A child who looks like me

Eun-yeob woke up in the deep night.

It took her half a day to regain her senses as her head throbbed. She could move her body but didn’t make any effort to do so.

Giving up on talking to anyone, she tried to recall what had happened just before the accident. The car she was driving, which had sped towards Jiheon, had been wrecked by an unexpected obstruction.

The old car she had borrowed had not had its airbags checked, which was a disaster, and Eun-yeob had been caught in the fallout.

The last person she had seen just before the accident was Kwon Bae-il. And in the fading consciousness, she heard Jiheon calling out, “Soo-il.”

Jiheon and Kwon Bae-il had conspired to push her to the brink of death.

All her plans must have failed, Jiheon was probably fine, and she had no idea if Kwon Bae-il was dead or alive.

Then who was standing outside?

It must have been the police.

Eun-yeob closed her eyes again, trying not to show that she was awake.

First, she needed to understand what had happened while she was unconscious, and how her fate would unfold once she left the hospital.

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

While Guk-soon and Jiheon prepared for the celebration, Jeong-oh spent time with Ye-na. Ye-na was intently looking at the ultrasound photo and then asked Jeong-oh.

“Is this baby inside mommy’s belly?”

“Yes. Ye-na’s little sibling is in mommy’s belly.”

“How did it get in there? Did mommy eat it?”

Jeong-oh’s eyes flickered. He had to answer this correctly.

Clearing his throat, Jeong-oh replied slowly.

“Mommy and Daddy have a special seed that can create a baby, and Daddy gave the baby seed to Mommy. So Mommy’s baby seed met Daddy’s, and now they are raising the baby inside Mommy’s belly.”

Even with the answer he had memorized for this occasion, he felt a bit nervous.

“Why do you grow it in mommy’s belly? Daddy is stronger. Can’t we grow it in Daddy’s belly?”

Ye-na’s questions kept coming. Jeong-oh couldn’t help but laugh at her idea.

Oh, Ye-na, if it were possible, I’d want that too.

“No, it’s not possible. There’s a warm and cozy baby house only in mommy’s belly. This is the baby house.”

Jeong-oh pointed back at the round baby house in the photo.

Ye-na studied the picture again and then asked, “Did Ye-na live here too?”

“Of course. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Is the baby a girl or a boy?”

“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“I hope it comes out soon.”

“Why do you want it to come out so quickly?”

“Because I want to make it do errands.”

While he felt a little concerned about the reason Ye-na wanted her sibling to be born quickly, Jeong-oh sighed in relief internally.

Even though she had been a mother for seven years, she still felt like a beginner. She constantly faced new challenges and sweat bullets every time. What other adventure could be as difficult and exciting as this? Raising a child was always a nerve-wracking adventure.

As Jeong-oh watched Ye-na brushing her doll’s hair, she got up from her seat and went to the kitchen, wondering if she could help with anything, but it seemed there was no room to intervene between Mrs. Guk-soon and Jiheon.

It appeared that the two had developed a sort of system. Guk-soon seemed proud to finally have a proper assistant after living with a daughter who couldn’t help in the kitchen for thirty years.

As Jeong-oh sat at the counter and picked at the food, Guk-soon scolded her.

“Eat later.”

“Why does it matter if I eat it first? You’re just going to give it to me anyway.”

“Guests are coming, so hold off and stop picking at everything.”

“What can I do? If I’m hungry, my stomach feels queasy.”

Jeong-oh pouted and replied. The second pregnancy had come with morning sickness, and she felt much worse on an empty stomach. Eating something helped her feel a little better. While it was concerning for Guk-soon to witness, it was actually a good excuse for Jeong-oh.

As she rolled her eyes, she noticed the beautiful pumpkin pancakes Jiheon had placed in front of her. The red peppers and crown daisies on top made it look like flowers were sitting on each pancake.

“Did you make this, oppa?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Why can’t you draw pictures when you can cook so beautifully?”

It wasn’t meant to be a jab; she genuinely wondered. Jiheon shot a glance at Jeong-oh, and Guk-soon, who had been listening to their conversation, chuckled and asked,

“Can our Jeong son-in-law not draw?”

“No, Mother. He draws well. I think Jeong-oh is just jealous because I can do everything well.”

“Why be jealous? That’s childish.”

As Guk-soon sided with Jiheon, he stuck out his tongue. Jeong-oh, who had just been enjoying teasing, casually lifted her arm and accidentally bumped the ladle holder with her elbow.

“Ouch.”

Jiheon, who had been teasing Jeong-oh moments ago, quickly changed his expression and rushed over to her.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Jiheon’s suddenly serious expression, Guk-soon couldn’t help but smile. The bickering between them resembled that of siblings, but the way he took care of her was undeniably like a loving couple.

“Stay still.”

Jiheon seated Jeong-oh at the table and returned to the counter. Jeong-oh found herself unable to approach the counter at all.

A little while later, Seung-kyu’s family arrived. The booming voice of Dobin was the first to be heard.

“Ye-naaaaa!”

“Dobin-aaaa!”

At the sound of Dobin calling her, Ye-na ran over. As soon as she met Dobin, she shared her happy news.

“I’m going to have a little sibling! They’re going to be born next year!”

“Really? My sibling is going to be born next year too!”

“Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yeah! It seems like our siblings made a promise!”

Through the conversation of the two children, Jin-seo suddenly understood the reason for their invitation.

“So that’s why you called us! Congratulations! Our third baby has made a friend so quickly!”

Seung-kyu also chimed in to congratulate her.

“If I had known, I would have brought a gift.”

“It’s not too late now. Order something online.”

Jiheon replied to Seung-kyu. Seung-kyu could definitely tell that Jiheon had changed a lot.

Time flies when you’re with good people.

After Seung-kyu’s family left, Guk-soon, while putting Ye-na to bed and tidying up, turned to Jeong-oh, reminiscing about the evening.

“Thanks to you, I laughed a lot today.”

“Yeah, Mom. It was fun, right?”

A family celebration to commemorate her pregnancy with loved ones; it was something Jeong-oh had never experienced before.

Behind the happy sentiment, Guk-soon’s lament continued.

“I still need to greet my in-laws.”

As Jeong-oh was arranging the dishes, her hands suddenly paused. She recalled the conversation she had had with Jiheon earlier that day. Jiheon had mentioned calling Jae-gwang but had only received a response that he would call back later.

After finishing the cleanup and greeting Guk-soon, Jeong-oh entered the bedroom and asked Jiheon,

“Isn’t it a bit strange?”

“What’s strange?”

“About your father.”

Jiheon nodded in agreement with Jeong-oh’s question. His father’s reaction was indeed unusual. Jeong-oh suggested subtly to Jiheon,

“Why don’t you ask Manager Oh?”

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

The next morning, Jiheon and Jeong-oh went straight to the hospital.

They received unexpected news from Manager Oh, Jae-gwang’s secretary: Young-mi had collapsed a few days earlier and had been hospitalized. It was a chaotic time with many incidents in and out of the group, so no one could be informed.

Upon hearing the news, Jiheon showed no signs of agitation. However, Jeong-oh, who knew her husband didn’t express his emotions outwardly, sensed that his breathing had deepened. Jeong-oh persuaded Jiheon to visit the hospital.

The ties of family are incredibly strong, even when they aren’t at their strongest. The only scissors that can cut those ties lie within the heart, and sharpening the blade in one’s heart can hurt their own heart as well.

So, cutting the ties is difficult.

After watching Young-mi for a few days, Jae-gwang returned to work to handle the backlog of duties, leaving a caregiver by Young-mi’s side. While Jiheon spoke with the caregiver outside the hospital room, Jeong-oh entered the room first to be alone with Young-mi.

She was relieved to have come to see her, even if it was late. It had been almost two months since she had seen Mrs. Jang Young-mi, and she looked utterly lifeless. Her thin body struggled to even move a finger as she quietly exhaled.

How painful it is that the heart never ages, yet the body slowly dies. This grief cannot be understood unless one watches it closely. Young-mi’s memories of her life would be flowing through her mind now.

“Do you still resent me?”

Jeong-oh sat in the chair beside Young-mi. Young-mi turned her head to look at Jeong-oh, her parched lips seeming to search for water. Jeong-oh raised the adjustable bed to help Young-mi sit up and moisten her lips.

Young-mi painfully swallowed a sip of water. Jeong-oh lowered the bed again to let Young-mi lie down comfortably.

In the quickly drying air, Young-mi, who had been silent for a moment, spoke in a voice cracked like a desert.

“At that time…”

“…”

“I didn’t know… you were pregnant.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I made it hard for you.”

Jeong-oh’s eyes widened at the unexpected apology. She tried to maintain her composure, but her heart began to tremble.

Despite having waited so long for those words, her chest felt as if it had collapsed. She felt she might cry before Young-mi did.

She was certain this was a difficult and hard-won voice to express.

Still, it felt unfair.

She didn’t want to receive an apology from someone who seemed weak. The feeling of looking at a weakened person could only soften her resolve.

She wanted to stand equally before her and receive the apology with a sincere expression.

However, she couldn’t help but think of her husband.

The biggest victim of all these events was Jiheon. Chae Eun-yeop, Chae Eun-bi, and Ham Dae-geun had not properly apologized to Jiheon. He had received an apology from Kwon Bae-il, but another wound had been left on him.

Still, her husband did not show signs of distress. Even as he sometimes thrashed in nightmares, he marched forward, believing that everything would be fine if he moved on.

Those who apologize deserve a chance to do so. Jeong-oh had learned this teaching from Guk-soon.

Even if her heart wasn’t ready, for her husband’s sake, she had to accept the apology. She didn’t know when or how things would change.

Jeong-oh also opened her parched lips.

In that moment, the half-open door swung wide open.

“Mother.”

With a calm voice and equally steady steps, Jiheon approached.

Jiheon quickly lowered himself to match Young-mi’s gaze, sitting closely in front of her.

“I know how difficult it is to apologize. Right now, it must be even harder for you to move.”

It seemed he had heard Young-mi’s voice from outside.

“But I can’t accept that kind of apology.”

At Jiheon’s words, Jeong-oh gasped in surprise.

Is this really okay?

Hey, Jeong Jiheon, your mother is sick! Is this really permissible? Won’t you regret this?

Jeong-oh looked back and forth between Jiheon and Young-mi. She could see Young-mi’s eyes trembling. The cold rejection from Jiheon had deeply hurt her.

“Are you saying that a few words will resolve the past and make you feel better?”

Jiheon’s forceful tone made Jeong-oh beside him feel anxious.

“Think carefully. Was it only Jeong-oh and me who suffered because of you?”

Although Jiheon’s voice was calm and cold, there was a small tremor in it.

As his quiet resentment continued, Jeong-oh felt her heart growing warmer.

Somewhere that hadn’t hurt before was starting to sting.

“Don’t try to feel comfortable.”

It sounded like a word of resentment, but perhaps Young-mi wouldn’t grasp it.

Yet, in Jeong-oh’s eyes, Jiheon’s sincerity was unmistakable.

“Overcome this. Get well and apologize again. I will keep waiting.”

It was also a son’s faith that his mother would not so easily leave him.