A child who looks like me

On the way home from work.

Ji-heon felt a growing sense of urgency as he headed home.

Jeong-oh, who had left work earlier, mentioned that she stopped by the pharmacy on her way home. Although she said she wasn’t sick, he couldn’t shake off the worry about her condition. Even at the hypnotherapy center, Jeong-oh had rushed to the bathroom, looking unwell.

As he parked the car and stepped out, his phone rang. It was Bae-il. He had left a text message when he exited the police station, and it was only now that he was getting a call back.

“Bae-il.”

Ji-heon answered the phone, greeting the name that still felt unfamiliar with warmth.

[Ji-heon, I haven’t been able to contact you because I’ve been busy. Sorry.] “It’s okay; I understand. Is everything settled now?”

[Yeah, it’s mostly sorted out. I got an urgent assignment, so I couldn’t say goodbye to everyone, but I’ll be leaving for a long business trip next week.] “Good. I’ll drop by again. Or would you like to come over to my place? I’d like to invite you.”

[…….] “Your mom, Jeong-oh, and Ye-na will all be happy to see you.”

After a long pause, Bae-il finally responded, as if it wasn’t an easy decision.

[Then I’ll try to make time next week.] “Thank you. I’m fine with any time.”

[It’ll probably be around next Tuesday.] “Got it. Just let me know that morning.”

[Okay, I will. Take care.] After a straightforward conversation with Bae-il, Ji-heon went straight upstairs. As usual, Ye-na rushed over to him first.

“Daddy!”

“Did you have fun today, Ye-na?”

“Yes!”

After lifting Ye-na up for a moment and then setting her down, Guk-soon also came out to the entrance. Jeong-oh was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m back.”

“Yeah. You should hurry and have dinner.”

“Yes. Where’s Jeong-oh?”

“She hasn’t come out of her room. You should check on her.”

“Yes. And, um, Mom, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember Bae-il? He used to live next door to us, the police officer.”

“Of course. I heard he helped a lot in solving this case.”

“Yes. I’m planning to invite Bae-il over. Is next Tuesday okay with you?”

“That’s perfectly fine! We can have dinner together.”

“I was thinking of ordering food since it might be difficult for you to prepare.”

“No, it’s not a bother at all. My food is better than takeout. The police officer likes my cooking.”

Even with her cheerful response, Guk-soon sensed Ji-heon hesitating, so she reassured him again.

“It’s really no trouble.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll come home early to help out.”

“That would be great.”

Before he knew it, Ji-heon had developed a good rapport with Guk-soon. She had to admit that Ji-heon had more culinary skills than Jeong-oh.

Ji-heon greeted Guk-soon and entered the bedroom. Even though he carefully opened the door, Jeong-oh was startled.

“Ah!”

Noticing Jeong-oh quickly hiding something behind her back, Ji-heon approached her.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Is it a secret?”

“Well, I guess you could say that.”

But Jeong-oh couldn’t withstand Ji-heon’s approach as he leaned in and reached out his arm. She soon found herself caught as he effortlessly snatched the pregnancy test she had hidden.

Feeling embarrassed for having taken the test too early, Jeong-oh raised her hands to cover her cheeks. The result on the pregnancy test was ambiguous. There were two lines, but the line on the right was faint compared to the control line.

“No… it’s still faint, so I was planning to take it again later.”

“Is this what you call faint?”

Ji-heon tilted his head as he held the test in front of her.

“Wait, when did it get this dark?”

When Jeong-oh checked, the red line had become much darker than before. It was now indistinguishable from the control line.

Jeong-oh also brought out another test she had left on the vanity.

“Wait, this one has also gotten darker! It seems to be getting more pronounced,” she remarked.

Seven years ago, she had checked the results quite quickly, and now she felt anxious.

Both tests displayed a prominent red line. Ji-heon stood there, staring blankly at the two pregnancy tests. Noticing Ji-heon’s shock, Jeong-oh timidly asked, “Are you okay?”

“…It was the same seven years ago, right? I’m sure.”

“Huh?”

“It wasn’t just one back then.”

He was recalling the events from seven years ago.

“Yeah. What I meant when I said no was that. The doctor asked me about it. He said there would be a pregnancy test in the drawer of your desk.”

“…”

“No, there were multiple. Right?”

As Ji-heon spoke with increasing certainty, Jeong-oh’s eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.

Everything he said was correct. Seven years ago, Jeong-oh had bought four tests, and Ji-heon had discovered the one on the desk and the three hidden in the drawer.

“…Do you remember?”

His eyes were also becoming red. Ji-heon raised a hand to cover his mouth, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

“Are you okay, oppa?”

Finally, his hand fell away, and a sigh escaped from his lips, twisting in a way that words could not express the complexity of his emotions. Ji-heon extended his trembling hand and pulled Jeong-oh close by her shoulders.

Hiding his face over her shoulder, he let out a long sigh and said, “I feel strange.”

“…”

“Let’s promise we won’t ever separate again.”

His trembling voice sounded almost like he was about to cry. The grip around her waist tightened. Jeong-oh felt a bit overwhelmed, but she thought she could understand his feelings and gently stroked his back.

After a while, Jeong-oh finally broke free from Ji-heon’s embrace. His eyes were still red.

“How are you? Do you remember everything?”

“I remember seeing the pregnancy test that day. You looked really flustered, and I left without being able to talk.”

“Right! That’s how it was!”

Jeong-oh rejoiced as she shared that memory.

Once Ji-heon calmed down a bit, he said, “Anyway, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Thank you for being born.”

“…”

“I love you.”

In response to what seemed like a joking tease, Ji-heon answered seriously as he took Jeong-oh’s hand and kissed the back of it.

Thinking one kiss wasn’t enough, he placed several more kisses on her hand. Jeong-oh felt like she was finally parting with the timid girl she was seven years ago. She felt excited about the time ahead.

If only the phone hadn’t rung, they could have been even happier.

The intruder of the day was Ji-heon’s brother, Jeong-ji-tae. Ji-heon let out a short sigh before answering the phone.

“Yeah. Hyung.”

[Have you heard the news?] Jeong-ji-tae rushed to deliver the news without even the chance for a greeting.

[Cha Eun-yeop’s father has passed away.] It was the news of Judge Chae Seo-bok’s death.

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

As Ham Dae-geun was detained and others spoke recklessly about him, on the same day, her brother was also taken in on charges of inciting murder, and her father’s confirmation hearing was put on hold. It felt as if everything was her fault, and Eun-bi hid away. It was only after hearing the news of her father’s passing that she rushed back.

— The children are not at fault. It’s all my fault.

The brief note left by Judge Chae Seo-bok deepened Eun-bi’s despair. She clutched the coffin and wept bitterly.

“Dad, Dad…”

As the funeral preparations were nearing completion, Eun-yeob arrived. She appeared disheveled after spending two days at the police station and, upon approaching her father’s coffin in a daze, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

Unable to say a word, sad sobs escaped through her parted lips.

“It’s all your fault, oppa.”

Eun-bi reprimanded Eun-yeob.

“Is marriage that important? Is money that important? What’s so significant about it?”

“…”

“If it weren’t for you, Dad wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“…”

“If you hadn’t gotten involved with Kim Jin-gu, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Her voice rose in intensity as her emotions boiled over. In the depths of despair, Eun-yeob turned her head to look at Eun-bi with a fierce glare.

“Isn’t it you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you the one who reported that cellphone?”

“Ugh.”

Seeing her brother still unable to take any responsibility and spouting nonsense only added to Eun-bi’s frustration.

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

During the funeral, many people came and went.

Eun-yeob couldn’t maintain her position as the chief mourner for long. After the dramatic scene of her being taken in by the police on charges of inciting murder was broadcast live, people’s gazes turned cold.

Some openly refused to shake hands with Eun-yeob. She no longer forced a phony smile toward those who avoided her.

Her dreams had vanished. In the place where her dreams had disappeared, only hatred remained.

She could never forgive the person who had caused her father’s demise and driven her into despair.

Clenching her fists in determination for revenge, Eun-yeob opened her personal email inbox. She recalled an email that had been delayed for a while. She had requested a courier service to look into Kim Jin-gu’s grievances but hadn’t opened it because she was too busy preparing for the confirmation hearing.

The lengthy email was dizzying, but Eun-yeob persevered and read through it.

“As you know, Kim Jin-gu was involved in many petty crimes leading up to the hit-and-run incident seven years ago. Among the victims from that time, there are several who have not received proper compensation. I will attach their list and the related incidents.”

It seemed the courier service had put in considerable effort for the investigation, including the attached materials. However, there didn’t seem to be any men with a physique similar to Kim Jin-gu’s among the individuals involved. Feeling disappointed, Eun-yeob scrolled down the email until her eyes landed on the end.

“There is one case with a clear victim, but the identity has not been confirmed. Although it’s meaningless to talk about it since it happened 24 years ago, I will leave this information as you requested to look into any grievances.

Kim Jin-gu’s family once ran a large restaurant in Namwon, Jeonbuk. At that time, about 24 years ago, there was a woman they hired at the restaurant. She moved to Namwon with just her son, having no husband, after working in a restaurant in Seoul. Due to certain circumstances, she had to relocate.

It was said that the boy’s mother was very young and beautiful. Kim Jin-gu’s father apparently had a history of infidelity and made advances toward her.

Afterward, a significant incident occurred. Kim Jin-gu’s mother blindly trusted her husband and accused the boy’s mother of seducing Kim Jin-gu’s father. Shortly after, the boy’s mother passed away from cancer. It was said that she had suffered so much at the restaurant that she could not receive timely treatment.

There were no documents left about the boy’s mother. She had the surname Yoo, but no one knew her exact name. Given the long time that had passed, nothing could be found out about the child either.

The boy’s mother’s son was said to have been around 9 to 10 years old at the time and very intelligent. When asked why they moved from Seoul to Namwon, it was because the boy’s favorite Go player was from Namwon.