The Man Explains His Absence

"I am your father."

His words rang loudly in Yeo Ri's ears.

"W-what?"

Yeo Ri could only stare at him with a flabbergasted expression. She even wondered if the man was drunk. What kind of nonsense was he talking about...?

"My... father?" Yeo Ri spat the word out with difficulty. Lately, she had been overly sensitive over the word. After all, the 'father' that had raised her could even do something so terrible. It was no surprise that she felt a little traumatic at the word.

"Yes... I'm sorry, for keeping it a secret for so long." Heo Woo Seung looked at her sadly. He felt immensely guilty. So many years had passed, yet it was only now that he decided to tell her. It was only after she had grown up so much that he decided to face her. "I'm sorry, for not—" The man stifled his sentence. He couldn't bear to finish it. 'I'm sorry for not being responsible and giving you a better life,' he wanted to say.

Yeo Ri's head was lowered, her expression covered by her bangs. Heo Woo Seung had no idea what kind of expression she had on currently.

"..."

"Y-Yeo Ri-ah?" Heo Woo Seung wiped away the tears that was forming at the corner of his eyes. He had no rights to cry, he told himself. It was Yeo Ri who was wronged. If there was anyone who deserved to cry, it was Yeo Ri. She had to endure so many years of suffering, living with that horrible family that she had no connection to.

"...Father?" Yeo Ri's voice trembled. She raised her head, facing the man with an empty gaze. Slowly, she placed the photo back onto the table. "Sorry, but you must be mistaken, Uncle."

"—Huh?" Heo Woo Seung couldn't help but be startled.

"I don't have a father," Yeo Ri says frostily. "Not him, not you, and not anyone else."

"Yeo Ri-ah, you must believe me! I—" Heo Woo Seung almost stood up from his impulsiveness, but he managed to rein himself. "If you don't believe it, we can get a DNA test. Please believe me, okay? I—"

"Uncle!" Yeo Ri interrupted him. "Stop it, please!" Yeo Ri slammed her hands on the table, standing up.

"Yeo Ri-ah, please calm down! I'll tell you everything, so please..." Heo Woo Seung grabbed her arm, his voice cracking. He felt so guilty towards his daughter; the daughter he had abandoned all those years ago. "Please, sit down," he begged.

Yeo Ri was panting heavily as she tried to control her emotions. Her legs were trembling from the revelation, and she had no choice but to sit down.

"Why?" Yeo Ri asked the man tearily. "Why now...?"

"I... I've always thought that when your mother left thirteen years ago, she had also taken you along with her. Who would have known that... I'd see you again, in my own house," he shakily explained. "Please forgive me, Yeo Ri. I... Dad didn't know."

"..." Yeo Ri bit her lips, bunching her hands together. For now, she was curious to hear his excuses, though she still had yet to completely believe his claims.

"If I had known, I would have taken you in back then," he says. "We had an affair together, you see." He smiled wryly. It was not something he was proud of, but the time he spent with Han Yeoreum was the happiest time in his life.

"Fourteen years ago, she suddenly asked to break up. Of course, I agreed to it. I had just joined a political party and could not afford the scandal. I found out afterwards that she had been pregnant, with you." Heo Woo Seung paused, closing his eyes painfully.

"I tried contacting her, but she wouldn't answer. One day, she suddenly called, asking to meet up. She told me the truth, and asked me to take you away. However, I refused. My career was going smoothly, and taking in an illegitimate child would be detrimental to my career," Heo Woo Seung chuckled with self-derision. "Oh, how dumb I was."

"It seemed like her husband had found out about our relationship, and a few days later, I found out that she had left the town." He sighed, "Or at least, that was what my men said when they inquired about it on the streets."

"How... did you two met?" After a long pause, Yeo Ri finally spoke.

Heo Woo Seung smiled gently, as if in reminiscent. "Would you like to hear the story? It started almost sixteen years ago..."