A child who looks like me

On Wednesday, after Eun-yeop’s request, Eun-bi waited eagerly for Eun-yeop’s contact. While not going to work, she took care of herself for the first time in a long while, pondering how to comfort Ji-heon and Mrs. Jang Young-mi.

However, there was no contact from Eun-yeop. Unable to wait any longer, Eun-bi called Eun-yeop first, but he didn’t answer. Ultimately, the next day, Eun-bi went to Eun-yeop’s office.

“Oppa.”

“Why are you here again?”

In just one day, Eun-yeop’s appearance had deteriorated significantly. He looked emaciated, and his sharp voice came with an irritated tone.

“Why didn’t you contact me? What happened? Did you fail?”

Eun-bi asked, but Eun-yeop only frowned and didn’t respond. It was indeed his failure.

Eun-bi was appalled. He had treated her like a fool all this time. He had boasted as if he could handle everything alone, and after waiting quietly, this was the outcome.

Disappointed in her brother, Eun-bi left the law firm and went straight to find a friend. This was a friend she had recently visited with at Guk-soon’s restaurant. Though not a popular BJ, the friend ran an internet broadcasting channel on various platforms.

On the day they visited Guk-soon’s restaurant, Eun-bi had played a prank with this friend. She had found a piece of trash in her bag and secretly placed it into the stew Guk-soon served.

Then, she acted shocked as if she had just discovered it. The entire act was recorded by her friend’s camera. Now was the time to make use of the video footage she had been unable to use due to Eun-yeop’s pressure.

When Eun-bi visited her friend, she pleaded with her to include a segment about their visit to Guk-soon’s restaurant at the end of a food review video. She didn’t forget to have her face mosaicked.

Watching the well-edited video her friend had made filled her with excitement. Yet, she also felt a twinge of regret. If only she had acted more quickly, Ji-heon might have lost interest in Lee Jung-o sooner. She should have informed Mrs. Jang Young-mi earlier too.

More important than whether Lee Ji-yeon was Ji-heon’s biological child was the status and dignity of the Ji-heon family. Mrs. Jang Young-mi could never view someone like Lee Jung-o, who brought shame to her family, favorably.

[Are we going to be okay? What if we get sued for lying? We managed to avoid the CCTV, right?]
As they edited the video, Eun-bi’s BJ friend asked anxiously. Eun-bi comforted her friend.

“Of course! There were no other customers, and I covered the camera well. No one knows about this now.”

[Why am I feeling so anxious?]
“It’s fine. Just trust me. If he falls out of the picture, I’ll reward you.”

Eun-bi calmed her whiny friend and finally got her to post the video, excitedly watching the situation unfold.

However, an unexpected disaster struck. Around midnight, Jung-o uploaded the video. When Eun-bi’s BJ friend checked the video Jung-o had uploaded, she contacted Eun-bi, demanding answers.

[Hey, what is this! Was there another CCTV? You said there was only one camera! You assured me you checked everything!]
“Oh, no… I checked everything!”

Eun-bi couldn’t believe it either. She had thoroughly looked around the restaurant. There was only one camera, and she thought she had blocked it well with her body during the act. She never expected there would be another camera right across from her.

[How could this happen! You told me to trust you! What are we going to do now!]
The BJ friend yelled at Eun-bi.

“First, delete the video you uploaded. And close the comments section completely.”

Eun-bi felt dizzy, but she calmly advised her friend. Even if something went wrong, her face wouldn’t be shown, so she thought there would be no consequences. She believed they just needed to handle the video and reassure her friend.

But the situation continued to escalate. Even after her friend deleted the video, people kept creating second-hand edits.

The video passed through the hands of various editors, turning her friend into an even more malicious villain. A few days later, one of Jung-o’s channel subscribers left a shocking comment.

– I visited the restaurant today, and I heard they’re closing it down. I asked the owner if they were relocating, but she said she wouldn’t be operating the restaurant anymore. It seems the owner was deeply affected by this incident. Although I couldn’t go often, I would visit at least once a month, enjoying the home-cooked meals, and it breaks my heart that it’s closing for such a ridiculous reason. I can only imagine how the owner must feel.

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

Time flew by, and it was the last day of operations for “Guk-soon’s Restaurant.”

In just a few days, the number of customers visiting the restaurant significantly increased. Some came to express their sorrow over the news of its closing, while others discovered Guk-soon’s Baekban for the first time through Jung-o’s channel.

Everyone marveled at Guk-soon’s cooking and lamented the loss of the restaurant. Some customers pleaded with her not to close down.

It had been a favorite lunchtime spot for local office workers, who typically had tight budgets, but today, customers streamed in continuously. Jung-o took a day off to help her mother, and Ji-heon rushed to the restaurant after finishing work.

Guk-soon took charge of the kitchen while occasionally stepping out to greet customers as they left. She handed each departing guest a piece of baeksuk (steamed white rice cake) with the same heartfelt intention she had on the first day the restaurant opened, celebrating a new beginning.

The loyal customers weren’t just passive, either. Gifts piled up in one corner of the restaurant, as everyone supported Guk-soon and wished her well. It was a warm but modest farewell.

Before long, the baeksuk that had been ordered ran out, and the food that had been abundantly prepared in the kitchen was also gone. After bidding farewell to the last customers and turning off the sign lights, Ji-heon presented Guk-soon with a large bouquet of flowers.

On a table that had been tidied up, a cake with flickering candles awaited.

“Grandma! Blow out the candles quickly!”

Yena rushed over, pulling on Guk-soon’s arm. As Guk-soon stood in front of the cake, her family began to sing.

“La la la, la la la. La la la, la la la. Congratulations, Guk-soon.”

The birthday song was a clumsy rendition with the words “la la la” inserted, and while it was unclear what exactly they were celebrating, Guk-soon felt pure joy.

I am truly happy. I have a family that I can’t be envious of.

Filled with pride, she blew out the candles, and Ji-heon, Jung-o, and Yena each offered their congratulations.

“Mother, you’ve worked hard all this time.”

“Mom! This is just the beginning. Life really starts at fifty-three!”

“Grandma! Congratulations on graduating from the restaurant!”

Clap, clap, clap! Yena clapped her hands and hurried over to the table piled with gifts. For Yena, who loved birthday parties, today was also an exciting day with plenty of presents.

“Grandma! Can I open the presents?”

Guk-soon’s eyes welled up as she looked at the heaps of gifts.

“Oh dear. I don’t even know if I deserve all this. If I had just quietly closed the restaurant, no one would have known, but now the whole country knows, and it’s so embarrassing to close like this.”

“Grandma, can I open the presents or not!”

Before Guk-soon could sigh long enough, Yena urged her impatiently.

“Okay, let’s open them together.”

Unable to resist her granddaughter’s enthusiasm, Guk-soon moved to the adjacent table. Various gifts emerged: cosmetics, work uniforms, shoes, magnifying glasses, and books. Any gift Yena struggled to unwrap was passed on to Jung-o.

“Mom, there’s a letter in this box.”

Inside a flat box was a hand mirror along with an envelope. As Jung-o pulled out the letter paper, she cleared her throat.

“I’ll read it. Dear Ms. Lee Guk-soon.”

The letter began with a formal tone.

“Hello, Ms. Lee. I am the person who operated an office in the alley across from the market a few years ago. Do you remember the time when my business partner disappeared, leaving me with debts, and I had to close my shop? You took me to your restaurant and fed me while I wiped away my tears.”

Guk-soon strained to remember, her brows furrowed as she listened to Jung-o’s voice.

“As I was leaving the restaurant, you packed a generous portion of delicious side dishes for me and told me to come back if I needed more. That meal was the best of my life…”

Jung-o’s voice started to falter, and she couldn’t hold back her tears. Instead of tears, laughter filled Guk-soon’s eyes at her daughter’s ridiculous sobs.

“Oh dear, that’s the problem with her. If anything happens to me, she pretends to be in more pain!”

“When have I ever!”

Jung-o pouted, annoyed at her mother for teasing her.

“Mom, stop it. Just stop.”

Yena, just as she had comforted Jung-o, gently patted her back. Ji-heon took the letter Jung-o was holding and continued reading.

“When I lost faith in everyone and had lost everything, I found great comfort in knowing there was someone willing to share kindness with me. Thanks to you, I have been able to face each day without despair and live diligently.”

Guk-soon smiled contentedly at Ji-heon’s calm, dignified voice.

“Thank you for the truly delicious meals and warm words back then. I will support you in whatever you do. Wishing you good health and happiness.”

It was a heartfelt letter. After Ji-heon finished reading it, she handed it to Guk-soon, who shyly touched her cheek.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to remember it well.”

This meant that she had done so much good that she couldn’t remember each act of kindness. Ji-heon and Jung-o exchanged knowing smiles.

Guk-soon let out a refreshing sigh, genuinely feeling relieved.

“Just like Yena said, it really feels like graduation.”

She had lived her life diligently. While raising her child, who then had a child of their own, the restaurant had become a home, clothing, and even a fun toy for her family.

Now, preparing to part with such a cherished restaurant, she was ready for a new beginning.

“Though I didn’t graduate properly from school, it feels like I’m really graduating from the restaurant. I’m so proud.”

With her family there to share this final moment, Guk-soon felt happier than anyone could envy.

“Post something online too. Let everyone know that Mom isn’t closing the restaurant due to conflicts with that BJ, but rather preparing to try something new.”

“To be honest, I kind of want to let the backlash continue a bit longer.”

Jung-o complained but couldn’t go against her mother’s wishes, so she immediately grabbed her phone.

“…Huh?”

But as soon as she logged into her account, a frown appeared on her face. Dozens of messages had arrived in Jung-o’s inbox, filled with condemnation from unknown people.

“What’s going on?” Ji-heon asked, stepping closer.

“…Looks like that BJ posted something new?”

Jung-o quickly entered the BJ’s channel to check the latest updates. A lengthy post had been published on the channel’s bulletin board.

– Hello. I would like to explain the recent unfortunate incident. The restaurant in question is actually run by the family of my friend’s girlfriend’s mistress. My friend, who was about to get married, was dumped by his girlfriend after four years of dedication, and due to the mistress’s scheming, he faced the risk of being fired from his well-paying job. I really didn’t want to go this far, but after hearing about my friend’s plight, I couldn’t hold back and posted the video in a fit of rage.

I can’t believe I’m becoming the mistress.

Jung-o’s hand trembled at the BJ’s outrageous claims.

– You can say whatever you want about me. However, I do not believe that I am the only one at fault. To the mistress, please come to your senses and return my friend’s girlfriend. No matter what you’ve done with him or how much you’ve talked behind his back, my friend doesn’t care. So please, just return her.