When I suggested it before, you seemed indifferent. Did your mind change?”

“Jung-oh mentioned it.”

“You listen to Lee Jung-oh quite well, huh?”

“…”

“How interesting. You’ve really grown up, Jung Ji-heon.”

Ji-heon smiled in acknowledgment, finding Seung-kyu’s teasing rather enjoyable.

Seung-kyu looked at Ji-heon with satisfaction, like a proud older brother watching his younger sibling finally act like a person.

As Ji-heon unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, Seung-kyu’s gaze landed on the strange drawing on his wrist. The combination of Ji-heon and a sticker seemed completely out of place.

“What’s that on your wrist?”

“Oh, this is something Ye-na gave me this morning…”

As if he had been waiting for the question, Ji-heon approached Seung-kyu and showed him the sticker on his wrist.

“Okay, okay, stop! That’s enough!”

As soon as Ji-heon opened his mouth, Seung-kyu covered his ears and turned away in exasperation.

He had asked first.

Feeling disappointed at not being able to brag about it despite his eager anticipation, Ji-heon finished changing his clothes.

After that, Ji-heon left the office.

Driving alone, he headed to his family home. He called Jae-gwang from outside the house. A moment later, he heard Jae-gwang’s stern voice.

[We need to go into a meeting now. Just tell me what you need.]

“Have you talked to Mom at all yesterday?”

[No. Your mom is sick in bed.]

It seemed that because she was unwell, there was no opportunity to bring up Jung-oh. After hanging up, Ji-heon sighed quietly.

He hadn’t contacted Young-mi separately. He didn’t want to. The moment he stepped out the front door, a notification would arrive for Young-mi, so there was no need for separate contact.

Upon checking the notification, Young-mi conveyed to the staff to send Ji-heon to the bedroom.

Yesterday, Young-mi had gone to confront Lee Jung-oh intending to break her spirit but returned greatly angered by a different reaction than before. After that, she couldn’t even eat and was groaning in pain. Reflecting on Jung-oh’s words left her feeling devastated, and she pretended to be in even more pain.

She hoped her husband would notice her groaning and that he would inform Ji-heon about it. If the two men worried about her, it would somewhat soothe her unjust feelings. So she was also somewhat hopeful about Ji-heon’s arrival notification.

She heard footsteps approaching. Young-mi let out a more exaggerated groan.

“Mother.”

After hearing Ji-heon’s voice, Young-mi slowly rose from her place, which had been turned away from the door.

“Yeah. Hello, son.”

It was gratifying that she showed some reaction to the news of her being sick.

“Why did you come when you must be busy? You should be at work.”

Looking at Ji-heon with a proud gaze, Young-mi spoke with difficulty.

“Well, that’s true.”

However, contrary to Young-mi’s affectionate gaze, his eyes were filled with hostility.

“Did you go see Jung-oh?”

“…Did that kid spill everything out?”

It was impossible not to feel a surge of emotion. He had hoped to hear that she had come running out of worry after hearing what his father had said, but it was not what he expected.

Jung-oh’s story came first from Ji-heon’s mouth, as if it were a matter of course. He was displeased that his son, who rarely listened to his requests, would run all the way to his family home because of something the baby’s mother said.

However, Ji-heon didn’t react to his mother’s distorted expression.

“I told you clearly not to visit Jung-oh.”

“…”

“I also said I wouldn’t see you again if you did.”

“…”

“I clearly told you, so why did you do that, Mother?”

How dare you interfere in my life.

A chillingly low voice sliced through Young-mi’s skin like a sharp blade.

Once again, her hands trembled violently, just like yesterday. Now, her son regarded her as nothing more than a subordinate.

“My child, who should have grown up the most precious in the world, has lived without a father for seven years, and his mother has suffered so much. Are you really indifferent to that? Do you truly want to torment Jung-oh like this?”

“Torment him? What nonsense are you talking about? I’m the one who’s been tormented! I was the one who was humiliated by him yesterday…”

“Mother.”

Ji-heon called out to Young-mi in a chilling tone.

That cold voice somehow felt as if it knew the secret of how he had once hired a voice actor to intercept Jung-oh’s calls.

“Mother. Every time the child comes running to me, I have to hold back my tears.”

For just a brief moment, a glimmer of moisture welled up in his eyes.

“You can’t understand that, can you? You’ve never lost a son.”

But soon, his expression grew cold again. His heart, which felt like it had dropped to the floor, flailed like a fish out of water.

The mother did not realize.

That with her own hands, with her own power, she had made it so that no one could love her son. The cruelty of her child, who had sprouted love in the barren land of his emotions when she had nurtured it with blind obsession.

Ji-heon was a son who could abandon his mother at any moment.

“I don’t want to see you anymore, Mother.”

Thick tears that had been hanging in Young-mi’s eyes fell onto the blanket with a soft thud.

How could you! How could you do this to me!