A child who looks like me

There are some people whose mere presence makes you dislike them.

Eun-bi had actually disliked Jeong-oh from the moment she first saw her.

They were in the same class, sharing similar heights, builds, and entrance exam scores.

“I think Jeong-oh and Eun-bi are the prettiest in our class.”

Within the frame created by her friends, Eun-bi was often compared to Jeong-oh.

“Come on, Jeong-oh is way prettier than I am.”

Disappointed by her friends who rated her on the same level as Jeong-oh, Eun-bi forced a smile and played humble. Shouldn’t they say, “No, you’re prettier”? But her friends stayed silent, as if that were the right thing to do.

Then one day, Eun-bi saw Jeong-oh chatting happily with a lady in the cafeteria.

“Jeong-oh gets along well with the cafeteria lady, huh?”

“That’s her mom. Didn’t you know?”

Eun-bi was taken aback by her friend’s reply.

How could she be so cheerful when her mom worked in the cafeteria? Wasn’t she ashamed?

“They say Jeong-oh lives with her mom. I guess she doesn’t have a dad.”

“……”

“But she’s really nice. I thought Jeong-oh was a rich kid like you.”

Eun-bi found her friend’s comments irritating but remained silent.

After that, Eun-bi started paying more attention to Jeong-oh.

Jeong-oh never seemed to be intimidated. When she encountered her mom, she would introduce her to her friends with a bright smile, even when other kids asked about her.

The fact that she came from a desperately poor family, that she was born without a father, that her mom worked in the cafeteria kitchen—none of these truths could bring Jeong-oh down.

A child who never felt small. A child who navigated this intense school life so smoothly. Eun-bi struggled to maintain her friendships, while Jeong-oh seemed to create them effortlessly.

In truth, she disliked that Jeong-oh walked around smiling. She simply hated it.

Thus, throughout their school years, Jeong-oh remained a thorn in her side.

Eun-bi thought they would never cross paths again, but a decade later, they met again at work. This time, they were in neighboring teams, both copywriters.

Jeong-oh was the same now as she had been ten years ago. She radiated the aura of someone who had been loved and cherished, and because of that, she received even more love. Despite becoming a single mother in the meantime, she showed no signs of feeling small. This grated on Eun-bi’s nerves and, on some level, made her anxious.

For me to hate you, you should be a worse person.

But since that wasn’t the case, she felt unjustly wronged, and unable to resolve that feeling only added to her suffering.

Continuously struggling within that turmoil, the person who always ended up unhappy and unable to find satisfaction was herself.

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

“Tell me. You need to tell me so I can help you.”

Jeong-oh’s assertive voice made Eun-bi’s eyes waver.

How can you be so serious about my life? How can you be so earnest as if you can truly help me?

What have I done to you? Don’t you dislike me at all?

Eun-bi genuinely wanted to ask these questions but masked her feelings with a scoff.

“Are you crazy? What would I trust you with to share my story?”

Eventually, Jeong-oh couldn’t press further and turned her back. Eun-bi reached out her hand towards the departing Jeong-oh, then let it drop. After realizing that Jeong-oh was not leaving her but heading to the restroom, she unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

After being moved from the emergency room to a regular ward, Eun-bi pondered how to survive.

Everyone must be waiting for news that she had successfully undergone surgery. She couldn’t ignore the pressure from Daekun. If she upset him, it could spill over to her dad as well.

She had to avoid causing any trouble until her dad safely became the Chief Justice. The family needed Daekun. However, she couldn’t marry him.

So, all she had to do was hold out for a few days. Just until her dad’s confirmation hearing was over.

While she was lost in thought, she heard voices coming from outside her hospital room.

“Hey? Mom, why did you come all the way here?”

“I came because I was worried.”

Eun-bi quickly deduced the identity of the person speaking with Jeong-oh. It was Jeong-oh’s mom, Mrs. Lee Guk-soon, who had also come to the hospital.

“What’s there to worry about a grown daughter?”

“Is your friend okay?”

“Yeah, she seems fine.”

“You both haven’t eaten dinner, have you? Take this in and eat.”

Eun-bi was taken aback. It seemed Mrs. Lee had brought a packed lunch.

“What about you, Mom?”

“I just grabbed something quick.”

“Let me take it. I’ll go buy some water. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, by the way, Mom, you must have some foresight. I had to run because of Cha Eun-bi collapsing, but since I wore comfortable shoes, I didn’t trip.”

“See? Just don’t run around too much. Always be careful.”

The conversation ended as the door opened.

Eun-bi immediately lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep. Guk-soon cautiously approached her side, placing the tray on the bed and setting down the food she had brought. Wondering what kind of nonsense this was in someone else’s hospital room, Eun-bi finally opened her eyes.

Guk-soon noticed and spoke up.

“Are you awake? You need to eat dinner.”

“Did you come to check if I might harm Jeong-oh or something?”

Eun-bi shot back petulantly. Despite Eun-bi’s sarcasm, Guk-soon smiled as if acknowledging it, half making excuses.

“I just… wanted to see if you were eating properly.”

“……”

“I can’t help it. I only have one daughter, so I worry. I’m sorry.”

The truth was that Guk-soon had become so attentive to her daughter because of Eun-bi. Thirteen years ago, Guk-soon lost her job in Seoul because of something related to Eun-bi and ended up moving to Gunsan. The feelings of a mother leaving her studying daughter behind to make money are indescribable.

While she was proud of her daughter, who was managing well on her own, she also fretted over little things.

One day, Eun-bi had been downcast because she lost points for forgetting to bring her performance assessment assignment. That day, Guk-soon felt a pain in her heart. She thought to herself that she could have just brought it to her, and if she had only lived in Seoul, her daughter wouldn’t have lost points. She kept blaming herself.

On rainy days and snowy days, she worried about whether her daughter had taken an umbrella, whether she got wet, and whether she was sick.

It seemed that worrying had become a habit. Even after they began living together, Guk-soon would become restless whenever something happened to Eun-bi. Perhaps by rushing to her now, she was trying to make up for the things she hadn’t been able to provide as a mother back then.

Though she had once inwardly resented Eun-bi for the rift between them, seeing her now lying there in pain made her feel nothing but pity.

“You need to eat well when you’re living alone. Make sure you take care of your meals.”

Guk-soon spread out the lunchbox and then left the hospital room immediately.

Eun-bi bit her lower lip in frustration.

Her stomach had been churning, but seeing the lunchbox, she absurdly felt her appetite returning. She clenched her fist, vowing that she absolutely wouldn’t eat. Strangely, tears began to fall onto her clenched fist.

She realized one painful truth.

I will never be able to surpass Lee Jeong-oh.

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

Jin-seo came home with Ye-na after a long time, and it was needless to say that Do-bin’s energy was even higher.

He was running around, laughing so much that Jin-seo reminisced and nagged him.

“Park Do-bin, didn’t you say you’d read books with Ye-na if you invited her over?”

“Yeah! Got it!”

Do-bin shouted as he picked up a children’s proverb book that was carelessly lying in the living room, flipped through a few pages, and then rushed into the chaotic kitchen.

“Mom, is it bean rice again today?”

“Yep. Why?”

“Then can I just have one bean?”

Do-bin held out a bowl. Jin-seo opened the rice cooker and placed a few beans in the bowl, asking, “What do you need the beans for?”

“Just one is fine. I have to split it in half. You have to share even one bean, right?”

It seemed he had found a proverb in the book. Jin-seo scolded Do-bin.

“How can you split that? Don’t even think about sharing something like that. You’ll hurt your hand.”

“But the book says? ‘You have to share even one bean.’”

“That’s just a saying.”

“Then if I want to share even one bean, it means I’ll hurt my hand. Isn’t that right?”

Hearing Do-bin’s retort, Ye-na approached and giggled. She flipped through a page of the book next to Do-bin and asked Jin-seo, “Auntie, what does ‘baekji-jang’ mean?”

“It means a plain sheet of paper.”

Do-bin, after reading the book, asked, “Mom, what does ‘matdeulmyun’ mean?”

“It means to lift an object from both sides.”

As soon as Jin-seo answered, Do-bin and Ye-na disappeared into the adjoining room. A moment later, the two kids re-emerged, waddling as they genuinely tried to lift a single sheet of paper together. Ultimately, the flimsy paper tore.

“Mom, this is weird. A ‘baekji-jang’ tears when you try to lift it together, right? It’s better to lift it alone!”

…Do-bin should be getting smarter by following Ye-na, but it seemed like Ye-na was getting foolish by following Do-bin.

Do-bin turned another page in the book and tilted his head.

“Mom, and this is weird too. How can you knock on a stone bridge before crossing it? You’d have to get out of the car to knock, and then you’d get into an accident!”

“…….”

“Knocking on a stone bridge before crossing it would cause an accident. That’s the right saying, right?”

“…….”

“Mom. Who made proverbs?”

“People from long ago.”

“People from long ago were really not smart. Right, Ye-na?”

“Yeah. We’re smarter!”

Ye-na, who had become absorbed in Do-bin’s conversation, said cheerfully. Jin-seo felt a strange sense of guilt towards Ye-na.

“Ye-na.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“Just… I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry that my Do-bin is foolish.

I’m sorry he’s a fool who knows nothing but you.

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

The situation that started in the morning was growing increasingly out of control. Soon, there were rising claims online calling for a boycott of Seoyeon Foods.

There were many strange points. It was suspicious that incidents had suddenly erupted simultaneously after Ji-heon’s marriage announcement, and it was unclear why they couldn’t reach the reporters who initially wrote the news articles.

It was also suspicious that the call for a boycott was spreading through comments from overseas IPs. The identity and whereabouts of the person claiming to expose the sanitary conditions of Seoyeon Foods’ factory, as well as former employees of the factory, were unknown.

It could be a large group of people, but as time passed, Ji-heon began to think that it might be orchestrated by a single person or a similar group.

However, he was not sure if it was Chae Eun-yeop. Chae Eun-yeop was also in a critical situation and would have to keep a low profile.

“There seems to be a flow. It feels like someone is piling up various incidents and triggering them one by one to observe the reactions,” Ji-heon suggested.

His older brother, Ji-tae, nodded, indicating that he felt the same suspicion. “It could be the work of a rival company or a personal grudge. I’ll look into it as well, so you should check it out too. Someone with money, time, and the ability to mobilize people might be behind this.”

“Yeah. I’m going to head home for now. I didn’t get to see my daughter’s face last night.”

Upon hearing Ji-heon’s announcement that he was going home amidst the serious situation, Ji-tae blinked and chuckled, as if he couldn’t stop him.

After receiving a message that Jeong-o and Guk-soon had not returned home yet, Ji-heon went to pick up Ye-na from Do-bin’s house.

Ye-na hadn’t finished her meal yet, so Ji-heon waited for her while playing a game of marbles with Do-bin. Suddenly, he found Do-bin, who was concentrating hard on the game, adorable and asked him, “What do you want to be when you grow up, Do-bin?”

“I want to be Ye-na’s husband.”

It was a question without any ulterior motives, but for some reason, Ji-heon’s heart ached at Do-bin’s unwavering answer.

“Your dream is to be Ye-na’s husband?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you want to be anything else?”

“No.”

“You don’t have to think of anything else right now, but don’t you think you should have other dreams someday?”

“My mom says the most important thing in the world is love.”

“…….”

“So, Do-bin’s dream is to be Ye-na’s husband.”

Truly, he must be the ultimate romantic.

In the past, I was quite displeased with this, and even now, it still stings a little, but as Jeong-o said, it was comforting to know there is someone who loves my child besides me. My heart was softening a bit.

The most important thing in the world is love…

As I repeated Do-bin’s words in my mind, Ji-heon’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Of course! How could I have missed that thought?

A person with a lot of money and plenty of time. Someone who could harbor ill intentions toward me.

Someone who could go crazy over a woman.

A person in love.

Ji-heon recalled something he had overheard from an employee in the production team a few days ago: Cha Eun-bi, who had left the company in tears, had quickly gotten engaged to someone.

Who was that again? It had an unusual surname…

Ji-heon quickly took out his phone and started searching. His fingers paused at the search bar when he found the name.

Ham Dae-geun.

He was exactly the person Ji-heon and Ji-tae had predicted.