A child who looks like me

The bangs that covered her forehead, her pale face, round eyes, and the full lips that moved decisively every time she spoke—she was such a pretty child that she could be mistaken for a doll.

The little girl held up a doll that Do-bin’s younger brother, Do-yoon, had been playing with and said to Do-bin,

“She’s pretty.”

“You’re prettier.”

“I know.”

So this is how kids are these days.

Ji-heon quietly held his breath, not wanting to interrupt.

He began to understand Seung-gyu’s feelings a little more. He thought he could understand Do-bin’s feelings as well.

For some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at the little girl.

He couldn’t explain it clearly, but her face kept resurfacing in his mind these past few days, oddly overlapping with someone else’s.

Was this how you fall in love at first sight?

Was Jeong-oh simply someone whose face made it easy to fall in love at first sight?

Or was it just that if someone is pretty, Ji-heon thought they must resemble Jeong-oh?

As he stared, the little girl also looked back at him.

Feeling it would be impolite to stare, Ji-heon quickly turned his head away.

Jin-seo, flustered, pressed the call button several times.

“Hello, where are you, honey?”

After a few attempts, it seemed the call had gone through.

“You said you left early today, so why are you still there? Ji-heon is here at the house.”

Jin-seo quickly headed to the master bedroom while holding the phone.

“It’s Ji-heon, Ji-heon, the director!”

From the master bedroom, her voice, rising in pitch with each pause, made Ji-heon feel a bit uncomfortable.

He realized he should head to the parking lot.

Having entered the living room, Ji-heon turned to leave. As he reached the hallway, Do-bin grabbed his hand.

“Uncle, do you know how to play Go?”

“Uh… well, I know a little.”

“Come play Go with me.”

Before Ji-heon could properly answer, Do-bin grabbed his hand and started pulling him along. Ji-heon found himself being dragged along.

Do-bin, holding tightly onto Ji-heon’s hand, led him to the Go board. While Ye-na wasn’t looking, Do-bin whispered to Ji-heon.

“I hope you let me win.”

The desire of a young boy to look good in front of his girlfriend.

Ji-heon, who was about to leave the house, found himself in a difficult spot, but he had no choice. He was in the position of earning some points with his friend’s son.

“Do you know how to play Go?”

“Yes, I learned it at the academy.”

Do-bin confidently carried the Go board and pieces as he answered.

The Go board was placed on the coffee table in the living room.

“Ye-na, look! I’m going to show you how to play Go.”

Ye-na, with curiosity in her eyes, came closer.

The two men sat across from each other at the table, and Ye-na sat next to Do-bin.

“Uncle goes first.”

Do-bin, looking nervous, spoke and sent a signal with his eyes. Ji-heon, who had been looking at the board, turned his gaze to Do-bin.

“No, black goes first.”

Ye-na, who had been watching, intervened.

“Ah, I know that.”

Following her words, Do-bin placed a black stone on the board.

Ji-heon placed a white stone beside it.

Then, Do-bin’s second move was a bit unexpected. That’s when Ji-heon couldn’t help but chuckle.

He had said he knew how to play Go, but it seemed like he only knew how to place stones on the board.

The kids probably wouldn’t notice, so Ji-heon just played along, letting Do-bin win.

However, things soon took an unexpected turn.

“No, no, it should go here. If you place it here, you won’t be able to block the path.”

The little girl, frustrated, began to give instructions from beside Do-bin.

Do-bin likely wasn’t planning that…

“Look, place it right here. Then the uncle will place his stone here. Then you place yours here.”

The little girl was surprisingly accurate in her reading of the game.

…Can a seven-year-old really do this? Wait, is she even seven?

Ji-heon was somewhat taken aback. His careless moves had turned into mistakes on the board.

“Then, what if I place it here?”

Ji-heon placed a white stone in a surprising position and asked the girl. The child thought for a moment before placing a stone a bit further away.

A few moves later, Ji-heon found himself in a position where he had no choice but to follow her lead.

The girl wasn’t just smart; she was remarkable. Ji-heon couldn’t help but think she might be a prodigy.