I just thought that I would give a little preface to this chapter, but I actually study Korean for my MA degree and I practice Salpuri dance. It's a traditional Shaman dance, and I wanted to bring my experiences to Hye-ri. I really recommend that you check out this song (살풀이 구음 - 안숙선) (you can just copy it into google) when you're trying to visualize the dance scene! Thanks again for your comments and views, and please leave more thoughts if you have them! X :)

Hye-ri was back to pushing the wheelbarrow. Her back was aching from the long haul of heavy radishes and cabbage and it was only in such moments that she really began to understand her age. Nineteen! Where had the time gone? It had been almost two years since her routine trips to the palace were cut off and given to her younger sister. But as Na-ri had suddenly come down with a cold overnight, Hye-ri's only option was to go back to her old duties.

She could feel the guards' eyes on her when she flashed them her red entry token. One nodded curtly and stepped to the side. She had etched their faces in her mind for nearly ten years, but they never seemed to recall her. If they did, they kept their familiarity very well hidden.

The entrance to the kitchen was wide open. There would be no opportunity to take a long trip around the palace on that day. She trickled her way inside, scooping up the ends of her muddy skirt hem as she let the barrow fall onto the cobblestones.

"Master Cook!" She called into the empty doorway. She could hear the sound of water bubbling, and the scent of freshly caught fish flooding her nose, but nobody answered her call. When she made her way back to the goods from her father's farm, she decided to simply unpack them onto the kitchen counters. If she simply wandered off, the whole palace might go a day without fresh food.

The world might really end then.

"What's going on today?" She sighed, shaking her head enough to cause her braid to swing. Meanwhile, her arms were hauling heavy plants into the open kitchen. "The palace is awfully quiet. The clouds are already shifting this early in the year and Na-ri is getting sick-" 

"Na-ri is ill?"

A large pile of beansprouts clampered to her feet in shock. Byung-yeon was already there to clean up after her mess, his long black robes spilling over the edges of his shoes like a waterfall in the darkest of nights.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Prince just made a fool of himself in front of his father." The beansprouts were dusted off and put back into their cup near the boiling water. Hye-ri and Byung-yeon were alone in the silent quarters. "I suspect most people went to eavesdrop, but I prefer to keep my distance when His Majesty is angry." 

Hye-ri shook her head as she took out the last of the vegetables. "He really wrote a script, didn't he? I have to say that I'm not entirely surprised." 

Byung-yeon was silent for a moment, but his eyes never left his friend's back as she began to organize the food. When she finally finished, her gaze redirected itself towards him. "Did you want me to cook for you, 'Gat' Byung-yeon?" She taunted him with the court ladies' petname. As per usual, he made no reaction.

"The Prince won't be able to make it into town today. Not only did he irritate His Highness, but he seems to be concerned about a love affair between his sister a secret suitor. He's gone to investigate and I can't imagine that things will go well." 

Hye-ri listened as Byung-yeon spoke. She had always admired the sound of his deep voice. He chose his words very carefully, and his concern about his closest friend always made him talk. As charming as his trepadations were, she couldn't help but feel her stomach sink. "He won't be coming to my performance then, I suspect." 

Before Byung-yeon could reply, Hye-ri had already made her way out the door. The barrow was much easier to push when it was empty, and she began to make her way back towards the side entrance across the open courtyard without so much as a pause for air. Her feet were kicking out beneath her in frustration. The hem of her skirt was certainly taking the heat. Of course, the Crown Prince owed her nothing. Yet it still stung when someone made a promise they could not keep.

"Let me do it." Byung-yeon's voice came dangerously close to her ear. She felt his soft hand press against her own as he reached for the handles of the cart, moving her out of the way with a mere four words.

"I have to take it back to my house."

"It's not a long walk." 

"You really don't need to do that." 

"I could do with the exercise."

She narrowed her brown eyes as he continued walking alongside her. The brim of his straw hat covered his face entirely, and his expressions were even more difficult to read than normal. "Do you have business in town?" 

"Of course I do." He stopped as they neared the forest threshold. "Your performance." 

Hye-ri laughed nervously. She sensed that Byung-yeon was simply trying to show some extra kindness after the Crown Prince informally cancelled. If there was something she didn't want in their friendship, it was the feeling of obligation. "You'll probably be too busy cleaning up after His Highness. I don't wish to keep you from more important things. It's like you guys said; there were be plenty of other shows in the future and today doesn't have the be the only one." 

"You don't want me to come?" 

She caught her breath when their eyes met. What was it that her sister had said the night before? That 'she knew what she wanted'? Looking into Byung-yeon's eyes now, she only saw the face of an abnormally private man. A shell as thick as stone. One she could never crack. There was nothing more to it than that. "Of course I want you to come."

"Okay." He kept moving whether or not she was following him. "Then you shouldn't be late for your practice." 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The town was bustling that day. After leaving the barrow at home and replacing the rag on her sister's forehead, Hye-ri trickled behind Byung-yeon into town. He seemed determined to go somewhere, but his lips never dared to give it away. Hye-ri could feel her stomach rumbling, her eyes ashamedly catching sight of every bowl of rice or plate of kimchi that lingered on the restaurant tables. 

"Stop staring at the food," Byung-yeon said over his shoulder. "You look like an unfed house dog." 

Hye-ri's eye twitched in annoyance. "How did you see me staring?" 

"I can smell the drool on your chin from a mile away." 

Up ahead, a large pile of people were gathering in the streets. The audience was laughing louder than when there had been wars in the streets. There was no doubt that the town's infamous theatre group was performing their hysterical scenes from the palace. Every time they took place, Lee Yeong insisted that they leave to distract themselves with more polite experiences, but when the men were not with her, Hye-ri couldn't help but watch. She even saw some scholars peeking in during this show, no doubt understanding the jokes about the palace rulers better than anyone.

Her eyes were too fixated on the actors colorful masks and costumes to notice Byung-yeon slipping money into her hand. When the warmth of his fingers hit her own, she finally glanced up at him, pulling her hand to her chest. "What's this for?" 

"I have to go somewhere before I find you tonight." 

Hye-ri waited for him to say more, but he simply stared. 

"Byung-yeon, if you can't come then I understand." 

He shook his head once. It was so slight. She could have missed it. "Wait for me after the performance. And use that money to buy yourself a meal." 

She glanced downwards to see how much change he had given her. It was far too much. In fact, it was a charity case. It was enough to buy three vegetable rice bowls. With a close of her eyes and an exasperated sigh, she raised her head to scold her friend on his kindness. "Kim Byung-yeon! This is really too much-" Her eyes cracked open in order to teach him a visual lesson, but he was already long gone. She searched for his black hat amongst the crowd, but could spot nobody with his countenance. 

Her fingers traced along the edges of the money. "Byung-yeon..." She sighed. "Where are you always disappearing to?" 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The white hanbok stood out in the darkness of the night. The girl who was wearing it was entirely unrecognizable from her everyday form. Her black hair, normally worn in a messy braid was pinned tightly to her head, the frontal pieces plastered down with a strong smelling cream. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but her inner child wanted to try a taste of it. Her robes were not extremely expensive; she had spent the most money on her silk scarf. On the left side of her chest was a solitary black bow, tied tightly to keep her gown from slipping during the dance. 

A small crowd had formed outside. They were not there to admire her skills. What she did was a profession. The city believed that through her dance, and through her connection to the spiritual world, she could free them from their sadness. She could take out the poison from their souls with the wave of her hand, capturing their demons in her white scarf and sending the back to the heavens or hells where they belonged. 

Whether or not she was entirely convinced of it herself, she was unsure. 

What mattered was that she kept on her toes. If she faltered even slightly, the crowd would notice. Their sadness would slip off the end of her fabric and trickle back into their lives, possibly to never leave. 

"Go ahead," her teacher urged her from behind the building. "Wait three counts after the music starts. Remember to keep your stomach strong." She gingerly punched Hye-ri beneath her s. "Core strength is the key." 

Hye-ri nodded several times. It was not the first time she had been instructed in such a way. It was certainly not her first dance, but there was always the potential that it could be her last. 

The familiar clanking of metal rang out in her ears. It was the opening few notes, and she stepped out with each foot carefully being placed in front of the other.

Heels first. Always heels first.

The pansori singer let her everyday weariness be heard by the crowd. As she sang, Hye-ri waited in position. There were nearly ten people watching her, waiting for their opportunity to dismiss their sins. Closing her eyes, Hye-ri let the music wash over her. Her knees bent slightly as the woman's voice grew higher, the scarf she grasped between her fingers brushing just above her feet. With a quick jolt of the music, she simultaniously flicked the scarf up to her hip, moving her chin seductively along with it. It was a gesture often missed by onlookers, but one that was highly admired in Salpuri dancers. If there were any critics in the audience, they would not be faulting her tonight.

More people likely joined as the dance went on. Ten minutes passed, and Hye-ri's feet were still strong. She felt the muscles in her abs tighten with every twist of her body, the abnormal positioning of her feet reminding her that she was stronger than most people suspected. Her mind was lost to the music as time ticked onwards. Sorrow, sadness, and pain were all being tossed to those more fit to handle it. Humans were weak. These things were not to be their burdens.

When the fifteen minutes began to come to an end, Hye-ri could briefly make out a face in the crowd. It was one of the rare moments of the dance where she actually made eye contact with the audience members, but only one person was worthy of notice on that evening. 

Byung-yeon was standing closer to the back edge of the crowd. There was no smile on his lips, but his eyes didn't falter. He was offering encouragement to her by simply being there, which meant more than she would ever be able to express. In fact, he had never missed a single one of her shows, but on that day it somehow meant more than the others.

Just before she was about to take her final turn, her eye caught sight of something strange. Byung-yeon's stance was somewhat abnormal, the weight of his body being offered heavily to one hip. She noticed his fingers lingering on his upper arm, the space betweeen them that should have been filled with air, filled with something red.

Is that...

Blood?

Hye-ri hesitated for a second too long. Her last turn was late, but thankfully the audience hadn't seemed to notice. They burst into a wave of claps, their whispers being passed around to the others like a positive form of gossip. And although she felt disappointed in her minor mistake, her eyes did not dare to leave Byung-yeon. 

"Hye-ri." It was the voice of her teacher. "Come here quickly. I need to speak with you." 

"Teacher Kim." She finally turned around. "If you'll just give me two seconds to speak to someone, I promise that-" 

"Those two seconds would have been given to you if it weren't for that final move. Come back. Quickly." 

Although she was practically being dragged out of the square with her teacher's order, Hye-ri could not risk taking a moment to run to Byung-yeon's side. He seemed shocked by her eagerness and took a noticeable step backwards as she came closer. Her eyes flickered to his minor cut only momentarily, but he knew that she had caught sight of it and tugged at his sleeve lazily. 

"Byung-yeon-" 

"You need to go." 

"Will you wait for me?" 

"I have to get back to the palace." 

"I can see that you're bleeding." 

"It's nothing."

Hye-ri took a step backwards with a slight nod of her head. Whatever had happened in town that day... Well, he clearly wasn't interested in speaking about it. He was rarely interested in speaking to her about personal things. Despite him acting like a friend and supporting her dance, she was never entirely sure of where they stood on the boundaries of life. Their bond was complicated, but when would she able to address it with him? There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that as they got older, they would simply part ways. Their lives were too different, and their personalities even more so. 

"Get back safely, My Lord. And please take care of yourself." She dropped her knees only slightly to him. It was polite to onlookers, but for him it was unfamiliar and a suggestion of discomfort between them. 

When Hye-ri turned her back to him, the snowy scarf brushed the compacted dirt without any realization. In an instant, he stepped forward to scoop it from the ground. The fabric was like a petal in his hands. He couldn't recall a time ever touching something quite as soft as this. Without Hye-ri's realization, he swung it around her arm to keep it safe from the dangers surrounding them. Mud. Water. People speeding through the streets. It curled neatly into the crease above her elbow, the color of her gown coinciding with its paleness. 

It was a small gesture. 

But it was a gesture nonetheless.