A child who looks like me

– How’s your schedule today? I’ve cleared my evening for Eunbi.

Eunbi stared at her phone, unable to find the right words to reply to Ham Daegun’s text message. Every time her stomach churned, her anxiety grew stronger.

On Tuesday, Daegun had sent a message with trivial greetings about the weather. She responded politely, and since then, he had strongly hinted at wanting to meet again. She had refused, citing work, until yesterday, but she couldn’t keep using that excuse for three days straight.

Just as tears threatened to spill again, her phone vibrated. It was her friend BJ. Startled, Eunbi answered the call as she fiddled with her phone.

[What are you going to do now?]
Before Eunbi could ask what was wrong, BJ shouted first.

[The police called me to come in for questioning. It’s for defamation, they say. What are you going to do about this!]
So it had finally happened. Lee Jeong-o must have pressed charges against BJ for spreading false information. Feeling the pressure from BJ’s relentless questioning, Eunbi snapped back.

“Did I do that? You’re the one who posted the video.”

BJ let out a frustrated sigh, seemingly incredulous.

[You said it was okay for me to post it! You said we only had one camera, so no one would know!]
“When did I say that? You started this mess, so why are you mad at me?”

[Eunbi Chae, do you think I don’t have any evidence that this was your plan? My friends remember you coaxing me into this. I have text messages as proof.]
With BJ bringing up evidence, Eunbi immediately changed her tone. Her voice lowered and became calm.

“Well, it’s a defamation case anyway. Besides, it got resolved quickly, and there wasn’t much damage, right? The police won’t care about something like this. It will just blow over.”

[…….]
“You know my brother is a lawyer, right? If I tell him, there won’t be any issues. This will just pass as a little incident.”

[I don’t care. You take responsibility. Tell your brother to send a lawyer with me when I go to the police station, got it?]
BJ didn’t press further after Eunbi’s attempts to calm her down and hung up after issuing a warning.

Eunbi immediately called Eunyeob. He picked up quickly but didn’t say anything. Eunbi had no choice but to speak first.

“Hyung. My friend is being sued. It’s BJ, the one who posted the video of Lee Jeong-o’s restaurant. They said she has to come in for questioning.”

Eunyeob let out a long sigh, fully aware of the trouble Eunbi had caused. He knew she would be receiving a lecture about the foolishness of her actions, and her voice gradually grew smaller in anticipation of it.

“…You’ll go with me, right?”

Surprisingly, Eunyeob didn’t get angry.

[I’ll handle your friend’s issue, so you go meet Ham Daegun today.]
Instead, he laid down a condition.

“No, that’s not the point right now…”

[Is this really the time for you to be stubborn? If you act that way, what will happen to my reputation?]
Eunyeob interrupted her. His voice, while attempting to sound calm, was filled with irritation.

[Do you think a guy like Jeong Jiheon would actually be good for you? You know how rare it is for a guy like Ham Daegun to like someone like you?]
Eunbi was well aware that she fell short in every aspect compared to her brother. But it wasn’t that she was completely useless. She felt pathetic for shrinking in front of her brother.

[Chae Eunbi. You should ditch that piece of trash like Jeong Jiheon and drive a good car. Ham Daegun can marry you right away, you know. The marriage you’ve always wanted.]
Seeing Eunbi sulking without a response, Eunyeob put even more effort into convincing her.

[He’s really a good person. I’m recommending him because he’s a good person. If you marry Ham Daegun, you won’t even have to worry about petty lawsuits like this. He can cover for you no matter what you do; he’ll take care of everything for you.]
“…Is that really true?”

Eunbi finally showed interest in Eunyeob’s words as they flowed on. One hand, not holding the phone, slowly caressed her lower abdomen.

“Can he really… wrap me up no matter what I do? That person?”

[Of course. Without a doubt. He’d even cover for murder. He’s completely fallen for you; there’s nothing he wouldn’t do.]
Eunyeob answered without hesitation to Eunbi’s doubtful question.

Cover for murder… The words made Eunbi’s heart race.

[Get a marriage promise from him today. You can do it. You’re capable, right?]
Earlier, he had said she couldn’t do anything right.

Eunbi snorted at the contradictory words but didn’t mind the praise. With a somewhat satisfied heart, she ended the call.

As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again, startling her. The screen showed a notification from the Gangnam Police Station.

With trembling hands, Eunbi answered the call.

“Hello?”

[Is this Teacher Chae Eunbi?]
“Yes, it is. What’s this about?”

[Hello. This is Gangnam Police Station. A complaint has been filed against you.]
“…Me? A complaint has been filed against me directly?”

[Yes. Therefore, we need you to come in for questioning.]
“What are the charges?”

[It’s for defamation by spreading false information.]
Eunbi remembered that Jeong Jiheon had a recording of their conversation. Jeong Jiheon was chillingly persistent. Just thinking about facing him made her feel lightheaded.

After hanging up, Eunbi quickly texted Ham Daegun. She was now feeling urgent. She thought that he was the only one who could protect her at this moment.

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

Spectator Seats at the Tournament.

As Eunbi watched Yeona effortlessly win three matches, Jiheon felt a wave of overwhelming emotion. The child placed her stones in the right spots and knew how to put pressure on her opponents.

While watching Yeona, Jiheon received a text message. It was a notification that the complaint had reached the defendants. Jiheon had sued Eunbi, and Jeong O had sued Eunbi’s friend, BJ. The two of them would soon be questioned at the police station.

Jiheon wanted to sue the main culprit, Chae Eunyeob, for impersonating another lawyer and botching the paternity test, but he hadn’t done so yet. With Eunyeob’s snake-like nature as a lawyer, it would be easy for him to wriggle out of this situation, and there was a lack of evidence.

It would have been helpful if the genetic research center could cooperate, but they dragged their feet, citing laws and security concerns. Their stance was that since Jiheon’s paternity had been confirmed, there wasn’t much harm done.

While checking on matters outside the tournament hall, it was already time for the fourth match.

“Father, have you thought about Yeona’s future?”

As Jiheon filmed Yeona preparing for the match, the academy director approached him.

“Does Yeona not say she wants to become a professional Go player?”

“I haven’t asked her yet. She just says she enjoys playing Go. When I asked if she would still be happy even if she lost, she said she’d think about it after the match.”

In the midst of answering, he briefly lost sight of Yeona. Jiheon’s phone camera panned around until it found Yeona again.

This time, it was a match against Group C. Since Yeona was facing off against Group C, Jiheon couldn’t see her face from the spectator seats. Still, he couldn’t change his spot and recorded the match with a heavy heart.

But for some reason, after the match began, Yeona didn’t move at all for quite a while. A close-up through the zoom revealed that her hands seemed a bit different than usual. It looked like her fingertips were trembling.

Noticing that something was off with Yeona, Jiheon shifted the camera to the child sitting across from her. Upon recognizing Yeona’s opponent, his heart sank.

“Yeona’s opponent… is Hong Jaein.”

“Excuse me?”

The academy director also seemed startled and got up from his seat.

Jiheon kept a close eye on Yeona’s actions.

He noticed Yeona, who rarely made mistakes, dropping her Go stone. He saw Hong Jaein picking up the stone and sneering at her.

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

Thud.

The sound of Yeona dropping her Go stone echoed loudly.

“Are you forfeiting?”

The tournament supervisor looked at Yeona and asked. Nearby officials also turned their gaze toward her. The woman was looking at Yeona too. In that moment, Yeona’s eyes met the woman’s, and the woman quickly turned her head away.

“Are you already scared?”

Jaein mocked Yeona.

“No. She just dropped her Go stone!”

Jaein shouted toward the supervisor, as if to say she was willing to overlook it this once, and picked up Yeona’s stone, handing it back to her. Yeona placed the stone in the spot where it belonged.

Jaein continued her relentless attack. The sound of the stones being placed on the board resounded sharply, causing Yeona’s shoulders to shrink in response.

It was hard for her to concentrate. Her mother’s words from that morning echoed in her mind.

“Don’t feel too much pressure since it’s okay to lose. Just play and have fun like you usually do, alright?”

Am I having fun right now?

No. I’m not having fun.

This was not a situation where she could enjoy the match. In this state, it felt impossible to learn anything even if she lost. Her heart raced uncontrollably, feeling tight and heavy.

Her body was at the Go board, but her mind was focused on the woman. But she was also scared of the woman looking at her again, or coming closer.

“Teacher.”

Yeona raised one hand high, calling for the supervisor.

“I want to quit.”

Jaein raised her eyebrows, as if in disbelief, and scoffed at her. Yet she didn’t seem entirely displeased to win by forfeit.

Yeona turned to the supervisor who approached her and said, “Please give me my phone back.”

When the seven-year-old asked with a trembling voice, the supervisor moved quickly.

Yeona turned to look at the audience. She couldn’t see her dad where he was supposed to be. No matter where she looked in the stands, her dad was nowhere to be found. The absence of her dad made her feel even more anxious.

Yeona searched for her dad, scanning her surroundings. In the process, she spotted the woman again. The woman seemed to be heading somewhere in a hurry, possibly toward the exit.

“This is your phone, right? Quickly call your mom.”

The supervisor turned on the phone for Yeona, who looked dazed.

Her dad had come, but why was she being told to call her mom? While puzzling over this strange question, she thought of her mom again. She remembered what her mom had said when she bought her the phone.

“Yeona, this isn’t because you cried for it. It’s for calling me immediately if a suspicious person appears. Got it?”

Yeona immediately pressed the speed dial number 1. Her mom answered the phone promptly, as if she had been waiting.

[Princess Yeona! Is the tournament over?]
“Mom, I saw that lady. The lady who took me somewhere strange.”

Yeona reported the situation in a hesitant voice.

Her mom understood immediately from the brief explanation. Her voice turned serious.

[Where are you?]
“Here at the tournament.”

[Inside the tournament hall?]
“Yeah.”

[Lee Yeona.]
Mom called me Lee Yeona. But now I’m Jeong Yeona.

However, I could understand my mom’s feelings. She was just as scared as I was right now.

Yeona answered with a trembling heart.

“Yeah.”

[You said you’re at the tournament hall, right? There are a lot of people around you?]
“Yeah.”

[Don’t tremble. It’s okay.]
No, Mom wasn’t scared.

[Take a picture. Then shout!] Mom’s urgent voice pierced Yeona’s ears.