"If Kyungsoo wants no part in government, I won't force him."

From where he was listening in the hallway, inconspicuously hidden in the shadow of the staircase outside his father's office, Kyungsoo's couldn't hear his father's voice waver.

"I mean you no disrespect, sir," the other man, a younger Councilor by the name of Park Jungsoo, cut in with an equally strong tone, despite the difference in the two politicians' age. "But your health is deteriorating. You've tried to hide it since your return from Africa, but it's clearly not improving. How long are you going to pretend that you're fine?"

Kyungsoo shifted in his place, pulling his legs to his chest so his arms could hug them. He wanted to yell at this other man; who did he think he was to speak to Kyungsoo's father that way? The twenty-one year old felt incredibly small: hiding, curling up like a child as he listened to his father endure belittlement from a younger Councilor. He could only wish to grow into a man like his father, but he already felt that it was too late for him.

"Despite the impact on my health, I don't regret my charity work," Kyungsoo's father returned, and the boy could hear his desk chair relax under his weight.

"So perhaps you should retire before this disease does it for you!" Even Kyungsoo had to cringe at the biting tone while holding in a sigh with a tight frown. "Kyungsoo will take over for you when the Council meets in two weeks; it's written in the policy you signed."

A long silence filled the air like an opaque fog with Kyungsoo staring at the closed door, afraid to imagine the look in his father's eyes on its other side. He couldn't breathe in the quiet, the absence of noise suffocating him until his father's softer, thoughtful tone shattered it.

"I didn't expect it to take effect on my son."

Kyungsoo swallowed before his lips began to tremble in spite of his teeth cutting into them. He realized his father's mortality as his stomach flipped; his father didn't have many days left, and all he'd done was pretend it wasn't happening. Death seemed so far away until it loomed over his family's head like impending doom.

And still, all he could do was bury his face in his hands.

From the author:

Hello dear reader! Welcome to Crossing the Han River, a Kaisoo romance that won't be for the faint of heart. Of course, there will be rare moments of fluff or humor, but I hope you'll expect plenty of angst and heartbreak from this story. Though this is a political/sci-fi/romantic drama, you won't need any kind of political knowledge to read this; I'll explain everything as the story goes on. There will also be other Korean idols mentioned, mainly the other SM artists, but you won't need to know anything about them other than their names.

It's also my place to warn you that there will be strong language, mentions of character (parent) death prior to the start of the story, and possible (depending on if I decide to include it, or post it as a deleted scene later on). This is also a story, so if anything mentioned above doesn't suit your fancy, this won't be the story for you.

That aside, I hope you'll enjoy the story!

Beautiful poster and background from microscopic at ↻ Rood Graphics

Received a score of 95/100% from MinHee_Exotic at Red Cafe:

"I felt like I read a book that I borrowed from the National Library."

Received a score of 94/100% from StephLovesKCulture at Steph Book Club:

"I love the way you write. It's like very poetic and on point, and very sophisticated."