A child who looks like me

The next day. Jiheon’s office.

“Jung Jiheon.”

Jiheon didn’t hear Seungkyu calling him repeatedly as he was lost in thought about the news the counselor had conveyed the previous day and the subsequent email he had checked.

Jiheon showed the counselor the email Kim Jin-gu had sent before his death. The counselor said he was unaware of it.

He also mentioned that he had never closely followed a subject in such a manner. Since it was far from Jiheon’s request, Jiheon quickly accepted the counselor’s response.

That meant someone else was tracking Kim Jin-gu. And Kim Jin-gu had thought that the pursuer was Jiheon.

But why?

“Hey, Jung Jiheon.”

While he was lost in thought about the complex situation, Seungkyu called out to Jiheon again. Only then did Jiheon turn his head and look at Seungkyu.

“Why are you so out of it?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Jiheon had been the one to bring up that Seungkyu had looked into a hypnosis therapy expert. He felt bad for being preoccupied with other thoughts while his friend was there.

Seungkyu snorted and handed him a piece of paper.

“You can contact this person. A senior from my university became a psychiatrist. He’s the best at counseling among the hypnosis therapy specialists he knows.”

Among Seungkyu’s college friends who majored in psychology, there were quite a few psychological counselors and psychiatrists. Seungkyu introduced Jiheon to the most capable and trustworthy person among them.

“Just go and see how it goes. Don’t feel pressured to continue for my sake; if it doesn’t suit your personality, you can stop anytime.”

“Got it. Thank you so much.”

Jiheon stared blankly at the paper Seungkyu had handed him as he replied.

Could hypnosis really help him recover lost memories? Would he be able to recall the hit-and-run incident caused by Kim Jin-gu?

Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations. But he still held onto the hope that, even if just by a slim chance, if he could recover a few minutes of memory from the three years he lost, it would be a welcome relief.

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

When they first signed the lease, the moving day felt like a distant event, but now it was right around the corner. Jung Oh slowly began organizing her belongings. Although they were having a packing service, she needed to identify what to throw away beforehand.

“Oppa, are you just going to sit there? Aren’t you packing?”

Late at night. After putting Yena to bed, Jung Oh asked Jiheon, who was inexplicably sitting beside her instead of going home, with a pout.

If he wasn’t going to help with packing, he should have gone home to rest instead of staring at her with those strange eyes.

Ignoring her complaints, Jiheon finally spoke after a long pause.

“Jung Oh, I have something to say.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“First of all…”

Jiheon’s voice lowered, as if the topic was heavy.

“The call you received seven years ago was arranged by your mother with a voice actor.”

The determined expression on Jung Oh’s face changed as she looked at Jiheon.

“…How did you know that?”

“My father told me. He overheard your mother talking with Chae Eun-yeob.”

“So, Chae Eun-yeob knew about it too?”

“It seems the voice actor hired by your mother knew Chae Eun-yeob. She found out through the voice actor.”

“Wow, that person really has connections,” Jung Oh muttered with a heavy sigh. In truth, she was worried about Jiheon. Thinking about how he must have felt upon discovering that his mother had committed such a terrible act made her heart ache as well.

As if Jiheon was having the same thoughts, he first asked about Jung Oh’s feelings.

“How do you feel?”

“I kind of expected something similar, so I’m not really surprised. How about you?”

“I feel the same way.”

“Still, if it’s weighing on your heart, feel free to talk about it anytime.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks for sharing.”

As he responded to her, his hand moved towards her.

Even seven years ago, he had an unconscious habit of touching her whenever she was nearby. He would sweep her hair away from her face and continue to stroke her head even after moving it. The unintentional gestures made Jung Oh’s heart flutter.

“And what’s the second thing?”

Before the intensity in his gaze deepened, Jung Oh quickly asked. Jiheon withdrew his hand and answered.

“Seungkyu looked into hypnosis therapy. I think I’ll give it a try.”

“Oh, great. I hope it works.”

“Yeah. You’ll come with me, right?”

“Of course.”

Jung Oh readily accepted. She seemed a little excited, which relieved Jiheon.

“I hope you remember something, Oppa.”

Jung Oh expressed a few more heartfelt thoughts.

“But I’m also a bit scared. If your past was more painful than I imagined, then maybe it’s better not to dig it up.”

“Well, even if it was hard, I want to remember everything.”

“…”

“Because you were there back then.”

Hehe. It was a ticklish thing to say, but it made Jung Oh smile contentedly. Jiheon then asked her.

“Is there anything you want to ask me about my past seven years ago?”

“Yes! There is.”

Jung Oh quickly replied.

“I’m curious why you never introduced me to any of your friends.”

“…”

“If I had known Deputy Director Park Seungkyu, we wouldn’t have had to part ways like that.”

“I think I know the reason… okay.”

“And there’s more.”

“…”

“You didn’t like me drinking.”

“Did I really?”

“Yeah. You were fine with it later on, but in the early days of our relationship, you really disliked it. You didn’t openly get angry, but you said we shouldn’t drink together. I want to know why.”

“…”

“And there’s more.”

Curious questions kept flowing one after another. Jung Oh was so excited that she wondered how she had managed to hold these in until now.

“If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, would you still have tried to marry me? Would we have dated for a long time?”

“Should I answer that now?”

At her pure-hearted question, Jiheon opened his mouth. He felt confident that he could answer this one.

“I thought I had been pure until I met you again. I believed that someday I would become a wizard.”

“…”

“Even if it weren’t then, I would have married you. That would mean I’d have a little kid who’s a bit younger than Yena now.”

There’s only one Jung Oh in this world; if you weren’t here, I would have been alone all this time.

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

The next day, Jiheon and Jung Oh finished their morning work and went to the counseling clinic.

Since it was a special medical case, Jung Oh entered the consultation room before Jiheon. The doctor spoke with the spouse of the client first to understand the client’s condition and gain clues about the direction of the hypnosis.

The doctor was a man with a kind appearance.

“Hello, Ms. Lee Jung Oh. You are Jeong Jiheon’s spouse, correct?”

“Yes. We were in a romantic relationship seven years ago, and after many ups and downs, we’ve reunited and recently registered our marriage. We have a seven-year-old daughter.”

“So you are the parents of Ms. Jeong Jiheon and Ms. Lee Jung Oh’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

“It seems like you two are destined to be together.”

The doctor spoke softly to help Jung Oh respond comfortably without feeling burdened.

“When you reunited, what was your first impression of Jiheon?”

“We met again as colleagues, and he was very sharp at first. I think he was especially that way toward me. However, despite being sensitive, he also had a kind side. He would call me aside to check in or accompany me to difficult gatherings…”

“That means he paid special attention to you, even without memories.”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever feel that Jiheon acted the same way as he did seven years ago, or that he was holding onto certain memories?”

“It’s about physical touch… It was a bit surprising that the way he expressed affection was the same. Other than that… Ah! I used to live in a studio apartment, and we ran into each other in front of it. It seemed like Jiheon just wandered there aimlessly. And Jiheon’s house has a room decorated similarly to my studio. I had a vague image in my mind, but he said he decorated the room that way because he liked the memory for some reason. I have a photo of that room. Would you like to see it?”

Jung Oh took out her phone and found a picture of Jiheon’s room at the end of the hall. She enlarged the photo to examine it closely, and the doctor said:

“Thank you. If you send it to me, it will be helpful.”

The doctor also carefully gathered detailed information about the day of the accident, the day before, what had happened to Jiheon seven years ago, and the impressions from that time. After a rather long consultation, Jung Oh left the examination room. It was now Jiheon’s turn.

Jiheon was guided into a more comfortable room. After Jiheon entered, Jung Oh went into the room next door. It was structured so that she could see Jiheon’s condition through a glass wall.

“How do you feel right now?”

Following the doctor’s guidance, Jiheon leaned back in the chair and replied. His voice was somewhat tense.

“It’s not bad, but I’m a bit nervous.”

“Let’s relax your shoulders. Move around a bit to loosen up any tight spots and find the most comfortable position.”

The doctor gave Jiheon several instructions to help him relax. After a while, as Jiheon became a little more comfortable, the doctor began asking about various trivial matters, like the temperature of the room, the ambiance, the doctor’s impression, and the doctor’s voice, gradually building a sense of intimacy.

“Your body will relax. Just stay comfortable.”

Eventually, Jiheon closed his eyes.

“There’s nothing to worry about. And Jiheon’s spouse is nearby.”

Relax. Relax. The doctor continued speaking softly to help stabilize Jiheon’s mind.

“When you’re ready, please open your hands and show your palms.”

Jiheon slowly opened his hands. That seemingly simple movement appeared somewhat difficult for him. It seemed like he was battling something within. Yet, he didn’t open his eyes. His hands could move, but he looked like he was in a sleep-like state.

“We’re going to take a time trip back to a long time ago.”

The doctor’s gentle voice continued.

“I’ve just graduated high school. Who is next to me?”

“…My friends.”

“Do you know the names of any of your friends?”

“Jang Hyun-soo, Jo Soo-young, Lee Jae-jeong, Jeong Seong-rok, Lee Chun-gu… Chae Eun-yeob.”

“How do you feel?”

“Relieved.”

“Why do you feel relieved?”

“Because the long entrance exams are over… and I’ve decided to be independent.”

“So you wanted to be independent from home.”

“…”

“Shall we go back home now? Home never changes, right?”

The doctor gradually approached the past.

Jiheon rolled his eyes under his eyelids and remained silent, responding only briefly to the doctor’s questions. He didn’t seem to be in much pain. After a long time, the doctor was able to attempt access to Jiheon’s memories from seven years ago.

The doctor continued by describing the photo he received from Jung Oh.

“Well, now let’s go a bit more recently. I’m in the middle of a room. It’s a very small room with a pastel-colored bed, a wooden desk next to it, and a refrigerator smaller than the desk… It’s my girlfriend’s studio.”

At the mention of his girlfriend’s studio, Jiheon’s fingertips twitched. The previously relaxed expression hardened. The responses to lost memories and retained memories were different right from the start.

His tightly pressed lips parted, and a heavy sigh escaped.

“And in the desk drawer, there’s a pregnancy test.”

Is this a dream?

In his narrow field of vision, he vaguely saw the pregnancy test. Jiheon furrowed his brow deeply. A short answer slipped out.

“…No.”

“Not at all?”

In that moment.

Wuuuk.

Jiheon, who had been swaying, suddenly bent over, making a gagging sound. It felt like his insides were turning upside down, and he suddenly felt like he was about to vomit.

Wuuuk.

“Jeong Jiheon.”

Jung Oh, who had been watching Jiheon from the opposite room, also got up from her seat.

The doctor approached and patted Jiheon’s back.

Though he managed to suppress the urge to vomit, a headache surged. It felt like his breathing was blocked. A chill, like something was slicing through him, washed over him.

His arms and legs trembled, and he curled his back like a shrimp while tightly holding his arms.

“Jeong Jiheon, are you okay? Breathe slowly. Hooou, hooou.”

The doctor tried to calm him, but his body wouldn’t listen.

Though his eyes were wide open, he couldn’t see anything. It felt as if someone was covering his eyes.

“Jung Oh.”

He managed to call out with great difficulty.

“Lee Jung Oh.”

With a voice that sounded like he was gasping for breath, the doctor hurriedly opened the door to the opposite room. Jung Oh rushed over and wrapped her arms around Jiheon’s head. Jiheon clutched Jung Oh’s waist as if he had found something to hold onto at the edge of a cliff.

Huuuh. Huuuh.

It took a long time to calm his breathing.

“Jeong Jiheon?”

The doctor, who was observing closely, asked.

“Have you ever had hypnosis therapy before?”

Though his voice was calm, a somewhat flustered expression briefly crossed his face.

Jiheon’s eyes widened.