Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did. Oh, I wish I did.

Author's Note: Thank you for the encouraging reviews.

Chapter 1

Choi In-Su was born the fourth of the eighteen children. His father Choi Tae-Joong was a self-made billionaire who had established his business empire alongside his firstborn son Chul-Moo from his first marriage. A respected businessman, he had however courted the scorn of his contemporaries through his six marriages and many more affairs resulting in nine legitimate heirs and nine bastards. In-Su was the second child of his father's second marriage with a wealthy heiress and businesswoman.

His life had been charmed for the most part, with only his relationship with his distant mother being the only dark cloud on what would otherwise have been a perfect childhood. In fact to the surprise of many In-Su, himself, had taken his mother's apparent rejection of him very well even as a child. His father, however, had been a doting parent to all his children, as long as they made sure to keep in mind that there was only one heir and any efforts to unseat the eldest child was dealt with harshly. This was something In-Su dealt with when his mother attempted to usurp Chul-Moo's position and install her eldest son Yon. This had seen her handed a divorce and her three children Yon, In-Su and their youngest brother Jun-U carted off to a boarding school in France.

This had been a bitter moment for In-Su, but by that time he was already in his late teens. It was the same for Yon, who had only had half a year of education left and left to return back to Korea, and their mother, as soon as he could under the guise of enlisting in the military. In-Su had spent the last two and a half years to complete his high school education and then elected to continue his university education in France so he could watch over his brother and not get dragged into the family contest, which was bitterly condemned by both his mother and elder brother.

He would only return after a further eight years at the prompting of his father, at which time Jung-U had already returned home three years before. His first act was to sign up for his military service much to his father's annoyance which would rise further when instead of simply servicing his conscripted term, he decided to pursue a career in the military, something his younger brother would go on to emulate.

However much he had been angry and hurt In-Su eventually reconciled with his father and oldest half-brother. The relationship had never gone back to what it was because In-Su was aware that he could be shut out at any moment through no actions of his own, and also, because he valued his younger brother Jun-U who had been more hurt by their exile than himself, more. His relationship with the rest of the family was lukewarm at best, friendly only because he had removed himself from the succession of the company, with Baek-Hyeon and Eun-Jae being the only ones of his half-siblings he built a closer relationship with.

In the military, he had gained a good reputation and risen through the ranks steadily. This was mostly due to his skill and dedication but also because of the great wealth, he came from. That road eventually led him back to the family business as many in the upper ranks sought the financial investment of his father's company into the military project. Naturally, his father would only engage in contracting with In-Su as an intermediary; it was family money after all. He eventually resigned from the military in order to be the Head of the company's branch that dealt with military technologies.

If asked he would never be able to quite explain how he eventually got into politics. Even when he had studied it in University it had only been due to a purely academic interest. However, at the age of forty-two, he was campaigning for a seat in the local council. What followed were three decades of a tumultuous career that lead him to the Blue House. He was not the most popular politician amongst his fellows, due to his pathological need to do the right thing and the retribution he tended to meet out to rivals when forced to compromise his principals. While he was popular at the beginning of his career, appealing to both the young and their elders, by the end of his Presidency he was largely a controversial figure.

His siblings had at one point dragged him into a corruption scandal that may very well have ended his career were it not for the brutal way he had dealt with them; providing evidence that saw two of his brothers, Yon and Won-Pil, and his sister, Yu-Hwa, in jail; and almost brought down his father's company. However the die had been cast, and people always viewed him with suspicion even as his reputation recovered. At least half the country would end up viewing his as something of a dictatorial leader due to his unwillingness to compromise and the large support he had from the military, while the other half would praise his for "getting thing done" and "skipping over playing the games of politicians and getting on with the job".

His work to improve worker conditions was greatly praised even though it wasn't as successful as he would have wanted. He had been the President of Korea rose further in its international position as one of the premier countries in technology and in terms of military might something that made him popular among many, though just as many feared he was attracting hostility neighbours wary of any military expansion. His work in improving conditions in the lower ranks of the military was greatly appreciated, although many people thought he hadn't pushed enough for fear of alienating the military elites. All in all when he retired he was too tired to tally up his successes and failures. He was just pleased to be well short of the Blue House.

Many historians would say that he lived a good life and In-Su would probably agree. Even with his family drama his had not suffered any more than other people did. In fact, due to his family he had been afforded the comforts and opportunities that many people around would never have their entire lives and he was grateful for that. However, he often found himself lonely. Oh, he had as many lovers a man of his stature could draw in as he wanted, but none of the women he had been with had ever made him stop and want to build a life with her. So he contented himself with the great friends he had made through his life and the brothers he managed to hold on to and spoiled his nieces and nephews they provided for him.

It was enough, until one day he met a woman who managed to shake him to his very core. He had escaped his guards who still followed him despite the fact he was now a private citizen, he thought mulishly. As he wandered through a shopping mall he was drawn to a section holding an exhibition of Goryeo and its ancient culture. In the late evening it was all but abandoned, so he was free to wonder gazing at the displays from the ancient origins of Korea as a country and feeling a sense of nostalgia that he couldn't explain.

Then he heard the sound of someone crying. At first, he just wanted to walk away, but them he thought, he was an old man free to stick his nose in things that were none of his business. So he walked into the final exhibit and saw a young woman there, crying as though her whole world had come to an end. When he approached her the young woman abandoned all sense of propriety and threw herself into his arm, shaking both their bodies with the force of her sobs and soaking his jacket with her tears.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," she kept sobbing into his chest. "I never should have left you…" For some reason those heartfelt words caused his chest to tighten and ache and In-Su found himself on the verge of tears as well. He might have kept holding on to the girl forever had it not been for the loud arrival of his security. Instead, he reluctantly let her go and gently presented her a handkerchief.

When she finally looked up at him In-Su felt his breath freeze in his chest. Before him was the most stunning woman he had ever met. Bright brown eyes shining with unshed tears captured him until he felt he could drown in them, her face was pink from exertion but round and pretty and her frame was small and feminine... He had just held her. Somehow he knew in that moment that this was the woman meant for him. The realisation staggered him.

"Abeoji," she cried out catching his elbows and steadying him before he could fall.

Before he could do anything else they were being surrounded by his guards and he was being removed from her grasp.

"Wait," he managed to say before he could be ushered away from her. The guards stopped and allowed him to approach her again at his order. "What is your name child?"

"Go Ha-Jin, sir," she answered softly, her griefs momentarily forgotten in light of her concern for his well-being.

"Go Ha-Jin," he repeated relishing her name. "Take care of yourself, Go Ha-Jin. Don't hold on too much to the pain you are feeling right now. Sometimes it is better to let go."

With that piece of advice the allowed himself to be escorted away. Every step he took away from her was agonising. He wanted nothing more than to return to her but he forced himself to keep walking until they reached the car and then collapsed into the back seat.

A week later as he lay on his porch the moon rose into the sky and swallowed the sun. Not a moment had passed without him think of her. Go Ha-Jin… He cursed his luck and wondered at his fate that he should meet the woman meant for him at the end of his life. He closed his eyes and recalled every detail he could of her. Her face, her long brown hair, the scent of her perfume and her name…

Hae-Soo...

It was so unfair. He had just finally found her…