A child who looks like me

Eun-bi visited her brother’s company again. Despite hearing the news of Kim Jin-gu’s death, she felt uneasy as she looked around. Her churning stomach didn’t seem to settle.

Upon opening the door to Eun-yeop’s office, she found him grimacing.

“Is this your playground?”

Eun-yeop yelled angrily and got up from his seat. Since his sister had come to see him in person, he added some scolding.

“Do you have any idea how hard I worked to set that up? What are you going to do if you ruin that place?”

He was referring to the arranged meeting that Eun-bi had abruptly left.

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“You should have taken medicine and endured. Do you even know what kind of meeting that was? You can’t see that person anymore if you wanted to.”

“Oppa, they said Kim Jin-gu is dead.”

Eun-bi couldn’t wait for Eun-yeop’s nagging to end and blurted out what she had heard from the police.

Eun-yeop’s previously crumpled face froze in place. He looked like he was about to scold her for ten minutes, but he completely lost his voice. Eun-bi found that reaction even more chilling.

“…Do you know too?”

“How did you find out?”

“The police called me. They contacted me because my number was written in Kim Jin-gu’s notebook.”

“……”

“I’m scared. …You’re not involved in this, are you?”

“If you’re going to spout nonsense, get out. I have a guest coming.”

“Then answer me. Is it really not related to you?”

At that moment, with a squeak, the door opened.

“…Attorney Choi?”

A middle-aged man peeked in, looking for Eun-yeop. The harsh expression on Eun-yeop’s face instantly smoothed out. He straightened up and fastened the buttons on his suit jacket.

“Hello, sir.”

Eun-bi turned her head and was startled. He was the man in the photo that her brother had shown her. Although his hair was whiter than in the picture, it was still him.

“Eun-bi, say hello. This is Ham Dae-geun, the CEO of Daegun Materials.”

Eun-yeop’s voice softened.

“…Hello.”

“CEO. This is my sister, Chae Eun-bi. She’s a very talented copywriter.”

“Oh, I see.”

The man revealed a smile that showed several gold teeth. Eun-bi felt scared and could no longer stay.

“I’ll be leaving first.”

As Eun-bi fled, Ham Dae-geun watched her with greedy eyes.

“Your sister is quite the beauty.”

“That’s my pride. I’ve been hiding her away, not wanting to introduce her to anyone. You’ll be seeing her again soon, so please take good care of my sister.”

“Ha ha. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Dae-geun awkwardly scratched the back of his head and looked around. It was his first time visiting a lawyer’s office. The bookshelves were packed not only with legal texts but also with various other books. Glancing at the bottom shelf, Dae-geun asked,

“Are you interested in hypnosis, Attorney?”

“Lawyers need to persuade people. The art of persuasion is essentially the same as hypnosis,” the lawyer replied.

“That’s true. You make a good point.”

Seeing Dae-geun nod, Eun-yeop smiled politely.

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

Nine years ago, Eun-yeop heard that Jeong Ji-heon was going to enlist in the military.

Ji-heon was someone who lived life carelessly, never letting anyone close and even had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, so Eun-yeop secretly laughed at the idea that he was suddenly going to the army.

Eun-yeop’s father encouraged him to enlist alongside Ji-heon, but Eun-yeop had no desire to do that. Ji-heon was a friend he could easily take advantage of, but he wasn’t valuable enough to follow into the military.

Moreover, Eun-yeop firmly believed that even if Ji-heon went to the army, he would come back unable to endure it after about two months.

However, contrary to Eun-yeop’s expectations, Ji-heon managed to do well in the military. After his discharge, he had changed a bit. He had made a new friend.

Eun-yeop knew this friend. Park Seung-kyu.

Eun-yeop had been classmates with Park Seung-kyu in high school, and they had been in the same class once.

Eun-yeop didn’t particularly like Park Seung-kyu. He was an ordinary kid who came from a typical family and had nothing to boast about. His studies were decent, but he wasn’t exceptional like Eun-yeop.

Eun-yeop had always looked down on him, but now this ordinary kid was clinging to Ji-heon. They were high school and college mates and had the title of senior and junior from the army.

Park Seung-kyu had managed to charm Ji-heon so well that Ji-heon showed expressions to him that he had never displayed to Eun-yeop.

The guy who always responded coldly and built walls around himself would initiate conversations with Park Seung-kyu like a true friend and genuinely laugh at his jokes. Eun-yeop even heard that Ji-heon had gone on a solo backpacking trip abroad on Park Seung-kyu’s recommendation.

Eun-yeop regretted not enlisting alongside Ji-heon due to his father’s encouragement, but there was nothing he could do. After that, Eun-yeop did his best to win Ji-heon’s heart back and restore their friendship.

He read self-help books on relationship skills, moving people’s hearts, and techniques in socializing and persuasion, voraciously.

Eun-yeop was genuinely sincere. Even after passing the bar exam and being busier than ever, he tried hard to find out about Ji-heon’s private gatherings and attended them.

One day, he learned that Ji-heon had shown up at a high school reunion.

When Eun-yeop arrived at the bar late, the party was already in full swing. Ji-heon’s face was flushed, as it seemed he had drunk quite a bit, while Seung-kyu was teasing him, recording with his phone camera.

“Jeong Ji-heon. What’s going on?”

“Cut it out.”

“Don’t just drink; say something. Why are you in such a good mood? It’s suspicious.”

“Stop filming!”

Despite Ji-heon’s pleas to stop, he couldn’t help but smile at Seung-kyu, who was holding the camera.

It was a sight Eun-yeop had never seen before, no, one he had never even imagined. The last time he had suggested taking a picture, Ji-heon had blocked the lens with his hand.

And now, this was Ji-heon.

Eun-yeop snatched Seung-kyu’s phone and pressed the stop button on the recording.

“Ji-heon said to stop.”

The atmosphere in the bar chilled momentarily at Eun-yeop’s intervention. Seung-kyu awkwardly took the phone back from Eun-yeop, and Ji-heon chuckled at him. It was evident how close the two had grown just from that brief moment.

Eun-yeop squeezed into the group of friends and sat down in front of Ji-heon.

“Jeong Ji-heon, it’s been a while. Why have you been so busy?”

“You’re the one who’s busy. I heard you became a lawyer. Congratulations.”

Ji-heon congratulated Eun-yeop, and soon, the atmosphere around them filled with more congratulations.

While it felt nice to be in a situation where he could show off, that wasn’t Eun-yeop’s goal today. He humbly deflected the congratulations from the other unimpressive friends and turned to Ji-heon.

“I heard you went to Australia. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah.”

“Your expression seems a lot brighter these days. Did you get a girlfriend or something?”

This was merely an attempt to bridge the gap that had formed between them, but Ji-heon didn’t even provide a short response.

Eun-yeop couldn’t tell if he was hesitating or simply ignoring the question. He clenched his fists under the table, waiting for Ji-heon’s answer.

“No.”

The answer came out very late. Eun-yeop nodded and brought up a topic only they would understand.

“Your dad must be really busy, right? I heard the business expansion into Vietnam is going well. My dad mentioned he connected you with someone.”

But in the midst of this, Park Seung-kyu interjected.

“Why are you bringing up something only you know in this atmosphere?”

Seung-kyu draped his arm over Ji-heon’s shoulder, looking at Eun-yeop with a somewhat sullen expression. He didn’t seem to have any malicious intent, but there was an innate annoying quality to him.

As time passed, Ji-heon was the first to stand up. Seung-kyu said he would see him to the front of the store and got up with him. Of course, Eun-yeop followed.

Without incident, as if they would meet again tomorrow, Seung-kyu and Ji-heon exchanged goodbyes, causing Eun-yeop to feel anxious. After Ji-heon left, Eun-yeop mocked Seung-kyu.

“You really hit the jackpot, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

Seung-kyu replied.

“Isn’t it obvious? Even if your classmate who came in as your junior was from a poor family, you would have taken care of him, right? There must have been some calculation involved.”

As Eun-yeop pinpointed this, Seung-kyu stared at him with wide eyes.

“You met Ji-heon as a junior in the army, so maybe you struck gold in a past life. You really hit the jackpot.”

“Chae Eun-yeop, do you see your friend as a jackpot?”

With eyes red from drinking, Seung-kyu asked with a hazy gaze.

“I’m not that close to you, so I can’t just speak carelessly to Ji-heon. But saying stuff like that, that’s really low.”

“……”

“If you’re jealous because I seem close to Ji-heon, then I can understand, but don’t say things like that elsewhere. It’ll hurt your standing.”

Given how drunk he was, it would have been easy for emotions to flare up, but Seung-kyu turned away without a single act of violence. He returned to his seat and resumed making childish jokes with his friends, laughing as if nothing had happened.

He had a demeanor that refused to be swept away, acting rationally without calculation.

He was too proper a friend. Too upright and bright to be by Ji-heon’s side.

Ji-heon and that family should be mine, yet I already had a ten-year plan in my head to manipulate and control Ji-heon. Eun-yeop felt increasingly anxious.

Though he was restless, Eun-yeop was also busy with work and couldn’t contact Ji-heon frequently. It felt like Ji-heon was avoiding him.

As months passed, he received a call from his younger sister, Chae Eun-bi, who was studying abroad in the United States. Eun-bi informed him that she had passed the transfer exam to K University, where Ji-heon was attending. Eun-yeop felt a renewed sense of hope.

His sister had liked Ji-heon since she was young. Preparing for the transfer to K University must have been a way to get closer to him.

Eun-yeop arranged for Eun-bi to stay in Ji-heon’s officetel. By an unexpected coincidence, Eun-bi witnessed Ji-heon’s accident, leading to a dramatic reunion. It was a fortunate opportunity that could only be attributed to fate.

While Ji-heon lay in a VIP hospital room, unable to wake up, Eun-bi, Eun-yeop, and Seung-kyu busily came and went from the room.

In the midst of this, Eun-yeop keenly observed the brainwave activation monitoring device attached to Ji-heon. Monitoring Ji-heon’s brainwaves, Eun-yeop realized that he was in a deep sleep.

Suddenly, a line from a documentary about a scam artist came to mind.

[Anyone can be hypnotized. Whether through self-suggestion or the art of captivating others, in the end, it can all be considered hypnosis.]

Eun-yeop read numerous papers and devoured specialized books. He even sought out experts to learn skills and practiced what he learned from women he met in bars.

He was surprised himself. He never thought hypnosis could be this easy. He could understand how weak people might fall into religious cults or multi-level marketing schemes.

Eun-yeop visited Ji-heon’s hospital room every day. At first, he didn’t have high expectations. He approached it with a mindset of, “I have nothing to lose.” But as he gradually honed his skills, he began to hope for the future.

“Ji-heon, I’ll save you.”

In the empty hospital room, Eun-yeop took Ji-heon’s hand and spoke slowly.

“I’ll treat you. Trust me. You’ll be comfortable now.”

He whispered discreetly in his ear.

“Now the pain will disappear, and your body will feel at ease.”

Every time he felt Ji-heon’s fingertips twitch, Eun-yeop’s heart raced madly.

“Start by erasing your closest memories one by one. Like lighting a match to burn your brain. Everything in the path of the flame will vanish. Memories of trips, memories of the military, memories of meeting new people. Set fire to all your memories. …Because they’re memories I don’t need. They’re useless memories.”

I might be wasting my time right now. But if it works, I could gain something truly incredible.

“I haven’t done anything useful for a long time. You have to keep repeating it in your mind. You have to burn it all away.”

As Eun-yeop gently whispered in Ji-heon’s ear, he suddenly straightened up.

The hospital room door was slightly open.

Why is the door open? I’m sure I closed it.

Eun-yeop wondered as he stood up, closed the door, and returned to his seat.

“…Twenty-six, twenty-five, twenty-four… All the time has disappeared. Erase all memories.”

Ji-heon frowned deeply. He was reacting. The light in Eun-yeop’s eyes sparkled with a greed close to madness. It felt like the hot blood inside him was racing, as if he had drunk strong alcohol.

“Now I am empty. When I open my eyes, I won’t know anything. I’m just Jeong Ji-heon. The comfortable Jeong Ji-heon living the life that my family has arranged for me.”

He couldn’t contain his joy, and his voice trembled.

He had worked up quite a sweat trying to speak calmly.

“It’s the perfect age to start a new life. A comfortable life with no lingering regrets about what has been lost.”

He saw tears welling up in Ji-heon’s eyes.

It’s your fault, Ji-heon.

If you had only respected me a little less, I wouldn’t be like this.

“Don’t cry anymore, Ji-heon. I’ll help you.”

Eun-yeop pressed a tissue against those tears.

“So believe what I say.”