A child who looks like me

Pretending to be friends.

If that was all that was permitted, she could certainly pretend as much as needed.

Ji-heon was someone who felt no aversion to false relationships. He had always lived that way.

He couldn’t take the initiative to suffocate the relationship between a superior and a subordinate, so if she suggested it, he welcomed it.

For him, the title of “friend” was merely a means to an end.

Ji-heon looked at Jeong-oh with affectionate eyes.

Jeong-oh glared at him, hiding the back of her hand where he had just placed his lips.

Even that was a source of amusement for Ji-heon.

“But if I become friends with you, does that mean I’m old enough to feel younger? Do we really have that big of an age difference?”

“Of course. It’s not just one or two years; it’s three years.”

“You know my age, huh?”

As Ji-heon keenly pointed that out, Jeong-oh’s gaze, which had been meeting his, subtly shifted away before returning.

“Yes. The team leader told me.”

“Now that I think about it, your team leader seems quite interested in me.”

“Yes. Everyone on our team is very interested in you.”

“But if we’re friends, are you still going to call me ‘Director’?”

“What should I call you then?”

“You can just call me by my name.”

“…”

“You can even call me ‘Oppa’ if you want.”

Jeong-oh suppressed a laugh and bit her lip at his casually suggested words. It reminded her of the man who used to smile whenever she called him “Oppa” seven years ago.

Ah, don’t get lost in nostalgia, Lee Jeong-oh. Don’t forget your mission!

Instead of responding, Jeong-oh bowed her head. She couldn’t linger with him in her neighborhood for long.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. Thank you for the ride.”

She quickly bowed and turned to leave, not looking back.

Ji-heon didn’t follow her; he just watched quietly. After a moment, she turned a corner into an alley. Once she was out of sight, a hot sigh escaped Ji-heon’s lips.

It felt like she had taken her first step into something new. He had told Seung-kyu that it wasn’t romantic feelings, but somehow, he was starting to feel something akin to it. Although his desire, like hunger, still plagued him, he didn’t mind spending time getting to know her.

While a quiet smile lingered on his lips, his phone vibrated.

It was his friend Seung-kyu.

“Hello?”

[Hey, where are you?]

Seung-kyu’s voice sounded unusually quiet, hinting at some apprehension.

“I’m at work, just about to head home.”

[Oh, really? Want me to treat you to dinner?]

“Isn’t it the weekend? Aren’t you spending time with your family?”

[No, I wanted to talk to you about something.]

“What is it?”

[……You’re coming to my house on Monday, right?]

Ah.

Remembering the promise from earlier, Ji-heon chuckled.

Seung-kyu had come over a few days ago and made that request, but it seemed he was worried because Ji-heon hadn’t given a clear answer.

“I’ll come, so don’t worry.”

Ji-heon accepted cheerfully.

[Oh, really? Really?]

“Yeah.”

[Huh. What’s this? Thank you so much! I’ll do my best from now on! My friend, I really like you.]

Seung-kyu, overwhelmed with gratitude, even confessed his feelings dramatically.

Ji-heon thought Seung-kyu was a great dad. Of course, he was also a good friend.

Jeong-oh quickly ran home, her heart racing.

“That’s good. That’s good.”

Although she was a bit troubled by his kiss on her hand,

he had accepted her offer of friendship without any hesitation. He seemed to have no doubts at all.

As she grew closer to him, she was careful not to provoke Cha Eun-bi.

Approaching her house, Jeong-oh slowed her pace. Assured that Ji-heon wasn’t following her, she took a moment to catch her breath.

“Where have you been?”

“Ah!”

Someone suddenly spoke to her from behind. Startled by the voice, Jeong-oh almost stumbled backward, but Detective Kwon Ba-il nimbly caught her.

“Detective.”

“Hello.”

With Ba-il’s help, Jeong-oh straightened herself up. She felt a bit embarrassed for no reason.

“I was surprised because it’s not like I did anything bad.”

“Yes, I know. I startled you.”

“It’s fine. I was just coming back from work. Are you on your way somewhere?”

“Yes. I was playing soccer….”

“Oh, soccer.”

“There’s a soccer club at the precinct.”

“Detective, you’re chasing criminals every day. How do you manage to play soccer on the weekends?”

“Criminals can’t be kicked with my feet.”

Ah.

Thinking of the good-looking detective frowning fiercely as he caught criminals made Jeong-oh chuckle a little.

Seeing Jeong-oh smile, Ba-il also beamed a kind smile. However, beneath that smile, Jeong-oh caught sight of something that made her unable to smile further.

“Ah! Detective! A mosquito! A mosquito!”

There was a mosquito sitting on Ba-il’s exposed forearm!

Thwack!

Ba-il, who had been smiling blankly, belatedly slapped his arm, but the mosquito darted away quickly.

“Ah, I got bitten.”

Ba-il looked down at his forearm and said slowly.

Jeong-oh could see the skin swelling slightly on his forearm.

Even if he could catch criminals, it seemed he couldn’t catch mosquitoes.

She thought he had too naïve an impression to be a police officer, but he certainly had his clumsy moments.

It seemed like it would be itchy…

“Detective, wait a moment.”

Jeong-oh pulled out some clear tape from her bag. It was a habit she had developed from preparing for competitive presentations, so she always carried tape with her.

Jeong-oh cut a small piece of tape and stuck it on Ba-il’s forearm.

“This will help reduce the itch.”

“Oh. That’s a clever trick. Thank you.”

Ba-il nodded appreciatively, as if he found it to be an innovative tip.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

Sunday lunch. Eun-bi went out to meet Mrs. Jang as promised.

All the way there, Eun-bi felt anxious and restless. She was terrified that Ji-heon might have revealed everything to Mrs. Jang first.

Eun-bi sat at the table reserved for her in the upscale restaurant, waiting for Mrs. Jang with a pounding heart.

Mrs. Jang arrived ten minutes late.

“Mother!”

Eun-bi stood up with a bright smile, trying to hide her nervousness.

“Ah, Eun-bi. I’m late. The traffic was terrible.”

“It’s okay, Mother.”

Seeing Mrs. Jang’s face light up without any hint of discontent made Eun-bi breathe a sigh of relief.

“Do you like French cuisine, Eun-bi? I made a reservation on a whim, and I hope it suits your taste.”

“Mother, I can eat anything. I’ll enjoy anything you treat me to even more.”

“Good. That’s why you’re so lovely.”

Eun-bi felt delighted by Mrs. Jang’s compliment.

Soon, the courses began to arrive one by one. Eun-bi felt a lump in her throat as she received treatment she had never gotten from Ji-heon.

“Is work going well for you?”

Mrs. Jang asked during the meal. Eun-bi sighed lightly before answering.

“Work is fine, but there’s a problem with a person.”

“A problem with a person?”

“There’s a friend I’m having some trouble with.”

“Do you really have trouble with someone?”

Mrs. Jang smiled at Eun-bi, as if finding her adorable.

“Actually, a high school classmate of mine recently transferred in as a copywriter. But she really dislikes me.”

“Why not? Our lovely Eun-bi?”

“She’s a deputy, and I’m a manager, so maybe that’s why? I’m not sure.”

Eun-bi forced a smile, her expression growing weary as she continued.

“When we were in high school, her family was going through tough times. I tried to look after her because I felt sorry for her, but I wonder if those memories of inferiority complex stuck with her.”

“Oh dear. So that gratitude turned into an inferiority complex! Well, you are a manager, and she’s a deputy, so she must envy you.”

“And actually, she comes from a single-parent family. Even if she tries to hide it, it shows. There’s really no way to avoid it. I think the reason she doesn’t have a proper adult to guide her when problems arise is a big part of it.”

“Right. I’ve always told Ji-heon to be careful with single-parent families since he was young. Ah, Eun-bi, we really communicate well!”

Eun-bi felt proud as Mrs. Jang chimed in.

In truth, she had heard from her brother Eun-yeob that Mrs. Jang had a dislike for single-parent families.

Eun-bi burned with determination internally.

She would not break up with Jeong Ji-heon.

She could not allow Jeong-oh to take her place.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

The next day.

The meeting had dragged on, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.

Jeong-oh had removed all the papers she had stuck to the wall.

Cha Eun-bi, who hadn’t shown up all weekend, suddenly took a day off today. While it was a bit bitter that it felt like she was shirking her responsibilities, Jeong-oh couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that the preparations for the competitive PT were progressing smoothly.

Today, they were supposed to finalize the production direction. Once that was set, they would begin working on the advertising proposals based on that direction.

“Let’s start the meeting at 7. Can someone go tell the director that we’re starting at 7?”

Who will put the bell on the cat?

Everyone bowed their heads at Mi-ran’s instruction.

“I’ll go.”

With no other option, Jeong-oh stepped up.

For Ji-heon, it had been a busy Monday. After attending an executive meeting at Max Planning, he had two external meetings, and by the time he finished processing a mountain of paperwork, it was already evening.

After tidying up his desk, Ji-heon stood up and put on his suit jacket. He had planned to meet Seung-kyu in the parking lot in ten minutes. It was the first time he was taking time off for “the kids” personally, not for work.

Just as he was about to leave his office, he heard a knock at the door, followed by it opening.

It was Jeong-oh, whom he hadn’t seen all day. His heart lightened at the sight of her despite the busy schedule.

She spoke in a very businesslike tone.

“Director, the meeting is ready. Is 7 o’clock okay for you?”

She had offered to be his friend just the other day.

Still, he didn’t forget his role as a director and asked her,

“What meeting?”

“You said we would decide on the production direction for the competitive PT today.”

Ah…

“Are you leaving work now?”

Ji-heon closed his eyes tightly and let out a quiet sigh. He had suddenly remembered the conversation he had with the production team last week.

When he reported to the planning team leader in the morning, he assumed the production meeting would have been postponed because the relevant research materials were expected to arrive tomorrow.

“Let’s push it to tomorrow morning.”

Jeong-oh’s expression turned awkward at his decision.

“I heard you didn’t have any appointments today, so I set it for today.”

“I had an unexpected matter come up. Let’s do it tomorrow morning. The planning side also said they weren’t ready with the research materials, so we can review everything together then.”

Jeong-oh’s gaze sharpened at Ji-heon’s response.

Ah, gotcha.

Recalling the time she had worked late for a study on Ye-na’s birthday, Jeong-oh felt she couldn’t miss this opportunity.

She raised her chin defiantly and pressed on.

“If the decision gets delayed, it might disrupt other schedules, Director.”

You think you can escape while you have work to do?

Let’s see how you handle this.

“What is it, Director?”

“Personal matters.”

“What kind of personal matters?”

“…….”

“Can you please finish this before you go? It’s something you really need to do, isn’t it?”

Jeong-oh pouted her lips and shot back with a sulky expression.

Ji-heon’s eyes narrowed as he sensed Jeong-oh’s intentions.

“Are you getting revenge?”

“No. I’m just asking you to consider it from another perspective.”

“I already apologized back then.”