A child who looks like me

The next morning,

Ham Dae-geun woke up alone on a strange bed.
“Where is this…?”

He blinked and looked around. The presence of furnishings suggested it wasn’t a hotel, nor was it the house of a sponsoring partner. He could hear water running from the bathroom.

“I did propose and drink last night…”

Yesterday, Dae-geun had proposed to Eun-bi. Not wanting a meaningless relationship, he had presented the ring early. At first, Eun-bi seemed surprised and hesitated, but she gratefully accepted the ring right there.

Marrying Eun-bi was beneficial for Dae-geun in many ways. He was very pleased not only with Eun-bi’s appearance and age but also with her family background.

Compared to his own impoverished family, which might be one percent of Eun-bi’s wealth, she had everything he lacked.

Everyone in Eun-bi’s family were legal professionals, and her future father-in-law, Chae Seo-bok, was a remarkable figure, even mentioned as a potential chief justice. Marrying into such a family would be a great honor.

Feeling good after receiving Eun-bi’s consent, Dae-geun seemed to have drunk a lot. Still, he usually didn’t drink to the point of blacking out.

As he tilted his head, reaching for his neatly folded clothes on the bedside table, the bathroom door opened, and Eun-bi emerged.

“Are you awake? You must not feel well. Here, drink some honey water.”

Eun-bi approached him with a cup of honey water placed on the table. As Dae-geun took the honey water and drank it, he awkwardly asked,
“Eun-bi, why am I here…?”

“Well, since we’re getting married, I thought I should let you see how the bride lives. You barged in without warning.”

Dae-geun groaned in embarrassment at Eun-bi’s playful response and covered his forehead with his hand. The fact that he couldn’t remember anything was killing him.

“I’m sorry. Thank you.”

“What for? Hurry and wash up, and have breakfast. You said you had a busy day today.”

“But Eun-bi, I can’t remember what happened yesterday, so can we just…”

“Ah, wait a moment. I just got a call from a friend. Let me take this call.”

Eun-bi skillfully evaded Dae-geun’s request.

Everything had gone according to plan.

She had received a proposal from Ham Dae-geun and successfully brought him home, intoxicated and unaware. Dae-geun believed he had spent the night with Eun-bi, so now she just needed to wait patiently for time to pass.

With the blessings of everyone, she would marry and have a healthy child. She could make an excuse for a childbirth abroad and leave for the U.S. right after the wedding. Then she could escape from this man and live comfortably.

The thought of survival ignited a fire in her determination.

It was strange. Once she decided to have a child, an unknown strength emerged within her.

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

Seung-kyu had spent the night rummaging through his photo folder to find pictures to show Jin-seo.

“This is the photo of Dabin getting his umbilical cord cut, and this is the picture right after his first bath.”

The computer monitor displayed a photo of a red-faced potato crying and another of a clean red-faced potato with a blank expression.

“They both just look like monkeys.”

Seung-kyu was about to respond, saying he could see some resemblance to them, when Jin-seo asked a surprising question.

“Look. Don’t you think they look a bit different? What if the babies got switched?”

Jin-seo was suggesting that the photos of Dabin before and after the bath looked different. His expression was quite serious.

“Think about it. They might have been switched at the hospital. This hospital is really big.”

“…….”

“Were you as mischievous as Dabin when you were little? Did you cut your little brother’s hair or sprinkle powdered medicine on sculptures?”

“No. I didn’t do that. I was really well-behaved.”

“Right! I didn’t do that either! When my parents told me not to do something, I stopped right away. My mom said I grew up without causing trouble.”

Yeo-kyung, with his crew cut, was seen laughing happily from a distance. Normally, Seung-kyu would have laughed along without understanding, but now he felt a sigh escape him. No, it felt more like tears were about to flow.

As he lamented the time that could not be reversed, Jin-seo clicked the mouse. Pictures of Dabin as a newborn flashed by. There was a certain cuteness that was distinctly different from now.

“Wow… there are so many pictures.”

Being the first child, everything was fascinating. He always aimed the camera at the baby and wanted to capture every moment.

As Jin-seo absentmindedly scanned through the photos, reminiscing about memories from a few years ago, his hand paused for a moment. He quickly called Seung-kyu.

“Hey, look at this.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

Seung-kyu approached while massaging Dabin’s little bangs and chanting “Grow, hair, grow” like a spell.

“Check this out.”

“A photo of your mother’s shop? Why is this important?”

On the monitor was a picture of Jin-seo’s mother holding Dabin, who had just passed the hundred-day mark. It was from when Jin-seo’s parents ran a flower shop called ‘Jinseok Flower Shop’ in the Hwayang-dong market.

“Look outside the shop.”

“Oh!”

As Seung-kyu took a closer look, he gasped. He could see Jeong-o walking with a baby carrier. The child in her arms was probably Yena.

Since Jin-seo’s flower shop and the restaurant Guksun Baekban were close together, Jeong-o must have walked that path frequently.

“Dad, what? What are you looking at?”

Curiosity piqued, Dabin ran over to see Seung-kyu and Jin-seo’s reactions. Seung-kyu picked him up and pointed to Yena on the monitor screen, asking,
“Dabin, do you know who this is?”

“I don’t know. Who is it?”

“It’s Yena.”

“Wow!”

Dabin stared for a long time at the small child peeking out of Jeong-o’s arms.

“Yena was cute even as a baby!”

If one were to fall in love, it would be like Park Dabin.

Even if Yena appeared with a crew cut, she would still look beautiful in Dabin’s eyes.

At Dabin’s sigh, Seung-kyu and Jin-seo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Mom, let’s look for Yena again!”

“Okay. Let’s find her.”

Today, they could spend the entire day playing the game of finding Yena in old photos, so Jin-seo willingly yielded his spot to his son. Just then, the photo changed.

“Uh-oh?”

As Jin-seo was about to leave the computer, he leaned back toward the monitor screen.

It was another photo of Jin-seo’s mother holding Dabin, but the scene outside the shop had changed. In the place where Jeong-o with the baby carrier had been, another familiar face appeared.

Although he wasn’t in a police uniform, the tall man with a fair complexion was easily recognizable—it was Officer Kwon Bae-il. He was also walking in the direction where Jeong-o had gone.

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

It had been a while since Guk-soon went shopping with Jeong-o.

Tomorrow at lunch, their daughter had been invited to Jaegwang’s house. Since Ji-hun’s half-brother, Jeong Ji-tae, would also be there, Guk-soon was a bit concerned. She wanted her daughter to wear pretty clothes.

As Guk-soon held up a neat blouse to see how it looked on Jeong-o, her gaze was serious and sharp. Watching her mother, Jeong-o pouted and said,

“You should go too. It would be nice if you went together.”

“What would I do there without your mother-in-law?”

From what she heard, it seemed that Jang Young-mi had gone on a trip. It was unclear whether Jaegwang had invited the children while Young-mi was away or if Young-mi had left because Jaegwang invited them.

In truth, there wasn’t much to worry about, whether Young-mi was there or not. With the wise son-in-law Ji-hun, there wouldn’t be any big issues. Even if problems arose, Guk-soon believed that Ji-hun would handle everything. Before she knew it, Guk-soon felt reassured by her son-in-law.

“He raised his son very well.”

Her infinite fondness for Ji-hun transferred to praise for his mother-in-law.

“Just that alone makes me grateful to your mother-in-law.”

“Mom.”

Knowing well what kind of person Jang Young-mi was, Jeong-o couldn’t agree with Guk-soon’s assessment. However, she respected her mother’s character, which tried to see the good in people.

Will I ever have the compassion to forgive and embrace someone I once resented, just like my mother?

“If I weren’t your daughter, I would have resented and hated Ji-hun’s mother even more than I do now.”

The bond between a mother and daughter is destined. A mother has the greatest influence on her daughter’s life. When a mother leads the way, her daughter believes that path is the right one.

“I can never have the same feelings as you, Mom, but I hope to be someone like a mother to Yena.”

Jeong-o sighed and smiled.

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

And soon, the next day arrived.

Yena, wearing a white dress, and Jeong-o, in a beige blouse, looked remarkably alike. Guk-soon adjusted Jeong-o’s outfit and didn’t forget to give her some advice.

“Don’t be nervous, don’t get an upset stomach, and eat well.”

“Okay. I’ll be back.”

Jeong-o greeted Guk-soon and left the house with Ji-hun and Yena.

After a while on the road, Ji-hun remained silent. While teaching Yena how to greet and singing along, Jeong-o turned to Ji-hun and teasingly asked,

“Are you nervous right now?”

“No.”

“You seem nervous.”

“…….”

“You said you’re meeting your brother after a year? Is it uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Despite denying it, Ji-hun’s expression remained tense.

However, after a moment, he opened his mouth again.

“Our family doesn’t have the harmony you might think. Especially with your brother coming, it’s obvious the conversation at the dinner table will be all about work.”

“…….”

“So I hope you won’t let anything upset you too much.”

In some ways, it was true that he was nervous. He felt ashamed of his family’s lack of warmth.

Hoping that today would go well, Ji-hun quietly drove the car.

As they passed through the large gate and approached the building, Yena’s mouth fell open as she looked outside through the window. A fountain she had only seen in parks was inside the house! And it wasn’t even an apartment, but there was a garden!

“Did Dad live here?”

“Yeah.”

“Until what age?”

“Nineteen.”

“Wow!”

“Do you like it? Is the house nice?”

“Yeah! It’s like a palace.”

With Yena’s exclamation, the car stopped in front of the two-story house, which looked like a palace. Jaegwang was waiting outside to greet them.

“Come on in!”

Jaegwang couldn’t hide his delighted expression. It was the first time Ji-hun realized his father could show such a face.

“Yena!”

Jaegwang was the first to call Yena’s name, and Yena responded firmly with a greeting.

“Hello, Grandpa. I’m Jeong Yena.”

“Right! I’m your grandpa, Jeong Jaegwang!”

Just like the last time they met, Jaegwang bent down and made eye contact with Yena as he spoke to her. After Jaegwang stood up, Jeong-o greeted him as well.

“Hello, Father.”

“Ah, welcome! Let’s go inside quickly.”

Ji-hun, who had opened his mouth to greet as well, hesitated and missed his chance. Jeong-o noticed this and smiled slightly.

The four of them entered the house and walked through the long hallway to the dining room. Although Ji-hun had told her some things beforehand, it was still a house of an unexpected scale that surprised Jeong-o.

‘If I had known about Jeong Ji-hun, I wouldn’t have started dating him. I probably would have thought he was from a completely different world.’

Suddenly, it felt strange that he was right next to her. The tension made her shoulders stiffen. As various thoughts raced through her mind, their footsteps reached the dining room.

Once they were seated, the staff poured them water. It felt awkward to be having a meal inside a house that resembled a restaurant.

“What about your brother?”

“He should be on his way. Why don’t you call him?”

“If he should be on his way, he’ll come.”

While Ji-hun and Jaegwang exchanged conversations, Yena spoke to Jeong-o.

“Mom, the water tastes interesting.”