The Substitute Bride

"Helin, come on. Get up and eat." With a soft and gentle tone, Heron urged his daughter to get out of her slump as she lied in bed.

"No. I don't want to eat anything." Her voice muffled by the pillow she had her face pressed against, Helin refused to acknowledge her father's attempt at comforting her. How could she have an appetite at a time like this?

With a wry smile, Heron simply said," You can't avoid eating forever." Looking at Helin, he felt bad and added, "I know you feel sad inside right now. But you've also seen what kind of person he is, haven't you? Does that kind of man truly deserve your love? You can't torture yourself for him. He's too unworthy."

Patting his daughter on the shoulder, he continued, "I didn't let you be together with him before because I knew that sooner or later you would find out his true nature and the one who would suffer most would be you."

"Why didn't you just say that earlier?" Helin hesitated as she asked, but she couldn't help it.

Heaving a deep sigh, Heron continued, "I love you most, Helin. Since your mother passed away, I've played both roles of mother and father. I did my best so you wouldn't feel like you were deprived of something other kids had. I've done everything I can to give you the best. How could I stand to let you feel heartbroken over a man?"

Smiling wryly, he added, "I have to admit, though, you were truly courageous in loving that man. You fought for him against all odds. Even if he isn't the right one for you, I hope you can still look back at this as a good memory of the romance you two shared. I don't want you to get disillusioned about love so negatively too early. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

With choked sobs, all Helin could blurt out was, "But Dad, you not telling me about it just makes me feel worse."

It was unavoidable so Heron just smiled bitterly. "I know." Expressing his regrets, he went on, "I know I've done you wrong there. I should've told you what I knew right away. You can fault me there. But please don't hurt yourself like this. It makes my heart ache to see you torture yourself."

"Dad…" The feeling of being wronged taking over her heart. Helin just threw herself into her father's arms and burst into helpless sobs.

For the long time during her cry, Heron kept comforting her and patting her back. "It's okay, you're okay. Don't cry now, okay? How about eating something? I can introduce you to

pending on myself now."

Hearing Helin's sentiments, Heron had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he didn't want to let her go and risk her suffering again. But on the other, he could see that his daughter had truly grown up.

For the sake of confirming once again, he gave her a serious stare and asked, "Have you really... Have you really made up your mind?"

"Yes, I have." With determination evident in her eyes, Helin nodded her head firmly. In a confident voice, she continued, "I don't want to stay here under your protection forever. I want to go and experience the world by myself. Dad, I hope you understand."

"Well, now that you've decided, how could I say no?" Ever the supportive father, Heron simply smiled wryly as he gave into his daughter's wishes. "Since you insist on going out there on your own, I won't stand in your way. Still, I want you to remember, our family door is always open to you. If you ever feel wronged, cheated, or you just miss home, remember that you can come back immediately, any time. Do you understand?"

"Thank you, Dad." Nodding her head eagerly, Helin expressed her gratitude. Looking back, she could see clearly how lucky she was to have such a caring and accepting family. Neither of the two expected their relationship to grow stronger and more harmonious because of the trouble Roger caused. Maybe the whole thing was a blessing in disguise.

In a press conference Helin held, she explained what happened that night while also announcing that she would withdraw herself indefinitely from the entertainment industry. The news caused a chaotic buzz among everyone involved.