The Returned Father of My Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16

“Yeo Reum! If you’re done brushing your teeth, come eat breakfast!”

Bo Mi called out toward the bathroom while carrying plates. Bo Mi’s mornings were always chaotic and rushed.

Ever since firing Hyun Min, she had taken over his responsibilities. With her workload multiplied several times over, overtime had become frequent, and the problem was she kept waking up later than her alarm every morning. She always resolved to rise earlier the next day, yet she inevitably succumbed to the irresistible lure of ten extra minutes of sleep.

“Tomorrow for sure!” Bo Mi clenched her fist and bit her lips determinedly—upon which Yeo Reum, finding her expression amusing, began giggling.

“Aha! Mommy.”

Round face, a tiny mole beside her eyes, and deep dimples.

Would Do Jae Kyung smile with that same expression too? The face of the man who looked so much like Yeo Reum overlapped in her mind.

She hadn’t seen Jae Kyung since they’d shared coffee together a few days ago.

He seemed swamped with external appointments; she’d only managed to glimpse him from afar, surrounded by his secretaries and bodyguards.

“He seems very interested in Representative Han Bo Mi.”

Because of just that single remark, she’d caught herself foolishly hoping and fluttering like a teenage girl, wondering if they might exchange even a single extra word.

Get a grip, Han Bo Mi.

He had a fiancée. Unlike Nak Won, he lived in a completely different world.

How could she let herself waver so easily just because his face resembled Nak Won’s…? Were you really that weak-willed?

“Mom! You’re getting wrinkles!”

Yeo Reum thrust her finger forward and firmly pressed Bo Mi’s furrowed brow.

“Oh. Sorry.”

To be daydreaming during precious mealtime with Yeo Reum… Focus.

“It’s delicious. Mommy, please eat too.”

Noticing Bo Mi’s slow spooning, Yeo Reum placed a sausage onto Bo Mi’s rice bowl.

“Thank you, Yeo Reum. Should Mommy pack you some kimbap?”

As Bo Mi picked up a sheet of seaweed, Yeo Reum shook her head vigorously.

“I can do it myself. Mommy, you’ll be late for work if you keep fussing—please hurry up and get ready.”

“Who’s the mom here? Our Yeo Reum’s all grown up now. Sister, you’d better get ready quickly.”

Mi Rae passed by with a towel on her head, chuckling.

“I’m done eating. Mommy, move faster! Even though your office is close, being late makes you a bad grown-up.”

Bo Mi hugged Yeo Reum tightly—this suddenly talkative child who seemed to have inherited someone’s nagging tendencies.

“My son, when on earth did you grow this much?”

A faint baby powder scent rose from the child’s soft body, lifting Bo Mi’s mood. For a moment, even the stress of the past few days felt forgettable.

“It tickles, Mommy!”

Giggling “kakkeul-kakkeul,” Yeo Reum squirmed. Unconsciously, Bo Mi found herself thinking of that man again. “You’re crazy,” she muttered, shaking her head sharply.

Had five years really been that long? To find herself thinking of him before Nak Won…

“Mommy!”

“Huh…? Yes?”

“Will you come home early today?”

“I’m sorry. There’s a company dinner tonight…”

“If it’s work, it can’t be helped. Even though I’m just your little brother, I understand that much.”

Yeo Reum didn’t fully grasp what “company dinner” meant, but nodded earnestly as he continued.

“I’ll hold back my longing for you, no matter how much I miss Mommy. So please come home right after it ends!”

“I’m sorry. Have lots of fun with Aunt Mi Rae.”

No matter how many times she apologized, the guilt of being a working mother never left her. When was the last time she’d had dinner with Yeo Reum? Perhaps Yeo Reum’s precocious maturity was actually a result of Bo Mi forcing her child to grow up too fast.

Every night, gazing down at her sleeping child after returning late from work, a heavy ache settled deep in Bo Mi’s chest.

“Bo Mi, if you want, you can move into my house. Your child would receive the best education, and you wouldn’t need to work this hard.”

Taking Representative Hwang Min Jun’s hand, as he suggested, would certainly make life easier.

Yet memories of childhood—living under Madam Hwang’s roof alongside Ga Jin and Ga Young—still made Bo Mi shrink inward. Relying on others due to lack of strength always came with that bitter humiliation.

She wanted Yeo Reum to live proudly, never having to watch others’ moods.

By Bo Mi’s strength alone…

“Mommy… I, um…”

Yeo Reum hesitated, glancing nervously at Bo Mi. What did he want to say?

“Sister, can I use this?”

Mi Rae, preparing to style her hair and curling her bangs with a roller iron, shook Bo Mi’s sunscreen bottle.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Bo Mi blinked, then gently stroked Yeo Reum’s cheek.

“When you’re done, pass it to me. I should put some on Yeo Reum too.”

She rubbed the sunscreen Mi Rae handed her onto Yeo Reum’s plump, round cheeks. The soft, glutinous-rice-cake-like skin melted deliciously under her palm.

“Heehee.”

Yeo Reum wrinkled his nose, laughing as if ticklish.

“Shall I put some on your legs too, Yeo Reum?”

When Bo Mi rolled up his pants slightly below the knees, Yeo Reum’s wound stood out starkly.

“Yeo Reum, did you get hurt?”

“I fell while running.”

“It wasn’t written in the notification app…”

“The teacher doesn’t know. ‘Cause I didn’t cry even when I fell.”

“Oh no! Yeo Reum, you have to tell us when you get hurt! Auntie didn’t even realize—you should’ve had ointment right away!”

Mi Rae, startled, bent down to examine Yeo Reum’s injury.

“It doesn’t hurt! I’m a strong boy, after all. So this is nothing at all!”

Clenching both fists and raising them high with a bright grin, Yeo Reum tried to reassure his mother and aunt. Perhaps that exact expression was a perfect copy of that man’s.

“Even so, you must tell an adult nearby whenever you get hurt. If the wound isn’t treated quickly, bad germs could get in and make it hurt even more.”

Worried about possible scarring, Bo Mi applied ointment.

“Yes, Mommy.”

Yeo Reum nodded and tightly pressed his lips together. Secrets he couldn’t share with his mother were beginning to pile up.

“If only your mom hadn’t had you, she could’ve married into a good family.”

Great-Aunt Winter used to say this every time she saw Yeo Reum. Though Yeo Reum pretended not to understand and just smiled vaguely, he knew it wasn’t a kind thing to say. He couldn’t burden his mom—he mustn’t worry her when she was already so busy.

The daycare Yeo Reum attended was run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It stood next to the library sponsored by Dowon Group, and the children used the park in front of the library as their playground.

Yesterday was park day. Some kids observed grass, collected leaves, and pasted them into notebooks to make observation journals, while Yeo Reum and friends who finished early played with a ball. Well, actually, Yeo Reum mostly ran around picking up balls the other kids threw.

The shoes Yeo Reum wore weren’t bought by his mom—they’d been a gift from Great-Aunt Winter. Though slightly too big, Yeo Reum didn’t mind because he loved the Gigaton Robot drawn on them.

While rushing to retrieve a ball, Yeo Reum tripped and his shoe flew off. One of his classmates picked it up and threw it away.

“He’s from the countryside! He doesn’t even have a dad!”

Someone above the fallen Yeo Reum shouted.

Though furious and hurt, Yeo Reum swallowed his tears tightly.

“I do have a dad…”

He mumbled the words filling his throat but couldn’t bring himself to say them aloud.

Staring blankly at his shoe dangling from the railing, he suddenly spotted a tall man.

The sunlight pouring over the man’s back was so bright Yeo Reum squinted one eye. When the man turned toward him, his towering presence cast a shade over Yeo Reum like a sturdy oak tree.

Dad! The moment he saw the man who looked just like the father in Mommy’s photos, Yeo Reum knew. Dad came to see us!

“Mommy… Dad really is in heaven, right?”

Knowing his mother grew uneasy whenever he mentioned his dad, Yeo Reum asked carefully. She probably didn’t notice Dad had come?

“Uh… Yes…”

Bo Mi’s voice trailed off.

“Could Dad maybe take a vacation from heaven because he misses Mommy and Yeo Reum?”

“Our Yeo Reum misses Daddy, huh? But Daddy’s very busy—he probably can’t take vacation. Mommy has to go to work now, so let’s talk when I get back.”

Glancing at her watch, Bo Mi grabbed her bag and slipped out as if fleeing an awkward situation.

“Uh… Mommy, have a good trip!”

“Sister, take care!”

Bo Mi’s heart ached; it seemed Yeo Reum was increasingly feeling his father’s absence as he grew older.

Won Yi… Why did you leave only us behind?

Both Yeo Reum and I miss you so much…

The sky, now entering summer, was so dazzlingly blue with puffy white clouds blooming that tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

The first dinner gathering for the Paradisus Project’s augmented reality team—jointly formed by Narae Creative, Dowon Distribution, and Hwangdo Resort—was underway. They chose a live seafood restaurant to suit Managing Director Kim of Dowon Distribution, who loved raw fish.

Wriggling live octopus squirmed under chopsticks, making mouths water. The atmosphere grew even livelier as glistening, fresh sashimi was served on boat-shaped wooden plates.

“Everyone, next we’d like a few words from Team Leader Yeon Ga Young.”

Deputy Director Kang Sun Young handed Ga Young a spoon instead of a microphone.

“Oh… Why make me do something like this?”

Pushing her hair behind her ears, Ga Young stood with a smile that didn’t seem displeased.

“Please understand that this dinner is quite overdue—we’re nearly two months into being a team. Please eat heartily and enjoy yourselves. And Narae Creative folks, who work tirelessly day and night, probably haven’t been eating well lately—so please have even more.”

Ga Young glanced meaningfully at Bo Mi with lowered eyes. Though some Narae Creative employees stiffened at her words, Bo Mi patted their backs reassuringly.

“Let’s make this project a huge success—our contract might even get extended. I hope tonight becomes a great chance for Dowon Distribution and Hwangdo Resort to strengthen our bonds.”

Ga Young raised her glass, and glasses rose all around.

“To our metaverse!”

“Cheers!”

Narae Creative staff were utterly exhausted from the constant meetings and the competitive tension between Dowon Distribution and Hwangdo Resort’s business teams.

Frankly, the idea of yet another dinner felt burdensome, especially with so much overtime—but as the weaker party, they had no choice but to feign enjoyment.

Deputy Director Kang Sun Young, as usual, sat pressed close to Ga Young, beaming and flattering her.

“Is the department head not coming?”

“He’s on a business trip today. Apparently he has to visit the factory again about the Dowon Motors recall issue.”

For Ga Young, who intended to hand the drunken Bo Mi over to Ga Jin later, Jae Kyung’s absence was actually welcome—she didn’t want him meddling and complicating things.

“Oh dear, what a pity. I was looking forward to seeing how the department head dotes on his fiancée…”

“Older Brother Jae Kyung was disappointed he couldn’t come too.”

In front of Deputy Director Kang Sun Young, Ga Young refused to admit Jae Kyung’s coldness toward her. She’d always assumed his lack of warmth and initiative stemmed from inexperience with women—mere shyness.

But seeing Jae Kyung and Bo Mi together in the elevator a few days ago changed everything. The look and smile he’d given Bo Mi were exactly what she’d always wanted from him.

And now she’d even heard reports they’d had coffee together in the cafeteria. Her insides churned.

He’d claimed he had no time even for meals with his fiancée—yet somehow found time for coffee with a mere subcontractor representative? Her blood boiled.

Bo Mi didn’t deserve someone like her own brother.

At least Ga Jin had been devoted to Han Bo Mi for years. Even if his approach was rough and led to rejection…

Ga Jin was well-off and decent-looking—shouldn’t Bo Mi be grateful if he pursued her? How utterly shameless.

This arrangement would be perfect for both Ga Jin and Ga Young.

[What time should I come?] [You’re eager, huh? Wait. I haven’t gotten her properly drunk yet. I’ll text you when the timing’s right.]

They’d decided Ga Jin would take the intoxicated Bo Mi to a hotel. Whatever happened between two adults of age overnight was none of Ga Young’s concern.

If things worked out between them, Ga Young would happily accept a new handbag from Ga Jin instead of noodles.

Ga Young kept glancing over to monitor Bo Mi.

Whenever Bo Mi’s glass emptied, Su Young quietly refilled it with water after checking those around her.

Hah! Seriously… Does that fox-faced woman have every man under her spell? What’s Representative Ha Su Young thinking?

How could she pry Representative Ha Su Young away?

Ga Young decided Ha Su Young was the biggest obstacle.

“Representative Ha Su Young?”

Calling out in her most coquettish tone, Ga Young scooted right up beside Su Young.