“Min Yoongi!”, bellowed the dignified-looking nobleman who wore a long beard and a tall elaborate hat. The dozen swordsmen following him moved to surround the younger nobleman and the woman crouched on the ground.  

The young man couldn’t look any more apathetic, aura unflinching. “Hate it when he calls me that…”, Seol could hear him muttering under his breath.  

The older man sauntered up to him demanding as calm as the seas before a storm, “Are you going to cause a scene or should we go back quietly?”  

There was a moment as intensity pounced between father and son.  

“I’ve already found her”, Prime Minister Min declared.  

—  

Myeongjo sits in a dark chamber surrounded by scrolls of books. The only light filtering in was through the paper windows that were unusually thick. The room wasn’t too shabby but she knew this was nonetheless a form of captivity.  

Despite the humongous amounts of books she had in front of her, she constantly worried whether Seol was safe, whether Seol would be wondering why she hasn’t returned, whether Seol will stubbornly try to look for her.  

But her thoughts were snapped when the next page she flips to catches her attention. It recorded a case of a woman who had been cursed by a skilled shaman and was marked with a mysterious tattoo. Myeongjo flips to the next page wanting more information, but it was blank, causing her to frantically flip through the remaining pages, but they were all empty.  

—

Seol tailed the entourage of Minister Min back to their mansion. She loitered around the entrance, hiding amongst the street vendors.  

After what must have been an hour or so, she saw a man walked up to the mansion carrying a wooden box and a small silk bag. The wooden box clearly looked like what Myeongjo used to carry when she would go out to treat the villager’s illnesses, Seol deduces that the man must be a physician. A group of house maids walked up the steps leading to the door of the mansion close behind the doctor and Seol quickly followed behind them, granting her own entrance into the Min family’s yard.  

A servant approaches the doctor and offers to take his belongings. Seol watches closely from behind a pillar and notices the doctor putting down the wooden box. Their attention was focused on the silk baggage that the doctor still held in his hand. As the two of man hastened away with the silk bag towards a side room, Seol snuck over, picks up the doctor’s wooden box aiding her physician disguise. She started sneaking her way deeper into the mansion.  

If they took Myeongjo they would definitely keep her hidden somewhere. Seol spots a random house maid sweeping the yard. She braces herself, putting on an air of confidence, she walks up to the young girl.  

“Excuse me, I think I am lost. They asked me to come over because they said a woman was sick.”  

“A woman?”  

“Yes, they told me she is only recently came to the mansion. She wears a hair pin that has a gold flower…”

“Ah yes, there was a woman who have been staying here for the past few days but her room is on the other side of the yard, just follow that corridor all the way down and you should see it. It should be easy to spot since they stationed two men outside her room all the time.”  

“Thanks”, Seol smiled sweetly at her. On one hand she wanted to finally locate Myeongjo but on the other she really hoped that the woman they spoke about was not Myeongjo. What was Myeongjo doing here and how will she get Myeongjo out? 

As she walks through the long corridor towards the east side of the mansion, a man who was patrolling spots her and shouts after her “Hey! What are you doing here? Where are you going to?”  

Seol pretends not to hear him, ignoring the loudness of his voice and the minor pause in her steps. She hastens her pace and her ears could pick up that the man had started to run towards her. She brisk-walks the remaining length of the corridor and as she turned the corner her head thumps against a man’s chest, causing him to fall backwards and Seol loses her balance and trips, falling on top of him.  

She apologises hastily and moves to get up but her body froze from the face she saw. It was that same pale face; the son of Prime Minister Min. He scowled in pain as she was still lying on top of him. She quickly scrambles off him and he managed to stand up.  

He was still straightening his clothes when the guard who had chased Seol down came running around the corner. He sees Yoongi and bows to him, apologising for alarming the young master of the house.  

“Get up now! What are you doing in this part of the compounds?”, the guard exclaimed at Seol, bending down to hoist her to her feet.  

“I lost my way… I am looking for the… the…”, Seol was pretending to be lost while she raced to make up a story.  

“She must be the physician I just called in”, Yoongi suddenly said.  

The guard looked back at Seol and she stammers, “Uhh… Yes I am… the doctor… he called.”  

“Sorry to alarm you, young master”, the guard apologises again.  

Yoongi stares at him with a stern expression, “Then why don’t you let go of her now…”  

The guard belatedly realises he was still holding onto Seol and lets go of her, bowing once more before leaving.  

Yoongi starts to walk towards his room but Seol stood shell-shocked and glued to her spot. He turned around before asking, “What are you waiting for? Follow me.” There was something subtly different in his voice.  

Seol jolts back to her senses and follows Yoongi, but her heart was pounding against her chest in fear, scenes from earlier flashing back to her mind. Why did he not expose her? Or does he actually think she is the doctor? Could it be that he doesn’t remember her from just now?  

Yoongi enters his room and sits down at his table, turning his attention menacingly towards Seol. Seol shuffles in as inconspicuously as she can, trying her best to keep up the disguise. Good thing she has some pretty solid medical knowledge acquired from following Myeongjo around when she treated the villagers. 

Yoongi stared at Seol, waiting for her to approach him but Seol stood awkwardly near the door of his room.  

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, “I haven’t seen you before, but you seem to be afraid of me.”  

Seol was confused, so he really doesn’t remember her from just now… she barely managed to utter a word, “Huh?”  

He laughs a little and Seol’s expression turns even more fearful. He waves at her with his huge sleeves, “It’s nothing, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that it never fails to amuse me. But where is Doctor Kim? How come they sent you today instead? Doctor Kim is the one who usually takes care of me. Are you new?”  

“Ummm… yes… it’s my first time…”  

“It’s your first time here?”, he cuts in in disbelief. “So… did Doctor Kim tell you about my condition before you came?”  

Seol blinked a few times, trying to wreck her brains for a generic answer that could save her.  

“Not exactly… I was only told that you weren’t feeling that well… umm and that I should come and figure it out…”

“Oh right… so you can figure it out? Right here right now?”, he asked curiously.  

“I will try… my best…”, Seol attempted her best to sound like the real deal without stammering too much.  

“Go ahead… do what you need to…”, Yoongi said with an expression that showed great interest in this conversation.  

Seol carefully walked up to where Yoongi sat and took hold of his wrist, trying to get a reading on his pulse signatures.  

Yoongi put his free arm’s elbow onto the table and rested his face in his propped up hands. “So? What’s wrong with me?” He was looking at Seol’s face that was illuminated by the light.  

“You seem fine… but umm… do you tend to forget things often?”, Seol asked the question as if it was part of the diagnostic procedure.  

“Wow… you are good… how did you know that?”, he sat up straight and answered with a face looking like he was impressed with her.  

“Does your mood change a lot during the day?”, she continued asking.  

“Not really… I’m usually ok… but I’m not so sure about him…”

Who’s him?  

Seol wanted to back out of this as fast as she can and so she took out a bottle of pills from the wooden box, generally used for improving one’s mood. “Take this, once a day, and get lots of rest… for now. If it doesn’t work then we will try something else.”  

Yoongi nodded silently and took over the tiny porcelain bottle. He watches Seol as she tries to make her retreat.  

Seol reaches out her hand to push open the door when suddenly she was forcefully turned around. Yoongi’s face was inches away from hers and he looked at her with a smile. This time around, seeing his face at such a close distance has made Seol realised, there was an indescribable difference in him. His skin was still pale, features still dainty but his eyes… they reflected light. Her heart probably skipped many beats.  

“Hey doctor, game’s over… now tell me, what are you really here for?”