Hello, Baby

S1 | E20 : Nothing Like Us

March, 2004
Busan, South Korea

"Where are you going?" Jeongguk asked his mother. Young Jeongguk just woke up and was still in a daze. However, he sought to get up upon seeing how his mother was neatly dressed.

Jeongguk's mother gave him a soft smile, hurrying to kneel before him and grab his shoulders. "Remember what I told you? That your dad will return to us someday?" she asks him.

Jeongguk's face lit up. He's dreamed of that day. He wanted to do what he saw the other kids do with their fathers. He badly wanted a complete family.

"Is it today?" Jeongguk innocently asks. He began drawing his lower lip back, trying to trickle a grin upon seeing how his mother smiled. "Can I come with you? I wanna see him!"

Sadly, his mother disposed of all pictures of him back then. She was enraged that he left them, but she still loved him.

"Okay, okay. Get dressed, then!" Jeongguk's mother tells him.

Without wasting another second, Jeongguk fled to his room to get dressed, excited to finally meet his father.

>><<

Jeongguk's mother and father weren't married, but the female still ought to let Jeongguk use his father's last name — which they'd agreed upon before they parted.

"Stay here for a moment while I go fetch your father, okay?" she softly tells Jeongguk.

Jeongguk immediately nodded, locking the doors as his mother left the car. There, he patiently waited. He noticed that they were parked in front of the police station.

My dad's cool. Jeongguk thought. He immediately assumed that his father was a policeman. I wanna be a policeman, too.

His mother came back not too long after. Jeongguk's face lit up, hurrying to fix his hair and tidy the clothes he was wearing to look presentable. He waited for this day — to finally meet his father.

Jeongguk was startled when his mother slammed the door shut. "Is everything alright?" Jeongguk asks.

Where's Dad? He couldn't help but think, turning his head here and there. His mother started the engine.

"Will . . . will dad visit us instead——?"

"Jeongguk, cut it out!" his mother yelled at him, turning towards him with her eyes filled with tears. "Forget about him, okay? You don't have a dad."

"I do!" Jeongguk started to pinch the thumb of his other hand. "I–I do . . ."

"Jeongguk!" his mother wailed. Her cries softened as she grabbed Jeongguk's shoulders, her head lowering as she felt her knees grow feeble.

Jeongguk just wanted to meet his father; how difficult was that to do? He just wanted his father to acknowledge him that he has a son and that son has been waiting for him. For even once, never did Jeongguk even grow to hate him. He just yearned for his father.

"Why can't I see him?" Jeongguk's eyes began to water. He pinched his elbow, trying his best not to cry.

"He has another family now."

Jeongguk felt like his world had collapsed before him.

I feel numb. He thought. The revelation hit Jeongguk like a freight train. He couldn't comprehend why his mother was so upset, and the reality that he might never meet his father sent shockwaves through his young heart.

Tears welled up in Jeongguk's eyes, but he clenched his jaw, determined not to let them fall. He was just a child, but he wanted to be strong for his mother. She had always been there for him, and he didn't want to add to her burden.
As they drove from the police station, the world outside blurred through Jeongguk's teary eyes. He couldn't help but wonder about the man he'd never met, the one who had given him his last name but had seemingly moved on to another family.
Days turned into weeks, and the pain of that day lingered in Jeongguk's heart. He struggled with feelings of abandonment and a sense of incompleteness. It was during this time that he became even more determined to become a police officer, hoping that he could make a difference in the lives of others and perhaps find some answers about his father along the way.
Years passed, and Jeongguk's dream of becoming a police officer never wavered. He worked hard, studied diligently, and eventually earned a spot in the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. His commitment and dedication to justice were unwavering, and he channeled his childhood disappointment and longing into his work.