A child who looks like me

Ji-heon drove silently. He stumbled slightly, as if feeling dizzy, but quickly returned to being his usual self.

However, Jung-oh was worried about him the entire way to the restaurant.

“It’s not just about taking Ye-na home; I think he should go to the hospital.”

Still, the distance from the academy to the restaurant wasn’t too far. Ji-heon’s car soon arrived at the restaurant.

Guk-soon, who was preparing for the dinner service, spotted Jung-oh and Ye-na with other customers and hurried out of the kitchen. However, when she saw that Ji-heon was with them, she hesitated.

Ji-heon greeted her first.

“Hello, ma’am. How have you been?”

“Oh, yes. I see… It’s been a while…”

Guk-soon returned the greeting, her heart wavering at his good looks, but knowing he was the troublesome director who made her daughter work overtime and made her granddaughter cry, she couldn’t greet him warmly.

Still, she couldn’t help but be respectful since he was her daughter’s superior.

“Uh… Why are you together?”

The awkward Guk-soon turned to Jung-oh and asked.

“The director came to apologize to Ye-na and joined us today.”

Only after Jung-oh replied in a cheerful voice did Guk-soon’s lips curve into a relieved smile.

“Oh my, thank you so much, thank you…”

Of course, I have a good eye for people.

“You’ve come all the way here, so it would be nice if you could have a meal before leaving.”

“No, Mom. The director is busy and needs to go back to the office right away.”

Before Ji-heon could say anything, Jung-oh answered for him. Although Ji-heon felt a bit disappointed, he had to follow Jung-oh’s wishes.

“Yes. I just stopped by on my way and will come to greet you again when I have the chance.”

“Oh dear, that’s right. Yes…”

In this brief encounter, Guk-soon sensed a strange atmosphere. The director, who was Jung-oh’s boss, was not just any director; he felt special toward Jung-oh.

On the way back to the office, Jung-oh cautiously asked Ji-heon, who was once again at the wheel.

“Are you not thinking about going to the hospital?”

“Why would I go to the hospital? Is someone sick?”

“No, I just thought you seemed to have a headache earlier.”

Ji-heon, who had been looking straight ahead, turned his head briefly toward Jung-oh. He was grateful for her concern, but he couldn’t bring himself to share what had happened to him.

With a poker face, he asked, “You said that back then, didn’t you? At the hotel.”

“Yeah?”

“I said I hoped to find my memories.”

“…That’s right.”

“Do you still feel that way?”

“…”

“I hope I find my memories?”

“Of course.”

Her cool demeanor remained unchanged, making Ji-heon feel a bit disappointed by her answer.

A brief silence followed.

“Seven years ago, when I lost my memories, I might have had someone I liked.”

He cautiously brought up the possibility, anxious that she might be surprised.

As expected, her voice wavered.

“Then you should meet that person.”

But her response was still cool.

Was it that her outside didn’t match her inside? Was she giving a moral textbook answer while suffering internally?

Ji-heon honestly complained.

“To me, the present is what matters!”

“Still, you should meet them.”

“…”

“That person might have been waiting all this time.”

“But they didn’t contact me all this time.”

“They might not have been able to contact you.”

“……”

“For example… maybe someone in your family deliberately blocked them…”

Her voice, hypothesizing possibilities, lacked confidence. It seemed she was gauging his reaction.

Yet she quickly regained her composure and said, “Let’s meet first. No, let’s try to remember something. If you recall anyone, let’s meet and talk about it. We should discuss the circumstances, catch up on what’s happened, and if there’s something you’ve missed, you need to apologize too.”

It seemed she was getting more immersed in the topic she had brought up. Ji-heon, who had stopped the car at a traffic light, turned to look at Jung-oh.

“That person must have been waiting all along at the spot where you left.”

A woman who was more seriously invested in what I had experienced than I was.

I couldn’t read her true feelings at all.

“Do you understand?”

Finally, she smiled brightly, urging him for a response. The tremor in her voice had vanished.

“What if I meet that person, and they don’t let me go? Is it okay if I can’t come back to you, Lee Jung-oh?”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t just smile; say something.”

“……”

“Are you okay with that?”

I wondered what kind of person I am in your life.

I can’t be as important as Ye-na or your mother, but can I take the next spot?

I wanted to catch even a glimpse of her heart.

“I can assure you that whoever it is, I’ll probably win.”

Her answer was neither an affirmation nor a denial, but it was a declaration of her confidence in winning.

Do you know that I will definitely return?

Of course, this is Lee Jung-oh. Confident, bold, and honest Lee Jung-oh.

While her response wasn’t a clear yes or no, he felt somewhat comforted.

“Let’s try to remember and talk it out. Don’t just sip on kimchi soup, Ji-heon.”

Ji-heon probably didn’t realize how desperate she was.

To him, she might seem like a woman suffering from a severe case of coolness, but in reality, Jung-oh’s heart had been racing the whole time.

If there’s even a spark of hope left, I never want to give up.

“I’m so curious about your life seven years ago. So, so, so, so much.”

In moments of persuading him, her voice kept catching in her throat.

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

After finishing his work and leaving the office, Ji-heon stopped by a mart. He suddenly felt the urge to cook.

He already had a menu in mind: pancakes.

He would make delicious pancakes.

He had never tried to cook something for himself before.

He naturally had no appetite and lived in a luxury apartment with hotel-style meal service, so he never felt the need to cook. As a result, his kitchen lacked even the most basic cooking utensils.

Trying to cook, he realized he needed a lot of things: knives, cutting boards, frying pans, and various ingredients… To make just one pancake, he had to spend nearly 300,000 won on ingredients.

Carrying a bundle of ingredients, he entered his home.

After putting everything down in the kitchen, he sat there for a while with a blank mind.

But recalling Jung-oh’s words rekindled his determination.

I had to be a better person than Lee Jung-oh’s ex-boyfriend.

He prepared the ingredients according to the instructions of the chef in the video.

He washed the ingredients, placed them on the cutting board, and chopped the zucchini like a chef.

“When you chop like this, it looks so cool. Especially when flipping it in the frying pan, it’s really impressive.”

It felt like Jung-oh’s voice from his memories was louder than the video he was referencing.

What’s the big deal?

While cutting the zucchini in thick slices, Ji-heon wanted to chop it neatly like the chef in the video. After watching the video closely three times, he firmly set himself up and struck a pose.

Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.

Having never held a knife before, he was surprisingly good at cutting the zucchini evenly and finely.

Am I actually talented at chopping?

Ji-heon’s father was a giant in the food industry, having grown a company from a snack factory into a large corporation. Perhaps he had inherited his father’s instincts. However, he had never seen his father cook.

Setting aside the momentary doubt, he continued with the cooking. It was a simple dish: mix pancake flour, add the sliced ingredients, pour cooking oil into the frying pan, and fry it.

While it seemed simple in the video, his surroundings were becoming increasingly messy. Still, when he ladled the mixture into the hot frying pan, the sound of the ingredients sizzling in the oil sounded quite convincing.

Now it was time to flip the pancake.

“When you fry pancakes, you need to flip them. Like this, this way. Do you know how to flip with one hand? You use the wrist snap. Like this. Whoosh.”

Once again, Jung-oh’s voice from his memory surfaced first. The image of her demonstrating how to flip the pancake was replayed in his mind.

Gripping the handle of the frying pan tightly, Ji-heon lifted it and shook it back and forth to check if the bottom was evenly cooked. Then, using his wrist snap…

Whoosh.

Smack!

Ji-heon’s eyes widened.

The pancake, perfectly cooked on the bottom, had risen effortlessly.

So easily.

He let out a light laugh, “See? I can do it too.”

That guy, Lee Jung-oh’s ex-boyfriend, seemed pathetic.

What’s so special about it?

Then he thought, “Wait, does it really work?”

Unsure of himself, Ji-heon put in a little more effort.

Whoosh! Smack!

The properly cooked pancake flipped even more smoothly than before.

It works.

Am I actually a culinary genius?

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

The next day.

During work hours, Seung-kyu took a moment to visit Ji-heon’s office. He had been eager to hear the updated information.

“Hey, are you busy?”

“No, come in.”

Ji-heon welcomed Seung-kyu warmly, as he had something to say as well.

Ji-heon placed a tablet PC on the desk in front of Seung-kyu. On the screen was an image of a children’s bicycle.

“What’s with the bicycle?”

“Do-bin doesn’t have a bike, right? I want to buy him one.”

“I appreciate it, but why all of a sudden?”

“About seven years ago.”

Ji-heon calmly shared the conclusion from the previous day.

“I think I liked you more than I realized. I might have wanted to be your son’s godfather.”

“Godfather? What are you talking about?”

Seung-kyu frowned, puzzled.

“It felt like some of my lost memories were returning.”

“Oh? What kind of memories?”

“I remember wanting to be good to a child who was going to be born, wanting to show him the stars, and teach him how to ride a bike. I remembered feelings like that.”

Seung-kyu tilted his head at Ji-heon’s sudden memory.

It was clearly in Korean, but it felt like hearing a foreign language.

A child who was going to be born? Wanting to be good to that child?

“Is this a proper memory? I think you might be mistaken.”

Ji-heon’s faint smile suddenly disappeared.

“Do-bin was born in August. I found out my wife was pregnant in January the following year. It seems like you’re misremembering events that happened after your accident as if they were before.”

“……”

“Or is it another memory? Think a bit harder.”

Ji-heon felt a throbbing pain in his head again. He didn’t want to revisit this conversation anymore.

Noticing Ji-heon’s serious expression, Seung-kyu offered advice.

“Ji-heon, if you really want to recover your memories, if you have that determination, how about trying hypnosis therapy?”

“……”

“Should I look into it?”

At Seung-kyu’s suggestion, Ji-heon’s heart fluttered.

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

After leaving work early, Ji-heon visited his family home.

His mother, Mrs. Jang Young-mi, was thrilled to see her son visit after a long time. But Ji-heon’s attention was elsewhere. He headed to the storage room where he kept his old belongings.

Toys he used to play with, albums, and certificates from school days. There were many things, but the item Ji-heon was searching for wasn’t there.

Mrs. Jang approached and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for something.”

“What are you looking for?”

“My old cellphone.”

“Which old cellphone?”

“The one I was using at the time of the accident seven years ago. Do you know where it is?”

“…… Why?”

“I think there might be something I forgot to check. I have the phone from eleven years ago here, but the one from seven years ago is missing.”

“I threw that away a long time ago… It was all broken and damaged.”

“What about the data on it?”

“I transferred everything to a new phone. Why are you asking when you already know?”

He had suspected that would be the answer. Ji-heon gave up searching and stood up.

“Mom, you know I went to Australia after I got back from the army, right?”

“…… Yes, I remember.”

“Why don’t I have any photos from that trip?”

Ji-heon posed the question, closely observing Mrs. Jang’s expression.

“I have photos from other trips, but nothing from that time. Why is that?”

He noticed her trembling eyes and her slightly pale complexion.

Ji-heon recalled Jung-oh’s words from the previous day.

“They might not have been able to contact you… For example… someone in your family might have deliberately blocked them…”

He began to think that what he had believed for so long might not be true.

Like Chae Eun-bi, there could be someone very close to him who had been deceiving him for a long time.

And someone who wrapped the feelings of controlling her son in the guise of love.

“Mom, is there something you’re hiding from me?”

He started to think that he had trusted her love too much.