Author's Note: I'm back with a new story! I've been working on originals for so I haven't really been doing much with fanfiction. But I recently re-watched The Heirs and had an idea from it. So I hope you enjoy it.
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Choi Young Do sat during his graduation ceremony and listened to Yoon Chan Young give the valedictorian speech. His life had been tumultuous to say the least. His father had been a jerk who had gone to jail. His mother had left him when he had been in middle school. He had almost gotten a new mother but that had fallen through with his father's many affairs. And all of this had happened in high school.
But the two most important things that he considered insanely hard had been when his ex-best friend had returned to Korea and when his first crush had chosen his ex-best friend over him. He had let her go because he hadn't wanted to make her unhappy. But in the end it had made him unhappy.
He had gone on to senior year. He and his friend Jo Myeong Su had gone into senior year with nothing but money and a smile. Even when he thought his father's hotel was going to go under, he hadn't been too concerned because he'd had enough money put back for him for the rest of his life.
But he was missing something. He had friends, even those whose relationships he was rebuilding. After Cha Eun Sang had chosen Kim Tan, he hadn't had a crush. No other girl had ever caught his attention. It was probably due to the fact that he had been raised with most of the kids that went to his school. He already knew how petty they could be and he was already getting over the pettiness. Life had taught him that.
His classmates applauded Chan Young as he sat down. The diplomas were handed out and everyone was dismissed. Families congratulated their kids on graduating. Even Cha Eun Sang's mother was there. Kim Tan's brother and birth mother were there. That had been an interesting fight that had ensued after his father's illness had forced his wife to attack the boys.
He watched everyone leave happily to celebrate with their parents and siblings. He looked down at his shoes and wondered what would happen if he just walked past them. No one seemed to care that he was all alone. Even Myung Su was quiet as he walked with his family towards the doors.
Eun Sang was in front of him at that moment. He could see her mother and Tan standing amongst all her friends. They weren't happy but knew she couldn't stand to see someone in pain.
"Why don't you come with us to celebrate graduation? We don't have much time until we start classes again," she said.
He looked over her shoulder again at the people gathered around her mother. It was obvious they didn't want him around. But Eun Sang was very persuasive when she wanted something. He was going to end up going to eat with them even though they didn't want him to and he thought it was a dumb idea. It could easily lead to a fight.
"I think I'll pass," he answered.
She frowned at him, and it made him remember why he liked her as much as he had. "It's not fun to eat alone after graduating. Come with us."
"He said he didn't want to come," Lee Bo Na said. She scowled when he looked at him. "Don't force him."
Even though he shouldn't be affected by those words, they cut him a little bit. He was used to hearing their snide comments but since everything had happened, he wasn't sure he could handle it. He started to walk away but a voice behind him caught his attention.
"The Young Do I know would never back down from a gathering, especially when food was involved."
Tan's eyes widened and he could see the look of shock on Won's face. Even Rachel was perturbed by the person behind him. He couldn't turn around though. There was no way that voice belonged to the person he thought it did. That person had left years ago, leaving him with a father who was abusive to both his wife and son. Look how that had turned out.
"Noona!" Tan exclaimed, confirming his worst fears.
Won moved at the same time his brother did. "When did you return?"
"Obviously I came for your graduation, Tan. Why else would I be here?" she said. "Young Do, look at me."
Slowly Young Do turned around and came face to face with the woman who had left nearly ten years ago. Shin Jimin, or Ji Noona as they had all called her, had been the daughter of one of the maids that had worked in Zeus Hotel. She had gone to school with Won since she was a couple of years younger than him. She had been around when Tan had been brought into Jeguk Group and when Young Do's mother had left.
He remembered her very vividly. She had been kind and good with a gentle smile but a wicked right hook. Other than his father, Jimin had been the only person to toss him on the matt while training in judo. She had been nationally ranked in co-ed competitions by the time she was seventeen, taking home gold on more than eight occasions. She had followed it up by taking home the national gymnastics gold twice.
His father had made a move on her mother, and the family had moved. Jimin's father was a police officer so he had asked for reassignment so he could raise his family away from the harsh realities of Seoul. Young Do had refused to let go of her when she had come to tell him she was moving. He had been eight when she had left right before her third year of high school and he hadn't wanted to let her go. She had always been on his side no matter what he did.
He had gone to her high school graduation in Daegu. She had picked him up and carried him to her favorite tteokbokki stand where she had treated him to lunch. His mother had been concerned that he wouldn't leave, but she had given him a firm warning that if he didn't go, she was going to beat him when he got older. He had found that funny as he cried while the car drove away.
He had never thought he was going to see her again, but here she was standing before him. Her hair was the same shade of black he remembered except now she had streaked green and pink through it. She was just as tall as he remembered, even taller with the heels she was wearing. He could see the muscle definition under the fitting shirt she wore.
Tan's smile was wide. He remembered Jimin well. Who couldn't? She held everyone's attention when she walked into a room. It was hard not to notice her even though she was a commoner by birth. Even Won looked happy to see her.
"I thought you said you were never coming back," Won said.
"I said I was never going back to school at Jeguk. I never said I wasn't coming back to Seoul," she answered. She smiled at him. "How have you been, Oppa?"
"I've been well. But I know there's a better reason for you to be here than a simple graduation."
The smile fell from her face. "You're right about that. I'm not just here for graduation. Young Do, you need to come with me."
Young Do didn't want to go, but he knew that tone. Even after ten years, he still knew the tone that brooked no argument. She walked past him and out the double doors. Naturally he followed her. He couldn't say no to her. Never had been able to. She had always had that effect on all of them that knew her. He turned around to see if everyone was following and sure enough they were. They were curious as to what she would bring him.
As soon as he stepped out the double doors, he had to stop. Another person he hadn't seen in years was standing on the sidewalk. She didn't look scared as she had the day Kim Tan had told him to come. In fact she looked at peace. She looked so much better than when she had seen her at the coffee shop a few months ago.
"I know you've already reconnected, but she said she wasn't coming graduation because she was afraid she would be looked down upon. I told her that she wasn't the only one going to get a cold response. So with that here she is. Happy graduation, Choi Young Do."
Young Do couldn't help the happiness that overwhelmed him with his mother standing right in front of him. She had missed his high school entrance ceremony and all the bad things he had done, but she was here for one of the most important parts of his life. Jimin stepped aside as he came forward and wrapped his mother in a bone crushing hug.
"I'm sorry I was late," she whispered as she played with the hair at the base of his neck.
He shook his head. "It's all right. You're here now. Let's go eat with everyone."
Kyung Ran pulled away. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
Young Do took his mother's hand and held it tightly in his. Then he looked back at the others. "Are we going to eat or stand out here and freeze?"
Jimin shook her head. "You go on. I have something I need to take care of. Congratulations to all of you."
Won stepped up beside her. "I'll give you a ride."
Young Do watched the two walk away but all of his thoughts disappeared as everyone started throwing out what they wanted to eat. He heard Eun Sang ask Tan who the woman was. Tan answered by calling her the only woman he thought of as an older sister.
Tucked safely in the warmth of the car, Won looked at Jimin. She hadn't just returned to Seoul for Tan and Young Do's graduation. There was an underlying current about her; had always been one. She was always gentle but there was a hard edge to her that only people close to her knew. She was shrewd and very intelligent. He knew she had ranked number one in her class at university beating out even the rich kids that had attended.
"When are you going to tell him?" he asked. She looked over at him. "When are you going to tell Young Do you're essentially the chairman of his father's company?"
"Once he enters university he'll know. His father knew there was a possibility that he would go to jail so he contacted me, someone who had known the ins and outs of the company before Yoo Kyung Ran left. My mother worked there for fifteen years and I was there for Young Do's birth. I was also the one who threatened to turn him in if he laid a hand on my mom," she replied.
"So he gave you the position because you threatened him and he wanted to keep you quiet?"
She shook her head. "No. I graduated top of my class and was scouted by five of the top companies. I did the same thing you did. I rose through the ranks. Before he went to jail, Choi Dong Uk called me in for a meeting. He wanted the company to be in the hands of someone who will make a good name for it for the sake of his son."
"You're going to be the steward of Zeus Hotel Group until Young Do graduates college?"
"No. I'm going to be the steward until Young Do proves he can be in charge. I know his reputation. I know the horrible manners he has and what he does to those who make him made. I'm going to push him to the brink. We're on equal playing ground. He can't fire me. He has to follow the rules to get what he wants."
"What does that mean for Jeguk Group?"
"You'll continue doing what you have been. I'm going to need your help to build this empire back up from the rubble. I'm going to have severe opposition."
"They'll call for your credentials. Five years isn't going to amount to much to these people. They'll look at the money." She handed him a black folder with the Zeus Hotel emblem embossed in gold on the front. "What is this?"
"The amount of money I brought in for Mega Entertainment as their head of human resources and financing. I played double duty. The company was barely raking in fifty million won. Now it's nearly a four hundred billion won company. Ask Bo Na. I know she recognized me."
Won briefly glanced over the documents inside. "You could have worked for Jeguk. Why would you go to a place that threatened to sue you for libel and slander?"
"Change only happens when you usher it along. Dong Uk started it by not fighting his indictment which gave him a drop in charges. If you don't keep walking, you will never find the change that is best for your employees or yourself."
Won shook his head. The woman's perceptiveness never ceased to amaze him. She could be completely serious about the weirdest of things, but she had a keen eye for business. He could see why Choi Dong Uk had wanted her in his seat until either he got out of jail or Young Do graduated school.
"You know there is a huge possibility that Young Do will hate you for taking over from his father."
Jimin shrugged. "He can hate me all he wants, but he's not getting the company unless his father gets out of jail or I say so. Let's face it. Dong Uk will be lucky if he can be released in eight years instead of serving the full ten."
The car pulled up to the curb of Zeus Hotel. Jimin opened the door. Before she stepped out she looked at Won. He saw the gentleness return to her eyes.
"Congratulations on your marriage, Oppa. I have to meet her though. She has to be the right person for you or I won't agree."
"Get out of here," he laughed. He watched her close the door then disappear into the hotel. "That woman is going to shake this place to its foundation."
"Sir?" the driver asked.
"Nothing. Head back to the office."