A child who looks like me

Jaekwang said to Yena,

“I’m your grandfather. I’m your dad’s dad. Got it?”

“Uh, but…”

Yena hesitated as if deep in thought and called out to her mother, “Mom, isn’t this the grandfather who was standing in front of the academy on Monday?”

The title “this grandfather” surprised Jeong-o, who quickly ran over and covered Yena’s mouth.

Jaekwang was also taken aback by the child’s words. The child was sharp.

Jeong-o made an awkward expression, but Jaekwang laughed heartily.

She’s really smart. She must be my granddaughter.

“That’s right. Grandpa came to visit.”

While Grandpa’s heart was immensely pleased, Jiheon’s expression was quite the opposite.

“Father, did you go to see Yena? All the way to the academy?”

He was displeased that his father had stubbornly sought out Yena’s academy.

His father was reckless. What if the child got scared?

“I didn’t go inside the academy; I just saw her from in front of the building.”

“You just happened to pass by?”

“Yeah. I just ran into her.”

His father’s answer sounded like an excuse. Jiheon was well aware of his family’s tendencies. They would casually lie for personal gain. That was the main difference from Jeong-o’s family.

Jaekwang felt wronged in his own way, and his voice rose a bit.

“I didn’t pretend to know her or talk to her.”

I just looked at her. Just looked!

But Jiheon’s expression was so fierce that Jaekwang felt the need to retreat.

“I should get going. I’m really busy.”

He truly was busy. Today, he had taken time out of his hectic schedule just to see the child.

“We’ll be able to meet again soon, right?”

Having given up on his son, Jaekwang kindly greeted Jeong-o in hopes of getting closer to his grandchild and affectionately patted Yena.

“Yena, see you again. Do you remember me?”

It was still hard for him to show warmth towards his son.

“Don’t make us wait too long; move things along quickly.”

He responded warmly to his prospective daughter-in-law, gently to his grandchild, and sternly to his son. After Jaekwang left, Jiheon observed Jeong-o’s expression.

“My father isn’t normally like that. He’s really a scary person.”

For some reason, Jiheon felt a twinge of malice at the way Jeong-o looked at Jaekwang with admiration.

“He smiled like a nice uncle as he left, but he probably did a thorough background check on both Jeong-o and Yena. That’s why he went all the way to the academy.”

“…….”

“So don’t trust him too much. Don’t get too attached.”

“You’re talking about your father as if he were a stranger.”

“My father isn’t a family-oriented person. In 33 years, I’ve barely met him.”

Jeong-o recalled what Jiheon had said seven years ago. Jiheon had said something similar then too. It was strange that even though she had lost her memories, her feelings about her father remained the same as Yena’s now.

“But you should be grateful. He trusted your brother and willingly cooperated with that ridiculous paternity test.”

“That’s true.”

Jiheon reluctantly agreed with Jeong-o’s opinion.

Eun-yeob was waiting for a call from the genetic research institute. The call from the staff came quite late. The staff member spoke with a somewhat anxious voice about what had happened in the meantime.

[As you instructed, we did everything. The client’s name was Jeong Ji-heon, and the other person being tested was anonymous. So, we perfectly switched the anonymous client’s blood, just as you said. I succeeded, but it seems they conducted another test on their end. That test came back as a biological relationship.]

“Another test?”

[The client had someone else conduct another paternity test. They took advantage of the fact that paternity tests can also be done anonymously.]

Upon hearing the staff’s confession, Eun-yeob shouted,

“You should have watched closely and stopped it!”

[You requested the test anonymously, so how would you know or have the means to stop it? Do you think names are written on hair?] The staff member began to argue with Eun-yeob instead. Eun-yeob pressed his forehead in frustration.

He hadn’t anticipated Jeong Ji-heon would react this way. He thought that if the second test failed, there would be a third attempt at most. He hadn’t expected a third party to be involved in a task that needed to be conducted in secrecy.

Given Eun-yeob’s distrust of others, he couldn’t comprehend Jiheon’s feelings. He assumed that Jiheon’s feelings for Jeong-o were shallow.

There was one major misconception Eun-yeob had been harboring. He assumed that Jeong-o had approached Jiheon first. That premise was fundamentally wrong. Eun-yeob hadn’t realized that Jiheon was obsessively clinging to Jeong-o.

The Jiheon that Cha Eun-yeob had seen was someone who couldn’t maintain close relationships with anyone, wouldn’t give anyone a chance, didn’t reveal his true feelings, regarded everyone else as insignificant, and only cared about his own pride. At least, that was how he had been for the past seven years.

He hadn’t expected this cold-hearted person, whose very blood felt icy, to passionately defend someone so vigorously.

He also hadn’t thought that he would sincerely cherish a child who seemed to have dropped from the sky after seven years of absence. It was a fundamental miscalculation.

[Can you imagine how much trouble this has caused me? The client filed a claim saying the test was incorrect. Anyway, I did what you asked, so you need to help me with my divorce case as promised. I look forward to it.]

After finishing his words, the staff hung up first. The work had failed, and now he had to deal with the difficult aftermath. It was a complete defeat for Eun-yeob.

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

After parting with Jaekwang, the three of them went to Guksun’s restaurant for an early dinner. Jiheon had to return to the office for overtime, so Guksun set the table early. Yena sat on Jiheon’s lap again this time.

While Yena was eating side dishes like a baby bird, she asked,

“But if Mom is Mom and Dad is Dad, aren’t Mom and Dad a couple?”

Jiheon replied,

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because we haven’t gotten married yet.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“Because there’s no time. But we will soon.”

Jiheon felt good that his daughter was expressing what he wanted.

“When do you want Mom and Dad to get married?”

“On Saturday.”

“Why Saturday?”

“Because it’s a day when Yena doesn’t go to daycare or the academy.”

Jiheon smiled contentedly, while Jeong-o let out a deep sigh.

“Yena, marriage isn’t something that can just happen in a few days. When you get married later, if you try to rush through it, I’ll tell you that it’s not okay. Marriage can’t be done carelessly, understood?”

“Okay.”

Whether she understood or just responded, Yena’s answer was simply cheerful.

“First, we’ll file for marriage registration. Let’s do it tomorrow. We’ll sort everything else out one by one.”

Now that marriage was on the table, Jiheon also began discussing the next steps.

“First, the house issue is the most urgent. If we’re going to live together, we need to move to a bigger place. For now, I’d like us all to live together. How about that?”

“I think Mom might feel burdened by the height.”

Jeong-o spoke in a cautious tone. Yena cheerfully chimed in again,

“Then Dad can come to our house!”

“Should we do that?”

Jiheon agreed. Guksun, who had come out of the kitchen, spoke bluntly. It turned out she had been listening to their conversation.

“Why would Dad live there? He has a big house.”

“Mother, I’m fine. I can live anywhere, anytime.”

“But still, take your time to prepare. Our house is too small. It only has one bathroom, so it would be inconvenient.”

Guksun’s advice was sharp.

“Set some rules. Until we move to a new place, let’s live as we have been. That would be comfortable for both you and me.”

With Guksun’s rules, the situation was quickly organized.

Of course, even if Jiheon were to live immediately with Jeong-o and Yena, neither Guksun nor Jeong-o nor Yena would feel much discomfort. It would just mean adding one more spoon to the table.

However, for Jiheon, who had lived without any shortcomings, it could feel overwhelming.

A cramped room to lie down in, belongings cluttering the floor, and a single bathroom… He had never experienced any of that. Guksun had spoken harshly to consider Jiheon’s perspective.

As Jiheon’s daughter was getting married, her mother felt anxious. Since they couldn’t meet Jiheon’s family circumstances, the dowry and wedding gifts wouldn’t satisfy their expectations. Guksun felt increasingly sorry for her daughter.

After dinner, when Yena said she needed to go to the bathroom, Jeong-o took her outside the restaurant, and Guksun said to Jiheon,

“You can take Jeong-o and Yena with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yena, Dad’s house is spacious, right? It would be nice for us to take Jeong-o and Yena and spend some cozy time together.”

“Mother, if you say that…”

“Your family is the real one. I was the temporary family.”

Guksun’s voice, yielding happiness, was firm. Yet, an unavoidable loneliness seeped through. To conceal her true feelings, Guksun forced a smile and said to Jiheon,

“I couldn’t raise you that way, so I hoped at least our Jeong-o or the child she has would have a complete family. Now that dream has finally come true.”

“It’s not a temporary family, Mother.”

Jiheon replied politely.

“Before getting close to Jeong-o, she once said, ‘Mom and I are soulmates.’”

“……”

“You’ve probably been Jeong-o’s closest friend for a long time. You must have been her only support.”

If he confessed that he had never felt the love of a complete family, would she believe him?

If he told her that the family he wanted to emulate, the one he wished to seep into, was entirely shown by her, would she feel pity for him?

Jiheon felt a little ashamed, thinking that his heart and his family’s heart were so dry and poor.

“That will probably continue to be the case. Jeong-o will.”

“……”

“It’ll be the same for me from now on.”

Guksun’s eyes, which had always maintained a cool demeanor, began to warm up with moisture.

“You need to stay by my side, Mother.”

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

The next morning.

As usual, Jiheon stopped by Jeong-o’s house to drop off Yena and then went to work with Jeong-o.

Having been apart overnight, Yena spoiled Jiheon with affection before getting on the daycare bus. It was a day that began with emotion and excitement. Upon arriving at the office, Jiheon greeted his secretary in a good mood.

“Good morning!”

However, the secretary’s expression was not very bright.

“Director, your wife is waiting for you.”

Young-mi was waiting for Jiheon in his office. Jiheon opened the office door with a stiff expression.

“What brings you here again?”

With a cool greeting, Young-mi looked at Jiheon with eyes full of resentment. But then, she sighed as if resigned.

“Mom has been worrying all night.”

Young-mi’s eyes were moist. However, Jiheon didn’t find that gaze warm like Guksun’s.

As expected, Young-mi’s resolve was severe.

“Just bring the child. I’ll take care of her. She’ll receive a good education and live comfortably without envy. I will make sure of that.”

“Mother.”

“I can’t allow you to be tied to that family. Even Cinderella has her standards.”

Young-mi’s voice rose as if bursting with indignation. But they were in Jiheon’s company, so considering appearances, she quickly lowered her voice.

“I can’t just marry you off like that, as if you were cheap merchandise. I absolutely can’t do that.”

Yet that cold assertion remained.

“It’s all because I care about you. It’s because I love you. Someday, you’ll understand your mother’s feelings. You’ll see how much it tears my heart apart.”

For the first time in a long while, Jiheon faced his mother’s tears.