A child who looks like me

Cough, cough…

“Ah!”

Eunbi, who had been coughing dryly in her sleep, opened her eyes in alarm.

A strange room. Next to her lay a naked stranger.

Startled by Eunbi’s commotion, the man woke up too, blinking as he asked in a lazy voice, “Are you awake?”

“What is this? Wha, wha, what is this?”

“What do you mean, what is it?”

“……”

“You asked to be held.”

With a look of disbelief, the man sighed and went into the bathroom.

Eunbi was startled again, covering her face with the blanket as she glanced at his slender yet muscular back. She checked her own state under the covers. She looked just as disheveled as he did.

‘Did I really ask to be held? Me?’

She couldn’t believe it. The memories she thought were gone quickly resurfaced.

She had been devastated by the news that Jeong Ji-hun had gone on a business trip with Lee Jeong-oh and had gone to a bar alone. There, she had met a man.

Oh my god. Last night, she had clung to the man, crying and begging him to listen to her story as he tried to leave.

And the memory of her saying she felt lonely…

She had dragged a complete stranger to a hotel based solely on his handsome face.

‘What if he’s a playboy?’

From a family of legal professionals. Plus, her father was about to enter politics; she couldn’t create a scandal like this. Eunbi was flustered as she got dressed. She wanted to escape quickly.

However, just as she finished getting dressed and was looking for her bag, the man came out of the bathroom.

“Are you not going to wash up?”

“……”

“Then let’s go out for breakfast.”

Eunbi lost her chance to escape.

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

Throughout breakfast, Seung-kyu couldn’t shake off his heavy expression. After finishing his preparations for work, he spoke to his wife, Jin-seo.

“Honey, let’s stop sending Do-bin to the Go academy.”

“Huh? Why?”

“He doesn’t even learn Go anyway.”

“A seven-year-old doesn’t need to learn anything extraordinary. He just likes it, so he goes. It’s good for him to pick up a bit from Ye-na.”

“He should do what he likes, not just follow what Ye-na likes.”

“Kids are all like that.”

Jin-seo smiled lightly while feeding Do-yoon.

Do-bin, unaware of what his parents were discussing, sat on the toilet with the bathroom door wide open, straining.

Seung-kyu frowned even more and said, “It’s tough enough for him, and now he has to worry about Ye-na too.”

“Ye-na isn’t having a hard time. Just keep an eye on him until this month. We’ve already paid the tuition, and Do-bin can’t break up with Ye-na.”

Jin-seo replied casually, as if it were no big deal.

At that moment, Do-bin came running in.

“Mom, I wiped well and washed my hands! Is that good? Did I do well?”

Having just come out from using the toilet, Do-bin showed his freshly washed hands to Jin-seo, acting all cheeky.

“Park Do-bin.”

Seung-kyu called out to him in a serious voice.

“You’re going to stop going to the Go academy. Instead, I’ll send you to the soccer class you like.”

“I like the Go academy more than the soccer class!”

“Then tell me what you learned at the Go academy.”

“Black stones and white stones fight!”

“Next.”

“The one who builds the most houses wins!”

“Do you know how to build houses?”

“Yeah. Like this.”

Do-bin pretended to make squares in the air. Realizing that his son only understood up to that point, Seung-kyu quickly searched for a game problem online and showed him a picture. It was obvious that the white stones had won.

“Look. Who won here?”

As expected, Do-bin couldn’t answer.

“Stop playing Go. Just quit.”

“What about Ye-na?”

“Ye-na is Ye-na, and you are you.”

“I can’t see Ye-na?”

“Park Do-bin.”

“……”

“You know how hard it is for your mom to take you and Ye-na to the Go academy. Now there’s going to be another sibling, so you have to be more responsible.”

Do-bin’s eyes shook as if an earthquake of about magnitude 8 had hit.

“Stop going to the Go academy. Make sure to say goodbye to Ye-na today.”

Excitedly flaring his nostrils, Do-bin squinted at Seung-kyu and asked, “Can you really break up with Mom?”

“Why would I break up with your mom?”

“Then why are you telling me to break up with Ye-na?”

“……”

“Why do you tell me to do something you can’t even do?”

Do-bin shouted defiantly.

Just yesterday, he had promised the girl he liked that he would go to the Go academy for life and always be by her side. Breaking a promise that he should carry in his heart for a lifetime after just one day was not what a man should do.

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

The filming team left the hotel early in the morning and quickly wrapped up their schedule in Australia before arriving at the airport.

Since Ji-hun had a different flight from the filming team, they had to part ways at the airport.

“Thank you all for your hard work. See you in Seoul,” Ji-hun said, greeting the filming team while glancing at Jeong-oh, who stood at the edge. After leaving Ji-hun’s room early that morning, Jeong-oh hadn’t returned. She hadn’t even sent a separate text message.

The joy of the previous night had vanished, leaving only the memory of a fleeting aurora. Seeing her expression brought back an anxious feeling as if they had returned to square one.

Regardless, he couldn’t take the lead in something she was extremely cautious about. Ji-hun also brushed past her and boarded an earlier flight.

After parting with Ji-hun, Jeong-oh continued to hesitate.

Last night, she had left Ji-hun’s room without saying a word. She felt embarrassed for having snooped on his messages with his mother, and she also felt guilty for him being so kind.

She figured he would be upset since she had just left without saying anything. It seemed she should at least send a brief message.

– I’m sorry for leaving first earlier. Have a safe trip.

Jeong-oh sent a short text and let out a long sigh.

Although reality was overwhelming, she couldn’t stay down for long.

Now that she knew the facts, she had a clear direction. She had to prepare to confront his mother.

She needed to pull him away from Jang Young-mi and bring him to Lee Jeong-oh’s side.

To cover up the past, Jang Young-mi’s manipulation likely went beyond just that phone call. She was certain there was something more.

‘It would be nice if I could find even a small clue.’

She had to resolutely stay by his side.

She needed to continuously lead him to recall memories from the past and learn more about his mother.

Jeong-oh sent another text message.

– See you in Seoul. I’ll get in touch.

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

After a 14-hour journey, including transfer time, Jeong-oh arrived in Korea.

Her body felt heavy, but the thought of meeting Ye-na filled her heart with energy.

After completing the return procedures together, Deputy Park Young-gwang said to Jeong-oh, “You really worked hard. I’ll drive you. Let’s go together.”

“No, it’s fine. I can take the airport bus. It’s easier to get dropped off near my house.”

Jeong-oh added a bit of a lie to her answer because she wanted the Deputy Park, who had worked the hardest, to get home and rest quickly.

“Oh, really? Okay, then go home and get some rest. Let’s meet the day after tomorrow!”

“Yes. Please drive safely, Deputy. Thank you for your hard work.”

After bidding farewell to Young-gwang, Jeong-oh walked toward the bus terminal. Suddenly, a man approached without making a sound and swiftly grabbed her suitcase.

It was Jeong Ji-hun.

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Jeong-oh jumped in surprise and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“You said you wanted to meet.”

“You said to meet in Seoul. This is Incheon.”

Without answering, he quickly walked ahead. Even while pulling her suitcase along, he walked much faster than Jeong-oh. She chased after him, reaching out.

“Please give me my bag. I’ll carry it.”

“Just hurry up and come. Unless you want to get caught by someone.”

At his remark, Jeong-oh was startled and lowered her head.

Having arrived at the airport first, Ji-hun waited for Jeong-oh.

Since he knew what flight she was returning on, all he needed to do was time it right. Fortunately, he was able to spot Jeong-oh without getting noticed by Deputy Park Young-gwang. It was a relief that Jeong-oh hadn’t accepted a ride in Deputy Park’s car.

Traveling back to Korea alone, he had many thoughts.

Why did she meddle with my phone?

Was it because I seemed anxious? Because I didn’t seem trustworthy? Because I looked too easy and carefree?

Did she want to check if there were other women or if I was still in contact with Chae Eun-bi?

If that were the case, it would be somewhat welcome. A bit of obsession could be uplifting for him. He himself was obsessively attached to her in an unusual way.

He rationalized his feelings, thinking that he was not so different from her, who had secretly peeked at his phone.

What Ji Jeong-oh’s true intentions were, and what she wanted from him remained unclear, leaving him frustrated, but he couldn’t give up on her.

The answer was already apparent.

Ji-hun loaded Jeong-oh’s luggage into the parked car and immediately started the engine. As they drove toward Seoul, he spoke without hesitation about what he wanted.

“Tell me everything you said to Song Gi-hoon.”

First, they had to sort out Song Gi-hoon.

“I don’t like that Song Gi-hoon knows more about Lee Jeong-oh than I do.”

Jeong-oh remained silent, seemingly having much to say but sitting still, leaving only provocation as a means of communication.

“And talking about past romantic interests to provoke me is a bad thing. That’s probably why you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

Once again, she glared at him.

There was a silent pressure asking, “Then what are you?”

Ji-hun continued with a playful tone.

“I’m the kind of man who is understanding.”

Suddenly, she let out a sigh. It was unclear whether she disagreed with his joke or if she had other worries. A moment later, a small voice came from her.

“… Can’t I talk about it?”

“…….”

“I still want to talk about it. I want to.”

She was a bit upset with her complaining.

She wanted to talk about her ex-boyfriend?

I had asked Seung-kyu to do some digging, but honestly, I didn’t want to know anything about her ex. I just wanted to confirm whether that jerk was still bothering her.

…I was slightly curious if he was better looking than me, but other than that, I didn’t care.

“Every time you talk about him, I’m going to tease you, you know?”

“Still, I want to.”

She pouted her lips and whined as if she were sulking. It was hard to tell whether she was being coy or playfully annoying. Her tiny voice felt like it was tickling my skin, making it hard to breathe for a moment.

Was she going to make it even harder for me to think straight when I was already in too deep? This woman was definitely not ordinary.

After a moment, she changed the subject and asked, “What do you think your family would say if they found out about me? Like, your mom or dad…”

Her voice was extremely cautious this time.

I could guess what she was worried about. Speaking confidently about a familiar topic, Jiheon replied firmly.

“I’m going to tell my mom.”

“…Why?”

“Because Eun-bi might say something first. It’s better for you to hear it from me than from her.”

“……”

“I won’t let anyone touch Jeong-o. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“How can I believe that?”

I wanted to give her a sense of certainty, but as soon as Jiheon finished speaking, she pouted again.

Startled by her sudden change in tone, he turned to look at her. Jeong-o felt a pang of regret for showing her emotions so openly.

He answered calmly.

“If you can’t trust me, then you’ll just have to watch and see.”

He meant he would show it through his actions.

Even so, Jeong-o couldn’t feel at ease.

She could trust him, but she could never trust his mother. She wanted to ask him directly.

“Your mom or me?”

If your mother and I were standing on opposite sides of the world, which way would you go?

But for some reason, she felt like she would lose if she brought it up, so she couldn’t voice the question.

To hold my hand, you might have to turn your back on your mother. Is that still okay?

After a moment of hesitation, Jeong-o asked Jiheon for a favor.

“Can you not tell her about me? Not to your mom.”

“But Eun-bi might say something first.”

“You could stop Eun-bi from saying anything, too.”

“……”

“Can’t you do that?”

“……”

“Is it impossible?”

“Let me think about it.”

Jiheon smirked slightly, knowing how to make good use of requests.

He stretched out his right hand and stroked her cheek. As he tucked her hair behind her ear and brushed her earlobe, she tilted her head, seemingly tickled.

Unable to hold back any longer, she grabbed his hand, kissed his palm, and placed it gently on the center box.

Squeak.

Eventually, Jiheon parked the car in the middle of the road.

As he unfastened his seatbelt and leaned closer, Jeong-o felt a rush of anxiety. The same fiery light from last night filled his eyes.

“Oh, no.”

“Why is it okay for you but not for me?”

“It’s not allowed. Only what I do is okay. You can’t.”

Only I can. You can’t.

It was her words, not his.

It was enough to provoke his temper.

He wasn’t foolish enough to accept such a cheeky assertion.

He lowered his head and captured her lips. It felt like the exhaustion from the journey finally washed away.