Chapter 59
59. Because it's you, a fun story 2021.11.20.
Children's Day, Christmas, and birthdays. These days are the most special of the 365 days of the year for a child. It goes without saying that birthdays are the best. But, this man ruined my birthday. Yena glared with a sense of betrayal beyond words.
“Mom. Change companies.”
Ji-heon felt like he was suffocating. I didn't know! I really didn't know! But when he recalled the memories of that day, he had nothing to say. Jeong-o's working overtime that day was not her fault, but Jo Si-nae's scheme. Besides, Jeong-o pleaded with Ji-heon several times that day. But even when Ji-heon asked why she was trying to go home early, she didn't answer. She hid the existence of her child, so of course, she couldn't answer. Ji-heon was caught up in unnecessary jealousy and held her back. Why can't humans turn back time? If he could turn back time, he would go back to that day and tell her to go home right away and celebrate her daughter's birthday. Ji-heon looked at Jeong-o with a nervous heart. Jeong-o was smiling with the most comfortable expression in the world. The daughter was glaring and the mother was smiling deeply, which made him even more dizzy. It felt like the two women had put him on the cutting board and were measuring whether to cook him this way or that way. Ji-heon couldn't say it directly, but sent a signal to Jeong-o with desperate eyes to help him. Jeong-o, reading his eyes, persuaded Yena.
“Yena. Mom can't quit her job right away. Mom has to earn money too.”
“Then change before my next birthday.”
However, Yena's stubbornness is second to none.
“I see.”
Jeong-o said to Ji-heon with a smile. She didn't seem to want to persuade Yena any further. Ji-heon felt her smile was cruel. My heart is pounding. How did this relationship start, and I never thought I would face opposition from her daughter.
“Yena, wait here. I'll bring the car.”
“Mom, let's just walk.”
Yena didn't even pretend to hear Ji-heon's words, and said while holding her mother's hand tightly. Ji-heon couldn't stop Yena, so he left the car in the parking lot and followed Yena, trailing behind her.
“Yena. I was wrong.”
“Liar. You're going to do it again.”
“No. I won't do it again.”
“Then you won't make my mom work overtime anymore?”
“……At least I won't make her do it. If something happens to Yena, I'll tell her to go right away.”
“…….”
“……Yena. Do you want to play Go with me?”
Yena pursed her lips tightly and turned her head away from Ji-heon. The child was more difficult than Lee Jung-o. He had never soothed an angry child, no, he had never had such a long conversation with a child. This time, Jeong-o stepped in.
“Yena. He even bought you a present.”
But Yena glared at her mother as if she was about to return the koala doll she had put in her bag. Jeong-o swallowed hard at Yena's determined expression. This level of stubbornness must be Jeong Ji-heon's genes? Jeong-o quickly changed her words and soothed Yena.
“He didn't know, so he did that. If he had known, he would have let Mom go early. Our Yena understands, right?”
“But Yena's seventh birthday only comes once.”
Tears welled up in Yena's eyes.
“Why does Mom only take his side? I'm Mom's daughter, not him, so why are you only scolding me?”
Waaaaah! Yena, overwhelmed with sadness, burst into tears again. Jeong-o and Ji-heon were both embarrassed. Ji-heon froze, not knowing what to do, and Jeong-o reached out and hugged Yena. He's so good at Go, but at times like this, he's just a seven-year-old.
\ Seung-gyu also left work early and came home because his father-in-law and mother-in-law had come. As soon as he opened the front door, Do-bin ran out and hugged Seung-gyu.
“Dad!”
Yesterday, he was so angry that he was about to cut ties with his father, but in just one day, his face was completely relaxed.
“Did Do-bin have a good time at Go?”
“Yes!”
“What did you learn today?”
“Go!”
Right. You can't expect too much from a seven-year-old. It's enough if he's healthy. A moment later, Jin-seo also came out of the kitchen. The house was quieter than he thought, so Seung-gyu asked.
“Where are your mother and father?”
“They went to buy toys with Do-yoon.”
Seung-gyu sighed, knowing how much Do-yoon must have begged his grandparents to buy him toys. Jin-seo's expression was just bright. Jin-seo followed Seung-gyu, who was going into the room to change his clothes. With a face that was itching to talk. Seung-gyu seemed to know why Jin-seo's expression was so good, so he opened the conversation first.
“You must have seen Ji-heon and Lee Jung-o.”
“Yeah. I saw them. But those two are weird.”
“Why? What is it?”
“They look too good together. It's weird.”
His wife already had the two of them at the wedding hall. Seung-gyu chuckled at Jin-seo's full smile.
“What good is it if they look good together? Yena doesn't like it.”
“Huh? Yena seemed to like Ji-heon too?”
“After you left, Yena told Ji-heon that she never wanted to see him again.”
Seung-gyu delivered the latest updated information. Jin-seo's eyes widened.
“Why? What happened?”
“Ji-heon used to make Lee Jung-o work overtime.”
“She works overtime often.”
“That day was Yena's birthday.”
“Ah!”
Jin-seo opened her mouth wide and clapped her hands. Jin-seo also remembered that day clearly.
“That makes sense. Yena cried a lot that day. Because her mom didn't come.”
After hearing the story, Jin-seo felt sorry for Ji-heon.
“Oh my. Why did Ji-heon do that? He should have been nicer. You be careful too. You never know what might happen, what kind of relationship might come your way. Be nice to everyone.”
“Anyway, I'm glad I talked about it. I feel relieved that the two of them will take care of it. It's surprisingly fun to see Ji-heon being so anxious.”
“See? I told you it was a good idea.”
The couple, who had recovered their marital harmony in just one day, smiled at each other. \ Yena's eyes were red until she entered Guksun Baekban. Guk-soon saw Yena like that and ran over.
“Why is our puppy like this? Did your mom scold you?”
“Grandma.”
Yena hugged her grandmother with an even sadder face when Guk-soon recognized her. Only after Guk-soon patted her a few times did Yena calm down and eat her meal. After closing the store and doing the dishes, Jeong-o told Guk-soon what had happened today.
“You know the man who played Go with Yena when she went to Do-bin's house?”
“Yes, I do. That handsome young man.”
“Yeah. That young man is the director of our company.”
“Really?”
Guk-soon's face lit up for a moment, as if she had a good impression of Ji-heon.
“But why? Why was Yena crying?”
“That director made me work overtime. She's sulking because I worked overtime even on her birthday.”
“Ah. That director is that director?”
Only then did Guk-soon's face darken. Guk-soon snorted and said coldly.
“I thought he was polite and handsome, so I had a good impression of him. But I don't like him either. I don't like anyone who harasses my daughter.”
Jeong-o watched Guk-soon's reaction. Oh no, Jeong Ji-heon. He got on my mom's bad side before he even met her. This is why people should be kind and live a good life.
“It's because of work. It can't be helped. Mom, anyway, our Yena is a Go prodigy.”
Jeong-o subtly defended Ji-heon and immediately changed the subject. * The next day. As soon as Ji-heon got to work, he called Jeong-o.
“Is Yena not angry anymore?”
“Pfft.”
Jeong-o, who had visited Ji-heon's office with various documents, thinking he was looking for materials related to overseas business trips, burst out laughing at his first words.
“Don't laugh.”
Ji-heon said with a serious face. Last night. Ji-heon couldn't sleep. The woman who had been rummaging through his head every night was Lee Jung-o, but yesterday it was Lee Yena. Yesterday, Yena burst into tears on the street, and eventually, Ji-heon had to turn away because she told him to go away. He couldn't make the child cry anymore, so he had no choice. Somehow, he had become a man hated by the daughter of the woman he liked. He had dreamed of an ideal scene where he would become close to Yena and make Lee Jung-o unable to do anything, but it was better to go back to before he told Yena. Jeong-o said calmly as if it were someone else's business.
“I guess we can't meet then.”
“Don't even say that.”
Feeling uneasy that Jeong-o might suddenly leave, Ji-heon brought her further inside and made her sit on the sofa.
“I’ll just sit here for five minutes.”
She smiled at him with an air of condescension, as if bestowing five minutes upon him. Ji-heon checked the time without realizing it. Until now, nothing had ever gone against his wishes. Even if things didn't go his way, he lived believing he could simply give up. His life had been so easy, yet he never knew he would crave something that wouldn't go his way so desperately. Lee Jung-oh fits me perfectly, like she's completely mine. No, she's a woman who constantly stimulates me, even more than what suits me. My body reacts to every glance, voice, gesture, and touch of yours, yet you have someone more important than me. He found it ridiculous that he was jealous of a kid. But he couldn't hate the kid who had a face exactly like Lee Jung-oh.
“Does Yena still tell you to change companies?”
Jeong-o nodded silently. Ji-heon sighed deeply and leaned back on the sofa. Jeong-o was delighted, as if she had discovered a cute side of Ji-heon.
“Isn’t our Yena pretty?”
“She is pretty. I’ve never seen such a pretty child. But that’s…”
“She’s quite stubborn, isn’t she, taking after someone? I didn’t pass on that stubbornness.”
Jeong-o, having read his mind, tactfully added to his unfinished sentence. Ji-heon narrowed his eyes and threatened.
“If you’re going to talk about that bastard, you better not.”
That bastard. There is only one person Jeong Ji-heon calls that bastard. Lee Jung-oh's ex-boyfriend. Yena's biological father. Jeong-o hid her empty heart and continued to speak. If you regain your memories, then that will be another new beginning in its own way. We'll face a tough fate. But please.
“Anywhere, somehow. Even in a barren land where flowers don't seem like they could bloom, pretty flowers can bloom.”
“……”
“Even if he and I were in such a pathetic relationship, something brilliant could still come out of it.”
Please remember. Our Yena is so pretty.
“Aren’t you talking about her too nicely?”
But contrary to her wishes, he only complained.
“And don’t say ‘that person,’ say ‘that bastard.’ What’s with treating him like a person?”
He doesn't even know who that bastard is, but he doesn't want to treat him like a person. We have a long way to go, Jeong Ji-heon. While Jeong-o was feeling discouraged, Ji-heon was thinking something different. If she had so much pent up inside that she wanted to talk about it, if she felt like she couldn't bear it without pouring her heart out to someone, then he thought it would be okay for her to pour it all out to him.
“If you want to talk about that bastard so much, don’t say good things, just curse him out.”
He wanted her to pour it all out and completely forget that bastard. With such a generous heart, Ji-heon added his request. Pfft. But she burst into laughter again. Ji-heon couldn't understand why she was doing that at all.
“That bastard.”
At least then she accepted Ji-heon's advice and used the word "that bastard" instead of "that person." His bubbling insides seemed to calm down a bit.
“Now that I think about it, he was a bit of a pervert.”
“Crazy bastard. I knew it.”
“Still, don’t say that. He’s our Yena’s dad.”
“If he hasn’t shown up until now, that says it all.”
Pfft. Why does she keep laughing? Ji-heon felt a little dizzy from her provocation, giving both the whip and the carrot.
“If that bastard ever comes looking for you, be sure to contact me.”
“Why?”
“Why else? I need to teach him a lesson.”
“How are you going to teach him a lesson?”
“I’ll make sure he can never come back.”
“……”
“Can I break everything that’s visible?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“I’ll take that as permission.”
“But he’s strong.”
“I’m stronger.”
Right. You two should fight it out. That would be something to see. He would never dream that Jeong-o was thinking such a thing.
“Still, I’m grateful. I can’t help it. He made Yena.”
“Aside from making Yena, what else did that bastard do as a father?”
“That’s everything. It’s the most important thing.”
Her calm words made his heart feel heavy and soaked. He had filled his heart completely with one person, but somewhere it felt empty. The sorrow of feeling like you are everything to me, but I can only be a part of you, like he would be in unrequited love with one woman for the rest of his life. Why on earth was he so helpless against such a cruel woman? He strode closer to her and devoured her hateful but lovely lips in one go. A stinging sigh escaped through the slightly parted lips, as if in some pain. His mouth was sweet and his head was tingling, as if he had swallowed several spoonfuls of sugar. The desire born of jealousy had quite a long aftertaste, and soon five minutes had passed. No, ten minutes.
“Now I get it a little.”
He said, looking at her after taking his lips away.
“You’re doing it on purpose? You knew I would do this.”
“No. I’m not.”
Her whole face turned red, and she spoke with her lips glistening.
“Yes, you are. I clearly said it. I’d torment you if you talked about that bastard.”
He was only confident in tormenting her.
