Warning: there is a slight reference to gore in this chapter. Although it is brief, I wanted to give a trigger warning to those who might be affected. This paragraph can be skipped without causing too much confusion. I will include a warning before the paragraph it is in. As always, thanks for the feedback, comments are welcome and they encourage me to continue the story!

Ga Eul groaned inwardly at the pile of assignments heaped on her desk, She hadn't been able to get anything done the last few days. After that mouse incident, her roommate's normally sour attitude had escalated in its acidity and the traffic of people she'd brought in to fix the "rodent problem" had nearly driven Ga Eul crazy. In the best of times, Ga Eul greatly disliked unnecessary social interactions, avoiding them at all costs and valuing her solitude. Unfortunately, this value was not shared as her roommate was continuously bringing strangers in to "study." What studying they got done, Ga Eul couldn't say, but she made sure to be scarce when these incidents occurred, leaving her little time to study if the library was full, which it very often was.

She peered at Ri Ma out of the side of her eye. The girl sat moodily at her own desk, surrounded by a clutter of snacks, garbage, and strewn papers. Earbuds in and pink plushie neck pillow firmly in place, Ga Eul knew she wouldn't hear from her roommate for at least a couple hours which was a relief. Wishing again that she could have roomed with her friend Na Ri, Ga Eul resolved herself to the enormous amount of work at hand, hoping to get a few assignments out of the way before her noon Art History class.

A couple hours later, Ga Eul found herself stifling a yawn as she glanced at the big white clock on the opposite wall again. Only a few more minutes till class would dismiss. History had never been her favorite subject but this particular Professor could make an hour class feel like an eternity. Dressed in a stiffly ironed white blouse and pencil skirt, Professor Shin droned on, monotonous voice mirroring her apathetic expression. The stern Professor's eyes never left the projected screen she was lecturing on, turning only to stare sharply at her students when a noise inevitably broke through the quiet or she detected disinterest. Noting the clock once more, Ga Eul began gathering up her things quietly so she could leave the minute class was dismissed. A pencil dropped, and Professor Shin stopped, eyes scanning the room before returning to her lecture with a sniff. She seemed to have a sixth sense when students were not paying attention Ga Eul mused.

Letting her thoughts wander, she could not help but compare her favorite instructor with the stern Shin before her. Where Professor Shin was all business professional with slicked-back bun and sensible makeup, her art instructor—Professor Shu—could best be described as a hippie, free spirit whose black hair was cut short, thick cropped bangs landing an inch and a half above her brows and thickly rimmed glasses being the only thing she wore to accentuate her small face. Ga Eul thought humorously of the warm Professor who preferred vivid colors and was always drinking some herbal tea concoction, which she claimed: "nourished the soul." Eager anticipation set in for the next class where they'd finally begin painting from life. Although many students at the renowned Shin University were already budding artists in the community, Professor Shu had insisted they start up from the basics making today the first time Ga Eul would paint a full portrait since the beginning of the semester. She wondered with some discomfort if there'd really be nude models in the studio like some students had predicted. The scuttling of chairs alerting that class was over drew her from these thoughts and Ga Eul swiftly joined the crush of students anxious to leave.

Scents of paint, canvas, and whatever herbal mixture her Professor was drinking today greeted her senses upon entering the studio. Matcha and lemongrass seemed to be the culprit today, Ga Eul thought with a smile while spying the little, worn brass tea set firmly fixed in its spot on the Professor's desk. Walking to her workstation, which was now one of many arranged in a circle around a setup of plants and Grecian marble pillars, Ga Eul glanced towards the back where her instructor was busy arranging sculptures from the previous class, busy as always Ga Eul smiled to herself turning to lay out her oil paints. Today would be interesting.


TW: slightly graphic scene at the end of the paragraph below

The rumble of heavy machinery shook the air as digging claws pulled up hard earth and workers removed dirt with their shovels. Hazy smoke hung over the dusty construction site that was filled with equally dusty workers. Over the din of noise, a dull clank rang out. Grunting, a worker twisted the key in the ignition, turning off his machine. The edge of a large stone boulder could just be seen peeking out of the dirt; it'd have to be cleared before he could continue. Stepping from his machine, the worker wiped sweat with a grubby hand and walked towards the spot while reaching for the rough gloves in his pocket. It took a few tries and another worker's assistance, but they eventually succeeded in hoisting the rock between them and shifting the boulder.

Among the mucky dirt that had been beneath the stone, something white and smooth caught one of the men's attention. Reaching forward, he brushed the dirt aside as best he could, startling back at the grisly sight that met his eyes. Before him lay a jumble of dirty white bones with shreds of fabric barely distinguishable but still clinging to the decayed mass.

"What in blazes…?" He heard his own voice shake out.

His friend who had looked to see what the commotion was about paled and hesitated before answering, "maybe it's just an animal..."

The first man braved another look, noting the fabric. This was no animal.


Sitting in one of the many wooden chairs that filled the room, Yi Jeong laced his fingers together and leaned his head back against the wall. If things continued at this pace, he'd be here for hours.

"Annnnd Sold, to number 233!" The auctioneer at the front banged his mallet once against the wooden pedestal and ushered the painting displayed to be removed for the next in line.

"And here we have a beautiful relic of the 17th century, crafted by the celebrated Italian artis—"

The man continued his praise of what Yi Jeong had already determined to be an inferior work, likely crafted by an apprentice copying the more excellent work of his master. The auctioneer carefully avoided this little detail as he proceeded with his introduction and opened the bidding.

This charity auction was honored with the presence of many of societies' elite and, while some might feel flattered to be a part of such a grand and exclusive event, Yi Jeong was bored out of his mind. There were very few pieces of real value in the auction, leaving little for Yi Jeong to occupy his thoughts with. The people were tedious, the room stuffy.

The auctioneer had moved on now, and Yi Jeong squinted to see what atrocity he'd be pushing next. To his surprise, it was a relatively rare piece. One he might have bid on if the So Museum didn't already have several works by the artist. Excitement stirred in the crowd, and Yi Jeong anticipated the entertaining show that was about to start. Bids from all corners of the room ignited the space with new interest. The bid climbed higher and higher until there were only three left, still contending for the prize. Yi Jeong recognized the leading bidder as Cho Su Hyn, a friend of his grandfathers and leader of the famous Cho conglomerate, which had its dealings primarily in land development and building expansions.

The auctioneer continued,

"1.2 million from the gentlemen on the right,"

"Do I hear 1.3? Ahh yes, from the lady in front."

"Can I hear 1.4? Thank you,"

"2 million," President Cho Su Hyn interjected enthusiastically.

"We have 2 million from the honorable President Cho. Will anyone make it 2.1—"

Right as it was heating up, a commotion caught Yi Jeong's attention and he watched as a man briskly worked his way down the aisle and stopped beside President Cho's chair. A whispered conversation was held before the older man rose quickly and left the room despite knowing his departure would be considered a withdrawal from the bidding. Strange, President Cho wasn't known to back down in an auction and knowing the family's wealth, money could not have been an object.


Ga eul took in the partially clothed model striking an elaborate pose, Grecian tunic draped over one shoulder and grape-leaves crowing his head. The rumors had been correct. It felt odd studying another person so closely, and she found herself working feverishly to complete the piece in front of her while simultaneously trying to banish the slight feeling of discomfort. Oblivious to her student's dilemma, Professor Shu's opened-toed shoes squeaked a jaunty rhythm as she milled around the room, admiring here and advising there in turn. Ga Eul was emphasizing the use of shadow and light to gradually build up the rich texture in the tunic fabric when she felt Shu's gaze behind her.

Nodding in approval, Professor Shu addressed her, "You really have a beautiful technique, Ga Eul, the way you've captured the motion in this fabric is amazing!" She looked fondly at the blushing student, "but I want more than a beautiful portrait," she gestured outwardly with her hands, "I want you to step out of your comfort zone with this piece."

Turning to the rest of the class, she continued, "You are all making wonderful progress, but I want to remind you that your midterms are coming up, and they're worth 35% of your grade." At the collective groan from the class, she continued, "I want you all to push yourselves beyond just the creating of art. I want you to 'feel' what you are creating and allow others to 'feel' those same emotions that went into your pieces. I believe in all of you." She finished with a smile and tilt of her head towards the model who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute, "now hurry up and finish before he topples over, we can't have word getting out that we abuse our volunteers." A murmured of laughter filled the room, lifting everyone's spirits as their returned to their work.


President Cho climbed out of his limousine onto the busy construction site. Stepping onto the dusty gravel, he took in the scene before him. Several members of the police force were rushing around, bright lights flashing from their cars parked nearby. A large portion of the ground had been taped off and several detectives in plain clothes could be seen around the furthest corner of the upturned ground, gathering samples of something and taking pictures.

Turning to one of his assistants, President Cho rapped out in an uncharacteristically hoarse voice,

"Get police Chief Park on the line. I want to speak with him immediately. Tell him it's urgent, I don't care what you have to do."

It was suddenly clear why that man had gone to such lengths to prevent him from proceeding with the housing development project. Why he had been so keen to keep Cho Industries from digging the site. The threats to his granddaughter's safety, the stalking, the repeated violent attempts to confront the president, it all made sense. A great unease began to churn within him as he turned to survey the site once more.


Ga Eul trudged towards the dorms, dreading another long evening listening to her roommate Ri Ma's complaints. Postponing the inevitable, she stopped in front of the lounge room on the first floor of their building. A few students were seated on the cushioned chairs placed tastefully around the room while others were at the café area baking their dorm room concoctions, or rather burning whatever they had attempted to make judging by the smell filling the room. Something on the TV that was blaring at the center of the room caught her attention. A reporter was attempting to interview a distraught-looking man when the camera zoomed suddenly onto an oddly shaped bag being carried towards a white emergency vehicle. Not fully comprehending the scene, Ga Eul took a step closer

"I'm standing here on the site of one of Cho Industries' largest land development projects where it is reported the human remains of at least one individual have been found. Due to poor decaying, the identity of the remains is still unclear at this point. Standing next to me is construction worker Kim who reportedly discovered the remains at around 5pm this eveni—at the words "decaying" and "remains," Ga Eul felt a little sick. Preferring her roommate to this depressing news, she headed towards the stairs.


Phew, there was a lot of setting up in this chapter! Next one will likely have some Ga Eul/Yi Jeong moments sprinkled in:)