Sungmin raised the oil lamp high in his hand, the orange flickering light raying out from the oil lamp, lighting the path he was about to walk on. He jumped when he heard a mouse squeak, running across the rocky road. He was brave, he told himself, but there was something weird about the abandoned pathway that made a cold shiver run up his back.

Perhaps, it was the feeling of disloyalty he felt, slipping away after scolding Ryeowook and now heading to the place where he once asked for a big favor. He hadn’t thought about what he was about to do; he just did it, as if someone was controlling him. If he could get over with the thing he sought fast enough, he was sure that he could go back before anyone in the Manor would notice and realize that he was gone.

Sungmin was now standing in front of an abandoned hut behind a hill. He raised his voice, shouting while knocking harshly on the door, “Kwon Yuri!” there was no answer. “Kwon Yuri!”

He heard a light chuckle, and a woman opened the door for him, “Lee Sungmin.” She smiled not-so-kindly; a light of curiosity lit her dark brown eyes. “Come inside.”

She had vanished. Sungmin followed her inside, still holding his oil lamp high, and found the female sitting down on an old sofa, brewing a pot of tea. She was dressed in black from the top to the bottom, except her red ruby necklace which hung tight on her neck. He supposed she was pretty, though he wasn’t the best judge of a feminine appeal.

“What’s with the black fashion?” Sungmin asked as he set his oil lamp on a nearby table before taking his cloak off and placing it on the coat hanger next to the door.

She ignored him. “Why are you here, Lee Sungmin? Hungry for a good conversation? Or are you simply here just to curse at me and blame everything on me for what happened that day?” Yuri muttered, pouring tea to two small cups in front of her, not looking at Sungmin.

Sungmin could have easily come up with a smart comeback for that question, but he held it in. He bit his bottom lip as he sat on the sofa, “You told me to come back here if I really needed your help again.”

“It's about time for you to decide that you really needed help.” She remarked. “As I recall, we- no, you- failed before…” She handed a cup of hot tea to Sungmin. He took the cup from her, watching as the steam rises from the