Chapter 95
- Did You Save the Universe or Something? 2022.03.26.
Suin's mom, facing Ji-heon's murderous glare, trembled.
“Jaein, Suin, let’s go home.”
She didn't apologize in the end.
“Teacher, I can’t send my kids to this academy anymore. Please refund the tuition.”
Instead, she completely withdrew them from the academy.
“Teacher, you know Jaein was preparing for the Go tournament, right? If he wins, it would be great publicity for the academy, but it’s a shame. If you do business like this, you might have to close down.”
Holding Jaein and Suin's hands tightly, Suin's mom cursed until the end. It wasn't a beautiful exit. The director didn't bother trying to hold Suin's mom back.
“I’ve committed a discourtesy. I’m sorry.”
After Suin's mom left, Ji-heon apologized to the director.
“No, it’s alright.”
Later, it turned out that Suin's mom had been threatening to move to a rival academy for a long time if they didn't give Jaein special instruction. The director looked relieved that they were gone. Soon after, Jin-seo arrived at the academy. Jin-seo recognized Ji-heon and greeted him brightly.
“Ji-heon is here to pick up Yena today!”
“Yes. Hello.”
Ji-heon politely responded to Jin-seo, greeted the academy teachers, and left with Yena and Do-bin. As they walked down the stairs, Do-bin told Jin-seo what had happened today.
“Mom, today Hong Suin's mom fought with Go Uncle. But Go Uncle said he’s Yena’s dad.”
“Do-bin. Go Uncle is Yena’s dad.”
Jin-seo told Do-bin. Do-bin blinked and asked.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? Because he’s Yena’s dad.”
“Why?”
Do-bin, who didn't know the story between Yena and Ji-heon, couldn't help but be confused. Yena, who was listening next to him, answered instead.
“I lost my dad, but I found him.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Yeah. We even have the same map in our blood. Right, Dad?”
“Whyyy?”
Even as Yena raised her head and spoke to Ji-heon, Do-bin interrupted. Trapped in the cycle of 'why,' Yena told Do-bin the story she had heard from Jeong-o.
“Do-bin, the reason my dad is my dad is the same as beans coming from where beans are planted, and red beans coming from where red beans are planted.”
“What’s that? Does it mean you planted Go Uncle like a bean?”
Do-bin, who didn't understand the metaphor, asked again. It seemed it would take a long time to convince Do-bin.
*
- Could you spare some time after the hair loss prevention shampoo meeting today? I have something important to tell you.
After the text message Jeong-o sent, Seong Mi-ran, the team leader of Production Team 2, and Chief Park Young-gwang remained in the conference room. Soon, Assistant Manager Go Eun-ju also returned to the conference room and took her seat. Jeong-o had called the meeting, but he had disappeared in a hurry after the meeting and hadn't shown up yet. Mi-ran asked Eun-ju.
“Where’s Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o?”
“He went to get Gi-hoon.”
“Assistant Manager Lee Jung-o said he has something to say. What could it be?”
The team members looked very gloomy, so Mi-ran asked, deliberately brightening her voice. Eun-ju answered sullenly.
“Don’t you know too, Team Leader? You have the best intuition.”
Ah, Assistant Manager Go Eun-ju had noticed too. Mi-ran smiled awkwardly and replied.
“If you pretend not to know, the person speaking will enjoy talking more, right?”
“Do we really have to make it enjoyable to talk? Gi-hoon is practically dying.”
“Still, shouldn’t we celebrate what needs to be celebrated?”
“I strongly dislike it.”
Mi-ran tried to lighten the mood, but it was no use. Eun-ju replied cynically.
“I hate the atmosphere of stamping a couple and getting recognized. I hate Director Jeong Ji-heon so much, and honestly, I wish Assistant Manager Lee wouldn’t stick with him. I’d feel relieved if our fresh Gi-hoon and Assistant Manager Lee got together.”
“Still, that won’t do.”
Mi-ran retorted, watching Eun-ju, who was getting heated.
“Even if all the couples in the world break up, you can’t touch that one.”
“No, Team Leader, whose side are you on?”
Eun-ju burst out. It was a new side of Go Eun-ju, who rarely showed emotion about other people's affairs.
“How can you say that when the angelic Lee Jung-o has fallen for that psycho? Aren’t you angry that our smart and hardworking Song Gi-hoon is wasting away like that?”
But we can't stop fate. Mi-ran couldn't say anything and just smiled awkwardly. Before Eun-ju could continue with her harsh words, the conference room door opened, and Jeong-o entered.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“Where’s Gi-hoon?”
“……He left work early.”
Jeong-o answered Mi-ran's question with a sorry expression. Eun-ju turned her head and sighed bitterly. She had never resented Jeong-o as much as she did today. Jeong-o opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry everyone is busy. The reason I requested this urgent meeting is……”
“We all know, Assistant Manager.”
Eun-ju couldn't bear to let Jeong-o start and cut him off in the middle. Jeong-o's eyes went blank for a moment at Eun-ju's cold reply.
“Oh, how?”
“Everyone has a sense.”
“……Then do you also know that my daughter is Director Jeong Ji-heon’s biological daughter?”
This time, Eun-ju's eyes went blank. She wondered what she had just heard. Chief Park Young-gwang opened his mouth like someone whose jaw had dropped.
“Ah, you didn’t know that. That’s what I was going to tell you.”
“Wait, wait, wait. What, what, what did you say?”
A chill ran through her heart. She felt like her fingertips and toes were freezing. What? Whose daughter did you say Lee Jeong-o's daughter was?
“Who is whose daughter?”
Eun-ju couldn't believe what she had heard. She had seen Yena's picture once. A princess recognizes a princess. Eun-ju thought that the same blood flowed through Yena as her own because of Yena's beauty and loveliness. Yena had to be a noble being born from something noble. But, whose biological daughter did you say? Not an adopted daughter, but a biological daughter? Even as Eun-ju and Young-gwang were in shock and couldn't close their mouths, Mi-ran's expression remained calm. Eun-ju looked at Mi-ran with a betrayed feeling and questioned her.
“Is that what you meant earlier, Team Leader?”
“Team Leader, did you know?”
Jeong-o also found Mi-ran's reaction unexpected and asked. Mi-ran nodded awkwardly.
“Assistant Manager Lee mentioned it once, that she knew Director Jeong before his accident……”
In fact, the only person who properly understood the relationship between Jeong Ji-heon and Lee Jung-o was Team Leader Seong Mi-ran. Mi-ran had noticed their relationship a long time ago. That's why she had been staring blankly at Jeong-o so often. She had noticed, but she couldn't believe it, and her mouth was itching to ask.
“Director’s accident was seven years ago, and the child is seven years old, so I thought it could be possible. But I wasn’t sure.”
But she couldn't bring herself to ask, so she felt frustrated, but she was honestly relieved to find out the secret today. While an excited Eun-ju was fanning her flushed face, Young-gwang asked.
“Did you tell Gi-hoon too?”
“Yes.”
“How did he react?”
“……He blinked blankly and left.”
“It was a game Gi-hoon couldn’t win from the start. So Gi-hoon was shocked and left.”
Hearing about their relationship and the child on top of that must have been the last straw.
“Chief Park, try to comfort Gi-hoon.”
“I should.”
At Mi-ran's request, Chief Park Young-gwang got up from his seat first. Eun-ju followed. Mi-ran comforted Jeong-o, who was very nervous.
“Assistant Manager Lee, don’t worry. Gi-hoon is a naturally bright person, so he’ll shake it off tomorrow and come to work as if nothing happened. He’s just a bit dazed right now.”
“Yes. I believe he will too.”
Eun-ju chattered, sticking right next to Young-gwang.
“Chief, you went on an overseas business trip with the director, how could you not know?”
“I know, right? I didn’t know anything. How can there be such a dramatic thing?”
Eun-ju roared, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around.
Some people just have it all. She couldn't stand that fact.
Eun-ju felt like she would hate Ji-heon even more in the future. \ The team members went to comfort Gi-hoon, and for the first time in a while, Jeong-o was left alone in the office. It was a huge mess, and it seemed like the aftermath would last for a while, but Jeong-o felt relieved after telling everything to her team members. She knew that even though they were making such a fuss now, her kind-hearted team members would continue to be on her side.
You caused the accident, so why do I have to clean it up? She was unhappy about that fact, but seeing Ji-heon's face looking at her from afar softened her heart. He had taken Yena to the restaurant and returned to the office. Jeong-o saw Ji-heon leaving for his office and trailed after him. Ji-heon noticed Jeong-o following him and left the door to his office open. Ji-heon was waiting in the office, in front of the door. As she stepped inside, Ji-heon pulled her in further. Embraced in Ji-heon's arms, Jeong-o heard the sound of the door closing behind her with a click. It was so strange. She was clearly furious during the day, but as she solved the everyday problems one by one, her heart softened. In order for perfect strangers who have lived different lives to live together, there are many things that must be in place beforehand. One of them is being able to resolve anger even when you're angry. Understanding you, who is different from me. We will have to continue to resolve the countless conflicts that will arise in the future, and then come back and embrace each other. I told everything to the team members. Are you satisfied now? She was about to tell him the story with a generous heart, but he opened his mouth first.
Even though it was a soft voice that felt rich, Jeong-o froze. She stopped her comfortable breathing. Clear beads quickly swelled up over her pupils. Ji-heon, who had taken a step back and lowered his head at her reaction, asked.
Her heart was beating painfully. How could he do this? Suddenly, out of the blue, without giving me time to prepare. What am I supposed to do when you confess like this, as if you're giving a weekly report, as if you're saying good morning to Yena!
Why are you telling me this now!
Why are you saying such things without any hint. Why didn't you say it until now when it was so easy to say!
He answered, lowering his eyelids slightly. Her face was distorted.
With each word, Jeong-o tapped his chest and continued her resentful outburst.
My love. Why have you come only now. 7 years ago, she lacked confidence because he didn't say those words. She also let him go because she didn't hear those words.
Because you didn't tell me you loved me, I couldn't love myself. Her resentment welled up, but before she knew it, she was held by Ji-heon again, embraced tightly. He was also breathing painfully, not trying to gloss it over with a smile. Eventually, Jeong-o's palms, which had been hitting Ji-heon, settled gently on his broad back.
Only then did Ji-heon chuckle at Jeong-o's grumbling.
\ Even after having a father, Yena's daily life doesn't change much. After school, she returns to her grandmother's restaurant and watches people come and go, then goes home with her grandmother. For some reason, there weren't many customers at the restaurant that day, but neither the grandmother nor the granddaughter were too worried. Guk-soon, who was having the happiest and most satisfying days of the year, accepted this gratefully and finished her business early.
At the words "Let's go home," Yena followed like a real puppy. On the way home, she had to tell her grandmother how cool her father was at school today. When she got home, she had to tie her doll's hair, take out the jelly she had frozen yesterday, put on the tattoo sticker she received from Do-bin and go to sleep. Even as Guk-soon was locking up, she was tapping her feet, thinking of things to do.
Guk-soon wore a happy smile even while listening to her granddaughter's nagging. Guk-soon also loves this time of day, when she finishes her daily work and returns home, as much as Yena does. However, the moment she turned around holding the child's hand, Guk-soon's smile disappeared. A woman and a man with small cameras were standing there. They were taking pictures of the exterior of 'Guksun Baekban' without Guk-soon's permission.
