Yoon Shik after having a nice conversation with Master Hyun was going to his dormitory when he happened to see light coming from one of the abandoned rooms of Northern block. Those rooms were constructed but never had been used by the academy. "Who can be here at this late night?" Yoon Shik wondered and went near that room. The light was not so bright, rather it was dim as if only one candle was burning.
Northern block of the academy had hardly been used by the instructors and disciples. There were just some picturesque locations which could calm the nerves of a being. At night, the block remained silent as if that place did not exist.
Yoon Shik arrived near the door or that room and tried peeking inside but did not see anything. He slightly opened the door and looked for the dim source of light. As he was looking around, his eyes fell on something which not only shocked him but confused him too.
He saw the back of a woman which was covered from her long, straight hair and immediately he shut his eyes thinking that it was an illusion. He opened his eyes again when he saw the woman had worn the upper robe. His eyes started fluttering. Quickly, he closed the door and without making any noise he walked away.
As he descended the stairs, the picture of the woman was not leaving his head. "Was that an illusion or was that a ghost?" Yoon Shik murmured and looked back at the room. The dim source of light had gone. He came downstairs and turned to the left when he heard light footsteps of someone descending the stairs.
He hid behind the pillar which were supporting those stairs. He tilted his head slightly to look who could be that woman when he saw Cheung Shin. "Master Shin," he murmured. Cheung Shin had walked away from there while Yoon Shik was in utter confusion now.
"Is he a woman?... I mean is she a woman? What is she doing here? Does she not know that if anyone will find out then it will be an end game for her," Yoon Shik thought and sat on the floor with his back supporting the pillar.
He recalled the day when he encountered her for the first time. Come to think of it, if he carefully looked at her physique she indeed seemed a woman. But he had never thought that a woman could live as a man that too in Sungkyunkwan among men.
"He…no…I mean she has hidden her identity as if she is a spy. That day she wasn't attacked by robbers or bandits but some more dangerous people," Yoon Shik thought in his mind. He stood up the ground and left for his dormitory.
As he entered in, he saw everyone was asleep except Yeong who was sitting on his bed as if he was waiting for Yoon Shik. Yoon Shik closed the door and asked him in a low voice why he did not sleep.
"I am not able to sleep," Yeong replied. Yoon Shik saw the worriedness which was visible on Yeong's face. "Thinking about those things won't do any good. It is better to leave those decisions to his majesty. He also knows that what is good for his people," Yoon Shik proclaimed.
"You are right. You know, I have started hating myself- being born in an upper-class is like a bane to me. I wish I could be like you, at least, I would have the freedom to do things," Yeong asserted. Yoon sat beside him and patted his shoulder.
"But, lower class section has its own miseries. Don't think like that. Your mother will get hurt hearing this," Yoon Shik told Yeong.
"I know. But if mother had from the lower class then at least she would have been respected by her husband even after her demise," Yeong pronounced. Yoon Shik saw the pain in Yeong's eyes as if he was badly hurt by his own father.
"What happened?" Yoon Shik asked.
Yeong did not speak anything for sometime. "My father goes to Kisaeng house," Yeong replied with a heavy heart.
"For more than ten years he is going to there. I understand when father married the widow of his elder brother but how could my father betray my mother. Until her last breath, she loved father whole heartedly. Father was also crying then how could he forget the love for my mother?" Yeong muttered.
"This is the thing I hate the most in upper-class men. Many of them aren't loyal to their wives. At least lower section people knows how to respect their spouses. They don't have to marry multiple women and share bed with all. I will be like that after sometime because I know my father try every possible thing to be at top," proclaimed Do Yeong.
"Yeong- aa, I have no answer for this. But I can only give an advice- no one has the right to control one's life. It is upto you if you want to go with the flow or against the flow. Do the things which are enjoyable to you even if you have to bear the pain to get those things." Yoon Shik passed a gentle smile to Yeong.
"Thanks Yoon Shik for raising a voice against your father. If you hadn't had raised your voice that day then I would not have met such an amazing person. You are different than the people I have ever met. I am happy to have you as a friend," Yeong said with a broad smile.
"Same here. Because of you I am here. Now, sleep and just enjoy the things you want to have. Make your deceased mother proud," Yoon Shik stated. Yeong nodded. Yoon Shik went to the bunk bed while Yeong laid down on the bed, covering himself from the blanket.
"Enjoy the life," murmured Yeong and after a while he was drifted to sleep.
But Yoon Shik could not get a sleep because picture of Cheung Shin was hitting his mind every time he was closing his eyes. "Why is she here? Shall I talk to her to leave Sungkyunkwan before she will be caught and punished severely? Or should I keep quiet and let it go as it is going. But, if someone like Chan Sul will find about her identity then it can be a huge problem for her," Yoon Shik thought as he gazed at the wooden ceiling above him.