Translator: Nox

Chapter 60

60. I'll Hold Your Hand 2021.11.24.

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Eun-bi's commute was hell. She no longer found her work enjoyable. She hated the team leader who constantly demanded new ideas, and she couldn't stand Jeong Ji-heon treating her like she was invisible. Moreover, today was the day Lee Jung-o returned from her overseas business trip and vacation. Eun-bi felt like she couldn't bear to see Jeong Ji-heon gazing at Lee Jung-o so adoringly. The fact that her Oppa Eun-yeop had ordered her to stay put and not cause trouble, leaving her unable to do anything, was also incredibly frustrating and stifling. Yesterday, Ms. Jang Young-mi had called, but she didn't answer. Eun-bi could guess why Ms. Jang was calling, so she couldn't bring herself to pick up. If Ms. Jang asked if she had really broken up with Ji-heon, she would have to tell the truth, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words. Amidst all the frustration, she spotted the root cause of all this trouble: Lee Jung-o. She had seen her heading towards Ji-heon's office about 20 minutes ago, and now she was finally appearing. The thought of what they might have been doing together in the office during those 20 minutes made her blood boil. Jeong Ji-heon is mine! Eun-bi followed Jeong-o to the pantry and said coldly,

“Lee Jung-o, do you know? That you can just be thrown away.”

“……”

“Who would accept you, a single mother with nothing to your name? Someday, even Oppa will come to his senses, and you'll be abandoned. What will you do then?”

“……”

“I'm really worried about you.”

The words, spoken clearly with a hint of a smile, didn't sound like concern at all. Jeong-o seemed to understand Eun-bi's feelings well. In fact, she felt sorry for Eun-bi.

“Eun-bi, is that concern really for me?”

Jeong-o asked without any emotional fluctuation.

“Isn't being disposable your own story?”

Eun-bi's eyes widened. Jeong-o gave a bitter smile and continued,

“I'm sorry, but I'm not talking about your relationship with Director Jeong. I'm talking about your work, your job.”

“……”

“Are you a useful person at the company? Since you joined, you haven't produced any worthwhile copy. No ideas either.”

“……”

“If you keep going like this, I, as your deputy, will take your place. What will you do if the company throws you away too?”

Jeong-o saw the muscles in Eun-bi's face twitching and left the pantry first. It was a stinging criticism, but it was actually filled with humanistic sentiment. She hoped that Eun-bi would focus more on her work rather than wasting her time clinging to a relationship that was nothing. Eventually, that time would come for Eun-bi too. A time when, even if she was disappointed in people, her work would sustain her. But Chae Eun-bi might never realize that. Jeong-o felt a sense of emptiness, realizing she had been talking to a brick wall, and returned to her desk.

“Deputy Director! I missed you!”

As she returned to the team, Gi-hoon greeted Jeong-o with sparkling eyes.

“Gi-hoon, how have you been? No difficulties?”

“It's been relatively peaceful. How was your trip, Deputy Director? How's the air in Australia? I heard you used to live in Melbourne. Did it bring back old memories?”

“Yeah. It hasn't changed much. The air was good, everything was good.”

“Still, you must have had a hard time. I heard Director Jeong even went there.”

Gi-hoon leaned closer to Jeong-o and spoke cautiously.

“Deputy Director Lee Jung-o.”

At that moment, Ji-heon's voice, like that of a grim reaper, echoed from afar. Jeong-o couldn't understand how he always knew these moments and called her. Gi-hoon also returned to his seat, clearing his throat, and Jeong-o stood up and looked at Ji-heon. Ji-heon approached from the end of the hallway and said,

“Bring me the overseas business trip report by the end of today.”

Jeong-o glared at Ji-heon with all her might as he brushed past her towards the conference room.

‘Ugh. My eyes hurt.’

Abandoning her silent rebellion after only 30 seconds, Jeong-o placed her hands on the PC keyboard and thought that she needed to take the next step quickly.

‘I need to meet with a lawyer as soon as possible.’

She hadn't had time to look for a lawyer due to preparing for the PT presentation, Mi-ran's hospitalization, and the overseas business trip. Only now did Jeong-o take a breath and attempt to search. There weren't many law firms specializing in disputes related to single mothers, but there were still a few that stood out. The law firms had posted related materials on their blogs or websites, which Jeong-o carefully examined.

‘Oh. There's a story similar to mine?’

Among them, one law firm that introduced a story similar to her own caught her eye. The blog post was also up-to-date. It was a large law firm, but the fees weren't expensive, and most importantly, the consultation was free. Jeong-o made a consultation appointment with the law firm she had found and started working.

Since she had been away for three days, there was a lot to do, and it took quite a while to finish the overseas business trip report. Moreover, Jin-seo contacted her in the afternoon, so Jeong-o was in a hurry. She hurriedly took the overseas business trip report and visited Ji-heon's office again, placing the report on Ji-heon's desk and saying,

“I was busy, so I'm late. I'm sorry, Director.”

“If you're that busy, you could have done it tomorrow.”

Ji-heon said nonchalantly, flipping through the report. Jeong-o felt a surge of spite. Jeong Ji-heon, you jerk! Do you think I'll just keep getting pushed around? I'm going to mess with you too.

“Come to think of it, there was one more good thing about that guy.”

Indeed. She could see his hand, which had been examining the report, flinch.

“He looked really cool when he was cooking. And he was incredibly good at it.”

He put down the report and slowly raised his head to look at her. Jeong-o was momentarily intimidated by his sharp eyes, but she continued bravely.

"He looked so cool when he was chopping things, chop chop chop chop chop." Especially when he flipped things with the frying pan, he was the best.”

“……”

“When you make Pancake, you have to flip the Pancake, right? Like this, like this. Do you know how to flip it with one hand? Using a snap. Like this. Yes.”

Jeong-o even demonstrated the pose he made when he flipped the Pancake, stimulating him. And the finishing touch was a nostalgic gaze.

“He was really cool back then.”

Ji-heon pressed his lips tightly to avoid showing any emotional fluctuation. Could there be another woman who talks so confidently about her ex-boyfriend in front of her current boyfriend? No, am I even her current boyfriend? He had never said that.

“Lee Jung-o, there's something I want to ask you.”

“Yes. Please ask.”

“What are we?”

“……”

“Can I think of myself as Lee Jung-o's boyfriend?”

“……”

“Or are we just in a relationship where we allow each other's bodies?”

“Just allowing bodies… No, we haven't even allowed bodies.”

“Never mind. Don't say it.”

Ji-heon turned his head, worried that she might try to deny it.

“I can't even work because of Lee Jung-o's push and pull.”

“Yes. I didn't intend to push and pull, but I'm sorry for making it difficult for you to work. Then, I'll be on my way.”

As Jeong-o shrugged and took a step back, Ji-heon felt anxious again. If this isn't push and pull, then what is it?

“No, why are you leaving so quickly again?”

“Actually, I have to go out for a bit right now.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Do-bin seems to have a stomachache today and couldn't go to his academy. There's no one to walk Yena home after her academy.”

Yena. He couldn't tolerate anything related to Yena either.

“Let's go together. I'll give you a ride.”

Ji-heon also stood up. Ji-heon made an excuse that he was going out for a while and drove Jeong-o to Yena's academy. Somehow, meeting Yena felt as nerve-wracking as meeting Jeong-o.

“What does Yena like?”

As they neared the academy, Ji-heon asked.

“Can't you guess? She likes Go, the toys that kids her age like, comedy shows, puns, things like that.”

“What about food?”

“She likes ice cream the most. But I don't let her eat too much. She also likes tteokbokki and tonkatsu.”

Ji-heon carefully memorized what Jeong-o said. If he couldn't win over the child, he would lose Lee Jung-o too. Conversely, if he got closer to the child, Lee Jung-o would open her heart more. He had a vague feeling that he would continue to be by this woman's side. He was just not saying what he wanted to say because enough time hadn't passed yet. As time passed, the seasons changed, he would visit her mother, and he would take care of any potential gossip in advance. He was confident that he would gradually take the steps and eventually live with her. That's why he wished time would pass a little faster. There were many things he couldn't do because his heart was full, but time hadn't accumulated. Ji-heon realized that he had never thought about his life or future before. It was only after meeting Lee Jung-o that he became aware that he was truly living his life. Jeong-o, who had gone up to the academy, soon came down with Yena. The mother and daughter, holding hands tightly, looked good from afar and near. The woman, who was particularly haughty and picky in front of him, had a completely disarmed expression in front of her child. He didn't feel much jealousy towards the gaze she gave her child. He didn't have the same bubbling feeling as when he looked at the relationship between Song Gi-hoon and Lee Jung-o.

“Mom, Do-bin didn't come today.”

“That’s right. Do-bin has a stomachache.”

The child, who had been moving her lips like a goldfish toward her mother, turned her head to look at Ji-heon and hardened her expression. Here, one more woman was being particularly haughty and picky in front of Jeong Ji-heon.

“Are you here again, mister?”

“Lee Yena, what do you mean, ‘Are you here again, mister?’ You should say hello.”

Jeong-o sharply pointed out Yena's prickly reaction. Yena, who had been pouting for a moment, bowed with a displeased look.

“Hello, mister……”

“Hi, Yena.”

Ji-heon reached out his hand with the greeting. Yena stared blankly at the hand. Ji-heon could understand the wary look. Perhaps it was because he remembered the way she had calmly said, "I don't have a dad," when he first met her. Seeing the child made his heart ache for some reason. I want to be friends with you, but I don't really know how. But I'm going to try. Because you're the person Lee Jung-oh loves the most. In a miraculous moment, the child slowly began to move her hand. Thump, thump. Soon, a small hand like a maple leaf came up on Ji-heon's large hand.

A strange tickling sensation arose in his chest, like leaves rustling in the wind. He became careful, as if the leaf would crumble. He couldn't squeeze it tightly for fear of hurting the child, nor could he hold it loosely for fear of the child dropping it. In that tension, his head suddenly throbbed and rang. I'll hold your hand.

“What’s wrong, mister?”

Yena tilted her head and asked when Ji-heon suddenly stopped walking. Ji-heon, who had frowned without realizing it because of the sudden headache, quickly pulled himself together and shook his head.

“No. It’s nothing.”

Jeong-o also looked at Ji-heon with a puzzled look. The three walked to the parking lot. On the way to the parking lot, there was a bicycle storage area. Yena watched a child, who looked three or four years older than her, ride away on a bicycle parked in the storage area and asked.

“Are you good at riding a bike, mister?”

“Of course.”

Ji-heon replied happily. He was glad that the child was showing interest.

“Should I teach you how to ride a bike? I used to……”

Screech- A horn sound filled his head in an instant, and a throbbing pain rushed in again.

‘Ah!’

The headache, which rushed from his ears to the back of his head and then squeezed his frontal lobe, blocked his thoughts. The scenery in front of him receded as if a curtain had been drawn, and fragments of unfamiliar thoughts unfolded before him. To the baby who will be born someday. I'll let you be the first to step on the snow that fell overnight. I'll let you see the stars rising. I'll teach you how to ride a bike. I'll hold your hand.

“Jeong Ji-heon.”

Ji-heon, who had stopped walking and was holding his head with one hand, blinked. Jeong-o was looking at him with a worried look. Below her, the child who looked just like Lee Jung-oh was also looking at him with surprised eyes. Ji-heon couldn't say anything. He felt like he had been to a certain moment in the past for a very short time. It was a heartfelt letter from Jeong Ji-heon at some point in the past to someone. ……What is this memory?