Safely inside her room she pulled out all of her things and began to pack them, at the very end of the closet lay her dress she was to wear for the ball.  Pulling it out Shin Hye looked over it and thought about attending tomorrow night.

            The door creaked open slowly after hearing three light knocks, Shin Hye and Min-Sook had made it their secret knock to know that it was her.  If it was two Shin Hye would know that Yong Hwa was near and gave her time to hide.

            “How are you doing?” Min-Sook asked as she walked in quietly whispering.

            “Good, I wanted to ask you something.” Shin Hye said holding her dress.

            “Very well.” She sighed as she lay down on her bed.

            “Will you do me the favor of attending the ball with me tomorrow?” she asked smiling.

            Quickly sitting up Min-Sook looked at Shin Hye surprised.  “You want me to go with you?”

            “Why not, I’m invited and I can choose to bring two people with me if I want.”  She replied as she laid out her dress.

            “Who else would want to go?” Min-Sook asked confused.

            “Min Hyuk.” Shin Hye blurted out smoothing out the bottom of her dress.

            “Min Hyuk?  Why would you ask him?”  She said blushing as she said his name.

            “Come on Min-Sook I saw the way you blushed when you looked at him, you like him don’t you?”  Shin Hye asked taking a seat next to her.

            “I’ve never ever spoken to him.” Min-Sook muttered while playing with her hair.

            “So take this to do it.” Shin Hye encouraged.

            “What if he’s not interested?”

            “Well the world is full of so many great looking men; he is not the only one.” Shin Hye said lightly nudging her.

            Min-Sook sat there weighing her options and agreed to attend the ball with Shin Hye and Min Hyuk but feeling so unsure of it all.

            “Did you ask him already?” Min-Sook wondered.

            “No, that will be your job, tell him I am taking you both.” she said.

            “I get nervous around him; I won’t be able to even say “will you.”  Min-Sook mumbled.

            “Try to suppress all those butterflies floating around your stomach and gain the courage to ask him.”

            “It’s not lady like for us to ask the men.”

            “Well times have to change and if he sees it odd and strange then so be it, but I encourage you to pursue him.” she laughed.

********

            Arriving home Yong Hwa spotted the carriage and rushed inside as soon as his came to a halt and immediately made his way to her room and opened it without knocking.

            “Shin Hye?” He called.

            Her room was dark and nothing seemed to be out of place, he searched in her bathroom and then ran outside to the back yard.  Mr. Kang the gardener was exiting the Labyrinth and he hurried over to him.

            “Is she here?” Yong Hwa asked eagerly.

            “Who sir?”

            “My wife.”  He said hoping to not be disappointed.

            “She’s come back?” He asked.

            “I’m wondering that myself.” he sighed, sagging his shoulders.

            “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I’ve seen her.” he lied, walking back to his duty.

            Making his way to the stables he spotted there carriage rider and approached him quickly.

            “Where is my wife?” he asked him.

            The boy looked shy as he looked down to the covered hay floor and fiddled with his coat.

            “She didn’t come; she stayed with her parent’s and only sent me back home, sir.”

            “Did she give you any message for me?” he asked.

            “No, nothing, all she said was for me to go home.”

            Frustrated Yong Hwa ran a hand through his hair and made his way back inside, Shin Hye wasn’t coming back and it had been his fault for letting her slip out of his fingers.  He sat in his study looking down at the papers, perhaps it was best to let her go.  Yong Hwa felt his eyes begin to tear as he pulled a pen from his drawer.  His hand shook as he formed the first letter of his name on the black line.  Lifting the pen away from the paper he flung it across the room and cried in deep sorrow, he didn’t want to let her go, but what could he do when he deserved to lose