A child who looks like me

Just five minutes ago, all the conversations flashed through Jeong Oh’s mind like a panorama of her life.

I didn’t even realize he was standing behind the pillar…

She never expected that her reckless, fatal behavior would lead to such intense regret.

Moreover…

He’s my man, he’s my man, he’s my man…

Oh my god!

Having scorned Cha Eun-bi’s fabrications so harshly, she had just uttered the same nonsensical claim.

Jeong Oh, you fool. Has this man ever been yours?

Even when you fell in love seven years ago, he was never yours.

How ridiculous is that statement…

“He sure knows how to talk.”

Ji-heon, standing close by, mocked her with a chilling voice. Jeong Oh felt as if she might vomit up the abalone dolsot rice she had just eaten, covering her mouth.

God, why are you putting me through this trial?

In the midst of her desperation, Jeong Oh heard the voice of God within her.

‘Run away!’

God had given Jeong Oh strong legs to use in situations like this. She abandoned Ji-heon and dashed toward the side of the company, her eyes brimming with tears.

She should be getting closer to him, especially now that they had barely become friends.

Why did such an unfortunate incident happen? How could she have claimed to be with him?

Rushing to the office, Jeong Oh grabbed Mi-ran’s arm and pleaded desperately.

“Team Leader, is there any work I can do outside?”

“Um, let’s see? Why? Do you want to go outside?”

“Yes! Please let me go!”

“Alright, alright. The AE is going to the meeting with Sori Telecom; why don’t you tag along?”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

Jeong Oh hurriedly packed her bag and left the office. Avoiding Ji-heon, she took the stairs down and hid in the restroom of the first-floor lobby, only coming out when she was called by the AE.

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

Jeong Oh had fled. Like a squirrel.

Ji-heon hurried after her, but his phone rang, causing him to stop in his tracks.

After finishing the call, he rushed back to the office to look for Jeong Oh, but she had already made her escape.

He wanted to demand she return immediately, but he held back. She was likely to benefit from being outside for the time being, so he couldn’t hastily pull the brakes. After all, she would come back eventually.

As her superior, it was a matter of fate that they would meet again, so Ji-heon decided to enjoy the brief wait.

As lunch hour approached, someone knocked on the office door. The person who walked in was none other than Cha Eun-yeob.

“Are you busy? I stopped by briefly while I was at the company in the next building.”

“Yeah, good to see you. Have a seat.”

Ji-heon greeted his friend warmly.

Cha Eun-yeob, Eun-bi’s older brother. Seven years ago, when Ji-heon had his accident, Eun-yeob, like Eun-bi, had helped in his recovery. Because of that, Ji-heon still treated Eun-yeob with respect.

Eun-yeob used the term “close friend” without reservation when addressing Ji-heon, but Ji-heon didn’t feel as comfortable with him as he did with Seung-kyu.

Still, he was a moderately good friend who showed concern for his health.

However, Ji-heon couldn’t tell if their friendship would continue in the future.

Given the situation with Eun-bi, he inadvertently caused Eun-yeob some worry, so he felt he should wear a serious expression, but he kept finding himself smiling as he thought of Jeong Oh.

“Why do you keep smiling?”

Seeing Ji-heon struggle to hold back laughter, Eun-yeob asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Just something amusing happened.”

“What kind of thing?”

“It’s just a personal matter.”

Eun-yeob forced a smile, feeling somewhat displeased. Despite being long-time friends and having a lot intertwined, Ji-heon still seemed reluctant to let him into that side of his life.

He felt a sense of unease, as if something he had long desired was starting to unravel.

In the midst of this, Ji-heon casually asked, his voice light as if discussing the weather, “By the way, did you hear that Eun-bi talked about it?”

“What about?”

“That she decided to end the fake dating.”

“…….”

“Did you know she was going around saying she was going to marry me?”

A twitch appeared beneath Eun-yeob’s eyes.

Ji-heon wore a subtle smile, but his gaze was chillingly sharp. It was the look of someone probing for the truth.

“How about just marrying her?”

Eun-yeob tried to hide his nervousness as he suggested this to Ji-heon. “After all, you don’t really have a girlfriend, do you? I mean, Eun-bi is really kind and understanding…”

“Eun-bi deserves to meet the right person,” Ji-heon cut him off. He acted as if he was considering Eun-bi’s feelings, but his attitude was one of complete rejection.

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

After a very productive day out, Jeong Oh returned to the company and, as soon as she set her bag down, received some shocking news from Gi-hoon.

“Assistant Jeong, Director Jeong wants to see you.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Jeong Oh couldn’t help but shout. The team members, unaware of her serious situation, burst into laughter.

I’ll quit.

I’ll find another job.

I’ll end everything.

Jeong Oh quickly found a resignation letter template online and printed it out.

As she scribbled something on the printed paper, Deputy Manager Park Young-kwang asked, “What are you doing?”

“I thought it would be reassuring to have my resignation letter close to my heart.”

Assistant Ko Eun-joo leaned in to ask, “What did you mess up this time, Assistant?”

After folding the resignation letter twice and slipping it into her pocket, Jeong Oh looked at Eun-joo and grinned.

“Eun-joo, you know I really like you, right?”

“Let’s go.”

Perhaps due to the earnestness in Jeong Oh’s eyes, Eun-joo unexpectedly agreed to accompany her.

Gi-hoon also pushed his chair back and approached.

“Should I come along too?”

“Oh, that would be great.”

“But if we all go without a reason, won’t the director think we’re being rude? I don’t think he’ll like that.”

“It’s fine. I don’t like him either. Plus, I have something to report. It’ll be okay.”

Eun-joo cynically responded to Gi-hoon’s question.

The trio once again made their way to Ji-heon’s office.

With Eun-joo on the left and Gi-hoon on the right, Jeong Oh boldly stood before Ji-heon.

Even in the face of Ji-heon’s bewildered expression, Jeong Oh confronted him bravely.

“Director, you called for me.”

“I didn’t call for the two next to you.”

“Right. But Assistant Ko also had something to report, so we came together. And Mr. Song is here to listen as well.”

In response to Jeong Oh’s brazen reply, Ji-heon’s expression turned cold as he asked Eun-joo, “What is it you want to report?”

“Here is the draft for the new product package from Daewon Liquor.”

Assistant Ko Eun-joo replied, handing over the document she had been holding behind her. Ji-heon skimmed through it and said dryly, “This will work. Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Oh no, Assistant Ko…

Jeong Oh felt a chill at Eun-joo’s nonchalant response.

The air was heated. She felt the intensity of someone’s gaze.

Ji-heon’s eyes seemed to be staring directly at her, making Jeong Oh swallow hard.

Should I hit him on the back of the head? Maybe then today’s memories will disappear?

“If he’s my man…”

If only she could erase those five syllables from his memory, it would make things a bit more bearable.

In a situation where she had to try to revive his memories, she was also trying to erase another one. It was truly a tragedy.

“Director, is there something you want to say to me…?”

Jeong Oh asked, dragging out her words.

“I heard you went to Soritelcom. Does it align with the current production direction?”

He asked casually.

“Yes. The CEO of Soritelcom loves storytelling. It seems we can prepare it well according to plan.”

“Got it.”

Tap, tap.

He lightly tapped the table with his fingertips after his brief response.

Every hair on her body stood on end. She felt heat pooling at the tip of her nose.

His fingertips. His voice. His gaze.

None of these were direct threats, yet Jeong Oh felt completely paralyzed, unable to move.

This man is angry.

Because of Cha Eun-bi’s lies, I’ve pulled this man back into the realm of delusion. I shouldn’t have said that.

Jeong Oh lost the will to resist.

“Well then, I’ll call you again next time.”

He said politely as he returned the document he had received from Assistant Ko. Jeong Oh, along with the trio, moved heavily, her feet seemingly glued to the ground.

And in that last step.

Click.

The moment the door closed behind her, Gi-hoon turned around. The only people who came out of the office were Gi-hoon and Eun-joo.

“Oh? Assistant Lee didn’t come out.”

“Maybe she has something urgent to discuss.”

“Shouldn’t we stay to protect her?”

“We’ve done enough. Let’s go.”

Eun-joo walked ahead down the hallway.

The door quietly locked from the inside.

…Locked.

In that stillness, only suffocating tension filled the air.

Left behind in the office of her own accord, Jeong Oh found herself trapped between the exit and Ji-heon’s presence.

She carefully tried to speak.

“Director, what I said earlier was…”

“Whose man am I?”

However, before she could finish, he interrupted her.

As expected, he pointed out that phrase first. She was so sorry that she couldn’t bring herself to speak any further.

“If you claim him as yours, then you need to take responsibility.”

Jeong Oh slowly shook her head.

No, no, he’s not mine. Jeong Ji-heon belongs to Jeong Ji-heon…

“What courage made you say something like that?”

Ji-heon casually threw out the words, watching her reaction.

He had learned a few of her habits over time.

When she was at a loss for words, her mind would start to race.

There were moments when her eyes darted left and right as if she were tapping a calculator in her head.

He wanted to seize that gap. He wanted her to think only of him.

Ji-heon quickly lowered his head and deeply kissed her lips, then pulled away.

He didn’t ask. She was the one who made him hers. If he said, “I’m yours,” it would all be settled.

He’s my man. I am.

After the brief kiss, she looked even more dazed.

The opportunist Jeong Ji-heon would never let this moment slip away. He lowered his head again.

Tap.

But, just like that time in front of the katsu restaurant, a slap flew toward his lips.

Jeong Oh immediately sensed that something had gone wrong. Her plan to start as friends had shattered. Perhaps she should have picked up on it the day he kissed her hand.

She didn’t know what kind of person he was, and seeing so many different sides of him from seven years ago made her cautious, leading her not to consider something so simple.

That this man still saw her as a woman.

That he was approaching her with a side of himself he had never shown to Cha Eun-bi.

Tears welled in her eyes from the confusion.

But even so, she couldn’t let her guard down. She was a realistic person.

Tap.

She slapped his lips once more before pushing him away recklessly.

As he was pushed back, he truly felt like hers. It was so easy that it startled her.

She just wanted to regain her composure.

“You’re the one who’s in the wrong.”

She glared at him with fierce eyes, speaking seriously.

“No matter how urgent the situation was, you shouldn’t have done that. You can be a fake boyfriend, but not a fake marriage promise; it’s not okay. Both are wrong, both!”

From the beginning, you were the one at fault.

You shouldn’t have done that. Your decision must have been torture for Eun-bi.

He had been pushed back all the way to the edge of the sofa, leaning against the backrest. As he leaned forward, their eyes met perfectly.

She was so earnest, yet he was still smiling.

A gentle smile that seemed to embrace the whole world pierced through her heart.

It was impossible not to feel her heart soften.

Flustered, she began to stammer.

“So, so… until the Cha Eun-bi issue is resolved, you need to reflect.”

“Got it.”

“Again, again! You can’t just say you understand without a care, then lie, and when that gets found out, enjoy it.”

Despite her frustration, his eyes sparkled with delight.

“Got it.”

“Ugh. Seriously. This isn’t a time to be smiling. What do you understand?”

“I know.”

“…”

“It’s about how you, Jeong Oh, have been speaking less.”

With that response, he came back to kiss her again. As he closed his eyelids and obsessively sought her lips, his determination hadn’t changed at all from seven years ago.