A child who looks like me

Returning home late at night, Jae-gwang was shocked the next morning. His house was filled with flower gifts. While he was at work, Young-mi had quietly prepared a list of flowers without ever contacting him.

Young-mi must have received messages from various people too. Being someone who wouldn’t speak ill of his child, she must have silently suffered each time she received congratulations, unable to vent her frustrations.

Her heart couldn’t be at ease.

Still, he thought that her heart was gradually changing, even if just a little.

“Check out the photos we took when the kids came over for the weekend,” he said cautiously, placing the tablet he was holding next to Young-mi. A large picture of Yena’s smiling face appeared on the screen. Young-mi glanced at it for a moment but did not pick up the tablet.

“Yena called me yesterday. She said she finished all the candy and wants more made,” he continued.

“……”

“I hope you can be there next time Yena visits.”

Jae-gwang expressed his wish to Young-mi. Her hands, which had been busy tidying up, paused for a moment before resuming their work.

“There’s no reason to see each other again now.”

“If I apologize, she will accept it. You know that they’re not the type to ignore their parents,” he persuaded, but Young-mi kept her mouth tightly shut. Jae-gwang gently rubbed her shoulder and then stood up.

“I’ll head to work now. I’ll leave the photos here.”

“I don’t need them.”

“Just take a look anyway.”

Everyone in the family was stubborn, so it would take a long time to change their minds. Jae-gwang decided not to push any further.

As he quietly prepared to leave the house, he received a call from his secretary.

“Have you already arrived at work? I was just about to leave.”

“[Chairman, you need to see this article right away.]” The secretary’s voice was urgent as she relayed the news. Jae-gwang read the news article that the secretary had sent him. Articles about Seoyeon Group were pouring in.

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

「Abuse of Power by Seoyeon Group’s Owner Family」

「Larvae Found in New Dumplings from Seoyeon Foods」

「Poor Hygiene at Seoyeon Foods Dumpling Factory. Confessions from Former Employees」

「Illegal Bidding by Seoyeon Construction’s Affiliates. Suspicions of a Paper Company」

「Seoyeon Group’s Second Generation, Jeong Ji-tae and Jeong Ji-heon’s Debauchery, Corruption Allegations」

「Seoyeon Foods CEO Jeong Ji-tae, Favoring Brother’s Company Max Planning with Contracts」

It was as if they had all planned to strike at once, with a series of new articles emerging about Seoyeon Group.

The ordinary exposés included product photos from Seoyeon Foods and videos from the dumpling factory. The source was unknown, and the authenticity was questionable, but it was hard to simply deny the situation.

Ji-heon was also summoned to the company headquarters. The office was inundated with calls from reporters, and a client company informed them that they would be excluding Max Planning from their competitive presentation. It was needless to say that the stock prices of all affiliates of Seoyeon Group had plummeted.

Due to the aftermath of the wedding announcement the previous day, Jeong-oh was receiving unexpected attention as well. Somehow, reporters had found out and called his internal office line.

As a result, Jeong-oh left work early and, after a long time, met Jin-seo in front of Yena’s go academy and accompanied her to her obstetrics appointment.

For Jin-seo, the hot topic of the day was also Seoyeon Group. She exclaimed that she had never seen anything like it in her life.

“This can’t be just a coincidence. Someone must be behind this, orchestrating it.”

Jin-seo seemed convinced that someone had orchestrated this plan. Jeong-oh also found himself deep in thought.

If this truly was someone’s scheme, who could it possibly be? Could it be Remi-Remi?

After being humiliated by Ji-heon on Monday and subsequently ousted, Remi-Remi was said to be facing disciplinary action at Dawon Liquor as well. This was due to Ji-heon sending a video file to an executive at Dawon.

After reviewing the video, Dawon Liquor sincerely apologized to Max Planning and promised not to send anyone like Remi-Remi in the future. While this was fortunate for Max Planning, Remi-Remi might be sharpening her knives somewhere.

However, Jeong-oh quickly shook his head. It seemed too large a scale for Remi-Remi to have orchestrated alone.

Jin-seo spoke in a low voice, “This seems like a huge conspiracy. What if it was planned by Chae Eun-byul? She might harbor malice toward Ji-heon and you, Jeong-oh, especially after your marriage announcement.”

Jeong-oh nodded at Jin-seo’s opinion but couldn’t conclude easily. With his father facing a confirmation hearing for the Chief Justice position, Chae Eun-byul would likely want to keep a low profile. Being a rather calculated person, she wouldn’t want to create a mess that could jeopardize her own plans.

As they discussed various topics, they soon arrived at Jin-seo’s obstetrics office. Since they were going to hear the results of her prenatal tests, it didn’t take long. Jin-seo had significant anemia and needed to take iron supplements prescribed by her doctor.

“Aren’t you going to get a prenatal checkup, Jeong-oh?” she asked.

“Prenatal checkup?”

“Yes. You’re thinking of having a second child, right?”

At Jin-seo’s question, Jeong-oh nodded slightly.

“It’s fine to get tested after you’re pregnant, but it’s better to do it beforehand. You can check for hepatitis antibodies, and if you don’t have them, you can get the vaccine early.”

“……”

“The tests are simple. They don’t take much time.”

“Oh, then should I go ahead and get tested?”

Encouraged by Jin-seo, Jeong-oh decided to get the prenatal tests. Just as Jin-seo said, the testing time was short.

After completing the tests, the hospital even provided folic acid as a keepsake. The container of folic acid rattled with every step he took.

When he was pregnant with Yena, he hadn’t been able to start taking supplements early. That regret still lingered when he thought of Yena. Jeong-oh gazed at the folic acid container and then spoke up.

“But I’m a bit worried. Even if I were to have a baby now, there would be a big age gap with Yena.”

“We can raise our third child together,” Jin-seo said, as if there were no need for concern at all. In fact, just the thought of having a child around the same time as Jeong-oh made her feel reassured and happy. Imagining that future, Jin-seo recalled what had happened over the past weekend and spoke again.

“It seems like we have quite a connection. I saw a photo of Dobin when he was little not too long ago, and guess what…”

But before she could finish her story, Jeong-oh suddenly disappeared from her sight. He had sprinted ahead.

In the middle of the road, someone had collapsed. Jeong-oh rushed to the fallen person and shouted,

“Chae Eun-bi! Eun-bi!”

Chae Eun-bi?

At Jeong-oh’s shout, Jin-seo was startled and rushed over. The person lying on the ground was none other than Chae Eun-bi. With her pale face, Eun-bi had lost consciousness. Jeong-oh checked her breathing and kept calling her name before finally looking up.

“We need to take her to the hospital.”

“I’ll go pick up the kids. You go quickly,” Jin-seo said, hailing a taxi. With the help of the taxi driver, Jeong-oh assisted Eun-bi into the cab and they headed to the hospital.

Why did she collapse? What could have happened to her? Even in her unconscious state, Eun-bi had her hand protectively resting on her abdomen. A strange feeling caused Jeong-oh’s heart to ache.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Eun-bi was immediately placed on a stretcher and taken to the emergency room. Despite her gaunt frame, her lower abdomen looked somewhat swollen. Jeong-oh informed the medical staff about Eun-bi’s condition and added the possibility he was concerned about.

“Please check for any injection medications. She might be pregnant.”

“Are you a family member of the patient?”

“No, I’m a friend.”

“Could you contact the guardian, please?”

Jeong-oh felt awkward. Eun-bi’s phone was locked and, for some reason, set to airplane mode.

He hesitated to call Eun-byul for her contact information, fearing it might lead to further trouble. But he also didn’t want to call Ji-heon and ask for Eun-bi’s mother’s contact number, knowing he would likely get scolded.

Unable to do anything, Jeong-oh stayed by Eun-bi’s side. The doctor had just left, saying she would probably wake up soon if there were no major issues.

However, Eun-bi remained unconscious for quite a while. As it neared 7 PM, he received a call from Guk-soon. Jeong-oh stepped out of the emergency room to answer.

“Hello?”

[Why aren’t you here? Did you go to Dobin’s house?]
“No, Mom. I’m at the hospital because someone I know collapsed.”

[Who?]
“Chae Eun-bi.”

[……You’re at the hospital because Chae Eun-bi collapsed? Isn’t there anyone else with you?]
“No, there’s no one else. …She collapsed right in front of me; I couldn’t do anything.”

Jeong-oh’s awkward tone made his mother sigh on the other end of the line.

“Mom, don’t worry. Yena is playing at Dobin’s house for the first time in a while, so you can go pick her up, or Ji-heon can bring her back later.”

[Okay, I understand. You take care of yourself, too.]
Understanding why his mom was worried, Jeong-oh forced a smile.

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

Eun-bi woke up in the emergency room, surrounded by curtains.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the eerie scene, Eun-bi quickly sat up and touched her abdomen. She was anxious, unsure whether the baby that had been growing inside her was still there or had disappeared.

In the afternoon, Eun-yeob came directly to her house and took Eun-bi to the hospital. Eun-yeob had already completed all the necessary procedures.

Eun-yeob boldly demanded that the doctor perform a surgery, stating that “legally, the continuation of the pregnancy was endangering the mother’s health.” After receiving the doctor’s confirmation, Eun-yeob left with a satisfied expression, and Eun-bi immediately began preparing for surgery.

However, as time went on, she began to feel that this wasn’t right.

Eun-bi hurriedly fled the hospital in a panic. She thought she might have lost consciousness somewhere near the hospital.

What had happened after that? How had she gotten here?

Was the baby… okay?

As she looked around, the curtains were pulled back and someone entered. It was Jeong-oh. Startled, Eun-bi’s eyes widened.

“Are you okay?”

“……”

“I found you collapsed on the street, so I brought you here.”

“Why are you here? Get lost.”

When Jeong-oh didn’t move, Eun-bi thought she needed to leave. She reached for the IV needle to remove it, but Jeong-oh stopped her.

“Don’t. You need to finish the IV.”

“How could I get an IV in front of you? Who knows what’s in that solution?”

“What are you talking about? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“……”

“This is just a nutrient solution. …It’s safe for the fetus, too…”

Jeong-oh carefully mentioned the baby.

Feeling like Jeong-oh already knew all about her condition made Eun-bi feel miserable. Yet strangely, at the same time, a sense of relief washed over her. She felt like she might burst into tears.

It was horrifying that the only person acknowledging her baby was someone she hated more than anyone else in the world, but it also provided her with an inexplicable comfort.

“Think about your own health. You know your condition better than anyone.”

Jeong-oh offered her some sound advice while holding out Eun-bi’s phone.

“Contact your mother. I’ll leave once she arrives.”

“No. I’ll take care of it, so just go.”

“Okay, then I’ll just wait to see you contact her.”

Eun-bi glared at Jeong-oh with determination.

Even so, Jeong-oh didn’t back down. He had just checked on Eun-bi’s condition. It was true that she was pregnant, and that made him even more reluctant to leave her alone. He felt that something bad would happen if he did.

“Or at least give me the contact information of a close friend. I’ll reach out for you.”

“……”

“Chae Eun-bi, this isn’t the time to be stubborn.”

“Stop pretending to be nice and get lost! Do you have any idea what I’ve done because of you guys…”

Eun-bi started to speak but suddenly shut her mouth in surprise. Jeong-oh’s eyes widened.

Her heart raced. It felt like Eun-bi was holding onto some secret.

“……What?”

“Just go.”

“What have you done?”

“……”

“What kind of secret are you hiding?”

Jeong-oh watched as Eun-bi’s lips quickly dried up.

What on earth had Chae Eun-bi done? Was it related to the online attacks happening with Seoyeon Group? Or perhaps to Eun-yeob?

Or maybe to our Ye-na?

“Just tell me. If it’s something I can help with, I will.”

“Don’t pretend to be friendly just because you have dirt on me. It’s disgusting.”

Eun-bi seemed to regain some strength, even giving a sardonic smirk as she shot back with her mocking question.

“If the baby inside me is Jeong Ji-heon’s, would you still act like this?”

“Of course not. It would be more convincing to say you’re experiencing a phantom pregnancy.”

But Jeong-oh wasn’t about to fall for that kind of provocation.

“I’ll ask you again. Chae Eun-bi, what do you know?”

Jeong-oh repeated the question with a more serious tone.

Eun-bi’s heart tightened.