A child who looks like me

It was a busy day filled with congratulations coming from all directions. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of her teammates, there weren’t many bothersome incidents, but by the time it was quitting time, Jeong-oh felt completely drained.

“I’m home!”

As she opened the front door and greeted everyone, her daughter Ye-na ran over first.

“Mommy!”

“Princess Ye-na!”

With no strength left to lift her, Jeong-oh plopped down on the floor to embrace her daughter.

While the mother and daughter shared a tender reunion, Guk-soon approached.

“Did you eat?”

“I did.”

“Why isn’t Jeong-seobang coming with you today?”

“Seems like he has a lot to do.”

“Oh dear, that sounds tough.”

“It was hard for me too.”

As Guk-soon muttered to herself with concern for her husband, Jeong-oh pouted in response. She opened the refrigerator, wondering if there was any refreshing juice.

“Are you going to drink beer?”

“No. I decided not to drink.”

“What’s this about?”

“Do you think I’m someone who just drinks all the time?”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it was because of what had happened with Jeong Ji-heon and instead replied sulkily. Ye-na ran back to her mother, eager to share what had happened that day.

“Mom, today I called Grandpa!”

“Oh really? What did you talk about?”

Since she hadn’t been able to call separately, Jeong-oh felt proud of her daughter for doing such a nice thing and gently touched Ye-na’s cheeks with her palm while smiling.

“I told him I ate all the candy.”

“Oh my, really?”

But Ye-na’s answer quickly changed Jeong-oh’s expression.

“You ate all the candy?”

“Yup.”

“All of that?”

Jeong-oh looked around and headed toward Ye-na’s room. There had been a huge jar filled to the brim with candy, but the jars that Ji-gwang had filled were now completely empty—both of them! The child had even scraped up the candy dust that had settled at the bottom.

In just four days, all that candy was gone.

“Did you eat all of this by yourself?”

“I shared some with Grandma, and I gave some to Dobin and Doyun.”

“How many did you give Dobin and Doyun?”

Ye-na lowered her head and slowly counted on her little fingers.

This meant she had given away only a few.

Most of it, she had eaten by herself.

“Jeong Ye-na, how many candies did I say you could have in a day? I said just four, remember?”

“But these candies were smaller than the others.”

“That doesn’t mean you can eat ten times more! No, what am I saying? You must have eaten four hundred!”

Ye-na, realizing her mistake, subtly avoided Jeong-oh’s gaze.

“Did you really eat all that candy that Grandpa gave you to enjoy over time? And then you still called him to ask for more?”

But the child had her grievances too.

“Grandpa said I did a good job, so why are you upset?”

“What do you mean, ‘good job’?”

“Grandma!”

Ye-na whimpered as she ran over to her grandmother.

When Grandma took her in, the child’s bad habit emerged: crying bitterly. She knew that adults often responded to tears, so she intentionally cried even louder.

“Grandma, Mommy made me cry!”

“Did Mommy make you cry? You’re the one who’s crying, and now you want to blame her?”

“Waaah!” At her mother’s scolding, Ye-na’s cries grew louder. Guk-soon lifted Ye-na and comforted her, telling her not to cry. Jeong-oh found even that displeasing.

“Why are you picking up such a heavy child like that? Your arms are going to fall off. Put her down.”

“No!”

Ye-na clung even tighter to her grandmother’s embrace.

“Grandma, I want to sleep with you tonight.”

“Don’t even think about kicking me with your feet while you sleep! You’ll have to sleep by yourself!”

“No!”

The stubborn child wouldn’t give in.

Eventually, the headstrong Ye-na spread out a big blanket in Guk-soon’s room and fell asleep. Jeong-oh sat nearby, letting out deep sighs.

“Oh, I’m so upset.”

“Kids are all like that, what can you do? You were the same way.”

“I wasn’t! When my mom told me not to do something, I stopped right away.”

“You only remember those things. You were the same. You two are just alike.”

“No, we’re not! And Mom, do you know how she eats her candy? She crunches it all at once! That’s why she finishes it so quickly. Her teeth are going to rot away.”

“She brushed her teeth well before bed, so it’s fine.”

Guk-soon gently patted the child’s head. With her mother’s hand on the child, Jeong-oh felt as if her mother was comforting her too. Her mother’s gentle and calm nature always brought Jeong-oh a sense of stability.

After a moment of solemnity, Jeong-oh spoke up.

“I’ll take her. You can sleep comfortably, Mom.”

“Just leave her be.”

“……”

“This is all thanks to you, Mom. How wonderful is it that your granddaughter wants to sleep with you like this?”

“……”

“Still, no matter what, I think this is the happiest time for you. Your daughter is married and still living happily with you. What more could you want?”

Truly, Guk-soon was experiencing the happiest moment of her life. It felt like she had no more wishes left; wanting anything more from here on seemed greedy, a feeling of complete happiness.

“My mom also said this was her wish. To live happily with her daughter even after marrying her off.”

“Grandma?”

“Yes. But she passed away too early.”

“……”

“I’m fulfilling that wish on her behalf.”

As Jeong-oh spoke about her grandmother, whom she had never met, she noticed Guk-soon’s eyes glistening. Jeong-oh hugged her knees and tilted her head.

Thinking about the world’s best mother, Mrs. Lee Guk-soon, who seemed to have been a mother since birth, it tugged at her heart to imagine that there must have been a time when she, too, was loved like Ye-na.

“Oh, you must be so tired. Hurry up and go rest.”

The time for reflection wasn’t long. Guk-soon, not wanting to show tears to her daughter, turned her head away and waved her hand dismissively.

After saying goodbye to her mother, Jeong-oh returned to her room and flopped onto the bed, staring blankly at the floor.

Every day, she spread out a blanket on the floor and slept with Ye-na, but today she was lying in a room on the opposite side of the hallway without the child.

How strange. It wasn’t as if the child was protecting her, but somehow she felt lost without Ye-na.

The child had been the one protecting her.

Jeong-oh realized a new truth. She had always thought she was the one protecting her child, but the child was also protecting her. All the overflowing happiness and laughter had come from Ye-na. It was also thanks to Ye-na that the gloomy days hadn’t been frightening.

As she quietly reflected on the happiness Ye-na brought her, she felt that she had scolded the child too harshly today. If she had just given a stern warning in the first place, the child would have been more careful. It was also largely her fault for not saying anything when it was the first gift Ye-na received from her grandfather.

“I should apologize tomorrow.”

Thinking this, she found it a bit amusing. By tomorrow, Ye-na would likely forget that she had been scolded and would come to her like a puppy. Imagining that made Jeong-oh feel that, like her mother, she was currently the happiest.

She considered going to sleep early since Ji-heon seemed to be running late but decided to sit up instead. Though she was tired, she thought it was only right to wait for Ji-heon, knowing he must have had an even tougher day. She also wanted to hear about what happened during his day.

Entering the bathroom, Jeong-oh filled the tub with warm water. This was the first time she had lived in a house with a bathtub, but she hadn’t yet enjoyed its benefits.

Feeling worn out, she decided to soak in the warm water to relieve her fatigue until Ji-heon arrived. As she got into the tub, a shiver ran through her body.

Ah, this is paradise!

The pleasantly warm water felt as if it melted away all her worldly troubles. The noisy incidents at work felt faint and dreamlike.

Ah, life is beautiful.

Forgetting all her worries, Jeong-oh gently closed her eyes. It felt like she could fall asleep just like this. However, the time of mindfulness didn’t last long. Just as she briefly closed her eyes, her phone vibrated. It was Ji-heon.

“Hello?”

[Where are you?]
“I’m at home.”

[What are you doing at home?]
“I’m enjoying the bathtub. The water is warm and nice. You should soak a bit when you get home too. Where are you?”

[I’m almost there.]
“Okay. Come in quietly. Mom is sleeping. Ye-na is also sleeping in Mom’s room.”

[Got it.]

The call ended quickly. Though her break hadn’t been long, she felt a bit relieved of her fatigue and thought she would sleep well.

“I’ll just sit here for three more minutes before getting up.”

Jeong-oh sank deeply into the tub, letting the water rise to her chin.

At that moment, the door opened.

Startled, Jeong-oh’s mouth fell open.

“Gah! Ugh!”

She staggered and ended up gulping down some of the bathwater.

The person who revealed themselves was none other than her husband.

It wasn’t particularly surprising, but she felt a lump form in her throat.

For some reason, her husband was completely naked. His audaciously bare form, covered only by a towel, made her feel as if time had stopped.

Even in the hazy, humid bathroom, his muscular body stood out sharply, making Jeong-oh’s face turn bright red. Just that alone made the bride tense up all over, yet this man casually approached the tub without a care in the world.

Ah, why are you coming in here?

“…Why did you come in?”

“You told me to soak. You.”

Ah, I did say that. Jeong-oh hurriedly regretted her words.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Why? Don’t you want me to?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Let’s share the tub.”

While suggesting they share the tub, he chose not to sit directly in front of her but instead squeezed into the space behind her.

Even though he had just entered the tub, his body felt oddly warm against her back. She could imagine the hard, rippling muscles.

His broad chest completely enveloped her small shoulders. Every little movement caused the water to ripple, making Jeong-oh freeze up even more. It was difficult to breathe, but Ji-heon chuckled as if he found it amusing.

“This is fun.”

“……”

“Our wife gets so tense even while taking a bath.”

Whose fault is this?

“I’ll just wash you gently, so relax a bit.”

“……”

“Just for now.”

J-Just for now?

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

Guk-soon lay down to sleep next to her granddaughter on the spacious bed. After living in a bed since the move, settling back on the floor felt surprisingly comfortable in its own way.

As comfortable as it was, Guk-soon quickly fell asleep and met her mother in a dream for the first time in a while. Even knowing it was a dream, Guk-soon felt deeply moved.

“Mom!”

“Is my Guk-soon here?”

In her dream, Guk-soon looked to be around the same age as Jeong-oh. Her mother, too, appeared just as young and beautiful as she did when she passed away.

Though she wished to see an older version of her mother, Guk-soon was just so happy to see her.

“How come you haven’t changed at all?”

“Our daughter has grown just like me.”

At that moment, someone beside her tugged at the hem of her dress. It was a baby Jeong-oh, small like Ye-na. Guk-soon quickly introduced her daughter to her mother.

“Mom, this is my daughter Jeong-oh. She looks just like you, right?”

“She’s pretty just like her mother.”

Guk-soon’s mother lovingly stroked baby Jeong-oh for a long time. The scene was both sad and happy, and Guk-soon felt tears welling up, but she held them back.

“Jeong-oh.”

“Yes!”

Baby Jeong-oh replied eagerly. Jeong-oh’s mother and Guk-soon’s mother shared a strikingly similar maternal smile.

“You need to listen to your mom and stay healthy. Eat well, okay?”

“Yes!”

“Now, here’s a gift from Grandma.”

Baby Jeong-oh received a large, red, luscious apple from her grandmother. It was so big that she had to hug it with both arms.