Chapter 76
76. This Can't Be Happening! 2022.01.19.
Jeong Ji-heon spoke cautiously to Jeong-o, who was smiling contentedly.
“But we might have to do a paternity test for Yena someday.”
“I’m okay with it. I understand the legal procedures.”
Jeong-o nodded easily. But there was one thing that bothered him.
“But I’m not the problem. Yena is.”
As Jeong-o pointed this out, Ji-heon's shoulders visibly slumped.
“Yena is quick-witted. She might get hurt if she finds out we’re trying to do a paternity test.”
“That’s right. Yena is what’s important……”
Yena is what’s important. Yena is important……. In his mind, saying Yena was important felt like a prayer.
* A morning with many things happening even before going to work. But Ji-heon went to work looking unfazed. Secretary Yoon Ae-ra, who was guarding the entrance to his office, stood up and greeted him.
“Director, you’re here.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
“Um, Director.”
Secretary Yoon cautiously called out to Ji-heon, who was about to enter his office. Ji-heon turned his head.
“I forgot to tell you something yesterday……”
Actually, she hadn't forgotten. She had been hesitating about whether to say it or not, and was now finally plucking up the courage to tell him. She felt like she couldn't delay it any longer.
“The day before yesterday, Ms. Jang Young-mi requested a photo of Lee Jung-oh, the acting manager in our division. So… I had no choice but to send it to her.”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
Ji-heon frowned and fell into thought.
‘Secretary Yoon sent Jeong-o’s photo to my mother……’
Then, part of his mother's explanation would actually be true. Chae Eun-bi mentioning the name 'Lee Jung-oh,' which led his mother to investigate Lee Jung-oh separately. If so, could it really be that his mother had nothing to do with the attempted kidnapping of Yena?
‘Then what about Chae Eun-yeop?’
How much does Chae Eun-yeop know? He had been grateful for the help he had received after the hit-and-run accident seven years ago, and they had been getting along smoothly, but now he felt uneasy at the thought that he might have been used by him quite a bit during that time. Still, Lee Jung-oh was there, so it would all be revealed soon.
“I had been trusting Secretary Yoon. This is unfortunate.”
Ji-heon put aside his worries for a moment and scolded his secretary. The secretary didn't know what to do and lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Be careful from now on. Never pass on information to people outside the company.”
“Yes.”
“Here, ‘people outside the company’ includes partner companies. If someone tries to pry into company information, tell me first.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Just as Ji-heon, who had given a stern warning, was about to turn around, he saw someone peeking out from the end of the hallway. It was Seung-gyu. He had come running first thing in the morning, eager to hear what he had promised to tell him today. Ji-heon entered the office with Seung-gyu.
“What’s this? Why so grim from the morning?”
“It’s something.”
Seung-gyu, who was looking at Ji-heon with a puzzled expression, immediately changed the subject.
“Hey. You said you’d tell me today. Spill it all.”
It was the first time in a long time that Seung-gyu had looked forward to going to work, to the start of work. He couldn't sleep because he was so curious about what Ji-heon was going to tell him. Just a few months ago, he looked like he would never be interested in women, but then he seemed to be flirting with Acting Manager Lee Jung-oh, and then he asked for help meeting Yena, and yesterday he even said he was going to meet Acting Manager Lee Jung-oh's mother. This was clearly a sign of marriage, but if they didn't have a child, what other reason would there be to meet Lee Jung-oh's mother? Ji-heon opened the door to that mystery.
“Don’t be surprised when you hear this.”
“Okay. I’m ready. Tell me quickly.”
“I lost my memory seven years ago. I lost all my memories from three years.”
“That’s right. But it seems like you’re getting some of your memories back.”
“Yeah. And those memories were about Lee Jung-oh.”
“……You knew Acting Manager Lee Jung-oh back then?”
“It wasn’t just knowing each other.”
“……No way.”
His heart sank. His eyes widened.
“No way, no way!”
No way! Come to think of it, Jeong Ji-heon and Lee Jung-oh's first meeting was strange. Jeong Ji-heon was obsessed with Lee Jung-oh's appearance, and Lee Jung-oh had even grabbed Jeong Ji-heon's wrist in front of the elevator. Lee Jung-oh knew. It was a natural reaction that came out because she knew Jeong Ji-heon! Seung-gyu jumped up from his seat and waved his hands frantically. As if he couldn't accept it.
“Ugh! Don’t tell me! I feel like my heart is going to drop!”
It wasn't even his own business, he was just hearing about someone else's, but Seung-gyu was so excited as if it had happened to him, and his face turned red.
“Is it true? Is it true?”
“Yes. Yena is my biological daughter……”
“Huh! No way!”
Oh my god, oh my god! Seung-gyu, who was stamping his feet in place, put his hands on his cheeks like someone who had stepped into Munch's painting, circled the office twice, and then stopped, banging his head against one of the walls. This can't be happening! This can't be! All sorts of thoughts swirled wildly in his head.
‘Jeong Ji-heon was Lee Jung-oh's lover? Yena's biological father is Jeong Ji-heon? Yena, who Do-bin likes, her biological father who was said to be nonexistent is Jeong Ji-heon? Then what, what's going to happen? I told my wife that Lee Jung-oh was a single mother. I thought I couldn't wish for Ji-heon and a single mother to get together, but then, thanks to our Jin-seo, I avoided getting cursed out? No, no, no. Then Yena is the only granddaughter of a chaebol family. Will Yena keep playing with our Do-bin? Is she not even going to come to our house anymore? What, I pushed for the two of them to get together, but is only our Do-bin going to be left out in the cold? Am I, as a father, blocking my son's future?’
A bundle of complicated thoughts piled up and piled up in Seung-gyu's head, making even his feet heavy. Seung-gyu turned around, staggering, with an expression that made him look like he had aged several months in those few seconds.
“……Is this something I should congratulate you on?”
“Of course. It’s a good thing.”
“It is a good thing, right?”
“Yes. It is.”
“……”
“There are a lot of missed times, and it’s a shame that I still haven’t gotten all my memories back, but.”
“……”
“It’s a good thing that we can still put things back the way they were, even now.”
Ji-heon's expression looked relaxed. Seung-gyu had become uncomfortable in many ways.
“You’re the only one I can tell this kind of story to.”
“Right?”
“……”
“You’ll still let our Do-bin and Yena play together, right?”
Seung-gyu asked for Ji-heon's answer with earnestness. He felt a sorrowful feeling, as if he was an underdog at work, and now he was an underdog in his children's relationships as well. Unexpectedly, Ji-heon sighed.
“Rather, I’m in a situation where I need Do-bin’s help.”
“……”
“Yena hasn’t accepted me yet.”
“Ah…… She must be confused.”
“Are kids usually like that?”
“Maybe. She’s lived her whole life without a father, so it must feel like a father has suddenly fallen from the sky like a bomb.”
“……”
“Hey. But there are such connections.”
“I know. There are such destinies.”
“No, I mean you and me. We really have a connection. Right? What would you have done without me? You almost missed out on playing Go with your daughter.”
“……You’re talking like I’ll never be able to play Go again in my life.”
“Anyway, you must never forget this connection. Right now, Yena is closer to our Do-bin than she is to you, so if you have anything to ask, ask politely. Got it?”
He said it firmly, but his voice was endlessly friendly and soft. Seung-gyu vowed never to fight with Ji-heon again. After a storm had passed, Seung-gyu, who had calmed his mind, asked a realistic question.
“Then what are you going to do about Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o?”
“Huh? Why?”
“We have to send him to another division. You’re in charge of personnel evaluations, so it’ll be easy for rumors to spread.”
“You didn’t say anything about Chae Eun-bi back then.”
“It’s different with Chae Eun-bi. Manager Chae Eun-bi was here before you came, but you’re giving Lee Jung-o his first evaluation.”
“……”
“It’s better to move him to another division. For you, and for Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o as well.”
I don’t want to. Ji-heon couldn’t accept Seung-gyu's argument. He couldn’t send Jeong-o to another division. He was already forcibly suppressing the urge to give him a desk in this office.
“Park Seung-gyu. You know what I’m going to say, right?”
“……”
“Pretend you don’t.”
He absolutely couldn’t let Lee Jung-o be taken away to another division. \ 「Hello, Attorney Ha Jin-cheol. This is Lee Jung-o. I’m contacting you again after a few days. There was a commotion at the company recently. That Ms. C I mentioned insulted me in a public place. She screamed in the restroom, and everyone outside the restroom could hear it. I’ve attached a recording of the incident, so please check it. I hope you’ll be careful not to leak the attached material to anyone else. I trust you and am sending it to you. I’ve created the evidence, so can I proceed with the lawsuit now? Please let me know when you’re available to meet.」
[Is being from a family of unwed mothers something to be proud of? Is promiscuity hereditary? You should have gotten an abortion for the sake of your life. You wouldn’t want to hear that you’re just like your mom, sleeping around.]
Eun-yeop, having checked the email and attachments from Lee Jung-o, sighed roughly. The recording in the attached file was unmistakably Chae Eun-bi's voice. It was a crude and visceral denunciation that made him think she deserved to be hit. It was actionable material. Lee Jung-o. She was a woman he had only intended to meet once, to assess what kind of woman she was and what weaknesses she had. He had gained nothing from the previous meeting, but since he had impersonated a fellow lawyer, he had no intention of providing additional consultation. If it hadn't been for his sister, Chae Eun-bi, he wouldn't have given her the time of day. 「I think I can spare some time during work. Shall we meet at a cafe at 6 PM today? I’ll send you the cafe address.」 Eun-yeop reluctantly sent a short reply to Jeong-o and waited for a response. It wasn't long before he received an affirmative reply. And at 6:20 PM, Eun-yeop appeared at the cafe 20 minutes late.
“Attorney.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. Work ended later than I expected.”
“No, I’m just grateful that you agreed to meet me like this.”
Jeong-o looked more relaxed than when they first met. Her complexion looked better, and she even looked a little prettier. But she was just bait to get Jeong Ji-heon. This woman had no idea that the child’s grandmother had even taken the child’s hair for a paternity test. Eun-yeop smirked inwardly and got straight to the point.
“I’ve reviewed the materials you sent. But I doubt Ms. C would have said such things out of the blue. Considering the context, it seems like something must have happened before that. Did Lee Jung-o perhaps provide Ms. C with a trigger to get her so worked up?”
“Rather than a trigger, Ms. C visited my mother’s restaurant with her friends. They met my daughter there, and she gave her fifty thousand won. I just told her that she shouldn’t give such a large sum of money to a child, but Ms. C reacted so fiercely.”
Eun-yeop’s eyebrows furrowed in the opposite direction. That’s not it, is it? You must have laid your hands on her first, right?*
“Was there anything else? For example, did Lee Jung-o lay her hands on her first?”
“No, I wouldn’t do that.”
“……”
“Why would I do something like that at work? I’d just clap my hands alone and be done with it.”
Eun-yeop knew she was lying. He knew everything, but the feeling of having to pretend he didn’t know was truly depressing.
“……I see. I’ll write up the complaint. I can do it here now.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s write it quickly and get up.”
Watching her face light up, Eun-yeop quietly sneered. He planned to write the complaint very sloppily and destroy the evidence.
“By the way, how many people heard it? Can those people be witnesses?”
“Quite a few people heard it, but honestly, I don’t know.”
“It would be easier if we had witnesses. That’s a shame.”
“Instead, I have a witness who can testify that Ms. C has been slandering me regularly. It seems like they just finished work nearby, so I’ll call them.”
Ah, no, you don’t have to go that far……. Before Eun-yeop could stop Jeong-o, she quickly sent a text message and put her phone down. She was going to call more people? He had an ominous feeling…….
“Um, Ms. Lee Jung-o. I suddenly got called away, so I think I should get going.”
The moment Eun-yeop, sensing the ominous energy, stood up from his chair, the cafe door opened and someone walked in.
“Director, over here.”
Jeong-o raised her hand high towards the entrance. Eun-yeop’s face, awkwardly standing in his spot, froze. In the quiet cafe, as if cold water had been poured over it, only Ji-heon's footsteps echoed loudly. Jeong-o introduced Eun-yeop to Ji-heon with a bright smile, as if to show off.
“Director, this is him. The lawyer I told you about.”
“What is it. Chae Eun-yeop. You were the lawyer Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o was talking about?”
Ji-heon sighed as if he was dumbfounded, looking at him with an expression as if he was looking at an insect, no, something even more insignificant.
“What are you talking about, Director? He’s Attorney Ha Jin-cheol.”
Jeong-o looked back and forth between Ji-heon and Eun-yeop, speaking in a theatrical, exaggerated voice like an actor on stage.
“That’s right, Attorney, your name is Ha Jin-cheol, isn’t it? Say something.”
Despite her clumsy acting, Eun-yeop couldn’t say a word.
