Chapter 63
63. I Think I Had Someone I Loved 2021.12.04.
Jeong-o entered the room she was guided to. It was a meeting room with only a table and chairs.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Yes.”
She silently sat on the chair Chae Eun-yeop offered and looked at him. Jeong-o came to this law firm because of a consultation case she saw on a blog. It was a story about a single mother who raised her child alone, not even knowing the child's father's whereabouts, and met him again after six years. It turned out that the child's father was a man from a fairly well-known family and was about to marry another woman. Jeong-o had requested a consultation because she was intrigued by the information that this law firm had consulted the protagonist of that story and that the dispute had been resolved quite well.
‘Was that my story? How did he know?’
The thought sent chills down Jeong-o's spine. Was this man behind the attempted kidnapping of Yena a long time ago? The attempted kidnapper seemed to know whose daughter Yena was. But there was something puzzling.
‘If it were me, I would have silenced Chae Eun-bi first.’
Knowing all the facts, why did he let Chae Eun-bi blab in the office that I was a single mother?
‘Is he doing this without his sister knowing?’
Is he like a bodyguard Oppa, taking care of everything for his sister's successful marriage? The thought made her shudder even more. Jeong-o hid her trembling hands under the table. Chae Eun-yeop, facing her, asked with a business smile.
“I heard you're a single mom. What problem brought you here?”
This man is smart and cunning. I mustn't get caught up in his schemes.
‘He might have installed a recording device somewhere.’
I must never show weakness. Then, what's the way to proceed with the consultation without exposing my weaknesses?
“Yes… I'm a working single mother.”
Jeong-o opened her mouth awkwardly.
“It's not that, it's because of a colleague at work.”
“A colleague?”
“Yes. As I said, I'm a working single mother. I've worked hard, and I'm still working hard. I'm recognized for my abilities at work to some extent. But one of my colleagues is harassing me too much.”
Perhaps because he judged that it wasn't the topic he wanted, Chae Eun-yeop's eyebrows arched in the opposite direction.
“In what way are they harassing you?”
“By revealing that I'm a single mother at work before I do, or by mentioning my family history. I'm also the daughter of a single mother.”
“……”
“Being a single mother, being the daughter of a single mother, shouldn't be a flaw, right? Don't you think? But this friend, let's call her Ms. C for convenience, Ms. C makes such facts into flaws and maliciously slanders me. In this case, is it possible to sue for defamation?”
“If you have evidence of exactly what the slander was, you can sue as much as you want.”
“I don't have evidence, but I have witnesses. My team members can be witnesses. Is it possible to sue in this case? What procedures should I follow?”
“It's often difficult to prove a crime with witnesses alone. It would be easier if there was even one very clear piece of evidence. Do you have any evidence at all?”
“Hoo. I don't have anything that could be called evidence.”
Jeong-o sighed deeply and made a face of resignation.
“That's too bad. I wanted to write a complaint right away.”
“Please gather evidence and visit us again. If it's difficult to visit, you can send it by other means. I'll check and contact you.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Jeong-o greeted him with a sincere expression. Her heart was pounding the whole time because she wasn't good at lying.
“Does the child's father know? That Lee Jeong-o came to see a lawyer like this.”
As expected, even in this situation, Chae Eun-yeop didn't forget his duty. It seemed he was trying to find out how much Ji-heon knew about Lee Jeong-o's secret.
“That was an unrelated consultation, lawyer.”
“It's a good thing to provide overall help.”
When Jeong-o pointed it out, Eun-yeop quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, I understand. The number I'm writing down now is my personal phone number. It seems like it would be faster to contact me directly from now on.”
Chae Eun-yeop wrote down his phone number and email address on a memo and handed it over. It would be better to give a business card. But he can't give a business card. Because you're not Ha Jin-cheol.
“Thank you, lawyer. I almost worried alone for a long time, but I'm glad I came anyway.”
Jeong-o smiled as she accepted the memo. In fact, she was so nervous that she was about to cry. Did my acting work on Chae Eun-yeop? I'm not very confident, but anyway, it's good that I didn't make any mistakes. Jeong-o greeted Chae Eun-yeop and safely left the office, and as soon as she got into a taxi, she gasped for breath.
“Hoo. Ha!”
Her phone, which she had been holding tightly as if it were a survival instinct, was stained with sweat. She could feel how nervous she had been until the moment she left the building. She needed to find Ji-heon's name and press it, but her hands were still shaking so much that her fingertips slipped several times. In the meantime, all the call and text message records with Ji-heon appeared on the screen. What is all this… Ji-heon sent more text messages than she thought. More than once a day, he was now sending her text messages regularly. The rough breathing caused by Chae Eun-yeop gradually calmed down.
- I came to the company, but Lee Jeong-o is on vacation. Rest well today and let's see each other tomorrow.
- Have a delicious lunch.
- I want to buy Yena a bicycle, what color does Yena like?
June 23rd, 12 PM. June 24th, 12 PM. June 25th, 12 PM… 12 PM. Jeong-o. In the middle of the day, as if engraving his existence in her daily life, and as if commemorating her name, he was sending her text messages every day at noon. It was touching that this man, even though he had lost his memory, was acting no differently than he had 7 years ago. In fact, she was also very grateful. Jeong-o found the call button and pressed it. After a while, she heard the voice she loved, the one that hadn't changed for a long time.
[Hello.]
“I miss you!”
Her sincerity burst out like an explosion. \ After confirming the clue from 7 years ago that he had lost, Ji-heon came out of the jewelry shop. A proposal ring. A ring he was going to give to someone as a gift. It definitely wouldn't have been for his mother. If it were, his mother would have talked about it dozens or hundreds of times. Who did I have a relationship with? And why doesn't she appear? Ji-heon had never heard about the ring from anyone. Even more so about a woman. Even his close friend Seung-gyu didn't talk to Ji-heon about women. Have I been hiding my relationship from everyone? Is that why no one knows? In the midst of all this, the face of Jeong-o, who had been cheering for his memory recovery so much, came to mind.
“Still. I have to meet her. That person might be waiting all along.”
She had said emphatically that if there was someone he had forgotten, he had to meet them. He remembers her trembling voice at that time. What kind of heart did she have when she said that to me? What does it mean to Lee Jeong-o that I regain my memory? I'm so afraid of losing what's precious to me now, but what about you? Lee Jeong-o. It seems like I had someone I loved a long time ago. If my memory returns, do I really have to go find that person? Actually, I don't want to. You, who have been hurt once. You, who were heartbroken by your ex-boyfriend and gave birth to and raised a child alone. I'm afraid that my choice will cause you another wound. The person I want to protect now is Lee Jeong-o. It's you. He touched the ring case, recalling her face, her voice, everything about her. At that moment, as if by fate, his phone vibrated. The name 'Lee Jeong-o' that appeared on the phone screen read like a savior. He answered the phone right away.
“Hello.”
[I miss you!]
His heart ached at her words. He spoke in a deliberately dignified voice to avoid revealing his overwhelming emotions.
“Are you at home? I'll go there.”
[No. I'm in a taxi now. I'll go there.]
\ Ji-heon quickly came home and waited for Jeong-o in front of his house. After pacing around for a few minutes, a taxi arrived. Ji-heon ran and hugged Jeong-o, who jumped out of the taxi. Jeong-o also hugged Ji-heon's neck. His firm chest felt more comfortable than ever.
Her emotions had been fluctuating so much that her heart was pounding until she arrived, but being in contact with him calmed her down as if by magic. Soon, another tremor began. She came to see him because she missed him, but anyway, she had to quickly return home, to her place as a mother.
“I can't stay long. I just wanted to see the director doing his hobby of flipping Pancake.”
Jeong-o made an excuse with a smile. Ji-heon's eyes narrowed. He was a little disappointed.
“……So you wanted to see the flipping, not me?”
“Anyway, wanting to see is similar, right?”
Ji-heon let out a low sigh at her nonchalant reply. Ji-heon also knew her situation well. Lee Jeong-o would never forget her duty as a mother at any moment. He also likes and respects that aspect of her. But he couldn't help but feel the instinct of a man who wanted to be with her for a long time.
“Let's go in.”
Ji-heon guided Jeong-o to his house. Ji-heon currently lives on a high floor of a mixed-use apartment building. The rapidly ascending elevator made Jeong-o dizzy, and she unknowingly grabbed the elevator handrail tightly. She may have been nervous because she had boldly said she wanted to see him first, but now that the moment had come.
“I really came because I wanted to see you cook.”
Jeong-o told him once again, but she didn't hear a reply until the elevator doors opened. Instead, an arm was placed on her shoulder. It read as an intention to prevent her from running away. The two people who left the elevator together stood in front of a neat door.
“This is it. And.”
9, 1, 3, 0. Ji-heon showed Jeong-o and pressed the number key on the front door.
“I’ll change it soon, but for now, that’s what it is.”
Clack, the door opened. Jeong-o followed Ji-heon inside.
“I’m bad with numbers, so I think I’ll forget it quickly.”
“It’s my mother’s birthday. March 19th.”
“Then your mother knows the password too.”
“That’s true, but I’m going to change it.”
“Do you change your password often?”
She kept talking without even thinking about taking off her shoes, so he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Hiss. Jeong-o held her breath without realizing it. It sounded like he was chuckling behind her, no, around her hips. A large, flexible hand quickly scanned her leg and grabbed her ankle.
“Uh, uh, uh?”
Thud, thud. While Jeong-o was flustered and awkwardly standing, her shoes fell to the floor. He had taken off her shoes. Before she knew it, she was out of the entryway and inside the house. Ji-heon, who had been kneeling in the entryway to take off Jeong-o's shoes, stood up. His eyes had no particular expression, but strangely, she became nervous. No, she really, really just wanted to see him cook, with a pure heart. As his fingertips touched her face, her breath flowed out hotly. His hand, which had been stroking her chin, naturally moved to the back of her neck, tickling her and making her anxious at the same time. As if he knew her feelings, his lips approached. There was no calculation of showing off a formal cooking performance and looking for a good opportunity. Just like seven years ago, he moved so honestly according to his instincts. The problem was that she didn't dislike that side of him. But Jeong-o remembered her duty. This is Korea. Not a hotel in Melbourne, Australia. Today's meeting was impromptu, and she was a mother who had to go home quickly.
“I’m hungry.”
Making an effort to block the kiss that was about to get longer, she said in a short gap. As expected, he easily swallowed her voice. She ended up pinching his chest. He was startled and took his lips away. His eyes seemed resentful, but Jeong-o didn't back down either.
“I’m hungry. I’m hungry.”
As she stubbornly insisted, he also cooled his hot sigh and belatedly rubbed his pinched chest.
“That’s right. I almost forgot.”
“……”
“Our Deputy Manager came because she wanted to see Pancake more than me.”
She found it funny that he was even jealous of Pancake. It sounded like she could hear his blood boiling, but Jeong-o lightly ignored it, stepped further inside, and changed the subject.
“I’ll look around the house on my own. Is that okay?”
“As you please.”
As he sent her a sharp look and finally gave up and turned around, Jeong-o secretly sighed. Deep down, she wanted to stay longer, but not today. Jeong-o watched Ji-heon head to the kitchen and then moved her feet. Ji-heon's house was much larger and higher than the old officetel. The night view of the Han River spread out beyond the wide glass window of the living room was dazzling. Nevertheless, perhaps because there wasn't much furniture and household goods, it felt less cozy than the house seven years ago. Looking into the kitchen, there didn't seem to be many cooking utensils either. It seemed like the hobby of cooking was a bluff. Walking down the hallway opposite Ji-heon, the unfinished worries unfolded again as she was alone. How should she ask him about Chae Eun-yeop? How should she warn him? Wouldn't it be better to awaken his memory now? But awakening is my memory. His heart, which I have never looked into, may be different from mine.
‘Can I inject my memories into this person? Can I say that we were really in love?’
That made Jeong-o hesitate. Lost in thought, Jeong-o roughly scanned the rooms with the doors open, as if she was looking around. Bedroom, study, training room, and a room with nothing in it, and then at the very end, she grabbed the doorknob of the room with the door closed. It was something she did without really thinking, but after the door opened, her eyes became hot. …Haa. An unprepared sigh flowed from Jeong-o's lips.
“This is…”
