The Returned Father of My Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
“Do you remember my name?”
Bo Mi asked impatiently, cutting in before Jae Kyung had finished speaking.
“…….”
Even during his brief pause, Bo Mi held onto a vague hope. After all, how could someone who looked so much like him not be Nak Won…?
The name “Nak Won” had originated when the village grandmother began calling him that after he’d suddenly appeared in Nak Won Village.
It was said that on a rainy night when the river had swelled, an injured man had collapsed there. There was absolutely nothing identifying him—as if someone had deliberately erased all traces—so no one knew who he was.
The kind-hearted villagers readily accepted Nak Won.
Grandmother Kkeutdong had even contacted a local police officer she knew to request an identity check, but she’d received no reply at all.
He was a man who learned things quickly and was exceptionally intelligent. It wouldn’t have been surprising if the original Nak Won had ended up working at a large corporation like this.
When Bo Mi expressed suspicion about Nak Won’s death, her aunt got angry, asking if Bo Mi didn’t trust her.
Perhaps that was why Bo Mi still couldn’t let go of hope—that maybe he was still alive somewhere….
The same face, the same scent, the same voice.
Could a person’s memory really shake the heart this deeply just because someone looked similar?
She missed Nak Won, longed for his warmth, and secretly wished he were still alive.
“I remember. Han Bo Mi, CEO of Narae. An augmented reality-based app development company, correct?”
Trying to hide her disappointment, Bo Mi rummaged through her bag and pulled out a business card.
If this was a professional relationship, she ought to act professionally. Meeting such a high-ranking executive from Dowon Group in the elevator might even be fate.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“You showed quite outstanding results in the recent selection process. In many aspects.”
His long fingers brushed lightly against the tips of Bo Mi’s fingers. She nearly dropped the card before it even reached his hand.
“Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
Bo Mi clenched her empty hand into a fist and hid it behind her back.
“Your card… Why don’t you point your phone camera at it?”
“So you’ve hidden something intriguing, I see?”
“Well, we’re supposedly an augmented reality development company, after all.”
Bo Mi smiled, her eyes slightly crinkling at the corners. The man hesitated for a moment.
She’d gone from crying to laughing—definitely a crazy woman…
Yet her words sounded perfectly sane.
“I’m intrigued.”
Han Bo Mi, CEO of Narae Creative, and Ha Su Young, CEO—names he’d seen in the report.
Narae Creative’s technology, which rendered 3D content on mobile phones with virtually no loading time, far surpassed that of competing companies.
Moreover, their system required no separate app—just the phone’s camera—thus perfectly meeting modern consumers’ demand for rapid information access.
At the Dowon Distribution evaluation panel convened to form an augmented reality marketing team, Narae Creative received unanimous full marks.
He’d almost believed they’d won purely on merit—until he heard that Hwang Min Jun, CEO of Hwangdo Construction, had attended the evaluation. Hwang Min Jun was currently locked in a rivalry with Do Jae Kyung over the next vice-chairmanship position.
Jae Kyung felt uneasy about Hwang Min Jun’s strong support for Narae Creative—an initially small, financially precarious startup entangled in a fraud case. It seemed there might be ulterior motives.
He had already instructed Secretary Kim to investigate any connection between Narae Creative and CEO Hwang Min Jun.
“I don’t have a card on me right now. Do Jae Kyung, Head of Strategic Planning Division.”
“Do… Head Do Jae Kyung?”
Do Jae Kyung… So this man was Do Jae Kyung.
The man who stood in opposition to Hwang Min Jun, CEO of Hwangdo Construction—a figure frequently mentioned as heir to Dowon Group.
The only living blood relative of Chairman Do Jun Seok, who had been hospitalized for several years, and son of the late Vice Chairman Do Won Il.
And… Bo Mi unconsciously bit her lip.
He was the very man Han Bo Mi must never get involved with.
“So you do seem to remember my name?”
Jae Kyung echoed Bo Mi’s earlier, dazed question.
“Oh… No, it’s just an honor to meet you.”
Bo Mi wanted to leave this spot as quickly as possible. Outside this elevator, they wouldn’t even exchange words.
Jae Kyung noticed Bo Mi’s oddly uncomfortable reaction after hearing his name, and it bothered him.
Bothered him? Him, Do Jae Kyung?
Jae Kyung smoothed the corner of his mouth and pressed the door-open button.
“Twenty-third floor, CEO Han Bo Mi.”
“Then… Take care.”
Bo Mi bowed slightly and stepped out of the elevator.
If he was Do Jae Kyung, he absolutely couldn’t be Nak Won.
The factional feud between the Do and Hwang families of Dowon Group was widely known. Bo Mi thought of her patron, CEO Hwang Min Jun of Hwangdo Construction, who’d provided the financial support enabling her to get this far.
Her heart pounded rapidly. Not wanting him to see her flustered, she straightened her back and walked toward the meeting room.
Do Jae Kyung… The man who resembled Nak Won.
And the one man who could never be Nak Won.
It had all been a fleeting illusion—like a daydream born from longing.
The spring-and-summer paradise no longer existed in this world.
Jae Kyung couldn’t take his eyes off Bo Mi’s retreating figure as the elevator doors closed.
Her soft-looking brown bob swayed gently against her fair, white nape with every step.
Her delicate face, round forehead, straight nose, and plump, stubborn-looking lips. Cheeks that easily flushed pink. Expressions shifting constantly—as if deliberately designed to captivate.
But above all, it was her voice that unsettled Jae Kyung.
“Won Yi!”
When her hand had grabbed his sleeve, he hadn’t been able to pull away instantly.
Why? Why had he hesitated, even for a moment?
That voice desperately calling out a stranger’s name had felt hauntingly familiar.
“I like summer more than spring. Spring’s brightness makes me worry that the moment flowers bloom, they’ll soon fade. But summer’s green gives me peace—no worries at all.”
Along with that voice echoing in his mind came a throbbing pain, pressing against his skull like a wave. Jae Kyung staggered backward and leaned against the elevator wall.
He pressed his temples and tried to steady his breathing.
Sunlight filtering through the coniferous forest shone so brightly his vision blurred white.
“Hah… Huh…”
His breath… Jae Kyung clutched his chest as if tearing it open.
Again. That unpleasant sensation.
Ever since he’d opened his eyes in the hospital room five years ago, relentless headaches had plagued him.
Jae Kyung couldn’t recall the accident. A dump truck had skidded on the rain-slicked road and collided with his sedan, sending him sinking into the water along with his car.
He didn’t know how he’d escaped, but he’d been found unconscious some distance from the submerged vehicle. Doctors had called his awakening after more than six months in a coma a miracle.
He suspected deliberate intent behind the crash—likely orchestrated by those opposing his rise within Dowon Group.
People like his own grandmother, Lee Hae Young, and CEO Hwang Min Jun.
Power within Dowon Group was split into two factions.
The group’s current scale was possible only because Dowon Distribution had merged with Hwangdo Construction.
Chairman Do Jun Seok of Dowon Group and his wife Lee Hae Young had no children of their own.
Chairman Do had promised to name Hwang Min Jun—son of Hwangdo Construction’s Chairman Hwang—as his successor.
However, as the sole heir of a family deeply obsessed with bloodline, Do Jun Seok later designated his secret son, Do Won Il, as the next successor.
After Do Won Il’s death in an accident, the chairmanship once again tilted toward CEO Hwang Min Jun.
But when Do Jun Seok recalled Sung Yeon Hee and her son Do Jae Kyung—whom he’d previously banished—a tense power struggle erupted between the two factions over the next succession.
The day before Chairman Do Jun Seok was to hold a party announcing his chosen heir, Jae Kyung was involved in the accident.
Jae Kyung took a slow, deep breath. This was nothing.
Ding. The doors open.
Jae Kyung stepped out of the elevator with a composed expression, and his secretary and bodyguards waiting at the door immediately fell in behind him.
He couldn’t show weakness to anyone.
This place was a jungle—relax for even a second, and you’d be torn apart. To survive here and claim the position his late father had wanted, Jae Kyung couldn’t afford a single vulnerability.
[This is the timeline separator]Bo Mi got off the bus and climbed the seemingly endless hill.
Wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, she walked alongside the white wall covered in ivy. Just a little farther, and the entrance would appear beyond this seemingly endless road.
Bo Mi looked up at the mansion that resembled a massive fortress.
Two weeks had passed since she’d signed the contract with Dowon Group.
Her start date at the augmented reality business division with Dowon Distribution was fast approaching.
With the housing subsidy provided by Dowon Group for partner-company employees, Bo Mi had rented a small two-room apartment in Dowon Apartments.
Since she didn’t own much, her second cousin Mi Rae—who’d agreed to move in and help care for Yeo Reum—and CEO Ha Su Young made the move quick and easy.
Bo Mi smiled as she took out bedding printed with Gigaton Robot, Yeo Reum’s favorite.
She’d fall asleep holding the small body that nestled under this blanket, one leg resting on Bo Mi’s stomach.
Just thinking that she could now live with Yeo Reum filled her chest with emotion.
Yeo Reum—Nak Won’s precious gift left behind for Bo Mi.
“If there’s no spring, there’s no summer.”
Because of Nak Won’s words, Bo Mi had finally learned to love spring.
She’d named the child “Yeo Reum” after the season of summer, when she’d given birth to her spring-born baby.
“Since I have spring, I hope we can have summer too.”
She’d started calling the baby in her womb “Yeo Reum” after Nak Won’s playful remark.
To protect Yeo Reum, she had to grow stronger.
She needed to become shameless and shrewd—so she’d never be scammed again.
She also had to ensure the project’s success and grow Narae Creative. Bo Mi clenched her fists and pressed her lips tightly together.
I can do it. Because I’m a mother. For Yeo Reum’s sake, she felt a surge of strength—like she could do anything.
“Whew… Nothing’s changed here.”
Bo Mi pressed the doorbell, unable to hide her nervousness after such a long absence.
The garden, decorated according to CEO Hwang Min Jun’s tastes from his youth spent in England, was breathtaking when summer roses bloomed in full splendor.
“Well, who’s this! It’s been ages! How have you been?”
Madam Kang Won, recognizing Bo Mi, greeted her warmly.
“I hope you’ve been well? May I see the CEO?”
“He’s waiting in the study. It’s quite a busy day for visitors.”
On her way to the study, Bo Mi caught her reflection in a mirror and sighed.
The Bo Mi in the mirror looked worn down—clearly showing these past five years hadn’t been easy.
“If it’s a mistake, just start over. I’ll find you a good marriage if you give up the baby.”
After hearing of Nak Won’s death, Bo Mi had rushed to Seoul searching for him. Refusing food and water, wandering like a madwoman, she’d collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.
Min Jun, arriving as her legal guardian, had stared at her with pitying eyes.
He must have been disappointed.
Due to premature labor risks, she’d been dragged to the OB-GYN ward and forcibly hospitalized.
Afraid they’d take her baby, Bo Mi had run away and hidden. Or perhaps Min Jun had let her go. Since then, their relationship had grown distant, and contact had dwindled.
She’d wanted to show him she was doing well…
Bo Mi took a deep breath and placed her hand on the doorknob. Don’t be nervous, Han Bo Mi.
“Hello, CEO.”
Bo Mi opened the door with a bright smile. Despite their strained relationship, she truly owed him a debt of gratitude.
CEO Hwang Min Jun, who’d been reading documents, looked up. His broad-shouldered, masculine presence remained unchanged by time. Though nearing sixty, he still looked only in his forties.
“A few months ago, I got a call from your aunt.”
“My aunt… What did she…?”
“She said you’d been scammed out of both your land and your house…”
“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
Apparently, her aunt—trusting Bo Mi’s name—had been deceived by Senior Jung Hoon’s smooth talk into investing the land her grandfather had left her.
“It’s fine. There’s nothing you could have done anyway.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Tsk. I didn’t call you here to make you feel small.”
Min Jun’s tone was cold, and Bo Mi instinctively shrank back. It had always been like this between them. As someone who only received help, Bo Mi found his support uncomfortable, and Min Jun had always disapproved of her attitude. Yet their awkward relationship couldn’t be severed.
“I heard you’ll be working with Dowon Distribution.”
“About my connection with you…”
Bo Mi cautiously raised her eyes. Backlit as he was, she couldn’t see Min Jun’s expression.
“I’ll make sure no one finds out.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Ga Jin is such an interesting character. If FL had been friends with him, she might have had an even more terrible childhood because of Mrs. Hwang. But he’s exactly the type of person who could be a friend or family member.