[Pyunghwa Village]

- Nuneo! Nuneo! Why didn't he come back yet? It's late now. Nuneo!

- Ajuma!

The middle-aged woman heard a crystal voice and then the sound of running foot. And finally a boy rushed in the arms of her.

- Oh my lord. Why are you so dirty like this? Where did you go?

Nuneo grinned. His face was red and sweated. He put the bag of books on the floor and then whispered:

- I came to Hok Man mountain to watch mother training her soldiers.

- Oh my lord. You dared? Your heart is bigger day by day, my dear.

- What's that? - The boy looked up - I will be the best one like mom. You'll see. Look at me.

Nuneo stood up. His arms and foot moved some kind of awkward actions. The woman laughed and touched his head:

- Alright, dear. Come in to wash your face. Your mom is coming home now.

The boy put out his tongue and ran into the house while the woman shook her head and whispered to herself:

- I don't know who he is like.

- What did Nuneo do, Mun Hee onnie?

Mun Hee startled and turned back:

- Oh my lord, agassi. You almost made me lose my soul. He didn't do anything. It's just that his face is so handsome so I said that - the woman smiled and then changed the subject - Come inside, agassi. I prepare warm water for you.

- No need, onnie. I told you so many times that you're not our servant anymore.

- You're our agassi forever, no matter what, agassi - The woman tenderly said.

So Eun smiled and changed the subject:

- It's a bad habit if you always cover for Nuneo like that, onnie.

- Don't be too strict, agassi. Nuneo is a good boy. Alright, you're tired now. Come in and take a bath. Today you took your students to Hok Man mountain again, right?

- Nuneo came there?

The woman raised her hand to cover and then ran into the kitchen. So Eun lightly shook her head and smiled. Since she came to this village, she and her son always were taken care by Mun Hee. In the past, Mun Hee was a servant of her samchon. He married off her to a good man. After her samchon' funeral, Mun Hee left with her family to their hometown, a village in border area. So Eun promised that if one day she had a chance, she definitely visited them.

That's why, after leaving the King City, she decided to see Mun Hee and her family. It's unexpected that she found out she was pregnant when she arrived the village. She had no way but to stay here to give birth. When Nuneo was one year old, Mun Hee knew that So Eun had kungfu then she introduced her to General Park.

General Park Jae Hoon was responsible to protect the border area. He inherently was the one who liked meritocracy, so when he realised that So Eun was so smart and her kungfu was so well, then he accepted her and let her work at the barrack with one condition. She had to disguise as a man. This secret, except Mun Hee, her husband and General Park, no one knew.

6 years passed by since then. So Eun now was the master of the barrack, where she daily trained the soldiers for General Park. Thanks to this job, she usually got information from King City, especially the Landlord. Each time receiving his letter, that he wrote himself, in which he encouraged his soldiers, So Eun stayed at the barrack longer than usual. She watched his writings for hours and missed him a lot. And when she came home that night, she always stayed all night to watch Nuneo sleeping.

- Mom, what are you thinking?

So Eun was back to present. She looked up and saw Nuneo now standing at the door, she smiled:

- Nothing, dear. So what's about your day? Did not skip your school, right?

- Mom, you think who I am? I'm your son and I never skip school - Nuneo was a bit mad.

So Eun laughed.

- Mom. When will you teach me kungfu?

- When you grow up a little bit more.

- You always say so. I'm grown up already now. I can do a lot of thing to help you, right?

She laughed again at his funny reasoning. She his cheek and then said:

- I know that you're grown up. That's why I said that when you grew up a bit more.

- If father is here, he definitely says that I'm grown up enough - Nuneo determinedly said and then ran inside.

So Eun froze. Nuneo never asked her about his father before and she never told him about Landlord neither. Why did he say that?

- Agassi, it's my fault - Mun Hee timidly said. She lowered her head and her hands twisted the apron - he asked me many times about his father. He's so pity that I couldn't help. He said that he was afraid to make you sad, then he never dared to ask you.

So Eun suddenly shed tears. Nuneo was so mature and he was more thoughtful than she could imagine. She asked:

- So what did you tell him?

- I just told him that his father was a hero. He had to fight again the enemies to protect this realm so he couldn't live with you and Nuneo. Agassi, please don't be mad.

So Eun sighed and took the woman' hands, tenderly said:

- It's alright, Mun Hee onnie. May be now it's the right time to talk with Nuneo about his father.

- Agassi, are you alright?

So Eun nodded and smiled:

- Come on, get inside to have dinner. Your husband and the children must be hungry now.

o0o

[Hok Man Barrack]

- Master!

- What's up? - So Eun looked up. After the training time, soldiers always called her "Master" instead of "General". She was a little surprised because her students were dismissed hours ago. 

- There's someone come to see you, Master.

- Who? - She frowned. She had never met any guest since she came here.

- I don't know. General Park told me to take him to the barrack. He's now waiting outside - he paused and then lowered his voice - Master, I thought that he's from the King City.

- How do you know? General Park told you that?

- No, Master. It's just my guess. We've never seen him before. But he looked ...well... I mean he's so calm and cavalier and .... I don't know. But I felt that he's from the King City.

So Eun pensively thought a moment. She was a little worried. If this man came from King City, perhaps her secret already had been exposed.

- When you saw General Park, how did he look like?

- What do you mean, Master?

- Well, he looked worried or nervous or something like that?

The soldier thought a moment and then replied:

- Oh, it's right that General Park was not as usual, nervous, yes. Why did you ask, Master?

So Eun said nothing. It might be so serious that made General Park nervous like that. She didn't know how to face with this trouble now but she decided to depend on the situation.

- Alright. Let him in.

- Yes, Master!

So Eun looked down at the papers on the table and tried to calm down herself.

- General Kim!

So Eun startled and looked up because of the familiar voice.

In front of her, it's no one other than the man who was always in her mind and her heart for the past 6 years.