I want to die.

Jieun bumped her head against the window pane, watching the scenery slide past her eyes. The world seemed to be filled with rich hills and greenery—something that often bothered her visions. Too much green meant too much life, and Jieun didn't have a life, so it was only natural for her to detest it.

"Jieun, would you like to sing something?" her teacher asked. Jieun glanced over at the front, where another teacher took up the microphone and began singing one of the latest pop songs that everyone seemed to know. She rolled her eyes silently and looked out at the window.

"No, I don't," Jieun replied, resting her cheek against her fist. She heard a few girls behind her giggle at her pathetic position. It made sense to why they would laugh at her. She was sitting on the bus next to a teacher, which was probably the most embarrassing spot to sit at. She would've traded spots with anyone to sit anywhere else, but of course, no one wanted to sit next to her.

"Are you excited for the field trip? Honestly, since you were the top student, I thought you wouldn't come to the field trip. Some students told me that you were going to skip out of the field trip and take some extra classes. I'm glad to see that you decided to take a small break," the teacher praised her.

Are you kidding me? Why in the world would I miss out the school trip? Jieun wondered. She only faked a smile and gave a small nod at the teacher. "Oh, I couldn't imagine not coming on this trip! I've heard so many people talking about this trip, and all that did was make me look forward to the farm."

"Two face," someone muttered behind her. Jieun gave a sharp glare at whoever had said those words, but she stopped momentarily when she noticed that the teacher still had his eyes on her. He pretended to not hear what the other students said and gave her a smile—a fake smile.

Jieun forced a small grin, then looked away. She was having second thoughts on this trip. Why did she even get on the bus? Maybe she should've faked an illness and avoided the trip. However, her parents were longing for her to go on this trip. They knew that their daughter was not the most social person in the world, and thought that if they helped her pack some "cool" stuff, then she might fit in.

But Jieun knew that the items that her parents packed wouldn't help her. She simply wasn't going to let anyone touch her stuff. She couldn't trust anyone in her class. As far as she knew it, her classmates were very good at stealing. They were even good at lying, so there wouldn't be any way for Jieun to get her stuff back if they ever did steal her items. 

"Who else wants to sing?" the teacher at the front of the bus asked. He looked around, then spotted Jieun staring out the window. "Lee Jieun? Would you like to sing?"

Jieun widened her eyes and let out a quiet gasp. She quickly shook her head, hiding her reddened face with her long brown hair. The teacher besides her nudged her arm to go forward, encouraging her to get up and be on center of attention. Everyone else in the bus kept quiet, praying for Jieun not to sing.

She was good at singing, which seemed to annoy the heck out of everyone. They only knew that she was good when her class tried to embarrass her at the class play. As the top student, she was asked to play the lead role. She had a lot of fun blending in with the students, actually being a part of the student body. However, she discovered last minute that her classmates had been privately practicing a musical, which would be their performance. Her class wanted to embarrass Jieun and catch her off guard. They did one thing right, which was catching her off guard. To their disappointment, Jieun was able to flawlessly perform the musical, singing her parents while making up her own lines to blend in with her classmates. 

"I'll do it!" a boy from the back cried out. The class errupted in cheers as a skinny boy hopped out of his seat and walked over to the front, high-fiving everyone he met.

"Well, well! Okay, Mino, what are you going to sing?" the teacher asked, flipping through the karoke pages. 

"Mr. Moon, give me a beat. I'll do free style," Mino said, grabbing the second microphone.

Jieun only knew Mino because he was one of the most popular boys in her class. Rumors had it that he was working as a model for part-time, even though he had bashfully denied those rumors himself. He never denied that he was good-looking, though. Besides his looks, he had a very lively personality that made everyone want to be around him. He was also one of the reasons why the class didn't like Jieun. He was always frustrated to be in second place, and he eventually got the entire class to hate her just for the solid reason. 

She looked back out the window, looking at the field of green. Sighing, she closed her eyes, preparing to take a quick nap. Despite all the laughs and ruckus she was listening to, Jieun couldn't wait to get off the bus and return to her lonely state.

"Can the group leaders make sure that everyone in their group is here? Also, come and report that you have taken attendance to me!" a random female teacher shouted from afar.

Jieun squeezed herself out of the crowd, knowing exactly where her group was. She heard a few students curse at her for "punching" or "kicking" them, even though she had asked them to move a bit and give her some space. She didn't say anytihng, though. She saw no reason to apologize to people who wouldn't grant her a simple request of moving. If they had had scooted and then were hit, Jieun would've definitely apologized.

"My group, can you come over here?" Jieun yelled, cupping with her hands. "Group Four! Group Four, where are you?"

"Over here," a girl said, waving her hand. The girl scoffed when she saw Jieun run over to them. "Maybe I should've been group leader. I mean, you can't even get the entire group together!"

Sorry, Jieun thought, clenching her teeth. "Okay, let me take roll. Jiyeon, Bomi, Sungjong… Wait, where's Mino?"

"Probably somewhere in the crowd," Bomi said, gesturing her chin at the direction Mino was at.

Jieun sighed and scratched her head. "Can one of you guys go get him?"

"Isn't that the group leader's job?" Jiyeon asked. She looked at her friends. "See, I should've been the group leader."

"You can't blame her. She's only good with her studies. Just because she's the top student, it doesn't mean that she has great leadership skills," Sungjong said, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

"Fine. I'll go get him. You guys stay here," Jieun said, holding back her grudge. She stormed over to Mino, who was enthusiastically chatting with his friends. "Song Mino, get over here right now! I need to take roll!"

"Why? You already know that I'm here," Mino pointed out. "Besides, I said to call me Mino."

"No, I won't call you 'Mino.' That's a stupid nickname," Jieun retorted. "Besides, the teacher requested for the students to be in their own groups. What if you get in trouble staying here? It wouldn't look good in front of the teachers."

Mino scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm not the one trying to up and be a teacher's pet."

Jieun glared at him. "Who're you calling a 'teacher's pet'?"

"Do you really want to start it?"

"I dare you to start it."

"Really? Well—"

"Group Four!" the same teacher called. "Group Four, where are you?"

"Over here!" Jiyeon shouted from the other end.

"Where is your group leader?" the teacher asked.

"I'm right here!" Jieun exclaimed. "We have all our members!"

"Okay, good! Everyone, get in your groups, now! The tour guide will meet us over at the barn. Follow us!" the teacher said. Her voice trailed off and the students began to turn, walking in the direction wherever the teacher was heading. 

In the end, Jieun managed to drag Mino back to her group. They were tagging behind the entire class body. Jieun slowly began to notice that her group was walking oddly slow. She kept encouraging them to walk faster, and they only obeyed her command for a few seconds. Their eyes, which were supposed to be on the tour guide and the class, were elsewhere. Some of them had their eyes on the teacher, while others looked around the area. 

Then, Mino gave Sungjong a quick tap. He gestured his chin towards the direction of the tall, grassy field. He whispered something in his friend's ears, who eventually smiled and nodding his head. Sungjong walked over to Jiyeon and Bomi and whispered the same thing Mino told him, to which they also smiled and agreed. Jieun raised her eyebrows, watching them from the corner of her eyes while she faced forward. She noticed them staring at her, giving her a smirk or a sneaky look. 

Suddenly, the four dashed away from the class, running into the tall fields and disappearing with the grass. Jieun, her eyes as wide as two eggs, instinctively ran to their direction. She stopped for a brief moment to tell the teacher, but when she noticed that the teachers were busy keeping their eyes on the other kids, she knew that she was all alone and that it was her responsibility to take care of her group.

She ran into the grass, pushing away the tall plants. The yellow-green grass brushed against her pale skin, tickling her while making her struggle to get out of their hairy grasp. Sometimes, she would hear rustling from certain directions, and she would subconsciously follow those rustles. The sound of someone slapping against the soft crashes echoed around her, and Jieun was sure that someone was running in circles.

"Damn it!" she cursed, gritting her teeth. "Why did they have to ditch me like this?"

After running for around twenty minutes, Jieun stopped and took a deep breath. She panted heavily, feeling dehydrated and dizzy. She quickly reached in her bag and pulled out a bottle of water that she had brought with her for the trip. While drinking, she wiped her sweat with the back of her hand and studied the field. The grass was a bit taller than she had imagined. If she wanted to see anything, she would have to jump at least a couple of feet in order to get a nice view of her surroundings. 

She glanced over at her watch. Five minutes had passed. She was sure that the teachers were looking around for her. At least, she was hoping that they were. She was completely lost, and didn't know where else to go.

At that very moment, there was a rough scent of cinnamon and clover wafting around the fields. Jieun slowed down her breath, taking the moment to inhale the strange aroma. It was a nice fragrance; it was nice enough for Jieun to become curious of the scent. Her eyes wandered around the field, and she tried to follow the scent. She was hoping that it was Jiyeon's or Bomi's perfume, or some kind of other scent that would lead her to the teachers. Running around in the field had made her lose her track, and even if she wanted to go back, she wouldn't be able to find her way back. 

"Bomi? Jiyeon?" Jieun called, taking her time to walk. She heard something rustle behind her. She whirled around, but turned around again when she heard something rustling in front of her. "Come on, guys! Stop running away! We got to go back!"

"Hehehehe…"

She froze and whirled around. She saw a boy around the age of twelve from afar. He had his hands folded behind his back as he gave her a childish grin. His clothes were all dirtied from the mud and grass, but there was a nice scent that lured Jieun to come closer. His bangs had covered his eyes, hiding any mischief that he was planning to commit.

"Who are you?" Jieun asked loudly. A look of relief washed over her face. "Are you perhaps the farmer's son? I'm a student who came here with one of the schools! Can you take me back?"

He kept very quiet. The two listened to the wind hitting the tall grass and stared at each other, waiting for something to happen. Then, the boy dashed off a certain direction.

Jieun frowned, knowing that she had not went to the direction the boy was going. However, she figured that since the boy was part of the farmer's family, he might know some kind of short cut. She followed him, tailing right behind him.

The two neared some kind of new landscape. The grass was becoming shorter and the smell of burning cinnamon got stronger. The plants were replaced with a lush green forest with beams of light poking between the large leaves. Jieun watched the boy stop in front of the forest, turn to check if she was following him, and run into the dark plantation. She looked left and right, checking to see if she heard any of her classmates or a teacher. 

"Are you sure we're heading towards the right way?" Jieun asked. Right before she was about to step inside, she felt someone tug her arm. She turned around, checking to see who had tried to pull her back. To her surprise, no one was behind her.

She frowned to herself, then tried to walk towards the forest. A cold gush of wind grazed against her cheeks as her hair waved behind her. There was some kind of an invisible barrier standing in front of her. However, the barrier wasn't rock solid; it was rather warm and soft, like a liquid bathing in the sun's heat.

"Hey, little boy!" Jieun shouted. She paused, then bit her lip. She was planning to turn back, but how could she when she knew that there was someone who went inside the forest? Maybe it's just the heat getting to my head. I better go and follow him.

She stepped inside the forest, walking further into the darkness. The moment she stepped inside, she heard something rustle behind her. Eyes wide, she turned around, having second thoughts about entering the forest just to follow the boy. But when she did look back, she realized that the open field of tall grasses were replaced with the forest trees.

This is ridiculous! Jieun screeched in her mind. I took three steps into the forest! It is impossible for me to see nothing but trees!

"Hehehe…"

She whirled around, and noticed a faint scent of burning cinnamon again. From the sound of the boy's laughter echoing in the forest, she knew that she still had a few feet more to go until she saw the boy. She began running in the direction where she heard the laugh, convincing herself the if she followed the boy, she would find a way back out and with the teachers.

They must be so worried, she thought, referring to the teachers. She looked down at her watch, trying to check the time. She stiffened when she saw the hands on the clocks rotating in a strange manner. Sometimes they would move clockwise, and other times they would be counter-clockwise. It was like the clocks didn't have a sense of time and lost track, circling around just to figure out what time it was.

"Must be broken," she muttered to herself. She took off the watch and placed it in her mini bag, making a mental note to fix it later. Before she placed the clock away, she noticed how the clock stopped momentarily. She glanced over at it, watching to see if it was working correctly. She heaved a sigh when all the hands—the second, minute, and hour hands—all pointed to the same direction and froze. "This watch is definitely broken."

She continued walking, searching for the boy. The smell of clovers and cinnamon became more distinguished as she traveled into the depths of the forest. Sometimes, she would think that she saw the boy running around, but every time she tried to look for him, he would end up disappearing behind the trees.

Eventually, she ended up appraoching an old well made of ugly stone bricks. She turned her head, trying to find the boy. The only sound she heard was the leaves shaking against each other with the wind gliding against the small grass. Jieun sighed and took a seat, leaning her back against the wall.

Great. I'm totally lost and I have no where else to go, she thought, mentally cursing herself. She took out her cell phone from her back and groaned when she had no signal. Of course. There's no signal out in a rural country like this. It's best if I just stay here and wait for someone to help him. Surely someone would care. Her eyes softened. Damn it. No one's going to care.

"Hehe…" a voice whispered faintly. Jieun shivered as her eyes grew wide with fear. She felt like something was breathing against her bare neck, paralyzing her and forcing her to listen to the voice. She knew that no one was behind her; her back was against the wall of the well. No one could be besides her or in front of her; she would've noticed them and asked them for help.

Her body slowly rose up in an unsteady manner. Jieun felt almost possessed to get up on her feet, but she felt like a part of her was willing to get up. Her body turned around—back exposed to the forest, and her eyes facing the well. She slowly leaned over the well as if she was checking out what was inside.

Oh.

The well was completely empty and dark. She was sure that if anyone fell inside, then they would die. The well was too deep for her to keep her steady. Her legs began to feel shaky and her body trembled as her fingers clawed the edge of the well. She could only think about the pain of falling into such an empty well and how it would feel to stay in there, all lonely and forgotten…

Oh wait. That doesn't seem to differ much from what I'm experiencing, she realized. She had her chin against the palm of her hand. If I fell into the well, nothing would change.

"He…"

Jieun tried to turn around, recognizing the sneaky laugh in an instant. She was about to scold the boy for leading her into such a dangerous area until she felt something icy cold touch her back. She froze in place, unable to turn her head. It almost felt like the cold touch seeped through her skin and touched her spine, locking it into place and preventing her from being in tact with her nervous system.

With a forceful jab on the back of her ribs, Jieun found herself tumbling over the wall. Her fingers stretched open, losing its grip against the rim of the barrier. Gravity pulled her down into the darkness as her body plunged into the empty well. All Jieun could do was close her eyes shut and embrace the pain she would feel sooner or later—

Damn it, she thought, letting fear take over her consciousness, I didn't want to die today.

Author's Note: First chapter has been posted. I'm not sure if I like the first chapter, but I do know that it's going to give me a decent start. Maybe I should've made it longer or more detailed…Oh well. I just had the urge to post today, so that's why I decided to post this. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!