OMS 112

“You didn’t have to do this…”

Park Dong-sik opened the box from Kim Yoon-ah and smiled broadly. 

“So pretty!” 

When they had gone to the department store together, he had admired some newborn underwear, and Kim Yoon-ah had remembered and bought it.

“If you don’t like the color, I can exchange it for something else.”

Park Dong-sik quickly shook his head.

“No, I love yellow. I really like it. Thank you!”

It would be as cute as a baby chick when worn. Holding the clothes against himself, Park Dong-sik marveled at how small newborns are. Then he belatedly remembered that Kim Yoon-ah was meeting her parents today.

“Aren’t you going to see your parents today?”

Kim Yoon-ah nodded with a tense expression.

“I’m a bit nervous.”

When they first told Kim Yoon-ah’s birth parents their daughter was alive, they were very surprised. To be safe, they first exchanged photos and requested a DNA test, which came back positive yesterday.

Watching all this, Park Dong-sik felt happy but also troubled. What would happen if after the babies were born, a DNA test showed they weren’t Kim Jun-han’s?

If Kim Tae-han couldn’t let go and pursue legal action, it would become a messy fight. Quickly shaking off these gloomy thoughts, he focused on his conversation with Kim Yoon-ah.

“Are you going to their house?”

“Yes.”

“Get ready. I’ll take you.”

“You, Hee-soo-nim?”

“You don’t want me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll go alone.”

“Am I embarrassing?”

“It’s not that, but you’re pregnant and shouldn’t worry about me too…”

“I’m hurt. I care because you’re my person. Would I do this for just anyone? Besides, I’m feeling cooped up at home. Let’s go for a drive.”

Park Dong-sik hurried to get ready to leave. Though the private investigator had learned a lot and said they were well-off, he worried whether these parents might become a burden to Kim Yoon-ah. He used the drive as an excuse to see for himself.

Outside, the security guards were loading numerous wrapped boxes into the trunk. Seeing this, Kim Yoon-ah’s eyes widened.

“Hee-soo-nim, what’s all that…?”

“We can’t visit your parents empty-handed. I went ahead and prepared some gifts.”

Kim Yoon-ah’s eyes welled up with emotion.

“You didn’t have to…Thank you.”

“This makes me feel better. Let’s go, they must be waiting.”

As they drove and chatted, they passed by the hospital where Kim Tae-han had been admitted, and Park Dong-sik became lost in thought. He heard Kim Tae-han had been discharged after a few days, but there had been no news since. Though he tried to cut ties completely, it nagged at him like a thorn in his throat.

“Hey, have you heard anything about Kim Tae-han?”

Kim Yoon-ah nodded at Park Dong-sik’s question.

“A staff member from his family home said he’s eating well and even exercising after discharge, surprisingly.”

“That’s good. No, is it bad? Is this bastard preparing for a real fight?”

“A fight…?”

Park Dong-sik brushed it off as nothing and looked down at his belly. Maybe Kim Tae-han wouldn’t back down quietly…As his thoughts grew complicated, the car entered a residential area, and as they approached their destination, Kim Yoon-ah became visibly tenser.

“Why are you so stiff?”

“I’m nervous…Very nervous. What should I do?”

“Don’t be tense. Here, take a deep breath. Hoo, ha!”

“Hoo, ha! But will they be happy to see me? Hoo, ha!”

Because of his own experiences, Park Dong-sik couldn’t readily say of course they would.

“The detective said they cried a lot when they first came to meet, and when they went for the test. They probably cried even more when they got the results.”

“Actually, I cried a lot last night too…”

So that’s why her eyes were so swollen. Park Dong-sik patted Kim Yoon-ah’s shoulder comfortingly. They arrived at their destination, where the house number was clearly marked on a blue gate.

“This must be it.”

Park Dong-sik surveyed the house through the window. Not bad for a Seoul house. As he opened the window to look more closely, suddenly, there was an unfamiliar child in front of him.

“Who are you?”

Park Dong-sik laughed at the gap-toothed child.

“You startled me. And who are you?”

“I’m Lee Jungyoon.”

Just then, another head popped out beside them, smiling broadly.

“And I’m Lee Dongmin.”

Only then did Park Dong-sik notice the children gathered behind them. Among them stood a middle-aged couple holding hands with anxious expressions. Since Kim Yoon-ah’s parents had her when they were college students, they were younger than expected. Early fifties, perhaps.

As Kim Yoon-ah got out, Park Dong-sik hesitated before following. He’d planned to just look at the house and leave, but now that they’d met, it seemed impolite to just go.

The woman presumed to be her mother began crying, covering her mouth, when she saw Kim Yoon-ah stepping out of the car. The reason was clear without asking—Kim Yoon-ah was the spitting image of her father, making the DNA test seem almost unnecessary. The resemblance was even more striking in person than in photos.

When Kim Yoon-ah nervously gave an awkward greeting, her mother rushed forward and embraced her, bursting into tears like a child. 

“Thank you, thank you for living, how hard was it, we never forgot you for a day.”

At these words, Kim Yoon-ah also broke down crying, and her father came closer to embrace both mother and daughter. Watching this, Park Dong-sik turned away as his nose stung, only to meet eyes with a security guard who was also fighting back tears with reddened eyes.

As they awkwardly looked away and turned their eyes toward the distant mountains, someone called out behind them. Turning around, Kim Yoon-ah’s mother grabbed hold of Park Dong-sik’s hands with tear-filled eyes.

“You’re the one who found our child…?”

“Ah, yes…I…yes, that’s right.”

“Thank you, thank you.” 

Kim Yoon-ah’s mother bowed so deeply her head nearly touched the ground as she cried again. Her father removed his glasses and wiped his tears while bowing. 

“Thank you for finding our daughter…” 

The gathered children bowed along without understanding why, bringing brief laughter, but the reunited family couldn’t easily stop their tears.

If he were still living as Park Dong-sik, he might not have understood their feelings. How they felt when told their child was dead, how they endured all these years. But now, carrying children himself, he could fully understand.

***

“Did you cry too?”

“A few tears came, but I held back. It would be unseemly for me to cry at someone else’s family reunion.”

“Is CEO Kim happy?”

Park Dong-sik nodded while lying with his head on Kim Jun-han’s lap. He’d meant to just say hello and leave, but ended up going into Kim Yoon-ah’s parents’ house, where he saw how much they had missed her. Her mother showed them a pregnancy diary she’d kept until Kim Yoon-ah’s birth and ultrasound photos, which made all three embrace and cry again for a long while.

“Actually, I was worried even after finding them. My memories of the orphanage were so terrible, I worried her father might be like our director. What if they exploited children for money and donations? What if they tried to depend on Yoon-ah financially?”

Kim Jun-han was surprised by how deep Park Dong-sik’s concerns ran.

“You worried about all that?”

“Of course. Yoon-ah is like a real sister to me. I even thought about naming one of our twins Yoon-ah if we had a girl. She’s so kind. Almost unbelievably kind.”

“I’m starting to feel a bit jealous.”

“Don’t be jealous. You’re number one in my heart, so cheer up. And don’t think about imprisoning innocent people just because you’re jealous.”

Kim Jun-han stayed silent, and Park Dong-sik earnestly insisted he must never do that. While Kim Tae-han acted crazy and occasionally returned to normal, Kim Jun-han acted normal but occasionally turned crazy.

“They were such a lovely family. The parents were admirable people, and the children were so bright and happy.”

They hadn’t initially planned to care for orphaned children, they explained. They found an abandoned child at their doorstep by chance, and remembering their dead daughter, couldn’t turn them away. Taking in children with difficult circumstances one or two at a time, the number gradually grew.

“Oh, and Yoon-ah’s mother’s cooking is amazing. When I said it was delicious, she packed lots for us, right? You should try it tomorrow morning. Especially the pickled vegetables are really good.”

“Weren’t you envious?”

Kim Jun-han asked unexpectedly, and Park Dong-sik just smiled bitterly.

“Well…I’d be lying if I said no…”

As a child, he’d always imagined: Would my parents come looking for me someday? Would they tell me they couldn’t come because of circumstances, that they missed me, that they wanted to see me?

But reality wasn’t a fairy tale. Sometimes it was crueler than movies and as dramatic as makjang dramas. Park Dong-sik sat up to face Kim Jun-han.

“I’m okay now. I finally have a family too. The perfect family I’ve always dreamed of.”

When he smiled while making eye contact, Kim Jun-han held out his arms. 

“Come here.” 

As soon as Park Dong-sik went into his embrace, he gently patted his back and whispered in his ear. 

“Mr. Park Dong-sik. Thank you for coming to me. I’ll treat you well for life.”