Jinwoo had no problem falling asleep after dinner, he’d promised his mother to refrain from going to the mountains for now.

He really conuldn’t understand why either so he fell asleep with a frown on his face.

He woke with a start by a sound of rustling close to his ear.

He blinked, it was still dark outside his window and he gazed out at the dark room.

His gaze fell on a dark shape on the side of the room close to the window. It was strange, tall and much darker and denser than other things and he suddenly bolted up and hit the lights.

He was so sure he’d seen the figure of a person standing close to the bed.

Jinwoo clasped a hand over his heart in an attempt at calm himself.

“What the is happening?” He mumbled between calming breaths.

“Maybe I should call the doctor tomorrow and ask…” He wondered silently before lying back down.

He kept the light on the rest of the night.

The next day he decided to go for another walk so that he could call the doctor without his parents listening in.

“Don’t get lost, son” His father called after him as he walked out.

Jinwoo scoffed and shouted back “I grew up on this island, if there’s one place I won’t get lost it’s here!” Before he wandered off.

After a while he reached the edge of the forest. He’d walked a different way than yesterday because of the shrine on top of the hill.

He looked at his phone, he still had reception so he started on the trail that lead him into the forest.

He wandered peacefully, the trees swayed gently with the breeze and he sighed and pulled up his doctors number on the screen before hitting the call button.

The buzz tone seemed extra loud out here in the forest and he held the phone away from his ear a bit until he heard the nurse’s voice in the other end of the phone.

“Doctor Koo’s office, how may I help you?” She sounded as cheerful as always and Jinwoo saw her smiling face in his head as he walked.

“It’s Kim Jinwoo here I would like to speak to Doctor Koo.”

“Ah, Mr. Kim.” She clearly knew who he was “Just a moment please.”  The phone went to another dial tone and after a second Dr. Koo answered.

“Good day Mr. Kim.” He said as he answered the phone. His voice sounded gruffer over the phone.

“Good day.” Jinwoo replied.

“What is bothering you, Mr. Kim?” He asked seriously.

“Ah, well I went home to my parents house like I said, but ever since I got here it’s like I keep seeing these figures when it’s dark or when my eyes are a little out of focus.” He looked about to see if anyone was there.

“Hmm…” he heard the doctor tapping away on the keyboard of his PC in the other end.

“Do you experience any other symptoms when you see these figures? Elevated heart rate, headaches or dizziness?” he asked calmly.

“No, it was dark two of the times and one of one of those I woke up to it.” Jinwoo explained trying to distinguish any nuance in his doctor’s voice.

“Hm, without doing any tests I’d say you are stressed and that is making your brain concoct these figures. However, if it does persist, or escalates I would like you to seek out a doctor. Alright?” Dr. Koo seemed pleased with himself.

“Yes, Doctor.” Jinwoo said, he felt a bit relieved. It did seem logical after all. He thanked Dr. Koo before hanging up the phone and sighing with relief.

He’d continued to walk while on the phone and the minute he hit the end call button and put his phone down he looked up and realized he had no idea where he was.

He looked around, flustered.

“” He hissed and his heel and marched back down the path.

Shortly he came to a fork in the road, and felt relieved once he saw that there was a sign post.

He walked towards it but felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach as he saw the state of the sign.

It was tattered and weather worn, overtaken by moss and brush.

He tried to clear some of the green away only reveal a battered sign with faded letters.

“” He spat and turned to look down at the trail. It was think and people obviously used it often enough.

He looked up and down the thick trail and tried to decide which way to go. He sighed deeply and decided to try going left. If it didn’t lead anywhere he could always turn back.

He walked briskly, getting more and more angsty as he saw the trees around him thicken.

He looked up towards the tree tops and saw it blocking out more and more light.

He increased his speed.

He suddenly came to a small flight of old looking stairs made from natural stones. A sudden curiosity came over him and pulled him up the steps.

When he reached the top he seemed to be in a sort of trance and he took a moment to take in his surroundings.

“What?” Jinwoo asked himself aloud.

He was standing in front of a large shrine.

The building towered high above the ground surrounded by trees and beautifully decorated.

“This must be the main shrine” Jinwoo said to himself.

He’d never been there, even when he’d over heard his friends talk about a shrine in the woods they’d immediately say that he shouldn’t go there because it was dangerous and he was bound to get lost.

“Well they weren’t wrong about the lost part” he mumbled darkly.

He took a look around, no matter what the Shrine seemed perfectly safe. He walked about for a bit taking in the beautiful surroundings.

“Ah, now that I know where I am…” he said and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Thankfully he had a signal and he called his mother.

She picked up the phone cheerfully, Jinwoo could practically see her smiling.

“Hi, Jinwoo” she said.

“Hi, mum. Um… mum… I am… a little lost.” He began but before he could continue his mother cut in.

“What?! Lost? In your condition?!” she bellowed.

“Relax mum, I know where I am… sort of…” He managed to say in between his mother’s hysterics.

“Where are you then?” His mother demanded.

“I’m at the main shrine.”  He said casually, expecting to hear a relieved sigh and some directions or something.

Instead he heard silence before his mother yelled at him through the phone.

“THE MAIN SHRINE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?! GET AWAY FROM THERE.RIGHT.NOW!”

Jinwoo pulled the phone abruptly away from his ear but he could still hear her.

“Relax, why are you so angry?” Jinwoo tried to ask calmly, but his mother had completely lost it.

“JUST GET AWAY FROM THERE!” She yelled and suddenly it fell silent.

“Mum? Mum?” Jinwoo called a few times, but she’d hung up the phone.

He tried to call her back but she didn’t answer.

“Great. How do I get out of here…” He said as he put his phone back in his pocket.

“Who’s there?” He suddenly heard from behind in a low man’s voice.

“Oh, sorry. I’m just lost” Jinwoo said and turned around to see a large man with short black hair and pierced ears. His eyes were focused only in Jinwoo and they made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Um…” Jinwoo began but the stranger cut him short.

“Lost huh?” He said, somehow a light flicked in his eyes and he smirked a little.

“It’s not funny.” Jinwoo mumbled in a low voice.

The stranger looked at him.

“But you must know the way back now that you’ve found the main shrine?” he asked, tilting his head back in a smug fashion.

“No. I was never allowed here, so I don’t know.” Jinwoo replied feeling as if the other was judging him harshly.

“Well I guess that explains it.” The stranger rumbled sternly.

“Excuse me?” Jinwoo asked, the other seemed to be expecting something of him.

The other laughed darkly.

“Who are you?” Jinwoo asked.

The man avoided the question completely.

“Do you need me to take you to the town?” He asked eyes still fixed on Jinwoo.

“Th- That would be nice, thank you.” Jinwoo said uncertainly, wondering if he really should trust this stranger who gave him a weird feeling, but did he really have a much of a choice?

The man took a deep breath, but didn’t break eye contact with Jinwoo.

“Follow me.” He told Jinwoo and turned slightly and started towards two posts over to the left.

Jinwoo took a deep breath as well and followed the other man.

At the two poles Jinwoo saw a more up to date stair case leading down from the shrine.

They walked down in silence, and the silence dragged on as they reach the bottom of the stairs and followed a wide foot path into the forest.

Jinwoo was to occupied paying attention to the man walking ahead of him to take in his surroundings, so he didn’t notice that they came to a parking lot until Mino stopped right in front of him.

“You can find your way from here” He said in his dark voice, his eyes intensely focused on Jinwoo’s.

“Su-Sure” Jinwoo replied, leaning away from the other.

The stranger looked him up and down once.

“Good bye.” He said coldly before he marched off past Jinwoo and back into the forest.

Jinwoo gazed after his tall figure as it disappeared behind the trees, he was distracted when he heard a car approach.

The car came to a sudden stop not far from him and he could see his parents in the car.

His mother looked shocked to see him there and practically flew out of the car.

“Jinwoo” She sobbed and flew into her son’s arms and hugged him tightly.

“Yes, mum. That’s me” Jinwoo’s voice was chocked from his mother’s firm hug.

“You foolish boy, why did you go to that place?!” She sobbed.

“Well I was just out for a walk… but never mind that. Did they fix the shrine? You guys told me it was just a ruin” He asked and from his mothers reaction he could tell that she was hiding something from him.

“Mum?” He asked sternly, arching an eye brow at her.

“Yes. Yes they did. But we have to leave now. Now. Get in the car!” She hurried to avoid him questioning her further as she pushed him towards the back seat.

He didn’t fight her as she forced him into the car and they drove away.

He looked out the window at the forest that went by as a green blur outside the window.

His mother rambled about how he wasn’t allowed to go to the forest anymore because he would just get lost again, and that she was very worried that his illness might make him even worse at finding his way.

Jinwoo said nothing and just wanted to go home and relax.