Thank this you for all the sweet comments! Here's chapter 6, bringing with it a mix of SoEul moments and a touch of mystery. I have so much more to add to this story but didn't want to keep you waiting, so more will be included in chapter 7.

Loveya—I was so devastated when it happened. Thank you for cheering me up with your words! I love writing cute SoEul moments:)

Myrslayer—Glad you're enjoying the story! I've always wished the drama included more scenes to give us a glimpse into Yi Jeong's mind so I'm having fun writing scenarios I think could have happened:)

Olamy—Thank you:) I always look forward to your reviews!


"What? Think you're too good for me?"

"No, of course not. It's nothing personal. I'm just focusing on my studies right now; I don't have time to date." She had forced her voice to sound calm, but Ga Eul was feeling anything but as she edged towards the door, hoping this time he wouldn't block her path. Although she had steadily avoided as much interaction with others as possible at this school after discovering quite a few creeps who seemed to enjoy hitting on her just to enjoy her obvious discomfort at their unwanted advances, she hadn't been able to avoid the man blocking her path now.

The intimidating man seemed to know her schedule—a thought that sent shivers down her spine—and had interrupted her on her way to the dormitories after her last class. She had hoped he would leave her alone after politely rejecting his advances, but he was instead growing pushier and pushier, and she was feeling very uncomfortable, noting his reddening face and clenched fists. If only she had left with Na Ri earlier, maybe she wouldn't be stuck with this creep who now knew she lived in the dorms, just great Ga Eul thought with annoyance.

She toyed with the idea of agreeing to a date just to get him off her back, but this brought with it more problems than just flat out telling him no. For one thing, she couldn't lie with a straight face and, even if she did manage to fool him, she didn't want to deal with the repercussions of standing him up. If he was this angry now, imagine how angry he'd be after realizing she had stood him up? No, she'd just have to deal with it now.

So here she was, he had followed her from the university entrance all the way to the dorm doors and wasn't showing any sign of giving up soon. She had expected him to leave upon reaching the doors to the girls-only building, but those hopes were quickly dashed when he didn't budge. The man seemed bent on staying until she gave him a favorable answer, one she refused to give even as he grew increasingly irritated at her vague, dismissive replies.

"Do you know how hard it was to talk to you? Come on, it'll just be for coffee. You can spare time for that, we coul—."

"I really need to go, I'm sor—" she tried to diffuse the situation as politely as she could given the circumstances, but Ga Eul never got to complete her sentence as the man grabbed her shoulder, pushing her roughly against the cold brick wall.

"No, you're going to listen to me when I'm talking to you. First, you lead me on, then you act all high and mighty like I'm dirt under your feet huh? Well, that's not how this is going to go. I'm sick of girls like you not giving a good guy a chance. Just because you're somewhat pretty, you think you can treat people with disrespect? Nah, I'm too good for you, you should be grateful I even looked at you!" He practically spit out the last words in his rage. He'd spent weeks following her, learning her every move, her likes and dislikes, her habits and class schedule, in his own mind "protecting" her by intimidating others who got too close to her, bearing the humiliation the So heir had delt him in the hallway, and even changing himself to be more attractive for her. And now, now she was rejecting him? Who did she think she was?

Panic raced through Ga Eul's veins at this change in events and the rough way he had manhandled her. She didn't know what to do, her small control of the situation was quickly slipping, and the blood drained from her face as she looked at the man towering over her. He could easily hurt her without even breaking a sweat, and the rage etched in his face was like she was some weak prey who'd tried to escape his grasp. She felt defenseless, a feeling she hated above all else; she'd vowed to never be helpless again. Memories of feeling small and trapped and unable to save those she cared about burned in her soul, bringing with them other emotions she had numbed herself to long ago.

Steeling herself against the turmoil swirling inside, she reached for the pepper spray she always carried with her, intending to release a painful shower into her assaulter's eyes. But, seeing her motion, another vice-like hand gripped her other shoulder. "Oh no you don't," the man muttered behind gritted teeth. Panic now in full swing, she braced herself for a hard kick but, before her foot had a chance to connect with his shin, the door to the building swung open, thudding against the brick wall mere inches from Ga Eul's head.

Never before had Ga Eul been so thankful for a crowd as a large group of girls, probably headed for class, emerged from the dormitory; a couple sparing curious glances at the two. This welcomed interruption was all the chance Ga Eul needed as, upon seeing the group the man had backed off quickly, momentarily releasing his grip on her shoulders and consequently freeing her arms. Unleashing the burning spray in his general direction, Ga Eul clutched her pepper spray and rushed through the still open door, his yells of agony ringing in her ears.

Not stopping to see if he tried to follow or not, she ran up the flights of stairs, barely allowing herself to slow down so she could slam her dorm door behind her, locking both bolts in one quick motion. Now safe inside, she drew in a shaky breath as she steadied her back against the door, only now allowing herself to think as her knees shook beneath her and she sunk to the ground. Holding her phone in trembling hands, she forced herself to breathe evenly, resisting the panic attack threatening to cloud her mind while she searched her contacts to find the school's sexual harassment report number. She had caught his name, one of the girls had mumbled it in rather shocked surprise at seeing the man standing over Ga Eul by the entry doors. Dae Sab, that was the man's name…


Hanging up the phone, Detective Jung pulled his hair in frustration. The bank was refusing to release any information without a search warrant, and now even the hospital that had offered their services was refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Clearly, someone had called in a favor, and now all his leads were refusing to work with him. A warrant was all he needed. A warrant that would be hard to get as his superiors had forbidden him from looking further into the case. A case that was already considered closed.

He shook his head, exasperated at his own need for closure, the case was closed, why couldn't he just leave it at that? The scum had confessed, the public appeased, and the police station's head given raises for their hard work. It was no wonder his superiors didn't want him snooping around. He wanted to believe the murderer had been caught, but something just didn't sit right, and in his years of experience, the veteran detective had learned to trust that gut feeling.

Detective Jung looked again at the giant whiteboard behind his desk as if the link chart he had mapped out would give him the answer to his problems. Scribbled here and there were several conflicting facts:

Threads of fabric had been found at the crime scene, material that would have belonged to an expensive suit, not the cheap material their suspect could have afforded.

The suspect, Chu Gon Shik, was a thin, sickly-looking man while one of his supposed victims, Kim Ba Soon, had been a tall, sturdily built man in his prime. An unlikely pairing.

The autopsy had shown no signs of blunt trauma, and forensic reports showed no evidence that a weapon had been involved, adding further mystery to the case.

Picking up a few files off his desk, detective Jung headed towards the interrogation room once more, determined to get to the truth from the man giving his final statements a few rooms away, even if he had to bluff his way through it. Waving off the officer standing outside the door, a friend who owed him a favor, he entered the room.

Setting the folders in front of the man, detective Jung sat coolly opposite Chu Gon Shik. Hands folded on the table, he said nothing to the suspect in front of him, watching him shift uncomfortably in his chair as the moments passed in silence.

"I already told 'em everything," Chu Gon Shik licked his lips nervously, "what more do you want?" Having fielded the interrogation tactics of many officers, from those who tried to intimidate to those who tried to act like his friend, he was slightly unhinged at the officer's disinterested manner.

Detective Jung said nothing while the man scratched at his cuffed wrists, letting him squirm for a bit.

"What? Ya want more of the gritty details? Want me to describe how I killed that little girl and her bastard of a dad? How it was easier than smashing a fly?" The repulsive man ended with a racking laugh, attempting to rattle the stone-cold detective who had yet to say a word.

Opening one of the files and slowly turning its pages, detective Jung simply ignored the man's outburst and only after a considerable amount of time had passed, turned to the restrained man with a vacant look.

"Some people hate paperwork. Call it a drag. A hassle. But, you know, I've never really been bothered with searching endlessly through piles of folders. Guess you could say it was sort of a hobby of mine."

The man blinked, taken aback by the odd words, not sure what he was getting at.

"I have bank records dating back 5 years, and they tell a pretty interesting story."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the slightly pale criminal replied, "but if you think you're gonna intimidate me with a couple of bank statements, you're wrong. I've never stolen in my life. Murders more my style, watching the life slowly drain from their eyes, there's no rush quite like it" he turned a jaundiced eye to the detective to see what effect these words would have on the man. To his irritation, there was no perceivable change in the man's bored demeanor.

"Perhaps not by themselves, but I have a few medical records that are quite fascinating." Seeing the man stiffen, detective Jung continued on, waving the bait a little closer "perhaps the name Moon Ga Su will pique your interest? Hmm No? Maybe I'll have to bring her in for questioning then."

With the last words, the dirty face before him visibly crumpled. "No, don't involve her…My mother knows nothing." Gon Shik urged in a panic, the first real sign of concern flashing across his face.

"I'll have to, seeing as you refuse to cooperate."

"I'll tell you anything you want," came the defeated voice, "Please, my life means nothing, but you can't touch her."


"Ahh, Ga Eul, come here a moment. I want to introduce you to someone." Professor Shu called to her favorite student, wanting her to see the man responsible for creating the art event her students would participate in during the coming weeks. To say she had been quite shocked to receive such an invitation from the prestigious So museum would be an understatement. It certainly was not typical for such a sought after gallery to hold an open showing, much less a showing for students who had yet to graduate, and the nature of the invite had caused many of her fellow colleagues to look at the invite with suspicion, wondering what the university would be required to produce in exchange for such good exposure among the ranks of high society. Their suspicion was not ungrounded, So Il Hesun's reputation as a stringent businessman was well known, and he would likely have vetoed his grandson's plan had he been present during the board meeting earlier that week. Disregarding these concerns, Professor Shu had accepted the offer with glee, imagining the doors it would open for her students, especially the ones attending the university on scholarships who had no significant connections to boast of.

Now all she needed was someone to show the So heir around—it was the least she could do after he had personally delivered the invite and asked for nothing but the simply request he be involved in the process—and what was wrong if that someone was a shy student who could benefit from forming such a powerful connection?

Seeing her student hadn't heard her, she called again, a bit louder this time, noting the way So Yi Jeong tilted his body away from the exiting students at the far end of the room as if he didn't want to be seen. Huh, probably just didn't want to be thanked for his kind gesture, she mused with a smile, remembering his request that his involvement in the exhibit remain anonymous.

Ga Eul jerked her head up at the sound of her name being called, still a little jumpy since her encounter with the creepy man who had stalked her the other day—thankfully, she hadn't seen that man since reporting the incident to the school, and she hoped she'd never see him again. Glancing towards the back of the emptying classroom where the sound had come from, she saw her professor give a quick nod before turning her attention back to the stranger she had been conversing with. Readjusting her big reading glasses, Ga Eul made her way towards her professor, wondering who she could be talking so animatedly to. She didn't have to wonder long, as she neared the two, the man suddenly turned to face her.

"Ga Eul, this is—"

"I believe we already know each other" Yi Jeong quickly halted the introduction, not wanting Professor Shu to blow his cover. He wasn't ready for Ga Eul to know who his family was or his involvement in the art exhibit. Thankfully Ga Eul didn't push for more information as she was too busy staring at him, shock lighting up her eyes. Man did she look adorable in glasses.

Ga Eul could hardly believe what she was seeing. What was he doing here? And casually talking to her professor no less.

"Really? Well, that's good," Profesor Shu continued, "I was hoping Ga Eul could show you around the art department now that you'll be visiting often." She looked pointedly at Ga Eul, who had shaken herself out of her shock enough to nod, raven hair bobbing slightly in its ponytail. What happened next, Ga Eul couldn't be sure, but she soon found herself walking through the building, handsome stranger chatting with her like they were old friends.

"So, Ga Eul is it?"

"Hhmm? Ah yes, we never got to exchange names last week, did we? I don't believe Professor Shu mentioned yours?"

"Yi Jeong, it's Ri Yi Jeong."

And with those words, a surprising though not unwelcomed friendship formed. Over the next two weeks, Ga Eul learned much about the handsome stranger who had unexpectedly entered her world. Although uncomfortable at first, Ga Eul soon got used to having the mysterious Ri Yi Jeong hanging around her as they walked to classes—which strangely always coincided—ate at the school's café, or spent hours poring over books in the library.

At first, he had been an enigma to her, but now she finally knew the truth. He was a fellow art student, struggling to get by and working odd jobs to finance his lessons, at least, this was what she had surmised from her interactions with him. Strangely, Yi Jeong always seemed to avoid crowds and kept to himself, yet she'd heard people whisper his name among themselves, and all the professors knew who he was. Remembering her earlier encounter with the man when he had unceremoniously interrupted her midnight mouse freak out, she figured it was probably natural the instructors knew him because he worked at the school. Her earlier disgust towards the maintenance man who'd appeared drunk in her dorm room so many nights ago disappeared as she realized Yi Jeong was likely trying to cope the best he could with the stress of trying to afford expensive tuition while juggling the demands of class schedules, assignments, and looming deadlines.

That the others would snicker amongst themselves when he was around was probably because he was a working student, and that he should be made fun of because he wasn't part of the higher classes which most of shin university students belonged to made Ga Eul's blood boil. How dare they treat him like that just for trying to further his education? So what if he didn't have money and got in through sheer hard work? A scholarship student herself, she knew just how difficult it was to be the odd one out. A protectiveness formed for the rather reserved man who only seemed to relax when she was around, and Ga Eul found herself looking forward to seeing him waiting outside the dorm building for her as he more often than not did.

Seeing that today was no different, Ga Eul waved at the man who was becoming a steady figure in her life before quickly joining him, noting the ever-present hat and glasses firmly in their place, concealing his features and making him look like an adorable nerd. Ga Eul held back a laugh at his rather dramatic avoidance of the students walking into the dorms, which only drew more attention to himself. His comical avoidance of others was rather endearing sometimes, as if he was a fish out of water, totally out of his element and trying desperately to fit in. There was nothing else to do but protect him and make sure the other students didn't learn his secret. Ga Eul shuddered at the onslaught of ridicule the pompous students of this school would likely unleash if they ever found out his occupation as a maintenance man.

Taking in the figure walking beside her, Ga Eul noticed that though his clothes were plain and casual, they fit him perfectly—almost as if they had been tailored to his body—and looked to be of higher quality. She wouldn't have noticed this before, but her art lessons had trained her eye to notice the fine details needed to capture an image, and he was a rather attractive subject to study. Shaking this thought from her ever disobedient mind, she lamented the fact that he was probably buying clothes he could not afford to fit the image he was trying to portray at the school. Perhaps it had worked on the others, but Ga Eul knew the truth…or so she thought.

Shocking news has just reached our station as an anonymous source claiming to have insider information regarding the murders at the Cho industries digging site has reported that the believed suspect, Chu Gon Shik, is not only innocent of the crimes he was earlier believed to have committed, but a victim of an elaborate blackmailing scheme. According to our source, Chu Gon Shik was forced to confess to the gruesome crime and, in return, received certain compensation for his ailing mother's medical bills. Acquitted of his charges, Chu Gon Shik has been released on bail to reappear in court regarding his new charges for lying to the police, with several eyewitnesses stating they saw him exiting his home with suitcases this afternoon. Although many details are yet unknown, the presiding officer over this case, police chief Park, has confirmed an official announcement will be made tomorrow at the—

"You don't need my help?" Yi Jeong asked incredulously, mock hurt tinting his words. "Look at you, all covered in paint. I'd say you needed help if just to keep your station clean." He playfully punched at Ga Eul's arm before ducking out of the studio room.

"Ya, I wouldn't be covered in paint if you hadn't decided to 'try your hand at abstract painting.'" Was Ga Eul's retort as she followed him out, "I never knew flicking paint from ten feet away was a 'professional technique,'" she teased, running just out of reach before he could retaliate for her saucy answer. Their antics soon spiraled into a full-on race towards the doors, laughter echoing down the empty hall. Or, rather, not so empty hall as a hooded figure stepped out of a darkened doorway, staring at their retreating figures in rage. They'd both pay for it now.


Ga Eul opened her bleary eyes, a dull ache thudding in her right temple. She'd been hit by something, evident by the hot blood now smeared across the fingers that had investigated her wound. She could barely think as fuzzy images rushed through her mind. Nothing made sense. A gravel pathway, a tall shadow raising before all went black. She didn't know where she was, and everything was dark except for a faint glow in the corner of the hazy room she was in. A warm glow. Fire.