Himchan, shocked by his sister's confession, was speechless. He could not find the words nor the heart to deny of the truth before his own sister. Tears filled his eyes as he knelt and begged for forgiveness. His sister however, stood motionless as if her steely eyes were blocking out all of Himchan's emotions.

"Himchan, I loved you as my little brother but I never thought you would do this sort of thing to me... such... filth..." She gritted through her teeth. "I knew long ago but I could not tell anyone for it would be a disgrace to the family or even danger for who knows what the prince would do for your sake in order to keep the secret between the two of you!"

"Sister, I'm sorry..." sobbed Himchan as he grabbed the hem of his sister's long dress, begging.

"I could've let you be killed. My problems would be solved. But I could not do it." Himchan's sister said with tears in her eyes. "You're my little brother."

The two siblings embraced one another but exchanged no further words as they sorted out the dead man's body in the deserted hallway.

Since then, Himchan had been cautious around every person especially his sister, knowing that she was aware of the secret. Himchan was living under immense pressure because of the guilt and shame whenever he thought of his sister who knew but kept mum in order to protect him. He forbidden himself from telling a single word to Yongguk. Himchan really wanted to withdraw himself from Yongguk's life for he could not bear the guilt inside him. He thought he could live with just his secret life with Yongguk but he was wrong. The guilt was gnawing at him and he always felt that people were looking at him through the corners of their eyes as if they knew. The worse feeling was, he could not face his sister any longer.

So, Himchan sought opportunities to carry out assignments that were out of the country. He only wanted to get away.

The day comes when Himchan climbed up to his horse and bade his family farewell. He was going on an assignment for a long time and he would only return after months. His sister looked at him with meaning because she knew his true intentions-- he wanted to escape for how long this assignment would take him. Himchan returned a gentle smile to his sister, apologetic and sheepish at the same time. Amidst the concerns from his family, Yongguk's serious eyes made Himchan uncomfortable. He avoided him. 

He waved his last goodbye and rode off with his horse. He felt sorry for his sister, and Yongguk. He was never good at anything since young. He was a child who was not strong enough from the words of his father. He had effeminate features and a gentle heart. That placed him as the centre of ridicule from his peers when he was a little boy. He acknowledged the fact that he was not tough. Even until that day he left his country for the first time, he was still a child who desired to live in the books of fairytales. He could never grow up.

Just as the thoughts of guilt and inferiority plagued his mind, along with the fatigue from the long journey, Himchan begain to falter. There was a chilly wind in the surroundings and Himchan knew something was amissed. He heard the hooves of horses coming towards him and the shadowed faces of the approaching men showed only hostility. Himchan judged their appearances quickly and realised he was cornered by a gang of bandits. Leave your money and we will spare your life, the men said in their raspy voices. Himchan did not have the money the bandits were looking for and he did not want to back down from the group of criminals. He insisted on unrelenting, his stead resisting alongside its owner. However, he could not last longer than the brutal bandits. The last he heard was the loud crack of his skull from the blow behind his head and the wild braying of his horse.

Yongguk sat at the balcony staring out to the vast land where the rest of the country settled far away from the palace. He touched his beard thoughtfully but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud boy dashing into the balcony, calling him father. He turned around and smiled at his child, picking the boy up easily. The young prince was already five years old and very lively. It was one day that his son would inherit his throne as King, just as he did. 

Five years had passed quickly. Yongguk was already King with a son and two daughters. But five years was a long time. There was still no news of Himchan. 

Himchan went missing on the outfield assignment five years ago. The country sent out searches for the King's brother-in-law but found no trace of the man. Yongguk felt discouraged but never ceased searching, even though his men always gave him news that it was likely that the man was dead. 

Yongguk was deeply concerned for Himchan's whereabouts, even when the Queen, his wife and Himchan's sister would say perhaps they should stop trying so hard. 

But little did they know that in one corner of the country, Himchan was still alive, rescued by farmers after the robbery. He spent a few days recuperating his health in the poor farmers' home and found himself unable to remember who he was and where he came from. When he finally recovered his lost memories, he was already adapted to life on the fields, leading a simple life with the pure-hearted villagers. He never felt happier anywhere else.

That was when he met the crossroads at life, to return or not to return. He could feign memory loss and continue leading a carefree life he would dream of, or he could go back to where he came from where he could see Yongguk once again. 

Himchan sat on his thin bed where the posts creak. He touched the coarse fabric of his covers which reminded him of how luxurious his life was in the palace. Despite the riches and luxury, he was never truly happy there. The only thing that made him happy was Yongguk.

But Yongguk was a stolen happiness. Yongguk did not belong to him. Maybe the unfortunate incident was a blessing in disguise, a sign. Perhaps it was a chance for him to start over anew. Perhaps it was a chance for him to leave behind his sorrow and terminate his sins. Maybe, it was good for him to be absent. He probably was the only stain in Yongguk's life. Himchan made the decision to remain unfound with the determination of preserving Yongguk and his family's happiness. They would soon forget about him or they have already done so for Himchan had never heard of anyone searching of a man like him. That doused his heart a stale cold with the belief that he was forgotten and so, Himchan carried on with his new life left behind with a sad smile.

From then, Himchan was a poor farmer in a rural village, starting anew while pretending to have lost memory of his previous life. In the small village where news spread fast but none came into or from the outside world, Himchan was glad to be ignorant and oblivious. He thought he might have left Yongguk behind already but fate came around the corner and caught him unaware one day.