Mark Lee's daughter posts emotional tribute to him, calling him 'a dad, an older brother and a best friend' to her

"Behind every girl who has high standards is a dad who never says no to her."

That's what TikTok user Caluvsgyu shared in a photo slideshow on Monday (Sept 4).

In the first photo, you can see her looking away from the camera, and when you scroll to the second, you realise her dad is veteran local actor Mark Lee.

She captioned the post: "Words cannot describe how much I love my dad. He is a dad, an older brother and a best friend to me."

She added that, though Mark is "often busy", he always finds the time to hang out with her and go on "father-daughter dates", play sports like basketball, football or badminton with her, bring her shopping, go to the cinema and, last but not least, gossip with her.

"He is also the person whom I trust most in the world and no one can ever replace him," she continued.

Calista, 15, wrote that she tells Mark "every single thing" happening in her life, from her problems to funny things, and her dad, 54, listens to her and gives her advice.

What's more is that Mark never says no to anything she wants to buy, and she can tell that "as long as I am happy, he is happy too".

Calista hopes to do "something in return" for her dad, who makes her "feel happy all the time".

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She ended the post by saying that she loves her dad "so much" and added in parentheses that she loves her mum too.

Several netizens echoed the same statement in comments: "Mark Lee is your dad?"

This included teen influencer Turtleboi, which prompted Calista to respond: "Omg, I'm a fan."

Some were even confused, writing that her dad looks like "that one Mediacorp actor" and others had to do a double take before they realised who they were looking at.

"Imagine you go meet your girlfriend's parents and her dad is Mark Lee," a netizen wrote.

Others called Mark a "green flag" and "the legend, the Goat (greatest of all time)".

Local K-pop fans were even impressed that Mark's daughter is a Moa (fan of TXT) from her previous TikTok posts. In fact, the "Gyu" in her username probably refers to idol Beomgyu.

Another K-pop fan joked, asking if her dad is Mark Lee from boy band NCT.

Netizens who got over the shock of who Calista's dad is also remarked that the post was "sweet" or "cute".

'Late at night, I do shed tears'

The fact that Mark is a model dad is no secret.

In recent years, his family has battled with youngest daughter Calynn's kidney condition, an immune reaction to a virus the 10-year-old contracted in 2018.

Mark said in an episode of Hear U Out with Quan Yi Fong that he puts up a strong front for his family but revealed: "Late in the night, when I have coffee out on the balcony, I do shed tears. I ask myself why this little girl has to suffer — why, when she's so little."

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He also makes sure to explain to Calista and his son Maksonn, 12, that they need to focus on Calynn so his other kids wouldn't feel left out.

"We let them know that meimei (little sister) is sick," he elaborated. "We told them that we might show their sister more care."

Nevertheless, Mark remains hopeful about young Calynn's condition.

He said: "We're being positive about it. We hope that, by the time she turns 18 or 19, her immune system will be rebuilt and she'll make a full recovery."

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drimac@asiaone.com

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