A child who looks like me

Clink, clink.

With Da-yoon finally taking a nap, the house fell silent, and the sound of water splashing on the dishes echoed clearly.

Amidst that, Jin-seo’s sighs blended in.

After arriving at the hospital yesterday, Jin-seo regained consciousness and had to undergo several tests in her disoriented state. In the end, she was guided to the emergency room in the obstetrics department. There, she received unexpected news.

“You’re having a third child?”

So that’s why I felt so down.

Our bodies are so honest.

The lack of energy, occasional dizziness, and loss of appetite over the past few days all pointed to pregnancy. The baby was already building a tiny home inside her womb, thumping away with a heartbeat.

Even after hearing the heartbeat, Jin-seo couldn’t believe it.

“A third child…”

Children grow up so fast. A mother can’t keep up with how quickly they grow.

Even though she felt like a mother who was lagging behind, she was still trying.

She hadn’t yet been a good mother to her two children, and now another one was on the way.

Next year, Do-bin will start elementary school, and will I be chasing after him with a big belly? What if the third child is born on the day of the entrance ceremony?

Just imagining that day made her heart sink.

So this is why I collapsed. Instincts can be so terrifying.

“A third child…”

After finishing the dishes, Seung-kyu quietly observed Jin-seo’s mumbled complaints as he sat beside her. He took a day off work to care for Jin-seo, but he couldn’t find the right words to say.

“A third child for us…”

“…”

“I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling, right? You’re probably having a hard time too.”

Seung-kyu felt uneasy hearing Jin-seo’s flat and expressionless voice.

“Honey, I made a mistake…”

“A mistake? The baby can hear you. Don’t say things like that.”

Though she pointed it out to him, there was no liveliness in her tone.

“Children are a blessing.”

“…”

“When Do-bin enters puberty, the third one will be as big as Do-yoon.”

Seung-kyu lowered his head and swallowed dryly.

He couldn’t understand how things had come to this. The first child was actually a result of an unplanned pregnancy, and they had started their married life without any proper preparation, leaving Seung-kyu feeling perpetually guilty toward Jin-seo. And now there was a third child on the way.

“Honey, I’ll do well. I can take parental leave or whatever. I’ll do anything. Don’t worry too much.”

If only he could do anything, he would have wanted to ask her to give birth to the child in his place.

That was what he felt, but Jin-seo managed a weak smile.

It felt like life changed with every child born.

Now it felt like she was entering her fourth life.

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

The hand that had been playfully tapping him was suddenly held. Ji-heon grabbed Jeong Oh’s two hands with one of his and lowered his head, easily leaning in for a kiss.

Jeong Oh closed her eyes, unsure of what to do. A tear that had been pooling at the corners of her eyes slipped out. She felt his lips touch the corner of her eye, and she flinched.

His lips, which had been kissing her like they were tasting her eyelashes, moved downwards.

The kisses, initially similar to the one on her hand, became deeper and more lingering. When he finally reached her lips again, he swallowed them without hesitation. He held her tightly as her legs began to weaken.

He was just like he had been seven years ago. No, he had become even more reckless and greedy. His hands, his gaze, his breath—all were those of a wicked man. His rough breath flooded into her, as if he had decided there was no need to maintain appearances.

Every time she squirmed in his arms, his breath grew heavier. It was as if he was trying to fill her up with his breath, leaving no room for anything else.

She had boldly declared him to be hers, but now it felt like he had her heart in his grasp.

She reminded herself not to fall too deeply for him, not to get too swept away, as her mind raced with the thoughts, but the sensations he was giving her were overwhelming and made her tremble, leaving Jeong Oh with a tear-streaked face as her lips remained pressed together.

Her racing heart kept interrupting her thoughts.

What should I really do? Why is it beating so fast? Can’t you slow down a bit? I’m a person with kids! This is a children’s zone! I need you to go slow!

But then again, if I hide the sign and give a warning, it wouldn’t sound like a warning at all.

He was moving too fast for her to trust him completely. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to believe in him.

Ji-heon’s large hand grasped the back of her neck and pulled her closer. As she was pushed back, she willingly succumbed to his hold. The warmth of his fingertips pressing against her scalp was constant.

There had been moments in the past when death had felt so easy.

For the first time, Ji-heon felt grateful to be alive and healthy like this.

The sight of her trying to remain composed in the face of temptation stirred something deep within him.

He knew what she was worried about.

But that didn’t mean he could stop. The charm of Jeong Oh had already exceeded any limits. He couldn’t maintain his composure like a gentleman in front of her.

He could no longer hide the primal heat building inside him.

Still, she had accepted his advances, even while wielding her fiery hands.

Her soft lips and the warm breath within them felt intoxicatingly pleasant.

“But I’m not your man yet, am I?” he asked, leaning closer and releasing his breath right in front of her lips.

“Make me yours quickly,” she replied.

Thinking he was just teasing her, she shot him a sidelong glance. Even that was so cute that it made him smile.

“Make me yours.”

Though she didn’t know exactly how to give herself to him, she would give him everything he asked for.

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

After parting ways with Ji-heon, Eun-yeob contacted her sister Eun-bi. They met secretly, away from the Max Planning building.

As soon as Eun-yeob saw her sister, she furrowed her brows and asked sharply, “What did you do to Jeong Ji-heon? What did you say to make him so fed up that he wants to end this fake relationship?”

Tears welled up in Eun-bi’s eyes.

“Is Ji-heon like that? Really? He has a completely fed-up look on his face?”

“What on earth happened?”

Eun-yeob shouted without caring about anything else.

Her younger sister’s successful marriage.

In fact, Eun-yeob thought her sister would achieve that goal before turning thirty. However, the barrier created by Jeong Ji-heon turned out to be unexpectedly high and solid.

If she had invested in someone else, her sister would have probably been married by now.

Somehow, time had slipped away like this. At some point, it had become a matter of pride for Eun-yeob.

Having come this far, she had to get her sister married to Ji-heon no matter what. There was no turning back now.

Eun-bi, shaking her shoulders, finally revealed the truth along with a tear.

“It’s because of that girl.”

“That girl?”

“After she joined the company, oppa started acting strange. She keeps flirting with Ji-heon oppa. She told him he looked like her dad one moment and then like her ex-boyfriend the next… she keeps doing that. She follows him around and tries to stick to him in any way possible…”

“Jeong Ji-heon isn’t the type to fall for someone just because they flirt!”

“That’s why it’s strange!”

Eun-bi raised her voice as words failed her. And then she said,

“You handle it.”

“……”

“All the girls who flirted with Ji-heon were taken care of by you. You’re good at that sort of thing, right?”

She clung to her brother.

Eun-bi knew that it was her brother, Eun-yeob, who had spread all sorts of rumors about Ji-heon four years ago. By effectively conveying those rumors to Lady Jang Young-mi, he had made Ji-heon cooperate with the fake relationship.

Since then, Eun-yeob had been tirelessly working to block any woman who showed signs of trying to cling to Ji-heon.

“Do something! Tempt her or play with her or whatever!”

Eun-bi shouted. It was the first time Eun-yeob had seen her sister so desperate. He began to take her seriously.

“What’s that girl’s name?”

“Lee Jeong-oh.”

“……”

“Copywriter Lee Jeong-oh from the Production Team 2.”

Lee Jeong-oh.

Eun-yeob’s eyes widened when he heard that name.

He had heard that name before.

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

Eun-bi was anxious. Time was of the essence. Just then, she received a call from a headhunter.

Skipping overtime, Eun-bi left work early to meet the headhunter. The meeting place was quite far away, but she willingly endured the hassle of having to move around.

“Manager Chae Eun-bi.”

As she entered the café, the headhunter waved. A woman in a suit was sitting next to him. She was the target.

“Manager, this is the AE I mentioned. This is Deputy Manager Nam Ji-ae.”

“Hello, I’m Chae Eun-bi from Max Planning.”

Following the headhunter’s introduction, Eun-bi cheerfully greeted the AE and quickly got to the point.

“Actually, I’m not sure if you know this, but my boyfriend is the head of Max Planning. We ended up working in the same department, and it’s been a bit uncomfortable in many ways. I enjoy working, but I feel a bit disappointed that I can’t be recognized purely for my own abilities. So, I’ve been considering a job change. I heard that Two H is a great workplace, and I’m looking into it.”

The headhunter and the AE smiled and began talking about the company. All the information was unnecessary for Eun-bi, but she diligently nodded along to their words.

“Thank you for the information you shared today. It seems very helpful. I’ll reach out again soon.”

“Yes, Manager. It was nice to meet you. I’ll be waiting for good news.”

The AE responded cheerfully to Eun-bi’s farewell.

As she passed by the AE, Eun-bi casually mentioned her real purpose.

“Oh, by the way, Lee Jeong-oh is a colleague of yours, right?”

“Oh, Lee Jeong-oh? Ah! Max Planning acquired Ivory Planning, right? So, Lee Jeong-oh is over there at Max Planning?”

The AE’s eyes sparkled at the exciting topic. Eun-bi cheered internally.

“Yes. I’m in Production Team 1, and Lee Jeong-oh is in Team 2.”

“Is she doing well? Lee Jeong-oh.”

“Yes, it seems like she’s doing fine.”

“She’s a really bright talent.”

“It seems that way.”

Eun-bi felt nauseous at the praise for Jeong-oh but forced a polite smile.

“She does her job well, she’s pretty, and she’s smart. This is a secret, but there have been advertisers who occasionally had a crush on Lee Jeong-oh. If she didn’t have a child, she would have received a ton of proposals.”

“……She has a child? Lee Jeong-oh?”

“Huh? You didn’t know? Oh… am I not supposed to say this?”

Joy filled Eun-bi’s eyes.

There was a hole in the sky, even if it felt like the sky was falling!

“It’s okay. Please tell me. I have no one to spread rumors to.”

“She has an incredibly cute daughter. The child is probably seven years old now.”

A thrill ran through Eun-bi from head to toe. She couldn’t hide her joyful smile.

How dare she, a mother, touch my man?

‘This is it, this is it!’

Thinking about how to expose this fact made her heart race. Little did she know, it was like opening Pandora’s box.