Heena's Tearful Confession
Past Flashback: Lee Heena (5)
"G-Golf championship... Dad said it was just luck... That I couldn't have done it without the family's support. But still... I wanted to help the family, even if not as much as my sister."
Heena sniffled softly.
"I wanted to prove that even someone like me had something I was good at. I wanted Dad to look at me and smile. So when he sent me abroad to study golf, I trained so hard."
Heena started rambling incoherently, sniffling even harder than before. This was serious. Any thought of 'Why the sudden sob story while cleaning?' vanished in an instant.
"Hee-na..."
"I have a sister. Lee Heeyeon. From a young age, she swept up every award, excelled at everything—even business."
"Hee-na, calm down for a sec..."
But Heena didn't stop.
"I didn't have talent like my sister. No, actually, I kept messing up like today with everything I tried. So Dad was disappointed and gave up on me..."
From there, tears streamed endlessly down Heena's face.
"I-It’s true that my sister is better than me. But... sob... I worked so hard. I poured blood and sweat into golf, thinking I had to succeed or I'd be nothing—and finally won the world championship! But... hic, he wouldn't even acknowledge it... waaaah..."
Heena choked up and eventually burst into full sobs. Was the bright image I'd seen on YouTube just a mask?
No. That video was from right after her world championship win.
Yes. The date on the video I'd watched was shortly after her victory. She must have been riding high, expecting her father's recognition now that she was a world-class player. That's how she could appear so cheerful on TV.
But the reality was a disaster. Her father didn't acknowledge her. Or rather, he didn't just fail to—he spat venom that it was all luck, not skill.
Heena must have felt like her world was crumbling. No wonder she'd broken down like this. It would be weirder if she hadn't.
Damn, what do I do? I had no idea how to comfort her. I'm just an ordinary guy. Zero experience with this kind of counseling.
"D-Dad says what’s so great about a world championship... That without the family money, I couldn't have done it... And he said my sister would have won even without support, so he compared us even more."
What the hell? She won a world championship. If that's not impressive, what is? Does she need to go down in history or something? It made no sense. Was he really her father? How could he say that to his own daughter?
"But the saddest part is... it's true. My sister really is amazing, and golf is a rich people's sport. Without family support, I-I couldn't even dream of it."
"..."
"After I got eliminated from the regional qualifiers, Dad said the world championship was just luck—that it wasn't my real skill. I had no choice but to accept it..."
What do you mean "no choice"? Even if she brought home the trophy, he'd trash it. As if her skill would shine through that.
I slipped my hand into my pocket. My phone was there.
Should I use it?
Truth be told, hypnotizing her again with the app would solve this easily. I'd turned the Heena I'd just met today into my girlfriend, after all. No problem.
Just open the app, tell her to ignore her family's words and implant a positive mindset. Done. 100% effective.
No.
But suddenly, it hit me hard: that was just running away.
Yeah. I didn't want to fix it with a cheap "snap." If I had to snap, it'd be a true last resort.
Even though I'd already made her my girlfriend via hypnosis? So what? That's how I am.
Lee Heena. She was covered in wounds. Desperate for family recognition, she'd struggled and bled for it, only to face constant comparisons and dismissal, her self-esteem shattered to the bottom.
I'd assumed, judging by her looks and background, that she was born with every blessing. Never dreamed of these deep scars.
My mistake.
The memory flashed: at the convenience store, I'd vented my frustrations on her, saying someone from Korea's top conglomerate, with world-class golf skills and beauty to boot, had no right to complain about hardship.
But now I saw she was emotionally cornered. Like a glass pane cracked everywhere, on the verge of shattering.
My own dad—playboy that he was—never once yelled at me or cursed. Sure, he was often out and stressed me out, but never with that kind of verbal abuse. We weren't rich, but our bond wasn't worse than average, and I never faced that level of stress.
I really wanted to punch him. And myself, for dumping harsh words on her without knowing, assuming from her surface.
Her father and I were no different. Adding wounds to wounds.
Fuck.
Yun Geon-woo, you trash-ass bastard. Pathetic. Ignorance isn't an excuse.
I'm a real piece of shit.
No. Self-loathing later. Fix Heena now.
But how? Ordinary comfort wouldn't cut it. Like I said, I'm no counselor—just a regular guy.
Still, I have to try. Anything's better than nothing.
"Hee-na."
I called her, and she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, forcing a smile.
"S-Sorry... Sorry. I ruined the mood with useless talk..."
I lifted her chin to meet her eyes. Stroked her cheek with the biggest smile I could muster.
"It's okay, Hee-na. No matter what your dad—Chairman—thinks of you, you're amazing."
"A-Amazing?"
"Think about it, Hee-na. If you weren't incredible, could you have won a world championship? Most people couldn't pull that off no matter how hard they tried. You know that, right?"
Heena stared at me through tear-streaked eyes, then shook her head.
"No... It was just luck..."
"Luck... Yeah, can't deny that entirely."
"See..."
Her eyes drooped, as if expecting it, the symptoms flaring again.
"But!"
She flinched at my sudden shout, her slender shoulders trembling.
"Hee-na, luck comes to those who work for it. If you'd slacked off relying on family money, that luck wouldn't have found you. And you know a world championship isn't just effort. It takes above-average talent too."
In a sport you can barely enter without serious money, she beat world-class competitors. No "talent freaks" among them? Could you really overcome them with just luck, money, and effort?
I don't know sports well, but I could say no.
Her father—Chairman Lee Jintae—called golf a rich man's game. So her world championship rivals were probably just as loaded, right? Same starting line?
Heena had more than enough talent. Overflowing.
"Without effort or talent, no amount of money gets you the win. Golf's for the rich? Fine, then your opponents were rich too. Same conditions as you, no?"
Heena twitched slightly.
"You think you can bulldoze a world championship with just luck and money? No way, no matter how I look at it."
"But... I flunked the regional qualifiers..."
"Even the best can't perform if they're nitpicking your every move. That's why condition management exists."
Heena shed silent tears. I pulled her into a tight hug. Warmth spread through me.
"Hee-na. No one—not people, not even your dad—can deny what you've achieved. It wasn't just money and luck. You earned that win through hard work, talent, and never giving up."
Heena sobbed quietly. Her shoulders began to heave slowly.
"Your dad doesn't get it. That's why he can dismiss your efforts so easily. Whether it's him or strangers, don't let anyone who downplays your blood-sweat victory drag you down. It's disrespectful to your effort, your path, and everyone you beat."
Hic...
I tightened my arms around her and whispered softly.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll take it all. Cry it out. Let it all go."
"It was so hard! Training was nothing—failing to get Dad's approval hurt more!!!"
"I'll acknowledge you."
"I didn't even want him to say I was better than my sister!"
"You, who endured and won, are stronger than your sister."
Sob...
"I'm not your dad, but... you really suffered."
Heena wept in my arms for a long while. My clothes soaked with tears, but I barely noticed.
I'm not her father. Nor in any position to "acknowledge" her.
But even someone like me wanted to comfort her. To say she'd suffered.
I hoped these clichéd words would ease her heart, even a little.