Seohyun had always been a grateful child. She was happy to have a cool and hard on the outside, warm and kind in the inside father, a sweet and loving mother who is more like her friend, and her cute little baby sister, which she loved to bully.

Since she was young, Seohyun was trained to be a strong and independent girl. She had been staying with her grandma from the day she was a baby. Grandma might be old but she was still going strong. Her ability to carry out work from dawn till evening would definitely make every one of us to shame. She loved to listen to her grandma’s bedtime stories even though she is no longer a small girl now. And last September, she welcomed her little sister to the world. Together they decided to name the baby Seo Ju-hee. All of them were very happy especially her grandma. With little Ju-hee’s arrival, Seohyun knew she must be a good example to little Ju-hee.

This happy image didn’t last long. When her mother came home crying the other day, Seohyun could sense something amiss. She had never been wrong with her feeling and this time, she was right as well.

“I want a divorce!” her mother exclaimed as soon as she stepped into the house. Tears started to flow down on her cheeks. Seohyun didn’t utter a word but went over to hug her. She knew her mother needed that very much.

“What happened?” grandma asked. “Why all of a sudden?”

“He cheated on me! Today, the lady came to meet me personally in the office. She asked me to leave him!” her mother said in between sobs. “She even proclaimed that they had a child together.”

“Are you sure of this, mother?” Seohyun enquired. No, this wouldn’t be true. Her daddy would never hurt them. Daddy loved them. She repeated those words in her mind. She tried her best to be positive. She really could not accept this. Even though they may only meet up during festival seasons, still their relationship was closed.

“What happened to you, Seohyun? How could you not believe in me? I’m your mother, not a stranger!” suddenly her mother pushed her away roughly. Her mother then turned to her grandma, “Mom, you must help me! What should I do now?”

“Mother, that’s not I mean. I’m just thinking that we should at least give daddy a chance to defend himself or simply give us an explanation for his action. We shouldn’t act before knowing the truth. Let’s just give daddy a chance, huh?”

Grandma nodded her head in agreement to what Seohyun had said. “Yeah, Seohyun is right. You shouldn’t ask for a divorce now. Let him explain first.” Grandma consoled her only daughter lovingly, her hair like every mother would do when their child encountered problems.

“No,” her mother distanced herself from her grandma. “Why can’t you understand how your daughter is feeling right at this very moment? I’m hurt by someone I truly loved. May I know what had I done to make him do this to me? May I know why? I had tried my very best in giving him all he needed and yet this is what I get in return? Why should I suffer like this?”

In the end, none of them spoke. All of them hugged and cried out loud together. They were sad and disappointed. But they knew for sure, no matter what the outcome, they must be well-prepared to accept it.

~ ~ ~

Their meeting with Seohyun’s father broke every single hope they were clinging on in their heart.

“I’m very sorry for what I had done. I know I’m wrong to cheat. But, I have no choice. When you said you’re pregnant, I thougth we could finally have a baby boy to take over my business. In the end, what did we get? It’s a girl! How could I let her to succeed me? Once they got married, their other half would surely directly or indirectly manage my business. This is what I do not wish to happen. After all those years of hard work, I do not wish to hand over my business to a stranger. Do you understand me?” Seohyun’s father tried his best in defending himself.

All of them were dumbfounded. They just found it hard to believe what they had heard.

“So, this is the reason why you chose to cheat on me? Just because you are still holding on to those old believes and rules that only male could succeed but not female? How dare you? Do you know how hard I try to get pregnant again and give birth to Ju-hee? I thought you should know it better than me that the risk of me having a baby again? So, are you now saying that this is all my fault for not giving birth to a baby boy or your so-called heir to your business? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” Seohyun’s mother who could no longer hold her tears started crying again.

“Honey, you know I didn’t mean that, don’t you?”

“Stop calling me your honey. Go to your lover and call her honey! I’m really sick of you. Let’s just divorce and end this once and for all. I could not take it anymore.” Everyone had shifted their attention towards the four of them when Seohyun’s mother shouted at her father.

“Please stop being like this. After all, I’m the victim here, not you!” her father shouted.

“What?” Her mother was taken aback from his reaction. She didn’t expect him to raise his voice at her. He had never done that to her after being together for so many years.

“I know Seohyun is not my child. She is from your past relationship.”

Seohyun looked at her mother, hoping that she could deny that and tell her that was not true. Unfortunately, her mother was too shocked to say a word.

That scene at the restaurant would always be in Seohyun’s mind. How could she forget it? Her mother disappointed and heartbroken face hurt her. What hurt her the most was her grandma. Even though she didn’t utter a single word throughout the session, Seohyun knew her gentle heart was in pain, even more painful than her mother. Which mother on earth would like to see their daughter getting hurt and not having a happy life?

It was not easy to accept such a sudden blow. In the end, seohyun’s mother was diagnosed with depression. Her mother would lock herself in the room, even though little Ju-hee cried and asked to be fed. Her mother would talk to herself, alone at the corner of the living room if she ever stepped out from her room. The most horrifying experience Seohyun faced was when her mother walked out in the middle of the night alone asking for her father to come home! Seohyun could not even describe how she felt at that moment seeing her mother in such a state. Only god knows how sad she was.

She wanted to know more about herself. Mostly who was her biological father. But she knew it would be hard for her now that everything was in a mess. All she could do was to pray that her mother would recover from depression and together, they build their happy family again.