A child who looks like me

On Monday morning, Eun-bi cheerfully greeted Team Leader Seong Mi-ran, who had returned to work after a long absence.

“Team Leader, are you feeling alright? I was really worried about you.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern. I’m all better now.”

“Since you had surgery, it’s a shame that all your hard work has gone to Lee Jeong-oh.”

“No, it’s a relief, really. Lee Jeong-oh did the presentation.”

“But filming is different. It’s not domestic filming; it’s overseas. With clients coming along, your rank really falls behind. You must be quite worried.”

As Eun-bi continued to chat with Mi-ran, Deputy Ko Eun-joo chimed in.

“So, Director Jeong Ji-heon joined us yesterday.”

Eun-bi’s eyes widened at the shocking news.

“Did Manager Choi not tell you that the director is on a business trip? Oh, I guess she didn’t.”

Ko Eun-joo observed Eun-bi’s expression and smirked slightly.

A tremor of annoyance ran through Eun-bi’s lips.

‘Ji-heon is on a business trip? Following Lee Jeong-oh?’

Before she knew it, news of Eun-bi and Ji-heon’s breakup had spread throughout the office, and colleagues were reluctant to bring up Ji-heon in front of her.

Eun-bi also had no real connection with Ji-heon anymore, so she didn’t know what he had been up to, which is why she only heard about his business trip long after it happened.

“It’s a relief that the director is going too. The clients must feel reassured.”

Eun-bi responded with a strange mix of laughter and anger and walked away from them.

Watching Eun-bi’s back, Ko Eun-joo snickered, while Mi-ran awkwardly grabbed Eun-joo’s arm.

“Come on, they just broke up recently; Eun-joo, you’re being too harsh.”

“Team Leader.”

But in Princess Mama’s dictionary, there’s no such thing as reflection or regret.

“I’m as sharp as a knife.”

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

Eun-yeop received a call from Eun-bi after arriving at work. Eun-bi suddenly exploded with anger.

[Oppa, are you even thinking about how to separate Lee Jeong-oh from Jeong Ji-heon?]
Eun-yeop’s expression soured at his sister’s irritability. For some time now, he hadn’t been pleased with how much his younger sister had been climbing over him.

[Jeong-oh is on a business trip with Ji-heon! Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?]
Eun-yeop wasn’t even aware that Ji-heon had gone on a business trip with Jeong-oh.

Before Eun-yeop could respond, Eun-bi continued.

[That girl is a mother! A single mother! And she’s currently flirting with Ji-heon!]
Now, Eun-bi was truly throwing a tantrum.

Eun-yeop was also aware of this fact. Over the past few days, he had been researching Lee Jeong-oh.

Lee Jeong-oh, 30 years old. Copywriter. A single mother with a young daughter.

The child was seven years old. Ji-heon had lost his memory seven years ago as well.

The thought of this made Eun-yeop uneasy. He began to wonder if Lee Ye-na could be Ji-heon’s biological daughter.

If that were true, did Ji-heon already know?

It was hard to infer anything from someone so enigmatic.

What if he still didn’t know the truth?

Even so, if it were the truth, he would find out soon enough.

“Chae Eun-bi, don’t act rashly. Got it?”

Eun-yeop warned, fully aware of his sister’s impulsive nature.

“You just stay out of it.”

Eun-yeop sternly advised and then hung up the phone.

The fact that the two of them were on a business trip together was troubling.

As they grew closer, Ji-heon would inevitably get closer to the truth.

‘So, what can I do?’

He contemplated various possibilities.

Creating distrust between Ji-heon and Lee Jeong-oh.

Damaging the past between Ji-heon and Lee Jeong-oh.

Threatening Jeong-oh. Threatening Jeong-oh’s family.

Expelling Jeong-oh from Ji-heon’s household and taking the child away.

Eliminating the child, or eliminating Jeong-oh.

He decided that various actions needed to occur simultaneously without a specific order.

In the end, Ji-heon had to choose not Lee Jeong-oh, but Ms. Jang Young-mi.

How much did Ms. Jang know about Jeong-oh? Did she know that Jeong-oh had a child?

It was crucial to find out right away.

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

Filming in downtown Melbourne.

Despite having obtained prior cooperation and permission from the city hall, unexpected problems often arise on set.

A traffic accident occurred in front of Flinders Street Station, a famous landmark in Melbourne. This happened just as the filming crew arrived and began setting up their equipment.

While there were no injuries, the minor accident took a considerable amount of time to clear, forcing the filming crew to wait idly.

Jeong-oh asked the police officers who arrived on the scene when things would be cleared up and sought their cooperation. Initially annoyed by the filming crew, the police officers became more amiable after hearing Jeong-oh’s Australian-accented English.

Ji-heon, who arrived late to the scene after having lunch with the clients, quietly watched Jeong-oh bustling around with her sleeves rolled up.

The previous afternoon, Ji-heon had returned to the restaurant called “The Crown” to look at the photos on the walls and chat with the owner. However, he couldn’t find any other clues related to his past there.

Seven years had passed. Ji-heon left a message with the restaurant owner to contact him if he learned anything about the woman who had taken a photo with him.

Unable to know anything about the past, he shifted his thoughts back to the present. He couldn’t shake off Jeong-oh’s cold attitude. In the midst of this, he had encountered her in front of a crosswalk. Once again, she tried to run away as soon as she spotted him.

Always just out of reach, never grasped. She had always been like this.

He wanted to yell in anger and question her for various reasons, but faced with her in front of him, he couldn’t get past the urge to plead, “Please just see me.” With that feeling, he handed her the card key to his accommodation.

But she hadn’t come the night before.

The filming wrapped up at 11, and he knew she had returned to her room afterward. However, she hadn’t even contacted him or given any sign of her presence.

As the night of waiting passed, seeing her appear on set the next morning with a bright, sunny face made him feel a bit frustrated.

It made him feel like he was nothing at all.