It was one day when the soldiers arrived, asking of a man named Himchan who had jet black hair and a pale complexion, the man who was the Queen's brother. The soldiers had their efforts in vain until they came upon yet another ramshackle hut along the fields. At first the old couple were doubtful until one of the soldiers mentioned that Himchan was a lost man the King was seeking. They exchanged looks and guided the men into their humble home.

Himchan was already hidden outside the small house, at a spot where he eavesdropped on the conversations between his saviours and those that might be not. He heard the old man and his wife making their way out to fetch water for the soldier's tea and then the hoarse voices of the remaining soldiers. 

"Sir, do you think, they perhaps have the man?" One of the men spoke, probably to the leader of the group.

"Whatever it is, we will have to leave before they bring us the man. Just in case." replied another man, who pressed his voice to a low.

Their words puzzled Himchan. Were they not going to bring him back to the palace?

"So many searches and the real man never turned up. I doubt we will find him. The man the king is looking for is probably dead."

"But what baffles me is that King seems more intent on looking for the Queen's brother than she himself!"

Upon hearing, Himchan's heart lurched a little. Pathetic, he chided himself.

"Be careful with your words if you wish to keep your tongue!" A man's voice hushed the rest into a solemn silence. "Just follow the Queen's orders. We will leave before sun down. If it comes to a situation where we find the real one... We will just have to do what the Queen says..."

There was a tone in the man's voice that sent chills across Himchan's skin. The soldier's conversation was halted when the old couple returned with water for tea. He carried on eavesdropping, keeping himself hidden. It was not a difficult task for the soldiers showed no efforts in searching for him and true to their words, they left early before the sun was down. When the coast was clear, Himchan stepped into the hut where the old man told him of the news. They appeared to be elated for Himchan. They thought the young man would be glad of the chance to return to his real home. However, Himchan did not display a single sense of happiness. He smiled gratefully at the old couple who were slightly puzzled and told them, "They will not come back for me."

Himchan already realised that their mission was not to return the long lost Himchan to the palace, but to ensure that he never did.

He sat on his bed thinking that night where he escaped death easily due to the soldier's laziness. The Queen had sent orders for him to not be returned. Her motives were clear. The soldiers were only sent to put up a front before the nation and the family so she could still maintain her facade of an image. That way, she could also make sure no one else would find Himchan since nobody would dispatch more searchers on top of the Queen's. Finally, Himchan realised, he was a prick in her flesh, a stain she abhorred but could not remove steadfast before the eyes of others. Judging from the soldier's tone, they were planning to kill Himchan if he appeared. To have him murdered, Himchan thought with a cold laugh, he did not think that his sister would go that far. His heart chilled at the thought but blazed with anger at the same time. 

He admitted to his appalling sin and sought forgiveness. He even placed a distance between Yongguk and himself because he knew she was aware, and painfully hurting. He never gave himself any excuses. He knew he was committing a crime, and worse, for it to be a forbidden relationship between two men. Despite this, Himchan thought his sister would still see him as her little brother. But she gave him no leeway and took hold of the chance to murder him, to remove him once and for all. What happened to the sister he knew? Did she steeled her heart because of the pain and humiliation she suffered as a wife? Or was she just learning the tricks of those in the palace, where schemes are the way to power? Either way, Himchan was shaken and anger filled his heart. He had wished for them to live peacefully despite the grief of his missing. He thought they would be happier. But she did not spare him even his life. 

He had decided on leading a separate life, but his sister's cruelty changed his mind. Himchan was determined. He would not allow his sister to dwindle, or to triumph. She was not the sister he knew of anymore. She did not deserve Yongguk. He would not give his sister the power to force him into living a life of escape and retreat, even if, he admitted, he was already doing it. It was a different kind of life. It was no longer peaceful. Learning of his sister's motives had switched the serenity he felt into anxiety. He did not want to lead a life like a criminal waiting for the drop of the guillotine on that unlucky day. He dared to return gloriously because he survived and because he wanted to show his sister that her ways were unacceptable and he, would return the favour.

She had forced him to retaliate. Himchan had retreated into anonymity and disappearance because he thought her sister deserved to lead a blissful life with Yongguk but it seemed that, she had changed. Himchan figured that if he kept on hiding, one day eventually he would be found and consequences would be drastic. The idea of returning and taking revenge ignited a fire inside him. And the thought of Yongguk calmed the flames but gave it more strength. But he knew, some part of him was hurt deeply by his sister's coldness. That part of him wanted to go back to his sister and ask her why she had decided to do something so cold-blooded. But that part of him was too vulnerable and would shed tears before his sister. And his vengeful side did not want that to happen. It was time he rejected his vulnerability and assumed with a firm stance.

And so, he had to return, but without giving anyone a single clue of his going.