A child who looks like me

Dear.

I must hear this and stop you.

His expression was filled with determination. But it was more than that. The way he looked at her made it seem like if she called him “dear” just once, he would devour her whole.

With such eyes and an unabashed smile plastered across his face, Jeong-oh felt at a loss about whether she should comply with his wishes or resist.

“Why? Can’t you do it?”

“…I just don’t feel like it right now.”

“If you don’t, you won’t be able to leave here.”

Ji-heon, arms crossed, stood at the door. It felt like a declaration of war.

Outside, Secretary Yoon Ae-ra was there, so she couldn’t raise her voice. Jeong-oh couldn’t bring herself to rush at him and merely glared silently. Ji-heon, with a wicked look in his eyes and a gentle voice, coaxed her.

“Dear, let’s get to work.”

“……”

“Don’t want to go out? Then let’s stay here…”

“Dear.”

“……”

“Is that enough?”

In the end, Jeong-oh surrendered and tossed out the word he wanted to hear.

And as expected, he fell for it beautifully. Ji-heon, approaching with a long grin, firmly clasped both of Jeong-oh’s hands and leaned in close to her face.

“Do it properly. I didn’t hear you.”

“I think I heard it.”

“No, you didn’t hear it.”

“Dear.”

Before she could even react, hot breath rushed into her mouth. It seemed he anticipated she would struggle, tightening his grip on their joined hands. There was no way for her to escape.

When she resigned herself and relaxed her shoulders, the grip on one hand loosened. The newly freed hand glided down her back, tracing along her spine. Jeong-oh flinched and took half a step back.

What met her was a look that suggested they could have a child like Yena any moment now.

“Should I leave early?”

He asked, full of bravado. Hadn’t he just arrived a few minutes ago?

“Or how about going on an outing? Shall we skip work?”

Jeong-oh’s flustered gaze darted around. She realized her mistake in bringing up such topics last night. She had fanned the flames, then turned a fan toward the roaring fire.

“Oppa, you really need to work hard now. It’s not just about people badmouthing you anymore. If you fail, I’ll get criticized too. They’ll say Ji Heon was always a fool, but now that he’s married, he’s become an even bigger fool. That’s something we can’t let slip.”

She genuinely urged him. Ji-heon found her advice amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Teasing Lee Jeong-oh was the most enjoyable thing in the world. He was filled with the desire to ditch work and spend a pleasant time with her, but it was a Monday, and he couldn’t afford to slack off.

“When should we announce our marriage?”

Only after satisfying his desires moderately did he bring up the matter at hand. Jeong-oh blinked blankly, her thoughts scattered.

“Hmm?”

“We need to let everyone know we registered our marriage. There might even be an article about it.”

“If there’s an article… Yena might come up too, right?”

“I’ll do my best to prevent that.”

Jeong-oh, seeming lost in thought, nodded quietly.

“I’ll talk to Yena first. It seems best to prepare her before making the announcement.”

“Right. Let’s do that. And one more thing.”

“Okay.”

“My father wants to see Yena. I’d like us to visit his place or invite him over.”

“I don’t mind how we meet. It’s fine if we go to the family home with my mother.”

Jeong-oh answered nonchalantly, despite Ji-heon carefully broaching the topic. He was surprised and asked.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I talked to my mother last time and said everything I wanted to. Besides, the truth about that phone call from seven years ago has been revealed, so she can’t say anything to me anymore.”

Ji-heon’s worries deepened at Jeong-oh’s response. She could sense why he felt that way.

He didn’t want to see his mother again since they had been estranged, but it must be painful for him to hear her positive response. Jeong-oh felt resentment towards Yeong-mi but thought that she shouldn’t sever ties between siblings.

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

As time passed, it was 6 PM.

Eun-bi went on a blind date. The other party arrived earlier than her and greeted her.

“Hello, Chae Eun-bi.”

“Yes, hello.”

“I’m Ham Dae-geun, the representative of Daegun Mulsan.”

The man greeted her with a warm smile.

When she saw him in Eun-yeob’s office, there had been quite a bit of gray hair, but perhaps he had dyed it since then, as there were no signs of gray now. Even so, Eun-bi didn’t feel much fondness for him.

The man smiled even wider than he did in Eun-yeob’s office. Each time he smiled, his shining gold teeth caught her eye.

“I think we met briefly in Attorney Chae’s office.”

“Yes.”

“I thought so then, but you are truly beautiful.”

“…Thank you.”

“I heard you’re a copywriter. Are there any ads you’ve created that I might know?”

Dae-geun had a knack for continuing the conversation without tiring, despite Eun-bi showing signs of boredom early on. Reluctantly, Eun-bi found herself answering.

“Perhaps it’s because you’re a copywriter that you speak so beautifully.”

“But I’m taking a break from work right now. I’m preparing to switch jobs.”

“There’s no need for you to change jobs, you know?”

“Excuse me?”

“If you get married, you won’t need to work outside anymore.”

“……”

“No, staying at home to raise children and manage the household is the most ideal, right?”

There were many times she found the advertising company work tedious and frustrating, feeling like a mere errand runner for someone. But the satisfaction she felt when she achieved good results made it all worthwhile.

In fact, Eun-bi also thought that if she got married, there was no need to work. However, that was when Ji-heon was her husband. She believed she could be perfectly happy with just Ji-heon.

Yet, the man who came to her mind now was not Ji-heon.

Kwon Bae-il. A regular office worker. If she married him, she would have to work for the rest of her life. Therefore, she should be grateful for the opportunity to have a blind date with Ham Dae-geun instead.

She couldn’t understand why the world felt like it was crumbling around her.

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

Ji-heon, who finished work early, went out to ride bicycles with Yena, as promised in the morning. Seung-kyu, who had taken a leave of absence for childcare since the kindergarten was on summer break starting today, also came along with Do-bin.

A long time ago, when Ji-heon bought Yena a bicycle, he had gifted Do-bin a bicycle too. By now, Do-bin had learned how to ride it and was doing well on his own without his father’s help.

Watching Do-bin zip around the playground by himself, Yena looked on with envy.

However, feeling envious and being able to do something were two different things. Once on the bicycle, Yena firmly instructed Ji-heon.

“Daddy, don’t let go.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t let go.”

“I got it.”

Ji-heon firmly replied as he held onto the back of Yena’s bicycle and chased after her. With his help, Yena gradually moved forward.

The bike, maintaining its balance and moving forward on its own, fascinated her, but she was also anxious that her dad might let go, causing her to look back occasionally. Each time she turned her head, the handlebar wobbled because of her weak arm strength.

“Yena, don’t look back. You need to keep your eyes on the front and pedal.”

“Okay. Daddy, you’re holding on tight, right?”

“Of course. I’m holding on. Don’t worry, just pedal.”

“You’re really behind me, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Daddy, you have to hold on tight!”

Confirming again, Yena gained confidence from her dad’s response and gradually increased her speed. Strangely enough, as her pedaling quickened, she was able to maintain her balance better. Now, Yena could move forward without wobbling. However, she couldn’t relax.

“Daddy, don’t let go!”

“I got it.”

“Daddy!”

“Yeah?”

“Daddy.”

“……”

“Daddy, you need to answer!”

“Our daughter rides really well, doesn’t she?”

This was unbelievable.

She thought her dad was just holding on behind her, but he was actually running alongside her. The dad she relied on so much made her freeze when she confirmed his face beside her. Her father’s hands were not holding onto anything at all.

“Ahhh!”

At that moment of realization, her balance wavered. The handlebars moved wildly.

“Mommy!”

Feeling betrayed by her dad, Yena called out for her mom as she fell. Of course, Ji-heon, who was running beside her, quickly intervened. Yena and her bicycle toppled over onto Ji-heon.

With a helmet, knee pads, and the cushioning from her dad, Yena was protected enough that she only scraped her shins and didn’t suffer any serious injuries. As soon as Ji-heon got up, he asked,

“Yena, are you okay?”

But Yena was huffing and puffing.

“Are you hurt? Daddy is so…”

“I hate Daddy!”

When Ji-heon bent down to check his child’s wounds, Yena pulled her legs back and shouted. A few tears welled up in her eyes.

“I told you not to let go! You said you understood!”

The feeling of betrayal was greater than the pain from her scraped shins.

“I won’t believe Daddy anymore!”

Yena’s stubbornness meant she no longer wanted to ride her bicycle. No matter how much Ji-heon tried to coax her, it was useless. He couldn’t help but wonder who she had inherited that stubbornness from.

Yena sat on a bench in the playground, keeping her distance from her dad, until Do-bin began to tire.

“Why aren’t you riding your bike?”

“Didn’t you see me fall?”

“You fell? I didn’t see it.”

“I fell really hard. I got hurt here too.”

As Yena showed her scrape, Do-bin sat down in front of her and blew on it. Even though having a friend blow on her wound didn’t make the sting go away, it did seem to warm her heart a little.

“But why did you fall?”

“Daddy lied to me. He said he was holding on tight from behind, but he wasn’t holding on at all.”

“My dad did that too.”

Do-bin recalled the day he first learned to ride a bike. A bond formed between him and Yena.

“Why do dads teach us how to ride bikes but first teach us to lie? They tell us not to lie, but they do.”

“……”

“Yena, I won’t be that kind of dad.”

Despite everything, Do-bin didn’t forget to express his sincerity. Of course, Yena, still miffed by her dad’s lie, didn’t hear him.

By the time they returned home, Yena was still upset. Ji-heon, sensing her mood, quietly followed behind her, pulling the bicycle.

“Grandma, we’re back!”

“Did my puppy come home?”

“Yes.”

Yena replied to Guk-soon and immediately headed to her room. Seeing Yena’s worried expression, Guk-soon turned to Ji-heon and asked,

“Did something happen between the two of you?”

“I tried to teach her how to ride a bike… but I let go…”

Hearing the brief explanation from Ji-heon, Guk-soon burst into laughter.

“Oh dear. Our Yena holds a grudge for a long time; what should we do? Is our Yena’s daddy hurt at all?”

“It’s a little scraped, but Mother, do you know where the first aid kit is?”

Ji-heon asked, showing his elbow. He had only just realized he was hurt because he was focused on Yena’s reaction to what happened. The smile faded from Guk-soon’s face as she checked Ji-heon’s elbow.

“Oh my, what happened? There’s a hole in your elbow, and it’s still bleeding. Didn’t it hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Wait here. I’ll go get some medicine.”

Guk-soon quickly got up. Hearing the commotion from the living room, Yena also opened the door. Angry at her dad for the betrayal, she hadn’t even thought about the fact that he might be hurt.

Yena quietly watched her dad get treated. She thought it was strange that he wasn’t crying when he was hurt this badly. As much as she found it fascinating, she also felt a delayed sense of guilt.

Feeling embarrassed to apologize for not noticing her dad was hurt, Yena quietly went back to her room and brought out a Go board and stones. She decided to try to reconcile with him through the game.

If she placed it on the table, her dad would quickly understand that her anger had dissipated.

As expected, Ji-heon noticed the neatly arranged Go board and stones on the table and chuckled.

“Yena, should we play Go together?”

Yena, who had been lingering near the living room, approached without answering. Ji-heon moved the container of stones to the side and unfolded the Go board. He wanted to praise her for her determined actions but quickly held back.

On the wooden Go board, there was a large signature from a professional Go player. It was the signature of a player who, over 20 years ago, was ranked number one in the world, known even beyond Korea.

Ji-heon had seen this player’s signature long ago at a friend’s house. A faint memory stirred in his mind, tickling his eyes. Ji-heon moved his fingertips over the signature, feeling overwhelmed, and asked,

“Yena, where did you get this?”