A child who looks like me

“What on earth did I just hear?”

Jaekwang’s fierce voice filled the bedroom.

“You hired a voice actor to separate Jihun from that girl? You did that?”

Youngmi was engulfed in confusion. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Why? Why on earth!”

“…….”

“How could you do something like that to someone who already has a child!”

“I didn’t know!”

As Jaekwang pressed her, Youngmi finally managed to speak. Tears welled in her eyes from the deep sense of injustice.

“I didn’t know! She didn’t tell me, that girl!”

You don’t know how I was backstabbed by her. You don’t know how my insides have rotted and festered.

Obsessed with the thought that she had been robbed of her son by Lee Jeongoo, Youngmi still considered herself the victim.

“That’s why I’m doing this. That girl, Jeongoo, gave birth to a child behind our backs. Without our permission!”

“You idiot. You even hired a voice actor to separate them!”

Frustrated, Jaekwang shouted.

If Youngmi didn’t know about Jeongoo’s pregnancy, it wasn’t because Jeongoo hadn’t told her, but because she couldn’t. The Jeongoo Jaekwang met was polite yet assertive. If she had had the chance to say something, she would have told her she was pregnant.

Youngmi’s face flushed with anger as she bit down hard on her lower lip.

“What did you tell the voice actor to say?”

Jaekwang, holding back his rage, asked her calmly.

“What on earth did you say that made her unable to reach out to us for seven years?”

“…….”

“Should I contact Chae Eun-yeob directly to ask?”

It was only when Jaekwang mentioned Eun-yeob that Youngmi burst into tears and began to recount the events from seven years ago.

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

The next day at noon. Max Planning, Production Team 2.

Jihun sent a text message.

– Jeongoo! It’s Jeongoo. Let’s go out.

Hearing a joke that teachers used to make back in school from Jeonghun felt fresh and trivial at the same time.

Jeongoo let out a small laugh and stood up from her seat.

During lunchtime, she decided to go to the district office to register their marriage.

The day before, there had been a proposal; yesterday, they signed the contract for the house; and today, they would register their marriage. With major events happening one after another, even someone as stubborn as Lee Jeongoo couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Amidst it all, the playful jokes Jihun shared eased her tense mood.

The wait at the district office was long due to the crowd, but the marriage registration process was simple. Once they submitted the prepared documents along with their IDs, it was complete. It was very easy, yet Jihun wore a serious expression as if he were being overly cautious.

After submitting the marriage registration form with the signatures of Seungkyu and Jinseo as witnesses, Jihun asked the staff member.

“When will the processing be completed?”

“You’ll receive a notification text by tomorrow.”

“Can’t it be done today?”

“You’ll need to wait at least one day.”

“What can I do to get it processed today?”

“Are you applying for a newlywed loan?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what’s the urgent reason for your request?”

What reason? It’s just that he’s feeling anxious.

With cloudy eyes, Jeongoo grabbed Jihun’s arm.

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for your help.”

She greeted the staff member and quickly left the district office with Jihun.

“Why wait a day? There’s really no rush.”

When Jeongoo scolded him, Jihun replied awkwardly.

“I was just asking. I was curious when it would be processed.”

It would take a day to process the marriage registration. One whole day felt like an eternity for someone whose heart was racing with impatience, making one wonder how she had endured these tumultuous days up until now.

Of course, there were many things she decided on her own, but whenever she told him to wait, he had complied without much fuss.

Now that he had shaken off his worries about the marriage registration process, Jihun began to outline their future plans.

“I’ll look for a place where we can have a private wedding. Let’s invite only the guests we really want there and keep it intimate. Or, we could make it extravagant. If there’s anything you want, just let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”

“Okay.”

“And since Yeona won’t like being apart from us, let’s take her and your mom along for our honeymoon. Ask your mom subtly if there are any travel destinations she’s interested in.”

This man seems to think about nothing but their wedding.

“The house is tidy, but I’d like the kitchen to be more functional, and we need to make the stairs and rooftop safe for Yeona. I’ll start renovations tomorrow, and we should be finished by next week. Then we can paint, clean, and move in right away.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Haa.

After laying out the plans in a stream, Jihun let out a relieved sigh. His breath settled gently on her shoulder.

Wrapping his arms around her, he spoke in a calm voice.

“We’re married. We are.”

“Yeah. We’ve become a family.”

Jeongoo placed her hand on his arm, which was wrapped around her.

“If only the marriage registration system completed everything the moment we stepped out of the district office today, that would have been so cool.”

“Is that why you were like that?”

Seeing his silence, it seemed that was indeed the case. The reason he had pressed the staff with questions after submitting the marriage registration form was because of that trivial thought.

It was both amusing and endearing to see Jihun thinking about such insignificant things.

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

After lunch, Jihun dropped Jeongoo off at her company and then headed straight to Jaekwang.

Just a month ago, visiting his father felt like a yearly ritual, but now it had become a regular occurrence without any awkwardness.

“Father.”

“Yeah.”

Leaning back in his chair and lost in thought, Jaekwang stood up at Jihun’s call.

“Sit down.”

Jaekwang, speaking in a heavier tone than usual, gestured for Jihun to take a seat on the sofa and sat down opposite him.

“You registered your marriage?”

“Yeah. I went to the district office with Jeongoo during lunch.”

“Good. Congratulations.”

Jaekwang’s expression while congratulating his son was not particularly bright. Jihun didn’t think much of it. He knew well that the cheerful demeanor Jaekwang had shown recently toward Jeongoo and Yeona was not his true nature.

“I heard you found a place to live.”

“Yeah. Yesterday. There was a nice apartment near Seungkyu’s house, so I signed the contract right away.”

“So you’ll be living with your stepmother too?”

“Yeah.”

“Won’t it be uncomfortable?”

“Mother always treats me comfortably. She’s really a great person.”

Now, Jihun had a new mother.

As he listened to his son’s voice, Jaekwang’s face fell slightly.

“Well, as long as you’re happy.”

Jaekwang cautiously sipped his tea, pursing his dry lips. He instinctively felt that telling his son about this would only create more distance between him and his biological mother. In truth, he wished he could keep it hidden forever, but with Cha Eun-yeob in the middle, there was no other option.

“I found out how you ended up separating from Yeona’s mom seven years ago.”

With the marriage and the move ahead, the smile that had gracefully bloomed on his son’s face faded away in an instant.

“Your mother… hired someone…”

Jaekwang continued carefully. His calm voice gradually grew smaller and less confident. This was the first time he had felt so cautious around his son.

Throughout the conversation, Jihun had tightly clenched his hands resting on his knees. The fists on his lap trembled slightly. Though he didn’t shout out in anger, Jaekwang could sense the silent cry in that silence. It had been a tough time for Jaekwang too.

After Jaekwang revealed all the facts, Jihun spoke.

“I didn’t think of Seongwoo, but I had an inkling. I figured it was something your mother orchestrated. But it’s concerning that Cha Eun-yeob knew about it too.”

His voice was surprisingly calm and collected. It seemed the presence of Cha Eun-yeob allowed Jihun to react more rationally.

“How embarrassing.”

“……”

“Your mother isn’t that malicious a person, but she becomes extremely sensitive when it comes to you. Apparently, she didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

“Father.”

Jaekwang’s pitiful words, which could only be seen as excuses to his son, were cut off by Jihun’s call.

“I understand that you want to defend my mother, and that’s enough.”

His father wasn’t the type to turn his back on his mother over such matters. Jaekwang couldn’t deny the years he had spent with her.

Jihun thought that was the logical thing to believe. It felt like the misaligned gears that had been turning crookedly were finally finding their proper place.

I will be my own self. And my mother will be herself.

“I won’t meet my mother again, but you’ll continue to live with her, right? So, I’m fine. I don’t want to worry about her anymore.”

Jaekwang silently kept his mouth shut and stared at the empty teacup for a long time.

His son had his own life.

It took time to accept the well-known facts. After Jaekwang quietly nodded his head, having determined what would keep the peace, he changed the subject.

“By the way, about the guy who hit you with his car seven years ago.”

“Kim Jingu?”

“He’s out of prison now, and apparently, he still holds a grudge against you. He tried to threaten Cha Eun-bi.”

Jaekwang relayed the story that Youngmi had shared with him to Jihun.

“He holds a grudge against Cha Eun-bi, who testified as a witness?”

“It seems he has some grievances of his own. Considering that it’s already been seven years, I suspect he’s trying to extort money from Cha Eun-bi using that as leverage.”

“……”

“Anyway, take care of yourself. You should also delay the announcement of your marriage registration a bit.”

Jaekwang carefully advised Jihun.

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

After receiving the call from Kim Jingu, Eunbi felt nauseous. Even sitting still made her feel like throwing up, and she had lost her appetite. In this state, Eunbi went out to meet Eunyeob.

Once outside, she felt her breath quicken. It felt like someone could jump out from anywhere and strangle her at any moment. With her body stiffened by fear, she arrived at Eunyeob’s office.

Eunyeob was working at her desk. When Eunbi opened the door and entered, Eunyeob glanced at her and then lowered her head back to the pile of documents.

“Why did you call me all the way here?”

Eunyeob handed Eunbi a document. It was a folder with a business card attached. It belonged to someone working at an advertising company that Eunbi recognized.

“I told them about you. You have an interview.”

Though not as renowned as Max Planning, it was still a company with a good reputation. While Eunbi had been lying around blankly, Eunyeob had arranged for her to have a job interview.

Still, it was better than a complete stranger. Eunbi felt a bit emotional at her brother’s consideration.

“Don’t want to work? If you don’t, that’s fine.”

“No, I need to work.”

“……”

“Thank you.”

As she shyly thanked him while fiddling with the documents, Eunyeob abruptly handed her another piece of paper. It was a list containing the backgrounds of unfamiliar men.

“What is this?”

“There’s no option. You have to meet all the men on this list. They’re good people.”

“……”

“The man on the first page is at six o’clock today.”

Eunbi felt taken aback; she had thought he called her just to thank her. Instead, the real reason for calling her to the office was to set her up for matchmaking.

“What? They’re all in their forties.”

After scanning the entire list, Eunbi exclaimed in disbelief. Seeing her reaction, Eunyeob scoffed bitterly.

“Cha Eunbi, are you in a position to be picky? Who would want to take you?”

“……”

“You want to get back at Jeong Jihun too, right? To do that, you need to meet someone even better than him.”

Though she felt a surge of anger inside, Eunbi couldn’t argue with Eunyeob.

“Don’t go like that; get your hair done at a salon. Buy some decent clothes.”

Eunyeob handed her a card as if doing her a favor.