Translator: Nox

Chapter 61

61. Because that person must have been waiting all along. 2021.11.27.

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Jeong Ji-heon drove in silence. He staggered once on the way to the parking lot as if he were dizzy, then returned to his usual self. But Jeong-o was worried about Ji-heon all the way to the restaurant.

'It's not just about taking Yena home, he seems like he needs to go to the hospital.'

Still, the distance from the academy to the restaurant wasn't that far. Ji-heon's car quickly arrived at the restaurant. Guk-soon, who was preparing for the evening opening, saw Jeong-o, Yena, and another guest and rushed out of the kitchen. But she hesitated when she realized that the person who came in with them was Ji-heon. Ji-heon greeted her first.

"Madam, how have you been?"

"Oh, yes. Hello... It's been a while..."

Guk-soon also greeted Ji-heon. His good looks always made her heart flutter, but knowing that he was a bad director who made her daughter work overtime and made her granddaughter cry, she couldn't fully welcome him. Still, she had to be polite. He was her daughter's boss.

"Why... are you together?"

Guk-soon, feeling awkward, turned to Jeong-o and asked.

"The director felt sorry for Yena and came with us today."

Only after Jeong-o answered in a bright voice did Guk-soon's lips curve into a relaxed smile.

"Oh, how very thankful, thank you..."

See? I have an eye for people.

"You've come all this way, you should have a meal before you go."

"No, Mom. The director is busy and has to go back to the office right away."

Before Ji-heon could say anything, Jeong-o answered for him. Ji-heon was a little disappointed, but he had no choice but to follow Jeong-o's wishes.

"Yes. I just stopped by on the way, and I'll say hello again when I have the chance."

"Oh, okay. Okay..."

In this short meeting, Guk-soon sensed a strange current. The person who was Jeong-o's company director was not just any director. He thought of Jeong-o in a special way. On the way back to the office, Jeong-o carefully asked Ji-heon, who had taken the wheel again.

"Don't you think you should go to the hospital?"

"Why the hospital? Who's sick?"

"No, I thought you looked like you had a headache earlier."

Ji-heon, who had been looking straight ahead, turned his head slightly towards Jeong-o. He was grateful for her concern. That's why he couldn't bring himself to tell her what had happened to him. Ji-heon asked expressionlessly.

"You said that back then, right? At the hotel."

"Yes?"

"That you hoped I would recover my memories."

"...I did."

"Do you still?"

"......"

"Do you want me to recover my memories?"

"Of course."

Her coolness hadn't changed. Ji-heon was disappointed by that answer. A moment of silence.

"Seven years ago, when I lost my memory, I might have had someone else I liked."

He carefully voiced his opinion. He was nervous that she might be surprised. Sure enough, her voice trembled.

"Then you should meet that person."

But the answer itself was still cool. Was she different on the inside? Did she give textbook answers on the outside but suffer on the inside? Ji-heon also complained honestly.

"The present is important to me?"

"Still. You should meet them."

"......"

"That person might have been waiting for you all this time."

"But they haven't contacted me all this time."

"They might not have been able to contact you."

"......"

"For example... someone in your family might have deliberately stopped them..."

There was no confidence in her voice as she speculated. It seemed like she was watching him carefully. Still, she quickly regained her composure and said.

"Let's meet them first. No, let's try to remember something first. If there's someone you remember, meet them and explain the situation. Explain the situation, ask how they've been, and make sure to apologize for anything you've missed."

It seemed like she was getting more and more absorbed in the topic he had brought up. Ji-heon, who had stopped the car at a traffic light, turned to look at Jeong-o.

"Because that person must have been waiting for you in the same place you left."

A woman who was more serious about what he had experienced than he was. He couldn't read her mind at all.

"Okay?"

Finally, she smiled brightly and urged him to answer. She had erased the tremor in her voice.

"What if I meet that person, and they don't let me go? Is it okay if I can't come back to Lee Jung-oh?"

"Huff."

"Don't just laugh, say something."

"......"

"Is it okay?"

What kind of person am I in your life? I can't be as important as Yena or your mother, but can I be next in line? He wanted to get a glimpse of her heart, even a little bit.

"I guarantee I'll win, no matter who it is."

Neither an okay nor a not okay, but an answer that she would win came back. Do you know that I will definitely come back? It was Lee Jung-oh after all. Confident, bold, and honest Lee Jung-oh. The answer was neither yes nor no, but he was a little comforted.

"Try to remember something and then talk. Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Jeong Ji-heon."

Ji-heon wouldn't know. How desperate she was right now. He might see her as a woman with a serious case of cool-itis, but Jeong-o's heart was actually pounding the whole time. If there was even a spark of hope left, I would never want to give up.

"I'm so curious about your life seven years ago. So, so, so, so much."

Her voice kept choking up every moment she tried to persuade him. \ After finishing his remaining work and leaving the office, Ji-heon stopped by the supermarket. He suddenly felt like he should cook. He had already decided on the menu. Pancake. He would make an amazing Pancake. He had never bothered to make something himself. He didn't have much of an appetite, and he lived in a hotel-style residential complex where he could get all three meals, so he didn't feel the need to cook. As a result, he didn't have a single proper kitchen tool at home. When he tried to cook, he needed quite a few things. A knife, a cutting board, other kitchen utensils, and a frying pan set. And various ingredients... It cost him nearly 300,000 won just to buy the ingredients to make one Pancake. He carried a bundle of ingredients into the house. Even after putting all the ingredients down in the kitchen, his mind was blank for a while. But when he thought of what Jeong-o had said, he felt a surge of energy. Lee Jeong-o's ex-boyfriend. He had to become a better person than that guy. He prepared the ingredients according to the instructions of the chef in the video. He washed the ingredients, put them on the cutting board, and cut the zucchini like the chef.

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

It felt like Lee Jeong-o's voice in his memory was louder than the video he had turned on for reference. What's the big deal? Ji-heon, who had been grumbling as he roughly chopped the zucchini, wanted to chop it smoothly like the chef in the video. He watched the video carefully three times, braced himself, and struck a pose. Click click click click click click. He had never held a knife before, but surprisingly, the zucchini was sliced thinly and evenly. Do I have a talent for cutting? Ji-heon's father was a giant in the food industry who had grown a company that started as a snack factory into a large corporation. He thought that he might have inherited his father's sense. But he had never seen his father cook. He put aside his brief question and continued cooking. It was a simple dish: mix the Pancake mix, add all the shredded ingredients, grease the frying pan with cooking oil, and fry. The video said it was a simple dish, but the surroundings were getting messier and messier. Still, when he poured a ladle of the mixture into the heated frying pan, the sound of the ingredients sizzling in the oil was plausible. Now it was time to flip the Pancake.

"When you make Pancake, you have to flip it. At that time, like this, like this. Do you know how to flip it with one hand? Using a snap. Like this. Whoosh."

Again, Lee Jeong-o's voice in his memory came first. The cute image of her demonstrating also played in his head. Ji-heon, who had gripped the handle of the frying pan tightly and lifted it, shook the frying pan back and forth to make sure the bottom of the batter was evenly cooked. And using a snap of his wrist. Whoosh. Smack! Ji-heon's eyes widened. The evenly cooked bottom of the Pancake had miraculously flipped over. So easily. Ji-heon let out a hollow laugh.

'Look at this. I can do it too.'

Lee Jeong-o's ex-boyfriend seemed pathetic. What's the big deal? Then.

'Wait, it actually works?'

Ji-heon couldn't believe it himself, so he tried again. Whoosh! Smack! The properly cooked Pancake flipped even more smoothly than before. It works. Am I actually a cooking genius?

\ The next day. During work hours, Seung-gyu took some time to visit Ji-heon's office. He was eager to hear the updated information.

"Hey, friend, are you busy?"

"No. Come in."

Ji-heon was also happy to see Seung-gyu, as he had something to say as well. Ji-heon placed a tablet PC in front of Seung-gyu's seat. A children's bicycle was on the screen.

"Why a bicycle?"

"Do-bin doesn't have a bicycle, does he? I'm going to buy him one."

“I appreciate it, but why all of a sudden?”

“About seven years ago.”

Ji-heon calmly conveyed yesterday's conclusion.

“I think I liked you a lot more than I thought. Maybe I wanted to be the godfather of your son.”

“Godfather? What are you talking about?”

Seung-gyu frowned and asked sullenly.

“It felt like some of my lost memories were coming back.”

“Oh. What kind of memories?”

“There's a new baby being born, and I want to be good to that child, show them the stars, and teach them how to ride a bike. I remembered having those feelings.”

Seung-gyu tilted his head at Ji-heon's sudden memory. It was definitely Korean, but it felt like listening to a foreign language. A new baby being born? Wanting to be good to that child?

“Are you sure that's a real memory? I think you're mistaken?”

Ji-heon's faint smile suddenly disappeared.

“Do-bin was born in August. I didn't know my wife was pregnant until January of the following year. I think you're misremembering something that happened after your accident as happening before?”

“……”

“Or is it a different memory? Think about it some more.”

He felt a throbbing in his head again. Ji-heon didn't want to talk about this again. Seung-gyu, noticing Ji-heon's serious expression, advised him.

“Ji-heon, if you really want to recover your memories, if you have that will, how about trying hypnotherapy?”

“……”

“Shall I look into it for you?”

Ji-heon's heart fluttered at Seung-gyu's suggestion.

* Ji-heon, who left work early, visited his parents' home. Ms. Jang Young-mi was overjoyed at her son's visit after a long time. But Ji-heon's interest was elsewhere. Ji-heon looked for the storage room where he kept his old belongings. Toys he played with a long time ago, albums, and awards from his school days. There were many things, but the item Ji-heon was looking for was not visible. Ms. Jang approached and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“I'm looking for something.”

“What are you looking for?”

“My old cell phone.”

“When did you use it?”

“The cell phone I was using at the time of the accident seven years ago. Do you know where it is?”

“……Why do you ask?”

“I think there might be something I didn't take care of. My cell phone from eleven years ago is here, but the one from seven years ago is missing.”

“I threw that away a long time ago… It was all broken and damaged.”

“Then what about the data inside?”

“I transferred that to your new phone. You know all this, why are you asking?”

He thought so. Ji-heon gave up looking and stood up.

“Mother. You know I went to Australia after my military service, right?”

“……Yes, you did.”

“Why aren't there any pictures from that time?”

Ji-heon asked the question and carefully observed Ms. Jang's expression.

“There are photos from trips to other regions, but only the photos from that time are missing. Why is that?”

His mother's trembling eyes, her slightly pale complexion. Ji-heon recalled what Jeong-o had said the day before.

“Maybe you couldn't contact them… For example… maybe someone in your family deliberately prevented it…”

He began to think that what he had believed for so long might not be true. Like Chae Eun-bi, he also thought that someone who had been deceiving him for a long time might be very close. And, a person who has packaged the heart of binding her son in the name of love.

“Mother, are you hiding something from me?”

He began to think that he had trusted her love too much.