He could not sleep at all. He did not leave his tent even at dinner time, and the others noticed it. Jinki brought a portion from the food, but Taemin did not let him into the tent, so he left it on the ground with a spoon, and hoped the boy would change his mind, because he needed his strenght. He told it to the boy too through the tent. 

But Taemin did not see the meaning of it. Captain Choi Minho sent him home; he had to leave the camp before the soldiers woke up. It was a command, not an advice like the ones what had left the captain's mouth before.

When he had left his home to join the army he did not think about it too much. He could only think about protecting his brother and his father. But if he had to go home now, he would disappoint them again, and he wouldn't be able to look into their eyes again. His mother would find a girl for him, and he would have to marry her, so he wouldn't have the chance to prove who he really was.

He finished the demolition of the tent, and put his brother's clothes on. He found his black horse, and slowly started to lead him away from the others who were spitting. Taemin checked the saddle again, and because everybody was asleep, he did not have to be afraid; he could use both of his hands.

Before he jumped into the saddle, his gaze found a tent, what he could always distinguish from the others; the captain's tent. Maybe should he tell him about his leaving? No, he said clearly to leave the camp early in the morning. Taemin took a deep breath and jumped from the ground, but he changed his mind. 

He let the pommel of the saddle go, and turned around to take a look at the high wooden column. The arrow what the captain shot up in the first day was still on the top of it. A lot of trainee had tried to get it, but they all failed, and in the previous days they did not even look at it.

Taemin approached the column slowly. There were the golden pucks with the ribbons. He looked around in the camp again. He could only hear the cricket song and the sounds what the horses made. The first rays of the sun started to be seen in the distance, so he could not wait. 

He bent down and using both of his hands he tied the ribbons onto his wrists as strongly as he could. But when he wanted to stand up, the weights made it more difficult. He could barely lift them, so he pulled the golden pucks on the ground. 

In the previous day he barely ate anything, so he felt himself weaker as usual. But he had to do something, while he was the only one awake in the camp. He took a deep breath and looked up at the wooden column's top, what seemed so far.

He thought about the thing his brother taught him about climbing trees. He could never do the task well, but now he had to. He could not make any mistake now.

Taemin needed all his strength to lift the pucks, and when he succeeded he tried to focus on his legs to squeeze the column strongly. Finally he pulled himself together and made the first step, but he immediately felt as he lost his balance, and he could not grab anything on the column to help himself. He ended on the ground with a loud thump, but he did not have time for the pain. The sun was almost visible, and it meant the awakening of the soldiers.

He knew he did not have any choice now. He could not live his life anymore with the fact that he brought shame to his family in front of the whole town. If his father was disappointed because of him, at least he had to prove that he could do something important, too, in his life.

He jumped again, and hugged the column. As he went up the pain appeared in his wrists because of the weight, what wanted to pull him down.

I feel sorry for the girl he will marry one day.

You will never bring your family honor!

Do you want to bring us even more shame?

Taemin would not survive one day in the camp... Do you think you could kill anybody?

Every sentence in his head was like a knife into his heart. They were not right, they could not be right.

Who said to Nari that he will marry anyone or that he wants to be in a marriage with anyone so badly? No one.

His family should not be proud of him only because he marries a rich girl.

He did not want to bring shame to his family, so he had to prove to Captain Choi that he belongs to the soldiers.

He survived it. He survived the first day and the ones after it. His brother was wrong.

He had to stop to calm his breath down, because he felt a little pain in his side. He leaned his forehead to the column. His skin was sticky because of the sweat and the tears. He squeezed the wood so strongly with his legs and arms as he could, and after a little time he looked down to the ground.

"Alright, I can do this" he told himself, and after he took another deep breath he continued his way.

If he fell down from there, he would have hurt and he wouldn't have any choice but going home.

Taemin felt the first rays of the sun on his skin, and fright took the power over his body. He should have left the camp before sunrise, but he did not do it. If the captain saw him, maybe he would have been the one who took him home and humiliated him in front is his family. He clucthed to the column, stronger, and climbed up. His muscles tensed, and he knew well if he survived this he would have muscle strain in the next morning. 

He squeezed the column with his thighs, and let the wood go with one of his hands to reach up. His forefinger touched the arrow, but he could not reach it. He had to climb more.

As his fingers wrapped around the arrow a smile appeared on his sweaty face. He pulled it out from the wood, but he almost lost his balance, and he had to grab the column. When he leaned to it, he hit his forehead, but he did not care; he got the arrow from the top of the column. 

"Lee Taehoon!"

As he heard his brother's name a weird, cold feeling attacked him, and he became pale. He put his left hand next to his body, quickly, and tried not to fall down. He looked down and saw that the voice came from Jinki, and the other soldiers started to appear too.

"How could he climb up?"

"With one hand? It's a miracle."

"It's impossible!"

"But he's up there!"

Taemin heard words like these from the top of the column. He was in a really big trouble now. He could climb up with two hands, but he had no idea, how should he climb down with only one hand. 

One of his biggest fears happened; a tent opened, and the captain left it, adjusting his clothes. Minho looked around in the camp, and when he saw the soldiers at the column, looking up, he did the same.

He did not want to believe his own eyes. Lee Taehoon should have left the camp, but he was on the top of the column with an arrow in his hand. 

"Come, help me!" Jinki stepped out of his tent with a blanket.

Kibum, Jonghyun and one more soldier went to him and followed Jinki with the blanket. Minho did not take his gaze away from the boy, who was still hugging the wooden column, panting, with one hand.

"Taehoon! Let the column go, it's going to be okay!" Jinki shouted as loud as he could.

Taemin's heart beat was so fast, it almost ripped his skin, and pain filled his chest. He felt the soldiers' gaze on himself, so he could not move his left arm, not even a little bit.

He closed his eyes and tried to avoid the noises; the sound of the wind, the horses' whinnies and the soldiers' voices. His squeeze became lighter around the column, but he did not let the arrow go.

Taemin did not feel anything, when he fell down on the blanket, what the four men held. They put him down on the ground, and stepped to him, but the most important thing to Taemin was the arrow in his hand.

"Are you alright?" The question came from Jinki, and he started to remove the ribbons from Taemin's wrists.

"Are you crazy? Why did you do this?" Jonghyun joined.

"The question is how..." Kibum thought about it, while he was watching Jinki as he tied off the ribbons, what left red stripes on the boy's pale skin.

The murmurs had ended, and everybody bowed his head down. Taemin looked around, and saw the tall man in front of him. Minho did not know what to say. The boy, sitting on the ground, did not do what he had said to him, but he did the task what they had to do since the first day; he was the only one who did that.

Taemin stood up from the blanket, whining, and stepped closer to the captain. Everybody else took a step back, and they watched as Taemin slowly gave the arrow to the man. 

No one could say a word, but they were taking breath so quietly, they were barely heard. Every eye was on the captain and Taemin, and they waited for Choi Minho to say or do something.

Finally he slowly lifted his hand and took the arrow. Taemin sighed, but after Minho looked into his eyes, the captain turned back and walked away. 

Everybody was looking after him, and they talked about the events in silence, but Taemin could not stay still. Minho grabbed the black horse's reins and started to pull the animal with him.

"Captain! Wait! Captain Choi!"

Taemin could barely catch the man, but when it happened he saw, shocked, as the man led the horse back to the others. He watched with deep breaths as he removed the snaffle from the horse's mouth so the animal could eat from the grass, and patted the horse's neck. 

"You shouldn't leave your horse behind just like that, Lee Taehoon."

"What?" Taemin did not know what to expect. 

"Next time don't leave your horse behind. Did you understand?"

"My... horse?" He still did not understand.

"And now, go."

"But Captain..."

"We'll have a long day. Go and have breakfast with the others, otherwise you're going to faint again like yesterday. And this" he looked at the arrow in his hand and stepped closer to Taemin "is yours."

Taemin was still blinking with a shocked face at the man, so Minho took another step, held the boy's wrist and put the arrow on his palm.

"Use it, when the time comes in the war. You don't need to use a bow too. I think you will find a way to use it against the enemy."

"So... so can I stay?"

Minho smiled, and Taemin could only see it, because they were so close to each other. The elder did not say anything just patted the boy's shoulder and left him there so he could prepare for the training.

The captain did not lie, when he said it would be a long day. The training was more difficult and harder than ever, and he punished the ones who were too lazy. It was a surprise for him that Taemin really pulled himself together, and now he was one of the best and the fastest in every task.

Taemin finished the dinner soon, and he could not wait to finally go to his tent and sleep. He was happy all day. He did not even know how he could get the arrow from the top of the column; he really thought it was a miracle. The other soldiers were still in the dining tent, as he heard the voices, so Taemin went to the lake, what was nearby, to wash the dust of the tiring day off.

After he looked around in the night, he started to take the sweaty clothes off. The light was given by only the stars, the shining moon and the torches in the camp, although the last ones were a little bit far from the lake. Taemin did not even hear the soldiers' voices so clear, and it made the boy calm. 

When he got rid of all of his clothes he removed the bandage from his arm too, showing the healthy skin. A good feeling visited him in every night, when he could take the bandage off, because it was too tight around his arm, and he enjoyed every moment when the cool, nice wind caressed his skin. 

He walked into the lake, what was cold first, but as he was farther he started to get used to the temperature, and he went under the water, so every part of him could feel the water.

"Who's there?"

Taemin shuddered at the voice, his heart skipped a beat. He looked around, but he did not see anybody, so he went farther again until his body was covered by the water and only his head was visible. He swam behind a rock, and leaned his back on the mossy stone.

He heard the water's gurgle what came from really close. Taemin held his breath back, and closed his eyes; maybe that person would give up and leave.

"Lee Taehoon?"

Well, it did not work. Taemin let the air out from his lungs, and opened his eyes to see the man under the moonlight; Captain Choi Minho. 

"Oh... I'm sorry." Taemin could only say this first. "I didn't know you're here too."

"Usually I can be alone here in this time. You couldn't know it" he shrugged and turned back; he wanted to leave.

Taemin sighed with relief. He knew he could not leave the lake until his captain was there, because he could have noticed that his left arm was not injured. But in the last moment Minho stopped and turned around. 

"How did you do that?"

"What?" Taemin asked with shaking voice.

"How did you climb the column? Even those who have two healthy arms could not do it."

Taemin had two healthy arms too. His happiness what was around him all day disappeared and the remorse took its place.

"Maybe..." he took his gaze from the man's eyes, and looked down at the water, where he could see the moon and the stars. "I had a goal what I wanted to reach. I thought if I get the arrow I can stay and I don't have to go home. I don't have to disappoint my family."

The boy's words made Choi Minho think again. His way of thinking was more mature than most of the adults', although if he remembered well he was twenty three years old, two years younger than him; at least he knew this version. He had no idea that two years were actually nine years.

"I'm sure your family will be proud of you, anything happens in the battle field, Taehoon."

"Captain." He lied to the man so many times and to the others too, he thought he was going to explode because of those false words, what were in his head. "Couldn't you call me just... just Tae? I mean... when we are with the soldiers you don't have to, but maybe if we're alone..."

"Tae?" Minho repeated the new name.

"Yes?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, because you're equal with the others, but... I'm glad you stayed."

During the talk Taemin did not even notice how close the man was in the lake to him. He was still leaning on the rock, so he could not swim away, and he had to do everything to not show his skin on his left arm. Maybe his thoughts were on his face too, because Minho's gaze wandered lower from his face to his shoulder, and Taemin wanted to hide his arm behind his back, but it was too late.

Minho grabbed his hand and slowly interlaced their fingers. Only a few centimeters separated Minho's hand from the skin above Taemin's wrist, what should have been covered with burn marks.

"You've suffered a lot."

His brother, Lee Taehoon was the one who had suffered a lot because of his injured arm, not Taemin. But he did not even notice he was nodding, and he hissed, when Minho caressed the skin on his hand under the water.

"Is it still hurt?"

Taemin bit his bottom lip, and shook his head. When Minho took his chin between his fingers, earning a look into his eyes from Taemin, the boy clutched to the rock with his right arm. First Minho turned the boy's head to the left then to the right, like he was studying the boy's face. 

"You look so young."

"I'm twenty three, but... a lot of people say that" he lied quickly, because nothing else came into his mind.

His words made a smile on Minho's face and he let Taemin's hand go. The fact that the captain let him go should have calmed him down, but until then at least he knew the man was feeling the skin on his hand and not on his arm.

"When... when will the training end?" Taemin asked suddenly.

"Soon. The team improved a lot since the first day. But I will make sure to teach more things to you. To the whole army."

"You are a great captain, Choi Minho."

He did not get an answer, because Minho did not know what he should say. Maybe a thank you? Or should he say the boy was wrong? But before he could make a choice they heard panting noises and steps were coming closer.

"Captain! Captain!" Daemok could barely breathe, and he stopped at the lake bank.

Minho stepped away in the water from Taemin, who stayed behind the rock. The captain had never seen Councilor Daemok as frighten and excited at the same time as now, so he walked to the bank curiously, where he wrapped a towel around his waist, what he hid behind the bushes.

"What happened?"

"A... a letter!" The old man showed the paper. 

The young captain took the letter and read the written lines properly. He raised an eyebrow, when he finished it and looked at Daemok's wrinkled face.

"What's this? Who brought it? Is he still here?"

"It was a soldier in our army's clothes, you don't have to worry, Captain. He went back to the others. But... what will we do now?"

It seemed that time arrived, when Councilor Daemok needed the young captain's advice.

"Our army needs help. We'll leave tomorrow morning."