“I desire you more than food and drink
My body, my senses, my mind hunger for your taste
I can sense your presence in my heart
although you belong to all the world ” 

                                                 -Rumi

The soft autumn breeze brought a slight chill to the air as it whispered through the trees on campus. Here and there signs of the changing season danced and scattered; reds and golds lining the leaves along the shaded paths.
 

To Nam Ji Hyun the fall season meant school was in full swing and it would be mid-term exams soon.  To her friend next to her, the Sogang University Festival at the end of the month was a much more important event. There would be popular bands, fun and games and, most importantly, lots of single men.  
 

"What we need to do is find boys from different programs," Han Ye Won noted, "Last year we only looked at people in the English program and that was our mistake.  We need to find Business students. You know they'd be making lots of money. Or Architecture. They would treat a girl like a work of art."

YeWon was still bitter her dream of becoming a campus couple her first year at Sogang hadn't happened.
 

"Well, you clearly have this thought out," JiHyun smiles, amused, "But, what we really need to do now is get to our next class. Assignments are due today and you know Professor Jung is a stickler about being on time."
 

She tries to walk a little faster towards Jeonghasan Hall where the English department is housed; but YeWon lags behind, her eyes glued to her phone. JiHyun feels bad for being impatient, but when it came to schoolwork she was dead serious. As the top liberal arts school in Korea, Sogang University had been high on her application list. Their offer of a full scholarship had sealed the deal. It didn't matter that the commute from home took almost an hour.

But, in order to maintain her funding she needed to make sure she kept her GPA high. Very high. So boys and other things could take a backseat. An image of broad shoulders, shadows and lips makes her heart skip and she almost stumbles. Yes, boys are definitely a bad idea right now

"JiHyun! Wait!" her friend calls out. She waves her phone in JiHyun's face.

"Great news!!" Her friend grins, "Class is canceled. Professor Jung fell ill or something."

JiHyun looks at the text. Sure enough it was forwarded from another friend who was passing the word along from the department secretary. On a usual day JiHyun might have worried this would put them behind on the curriculum; but for today, this was indeed good news (though perhaps not for Professor Jung). Now she could head home a little earlier and try get in touch with Madam Lee again.
 

She had called the catering company's number earlier this morning but had gotten only their voicemail; so she had left a message. Even though it was against the rules, she had kept her phone on during her first class, making sure it was set to silent. She didn't want to miss the call if it came through; but so far she hadn't heard back.
 

"JiHyun, there's this new coffee place, Alver something, that opened up. Let's go! I think JungShin wants to go," Yewon starts texting some other friends to see who's free.

"I'm sorry," JiHyun grimaces apologetically, "I really have to check on something at home. Next time, I promise."

Her friend groans, "That's what you always say."

"I'm really, really sorry Yewon. Next coffee and donuts is on me, ok?” She gives her friend a quick hug and goodbye, smiling apologetically at her friend's cute frowny face, then starts heading the opposite  direction towards the metro station.

On the way she tries to call the catering company again. This time someone does pick up but the girl on the other line doesn't know where Madam Lee had gone though she mentions that she should be back in the afternoon. JiHyun leaves another brief message and decides to head to the Mansion anyway. Who knows, there might be someone there who could let her in.
 

When the train arrives she finds a seat and opens up her notebook, planning to review her lessons from this morning. Her wayward thoughts however refuse to cooperate. Memories of last night and a familiar voice and touch and body fill her head; but the shadowy man was more a stranger than the love she had met on the island.
 

Her mind takes her further back to those long ago days so brief yet so bright in her memories. To sweet moments of laughter and sunshine. His teasing ways and gentle smiles, so different from the man of nights and shadows. She misses him. Even after all these years her heart aches.

She sighs and tries once again to fold those memories into tiny pieces and hide them away. Right now she has to focus. She needs to find her mother's locket. It was too precious; she couldn't just lose it like that.
 

One way or another she'd find a way to get into that Mansion.
 

Ji Chang Wook arrived at the Mansion to find the gates wide open and a bustle of activity going on inside. He parked his bike and followed the path towards the rear of the house. There he found Madam Lee standing at the center of it all, watching the going-ons with a careful eye.

“Good morning," he greets, flashing her one of his most charming smiles.
 

She nods back, though her smile is cool.
 

"Beautiful day today," he adds conversationally.
 

"Yes, quite," is the only response he receives in return. Dragon Lady is a tough nut to crack. Chang Wook decides to get to his main point.
 

"I found something yesterday that I believe belongs to one of your workers. I would like to return it to her." 
 

"How kind of you to come all this way," she says dryly, “If you hand it to me I'll make sure she gets it."
 

"No, the only person I give this to is her."

The woman in front of him raises one eyebrow and gives him a long silent look which almost makes him squirm like a schoolboy.
 

"Ji Chang Wook-shi," she finally says, "Permit me to be blunt; I don't know what happened between you two last night but if she wanted you to contact her, she would have told you by now. I suggest you respect her wishes."
 

Chang Wook chafes at the reprimand though the t