A child who looks like me

Yena narrowed her eyes and stared intently at Jiheon.

Jiheon was at a loss for words. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead in this unexpected crisis.

Jeong-oh smiled kindly and tilted her head to look at Yena.

“Yena, what does Mom call Dobin’s mom?”

“Jinseo-ssi.”

“And what else?”

“Dobin’s mother.”

“Right. You can call other people’s mothers ‘mother’ too. The teacher at the Go academy calls me ‘mother,’ doesn’t she?”

With her seasoned wisdom, Jeong-oh provided a wise answer. Still, Yena’s lips protruded in a pout.

At just the right moment, Kuksun jumped in to greet Jiheon.

“Come in. You must have had a hard time getting here.”

Jiheon handed the fruit basket and bouquet he brought to Kuksun.

“I brought these fruits because I heard they were Yena and your favorites.”

“Do you believe that?”

Kuksun smiled as she checked the fruits in the basket: apple mangoes, Shine Muscats, Hallabongs…

“She just told me to buy what she likes. Even today, she had to indulge her greed.”

On this special day, Jeong-oh mentioned fruits she usually didn’t buy due to their cost. Jiheon listened carefully.

Jiheon blinked and looked at Jeong-oh. He couldn’t say anything seeing her nonchalantly turning away and pretending to be uninterested. It was his fault for not knowing her preferences.

While Jiheon stood hesitantly, Kuksun quietly observed his face.

Yena’s dad…

At first, she hadn’t noticed at all, but upon closer inspection, he resembled Yena, especially when his expression was blank.

“I was busy, so I didn’t bring the rice cakes I had prepared.”

As Kuksun continued to look at Jiheon, she spoke.

“Jeong-oh, you should go get some.”

“Sure, I will.”

As Jeong-oh walked back toward the entrance, Jiheon said, “The rice cakes must be heavy, so if you tell me where they are, I can go get them.”

“No, I can’t ask a guest to do that. Our Jeong-oh eats well, so she’ll have the strength for it.”

Jeong-oh shot a subtle glance at her mother, who had openly revealed this public secret, as she calmly put on her shoes.

“Mom, I want to go too!”

Yena chased after Jeong-oh.

“Just stay here.”

“No! I’m going!”

Yena clung to Jeong-oh’s arm. With a more stubborn voice than usual, Jeong-oh made a perplexed expression.

Kuksun waved her hands toward the two of them.

“Alright, hurry and go together.”

Jeong-oh looked at Kuksun and Jiheon before taking Yena’s hand and leaving.

Now, the only people left in the house were Kuksun and Jiheon. Just the two of them.

“Shall we sit over there for a moment?”

Kuksun gestured toward the dining table.

In the small living room, two tables were joined together, and several dishes were already laid out. Kuksun led Jiheon toward the kitchen. Jiheon, who had been tense, replied with a short “yes” and followed her.

As Jiheon sat down across from her, Kuksun opened her mouth first.

“You haven’t remembered anything for seven years, right?”

“Yes. I lost my memory, causing Jeong-oh to struggle alone. I feel sorry.”

He was still the same respectful and polite person as when they first met. Nevertheless, the memories from seven years ago resurfaced, causing his heart to flutter.

The person who had brought the greatest despair to my pretty daughter, my smart and kind daughter who had never caused me trouble in her life.

It was hard to say, “It’s okay, it’s all in the past,” so easily.

But she couldn’t be angry either.

After a brief silence, Kuksun smiled and honestly shared her feelings in a soft voice.

“… I went to break the switch, but I couldn’t.”

“……”

“If my child is precious, then other people’s children must be precious too. Thinking of that, I feel sorry for our director’s life too.”

“……”

“You must have had a tough time getting here.”

She decided to accept it.

Seeing Jiheon, who was stiff and tense, she couldn’t bring herself to say harsh words. She couldn’t push away a man her daughter had accepted.

It wasn’t his fault that he lost his memory, so she couldn’t blame him endlessly. She couldn’t resent him for having a mother who intervened between the two of them either. It wasn’t his fault.

What Kuksun could do was limited from the start. With a daughter she treasured more than her own life, she could only play the submissive role in her daughter’s relationships.

She thought to herself not to reprimand him and found that his tense expression was deeply touching.

“I heard you’re a single father, right?”

“……Yes.”

“Our child was born that way. Even if I have nothing to pass on, I shouldn’t pass on such a thing. But now my daughter is like that, so I feel really ashamed of myself. As a mother, it was really hard to watch her suffer… but Jeong-oh has grown up so well.”

Kuksun proudly spoke about her daughter after a long time. Just thinking about her daughter brought a smile to her face, even in such a serious moment.

“When I went to break the switch, Jeong-oh said, ‘Are you going to hit someone else’s child?’”

“……”

“If you realize that someone else’s child is as precious as your own, she must have grown well despite the difficult environment.”

As Kuksun couldn’t hide her smile, Jiheon quietly raised his head to look at her.

“A long time ago, I couldn’t love myself, you know. I couldn’t love myself as a single mother. But our Jeong-oh looks like me. Unlike me, she’s the most beautiful and lovely person in the world, but she looks like me.”

“……”

“… So I could love myself too.”

The story of mother Lee Kuksun and person Lee Kuksun.

Jiheon thought that Kuksun and Jeong-oh resembled each other a lot. Seeing the poised mother who spoke gently, warmth emanating from her presence, Jiheon felt for the first time that he envied Jeong-oh.

At that moment, as Jiheon’s eyes began to well up with tears.

“Don’t hate yourself too much. Don’t blame yourself. What was unavoidable was truly unavoidable. Think about the future now. Our Yena’s father will come to love himself more when he sees a child who resembles him. That’s the power of a child who looks like me.”

“……”

“After dinner today, tell Yena about it too.”

Eventually, he realized that it was his story, Jung Jiheon’s story.

And, ‘our Yena’s father.’

The unfamiliar title made his throat burn.

Jiheon lowered his head to hide his reddened eyes.

“I’m not sure if I should say this…”

He had prepared himself to be scolded harshly.

“I don’t know if I deserve this kind of encouragement…”

The unexpected encouragement made him feel even guiltier. His heart ached. He thought that it would hurt less if he had just been scolded, a foolish thought indeed.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so emotional already. Yena’s father has a tough road ahead.”

However, our Lee Kuksun was a person who couldn’t adapt to such a tender and heartfelt atmosphere. As she waved her hands and raised her voice, Jiheon’s tears, which had almost fallen, retreated.

“Our Yena isn’t just any ordinary child.”

The emphasis she placed on the phrase “just any ordinary child” was particularly strong.

“Everything has its trial and error. Even if Yena complains too much, just think that she takes after me and love her.”

Kuksun firmly added her advice for Jiheon’s future.

Even if she warmly welcomed him, Kuksun knew that Jiheon wouldn’t be walking on flowers the entire way.

Navigating this obstacle would be his stepping stone as a father.

Mom’s Steps Were Faster Than Usual

Mom’s steps were faster than usual. She hurried as if she had forgotten something at home, like someone who needed to get back quickly.

Well, she did forget something. Not an object, but…

Mom hurried so much that Yena was out of breath. In the end, she couldn’t say a word on the way to the rice cake shop.

On the way back from getting the rice cakes, Mom’s pace slowed down.

Seizing the opportunity, Yena spoke up.

“Mom, today a lady tried to give me fifty thousand won.”

Jung-oh’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Who? Was it the lady from the restaurant?”

“No, just a stranger.”

“When? Where?”

“At the academy elevator on the way to the academy.”

“Why? Why did she want to give you money?”

“The lady’s bracelet got stuck in my hair and messed it up. So she wanted to give me money to say sorry.”

“And what did you do?”

“I didn’t take the money. The teacher told the lady it was fine. She said I could just tie my hair back again.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Yena, you shouldn’t accept money like that in the future. Understood?”

“Yeah.”

Even after answering, Yena felt a lingering uneasiness. Unable to express how she felt, she walked sullenly, her grip on Jung-oh’s hand tightening.

When they finally reached home, Jung-oh sighed as she looked at the stairs.

“It’s heavy. Why did Mom make us carry all this rice cake…”

“Mom, should I carry it?”

“No, our princess should go up first.”

Jung-oh firmly refused Yena’s kind offer and patted her head.

Still, Yena wanted to help. She felt down again. As she trudged up the stairs, she suddenly heard a voice from below.

“Hello, Yena’s mother.”

“Oh, Officer Kyung-sa! Hello. Are you off work now?”

“Yes. But you look like you have a lot to carry. Can I help?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

“If you go up alone, it’ll take you an hour to get to the top of the stairs.”

Yena ran back down the stairs. Officer Kyung-bae was standing next to Jung-oh.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hi. Yena, have you been doing well?”

As Kyung-bae greeted them, he took the heavy load from Jung-oh.

“No, no, wait…”

“I’ll carry it for you. You go up first with the cart.”

While Jung-oh felt embarrassed, Kyung-bae quickly started climbing the stairs. Yena led the way. Jung-oh hurriedly pulled the cart to follow Kyung-bae.

Indeed, with the help of the police officer, the journey to the fourth floor was swift. Kyung-bae placed the box at the door and turned around.

“Ah… thank you so much, Officer.”

“Not at all. I’m glad to have been of help. Well, I’ll be going now. Goodbye, Yena.”

“Yes. Goodbye!”

Jung-oh watched Kyung-bae go down the stairs for a while before opening the front door.

“Grandma, we’re back!”

Yena greeted cheerfully.

Meanwhile, the living room table was overflowing with food. Jiheon was busily following Guk-soon around.

He looked like a confused new employee, unable to do anything, just standing there trying to pick up on the atmosphere.

As Guk-soon placed the last dish on the table, she asked Jung-oh.

“Did you carry all the rice cake up the stairs by yourself? You should have called me.”

“No, I met Officer Kyung-bae outside, and he carried it for me.”

“Oh, thank you. I’ll have to bring him some rice cakes later.”

Officer Kyung-bae? Jiheon wondered who she was talking about but couldn’t find an opening to join in on Jung-oh and Guk-soon’s conversation.

Guk-soon finished setting up the last dish and said, “Let’s sit down. Our director should sit too.”

The spread was too abundant for just the four of them.

Yena felt a bit miffed. Why was there more food today than on her birthday?

No one paid attention to Yena’s feelings, and the conversation between Jung-oh and Guk-soon continued.

“Mom, why did you make so much food?”

“It’s better than having too little, right? Director, can you finish it all?”

Guk-soon asked, and Jiheon replied cheerfully.

“Yes, of course.”

Hmph. I’ll see if you can finish it all.

Yena glared at Jiheon with sulky eyes and then turned her head away.

Jiheon finished two bowls of rice for the first time in his life. Just as Jiheon cleared his plate, Guk-soon returned with rice cakes and fruits. Jiheon managed to eat all of that too, though he was still tense inside.

After the meal, he resolved to tell Yena everything.

He felt nervous and trembled at the thought of how Yena would react.

Unaware of any of this, Yena quietly hid her disappointment.

She had wanted to tease him if he couldn’t finish, but he ate everything perfectly, leaving her unable to mock him. She felt annoyed watching Guk-soon rejoice over Jiheon’s gluttony.

I’m the only one who gets praised for eating well.

A little while later, Guk-soon quietly called Jung-oh to the end of the kitchen. Yena held her breath, trying to listen to their conversation, but she couldn’t catch what they were saying. Eventually, Jung-oh returned to the living room after talking with Guk-soon and approached Jiheon.

“Brother.”

That was all she said, but it felt like she was signaling something.

Something’s up!

Yena’s heart raced.

Moreover, brother? Not just the director, but brother?

Yena’s eyes darted back and forth, sensing something suspicious. In the meantime, Jiheon approached her. Jung-oh also sat closely beside him.

“Yena.”

Yena couldn’t respond to Jiheon’s soft voice.

“Sir is actually…”

Thump.

Time seemed to stop, and Jiheon’s heart raced.

What was Jiheon about to say?

Yena gulped unconsciously. Even before hearing the whole story, tears began to well up in her eyes.

Thump thump thump thump…

“Your father. Yena’s father.”

Thud.

It felt as if time and her heart had both come to a halt.