A child who looks like me

Eun-bi walked ahead, carrying the laptop.

Jeong-oh followed closely behind her into the meeting room.

It was just Eun-bi and Jeong-oh in the meeting room.

After placing the laptop on the table, Eun-bi casually asked,
“Jeong-oh, why does your expression look like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like you’re chewing on something.”

Jeong-oh was taken aback. He couldn’t understand why Eun-bi kept picking on him.

“What am I chewing? I’m not chewing on anything!”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“……”

“You look like you’re chewing on something, even though you’re not.”

“……”

“Jeong-oh, I’ll just say one thing for your sake. You should probably work on your facial expressions.”

“……”

“I’m not at a higher rank than you for no reason, you know?”

Eun-bi’s sarcastic tone, delivered in a thoughtful voice, made Jeong-oh clench his fists.

In a way, it was a relief.

At least he had quickly figured out Eun-bi’s true nature again.

Yeah, Eun-bi.

You might think you’ve dampened my spirit, but—
‘I, as a mother, will never despair!’

It’s been seven years since I’ve lived as a mother in this land. Even if I only level up once a year, I’m level 7.

My life is complicated enough without your torment. So, I won’t allow your harassment.

‘I really need to buckle down!’

Jeong-oh felt a fire igniting within him.

A little while later, people started coming into the meeting room.

This competitive PT had formed a TF team. With Ko Eun-joo from Team 2 stepping out, Team 1 was represented by copywriter Chae Eun-bi, graphic designer Jo Si-nae, and Jo Yu-ri.

Once everyone was gathered, the AE briefed them on the bidding details.

“Two days ago, I and Team 1’s leader, Seong Mi-ran, visited the company for an explanation. A new app called ‘Me & Talk’ is being developed by the budget mobile carrier, So-ri Telecom. They plan to run brand advertisements in line with the launch. Think of Me & Talk as a simple video call app. The existing video calls usually have some delay, but Me & Talk has incorporated technology that significantly reduces this delay time. It works quite well even in areas with weak signals.”

Video calls. Jeong-oh’s eyes lit up with interest.

Given that he was leaving Yena with his mother while working, he used video calls quite often. Although he couldn’t do it openly, whenever he had to, he would use the emergency stairs or secluded places, which often had weak signals.

‘I hope a good app comes out.’

With a flutter of excitement, he began brainstorming various ideas.

***

While the briefing was ongoing, the entrance door suddenly swung open.

Jeong-oh’s heart skipped a beat.

Jeong-hee walked in, and the meeting room fell silent at once.

The AE also paused their explanation.

Ji-heon told the AE not to worry about him.
“Please continue.”

“Ah, yes.”

As the AE resumed their explanation, Ji-heon sat down next to Eun-bi. Coincidentally, only Eun-bi’s seat was empty, and it was right in front of Jeong-oh. His concentration faltered.

Jeong-oh stealthily turned his gaze to Ji-heon and Eun-bi.

Eun-bi was smiling. She had a look that said she couldn’t contain her happiness with her boyfriend. A woman in love looked beautiful.

The two of them looked quite well together.

‘Are they close?’

That must be the case. No need to ask.

It meant they were going to get married.

Seven years ago, Ji-heon was a very passionate man in that regard.

He didn’t care about locations—whether it was a bed or anywhere else.

He was someone who had tormented Jeong-oh. That kind of inclination wouldn’t just disappear.

‘If anything, it would only increase, not decrease.’

A woman he has been dating for a few months can’t possibly compete with a woman he has been with for years.

‘Besides, I’m a person who doesn’t even exist in this man’s memory anymore.’

Jeong-oh turned his head toward the AE, resigning himself to the situation.

But then, one side of his cheek felt strangely prickly.

It felt like someone was staring at him intensely…

‘Gasp!’

As soon as he subtly turned his head again, he made eye contact with Ji-heon. Jeong-oh quickly lowered his head, almost burying his face in his notebook.

‘No, why is he looking at me?’

If he came to the meeting, he should focus on the meeting, not be looking at him, especially with his girlfriend right beside him!

After hastily reacting, he thought maybe he had overreacted.

This man might have completely forgotten all memories of him; he might not even be looking at him.

Jeong-oh reflected on this and raised his head again.

Fortunately, no one noticed his strange behavior.

“Here, they plan to include a text messaging service and a gaming service. They will also sequentially open news and shopping services. The app is still in the beta testing stage, so we haven’t been able to access it directly. So-ri Telecom will contact us soon. Please pay attention to security. The competing companies are Gwangya Communication, Lulumi Media, and Max Planning.”

After the AE finished the briefing, Eun-bi asked a question.

“What’s the bidding scale?”

“Combined ATL (above-the-line advertising) and BTL (below-the-line advertising) will total 5 billion won for three months. Production costs and online expenses are separate.”

“That sounds good.”

Ji-heon, who had been quietly listening, smiled as he spoke.

The gazes of everyone gathered in the meeting room shifted to Ji-heon. Even amidst that, Jeong-oh felt like Ji-heon was still staring at him, which made him feel awkward for no reason.

What’s so good about it? What’s so great?

“Looking forward to it.”

Looking forward to what?

Why is he saying something so burdensome while looking at me?

It felt like he was either glaring at him or observing him closely.

Jeong-oh felt nervous the whole time, worried someone might find this gaze suspicious.

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

Every time he goes to the office, it feels like he ages a year.

He arrived home well past 9 PM.

Yena opened the front door weakly, greeting Jeong-oh with enthusiasm.
“Mom!”

“Yena, you’re still not asleep?”

“Yeah! I was waiting for you, Mom. Let’s go to bed quickly.”

Yena pulled Jeong-oh along. Jeong-oh smiled brightly at Guk-soon, who followed behind, and entered the room with Yena.

“Mom, I’ve spread out the blankets.”

Yena said with sleepy eyes. The yoga mat was spread out wide in the room. He felt proud of his daughter, who knew how to do things without being told.

“Good job, princess. Let’s sleep quickly.”

Jeong-oh thought he needed to get Yena to sleep right away, so he lay down. Yena hugged him tightly and took a deep breath as if smelling him. Jeong-oh gently patted Yena’s head.

“Did you meet Dobin today?”

“Yeah. But, Mom…”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Park Dobin keeps following me around. It’s driving me crazy.”

Yena lifted her head and showed her face as she spoke.

Despite saying it was annoying, a smile was evident on her lips even in the darkness.

How cute. She’s so pretty, of course she’s popular. Mom is really tired, you know.

Yena was Jeong-oh’s source of strength.

“Did Dobin teach you how to play Go today?”

“Mom, you learn Go from a teacher. Dobin and Yena both learn from a teacher.”

“Right. You learn from a teacher.”

Agreeing with Yena’s answer, Jeong-oh sighed.

I wish I had a teacher to guide me through life. A teacher who tells me the right answer when problems arise.

After putting Yena to bed and heading to the kitchen, Jeong-oh took a can of beer from the refrigerator.

Guk-soon, who had finished hand-washing, came out of the bathroom and glared at Jeong-oh, then presented him with dried squid.

Sigh. Even with his favorite snack in front of him, the night felt heavy with sighs.

“Are you going to sigh like that until the ground collapses?”

Guk-soon said bluntly.

“Mom, should I quit my job?”

“Sure. Go ahead and quit.”

Guk-soon easily replied to Jeong-oh’s complaints.

“Just quit everything. I quit the restaurant too.”

“No, why would you quit the restaurant? You could just run it together with me.”

“Use you for help. You can’t even cook properly.”

Guk-soon pointed out sharply.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if you had at least inherited some cooking skills?”

“You said there’s no need for you to be good at cooking. You said your hands would suffer later.”

“That was because I thought you might have to live with your in-laws. Did I think the place you’d marry into would be so terrible?”

No. Mom is better off not knowing about that family.

Realizing she might have said something too harsh, Guk-soon’s tone softened quickly.

“I had nothing to pass on, so I passed on my fate.”

Following her mother, Jeong-oh had now become the second unmarried mother in the family.

Jeong-oh felt she had also spoken unnecessarily.

Her mother had done her best to live, and Jeong-oh felt sorry for her mom who seemed to be apologizing for it.

Her mother, who raised her alone, was Jeong-oh’s sun and path. Her mother was indeed the teacher of life.

Although she had ended up living a similar fate as her mother, Jeong-oh needed to prove that it could never be a sadness in her life.

Lee Jeong-oh is Lee Guk-soon’s treasure, Lee Guk-soon’s pride.

“Why? Is the company not good?”

Guk-soon asked with concern.

“No, I was just saying it for the sake of saying it.”

Jeong-oh laughed it off, reflecting on the words he had carelessly let slip.

If someone asked if the company was good, he truly wouldn’t have an answer. Everything was far better compared to the previous company, except for Ji-heon.

Ji-heon. That one person was overwhelmingly powerful.

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

The days are getting warmer.

Worried that if she turned on the air conditioner now, she’d be stuck with it all summer, Jin-seo took out a fan.

Her two kids, Dobin and Doyun, sat in front of the fan, singing. Jin-seo chuckled at the sounds of their voices scattering as they hit the fan blades.

Reaching out, Jin-seo took Doyun and cleaned his face and brushed his teeth.

Washing the three-year-old Doyun wasn’t too difficult. The problem was Dobin. Having quickly sensed what kind of plan his mother had, Dobin hid while Jin-seo took Doyun inside.

“Park Dobin. Come out quickly. You need to wash.”

“Where are we going to wash?”

A sound came from the wardrobe. Jin-seo approached it.

“You need to wash everything. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and clean your hands and feet.”

“Can’t I just wash my face and skip brushing my teeth?”

“Is that even a question? Of course not.”

Suddenly, the wardrobe door burst open!

“Ahhh!”

As Jin-seo opened the wardrobe, Dobin pushed her back and ran away. Not only was washing him a struggle, but now she had to play tag before getting it done.

Fortunately, she caught him quickly today. However, her seven-year-old son, who had grown taller and bigger, put up a fierce resistance against his mother’s grasp.

“Mom, just today. Just once. Just once!”

“There’s no such thing as just today. Is it okay for the cavity bugs to eat you all up?”

“No! No! I won’t brush my teeth!”

With Dobin squirming, Jin-seo sighed and finally let go.

He never listens to good reasoning. Jin-seo resorted to her last method.

In a voice so intimidating it would put even the legends to shame, she said, “Do you want to brush your teeth or do you want to get hit by your mom?”

“…I’ll take the hit.”

“Come here!”

“Ahhhh!”

“Why are you running away if you said you’d take it?”

When the second round of tag began, the front door opened. Seung-kyu, who had just come home from work, sneaked into the master bedroom to avoid his furious wife and started organizing his clothes.

Dobin chased into the master bedroom and hid behind Seung-kyu.

“Park Dobin, come here quickly. Are you not coming?”

“Dad. Help me! Help me!”

“Come here quickly while I’m being nice!”

“That’s not being nice!”

Seeing his wife’s bloodshot eyes made Seung-kyu humble himself and try to persuade Dobin.

“Dobin, you need to listen to your mom.”

“No! Mom said she would hit me!”

Dobin’s eyes filled with tears as he yelled. But Jin-seo wasn’t backing down.

“If you keep this up, I might just tell your friend Yena that you’re Park Dobin and you didn’t even brush your teeth, and you’re super dirty.”

At that moment, a miracle happened.

“Mom, I’ll brush my teeth.”

It was as if the name ‘Yena’ cast a magic spell; suddenly, Dobin’s attitude changed to that of a well-behaved child. Gently taking Jin-seo’s hand, Dobin walked to the bathroom on his own.

Seung-kyu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Oh my gosh.

Our child has changed.

Who would have thought my filthy child, who secretly eats boogers, would be like this?

Jin-seo came out of the bathroom with a tired expression, and Seung-kyu asked her urgently, “Who is Yena?”

He felt an urge to visit her family and bow to them in gratitude.

“She’s Dobin’s friend from Go academy. She’s pretty and very smart. The director praised her a lot.”

“Oh. She sounds like a wonderful child?”

“Yeah. I hope Dobin can be good friends with her.”

“Right. They should be good friends.”

For the first time in a while, Seung-kyu felt a rush of excitement.