The Returned Father of My Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

Bo Mi’s mood plummeted at Ga Young’s sarcastic remark, but since the other party was technically a representative of a collaborating company—albeit closer to a subcontractor—she forcibly swallowed her bitterness.

“Even if you’re a representative… your company’s barely the size of a booger.”

“You’re… going too far.”

“Oh my! Sorry about that. Did I hurt your pride?”

Ga Young covered her mouth and gave an irritatingly smug laugh. Hang in there. Just hold on. Bo Mi didn’t want to ruin her very first day with her new team.

“I do respect your talent. It’s not easy for a small company like yours to even get through our doors.”

“Team Leader Yeon Ga Young.”

“I don’t really understand all this augmented reality or metaverse stuff, so just show me what you’ve made when it’s ready. You know how important it is to take a regular consumer’s perspective, right? I’ll thoroughly analyze everything from that angle, Representative Han Bo Mi.”

Shamelessly, Ga Young proudly declared her complete lack of knowledge about the project.

And that ignorance ultimately turned Bo Mi into a hamster endlessly running on a wheel.

When Bo Mi demonstrated an app that allowed users to overlay clothing and shoes onto videos of their own body parts—integrated with the outlet catalog—Ga Young nitpicked even the most absurd details.

She tossed a nearly full-page document listing everything that needed fixing and demanded Bo Mi make the revisions.

Because of this, Bo Mi rarely made it home on time these days. She still had to prepare to welcome Yeo Reum too…

“Even though I’m the CEO… I can’t even leave work whenever I want.”

All of this was part of what Bo Mi had to endure to raise Yeo Reum without lacking anything.

“Ugh… I really don’t want to go in.”

After Yeo Reum, Bo Mi loved her work the most. She’d once been such a workaholic that people called her one, yet now just seeing the office made her sigh heavily—and it was all Yeon Ga Young’s fault. That nasty girl.

“Representative Han Bo Mi!”

“Su Young.”

“Did you pull an all-nighter again yesterday?”

“No… well, I did get home by midnight at least.”

“You’ve been through a lot. I should’ve stayed and helped you more.”

Su Young patted Bo Mi’s shoulder, her face filled with concern.

“It’s okay. It’s my responsibility anyway…”

“But she specifically targeted only your sections and packed them with dense revision requests. I know how intensely you focus and hammer away at the keyboard during those moments.”

“Guess I just rub her the wrong way.”

“No way. You turned her product into graphics—how can she even criticize the design itself? She should go after the product designer if she’s unhappy. Is she seriously asking us to rip apart the actual product and rebuild it from scratch?”

Su Young flared up, firmly taking Bo Mi’s side.

“Exactly. But even when we complain, they clearly don’t understand app development at all.”

Bo Mi’s lips pursed in frustration. Su Young wrapped her arm around Bo Mi’s shoulders and gently pulled her toward her chest, feeling Bo Mi had only her—an old friend—to lean on. Once Bo Mi found a little more stability, she’d finally be able to forget Nak Won. And when that time came…

“Representative Han Bo Mi. Cheer up.”

Bo Mi smiled softly and gently pulled away from Su Young’s arm.

“Thank you. Representative Ha Su Young.”

“We’ve still got Yeo Reum!”

Trying to awkwardly hide her empty arm, Su Young blurted out Yeo Reum’s name to cover her blushing cheeks.

Yeo Reum…

“Right. Our Yeo Reum. My beautiful baby.”

“Exactly. My incredibly cute niece.”

Su Young chimed in enthusiastically.

“When did Yeo Reum say she’d be arriving?”

“Oh… hold on, I’m getting a call.”

As if knowing they were talking about her, Yeo Reum called right then.

“Go ahead, Su Young. I’ll head in later.”

Bo Mi stayed alone in the hallway and pressed the call button.

—Mommy!

“Yes, my love.”

—Can we do a video call?

“I’m at the office, so…”

—Hiiing… I really want to see your face.

“I miss you too.”

—Since you’re at work, Yeo Reum will understand.

“Thank you.”

—I’ll sing you a song to cheer you up, Mommy!

From the other end of the line, Yeo Reum began singing her favorite Gigaton Robot anime song.

—…I never lose courage~. I’m a brave robot.

The child’s clear, ringing voice tickled Bo Mi’s heart, and a smile never left her face.

“I feel so much better now. Thank you.”

—Mommy, it’s true that from tomorrow, I’ll be living with you, right?

How many times had Yeo Reum counted down to this day with those tiny fingers? Just imagining the scene made Bo Mi’s chest ache with tenderness. I miss you. My son.

“Yes. I’m so excited… I miss you so much.”

—I miss you lots and lots too, Mommy!

Yeo Reum made a loud kissing sound through the phone.

“I love you.”

Bo Mi pulled the phone from her cheek and kissed it back.

Her adorable Yeo Reum. Holding Yeo Reum in her arms made her feel as happy as if she owned the whole world.

Just as Yeo Reum folded her chubby fingers one by one, counting the days until she saw Mommy, Bo Mi too was folding the fingers of her heart. Finally, it’s tomorrow. If I successfully finish the presentation tomorrow, I’ll treat Yeo Reum to meat for dinner.

Just thinking about seeing Yeo Reum filled Bo Mi’s chest with overwhelming joy.

Though facing Ga Young was agonizing, in this moment Bo Mi’s steps toward the office felt unusually light.

[This is the timeline separator]

After hanging up, Yeo Reum bounced around humming her song.

“I never lose courage. I’m a brave robot.”

Thinking she’d live with Mommy starting tomorrow, Yeo Reum excitedly dragged her luggage into the living room.

In the living room, Great-Aunt Winter was watching the news on TV.

[Regarding this latest electric vehicle recall issue, Do Jae Kyung, Executive Director of Dowon Group, made an official statement on behalf of Dowon Motors. Eligible recipients for compensation include…]

“Hey, that’s where your mom works.”

“Wow! Is it that huge?”

The TV screen displayed Dowon Group’s building alongside a subtitle reading: “Do Jae Kyung, Executive Director of Dowon Group.”

Yeo Reum blinked earnestly, staring intently at the screen.

“Your mom got her smarts from me, you know.”

Winter bragged proudly, then turned her gaze toward Yeo Reum, who was packing her bags. In a small backpack, she’d placed her robot toy and a cookie box—whenever Yeo Reum got something precious, she always stored it in that cookie box.

“Are you happy about moving in with your mom? Sigh… if only your mom hadn’t had you.”

Winter trailed off midsentence.

If only Bo Mi hadn’t met someone like Nak Won, she could’ve married into a wealthy family—Hwang Min Jun himself might’ve arranged a matchmaking meeting for her. Winter was frustrated that Bo Mi, blessed with both looks and talent, remained single all this time just because of that worthless man.

“Mom, what are you saying to the child?”

Mi Rae, who’d just come out of the bathroom after a long episode of irritable bowel syndrome, scolded Winter. She seemed nervous—after all, tomorrow she’d be taking the train alone with Yeo Reum.

“Aunt Mi Rae!”

Yeo Reum jumped up and opened her arms wide. Mi Rae scooped her up into a hug.

“It’s just that I hate seeing Bo Mi throw her life away like this. Remarrying isn’t such a bad thing these days.”

“Aunt Mi Rae, what’s ‘remarrying’?”

Though smaller than average for her age, Yeo Reum’s cheeks were delightfully plump. Her dimples, which popped in whenever she smiled, always reminded Mi Rae of the late Nak Won.

“Would you like it if you had a daddy?”

“Yes! Daddy would play with me. He said we’d go to the park, ride bikes, play soccer, and even visit Gigaton Land together!”

“Remarrying means your mom brings you a new daddy.”

“But will my real daddy not come back? If I’m a good girl, won’t he come visit me?”

Bo Mi had told Yeo Reum, who couldn’t yet grasp death, that Daddy was on a trip to heaven.

Mi Rae smiled gently and hugged Yeo Reum tightly.

“Then if you’re a very good girl, he’ll definitely come see you. Let’s get ready to go to your mom’s tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes! I like my real daddy better than a new one.”

Yeo Reum raised her arms and replied proudly.

“Yeo Reum, take these with you.”

Winter placed a pair of shoes in front of Yeo Reum.

“Wow! Gigaton Robot! Thank you, Grandma!”

The shoes were decorated with Yeo Reum’s favorite character.

“It’s not that I dislike you. Just listen well to your mom and Aunt Mi Rae, okay?”

“Mommy, why are these shoes so big?”

They were clearly larger than Yeo Reum’s feet, but she happily shoved her feet in regardless.

“Shoes are supposed to be a size bigger. Kids your age grow so fast—if we’d bought your last pair any smaller, your feet would’ve burst out of them.”

“Still, these are way too big. They’ll probably slip off when I run.”

“Auntie, they fit perfectly! Look, I can walk like this, and I can even run!”

Yeo Reum tightened her toes and pretended to run.

Clearly enchanted by the Gigaton Robot design, Yeo Reum showed no intention of taking the shoes off.

“If Yeo Reum likes them, that’s what matters.”

Mi Rae agreed, thinking the bigger size might actually be better—after all, Bo Mi wasn’t exactly the meticulous type. Kids grow fast anyway.

“Yeo Reum’s so excited to see her mom.”

“Your mom kept saying Yeo Reum was a burden—now we’ll finally be free of that worry.”

“It’s about money, isn’t it? Do you even know how much your father gives her? I’d love to spoil the child too if I could.”

“Sister Bo Mi isn’t failing to pay living expenses—it’s just that Mom always insists on that.”

Winter didn’t mention she’d gone to Min Jun to ask for extra money.

“Yeo Reum, do you like your new home? I wonder if Bo Mi even had time to properly prepare it.”

Winter changed the subject, trying to divert Mi Rae’s attention.

“I saw Mommy’s room through video call—it was super nice! She even bought new blankets!”

“Then don’t bother your mom too much when you get there.”

“Yeo Reum will take care of Mommy—how could Mommy ever find that bothersome?”

“Exactly. Mommy isn’t good at lots of things besides work, so Yeo Reum has to protect her.”

Yeo Reum clenched her tiny fists and declared proudly.

“Our Yeo Reum is so dependable.”

Mi Rae squeezed her adoringly.

“If you’re a good girl and listen to your mom, your daddy will definitely come see you.”

“Yes, yes.”

Mi Rae patted Yeo Reum’s back, suddenly wondering when she’d have to explain Nak Won’s death to her. Maybe it’s better she doesn’t know yet?

Like Bo Mi, Mi Rae couldn’t bear to shatter Yeo Reum’s innocent world with harsh reality.

Having watched Bo Mi still trapped in Nak Won’s shadow, Mi Rae understood better than anyone.

“Daddy misses you so much too. So he’ll always be watching over you.”

“But, Auntie…”

Yeo Reum whispered into Mi Rae’s ear.

“It’s a secret from Mommy about Daddy.”

Yeo Reum knew better than anyone how much Mommy missed Daddy.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ga Young blew gently on the dust gathered at her fingernail tips and made a disinterested face.

“Hmm… I think the original version was better.”

“Team Leader Yeon Ga Young.”

Bo Mi bit her lip, her expression darkening.

“Why? Just revert it back to the original.”

Bo Mi’s precious time had vanished, yet Ga Young appeared utterly unfazed.

“Please tell me you didn’t forget to save the original data? That’s literally the most basic thing.”

“…Don’t you ever think about how hard it was for me to make those revisions?”

“That’s not my problem. After trying it out, the first version is clearly better—what do you want me to do about it?”

“Fine. Team Leader Yeon Ga Young. Since this is just a sample and demo, it’s okay—but once we get approval, I’ll have to process all that massive amount of data. You can’t say ‘no’ again after that.”

“Well, if it still sucks after all that work, there’s nothing we can do.”

Ga Young waved her hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.

“Anyway, you’ll get your investment, contract payment, and even your monthly salary from Dowon Group—so the longer you work, the better for you, right? You need to present the demo version to the executives tomorrow, so finish it today and show it to me by tomorrow morning. Got it?”

“Ugh… I’ll just revert it to the original and show you that.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Ga Young replied half-heartedly, turned her head, and mumbled under her breath.

“For a representative of such a tiny company…”

Bo Mi seethed with helpless rage at Ga Young’s attitude.

She couldn’t understand why Ga Young hated her so intensely.

Ever since childhood, Bo Mi had been a thorn in Ga Young’s eye.

“Anyway, reverting it should be easy since we still have the original data.”

She felt a flicker of excitement—maybe she could finally leave on time today.

Ever since Ga Young arrived, the past few days had been utter chaos. She still needed to finish unpacking so Yeo Reum could settle in comfortably… yet half-unpacked boxes still cluttered the apartment. Maybe she should’ve accepted Mi Rae’s offer to come help one more time.

“Tonight, I’ll finish everything and get ready to welcome my baby.”

Bo Mi wanted to clear her tangled thoughts. Craving coffee, she entered the break room—where Deputy Manager Kang Sun Young approached her.

Sun Young was a team member from Hwangdo Construction’s Resort Business Division, accompanying Ga Young as her right-hand woman.

“Looks like you disappointed Team Leader again. Must be tough for you.”

“Oh… yeah. No, I mean—it’s fine.”

Bo Mi mumbled evasively, trying to slip away, but Sun Young dramatically shook the coffee machine.

“Oh dear! Why isn’t it working? What’s wrong? That’s strange.”

“It was fine just a moment ago…”

Bo Mi set down her coffee and stepped closer.

“Ugh, look—nothing happens even when I press the button.”

“That is weird… let me take a look.”

“Oh! Would you? Representative Han, you’re surprisingly good at these things despite your looks?”

“…Well, machines like this have simple structures.”

Bo Mi preferred building code in front of a computer screen over dealing with people—and handling machines was no different.

She pressed the button—no response. So she checked the power switch at the back of the machine. Just moments ago, a blue light had glowed steadily on the “ON” position—but now it was off.

“The plug came loose.”

“Oh my! It really did! How did that happen? How did you even get coffee just now, Representative Han?”

“I don’t know—I swear the power was on when I made mine.”

Bo Mi bent down, unplugged the machine, and picked up her coffee cup.

“Is there a ghost in this break room or what? Anyway, thanks.”

She felt oddly uneasy, as if she’d wasted time unnecessarily. And why had Deputy Manager Kang Sun Young—who never spoke to her before—suddenly approached her? No… don’t be suspicious.

Back at her desk, Bo Mi clicked on her hard drive with a panicked expression. Gone. It was all gone.

The files were missing from both her hard drive and the shared cloud. For security reasons, she only saved data in two places: the team’s shared cloud and her personal hard drive.

Access rights were granted to all Narae Creative employees.

“Does anyone have a backup of the data?”

“Well… yesterday, the Team Leader told us to delete it, so we did.”

One employee stammered out the reply.

“‘It’s tacky, tone-deaf, and the touch response feels sluggish. If this is your best, just quit. There are plenty of other companies.’”

She recalled Ga Young’s humiliating words from yesterday.

“No… even if you deleted it, it should still be on my hard drive…”

Bo Mi couldn’t find the separately saved previous version.

Had someone accessed her computer and accidentally deleted it? Worse—no one else had kept a copy. But the biggest problem was that she, the person responsible, hadn’t kept one herself.

Could I have deleted it yesterday in a fit of rage? After so many sleepless nights… her brain wasn’t functioning properly.

Heat rushed to her eyes. Don’t cry. Han Bo Mi, don’t get discouraged over this. You can just redo it.

“Bo Mi, are you okay?”

“Su Young… I think I have to redo the first part.”

“Don’t worry. The algorithm’s the same—I’ve got the data on my external hard drive. We can finish by the end of the day.”

“Senior, I’ll help redo it too. And since the last version wasn’t that different, it won’t take long.”

“For the graphic data to disappear too… this feels intentional…”

Ji Hee, who handled 3D motion graphics, said while rummaging through her hard drive. If true, an insider might be behind this. Bo Mi remembered how Deputy Manager Kang Sun Young had deliberately stalled her in the break room.

Could it be…? Bo Mi looked up—and met Ga Young’s eyes across the glass partition.

Ga Young’s mouth curled into a slanted smirk, and she gave a tiny flick of the fingers propping up her chin.

Deputy Manager Kang Sun Young stood beside her, watching Narae Creative like monkeys in a zoo.

“But since the original design didn’t change much, we’ll finish it quickly, Senior. Let’s do our best.”

Su Jeong, the UI and graphic designer, also lifted her head and struck a “fighting!” pose.

“Thank you.”

Perhaps because they’d worked together for so long, everyone quickly found their roles.

Ever since Jung Hoon vanished with the investment funds, the team’s unity had only strengthened.

Knowing Bo Mi and Su Young had kept every single employee—without layoffs—and even worked unpaid to support everyone through tough times, the staff followed them even more loyally.

Bo Mi wanted to believe the data deletion wasn’t done by an insider.

Having implemented the program once before, recovery went quickly.

Even with just an outlet-focused catalog, Ga Young was this picky—Bo Mi shuddered at how much stricter she’d become once the resort business became the main focus.

Worries about the future could wait. Right now, finishing the demo for tomorrow’s presentation was crucial.

“Thanks for helping this far. I’ll organize the remaining materials and finish the presentation version—go ahead and leave first.”

“Representative, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I can finalize the presentation materials faster alone.”

Because of Ga Young’s unreasonable nitpicking, the whole team was exhausted from constant overtime. Seeing her tired colleagues, Bo Mi couldn’t bring herself to ask them to stay.

“So don’t be late tomorrow—it’s an important day. I’ll finish soon and leave too, so don’t worry.”

“Bo Mi, let me stay and help.”

Su Young pulled the chair next to Bo Mi’s and sat down.

“If you stay too, how can the others leave? And didn’t you say it’s your mom’s birthday today?”

“Oh… right.”

Su Young wanted to stay with Bo Mi more than celebrate her mother’s birthday—but seeing Bo Mi’s eyes, she knew leaving would earn her points. Sorry, Mom. Your unfilial daughter is coming.

“I sent you a gift card—don’t forget to buy a cake. Tell her I said happy birthday.”

“Uh… thanks. Call me if anything comes up.”

Su Young’s steps felt heavy as she left Bo Mi alone—but after knowing her for so long, she understood exactly what Bo Mi liked and disliked. She still remembered Bo Mi saying in college that she admired people who cherished family. Sometimes, retreating was the best way to advance.

In the silent office, only the glow of monitor screens flickered.

Bo Mi didn’t mind this quiet time for focus. She put on her headphones and turned up the music volume.

Tap tap.

The sound of her keyboard drowned into the music.

Her fingers tapped the final period on the last page with cheerful satisfaction.

“Yaaay! It’s done!”

Bo Mi stretched her arms out wide.

“And saved!”

If someone deliberately deleted the data, she’d just implement stricter data management. She’d had ideas stolen before and company funds embezzled—this was nothing.

She should’ve stood up more firmly to Ga Young. What was so scary about childhood memories anyway…?

Even in a client-vendor relationship, collaboration demanded equal footing. If she kept this up, her precious people would get hurt. She’d even nearly suspected Narae’s own employees today—she reproached herself for that.

Once her thoughts settled, she gathered papers for shredding and fed them into the machine. She turned on the anime song Yeo Reum had sung to her. Imagining Yeo Reum’s joyful reaction if they sang and danced together made her body move on its own.

Humming along to the music from her headphones, she began to dance. Someone might laugh if they saw—but by now, everyone from the Strategic Planning Division had already left. Ji Hee once said Narae Tory’s clumsy dance moves were inspired by watching Bo Mi.

Was my dancing really that bad?

Yeo Reum always cheered her on by raising both thumbs.

“I never lose courage!”

Who cares! Nobody’s watching anyway.

Everyone from the Strategic Planning Headquarters had left an hour ago.

“A brave robot…”

Bo Mi hummed, swinging her arms up and down as she twirled—then froze solid like stone.

At the entrance of the Augmented Reality team’s office stood a man. Her arms and legs, mid-motion, locked in place. She couldn’t even breathe properly—only her eyes darted nervously.

Ah…

His sharp features cast in shadow. That familiar smile with deeply dimpled cheeks.

“Won Yi.”

“…”

She saw his lips move, but the music in her headphones drowned out his words.

The faint glow of monitors lit the two like stage lights.

There was no way she couldn’t recognize him.

He wasn’t Won Yi. He was Do Jae Kyung… Executive Director Do Jae Kyung.

Bo Mi slowly pulled off her headphones, her face burning crimson, and stared at Jae Kyung.

“Executive Director…”

How long had he been watching?

This is so embarrassing. Bo Mi mumbled, avoiding Jae Kyung’s gaze in shame.