A child who looks like me

The year-end night was brightly adorned with colorful lights, yet employees had no time to enjoy it.

After their honeymoon, Jeong-o and Ji-heon found themselves buried in work. The only source of vitality came from the fresh-faced interns who had just joined the company.

Max Planning’s internship program was popular among college students, as it offered a chance to secure a full-time position after two months of evaluations by executives and practical staff.

In the bustling Production Team 2, an intern had joined. She was a 23-year-old female student hoping to become a copywriter.

“Actually, I wanted to bring in a male intern, but Director Jeong Ji-heon personally selected her,” Team Leader Seong Mi-ran hinted to Jeong-o on their way to meet the intern.

Oh, how considerate of Director Jeong Ji-heon.

Meanwhile, their colleague Song Gi-hoon was eyeing any opportunity to send her to a different team.

Jeong-o sighed deeply, her gaze cloudy.

Even after getting married and announcing their relationship to the company, Ji-heon’s behavior hadn’t changed.

He would always linger around Jeong-o for at least an hour each day, keeping an eye on who was trying to flirt with her or causing her trouble, often making excuses to be nearby.

So far, this hadn’t led to any major problems, but it was entirely possible that someone might feel disgruntled about it.

If either Ji-heon or Jeong-o made any mistakes, it could escalate the situation. So, Jeong-o became even more cautious.

“Hello! I’m intern Kim Bo-ram.”

While lost in thought, Team Leader Seong Mi-ran brought in the intern. The intern had a youthful face that naturally invited smiles.

“Kim Bo-ram, this is designer Ko Eun-joo, employee Song Gi-hoon, PD Park Young-kwang, and this is copywriter Lee Jeong-o.”

“Oh, you’re the copywriter! Hello! Nice to meet you!”

Bo-ram greeted Jeong-o brightly after Mi-ran’s introduction. Jeong-o welcomed her back warmly.

“I’m glad to meet you too. Let’s get along well.”

“Since Kim Bo-ram aspires to be a copywriter, it would be best for Lee Jeong-o to mentor her,” Mi-ran suggested as she organized the seating. Jeong-o felt a sense of positive energy returning after a long time.

Bo-ram maintained a cheerful expression and carried out her tasks diligently. With Bo-ram around, a smile rarely left Jeong-o’s face.

“Kim Bo-ram, your expression is so bright. You hear that a lot, don’t you?” Jeong-o asked.

“Not necessarily. The atmosphere in our team is so good and warm,” Bo-ram replied.

“…….”

“And I think our department director is really cool!”

Jeong-o’s eyes widened at the unexpected confession.

“Ah… Director Jeong Ji-heon?”

“Yes! I thought he was a model. How can he be so good-looking?”

“…….”

“How old is he? He can’t be older than his early thirties; he must be incredibly capable!”

It seemed she hadn’t heard anything at all.

Jeong-o pursed her lips as she listened to Bo-ram excitedly share her thoughts.

“I had a brief conversation with Director Jeong earlier, and I was so moved when he encouraged me that Production Team 2 is a really busy team but also a talented one, so there’s a lot to learn here. He’s really sweet and gentle.”

Sweet and gentle?

Those words had never been used to describe someone from the same company.

Is our director managing his image?

If he was indeed managing his image, there would be no need to reveal the truth so early. Jeong-o decided to indulge in a bit more praise for her husband, finding unexpected joy in Bo-ram’s words.

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

As the day passed, Bo-ram’s admiration for Ji-heon grew even stronger.

During lunchtime, as she set her tray down in front of Eun-joo, she spoke with enthusiasm.

“I overheard Director Jeong Ji-heon talking with the AE earlier. He speaks so well and has incredible charisma!”

If Jeong-o had been present, the praise would have been well-received, but Bo-ram had chosen her audience poorly. Eun-joo stared at Bo-ram with an expressionless face, yet Bo-ram didn’t stop talking.

“He had this furrowed brow while he was speaking, but his voice was so nice that he felt like a celebrity. Even if the director got angry, I don’t think I’d feel bad about it.”

Eun-joo, who had been quietly listening, looked as if she had just eaten something unpleasant.

Interrupting Bo-ram, Eun-joo replied sternly, “Bo-ram, shouldn’t you feel bad if the director gets angry?”

“Oh… I was just speaking hypothetically, that if Director Jeong got angry, it would be because I did something wrong… since he’s the director.”

“Well, do you really think all directors have sound judgment?”

Since Eun-joo wasn’t responding, Bo-ram began to sense the tension and fell silent. Dejected, she didn’t speak for the rest of the meal. Only after leaving the cafeteria did she whisper to Jeong-o, who she felt most comfortable with.

“Ko Eun-joo seems a bit scary.”

Did she say something harsh to her? Jeong-o was puzzled but reassured Bo-ram, patting her shoulder.

“But once you get to know her, she’s really lovely. She does her job well and is very straightforward. You’ll learn a lot from her.”

“Hmm. Still, she’s scary to me.”

Bo-ram muttered softly as she continued walking.

Not long after returning to the office from lunch, something happened.

“Assistant! Lee Jeong-o!”

Bo-ram called Jeong-o excitedly from the meeting room.

“What’s going on, Bo-ram?” Jeong-o asked as she passed by.

“Could you come over here? I need your help with this.”

Bo-ram was holding a portable crib in her hands.

Jeong-o’s team was starting a presentation for a baby products brand, which meant various items had been brought to the meeting room.

However, the portable crib had an issue. Two screws at the legs were loose, and it looked like it might tip over.

Startled, Jeong-o quickly helped Bo-ram set the crib upright. As soon as it was upright, Bo-ram let go of it. Once she did, the crib began to tilt again. Jeong-o realized she couldn’t let go now; if she did, the other leg would break.

“The screws on the crib are loose, and it looks like it’s going to fall. Can you hold it like this for a moment? I’ll quickly grab a tool to tighten the screws,” she said.

“Um… Bo-ram…”

Before Jeong-o could give any other instructions, Bo-ram had already left.

Since it was a portable crib, there should be a wrench included in the package. Jeong-o didn’t get a chance to tell her that before she left.

“Kids these days are really quick.”

Jeong-o found herself awkwardly holding onto the crib. Given its weight, it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay in the same position. She had expected Bo-ram to return quickly, but there was still no sign of her.

After about ten minutes of waiting, someone suddenly approached from behind and took hold of the crib, relieving Jeong-o of her burden.

It was none other than Ji-heon. His radar for finding Jeong-o had kicked in.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his expression stern.

“Director! I found the wrench!” Bo-ram exclaimed happily as she ran over, holding the tool aloft. She quickly positioned her hands together in front of her.

“Hello, Director.”

“What are you doing? You should be holding it!” Ji-heon scolded.

“Oh, yes, yes!”

At Ji-heon’s impatient tone, Bo-ram dashed back to support the tilted crib.

Ji-heon took the wrench from Bo-ram and tightened the screws on the crib. After checking the balance, he stood up and directed his attention to the two of them.

“Who told Lee Jeong-o to hold this?”

Bo-ram froze at his authoritative voice.

Feeling that Bo-ram might get scolded, Jeong-o quickly spoke up. “I said I would hold it.”

“Why?”

“I thought it would be quicker for Kim Bo-ram to find the wrench.”

“So, did Kim Bo-ram find it quickly?”

“Yes, she found it quickly…”

“She hasn’t answered her phone in ten minutes.”

Realizing that Jeong-o hadn’t known that Ji-heon had been trying to call, her cheeks flushed. The revelation that she had been holding the crib for ten minutes without help left Bo-ram looking pale.

“Don’t you think about your own health?” Ji-heon said, turning his attention to Jeong-o.

“Kim Bo-ram should have considered the pregnant woman, too.”

Bo-ram’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know…”

“Make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

With that, Ji-heon left the meeting room, leaving the atmosphere as cold as ice. At least it had ended without any further consequences.

After Ji-heon left, Bo-ram’s complexion quickly returned to normal.

“Assistant, you should have said something! You look so slim that I didn’t realize you were pregnant. So you’ve gotten married, too? That’s amazing!”

Instead of being disheartened, Bo-ram’s upbeat demeanor made Jeong-o feel relieved.

“Director Jeong Ji-heon is amazing, too! I never thought he would remember my name. And it’s so touching that he cares for pregnant women!”

Wait, is that really a good thing?

Jeong-o couldn’t bring herself to correct Bo-ram. It seemed that she was quite smitten.

Bo-ram began looking for another opportunity to meet Ji-heon again. As Ji-heon had pointed out, she felt like she had made a big mistake.

During the evaluation period, it was important not to give her supervisor any reason to criticize her, but it felt like she had made a blunder. Bo-ram decided to personally present the Production Team 2 expense report to Ji-heon.

Knocking on the door, she entered Ji-heon’s office.

Ji-heon glanced at her as she walked in but quickly returned to his work.

“Director, I made a mistake earlier. I’ll be more careful in the future,” Bo-ram said, bowing politely as she handed him the approval documents.

“And here’s the expense report for Production Team 2.”

“Okay.”

Ji-heon took it and tossed it aside.

Bo-ram’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. She hesitated to leave, feeling regretful about having to walk out like this. As she looked around nervously, she caught sight of a photo frame.

It was a picture of an exotic restaurant. In it, a younger Ji-heon was sitting across from a woman with long hair, both of them looking at the camera. The woman looked a bit like Lee Jeong-o.

Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Is this a family photo of yours, Director?”

The picture had been taken seven years ago in Melbourne. Ji-heon, with his usual stoic expression, answered curtly, “Yes.”

“Your younger sibling looks a lot like Lee Jeong-o.”

“They’re the same person.”

“Uh…? Are Lee Jeong-o and your sibling related?”

Ji-heon is a Jeong, and Lee Jeong-o is an Yi—what’s going on here?

Are they siblings, or are they cousins?

Or could there be… a secret about their birth?

As Bo-ram blinked in confusion, Ji-heon said, “They’re not siblings; they’re married.”

“…….”

“Didn’t Lee Jeong-o tell you?”

Bo-ram froze at Ji-heon’s disdainful expression, feeling embarrassed as her face turned beet red.

Feeling defeated, Bo-ram left Ji-heon’s office and returned to her seat, where she sat with her head down, staring blankly before approaching Jeong-o.

“Assistant, I just came back from seeing Director Jeong Ji-heon.”

“Oh, really?”

“……I’m sorry for not recognizing it….”

As Bo-ram bowed her head, Jeong-o sighed heavily, having understood the underlying meaning of her words.

“Ugh. Is he really bothering you about that again? You didn’t know until now?”

“No, no.”

“……”

“He just told me the truth. But….”

Bo-ram spoke with a trembling voice, “I think the director’s impression has changed a bit. He seemed a little… scary today.”

“That’s really true, Bo-ram.”

“Really…?”

“He’s always been like that.”

Jeong-o gently reassured Bo-ram and then went to find Ji-heon, wanting to know what had happened in the office to make Bo-ram so downcast.

However, before Jeong-o could even speak, Ji-heon bluntly asked, “Why didn’t you tell them about me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The part where I’m your husband.”

“Oh, that.”

Jeong-o scratched her nose awkwardly.

She felt good hearing nice things about him, but the truth was still what it was.

“So, what?”

“What do you mean, ‘so, what’? Why do you say it like that?”

“Talking about that just makes the intern uncomfortable. Besides, she’ll find out soon enough anyway. Bo-ram said she liked how handsome her brother was. It’s not a bad thing for him to get some compliments on his looks.”

“Just compliments on his looks? Is that all I have?”

Ji-heon’s serious response left Jeong-o feeling troubled.

Kim Bo-ram, this is the reality of the man you momentarily admired. It’s incredibly childish. It’s frustrating that I can’t reveal this to you myself.