Translator: Nox

Chapter 57

57. Goodbye Yena 2021.11.13.

---

The sun had completely set by the time they reached Seoul. As they got closer to her place, Jeong-o's face flushed. She had been so cautious and defensive when he first made a move, but now she just stared out the window, her shoulders bobbing, and Ji-heon felt a little resentful. I'm so sad to be parting with you, but you look so happy to be going home.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course. I haven't seen my daughter in so long.”

Ji-heon's rendezvous was nice, of course, but it couldn't compare to the excitement of seeing Yena. It was the first time she had been away from her daughter for so long. Jeong-o's heart was already pounding at the thought of holding Yena in her arms.

“Just drop me off here. It's faster to walk from here.”

As soon as she saw the convenience store at the corner, Jeong-o blurted it out. Ji-heon pulled over, and Jeong-o yanked open the door.

“Thanks for today. See you the day after tomorrow!”

A simple goodbye, devoid of any lover's sentimentality. Had she thrown all that sweet, sticky air that had surrounded them an hour ago onto the road? Ji-heon watched her run off without waiting for his reply, and his heart ached again. Jeong-o rushed up the stairs and stood in front of her front door. She was so excited that her eyes were already watering. She thought she could hear the voice of Yena's favorite cartoon character from inside. She immediately opened the door and went inside.

“Princess Yena!”

“Mommy!”

Yena, who had been waiting for her mother with bated breath, doing somersaults on the blanket spread out in front of the TV, ran to the front door at the sound of her mother's voice.

“Mommy!”

Oh, you pretty thing! Jeong-o hugged her little princess tightly and swung her around. Her mother, Guk-soon, soon followed. Guk-soon greeted her as usual, as if she had seen her yesterday and the day before.

“Did you eat?”

“I ate a lot on the plane.”

“Is that enough? Come and eat more.”

“Mommy, where's my present?”

Yena asked, clinging to Jeong-o's waist. In the meantime, Guk-soon took the bag that Jeong-o had brought and wiped the wheels. Jeong-o opened the bag and handed Yena her present. It was a doll of a mother kangaroo with a baby kangaroo in her pouch.

“Wow!”

Yena hugged the doll as if she had fallen in love with it at first sight. A moment later, Yena ran to her room with the doll tucked under her arm and came back with her sketchbook.

“Mommy, I drew a picture!”

The mother and daughter in the picture looked as affectionate as she and Yena, and Jeong-o was impressed for the first time in a long time.

“Wow! Did you draw Mommy and Yena? It's so pretty!”

“No, it's a kangaroo.”

“Wow! It's a kangaroo. There's such a pretty kangaroo!”

Jeong-o immediately changed her words and cheered even more excessively. Guk-soon burst out laughing as if she couldn't help it.

\ At the same time. Do-bin's house was like a funeral home. Do-bin burst into tears like a waterfall at his father's order to quit the baduk academy.

“I'm going to keep going to the academy. Baduk. Baduk.”

“Park Do-bin. Won't you stop?”

“Baduk academy! Baduk academy!”

Seung-gyu's stern reprimands were useless. Do-bin lay down in the living room, kicking his feet wildly in the air, venting his anger. Do-bin's stubbornness, which even smallpox couldn't beat, bared its ferocious teeth. Jin-seo also complained to Seung-gyu, feeling upset.

“It hasn't been long since Yena and he became friends, do you really have to break them up like that? He's only seven years old, so what if his learning efficiency drops a little? It's enough if he enjoys going.”

“It's hard for him.”

“He says it's not hard. I said I'd take him and pick him up, so why are you doing this?”

When Jin-seo repeatedly asked why, Seung-gyu turned his head away. Jin-seo felt even more suspicious and turned Seung-gyu's head back to face her and asked again.

“Tell me honestly. Are you sorry to me, or are you just worried about the tuition?”

“……”

“Tell me quickly. What's the problem?”

His wife was pressing him so hard that he had no choice. Seung-gyu let out a long sigh and confessed the truth.

“Yena's mom's name is Lee Jeong-o, right?”

“Yes. Lee Jeong-o.”

“She's a copywriter at our company. Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-o.”

“Oh. Max Planning?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that's even better! What's the problem with that?”

Seung-gyu sighed again.

“Ji-heon likes Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-o.”

“Ji-heon has a girlfriend, right? Eun-bin or something.”

“No. That's fake. The person he really likes is Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-o.”

Jin-seo blinked blankly, then tilted her head and asked.

“But why?”

“She's a single mom.”

“……”

“She hid that she was a single mom. From Ji-heon.”

“……So Ji-heon told you not to let him see Yena's mom anymore? To you?”

“No. Ji-heon doesn't know yet. That Yena's mom is Assistant Manager Lee Jeong-o.”

Seung-gyu sighed for the third time.

“I'm worried Ji-heon will fall for her even more. I can't wish for him to end up with a single mom.”

“Hey. Park Seung-gyu.”

His wife, whom he revered, called his name as if she were calling their son, Do-bin. It was something that happened maybe once a year. Seung-gyu's shoulders, which had been drooping, tensed up. He could see lightning flashing in his wife's eyes. Seung-gyu had forgotten for a moment how scary his wife was.

“Jeong Ji-heon likes her, right? Who are you to judge him as you please?”

Her beloved husband. She tries to listen to what her husband says as much as possible. Because that leads to peace in the family. But today, Jin-seo was greatly disappointed in her husband. In the foolishness of this man who knew one thing but not two.

“How wonderful is Yena's mom, how wonderful! She's much more wonderful than me! I have a perfectly good husband and both my parents, but I'm so daunted at the thought of having a third child, and Yena's mom gave birth to a child all by herself without a husband, cheering herself up! Do you even know what it's like to give birth? Huh?”

Her voice grew louder. The sorrow of her third pregnancy was added to today's anger, and she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I wish I could put Do-bin and Do-yoon, who were in my belly, in your belly for just one day. You don't know that feeling. You'll never know until you die, you.”

Seung-gyu hid his lips as his wife raged like fire. Still, it was fortunate that he understood when she scolded him. Jin-seo sternly ordered Seung-gyu.

“Tell Jeong Ji-heon the truth right away. And you stay out of it.”

Jin-seo firmly believed in her gut feeling. Lee Jeong-o, whom she knew, was definitely not a bad person. Jeong Ji-heon's life would not fall into ruin just because he became close to Lee Jeong-o. She could guarantee it.

“Don't let Yena and Yena's mom get hurt. Or I won't let you get away with it.”

“……”

“Don't make my son cry either.”

\ The next day. He had put off work urgently and gone on a business trip, so he had a lot to do. Ji-heon went on business trips here and there and returned to the company in the afternoon.

- Are you back at the office?

Not long after he entered his office, a text message arrived from his friend Seung-gyu. Seung-gyu had been looking for Ji-heon several times today. Ji-heon sent a reply and waited for Seung-gyu. He had a hunch what it was about. He had probably finished his investigation into Lee Jeong-o. However, Ji-heon became nervous, wondering if it was something that required him to be found so urgently and repeatedly. He hoped it wasn't a terrible story. Like Lee Jeong-o was still seeing her ex-boyfriend. But then again, if it was a problem involving a child, it seemed natural to continue seeing the child's father. The child would miss her father, and she would have to receive child support from the child's father. How much could he understand her story? In the end, it was a matter of his own heart. Come to think of it, no matter what terrible story she had, his heart wouldn't change much, so he didn't think he needed to hear the results of the investigation from Seung-gyu. While he was pondering, Seung-gyu entered the office.

“Did your business trip go well?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

“What do you mean, thanks to me.”

Seung-gyu's expression looked heavy as he replied. Ji-heon offered Seung-gyu a seat and sat down in front of him. He asked directly without dragging it out.

“Did you find out?”

“Yeah.”

“There's no man, right?”

“There's no man, but……”

“What about the child's father, don't you know what kind of guy her ex-boyfriend is?”

“It doesn’t seem like you’ve grasped that well either……”

“Then that’s enough.”

A smile quickly appeared on Ji-heon’s face. There was no need to hear more. However, Seung-gyu’s expression was still not bright.

“No, there’s something more important than that, my friend.”

“……”

“You know Yena, right? Do-bin’s friend, Yena.”

He paused. The smile he had painted on his lips crumbled. Ah. He didn’t know why he felt that way at that moment. A steep wave surged from his heart. It felt like finding the bluebird he had wandered the world searching for right beside him. The feeling of finding a puzzle piece that had made him rummage through every corner of the house lying on his desk.

“……I heard that her mother is Deputy Lee Jung-oh.”

At Ji-heon’s dazed expression, Seung-gyu jumped and waved his hands wildly.

“I didn’t know! I really didn’t know! My wife said that Do-bin’s mother approached first, not Yena’s mother. Do-bin’s mother tried to become close to Deputy Lee Jung-oh. Because Yena is so smart and capable, she thought it would be good if Do-bin and Yena were friends……”

He was agitated, afraid of being misunderstood.

“At least she wouldn’t have used Yena to approach you. That’s for sure. My wife is even more certain than me. I don’t know how it was for you……”

But Ji-heon.

“I thought so.”

“What?”

“I kept thinking about it.”

He just smiled faintly. Now he seemed to know. Why he felt so choked up looking at the child. Because she looked so much like her. As if his subconscious had already made a decision long ago, he felt strangely relieved.

“Can you help me a little?”

Ji-heon asked his friend once again.

“Help me.”

Seung-gyu was right. He really ended up asking for help.

*

After the long Competitive Presentation preparation and weekend business trip, Jeong-o was granted a vacation. It was only a short one-day vacation, but Jeong-o was able to relax for the first time in a while. Well, she didn’t go to work, but it wasn’t like she was resting. After sending Yena to daycare, she helped her mother, Guk-soon, with her restaurant work at lunchtime. She had a magical talent for making food taste bad as soon as she touched it, so she couldn’t help with the cooking, only with serving. Even so, she was very busy. Guk-soon told her to go in and rest, but Jeong-o stubbornly did the dishes too. After moving around so busily, it was time for Yena to go to Go academy. Today, Jeong-o was going to take Do-bin and Yena to the academy. She also planned to invite Do-bin, Do-yoon, and Jin-seo to her house for dinner. She knew that Jin-seo had been through a lot, so she wanted to express her gratitude in any way she could. She first stopped by Yena’s daycare to pick up Yena, then walked to Nightingale Daycare to pick up Do-bin, and then took a taxi. Even in the taxi, the children’s friendly voices never stopped. Do-bin looked even more moved today. Jeong-o smiled as she watched Do-bin holding Yena’s hand tightly and not letting go. When they arrived in front of the academy and got out of the taxi, Jin-seo called.

“Yes. Do-bin’s mother, Do-bin and Yena have just arrived in front of the academy.”

Jeong-o thought Jin-seo was worried and called, so she told her the news as soon as she answered the phone.

[Jeong-o, Yena’s mother, actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you. I told you that Do-bin has a friend, right? I don’t know if you’ve heard about it from Yena, but he and Yena have become very close.]

It was a topic she had never expected, and Jeong-o’s eyes widened.

“Ah, yes. You’re talking about the person who played Go with Yena, right?”

[Yes, yes! That’s him. But he went on a business trip overseas this time and bought gifts. He said he wanted to give them to Yena together with Do-bin.]

“Oh, no! You really don’t have to do that. It’s okay.”

[He said he bought the gifts thinking of them, so I couldn’t just say no. It’s embarrassing, but…….]

“……”

[He happens to be passing by the Go academy, would you like to meet him?]

She would normally refuse, but.

[Yena’s mother must have been curious about what kind of person the man Yena is talking about is, so I thought it would be good to see his face once. What should I tell him to do?]

Jeong-o changed her mind at Jin-seo’s persuasion. She didn’t think it was a big deal to worry about. Anyway, he was a grateful person. Jeong-o was also curious about his face since he liked Yena so much.

‘Ah, it’s not because Mom said he was handsome that I’m curious.’

Jeong-o hid her slightly guilty heart and answered Jin-seo.

“Yes, then I’ll meet him here and say hello. The children will know his face, so it will be easy to find him.”

Jeong-o said lightly and hung up the phone.

“Mom, why?”

As soon as she hung up the phone, Yena asked with wide eyes.

“You know the man who came to Do-bin’s house before, right?”

“I know! Go Uncle!”

Do-bin answered first to Jeong-o’s question.

“Yes. Go Uncle. That man is coming here.”

“Why?”

“He said he’s bringing gifts?”

“Yena’s gift?”

“What about Do-bin’s gift?”

Following Yena, Do-bin also asked with sparkling eyes.

“He said there’s both Do-bin’s and Yena’s.”

“Wow!”

The children jumped up and down and clapped their hands. An age where they just like gifts without any pressure. Jeong-o also put down some of the burden in her heart. He said he was giving the gift because he thought the child was cute, so she should gratefully accept it. Jeong-o held both children’s hands and waited for ‘that person’ to come. Soon, a car stopped a few steps away.

“Oh……”

Jeong-o paused. A car she had seen often. A vehicle license plate that had become familiar to her. Before she could even confirm the person, the tip of her nose tingled. Soon, the driver’s seat door opened and a man got out.

“Uncle!”

“Mister!”

The children ran towards him, calling him by the name that was easiest for them to say. But Jeong-o couldn’t move as if her feet were stuck to the ground. Ji-heon patted the shoulder of Do-bin, who had run up to him first, and asked.

“Do-bin, have you been well?”

His slightly dry yet gentle voice reached Jeong-o’s ears like a cool breeze on a summer evening.

“Yes!”

Do-bin answered his greeting energetically. Soon, Ji-heon’s gaze moved to Yena, who was standing behind him. Ji-heon, who had stepped forward, knelt down on one knee in front of Yena to match her height. Someday. A scene that always had to be prefaced with the word ‘someday.’ A dreamlike scene that she could draw in her mind with her eyes closed, but felt so distant when she opened her eyes. That scene was now in front of Jeong-o’s eyes. He greeted Yena.

“Hello, Yena.”

Haa. A hot exclamation burst out. Jeong-o unknowingly covered her mouth.