The General is at the Gate of the manor, everyone is standing in the yard to welcome him, his wife and children are at the front, but like in past, today his children are happy to see their father, as soon as they saw him, they ran towards him and hugged his legs enthusiastically.
"Father, welcome back", the two said as they smiled heartily. The General looked at them for a moment and then patted their heads stiffly.
Meanwhile, in the servant quarters:-
The eunuch came in Hyuk's room running, when he saw him curled up in a corner crying.
"Hyuk, what are you doing here, let's go, The General is at the gate". The eunuch said holding Hyuk's arm .
"I would not go", Hyuk said as the snot was mixing with his tears .
"What do you mean, you would not go, you have waited for him for so long, come quickly", The eunuch asked worried .
"Then, please tell me , has he brought someone with him, a beautiful boy or a girl or maybe a concubine". Hyuk asked, crying bitterly.
"Hyuk really?, come with me and see him for yourself, what's wrong with you", The eunuch asked annoyed with the two fools in love.
"No please, I don't want to go, my heart can't take so much at one time, if I see him now, I will die because of my weak heart", Hyuk said.
"Leave him alone sir, let's leave first, everyone must be waiting for you", Jin-He said urging the eunuch to go back to welcome the General.
"Okay". The eunuch said and left with jin-He.
....
"Welcome back , my Lord", the eunuch said as he bowed to the General.
The General looked at him and then raised his eyes to look around for something, when he could not find what he was looking for, the General gave his eunuch a stern look.
"My Lord, everything is well, I took care of everything in your absence", the Eunuch said smiling nervously.
The General nodded and after everything was over he went to his chamber and the eunuch followed followed behind him silently.
"Where is Hy?"... The General was saying when a minister from court came, the General sat back and the eunuch left, this thing went on for the whole day, ministers, courtiers, Messengers from palace, everyone kept coming in, making it impossible for the General to even ask about Hyuk.
In the evening, the General was still meeting the guests, he didn't even have the time to breath and one the other side, Hyuk was in his room, while jin-He stood beside him, trying to understand the situation but she just could not grasp anything at all.
"Hyuk, stop crying, what's wrong with you?". Jin-He asked, confused.
"Noona, I told you he doesn't remember me, look it's been a whole day, has he even asked about me?, no, because he does not remember anyone named Hyuk, Noona, I have seen him now, tonight I will run away somewhere far where no one knows me, I can't be here anymore, I am hurting, Noona",. Hyuk cried more and more.
"Please Hyuk, calm down, don't do any stupidity". Jin-He said frustrated from Hyuk's behaviour. They were still talking when the door hung open and the Eunuch came in.
"Hyuk, quickly get up", The eunuch said.
"Why?, what happened?", Hyuk asked looking up at the elder man.
"General is asking for you, hurry up".
"I will not go". Hyuk answered, looking down at his feet.
"What? Why, are you okay,. He wants to see you", The eunuch said trying to get him to stand up.
"I would not go, i don't have a reason to", Hyuk protested against the two people, looking at him in disbelief.
....
After 20 minutes of pleading, begging and dragging, the Eunuch and jin-He were finally standing on the door of the general's chamber with Hyuk hanging from both their arms.
"I don't want to go in".. Hyuk cried, but the eunuch nodded to jin-He who let go of Hyuk and opened the door quietly, Hyuk looked at the Eunuch and was about to say something when he was kicked on the butt and landed straight into the General's chamber , he looked behind him but before he could do anything the door closed.
Hyuk was surprised at the sudden attack, he didn't know what to do so like any other person would act in a situation like this, he just stuck there and bowed his head deep almost touching his head to the floor.
The General looked up and saw a boy bowing his head, needless to say he knew who the boy was, who could it be other then the person he dreamt about every night, the person he wanted to see first when he came back, the person he was going crazy for, the person who made him look at the moon every night in hopes that at least they will be looking at the same thing, in hopes to connect to the person who was thousands of miles apart from him.
"Hyuk", the General called softly, trying to make sure it was not one of those infinite dreams he had, when he was still on the battlefield, but no response came from the person who he had just called.
"Hyuk, come to me", . The General said in hopes that the boy will run into his arms like two and a half years ago, when he was still in the city.
But there was no response from Hyuk, the General waited for him, and about fifteen minutes later, Hyuk said.
"I apologize for coming in like that without asking for permission". Hyuk said with his eyes low and his heart beating like a drum.
The General looked at Hyuk's bowing figure unable to see his face, he got up from his place and walked to Hyuk, crouching down in front of him, he said.
"Hyuk, you don't have to do this, you can come in and go out , as you want, you don't need my permission, everything here is yours".
Hyuk tried to take a peek and raised his head a bit but then bent it down again, The General saw this moment and without wasting more time, he lifted up Hyuk's face with his two fingers, making them come face to face with each other.
When the General finally got a glimpse of Hyuk's face, he got shocked, taking a closer look at Hyuk's face made him realise a lot of things, as he kept looking in those eyes, he simply could not form his words, so he asked dumbly.
"Is it you, Hyuk?", He asked dumbly, not knowing the effect his words would have on the other person.
"Why, have you forgotten my face already?". Hyuk asked disappointed, like he knew this day would come when he would be a long lost memory to this man, who was kneeling in front of him.
"No it's just, when I went away, I left my precious Baby Hyuk behind but when I am back", The General paused in between his sentence, he didn't know how to continue, just staring blankly at the boy.
"You left that Baby alone in a place like this, where you knew he will be lonely, you manipulated that baby to stay here with you, to depend on you, and then you just left him alone with a maid like he was some rag doll, you never loved me", Hyuk said as he looked the General in the eye, trying to control his tears.
"Do you really think I never loved you?", The General asked shocked
"What's there to think, If you loved me then why did you leave me alone here", Hyuk asked spitefully.
"Because I don't want to see you get hurt, no matter what happens ,you have to be safe". The General answered grimly.
"But i wanted to go with you, I wanted to stay with you when you got hurt, in victory or in lose, in life or In death, I wanted to be there for you", Hyuk replied, there were tears in his eyes, but his voice never wavered.
"No matter how old you get, you can never understand my feelings, my love or my worries for you", The General replied as he looked at the boy.
"You think I don't understand, but i do, in front of the world you are the General who does not fear anything but in reality you are just a coward, you have no guts, you don't want me to know how you really are, you still want me to believe the lies you told me years ago about you being a saint, you thought if I came with you, those lies would be exposed", Hyuk said in anger as he jerked the hand off his face.
"Shut up Hyuk , I don't want to hear anything".the General retorted.
"Fine, I don't want to talk to you as well, you stubborn General". Hyuk screamed and got out of there fuming in anger.
As Hyuk got out of the room , the Eunuch came in quietly, bowing his head to the General.
"What did you do to my Hyuk, why is he acting like that?", The General screamed as he got up from the floor.
"I apologize,my Lord but i didn't do anything to him, Hyuk has just grown up, when you left he was 17 but now he is 20 , he has grown up and become more mature, I can protect him from the enemies but i can't stop him from growing up". The Eunuch said, exhausted of the two men, going around in circles.
I" never thought our first meeting will be like this, my Hyukie fought with me", He said massaging his tample.
Meanwhile Hyuk got to his room, he opened the door with a bang and just laid in the already made bed, when Jin-He saw him, she came to his seperate room and asked.
"Hyuk, what happened, I thought you will stay the night there", jin-He asked curiously.
"It's nothing Noona, I want to rest", Hyuk said in a muffled voice and hid himself in the sheets, sobbing lightly.
"What's wrong with him?", jin-He thought but didn't say anything and just left from there.