A child who looks like me

When Seung-kyu came home early from work, he was greeted by three excited children.

“Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

“Uncle!”

Dobin, Doyun, and then Yena. While he was happy to see their energetic cheers, he also felt a bit overwhelmed.

After greeting each child, Seung-kyu headed to the kitchen.

“I’m back.”

“You’re back early.”

Jinseo, busy preparing dinner, glanced over and replied. Seung-kyu rolled up his sleeves and approached his wife.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Go play with the kids.”

“That’s a little scary.”

“Just read them a book or something.”

Reluctantly, Seung-kyu gathered his nervous energy and called the kids over. The moment he mentioned reading a book, they chirped excitedly like sparrows.

Though he often struggled, Seung-kyu was a good dad. Unlike Jinseo, who constantly tried to teach the kids, he knew how to play at their level.

He was even better at reading than their mom. With various voices, he brought the story to life, which the kids loved.

“In 1820, a girl was born in Florence, Italy.”

The children, who had been chirping like sparrows, quieted down as they absorbed Seung-kyu’s voice. Jinseo smiled contentedly.

However, what had been a warm moment quickly turned into chaos. As Jinseo continued preparing dinner, the living room erupted into tears.

“Waaah!”

“Why are you crying? Why?”

Hearing Dobin’s loud wails, Jinseo rushed into the living room. Dobin, Doyun, and Yena were all crying sorrowfully, as if they had lost a country.

Amidst them, Seung-kyu was holding the smallest, Doyun, and trying to calm him down while sweating profusely. Jinseo yelled.

“Why did you make them cry?”

“I didn’t make them cry! It was the nightingale that made them cry.”

As soon as Seung-kyu replied, Dobin clung to Jinseo’s leg and shook it.

“Mom! The nightingale died!”

It seemed Seung-kyu had been reading a biography. Jinseo stroked Dobin’s head and responded.

“That’s right. It passed away a long time ago.”

“Waaah! Why did it have to go?”

“Everyone dies. Your mom will die, your dad will die, and even you, Dobin, will die someday.”

Waaah!

At Jinseo’s rational answer, Dobin’s cries grew even louder.

“I don’t want to die!”

“That’s right. Everyone wants to live. No one wants to die.”

As Dobin conversed with Jinseo, Yena also wailed alongside them. Jinseo hugged Yena tightly and turned her head up to Dobin.

“That’s why you need to live your life to the fullest while you can, okay? Brush your teeth well.”

“If I brush my teeth well, won’t I die?”

“You’ll probably live longer than if you don’t brush your teeth.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Caught up in Jinseo’s little lesson, Dobin nodded vigorously and wiped his tears.

“Yena, you should brush your teeth well too. Let’s live a long time together.”

“Okay. It’s a promise.”

Fortunately, the children’s crying didn’t last long. Both Seung-kyu and Jinseo secretly sighed in relief.

“Alright, now that you’ve cried enough, let’s eat.”

Jinseo skillfully led the children to the kitchen.

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

Jeong-oh and Jiheon visited the hypnosis therapy center after a long time.

Jiheon opened up to the doctor about the recorded file from seven years ago that Bae-il had handed him.

“The aversion to hypnosis could stem from that experience,” the doctor commented after hearing the story.

“Knowing the cause doesn’t mean the memories will come back, though. I still can’t remember anything from my military days, and I can’t recall any moments from my dating period either.”

“It might just be that time has caused those memories to fade away.”

“That could be true. I want to remember everything, but the feeling of powerlessness when things don’t go as expected is overwhelming.”

Jeong-oh also felt a heaviness in her heart at Jiheon’s confession. Since discovering what Eun-yeob had done seven years ago, Jiheon seemed to be having nightmares from time to time. Watching him, Jeong-oh felt unsettled as well.

But the doctor had a different reaction.

“There may be subconscious pressures at play, but you have acknowledged your feelings of helplessness, Jiheon. It seems that your heart is gradually finding stability.”

I never thought of it that way.

Jeong-oh felt a sense of relief as she listened to the doctor’s positive interpretation.

Her husband was fighting hard to overcome this. She decided to trust him and wait patiently.

After parting ways with Jiheon, who had a lot on his plate, Jeong-oh went to Dobin’s house. When she arrived to pick up Yena, the kids had just finished eating.

As Yena was getting ready to go home, Jinseo whispered to Jeong-oh.

“Um, Yena might say something unexpected.”

Jinseo shared everything about the incident that led the kids to burst into tears before dinner.

“I was too serious with my words.”

“No, thank you for explaining it in a way that Yena could understand, unni.”

Even though the topic was serious, as time passed and Jeong-oh listened to the context, she found the children’s reactions amusing and adorable, making her smile.

As they left Dobin’s house, holding hands on the way home, Jeong-oh casually asked Yena,

“Did you feel sad reading about the nightingale today?”

“Yeah. I was sad that the nightingale died.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“……”

“Mom, we all die.”

“……That’s true.”

“So, Mom, it’s happy and thankful that you and I are alive like this, right?”

Jeong-oh’s eyes welled up at her child’s thoughtful sentiment.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

When you realize that death is a natural part of life, living feels miraculous.

“Especially, Mom is really happy and grateful to have met Yena. I’m glad that Yena is Mom’s daughter.”

The warmth in the small hand she held grew stronger.

There are so many positive influences close by.

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

After dropping Yena off at home, Jeong-oh immediately headed out again. The police had contacted her several times, but she hadn’t been able to visit due to work. Gathering her documents, she made her way to the police station.

As she approached the entrance of the police station, Jeong-oh’s eyes narrowed. She recognized someone slumped over near the entrance.

Carefully approaching, Jeong-oh stepped back in surprise when Eun-bi suddenly turned her head.

“Mom! You startled me!”

Eun-bi glared at Jeong-oh without saying a word, as if to ask why she was there.

“I came to withdraw the complaint.”

Jeong-oh reluctantly revealed her purpose.

She and Jiheon had decided to drop the complaint. They also agreed to overlook the false testimony from the accident seven years ago. Although Eun-bi wouldn’t feel sorry or grateful, they made that decision knowing her difficult circumstances.

Eun-bi remained silent, seemingly in disbelief. Or perhaps she was frozen, unsure of how to respond. Jeong-oh cautiously approached again. Stripped of her hatred, the sight of Eun-bi seemed frail and pitiful, much like Kwon Bae-il.

“…Are you okay?”

The question slipped out naturally.

At that seemingly trivial question, Eun-bi shed thick tears.

That wasn’t her intention, but Jeong-oh became even more flustered by Eun-bi’s reaction. She hurriedly rummaged through her bag, thinking she should offer a tissue, but found none.

Noticing Jeong-oh’s awkward behavior, Eun-bi spoke.

“I envy you.”

Jeong-oh’s hands froze as she searched through her bag.

The cold tone, devoid of laughter, made her sincerity stand out more clearly. To extend a hand to an enemy takes courage and composure. Eun-bi envied Jeong-oh’s situation, where she could maintain such composure.

“I envied you too.”

“……”

“But that doesn’t mean I want to be you. I didn’t want that 13 years ago either.”

Jeong-oh opened up sincerely.

In response to Jeong-oh’s confession, Eun-bi replied coldly.

“I don’t want to say sorry to you. I’ve just been living my best.”

However, there was no strength in her voice, and Jeong-oh felt no animosity. On the contrary, she felt anxious as Eun-bi seemed so fragile. It felt like she could disappear just like her fading voice.

And as expected, Eun-bi continued.

“But I feel like…”

“……”

“I feel like I should die.”

Eun-bi was completely broken.

Seven years ago, false testimony about Jeong Jiheon’s accident led to an innocent person being labeled as a hit-and-run driver, which ultimately resulted in her older brother killing someone. The father of the child growing inside her was the man who reported her brother.

The father, who was expected to become the Chief Justice, could not bear the shame and left this world. Meanwhile, Eun-bi’s brother attempted to kill Jeong Jiheon but ended up running into the father of her child instead.

There must have been happy moments in the past, but now Eun-bi couldn’t recall any of them. All she held was despair. Living felt like hell, and dying didn’t seem like a big deal.

Tears fell helplessly from her eyes and dripped onto her hand. Jeong-oh, who had been sitting beside her, moved closer and grasped Eun-bi’s hand. Eun-bi’s tears soaked into Jeong-oh’s palm.

“Cha Eun-bi. Don’t be weak.”

Jeong-oh said, lifting her head to look at Eun-bi.

“It’s okay. I don’t need an apology. Of course, I would like one, but my greed shouldn’t harm you.”

Jeong-oh didn’t wish for this kind of ending either. She had only imagined Eun-bi crying and giving a heartfelt apology, but she never wished for her spirit to be shattered by that pain.

“This too shall pass. You’ll overcome it and be okay. There will come a moment when you’ll be thankful just to be alive.”

I hated you, but I don’t want you to give up on life. I want you to overcome everything!

“I know because I’ve lived as a single mother for seven years. As hard as it is, it’s also rewarding. I feel proud of myself. Things that seemed hopeless can eventually turn into happiness.”

On days when the outside world frustrates her to no end, there are times when she wants to frown but has to smile because of her child. That forced smile eventually became a genuine expression of her feelings. That’s why, at some point, she was able to say she was happy.

You will come to know that kind of life too. Someday, you will be happy just to be alive.

“You can do it. You will do well.”

Her clear voice quivered. Looking up at Jeong-oh, Eun-bi’s face was contorted with emotion. She appeared as a fragile woman that Jeong-oh just wanted to embrace and comfort.

Eun-bi ultimately couldn’t hold back her emotions and burst into tears.

Eun-bi’s crying continued for a long time. Jeong-oh couldn’t embrace and comfort her, but she quietly stayed by her side.

“If you need my help, just say so. I’ll help you with anything I can.”

As Eun-bi’s tears began to subside, Jeong-oh spoke.

After a long hesitation, Eun-bi made a request to Jeong-oh. It would be her first and last request.

“……Can you help me meet someone?”

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

The next afternoon, Jeong-oh visited Bae-il in the hospital.

“Hello. How have you been?”

Bae-il blinked in surprise at the sudden visit before answering.

“I’m getting better.”

“Jiheon didn’t come. I came alone today.”

Jeong-oh approached and explained her purpose.

“Actually, someone wants to see you, but I can’t bring them without asking for your opinion first. I received a note.”

As Jeong-oh handed him the note, Bae-il’s expression grew heavy as he looked down at it. He had an idea of who might be asking.

After delivering the note, Jeong-oh left immediately. Once she was gone, Bae-il unfolded the note.

As expected, the note was from the person he had anticipated.

“Dear Kwon Bae-il, this is Cha Eun-bi.

I’m pregnant. You know well how the child will look.”

However, the unexpected content made his heart sink.