Jung Yoon-oh had tried his best effort to not avert his attention, while he strongly locked his eyes on the king. His mind thought about other things, trying to distract himself from the urge of looking particularly somewhere else, or rather someone else. He compelled himself to think about what he did yesterday, his family, his village and so much more, he began to think it was no use. 

He was irritated that he wasn’t able to even pay attention to any single word that came out of the King's mouth, and it made him frustrated. Yoon-oh, in attempt, awkwardly shifted on one foot to another, silently clearing his voice, while eyes were still strained. He saw his friend, Doyoung, looking over at him with concern, asking if he was okay. In response, he slightly shook his head, gesturing he was. But he wasn't. 

His eyes prickled with tears as it stung, never seeming to peel away from the ruler. Clammy hands hastily wiped against his pants, stressfully getting rid of the dampness clinging to his skin. He slightly sniffled, while fingers fidgeted by his sides, eager for the meeting to end. The second the king would finish, Yoon-oh had planned to swiftly escape from the congested crowd, feeling the cool air of freedom as he breathed in with pleasure of not also cutting away from the body heat, but being released from his remaining wish that tormented him for the past hour.

‘Just a little longer,' he thought. 'Don't look, don't look, don't look!' He shouted at himself.

Desperate to not give into his longing, Yoon-oh firmly pinched himself on the hand, expected the pain to give aid. Unfortunately for him, nothing changed. No matter what Yoon-oh did to divert himself, none of it worked, leading him straight back to his original impulse. 

Inevitably, his eyes abandoned him to satisfy the lingering and burning desire he forbid himself to do. His body sighed, feeling a wave of contentment and ease. It felt like being locked up in a cage as he pleaded for mercy, wanting nothing more than to take in the crisp and fresh air as if nothing had ever been so sweet, savoring the captivating sunlight that glistened from the golden beams, like fingers stretching across the darkened sky to hover above the new flower buds bursting into life.

Yoon-oh gazed in awe. Her luscious, rich shade of chestnut hair simply braided on the side, displayed her glowing, porcelain-like skin. He caught the red tint framing her gentle cheeks, while she looked down as if she was embarrassed. Alluringly, she would blink her eyes, allowing him to see her long eyelashes to flutter like the wings of a butterfly. Her twinkling hazel eyes that always lightened up the room whenever she walked in. 

Had she smiled, everyone would have stopped to stare, wonderstruck by her attraction. Had she smiled, even the Greek goddess Aphrodite herself would have been envy. And had she smiled, he would never leave the touching thought of claiming those rose colored lips as his. 

Before Yoon-oh could get caught by anyone, he constrained himself to look away, not afraid of showing his disappointment. Ignoring the firing pain in his stomach of the missing feeling to gaze longer, he gulped anxiously, praying this would all be over soon. 

To finally end his suffering, King Hyeonjung gave one last hard smile before dismissing everyone. Just as he prepared, Yoon-oh rapidly dashed to the entrance doors, hoping he would quickly be back to normal. 

As he disappeared amongst the crowd, he didn’t seem to notice a pair of hazel orbs that searched through the horde to find him. 

“T-tonight?” His voice bounced off the walls, not recognizing of breaking the calm silence in the garden of the dynasty. Eyes enlarged, he staggered back. “What do you mean we are leaving tonight? We were told to leave for war in a few days.”

One of the king’s servants, Minhyun, smiled at him with apology. “But the king had decided to change his mind, and he wants it to commence tonight.”

Yoon-oh began to stammer, still not comprehending what was happening. “B-but how come? Why so sudden?"

The short man sighed. “King Hyeonjung thinks it would be better if we advance early, therefore we may gain an advantage against the Khitan Liao dynasty. You must think clearly. We’ve been at war for over two decades. We must end this as soon as possible. ”

The young warrior had no words to say, while he stood stunned at the servant’s message as if he had been slapped in the face.

He looked at him with pity. “You will be leaving at midnight. I am sorry, warrior Yoon-oh. This is not a request, but a command.”

“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

With a slight bow, Minhyun turned to go back inside as he left the 18-year-old in silence. 

Nothing was heard, except for the water fountain bamboo. He closed his eyes, hoping for the soft, drizzling drops to calm him down. 

Yoon-oh admitted if he was 16 years old again, he wouldn’t mind the change of plans. If it gave them an upper hand, it would have been a great start for the war because this is what he wanted. He recalled training at the young age of 10 after discovering his determination to defend his home. At first, his family strongly opposed to his dream. To show his willpower, he vividly remembered practicing everyday with his uncle after continuously imploring him to teach him. Muscles sore from the brutal exercise later became no problem for Yoon-oh. He was quicker and sturdier than before. When his parents saw how capable he was, they finally agreed to let him go after his goal. 

Of course, Yoon-oh still loves fighting for his home, yet he couldn’t quite find the strength to confess out loud something was pulling him back. 

And it was all because of her. 

Two years ago, the young teen wasn’t able to express how thrilled he was when the king had accepted him into the army. The basic levels of training were a piece of cake as Yoon-oh always scored the highest, and it was no surprise word had spread about how great he was. Everything was fine for the next few months, until news had broke the princess of the Goryeo dynasty was coming back after visiting another family. The only thing he had known about her was they were the same age. From what Yoon-oh had eavesdropped, Princess Chaeyoung was known to be reticent and diffident. 

“What, you have never seen Princess Chaeyoung in your whole life? Where have you been?” Wide, pure bunny eyes questioned him.

“Dodging knives my uncle swung at me,” he casually replies, not including the part where his head was almost cut off every time. 

Yoon-oh slightly chuckled out in the hushed night, recollecting that moment when he met his close friend, Doyoung. His laughter soon died down like a melting candle when his mind set focused on the one and only Princess Chaeyoung.

An image flashed before his lucent eyes, cherishing the first moment he had met her. It was a peaceful noon when she had arrived. Him and the army stood in multiple straight lines with their arms behind their backs, greeting the princess, while she slowly went out of her litter carriage. All bowing with heads down before her, Yoon-oh deceitfully took a prompt glance up at the royalty with his curiosity taking a hold of him.

He suddenly forgot how to breathe, speechless at the breathtaking grace before him. Just then, her sparkling orbs cautiously scanned through the army until she had clashed onto his. Mouth agape, he felt the strenuous beating of his heart as it raced like a runaway train. The thumping echoed vehemently in his ears, while his heartbeat ceased to slow down. It went faster, stronger, harder to the point he would rather rip out the roaring flesh out his chest than to endure any longer. in her inhalation, the princess lets out a small gasp, continuing to lock eyes before briskly whirling her head. Yoon-oh peeped at the way her bangs softly hit her face in which he wanted nothing more than to tuck them behind her ear. Her petite, round face somehow distinguished the delicate cheekbones with head held up high, showed off her lustrous appearance. The lad couldn’t quite tell whether or not if he was over exaggerating about the thought of seeing the most ravishing woman he had even seen.

And just like that, Yoon-oh began banging his head against the bulky wall, distraught to what was affecting him. After weeks from meeting the princess, the warrior battled with himself, perplexed at his strange behavior. At first, the innocent teen had thought he was only nervous. That was until he began to have the same reaction every time he saw her, even if it was only for one second.

Yoon-oh was about to explode. Hands rumpled through his brown locks, groaning in discontent. ‘I am going crazy,’ he thinks. His ranking continued to be immensely high, motivation was still there, yet why did it feel like something was bothering him? It irked him, like a tick hiding in his hair, itching around until he couldn’t take it anymore.

‘Her,’ his mind automatically claimed. ‘But what is it about her that makes me go insane?’

Was it her hair? Her polished, silky hair that almost seemed to flow over his fingers like water? Was it her eyes? Those deep caramel crystals staring heavily into him as though to pierce his very own soul, extracting his thoughts and feelings? Or was it her smile? A smile so rare as a hidden gem that even folks would pause to mesmerize something so genuine and pure? 

He didn’t know…

Yoon-oh would shake his head, expecting to crackle up an idea. It was no help. Sometimes, he would find himself thinking about her while practicing. 

When one day came, without noticing his blind spot, Doyoung attacked him from the side. He roughly landed on the floor with a moan. Eyes closed, waiting for the stars above his head to disappear, while resting his hand against his chest, giving out hulking pants from the tiring workout. He soaked in the unbearable ache where his friend aimed at him and remained on the floor.

“Yoon-oh, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.”

“That’s not what I meant”—his comrade crossed his arms—“you’ve been acting so odd lately.”

“Have I?” He almost sounded sarcastic. 

“Haven’t you noticed? You’ve been in a daze and not being completely focused in practice as you used to.” Doyoung wiped off his sweat. 

“Doyoung, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” He extends a hand to lift him up.

With a slight pause, he proceeded. “I