A child who looks like me

Seeing tears welling up in Yeona’s eyes, Jiheon spoke again.

“Uncle is actually your dad.”

“…….”

“Your dad. Your real dad.”

As he repeated the words, his heart felt constricted painfully.

Yeona. It’s dad.

Dad, dad.

A hundred times, a thousand times, it’s what he wanted to say. And what he wanted to hear.

In fact, it was something that should have been said a long time ago.

A name that should have been called out.

Time seemed to freeze, and no one moved.

Jeong-o and Guk-soon held their breath, watching the scene.

After a moment, tears swelled even more in Yeona’s eyes. It seemed she was trying not to let them fall, her face tensed up, turning bright red.

“……It’s a lie.”

Yeona shook her head in disbelief.

Jeong-o stepped in, gently putting a hand on Yeona’s shoulder and speaking softly.

“Yeona, it’s true. He’s really your dad. Your real dad.”

“It’s a lie.”

Yeona’s voice rose stubbornly.

“Then why did you pretend not to know all this time?”

With Yeona’s sharp observation, Jeong-o replied.

“Dad forgot. Sometimes, our Yeona forgets too, right?”

“It’s a lie.”

“…….”

“How could he forget? I remember my mom, my grandma, and even grandma’s friends.”

Yeona insisted, refusing to accept it.

How could he call himself a dad and never show up? Why did he pretend not to know me?

There were times she had dreamed of her dad.

In her dreams, he lived in the heavens. He said he couldn’t come to see Yeona because he was up there. He would visit her in dreams sometimes and told her to play joyfully during the day and meet at night.

Before long, her dreams had convinced seven-year-old Yeona. She thought her dad was in the heavens. It felt natural.

The idea that he was living well somewhere and didn’t want to see his daughter was incomprehensible. She didn’t know the word “qualification,” but she understood what it meant. Such a dad had no right to be her father.

“Why are you saying such things?”

She couldn’t accept the words themselves.

“Why are you saying such things?”

It seemed like the three adults—her mom, grandma, and the uncle—were trying to deceive her. It felt like they were mocking her because she was a little kid.

She had a good memory too. She even remembered the Go games she played with the uncle, who seemed a bit annoyed with her back then.

Yeona could recall the indifferent expression Jiheon wore the first time they met.

Children remember.

Though she couldn’t express it with the word “sorrow,” she had stacked scenes from that day deep in her heart in chronological order.

“Uncle, get out!”

The tears she had been trying hard to hold back fell.

“Get out! Don’t come to my house!”

Waaah!

As her cries burst forth, Jeong-o embraced Yeona and comforted her.

“Yeona, oh, why are you crying, our Yeona?”

As Jeong-o patted her, Yeona’s cries grew louder, leaning into her mother’s embrace.

Jiheon was also taken aback and frozen in place. When he didn’t move, Yeona shouted towards Guk-soon.

“Grandma, tell the uncle to get out! Waaah!”

How could he be a dad when he hadn’t even shown up for her birthday?

Where was such a dad? A dad who hadn’t appeared until his daughter was almost seven?

“Hurry! Tell him to get out!”

Something felt off since morning.

No, it had been strange since yesterday. No, it was strange since the day the uncle handed her the koala stuffed animal.

From the day they met together with her mom, the uncle’s attitude changed.

She knew. The uncle didn’t come to see her. He came to take her mom away.

But that shouldn’t be allowed. The uncle was an adult, and she was a child. Children needed their mothers.

In her world, there was only her mom.

In her mother’s world, she was everything.

Waaah!

The cries intensified as she could not accept the reality that had crashed down upon her.

After sending Jiheon away, Jeong-o comforted Yeona. Her sobs didn’t easily stop.

After spending the whole day with her on her lap, watching TV and reading a few fairy tales, Yeona finally lay down to sleep.

Even then, Jeong-o carefully asked a question, feeling sorry for not having brought up Jiheon’s story even once.

“Yeona.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not need a dad?”

Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.

“Yes. I don’t need a dad.”

Maybe because she had cried so much, no more tears came out. So Yeona could convey her clear feelings more clearly than ever.

“I want to live like this with my mom and grandma, just the three of us. Forever.”

Having answered coldly and waiting, she grew anxious when her mother didn’t react.

Had she spoken too harshly, making her mom hate her?

In the dim room, it felt like her mother’s eyes shone, and she worried that her mom might be crying.

“I love you, mom.”

Yeona said, pulling Jeong-o into a tight hug.

Mother is my world.

“I love you too.”

Fortunately, she heard her mother’s warm voice from the embrace. Only then did Yeona feel relieved.

“I love you more.”

“How much?”

“As much as the whole world. As much as the whole world.”

Yeona hugged Jeong-o even tighter, confessing her heart.

“So please don’t leave me, mom.”

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

Young-mi requested a paternity test for Jiheon and Yeona at the genetic research center. The director of the lab said he would call with the results later tonight, and Young-mi waited anxiously for the call.

For some reason, I felt like the child might be Ji-heon’s flesh and blood.

The pretty child I met in the elevator. Her expression, blinking her large eyes as she looked at me, stuck in my mind and wouldn’t fade away.

‘What if that child is our Ji-heon’s…?’

Then what should I do? What should I say to Ji-heon?

I was so worried that my mind became chaotic.

A little after 9 PM, a phone call came in. Young-mi immediately answered the call.

“Yes, Director.”

[Madam, I’ve completed the tests on the materials you sent.] My heart raced.

“…What are the results?”

[There are no matches in the genetic types of the two samples.] “Then… does that mean the child isn’t his?”

[Yes. There’s absolutely no possibility.] My legs went weak, and Young-mi collapsed to the ground. The anxiety and restlessness washed away quickly, replaced by a surge of anger.

So my son is being played by that cunning girl?

“Director, please send me the test results by fax.”

Young-mi requested with a trembling voice filled with rage.

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

Ji-heon couldn’t leave right away and waited in front of Jeong-oh’s house for a long time.

Around 9 PM, Jeong-oh finally came outside. Seeing her, Ji-heon immediately got out of the car and ran towards her.

“Where’s Ye-na?”

“Yeah.”

Jeong-oh sighed as she answered.

Nothing in this world is easy. I never expected my daughter to reject her dad like this.

Ji-heon finally understood what Guk-soon meant by her request. Ye-na was definitely not an easy opponent. Knowing that her stubbornness and obstinacy were in her genes, he couldn’t complain.

“I think mom knew. She figured out that Ye-na wouldn’t accept me right away.”

“Ha. I see.”

At that confession, Jeong-oh suddenly burst into laughter.

“Then, oppa, I’m okay.”

“You’re okay?”

Then… what about me?

From Ji-heon’s perspective, Jeong-oh’s opinion was shocking.

Jeong-oh continued to speak clearly.

“It’s not like I accepted you just because you’re really handsome or anything. I accepted you because Ye-na needs a dad. But if she’s acting like this, then I can’t complain.”

She had accepted Ji-heon without a second thought, wanting to provide her daughter with a dad, but after experiencing Ye-na’s outburst, she felt it was okay to take things slowly.

Though Ji-heon looked hurt, she thought, well, he’s an adult.

“Let’s understand Ye-na. She’ll need time to accept you. She’s been my partner for a long time.”

“……”

“No matter how much she’s supposed to call you Dad, she wouldn’t like the feeling of losing her partner.”

Ji-heon quietly nodded at Jeong-oh’s persuasion.

He could understand Ye-na’s feelings. Ji-heon also didn’t particularly like it when Jeong-oh was close to other male colleagues at work. He knew it was part of her job, but still couldn’t shake the desire to have her only by his side.

Ye-na must have a strong possessiveness like her father.

It’s not like someone else is trying to take her away, and if his daughter says she likes her mom, he should understand.

As he changed his mindset, he felt as if he was becoming a better person.

Becoming a parent is indeed a challenging task.

Realizing that not everything goes as planned and learning to have patience.

The rookie dad, who was seven years late, learns life this way.

Having accepted everything, Ji-heon took a step closer to Jeong-oh, gently pulled her in, and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm? For what?”

“Just. For everything.”

After leaving Jeong-oh’s house and waiting for her, Ji-heon reflected on his past. Guk-soon’s stories and Ye-na’s tears had given him many insights.

He felt a deep sense of remorse towards Jeong-oh, but he had never properly apologized to her. Surely, she hadn’t accepted him just because she liked him. She must have made many sacrifices for the child.

“Raising a child alone is tough, right?”

Ji-heon loosened the hug and said warmly.

Jeong-oh shook her head. It was something she hadn’t even considered.

“No, I wasn’t alone because I had my mom.”

“Still, it must have been painful and hard.”

“No. Just look at Ye-na. How beautiful she is. When I see Ye-na, all my fatigue disappears. So, it wasn’t hard at all…”

Her voice came out flat, but strangely, tears fell unexpectedly. Jeong-oh was startled and quickly wiped her tears with her hand.

“No, I’m not crying because I’m upset…”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I really wasn’t that hard off?”

Her gratitude for his apology made her want to smile instead of cry, but the tears flowed uncontrollably. Just then, heavy raindrops began to fall to the ground. It was a sudden downpour.

Ji-heon quickly took off his coat and draped it over her head, leading her to his car. Though Jeong-oh didn’t understand why he was dragging her into the car instead of staying close to the building, she stumbled after him.

Ji-heon pushed her into the car first and then hurried in himself, shaking the moisture off his head as he said.

“Wait until the rain stops to go inside.”

“……”

“Oh, right, this is your house.”

He had panicked at the unexpected rain and had pulled her into the car without thinking.

Jeong-oh burst into laughter, “Haha! What were you planning?”

Ji-heon complained that she shouldn’t laugh, but her laughter didn’t easily subside. The sound of laughter was more refreshing than the rain that night.

Happiness perhaps begins from small deficiencies.

If one had everything from the start, they might never know what gratitude is. Deficiencies teach us that it’s okay not to be perfect.

In the memories of filling those deficiencies by our own strength,

In the memories of struggling to be happy amid those deficiencies,

We truly were happy and created unforgettable memories.

So, I have no resentment towards you.

Looking back, all of it was a good memory. We kept being happy.

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

The next morning, at 6:30 AM.

Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong.

Someone was urgently ringing the doorbell from early in the morning. Ji-heon, who had fallen asleep only after thinking about Ye-na and Jeong-oh until dawn, got up with difficulty and walked heavily to open the front door.

It was Mrs. Jang Young-mi.

“Mother, this early in the morning…”

Ji-heon sighed resentfully, but Young-mi entered without a hint of remorse, opening the door wide.

“I came by last night too. When did you change the front door password?”

“A while ago.”

Although Ji-heon was displeased with Young-mi’s attitude, he thought he should question her about Jeong-oh while she was here.

The call seven years ago where someone impersonated him. And everything that had been erased about Lee Jeong-oh. He was sure that his mother was behind it all.

But before Ji-heon could say anything, Young-mi spoke up first.

“Are you seeing Lee Jeong-oh’s child?”

“……”

“Did you meet that child too?”

On the table lay a tablet. A large image of what was clearly a children’s bicycle was displayed on the screen.

Young-mi could sense that Ji-heon was planning to give this to the child named Lee Ye-na.

“Did Lee Jeong-oh tell you that Ye-na is your daughter?”

“Did you come here to check on that? This early in the morning?”

“Jeong Ji-heon!”

From a mother’s perspective, it was infuriating.

“I found out. That child is not your daughter.”

My foolish son. My pathetic son.

After being deceived seven years ago, he was falling for the same trick again.

“She’s not your biological daughter.”

Thinking of her son, tears welled up in her eyes despite her rising anger.

“That girl, Lee Jeong-oh, is trying to trick you by bringing a child whose bloodline she doesn’t even know!”