A child who looks like me

Eun-bi was very pleased.

After complaining about Jeong-o to Assistant Manager Jo Si-nae, things became easier. She had someone who could torment Jeong-o in her place—a leader of action.

Today, Si-nae had already given Jeong-o an excellent directive without even being asked. She requested that he take care of the advertiser’s hospitality.

The AE who was on a business trip said they would hurry back, but it would likely be after 7 PM, and everyone in the production team was busy with their own tasks.

Everyone would be leaving the company en masse after 8 PM. So, Jeong-o would have to handle the advertiser alone for over an hour.

Eun-bi felt a thrill at the thought of watching Jeong-o sweat.

Unable to sit still, Eun-bi leisurely wandered around the office. During her stroll, she ran into Ji-heon’s secretary, Yoon Ae-ra.

Eun-bi greeted her warmly.

“Ae-ra, are you off work?”

“Yes, Manager.”

“Has the Director left too?”

“I heard the Director went to meet with the production team and the advertiser. Didn’t you go with him?”

Her carefully crafted smile quickly faded.

Eun-bi dashed to the team and immediately called for Assistant Manager Jo Si-nae.

“Jo Si-nae.”

“Yes, Manager.”

Si-nae stood up with a puzzled look at Eun-bi’s angry expression.

“You sent Jeong-o to prepare for the dinner all by himself?”

“Ah… Yes. The other team members are all busy.”

“But how can you send him alone? How can a copywriter handle the advertiser on his own!”

***

Ji-heon had never adjusted his pace to match someone else’s. The women who stood beside him had always had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

But for the first time, Ji-heon matched his pace to that of a woman.

He didn’t even notice that his shoulder was getting wet while he was focusing on keeping her body dry.

He wished the short walk to the convenience store across the street would take an eternity, but soon they arrived at the other side.

In front of the convenience store, Jeong-o asked, “Thank you. Should I buy an umbrella for the Director too?”

“No, that’s fine.”

Because I’m going to share it with you.

Ji-heon concealed his true feelings as he answered.

Without insisting a second time, Jeong-o entered the store alone and soon emerged holding two umbrellas.

“Here you go. Use this, Director.”

Ji-heon looked down at the umbrellas with displeasure.

Not only was he unhappy that Jeong-o had bought two, but the umbrellas were yellow—something a child might use.

“Can’t I get a refund? I have tons of umbrellas at home.”

Jeong-o subtly frowned.

A rich person, acting stingy over a single umbrella.

“Then just use it today, and you can give it back to me later. I don’t have any umbrellas at my house.”

Jeong-o stated this matter-of-factly and moved ahead. There was no time to bicker. She had to find a place quickly and contact the advertiser to take them to the dinner location.

Before leaving the company, she decided to check the seats in the order they were confirmed. The pub Gi-hun recommended seemed quite decent.

“No need to look around; this will do.”

“Yes. If anyone complains that the place is wrong, I’ll say it was your choice, Director.”

At Jeong-o’s jest, Ji-heon chuckled lightly.

As soon as they settled at the pub, Jeong-o’s phone rang. The advertiser’s contact appeared on the screen.

“Yes, Assistant Manager. Where are you right now?”

Jeong-o cautiously answered the call. After firmly grasping the advertiser’s current location, Jeong-o quickly hung up and stood up.

Ji-heon also got up.

Jeong-o stared at Ji-heon and said, “How about you join us later, Director?”

“Why?”

“Think about it. You’re a director, and I’m just a manager. Wouldn’t it be a burden for you to come out personally to host? Can you comfortably drink?”

“Still, it’s better than handling it alone.”

“Haha. It’s all right.”

Jeong-o chuckled lightly.

Hmph. What does she take me for?

I’m a Strong Woman on This Land

I’m not afraid of anything.

Advertisers, come to me!

Every fiber in my body for hosting a dinner buzzed with excitement, ready to go.

Due to Jeong-o’s insistence, Ji-heon had to leave the dinner location.

Considering returning to the office, Ji-heon settled into a café right next to the dinner venue.

Unable to shake off his worries, he decided to stay in the café for just 30 minutes before heading out again.

As the time dragged on, what felt like a whole day passed in those 30 minutes.

Before he knew it, the rain had stopped.

With a determined mind, Ji-heon stood up.

As he headed towards the dinner venue, the AE in charge of the Daewon liquor brand ran over, panting and greeting him.

“Phew! Are you here too, Director?”

“I heard that a copywriter is handling two advertisers by himself.”

“Yes, it seems like other production team members will be arriving soon too.”

***

Ji-heon and the AE walked with anxious hearts.

As they opened the pub door, faint laughter from Jeong-o could be heard.

In the spacious area, Jeong-o was seated across from the two advertisers, having a fun and lively conversation.

“Do you know why you shouldn’t slam the car door?”

“Correct! Because there are four car doors!”

With the advertisers’ silly question, Jeong-o enthusiastically exclaimed. The advertisers laughed, clapping their hands.

“Assistant Manager, when is the last train?”

“Oh, Assistant Choi said he lives in Bundang. I’ll check the last train time.”

“Next question. In which area does the wind blow cutely?”

“Correct, Bundang! The wind blows in Bundang~”

Throwing light questions at the advertisers and responding swiftly to their trivial inquiries, Jeong-o surprisingly managed the time well.

As Ji-heon and the AE got closer, Jeong-o beamed and introduced Ji-heon to the advertisers.

“Our AE has arrived. And this is our headquarters’ Director, Jeong Ji-heon.”

“Hello, I’m Jeong Ji-heon.”

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you for the first time, Director…”

At Ji-heon’s greeting, a female manager blushed as she responded.

“Soon, the production team members will all be here. I hope they can assist you two.”

“Assistant Jeong-o has already shared a lot about the project direction and provided many creative tips, Director.”

Jeong-o’s face lit up.

Her round forehead was glistening. Although she was smiling brightly on the outside, it seemed she had been sweating quite a bit. Ji-heon regretted not arriving sooner, thinking about how hard she must have struggled against the liquor company employees.

After a while, the production team members joined them, arriving 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. Eun-bi’s face was flushed, seemingly displeased about something.

As more people arrived, Jeong-o could subtly slip away.

Moments later, after smoothing her chest with her hand, Jeong-o stood up from her seat. Ji-heon, who had been watching her, quietly followed suit.

Jeong-o headed straight to the convenience store outside.

As she picked up a hangover drink to pay, a hand suddenly appeared from behind.

It was Ji-heon.

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Oh, then this one.”

Jeong-o picked the most expensive drink. Ji-heon paid for both.

“Thank you.”

Jeong-o bowed to Ji-heon and gulped down the drink.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

She looked quite fine on the outside, so Ji-heon felt relieved and asked her.

“How did the advertisers respond? Which idea did they like the most?”

He opened the conversation with work-related talk because he wanted to keep her around a little longer.

However, she couldn’t answer immediately.

Her cheeks puffed up and then deflated repeatedly, as if she were about to regurgitate everything she had drunk. It was a cute expression, but it looked precarious.

“Did you drink a lot?”

“They said they needed opinions on the taste of the alcohol, so I drank whatever they offered.”

Jeong-o replied with a look of enlightenment.

“You drank whatever they offered? Even soju and beer?”

“I thought you’d come in 30 minutes, and the AE would be here soon too, so I just had to hold on for 30 more minutes.”

“You really lack flexibility.”

At her response, Ji-heon became a bit angry. It seemed she had overdone it. He wished she had taken better care of herself.

“Isn’t it something you should know yourself? That you can’t go beyond this point?”

“The advertisers liked all the ideas. But it didn’t seem like any particular one caught their attention.”

As he reprimanded her, unexpectedly, Jeong-o gave an answer to his previous question.

“Maybe the concept might change a bit, Director.”

Not wanting to appear drunk, her voice was overly clear, which smoothed Ji-heon’s furrowed brow.

“Feelings change. They have to keep changing. You have to keep making choices depending on the situations you face.”

“……”

“There was a couple who loved each other.”

Suddenly, the conversation took a turn into a story reminiscent of the beginning of a romance novel.

Seemingly hesitant to use definitive expressions, she quickly changed her wording.

“……They thought they loved each other, but maybe they didn’t. As soon as the man learned about the woman’s pregnancy, he left. So the woman raised the child alone.”

What could be the meaning behind bringing up such a topic? Was she just drunk?

Ji-heon quietly sighed and crossed his arms.

Yeah, let’s see where this goes, he thought.

“But then the man appeared before the woman a few years later.”

He didn’t want to get swept up in such trivial stories, but her serious tone and gaze made it impossible for him to remain silent.

“Why did he only show up now? To take the child away? The child who had become the woman’s everything?”

He pondered her question, which had a touch of curiosity.

Ji-heon opened his mouth to say something, but she spoke first.

“If that’s the case, then she should stop him, right?”

“……”

“To protect her child, the woman would do anything. Wouldn’t she?”

“……”

“She can do anything. There are no limits.”

A clear glassy film covered her eyes thickly.

Her gaze, filled with determination, was so intense that it felt like it could melt the glassy film covering her eyes.

His heart throbbed as if it had been burned.

He hadn’t even had that many drinks, yet his head throbbed painfully, like someone was prodding him with a needle.

Amidst all this, he couldn’t suppress the desire to have her.

What was it about this woman that made him yearn for her so deeply?

She was a woman who was hard to define in just a few words.

She would casually throw out her thoughts and then turn away.

Ji-heon felt an unjust sense of frustration at being swept away alone. He wanted her to look back.

How can I make you look back?

How can I keep you close?

If he could just make her look back, he felt he could do anything, whatever it took.

“Jeong-o.”

Ji-heon called her name softly and affectionately, imagining her father.

She paused.

Her reaction was swift.

She stopped walking and slowly turned her head.

The tears that had once been a clear film were already melted and fallen to the ground.

He had only called her name, yet it seemed she forgot to breathe.

Her lips, slightly parted, trembled helplessly.

Ji-heon was also surprised.

Had she found a vision of her father summoned by the alcohol?

Or did she really mistake him for her dad? Did she want to be mistaken?

Her gaze was filled with a longing to believe, even while doubting something.

The joy of having moved her, combined with the thrill of seeing a side of her he had never witnessed before, made his heart pound painfully in his chest.

Just a little more.

Driven by the desire to delve deeper into her heart, he impulsively asked her,

“Can you see me?”

“……”

“Do you recognize me?”

At his question, she let out a breath that resembled a sigh.

With each step, the distance between them shrank. She took a step closer, struggling to part her lips.

“……Oppa….”

The words that tumbled out, filled with emotion, were unclear.

To him, who didn’t know the full story, it sounded like “Dad.”

He should feel proud that she had reacted, but a heavy stone seemed to settle in a corner of his heart.

***

To her, ‘Dad’ is a figure of tears.

Suddenly, he thought he had touched something that should not be disturbed.

He quickly reached out to recover the situation, but—

Her hands, slowly rising, brushed against his cheek first. Ji-heon’s eyes widened.

Just like a week ago in the lounge, when she had sat in front of him, shedding thick tears, her gaze was swirling, as if it would pull him in, contorting her face.

“……You came back?”

She asked, her voice muffled by tears.

Was she asking if his memories had returned? If he could now recognize her?

Even though he could never understand her poignant circumstances.

Once again, he was helplessly being drawn in.