The wind blew with a faint whistle as the Park family stared at Shin Hye with a very unsure expression.  She did not have to say no more as their faces told her the truth about this entire charade.  Her mother had insisted that she did not go; Min-young had argued and protested with her as well.  Na-mi had been the only one to keep her comments to herself only shaking her head every so often as she looked at her dear sister.

            Nonetheless she took a deep breath held her chin high and tugged at the end of her thick teal coat trying to stop the chilly breeze from invading what little warmth she had.

            “If you change your mind please do not waste haste in coming back,” her father said.  His face looked grim but his lips played a thin line as he grasped at both his gloved hands and exhaled deeply.

            “Of course, I will.” She replied.  She held him in a surprising tight hug and pressed a light peck on his cheek.  Only a small faint chuckle escaped him as he held her back and sighed.  Her mother then stepped in held Shin Hye tight and said; “Eun Hye was not able to come, her husband and she had matters to attend to.”

            “No matter, please let her know that I hope to see her when I return, and that I love her.”

            Min-young crossed her arms and gave Shin Hye another dark look and finally sighed and approached her trying hard to compose her upset features. “Do not fall for any of his tricks Shin Hye, be smart do not cave into him so quickly,” Min-young whispered in her ear so that no one could hear.  Shin Hye nodded as a reply and actually felt happy to know that Min-young cared deeply about her feelings.  The wind blew and she gasped at the sharp chill pushing her to climb into her carriage.  She said her finally goodbye and pushed her way inside her black carriage to escape the dreaded chill.

            “It is getting colder every day I do not know how much longer the crops will last.” Her mother said.

            “We have managed to breed at least five of our cows, so I think we will be alright for the winter.” Her father replied.

            “Well, I must be on my way. I promise I will be back the day after tomorrow,” Shin Hye cut in.  They waved as the carriage trotted away and she did her best to keep a smile on her face.

 *********************

            Yong Hwa looked outside his window and up to the stars; they twinkled brightly in the dark sky.  There were no clouds to cover the full moon and he knew it would be colder than before.  Wrapping the blanket closer around his body he sat there trying to relax every muscle inside of him.

            /Just be yourself,/ he kept telling himself.  He would not beg, he knew he wanted to, but if that was not going to do it he wouldn’t.  He was going to be himself, and that was all, if Shin Hye didn’t see a change in him then there was nothing else he would do.  He thought long and hard about how he would forcefully move on, and decided to let time erase that not someone else.  If he still felt affection for her even after a year he wouldn’t court anyone, there was no way he could be with another knowing that his heart was with her.

            She was imprinted in his memory and forever in his heart, there was no other way he wanted it either.  Back then he would have laughed at the idea of ever falling for Shin Hye, but he wasn’t that person anymore.  Sitting there in the dark he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.  He wanted to be the first one to meet her when she arrived, not because he wanted to make an impression but because he wanted to.  He was just being himself, meaning if he felt like doing something from the heart he would.

            Shin Hye shifted inside the carriage and tried adjusting her hair as they neared the house.  Trying to take deep breath to steady her heart beat she adjusted her dress and pulled her long hair over her shoulders.  When she felt the carriage stop she felt her heart stop beating as well, and a cold shiver ran down her back.  The door opened and the cold air rushed in, making her hug herself.  The sun was covered in dark gray clouds, on the edge of bringing down some rain.

            Upon seeing the door to the entrance of the house Shin Hye felt her breath come in short, it had been six months since she stepped foot in there.  Lightly knocking on the door she waited, and from the other side heard footsteps.  The heavy door creaked as it opened and Yong Hwa stood there lightly smiling at her.

            His skin had lost its color and pale skin is what remained, his eyes had lost their hardness and stern look.  Replaced with loneliness, sorrow, and something else she could not quite come to actually admit.

            A sensitive aura.

            “It’s quite cold outside, is it not?” he asked opening the door wider so that she could step in.

            Shin Hye stepped in quietly her eyes glued to the marbled floor, behind her the door shut almost sounding like prison cell doors to her.

            “Shin Hye!” Min-Sook exclaimed from the dining room door.  She stood there lightly rubbing her belly which had begun to show through her maid uniform.  She raced to her and embraced her tightly but carefully.

            “Wow, have you lost some weight?” Min-Sook said taking in Shin Hye’s condition.

            “Just a little tired from the trip that’s all,” Shin Hye replied looking away.

            “Min Hyuk and I have been dying to go see you, but God be praised he brought you to us.” She said laughing.

            Yong Hwa stood at the front door watching Shin Hye smile, without another word he walked up the stairs and left Shin Hye to catch up with her friends.  He walked to his study and took a seat trying to calm the excitement inside his stomach.  Pulling out a few papers he looked over them and tried getting some work done.  He would give her the time she needed to talk with her friends and then see to it that he spent every moment possible by her side.

            “Shin Hye!” Na-yun and So-ri exclaimed.

            Walking into the kitchen they hugged her squeezing her tight clearly missing her company.

            “So what on earth has been going on?” Shin Hye asked.

            “Nothing’s changed, except for Min Hyuk and Min-Sook getting married,” said Na-yun

            “Yeah, and every time they have some spare time on their hands all they do is smooch,” So-ri protested.

            “I can’t help it if I’m in love,” Min-Sook interjected, placing her hands to support her back.

            “Well it’s good to see that life moved on through someone else.” Shin Hye said smiling.         

            Shin Hye lasted nearly an hour in the kitchen chatting away with them and then finally decided it was time to face the music with Yong Hwa.  She knew he would be in his study waiting for her, and headed out the kitchen and up the stairs.  L