In the morning, everyone was gathered in the front yard of the manor, the soldiers were ready and the horses were enthusiastic, the General after wearing his robe was about to leave the manor, when his wife came to the front and bowed to him.
"I have something to say to you, my Lord", his wife said with an expressionless face.
"I am leaving right now, so go back, you should have come yesterday if you wanted to say something". The General answered.
"I did come last night but you were busy my Lord, I have something important to tell you so please"..
"We can talk when I come back, I am not going to die", the General said and with a last glance to the chamber door where Hyuk was standing with the Eunuch, he left without a word.
As he saw the General leaving Hyuk's eyes welled up with tears, the pain in his heart grew as he saw his proud figure disappear on the back of his horse, the Almighty General was once again on the way for a war, the thought of not seeing him and not being able to touch him made Hyuk shudder with a feeling of loneliness, so the tears pooled into Hyuk's eyes and he started crying gently holding the hem of the Eunuch's sleeve.
"It's okay Hyuk, don't worry I am here, I will protect you until the General comes back, don't worry he will come back soon". The Eunuch reassured him as he hugged him .
"Will he really come back soon?".. Hyuk asked hopefully, even though some part of him knew that it was almost impossible.
"Hmm, he will, but until then you have to study and take care of yourself so when he comes back, he will be proud of you", The eunuch adviced knowing the kind of pain Hyuk was going through right now.
"Okay, I promise I will study hard".. Hyuk said determined as the tears kept falling from his eyes.
"Let's go back", the General's wife said to the head maid as the scene lasted in front of her.
.......
The winter came to an end welcoming the spring, the flowers bloomed and the trees regained their greenery , the summer heat made the sunflowers come to full bloom as the birds danced and sung the songs of love and longing, Hyuk was still waiting everyday by the door for General's return, as the summer heat faded the autumn came back again, with the cool breeze hitting his face, Hyuk took the thin blanket and draped it around his shoulders, he did his homework in the expectation of General returning today, as the days of loneliness passed, the winter made everything quiet and white, like a shroud over the dead body of a handsome young man, the sky darkened as the snow started falling, a whole year passed but the General didn't return, a whole year that Hyuk had not seen him or talked to him, a whole year of longing and love, a whole year worth tears every night Hyuk shed while missing the General.
Jin-He and Hyuk are sitting near the newly built fireplace in Hyuk's room, heating their hands, Hyuk tells jin-He to get under the silky smooth but a very thick blanket, Hyuk is writing something with the Ink jin-He had just grinded for him.
"Hyuk, you have been writing since morning, eat something and rest, you can write it later". Jin-He said warmly.
"When will he come back?", Hyuk asked setting the paper aside.
"Who?".. Jin-He asked confused.
"The General, when will he return, it's been a whole year, last year on this same day he left me here alone, when is he going to come back?". Hyuk asked as he remembered that unfateful day.
"I don't know". Jin-He answered honestly.
"Okay, at least tell me, is he going to come back?" Hyuk asked hopelessly, it's been a year, there has been no letter or any form of communication, and this had made Hyuk almost give up on the hope of the cruel man returning someday.
"Yes, he will come back". Jin-He said.
"When is he going to come back then, he has not even sent me a letter this whole year, do you think he might have forgotten me, maybe he does not remember there is Hyuk who is waiting for him at home?", Hyuk asked, letting all kinds of dark thoughts cover his mind in the fog of doubt and misery.
"It's impossible for General to forget you, he will remember you till his last breath", the Eunuch said as he came and sat on Hyuk's side .
"Did you get a message, did he sent a letter or a word for me?", Hyuk asked desperately.
"No, he didn't, but my heart says so", the Eunuch answered.
"What does your old heart have to do with me, I want to know what the General thinks", Hyuk said with a pouting face.
"Hyuk, that's rude", jin-He chirped in.
"Okay fine, I am sorry, I am just irritated, I don't know when he will return, I miss him how am I supposed to wait for him". Hyuk replied guiltily.
"We don't have any other way Hyuk, you have to wait patiently, the General will come back to you when the war ends", the Eunuch said patting his shoulder.
"By the way, did you see the madame again these past few days". The Eunuch asked worried.
"Yes, I did, I bowed to her but she didn't react and kept glaring at me", Hyuk said as he recounted what happened a few days ago.
"Just stay away from her as much as you can so that she doesn't get angry", The eunuch advised with a sigh.
"But why does she hate me?", Hyuk asked confused.
"What do you mean, what kind of woman would not hate her husband's lover", . Jin-He said, like she completely knew why their Madame behaved the way she did with Hyuk.
"We are not lovers, we are just friends", Hyuk said as his cheeks and ears flushed red.
"Why don't you get married then, and surprise your best friend with a wife and a child, when he comes back", The eunuch said, trying to control his laughter.
"My lovely uncle, if I do that, he will cut you and my noona into pieces, you want that, you want to be eaten by hungry beasts in the cold forest", Hyuk asked playfully.
"No no ,my son, I was just kidding, don't do that, otherwise we both will be dead". The Eunuch said in a lovely voice.
"Okay fine, I am going to meet Hoon and Aerum , I am teaching them drawing today", Hyuk said getting up and put on his wolf skin cloak.
"Don't come into her eyes wearing this, she will kill you".. Jin-He said straightening his cloak.
"Okay fine, I will try to avoid her", Hyuk said and went out while a man clad in thick black clothes started following him in the shadows quietly. In the past year wherever Hyuk went, there was a feeling that someone was keeping watch over him constantly but whenever he looked around he always found himself alone.
...
"Take care of him, he should not come into the madame's eyes too much ,otherwise we will be in a problem", The eunuch said looking at Jin-He.
"Hmm, even the madame's brother is coming very frequently these days, he was saying something to Hyuk rudely the other day but Hyuk didn't say anything even when I asked him a few times", jin-He answered.
"That Kwan is not a good person, you should stay with Hyuk as much as possible". The eunuch said .
"Maybe he is doing all this because of his sister", Jin-He suggested.
"That person, he cares for no one other then himself, I know what he wants to do, you don't need to think about that, just take care of Hyuk", The eunuch said glumly.
"Okay sir", Jin-He said .
. ...
Winter came to an end, summer heat faded again, the winter came and went, the summer is here again but the General didn't come back, two and half years passed by but the Horse that the General rode that day never came back to the city again, in these years of separation, Hyuk became an adult and with the childishness gone, he became a mature boy, and realized his reality , the reality of the world hit him like a thunder and the difference between him and the person he loves became evident.
Hyuk was sitting in the garden looking at the flowers bloom, he felt alone for the infinite times again. He was dully thinking something when he heard the two maids who were passing by.
"What a peaceful and quiet life, Madame is so good to us, whenever the general is not here, I feel like I am in heaven". One maid said to the other.
"Do you think the General is dead?", the other maid asked hopefully.
"Shh, don't talk so loudly, what if someone hears you?", the maid said.
"Still, what do you think?", the maid asked again.
"Of course, he is dead, have you ever seen him gone for such a long time". The maid answered.
Hyuk was about to say something to the two, when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hyuk, what are you doing here, it's so hot, let's go inside". Jin-He said.
"No Noona, I want to stay alone for some time, you can go inside first". Hyuk replied lazily.
"Hyuk don't be so negative, why do you think he will not come back or he doesn't remember you?", jin-He asked knowing why Hyuk wants to be alone .
"Because it's the truth Noona, I am not being negative, why would he remember a low class servant like me", Hyuk said, an awful feeling making his stomach and heart hurt violently
"If the General didn't love you, do you think he will give a low class servant the kind of life you are living, the other servants living in the manor, have you looked at them, how they live,what they eat and wear, it's totally different from you Hyuk", . Jin-He asked.
"I don't know noona why he did that, but I don't think he even likes me, i just feel like he pitied me and I was foolishly thought that he felt the same way i did for him, i am embarrassed of myself, whenever I think about the past", Hyuk answered glumly.
"Hyuk, I was so proud of you, I always thought when you will grow up, you will be a positive person, spreading happiness but I didn't know you will grow up to be such a negative and dull person". Jin-He said sighing.
"Noona it's reality, I can only have one General but he can have thousands of Hyuk's like me at his feet, maybe he will bring one with himself when he comes back, he doesn't need me, he is such a perfect and great person, but I am just a servant, bought for a few silver coins", Hyuk said with tears in his eyes.
"Just think whatever you want but please be patient until the General come back, you can do whatever you want after that". Jin-He replied exhausted.
They were still talking when a loud sound of drums on the city walls started ringing furiously in their ears. The two maids from before came running like they saw a ghost.
"What happened, what is this sound?".. Jin-He asked curiously.
"Jin-He, the calamity befell us, the God is punishing us for every sin we have committed in the past". The maid answered shivering with fear.
"What do you mean, are you crazy, tell me clearly, what happened?". Jin-He asked.
" The General is not dead, he is coming back to the manor, he has left from the palace already".. The maid said disappointed as Hyuk and jin-He looked at each other with a look of disbelief in their eyes.