Chapter 12
- Who is Yena? 2021.06.09.
Eun-bi walked ahead with her laptop. Jeong-o trotted after her into the conference room. Eun-bi and Jeong-o, alone in the conference room. Eun-bi, who placed the laptop on the table, asked cautiously.
“Jeong-o, what's with that expression?”
“What about me?”
“You look like you've been chewing on something sour.”
Jeong-o was dumbfounded. She had no idea why Eun-bi kept picking on her since earlier.
“Chewing on what? I'm not chewing on anything?”
“Exactly.”
“……”
“You're not chewing on anything, but you look like you are.”
“……”
“Jeong-o. I'll say just one thing for your own good. You might want to manage your facial expressions a bit better.”
“……”
“It's not like I did something wrong to get a higher position than you, right?”
Jeong-o clenched her fist at the sarcasm delivered in such a considerate tone. In a way, it was fortunate. At least she had quickly grasped Chae Eun-bi's true colors again. Right. Chae Eun-bi. You might think you've crushed my spirit, but…
‘This ajumma never despairs!’
It had been seven years since she started living as a mother in this land. Even if she leveled up only once a year, that's still level 7. Life is complicated enough without you bothering me. So, I won't allow you to harass me.
‘You'll have to try harder!’
Jeong-o was now able to burn with fighting spirit to her heart's content. Soon after, people entered the conference room. A TF team was formed for this Competitive Presentation. Deputy Manager Go Eun-ju, who was swamped with work in Team 2, was excluded, and Section Chief Chae Eun-bi, a copywriter from Team 1, and Deputy Managers Jo Si-nae and Jo Yuri, graphic designers, participated. Once all the members had gathered, the AE briefed them on the bidding details.
“The other day, Team Leader Seong Mi-ran from Production Team 1 and I visited the company and listened to their explanation. Sori Telecom, a budget mobile carrier, has developed a new application called MianTalk. They plan to run a brand advertisement to coincide with the launch. You can think of MianTalk as a simple video call application. Existing video calls have a slight delay, right? MianTalk incorporates technology that dramatically reduces this delay time. It also works relatively well in places with weak signals.”
Video call. Jeong-o's eyes lit up with interest. As someone who leaves Yena with her mother and goes to work, she makes quite a few video calls. She can't do it openly, and when she really needs to make a video call, she uses the emergency stairs or secluded places, but those places often have weak signals.
‘I hope it's a good app.’
With a fluttery heart, she started brainstorming ideas. While the briefing was in full swing, the door clicked open. Jeong-o's heart also made a thumping sound. Jeong Ji-heon entered, and the conference room instantly fell silent. The AE also stopped explaining. Ji-heon told the AE not to mind him, as if to say he wouldn't interfere.
“Please continue.”
“Ah, yes.”
While the AE's explanation continued, Ji-heon went and sat next to Eun-bi. Coincidentally, only the seat next to Eun-bi was empty. And, quite coincidentally, it was right in front of Jeong-o. Her concentration wavered. Jeong-o stealthily moved her eyes to look at Ji-heon and Eun-bi. Eun-bi was wearing a smile. She had the face of a woman who was so in love with her boyfriend that she didn't know what to do. A woman in love looked beautiful. The two of them looked quite good together side by side.
‘Are they serious?’
They must be. Why even ask. That's why they're getting married. Seven years ago, Jeong Ji-heon was a man who was extremely active in that way. He didn't discriminate about the place, whether it was the bed or anywhere else. He was the one who tormented me so much. There's no way that tendency would have gone anywhere.
‘If anything, it would have gotten worse, not better.’
A woman he's been seeing for a few months couldn't possibly beat a woman he's been seeing for several years.
‘Besides, I'm now someone who doesn't even exist in this man's memory.’
Jeong-o resigned herself and turned her head towards the AE. But, one of her cheeks felt strangely hot. It felt like someone was staring intently at her…
‘Gasp!’
As soon as she subtly turned her head again, her eyes met Ji-heon's. Jeong-o quickly lowered her head. As if burying her head in her notebook.
‘No, why are you looking at me!’
If you came to the meeting, you should focus on the meeting, why are you looking at me. With your girlfriend right next to you! After acting so quickly, she thought her reaction might have been too much. This man has lost all memories of her, he might not have been looking at her. Jeong-o reflected and raised her head again. Fortunately, people hadn't noticed Jeong-o's suspicious behavior.
“They plan to incorporate text messaging and gaming services here. News and shopping services will also be opened sequentially. The app is still in the beta testing stage, so we haven't been able to access it directly. Sori Telecom said they would contact us soon. Please pay attention to security. The competing companies are Gwangya Communication, Ruru Media, and Max Planning.”
After the AE's briefing, Eun-bi asked a question.
“What's the bidding scale?”
“It's 5 billion won for 3 months, including ATL (broadcast advertising) and BTL (outdoor advertising). Production costs and online are separate.”
“Sounds good.”
Ji-heon, who had been listening quietly, said with a smile. The eyes of those gathered in the conference room shifted to Ji-heon. Even in the midst of all that, Jeong-o felt uneasy because it still felt like Ji-heon was staring at her. What sounds good. What's so good about it.
“I look forward to it.”
Look forward to it? What are you looking forward to. Why are you saying such a burdensome thing while looking at me? It felt like he was glaring at her, and it also felt like he was observing her closely. Jeong-o was constantly anxious, wondering if anyone would find this gaze suspicious.
* Every time I go to work, I feel like I age by a year. It was well past 9 PM when Jeong-o arrived home. Yena enthusiastically greeted Jeong-o, who opened the front door listlessly.
“Mommy!”
“Yena, you're still not asleep?”
“Yeah! I was waiting for Mommy. Mommy, let's go to sleep quickly.”
Yena grabbed Jeong-o. Jeong-o smiled brightly at Guk-soon, who followed behind, and went into the room with Yena.
“Mommy, I spread out the blanket.”
Yena said with sleepy eyes. A thick mattress was spread out in the room. She was proud of her daughter, who knew what to do without being told.
“Good job, princess. Let's go to sleep quickly.”
Jeong-o lay down immediately, thinking she needed to get Yena to sleep quickly. Yena hugged Jeong-o tightly and inhaled in her arms as if smelling her. Jeong-o gently stroked Yena's hair.
“Did you meet Do-bin today too?”
“Yeah. But Mommy, you know.”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Park Do-bin keeps following me around. It's so annoying.”
Yena raised her head and showed her face as she spoke. While saying it was annoying, there was a clear smile on her face even in the darkness. Oh, so cute. She's so pretty, so she's popular. Mommy is also very tired. Yena was the strength that kept Jeong-o going.
“Did you teach Do-bin Go today?”
“Mommy, the teacher teaches Go. Do-bin and Yena both learn from the teacher.”
“That's right. We learn from the teacher.”
Jeong-o agreed with Yena's correct answer and sighed. I wish I had a teacher to teach me about life too. A teacher who would tell me the answers when problems arise. After putting Yena to sleep, Jeong-o came out to the kitchen and took out a can of beer from the refrigerator. Guk-soon, who had finished hand-washing the laundry, came out of the bathroom and glared at Jeong-o before placing dried squid in front of Jeong-o. Hooo, a night where even with her favorite snack in front of her, her sigh deepened.
“Are you going to make the ground sink with all that sighing?”
Guk-soon spoke sullenly.
“Mom, should I quit my job?”
“Yeah. Quit.”
Guk-soon easily answered Jeong-o's complaint.
“Let's just quit everything. Mom will quit the restaurant too.”
“No, why would Mom quit the restaurant. You can just work with me.”
“What use would I have for you. You can't even cook rice properly.”
Guk-soon pointed out sharply.
“Wouldn't it be nice if I had inherited your cooking skills?”
“You said Mom didn't need to be good at cooking. That your hands would suffer later.”
“I said that because I was worried you'd have a hard time with your in-laws. Did I know you wouldn't even show me what kind of family that in-law family was?”
No. It's better for Mom not to know about that in-law family. Guk-soon's tone quickly softened, as if she thought she had said something too harsh.
“I didn't have anything to pass down, so I passed down my fate. I did.”
Jeong-o, following her mother, became the second single mother in this family. Jeong-o also thought she had said something unnecessary. Her mother had lived her life to the fullest, and she felt sorry for her mother who was sorry about it. Her mother, who had raised her alone, was Jeong-o's sun and path. Her mother was the teacher of her life. It was by chance that she came to live the same fate as her mother, but Jeong-o had to prove with her life that it could never be a source of sadness. Lee Jeong-o is Lee Guk-soon's treasure, Lee Guk-soon's pride.
“Why. Is the company not good?”
Guk-soon asked worriedly.
“No, I was just saying.”
Jeong-o laughed it off, regretting the words he had blurted out so easily. If someone asked if he didn't like the company, he really had nothing to say. Except for Ji-heon, everything else was far better than the company he used to work for. Jeong Ji-heon. That one person was just too powerful.
*
The days were getting hotter. Jin-seo was hesitant to turn on the air conditioner so early, fearing they'd be stuck with it all summer, so she took out a fan. Her two children, Do-bin and Do-yoon, sat in front of the fan, singing songs. Jin-seo chuckled at their voices, scattered by the fan blades. She reached out and took Do-yoon, brushing his teeth well and washing his face clean. Washing the three-year-old Do-yoon wasn't too difficult. The problem was Do-bin. Quickly realizing what his mother had planned, Do-bin hid while Jin-seo took Do-yoon inside.
“Park Do-bin. Come out here. You need to wash.”
“Wash what?”
The sound came from the closet. Jin-seo approached the closet.
“Everything. Brush your teeth, wash your face, wash your hands and feet.”
“Can’t I just wash my face and not brush my teeth?”
“Are you even asking that? Of course not.”
Slam!
“Aaaaaah!”
As Jin-seo opened the closet door, Do-bin pushed her back and ran away. Washing him was hard enough, but now she had to play tag before the ordeal. Fortunately, he was caught quickly today. However, the seven-year-old son, who had grown taller and bigger, struggled to escape his mother's grasp.
“Mom, just today. Just once. Just once.”
“There’s no ‘just today.’ Do you want the Cavity bug to eat you all up?”
“No! No! I won’t brush my teeth, aaaaaah.”
Jin-seo eventually sighed and let go of her son, who wouldn't listen to reason. She finally resorted to the last resort. Lowering her voice as scarily as a scene from a horror movie.
“Are you going to brush your teeth, or get hit by Mom?”
“……Get hit.”
“Come here.”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Why! You said you’d get hit, why are you running away!”
As the second round of tag began, the front door opened. Seung-gyu, who had come home from work, slipped into the bedroom to avoid the angry Jin-seo and began to change. Do-bin chased after him and hid behind Seung-gyu.
“Park Do-bin, come here. Are you coming or not?”
“Dad. Save me. Save me.”
“Come here when I’m asking nicely!”
“That’s not asking nicely, aaaaaah.”
Seeing the fire in his wife's eyes, Seung-gyu became humble and coaxed Do-bin.
“Do-bin. You should listen to your mom.”
“No! Mom said she’d hit me!”
Do-bin screamed with tears welling up in his eyes. But Jin-seo wasn't one to back down.
“If you keep doing that, I might just tell your friend Yena everything. That Park Do-bin doesn’t brush his teeth and is super dirty.”
At that moment, a miracle happened.
“Mom, I’ll brush my teeth.”
As if the name 'Yena' was a magic spell, Do-bin's attitude suddenly became docile. He took Jin-seo's hand and walked into the bathroom on his own. Seung-gyu's eyes widened as if they would pop out. Good heavens. My child has changed. Who knew my dirty son, who secretly eats boogers, would do this? Seung-gyu asked Jin-seo, who came out of the bathroom looking exhausted, with great interest.
“Who’s Yena?”
He wanted to find out who this person was, whoever she was, and bow to her in gratitude.
“She’s Do-bin’s friend from the Go academy. She’s pretty. And she seems very smart and capable. The director praises her a lot too.”
“Oh. A wonderful child, huh?”
“Yeah. I hope Do-bin gets along well with her.”
“Yeah. He should get along well with her.”
Seung-gyu felt a surge of excitement for the first time in a while.
