A child who looks like me

A small bed and desk. A small refrigerator, a small wardrobe. A small dresser…

These pieces of furniture. This layout.

Though there were no kitchen facilities at the end, Jeong-oh could tell.

This room was undoubtedly her old studio apartment.

A shiver ran through her body. Her eyes quickly became warm with tears.

She couldn’t believe it.

How, why, and how did this space come to be?

Seven years ago, Jeheon had liked Jeong-oh’s old home. That’s why they spent more time in her studio apartment than in his officetel. The reason he liked that house was clear and straightforward.

“I like this place. More than my home.”

“Why?”

“Because I can see you no matter where you are.”

Seven years ago, he once said that. He was honest and direct. When she changed clothes, when she made a funny mistake, or when she felt inexplicably good, Jeheon would watch from the side and pull her close every time.

He said he felt at ease when she was in sight. Conversely, when she wasn’t next to him, he felt an inexplicable anxiety and unease. That’s why he liked that studio apartment; he could see everything about her.

‘He’s really found a desk that’s quite similar.’

The room Jeheon had decorated was increasingly astonishing. From the size and design of the furniture to the color of the bed sheets and curtains, everything was quite similar.

When had he decorated this room? Was his memory gradually returning?

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Jeong-oh rushed to the kitchen with her overwhelmed heart.

“Have you finished looking around?”

Jeheon asked while preparing the pancake batter.

Though he had called it a hobby, it seemed it was just talk. Seven years ago, the aspiring cook Jeong Ji-heon, who kept a tidy small kitchen, had become an amateur who carelessly made a mess of a larger kitchen.

Seeing what Jeheon had laid out, she couldn’t help but smile as she started the conversation.

“There’s that last room. It feels different from the others. It doesn’t quite fit this house.”

“Oh, that one.”

Jeheon acknowledged her observation with a nod.

“I don’t really remember, but I think I visited a place like that a long time ago.”

“…When? Whose house?”

“I don’t remember anything. Not if it was when I was ten or if it was after I turned twenty.”

“……”

“I just vaguely have that furniture and layout stuck in my head, so I tried to reconstruct it. That memory felt nice for some reason.”

As Jeong-oh listened to his voice, her eyes became hazy with tears.

“After actually decorating it, I sometimes sleep in that room, and it somewhat helps with my insomnia. For some reason, when I go in there, my mind feels at ease.”

Hah. Should she laugh or cry?

“Seung-kyu says it’s just a typical studio apartment.”

I wonder how far his memories have come.

Jeong-oh’s thoughts returned to the hesitation she had before opening the door. Then she thought of the people whose lives might change because of the burden she was carrying, and her mother, Lee Guk-soon, came to mind.

Her mother had never once asked who Ye-na’s father was. She had never spoken ill of him.

Jeong-oh hadn’t brought it up first; it wasn’t just bad luck. If that memory hurt her daughter, she wouldn’t bring it up to stab her heart.

Now, Jeong-oh could faintly understand what her mother’s patience was.

The Jeong Ji-heon in front of her was completely unaware of the intense feelings she held as he focused solely on cooking. His eyes occasionally flickered, showing signs of forgetting the next step in the cooking process.

This person is trying hard.

I believe in this person.

I believe that you can remember me in your own way.

Of course, before it gets too late, I will speak up first, but I believe I’ll get at least a hint before that. So I will wait.

I hope you retrieve your memories in your own time. I wish for you to bring out that deep memory untainted by anyone.

“Okay. Look.”

As Jeong-oh let her thoughts flow for a moment, he had already flipped the pancakes alone. It happened in an instant.

“Did you see it?”

“No, I didn’t see it.”

Wanting to see it properly once more, Jeong-oh lied.

“…Make sure you watch closely, okay?”

Jeheon glanced at her before firmly grasping the frying pan again.

Whoosh! Flip!

His movements were clumsy compared to seven years ago, but he flipped the pancakes quite skillfully.

“How’s that? Am I better?”

The current Jeong Ji-heon, competing against his past self, looked at her with a smug smile.

Jeong-oh couldn’t help but smile back. She couldn’t speak anymore, afraid her trembling voice would give her away.

Her love for her child, her desire to protect her child—nothing more than that, but somehow Jeong Ji-heon had also entered Jeong-oh’s life. She began to wish for him to be at peace and happy as well.

I am experiencing a long first love.

The cold season in my heart melts away.

Jeong-oh calmed her inner turmoil. She vowed to become a stronger person.

Yes. Jeheon. I will wait patiently. I hope spring comes.

Let’s keep holding on together.

I believe you are coming closer to me now.

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

Eun-bi found herself running errands after a long time. She stopped by her parents’ house to gather her brother’s clothes and side dishes before heading to Eun-yeob’s house.

Her mother had instructed Eun-bi to tidy up her brother’s mess since his officetel was likely to be dirty. Normally, Eun-bi would have complained and been annoyed, but today she willingly volunteered. There was something she needed to find at her brother’s house.

Perhaps trusting her mother’s organizing skills, Eun-yeob’s house was always a mess. However, it was quite meticulous, and there were hardly any traces left of work. Thus, Eun-bi had to search for a long time to find what she was looking for.

‘Here it is! Just as I thought!’

As Eun-bi had been rummaging through Eun-yeob’s house for about an hour, she found some materials. They were about Lee Jeong-oh. She thought her brother would definitely have researched Lee Jeong-oh separately.

However, there wasn’t much information. There was far more about Lee Jeong-oh’s daughter, and Eun-bi frowned as she read the materials. Still, there was no information about the child’s father at all.

The quality of the research was so poor that it made her scoff, but Eun-bi didn’t despair. The materials also contained information about Lee Jeong-oh’s mother, Lee Guk-soon.

Eun-bi took a photo of the restaurant address run by Guk-soon and exited Eun-yeob’s house.

The next appointment was at a hotel, quite far from both her workplace and home, so it took a significant amount of time to get there. Because of rummaging through Eun-yeob’s house, she was 40 minutes late for the appointment. Eun-bi felt a bit anxious for no reason.

She hurriedly parked her car in the hotel parking lot and entered the lobby. She was nervous, fearing the man might have left, but he was still waiting for her.

Seeing the man striding toward her after spotting her made Eun-bi’s eyes well up with tears.

Feeling a bit guilty, her voice came out sweetly.

“Hey, did you wait long?”

“Yeah. I was just about to leave.”

The man rolled his eyes but couldn’t help chuckling at Eun-bi’s smile.

“I can put up with it because you’re so pretty.”

Eun-bi liked the compliment.

She hooked her arm tightly around the man’s. He was someone she compared to Jeong Ji-heon in every way. He listened to her complaints, accepted her sorrows, comforted her, and hugged her. Most importantly, he understood Eun-bi’s circumstances.

She received the comfort from this man that she had not gotten from Ji-heon.

His kindness was much deeper than Jeong Ji-heon’s, and he was as tall and handsome as Ji-heon, which made her like him even more.

‘If it weren’t for this man, I wouldn’t have been able to endure.’

In her hellish reality, he was like a light to Eun-bi.

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

Monday, after a boring weekend without seeing Lee Jeong-oh.

Since it was the end of the month and busy, Ji-heon contacted the credit card company. He was looking to find out the usage history of a card that was opened under his name but had been canceled seven years ago.

November 2, seven years ago. The credit card used to purchase the ring.

The information obtained from the jewelry shop was all Ji-heon knew, so he couldn’t even properly provide the card number to the representative. However, the representative was quite kind.

[Sir, we are required to keep card usage records for five years, but the usage history for a card that was canceled seven years ago might be possible or impossible to retrieve. First, please send a copy of your ID via fax. I’ll need you to complete a phone verification following the text message I send you.]

“Yes. Understood. After verifying my identity, when can I expect to receive the information?”

[If the usage history can be retrieved, I can send the materials to your email today. If it cannot be retrieved, I will contact you separately.]

“Yes. Thank you for your assistance.”

Ji-heon politely thanked the representative and hung up.

A moment later, a text message arrived from the credit card company. Ji-heon sent a copy of his ID via fax according to the text message instructions and completed the identity verification.

Now, it was a waiting game.

His mind was filled with unease.

In the drawer, which he opened to put away the copy of his ID, lay the ring he had purchased on Friday. He wanted to see Lee Jeong-oh smiling brightly while wearing that ring.

Ji-heon decided that what he was doing now was “sorting out the past that needed to be organized to move forward.”

Determined, he received an email notification.

It was the information from the credit card company.

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

In the evening.

Guk-soon began her dinner service.

While Guk-soon worked, Ye-na spent time on a small porch next to the kitchen.

At an age when she should be playing joyfully, the porch in the restaurant could have been stifling for a small child, but perhaps due to having adjusted to this routine, the child seemed calm.

Ye-na occasionally observed how busy her grandmother was while jotting down the orders that came in today in a notebook, studying math, reading books, folding colored paper, playing Go by herself, and eavesdropping on the customers’ conversations, finding ways to enjoy her boring time.

Guk-soon watched her granddaughter with a mix of admiration and pity.

It was such a peaceful daily life.

Today, a regular customer greeted Guk-soon warmly as he left.

“Boss, it was delicious.”

“Yes, thank you. Come again.”

“If you sold alcohol here, your sales would double. No, it would even quintuple.”

Since it was a place that didn’t sell alcohol, the dinner crowd was generally small. The regulars lamented the lack of evening customers due to Guk-soon’s excellent cooking, but Guk-soon was satisfied with the current state.

After all, she had to be cautious about the dinner business because of the child.

Once the regular customer left, the restaurant became quiet again. Perhaps due to the hot weather, there were no customers today.

“Should we head home early today?”

“Yes!”

If they went home early, they could watch TV, do somersaults, and Ye-na brightened up at her grandmother’s suggestion. But as soon as Ye-na got up from the porch, the restaurant door opened.

Ye-na lay back down on the porch with a disappointed expression, and Guk-soon stood up to greet the newcomer with a smile.

“Welcome!”

However, the smile that had naturally appeared quickly faded.

She could vaguely recognize the person who entered through the door.

“Oh my, who is this? Hello, ma’am!”

“……”

“Do you remember me? I’m Cha Eun-bi.”

Though her face had changed quite a bit, that subtly sharp voice remained the same. Guk-soon’s complexion darkened.