A child who looks like me

He was probably nine years old.

Jiheon, an ordinary child who enjoyed playing and loved Go, chose to take Go classes in school instead of attending private lessons or academies. The classes were open to all grades, from first to sixth, but there was only one other boy his age. Yoo Su-il, a lively and clever friend, had fair and delicate features.

Jiheon became quite close to Su-il. The Go class was held once a week, but they often hung out after school, and one day, Jiheon even went over to Su-il’s house.

A single room, a living room—it was a very small place, where the living room was barely the size of Jiheon’s bathroom at home.

Seeing Jiheon feeling awkward, Su-il proudly showed him a Go board. On it, a signature was boldly inscribed.

“Look at this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a signature from Lee Kang-ho, 9-dan. Don’t you know him?”
Su-il mentioned the name of the world’s top-ranked Go player at the time, the man who made Korea a powerhouse in Go.

“Is this really Lee Kang-ho’s signature?”

“Yep! My mom waited for hours outside the Go match venue to get it.”

Jiheon’s eyes widened at the thought of his friend’s mom waiting outside a match to get an autograph. It was something Jiheon couldn’t even imagine.

“Mom said it’s now our family’s treasure.”

“Why is someone else’s autograph your family’s treasure?”

“Because he’s that important.”

“…”

“One day, I’m going to be a world-class Go player like Lee Kang-ho, 9-dan.”

Su-il spoke confidently. Seeing his friend so boldly declare his dream at a young age was inspiring and, in a way, enviable.

“What about you? Do you want to become a Go player too?”

“Yes, I’d like that,” Jiheon nodded lightly. In truth, he didn’t really have a dream, but seeing his friend with one made him want to say so.

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

Jiheon drifted into memories of an old friend from 20 years ago.

They were once quite close, but he stopped hanging out with him because of his mother.

What would that friend be doing now? He probably didn’t become a Go player.

“This Go board? A police officer gave it to me as a moving gift.”

Upon Jiheon’s question about the Go board, Yena answered.

“The officer who lived next door?”

“Yep! Dad, this isn’t just any Go board. It’s signed by the Go player with the most championship titles in Korea.”

Yena explained it to her dad just as Baeil had told her.

“The officer gave you something really valuable, didn’t he?”

“Yep! That’s right.”

Jiheon ran his fingers over the signature on the board. Only the signature was there, with no date to indicate when it was signed.

‘It can’t be, could it?’

Remembering his childhood friend made Jiheon chuckle to himself. It was probably just a token of one of the countless autographs given by a professional Go player who had reached the top spot. He must have signed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them during his career.

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

Late at night, Eunyeop, who was heading back to his family’s home, received a call. It was Ham Dae-geun, the CEO.

“Yes, Mr. Ham.”

[I thought you’d be waiting to hear back, so I wanted to give you a call.] Dae-geun’s voice was quite cheerful, clearly pleased with the recent meeting with Eunbi.

“Was everything alright? I hope our Eunbi didn’t make any mistakes.”

[Mistakes? Not at all, she only showed her lovely and graceful side.] Eunyeop let out a quiet sigh of relief.

[It may seem early, but I’d like to continue seeing her with marriage in mind.] “I think that will be welcome news for Eunbi as well.”

[Did she give a good response, too?] “Yes, she did.”

Though he hadn’t yet checked with Eunbi, Eunyeop answered smoothly.

[Oh, really? She didn’t seem that way in person.] “My sister is just a bit shy.”

[Ah, I see. Well, that’s a relief then.] Dae-geun sounded genuinely happy. Eunyeop reminded him of the next steps to take.

“Why not reach out to Eunbi directly tomorrow? I’d recommend setting another date.”

[I barely squeezed in time for the meeting, and my schedule is packed… But I’ll make time for this. You can’t get married after just one meeting, after all. Hahaha.] Dae-geun’s hearty laughter made it hard to know when to laugh along, but Eunyeop managed a polite chuckle.

[In any case, I look forward to this working out. By year’s end, you might be my brother-in-law, Attorney!] “Just hearing that makes me happy. I’m rooting for you both.”

With that, Eunyeop conveyed his polite wishes and ended the call.

When Eunyeop finished the call, he arrived at his family home and went to his father’s study.

“Father.”

“Yes.”

Chae Eunseok, the father of Chae Eunyeop and Chae Eunbi, had served as a Supreme Court justice for nine years. Two years ago, he had shown ambition to become the Chief Justice but had not succeeded, and now he was waiting for the right timing. He was planning to enter politics after his term ended this year.

Eunyeop supported his father in this pursuit.

“It seems the Chief Justice will resign soon. I hear it’s due to cancer.”

“…Is that so?”

“The Chief Justice has told the Blue House he’d recommend me. What do you think?”

Eunyeop was deep in thought over this unexpected news.

Being a Supreme Court justice, Chae Eunseok was required to maintain a high level of integrity and moral standing, limiting his recognition among the general public. This was why he needed Chairman Jung Jaekwang.

Jung Jaekwang, chairman of the Saeryeon Group, was one of Korea’s most respected corporate leaders, and for Eunseok, having his daughter marry the son of such an esteemed figure would be a point of pride. This could pave his way into politics.

“It’s a shame to give up next year’s election, but since we’ve parted ways with Chairman Jung Jaekwang…”

Eunseok’s voice trailed off, reflecting his mixed emotions. After some thought, Eunyeop offered his opinion.

“It may take a little longer to enter politics, but the Chief Justice position could be a good way to raise your profile.”

“Profile as Chief Justice?” Eunseok scoffed. The Chief Justice is ranked third in Korea’s protocol hierarchy, following the President and the Speaker of the National Assembly. Despite this, the general public often pays more attention to ministers or assembly members.

“It’s all in how you approach it. I’d suggest preparing impactful statements that resonate with the public during the confirmation hearing.”

As he mulled over Eunyeop’s idea, Eunseok stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“You could make a lasting impression as a distinguished Chief Justice, and instead of running for a mere National Assembly seat, you could go straight for a presidential bid. Plus, you wouldn’t have to serve out the entire Chief Justice term.”

Eunyeop’s spirited support made Eunseok laugh heartily. That would indeed be the best path.

After sharing a laugh, Eunseok inquired about his daughter.

“And Eunbi?”

“I met Ham Daegun, CEO of Daegun Trading, today. He seems to like her.”

“Ham Daegun… combative but a man who knows his manners. And Eunbi?”

“She doesn’t seem to dislike him.”

“Convince her well. It will be good for her.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You may not be able to buy happiness with money, but it’s true that the more you have, the happier you can be.”

At his father Seobok’s philosophy, Eunyeop nodded in agreement. He had always felt a sense of inferiority toward those wealthier than him. Despite holding high honors, he had often faced frustration due to financial constraints, so he resonated deeply with Seobok’s words.

In truth, most second-generation chaebols are just rich idiots.

Eunyeop believed that he and his father, with their intelligence and the good they contributed to society, deserved to be the most successful people in the world.

“When I become Chief Justice, I’ll need to act even more transparently. It may feel restrictive for you as well.”

“You pursue honor, Father. Leave all the funding to me.”

Eunyeop responded confidently. This gave him a solid reason to speed up Eunbi’s marriage plans.

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

“I’m home!”

Jung-oh returned home after her night shift. As always, Yena ran over to greet her with joy.

“Mom!”

“Princess Yena!”

As Jung-oh picked Yena up, Guk-soon and Jiheon also approached, creating a new scene for today.

“Did you eat dinner?”

Usually, it was Guk-soon who asked this, but today Jiheon did.

“Yes.”

“With whom?”

The follow-up question was different, though.

Having had dinner with Deputy Manager Gwak Dongjae, who had recently joined, Jung-oh didn’t answer.

“Mom, my doll ripped. Can you sew it?”

As if sensing her mother’s hesitation, Yena quickly changed the topic with her request.

“Oh, did it rip? I’ll sew it for you. Let’s go!”

Jung-oh promptly took Yena’s hand and headed to Yena’s room.

The doll Yena mentioned was a kangaroo doll that Jung-oh had brought back from a business trip to Australia.

“Where’s the baby kangaroo?”

“It’s with the koala.”

“Bring all your torn dolls over. I’ll sew them all up.”

Following her mom’s instructions, Yena bustled around, gathering her dolls. Among the toys she had brought when they moved, several were torn. Jung-oh carefully stitched each one.

Yena took the baby kangaroo doll, putting it in and out of the mother kangaroo’s pouch, and spoke to Jung-oh.

“Mom, Dobin’s getting a new sibling. So he’ll have two younger siblings now.”

“Do you think he likes it? How does he feel?”

“Dobin says it’s hard to look after his younger sibling. But I was a bit jealous.”

“Why were you jealous?”

“I thought it would be more fun to play if I had a sibling too.”

“Would you like to have a sibling, Yena?”

“Yes.”

Yena answered without hesitation.

“If you get a sibling, will you be kind to them?”

“Yes. I’ll be very sweet to them.”

“Won’t you feel sad if Mom only takes care of your sibling?”

“You can take care of me too, Mom.”

“Even so. You might feel like your love is being taken away.”

At her mother’s hypothetical, Yena slowly nodded.

“It’s okay if you love my sibling.”

“…….”

“But don’t take away my love.”

“…….”

“I want you to love my sibling, and love me a lot too.”

Because even if you keep receiving love, it’s never enough.

Yena’s honest and slightly selfish response pierced deep into Jung-oh’s heart.

It looked like a marriage announcement was coming soon. She had no idea if the impact would be big or small, but it was something that required a firm mental preparation, and she needed to look out for Yena first. There was still unfinished business to handle.

Jiheon was peeking around the doorway. Noticing him, Jung-oh gave him a small nod before speaking up.

“Yena, it’s time to change your name. You’re going to be Jung Yena now, not Lee Yena.”

At the unexpected topic, Yena stared at her mom, speechless.

“Since your dad is Jung Jiheon, you’ll become Jung Yena too, just like Dobin has his dad’s last name, Park Dobin.”

“…….”

“You understand, right?”

Yena recalled something the police officer had once said. So this is what it meant to change names, she realized.

“Does everyone do this?”

“Yes, everyone does. And when your sibling is born, they’ll do the same.”

“You’re not doing this because you don’t want to be Lee Yena’s mom, right?”

The child’s eyes were beginning to glisten with tears.

“If I become Jung Yena, will you still stay with me?”

“Of course.”

Jung-oh answered with reassuring confidence at her daughter’s anxious question.

She knew it would be hard for Yena to let go of the seven years she’d lived as Lee Yena. When she came home without washing her hands, when she stubbornly wanted ice cream, when she stayed up giggling instead of going to bed, Jung-oh would probably call her “Lee Yena” out of habit from time to time.

Yena would likely do the same. When someone called “Lee Yena,” she might answer out of habit or flinch slightly.

“I’ll always stay by you, Yena. For as long as you want me to, for as long as you need me. I’ll be with you forever.”

Jung-oh pulled her daughter, with her tear-filled, sparkling eyes, close and hugged her tightly.

“I could never be apart from you.”

My lovely, precious girl.

“From the moment you were born—no, even from long before then—we were meant to be together.”

My angel. I will love you forever.