Sitting in his dorm room Yi Jeong now fully appreciated his grandfather's insistence he stay in the dormitories. Being so near school, perhaps this living arrangement wouldn't be as tiresome as he first believed, thinking of the mysterious girl for the umpteenth time that day.

The girl seemed to have vanished back into the daydream she had come from and, while he'd attempted to occupy his mind with something else, the girl had walked into his life and now refused to budge from his thoughts. Oh if the F3 could see him now, Jun Pyo would call him out for being stupid enough to lose her. Ji Hoo, he was sure, would say he was "pining for a lost love" or something deep like that, and Woo Bin, well, he'd never let him live it down, the self-proclaimed Casanova behaving like a schoolboy in love…maybe Woo Bin could help him investigate who she was, at least get him her name, her initials, something? Yi Jeong cringed at his own desperate thoughts. Who would have thought South Korea's Casanova would be futilely struggling to get the smallest glimpse of a girl.

An idea rushed through his head and Yi Jeong found himself searching his desk drawers till his fingers landed on what he was looking for, the small book she had dropped in the stairwell. Turning the worn leather over in his hand, he hesitated slightly before unknotting its tie. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but curiosity overtook him, and he was soon paging through the leaves of the book. Pictures of watercolor flowers, leaves, and penciled-in drawings of birds and other creatures met his eyes. Each page brought with it a new sight, and he could tell some pages had been torn out by the rough edges near the binding, but, mainly, all were filled with things as delicate and beautiful as the artist herself. On the back cover towards the lower right, he found what he was looking for, the initials G.E.

Hardly believing his good luck, Yi Jeong let out a victorious exclamation and clutched the book to his chest before rifling through the book once more. This time more slowly, savoring every scribble or small doodle along its margins and picturing the girl who had poured countless hours filling the book with its treasures. He had fully intended on returning the book to her when he got the chance but perhaps he'd hold onto it a little longer...


1 week later

Yi Jeong stared at the ceiling, throwing a stress ball up before catching it with his hand. He heard the dial tone go through this time.

1 ring, nothing.

2 rings, the ball flew higher..

3 rings, the ball landed in a thud…

He was about to hang up when a faint voice answered

"Yi Jeong?"

"Eomma? Are you ok? You sound…funny" despite the years that had passed, panic rushed through Yi Jeong's veins at the sound of his mother's stifled voice.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, just caught me at a bad time. I'm at JJ's hockey game."

"Oh," a weird mixture of relief that she was ok, and disappointment flooded in at the mention of his half-sibling, "I could call later if you want?"

"No, that's ok. I'm glad you called! How are you?" The voice came back in hushed excitement. She genuinely sounded happy, something he had once believed he'd never hear again.

"I'm alright," Yi Jeong racked his brain for anything to keep the conversation going without dredging up the past. "The museum has been keeping me busy, but I think it'll quiet down soon after this next exhibit, so that's good" hopefully a safe topic, his mother had always encouraged his work, "how are y—"

Cheers could be heard in the background at the sound of a buzzer, and Yi Jeong could hear his mother's muffled cry as she cheered on her youngest son.

"I coul—"

"That's great honey, I'm glad we could chat. I'll call you later okkk? Sorry, it's hard to hear y—"

The phone clicked off, and Yi Jeong was left staring at his ceiling, the familiar painful tinge of rejection churning inside. Maybe he would go to school today after all.


It was by no accident Yi Jeong once again found himself strolling the halls near a particular classroom. His feet seemed to have a mind of their own lately and went unbidden to the now-familiar hallways. Although he was late for a meeting with his mentor, he lied to himself that this route was a shortcut to the studio…sure, it wasn't the most direct path, but what was wrong with taking a little detour? In truth, he'd walked this route for three days now, and for three days, he hadn't spotted the girl whose initials were G.E. once. Perhaps meeting her again wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped, yet, here he was, stuffing his hands in his pockets with a smile, wondering if she'd be there today.

Nearing the classroom, he spotted a lone man hunched up against the wall. There was nothing remarkable about the man with his backpack slung lazily over one shoulder and a dark gray hoodie covering his stooped frame, but something felt oddly familiar…The man shifted slightly to lean nonchalantly against the glass window. To Yi Jeong's irritation, it was the glass window looking into her classroom. As if sensing the death-glare behind him, the man's head tugged up quickly from his phone, and he gave his surroundings a nervous perusal before turning back to the object in his hands. To the casual observer, he'd probably appear to simply be on his phone, but Yi Jeong noted the odd angle at which the man held it and the slight flicker of his camera screen. Clenching his jaw at the site, Yi Jeong strode forward, roughly bumping into the man and knocking the phone to the ground with a crack.

Caught off guard, the hoodied man stumbled slightly with the force and turned his head to glare angrily at the man who had hit him, fist raised in his rage. His face paled immediately upon meeting the dark, cold eyes of Yi Jeong. Dressed impeccably from head to toe, the dark-haired member of the F4 radiated confidence and power. He was not a man to be messed with and had the reputation of being merciless to those who opposed him or touched those he cared about, not to mention his dangerous friends who could see to it their enemies never saw the light of day if they so wished. Ducking his head in a feeble attempt to hide his identity, the student mumbled his apologies, shrinking before Yi Jeong to pick up his busted phone.

Sensing he was about to make a dash for it, Yi Jeong ripped the phone from the man's hand, feeling the cold edges of jagged glass cut deeply as he tightened his grip, seething to see the pictures still open. "I don't believe you'll be needing those," came the frigid voice, dripping with contempt for the sleazebag of a man. The stalker didn't utter a word while Yi Jeong held his phone and deleted its contents before tossing it into the garbage close by.

"Come near her again, and the phone won't be the only thing crushed." Yi Jeong had recognized the stalker as the man who had escaped from sight that night when Woo Bin had joined him in the halls. Anger filled at the thought this man had been hanging around her.

The man nodded dumbly before making a hasty retreat, phone still in the trash. He didn't dare retrieve it, coward that he was, though his fury boiled under the surface towards the famous F4 member who would regret this encounter, he would make sure of it, connections be damned.


Wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell of paint thinner mixed with oil paints, Ga Eul finished a few touches on her midterm project and set her brushes aside. She'd clean them later, a chore she hated, but it needed to be done. Opening one of the seven floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the school grounds, the young artist breathed in deeply of the sweet spring rain which was falling lightly outside. If only everything in life was as calm as the serine world outside, she only had one week before midterms, and this painting needed to be completed by then.

As if mocking her thoughts, a gust of wind suddenly blew the curtains, threatening to upset the entire contents of the room. The drawings hung around the room futtered with each new gust, at any minute threatening to fly off the wall, and canvases shook in their light wooden easels where they sat awaiting completion. Grasping the frame, Ga Eul tried to pull it down, but the wood only creaked noisily against its frame, refusing to budge. She struggled with the window for several moments without so much as an inch of movement, rain had now soaked her blouse, and small puddles were accumulating on the floor. She was beginning to panic when, suddenly, strong hands appeared next to hers on the window-frame, and in one swift motion, the widow screeched its protest and slammed shut. Turning in surprise, Ga Eul gasped to find herself inches away from a rather tall, rather handsome man whose dark eyes seemed to be studying her rather intensely while his hands rested on the window frame, closing her in.

Yi Jeong looked down at the girl whose wild hair was now pulled back in a smooth ponytail and whose cheek was smudged with a brush of blue paint, studying her as the moments pounded between them, a silence settling in only to be broken by his own beating heart. At last, he grinned at her startled expression before pushing off the wall and folding his arms casually over his chest.

"Thanks," the girl found her voice and murmured with a nod towards the window, "I'm not sure what I would have done if I couldn't close that window" she wrapped her arms about her in a shiver. Noticing her soaked through, shivering shoulders, Yi Jeong shrugged off his sweater holding it out to the girl while steadily avoiding the enticing picture of wet material clinging to her form. Hesitating momentarily before quickly snuggling herself in its warmth, Ga Eul studied the stranger in front of her. There was something faintly familiar about him.

Yi Jeong didn't know why he held his breath as the girl's large eyes squinted at him, "Have I met you before?"

Shaking himself, Yi Jeong decided to go with a half-truth. "I guess you could say we've bumped into each other," he answered lightly, choosing not to bring up the mouse incident or their encounters since then, amused that she really didn't recognize him and kind of liking that she had no knowledge of the F4 or their reputations.

Bumped into each other? What could he mean by that? Ga Eul was certain she would have remembered the rich, deep voice that had answered her. Perhaps he was in one of her classes? She peered again at the stranger, whose dark hair fell slightly in his eyes, doing nothing to hide the mirth behind them. He didn't look like an art student, at least not the typical ones she'd seen at her University. So who was he? His voice broke through her thoughts, "Is this one yours?" He asked stepping towards the painting she had been working on.

"Yes, but how did you—"

Realizing his misstep, Yi Jeong recovered quickly, "the paints still wet." That was close. How would he have explained he had recognized her style and the initials etched in the corner of the frame? He leaned in to study the painting closer, struck by how lifelike and yet expressive the image was. It was as if the boat was sailing off the waves of the canvas, the green seafoam ready to splash his face at any moment.

"This is incredible," he murmured, tearing his eyes away to glance in her direction in time to see the faint glow the words had brought to her cheeks

Ga Eul thanked him shyly. Despite being in many group settings in her classes, she couldn't get used to admiration of her work, especially when such admiration came from a man whose voice seemed to melt her reservations with the smallest utterance. She shook her head slightly at this unwelcomed thought, not liking the effect his presence was having on her.

"So, G.E.?" Yi Jeong asked, hoping to finally learn the name of the girl.

She was about to answer when the door opened suddenly and a short girl with cropped blue hair entered. Seeing the two together, she stopped abruptly. "Oh, excuse me, I didn't mean to intrude!"

The two, who had unknowingly grown quite close, stepped away from each other while at the same moment Yi Jeong's phone rang in the sweater he had given Ga Eul. She reached into its pocket and handed it to the stranger. Na Ri's eyebrows raised slightly at this, but she said nothing, too much in awe of the scene before her.

It was Yi Jeong's mentor, and judging by the tone that reverberated from the phone, Ga Eul could tell the caller wasn't happy about something.

While Ga Eul was busy assuring her friend Na Ri that she hadn't, in fact, interrupted anything, Yi Jeong was flinching at the verbiage his mentor was unleashing, realizing he had kept the impatient man waiting for some time now. His grandfather would likely hear about this if the renowned man didn't see Yi Joeng in five minutes. With regret, Yi Jeong headed towards the door, "No, you keep it," seeing Ga Eul attempt to give him back his sweater, "I'm sure we'll see each other around soon?" The man had said it more like a question, but at the hope twinkling in his eyes, Ga Eul could only nod as the handsome stranger grinned and left. What just happened? Ga Eul gripped the edge of the warm fabric she was still wrapped in, fingers twisting circles, the faint smell of cologne wafting around her making her thoughts a little fuzzy. Had she really agreed to see this stranger again?

"Omg, who was THAT!" Na Ri almost squeaked in excitement, bringing Ga Eul back to the present.

"A student, I think?" was the disappointing reply. Na Ri stared at her friend whose quiet reservedness could tax a saint. A dissatisfied pout formed on her face as she followed Ga Eul who was gathering up brushes and moving towards the sink at the far end of the room.

Seeing Ga Eul was not going to elaborate, Na Ri released an exasperated sigh and grabbed her friend's hand's away from the brushes in the sink.

"Neverminded them! Details girl, I need details!" The excitable blue-haired girl was positively ecstatic at catching her shy friend with a man, and what a man at that!

Rolling her eyes, Ga Eul faced the girl, "It's nothing, he just helped me with the window," gesturing to the blustering storm that had grown outside, "and we got talking."

"Hmmm," her friend looked at her coyly, raising her brows with a smile, "talking was it? Looked like something more from where I stood." She couldn't resist teasing her blushing friend more, "You sure he isn't your secrete boyfriend and I just interrupted a juicy rendezvous?"

"You didn't interrupt anything," Ga Eul huffed at Na Ri's wild imagination while at the same time feeling her cheeks warm despite herself at the memory of their close proximity at the window. Now, if her friend had seen THAT, Ga Eul would never hear the end of it.

"What did you come here for anyway? You already finished your painting" Ga Eul turned back to her brushes, anxious to change the conversation and hoping this new topic would be enough to distract her friend.

It had its intended effect and Na Ri's bright expression soured with a frown as she furrowed her brows and scrunched up her nose. "Ugghh don't even get me started, my father just forbid, forbid, me from going to fashion week."

"What? Why would he do that?" Ga Eul looked at her friend who hadn't responded, being too busy occupied by her grumpy thoughts. "I'm sure he had a reason?" Ga Eul ventured carefully, knowing how fired up her friend could get, especially when it involved one of her passions.

"Reason? Just something stupid about it being dangerous and lacking 'security.' As if that were possible with all the bodyguards he has following me around." Her friend settled down on a nearby chair with a humph, holding her crestfallen face in her hands.

"What's with all the guards anyway?" Ga Eul had noticed them following her friend's car, walking a few feet behind them when they were out shopping, and even waiting outside of their shared classes. She had meant to ask her about it, but Na Ri had a habit of bottling up whenever family was mention, and Ga Eul knew she had a complicated home life, so she rarely questioned her.

"I don't know, my parents won't tell me anything, they just follow grandfather's directions, like usual. Can you believe it? After all it took to get a spot, and now he just sends his men to tell me. Couldn't even call me himself…"

"What if you went to talk with your dad in person? You know it's hard for him to say no directly to your face. That's probably why he sent his men to do it for him." Ga Eul laughed at the sudden change in Na Ri's face as she beamed at her. Grabbing her friend's arm again, Na Ri shook it happily, "that's it!" then, feeling the fabric, her troubles were all but forgotten. "Ohh, this is nice! Don't tell me that's HIS!" With that, Ga Eul had enough of her loud friend and shrugged her off, playfully adding, "Come on, help me wash these brushes so we can grab lunch."


"Hey man, what's up?"

"Ohh nothing much, just hanging at the club—still can't believe you turned this down by the way—my old man really outdid himself with the reopening." Woo Bin smoothly accepted the glass of champagne from the server walking around and took a sip before continuing, "My men also got some information about President Cho's little 'issue' I think you'll be interested to learn."

"Information? Do they have a lead?" Yi Jeong wasn't particularly concerned about helping his grandfather's old friend, but in his desperation to occupy his thoughts while the mystery girl was yet unknown, he'd looked into the case, and curiosity had begun to grow gradually increasing as less and less of the conflicting stories surrounding the case made sense.

"Better than that,"

"What? You mean they caught the guy?"

"Yup, apparently, he was hanging around some of the bars downtown—not exactly laying low if you know what I mean—and started drunkenly bragging about the crime. Said he was a vigilante, just trying to rid society of 'trash.'"

"Really?" An unease crept in Yi Jeong's chest. He knew Woo Bin's men were good, but it all seemed a little too easy. Especially after all the time that had passed, why would the man start bragging now that people were on high alert with all the attention focused on the case? Perhaps he was just another criminal seeking notoriety for his crimes? Brushing these unsettling thoughts aside, he tried to refocus his brain back to what Woo Bin was currently saying

"—there's some messed up people out there, that's for sure."

Yi Jeong couldn't see the grin that had gradually spread across his friend's features in the silence that followed, and so was unprepared for the sudden change in tone when Woo Bin half sang out,

"Sooo, how's wifey? Know her name yet?"

"wif—? she's, I mean," his friend cleared his throat and attempted to start again. "I haven't had the chance to-"

Amused at Yi Jeong's sputtering, Woo Bin couldn't help but tease, "You don't even know her name yet? What have you been doing Yi Jeong?"

"Trying to find her, that's what!" Yi Jeong exclaimed with some warmth. Readjusting his tie and relaxing at the thought of his last encounter with her, he continued in a calmer voice, "and now that I have, you can be sure I'll find out more than just her name."

Woo Bin grinned into the phone at his friend's grumpy huff for a goodbye. Though he loved teasing the man, he was happy the cold Yi Jeong was finally showing some emotion and opening himself up again. It had been a long time since he was this relaxed and happy, and Woo Bin made a mental note to thank the girl when he got the chance. That is, if he got the chance with Yi Jeong around hogging all her attention, he thought with a laugh of his usually suave friend's antics the night they had spied the girl painting in the dusk of sunset.

Yi Jeong stuffed his phone in his pocket, bracing himself as he stopped outside the tall stone building.


Steely black eyes matched his own as Hyeon Seop coolly addressed his son in a mutually distant acknowledgment of each other's presence. Yi Jeong's father rarely spoke to him except when it concerned business matters with the museum or when his presence was required at the So family's ever-growing golf lodge. This pet project of his fathers was a retreat for the family and also used to secure business prospects with the elite families who frequented the club.

Yi Jeong studied his father taking a seat opposite his own as discussion began around the long heavy wooden table. The tall, graying man's demeanor spoke of one bored with life, handsome features marred by deep lines which wrinkled across his forehead and eyes, hands trembling slightly in what Yi Jeong assumed to be his latest attempt to quit smoking. A hard-partying lifestyle had taken its toll. Embittered by a life controlled by family traditions and now denied his vices (mainly women and alcohol), Hyeon Seop remained coolly distant from others, fancying himself both a martyr of his situation and the product of an unfair world.

His troubles began when his wife divorced him. Yes, it had been her fault his life had taken this turn. Bile rose in his mouth at the very thought of her. Min Hee had divorced him and went to live in the states where she remained comfortable and, more importantly, quiet—the condition to her in-law's generous funding—with her new family.

As an old family firmly established in the most elite circles, divorce could have been overlooked and even considered fashionable. However, Min Hee's poor mental health had been the speculation of many a gossiped whisper, and it was no secrete the So family had contributed to her declining mental state. In the end, the divorce had been the height of gossip, and Yoon-hee, Hyeon Seop's father and the patriarch of the family, had looked at his son with contempt, stinging at this blow to their family's pride. Yoon-hee had threatened complete disownment if his son did not mend his ways, abandon his philandering ways, and quit drinking. A threat carried out for three grueling months until Hyeon Seop ran out of funds and went shriveling back to his father, a "changed man" who would follow the directive given him dutifully, even if it was not willingly.

Taking a sip of his bitter coffee, Yi Jeong turned his attention to the tedious business meeting droning on around him. He would typically skip such meetings, but today he had a specific reason for being there. While shareholders argued over corporate policy and the latest of a new collection which was to be displayed the coming month, Yi Jeong's thoughts were otherwise occupied with another artist, specifically one with wild curls and paint smudged cheeks, the hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Recognizing the meeting was quickly becoming disorganized with the many conflicting opinions being thrown around the room, Yi Jeong cleared his throat and introduced the topic he had been waiting to present, the idea of holding an amateur art exhibit using the works of students from the prestigious Shin University.

A stunned silence followed. While it was unusual for the chairman's grandson to be present in such a meeting, it was even more unusual for him to present such an idea. Several board members nodded their approval while others questioned the ability to schedule such a large-scale event in such a short timeframe, given the museum had been booked two years in advance for upcoming exhibits.

Anticipating their reluctance, all opposition was met with readied arguments:

The time schedule would be met by simply moving next month's showing—the artist had decided to take a sabbatical for "creative" reasons and was more than ready to accept Yi Jeong's offer to postpone the showing to a later date.

"We don't even know if these students can create anything of value. The museum would be a laughingstock if we exhibited bad art," came a particularly snobby voice from the equally snobbish face of Myn Yu.

Facing the businesswomen, Yi Jeong smoothly assured her, "I have personally seen what the students are capable of and have no doubt the showing will be a tremendous success." Turning to the rest of the board members, Yi Jeon continued confidently, "I am willing to bear the responsibility for the outcome of this exhibit. Besides, this would provide a good opportunity to some of the country's best amateur artists, opening doorways for the next generation of creators while simultaneously bolstering the museum's reputation for its generous endeavors to encourage the finer arts."

Myn Yu simply folded her hands in her lap, finding she had nothing to say to this retort and the nods of agreement around the room.

Seeing he had a well laid out plan already in the works, there was little obstruction, and the board moved forward with the proposed event. Eligible students had only to be notified of the event with the museum's approval, and things could get underway.

Walking triumphantly towards his car, Yi Jeong spun his keys around a finger, imaging her face when she heard of the exhibit with a bright smile. He barely caught the parking attendant's fumbling words as he stuttered out an apology, "I'm so sorry, sir," the man faltered with a gesture to the scrapped paint on the side of the So heir's favorite Lotus, head lowered, fully expecting to be fired on the spot. Instead, Yi Jeong beamed at the man like a maniac and, tipping him heavily, gave a cheery wave before rolling out of the driveway. All was right in the world today, and not even a meeting with his father in attendance or some scraped paint could ruin his mood. Like it or not, he was entangled in a certain girl's charm, and he would willingly stay caught for as long as she permitted. He'd see her again soon, very soon indeed.


"It's believed a haunting case that has shaken citizens across South Korea has finally come to a close tonight. Seoul police apprehended the man allegedly responsible for the gruesome slaying of 13-year-old Kim Yeon Min and her father, 42-year-old Kim Ba Soon, whose remains were discovered on the sight of a land development project headed by Cho industries. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Chu Gon Shik, was reportedly taken at a local pub with bystanders calling the arrest a shock to the quiet neighborhood. In an official statement released by police Chief Park of the Seoul division, hope was expressed that thorough investigation of the suspect in custody would yield more information regarding the horrific—"

Detective Jung studied the man through the partitioned windows of the interrogation room. Its bleak grey walls radiated dim light from the overhead fixture, giving its eerie glow to the perpetrator sitting in the center. Hands cuffed and resting listlessly in his lap, the man chewed on his lip and stared defiantly at the interrogator, his languid demeanor only broken by a greasy smirk when the man presented him pictures from the excavation site. So, this was the cold-blooded killer…

Elsewhere Ga Eul's thoughts troubled her as she turned restlessly to punch her pillow down for the third time that night. She just couldn't sleep, and when she did doze off, at last, it was only momentarily before pictures of a handsome man with laughing black eyes danced across her eyelids. Sitting up with a start, Ga Eul squeaked, "the maintenance man!"