Another potential option as to why the girl’s ages might be close:
Maybe the current wife SA him somehow? And got pregnant, then forcing the marriage due to it? Could be a reach but it’s also not the first time it’s ever happened in these stories. It’s happened a couple times both to FL’s fathers and MLs.
It could, But he does seems on good terms with her
Also probably her mother was a maid and he fell for her after the arragened marriage with his current so he was married.. and when her mom found out she's pregnant she either ran away or the current wife threatened her and lied to him ..
Idk
But still i hate him he's stupid clueless or he knows and ignoring it idk ..
he's not abusive like some other webtoons that's an improvement but he's either playing dump or actually stupid
If i were the fl i would've ignored what the wife told me like just applied for the exam and moved out
Or just asked the father to stay somewhere else away
Or even now why she's staying with them? Food and clothes.. i mean it's not like she can't do anything on her own and probably living alone and working is way comfortable for her .. and it's not like she's close with her dad and her only chance of change is gone now cause of that exam.. so they're only holding her back
I would love to think good of the father but either he's playing dump and ignoring it or he's actually stupid
Like in his house for yeaaarrrs how could he not know about his wife and daughter and the way they're treating her
And it's not uncommon in that time for ppl to look down and abuse the illegitimate child
And it thing about sending ppl to find her mother for years .. it's not like she moved to another country or smth
And both girls are about the same age so it's either he cheated on his wife with her mother and she found out and left or left her mother to marry that redhead or he just married that redhead right after her mother ran or Infront of her and might actually asked her to be a mistress
So either cases he's a jerk and probably even if he found out he won't do a thing about it and it's not like he tried to get close to his daughter after finding her even tho she had no one at that house he just gave her the basics of living food clothes and a place and a tutor