When Jieun woke up, she found herself surrounded by yellow: yellow buildings, yellow pavement, yellow everything. Different shades of yellow colored the area, but the brightest brought pain to her eyes. She closed her eyes for a minute, then looked around to see where she was. She brought her hand to her head, where it was neatly bandaged up with white elastic bandage.

To her disappointment, she was sitting in the side car she remembered sleeping at when the crew was running away from the graveyard. She looked around, trying to find Mino or any faces she knew. To her disappointment, she was left alone with the motorcycles parked on the side of the street.

They left me, she realized. Her facial expression hardened as she curled herself up in a ball and looked down. Of course they left me.

"Idiots," she managed to mutter. There was a short pause.

"Well, I'm looking around to see if there's anyone else, but it seems like you're talking about me," a familiar voice spoke up. Jieun looked up and saw Myungsoo flashed her a grin. "How are you doing? Is your head okay?"

She dropped , unable to say anything. Seeing this, Myungsoo only chuckled and told her to loosen him. She cleared and looked away for a brief moment.

"It's fine."

"Well, it should be. Naeun patched it up good," he said. He paused, then smirked, "but I can do it better."

"I see," was the only response Jieun could think of saying. Myungsoo looked around, then squatted down next to her. He rested his elbow against his knee while he leaned his cheek on his fist.

"We never had a formal introduction, right? My name is Kim Myungsoo. I'm a year older than Taemin." He extended his other hand to shake.

Jieun her lips and shook his hand cautiously. "I'm Lee Jieun. I'm in my second year in high school."

"High school, huh?" Myungsoo asked, amused. "If I remember correctly, I dropped out of high school."

Her eyes widened. "You mean you came here from another world? Like us?"

Myungsoo pressed his index finger against his lip. "Sh! Not so loud. People around here will think you're crazy and leave you to fend for yourself. You're better off acting dumb and pretending that you just lost your memories or something. I talked this over with Mino, too."

"But I remember," she said. "I don't want to pretend to do something like that."

"Hm. Mino was right. You're the kind who does whatever you want to do." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, he did tell me that you're a good actress. Maybe you can fake it for a while…?"

She was interrupted when she saw Taemin and Mino come from a certain direction. She jumped out of the side car and walked over to Mino, grabbing his wrist and pulling him aside. She knew that Taemin was looking at her suspiciously, but she couldn't help her situation as she needed to know if Mino did talk to Myungsoo. The person she trusted the most right now was Mino and only Mino, which was an unfortunate situation that she had to accept.

"What are you doing?" Mino finally hissed at her, causing her to let go. She eyed on Taemin and Myungsoo, who were casually starting up a conversation.

"Did Myungsoo tell you to pretend that we don't belong here?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Go along with it…?"

She wanted to rip out her own hair. "Why? Why would you go along with it? It's almost like you're cheating off of them!"

Mino shrugged his shoulders. "I want to live. Is that not a good reason?"

"Is that what matters right now?" she questioned him, glaring.

"Yeah. Look, by going along with whatever Myungsoo tells me to do, I'm able to gather information. Like, haven't you noticed that there is absolutely nobody in this city, and that it's all painted yellow?"

Jieun gritted her teeth. He was completely right. Even though she noticed how different the city was, she wanted to know all about it. She cursed at herself for letting one of her greatest enemies—curiosity—take over her will. She sighed and gave him a frustrated expression.

"So what did you find out?" she asked, changing the subject. For now, she would go along with Mino's and Myungsoo's fake act.

"Well, I found out that this place was actually raided by the elves who owned the forest we were just in. Apparently, this city was taking advantage of the forest by chopping down trees and mining. The elves got angry and kidnapped anyone they could while the rest fled. It's abandoned and filled with stuff that we're planning to take," Mino explained. He walked into a nearby building with Jieun following behind him. They entered the kitchen and Mino opened what seemed to be a fridge.

Jieun quickly stopped him by grabbing onto his arm before he could reach to take a box of sliced fruits. He gave her an annoyed look while Jieun returned his irritated expression with a quick look of disapproval.

"So we're stealing?" she asked.

"No, we're using things that other people left behind," he clarified. "They're not coming back, so why not."

"You have no idea how much I hate you right now," she muttered, letting go of his arm. 

Mino only rolled his eyes. "Well, it was mutual to begin with, anyway."

"Whatever. So where's the girl?" she asked, looking out the window. She spotted Taemin eyeing at the house they were in. Their eyes met for a brief moment when Jieun decided to let him know where she was by lifting the curtains open. She blushed and looked away, disappearing into the deeper part of the houses.

"Her name is Son Naeun. You ought to start calling people by their names. You understand that they have names, right?" he asked her in a sarcastic manner.

Jieun scowled at him. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm bad with names. If you couldn't tell, my head has been popped open and I'm having trouble remembering people's names right now."

"Tsk. Anyway, she's wandering around for the bike. According to Taemin, she has the best memory when it comes to geographical location. We were just scavenging the area, looking for things to bring," he informed. He turned around and pointed upstairs. "Why don't you head up and see if there's something more suitable for you to wear?"

Jieun looked down at her school uniform. "What's wrong with this?"

"Everything. It has your name written on it and it doesn't fit in with what the others look like. You'll stand out," Mino pointed out. "I'll be up there to help you find some clothes. You go and get a head start."

She could only frown. As much as she hated stealing, she couldn't help but admit that Mino was right. He had changed into a cotton black t-shirt while wearing a pair of navy blue sweat pants. However, he had a unique belt wrapped around his waste that carried almost everything he needed: a bottle of water, some snacks, and a pouch that seemed to carry either coins or money.

She waited for a moment, but when she realized that he was too absorbed in finding his personal items, she walked up the stairs. When she was on the top floor, she looked around, trying to figure out which door she should enter. She found herself walking to the nearest store, where she thought was the master's bedroom. She looked around, opening boxes and cabinets to find a new outfit to wear. 

"Knock, knock!" Jieun whirled her head around and saw Naeun approaching her. "Taemin told me that you might need some help…adjusting. He thinks you lost your mind, while Myungsoo said you're from his world."

Jieun could only frown. "You're not from our world?"

"I don't remember a thing when I came here," she said. "Don't look at me like it's abnormal. It's quite common for people around here to forget their purpose."

"So is Naeun not your real name?" Jieun asked her.

"Oh, it's my name. All I remembered was my name and my age. Nothing else. Here, take this box and put whatever you're wearing into that." Naeun paused at the bottom of the bed. She got down on her hands and knees, and reached under the bed to pull out another box. She opened it, smiled, then put the box on the bed. "Wear that. It looks like it fits your size."

Jieun peeked into the box, then gently pushed it away. "I don't think I can wear this. It doesn't fit my taste—"

"Wear it. It doesn't matter about your style. What matters is that we get out of here quick. I can sense that bastard coming here," Naeun muttered. She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

Once again, Jieun looked into the box. Then, she pulled out each piece of clothing out and displayed it on the bed. It was a simple out: a red sweater with a large turtleneck followed with a pair of black leggings. 

I'm going to hate this so much, she thought, taking off her clothes. I am definitely going to hate this so, so much…

"I hate this outfit," Jieun complained. She garnered no attention, which only caused her to become even more frustrated.

Everyone was prepared to leave. Naeun had found the one motorcycle with the two side cars, and everyone was arranged to a certain spot. Myungsoo and Naeun would be riding the one motorcycle with the single side car (Naeun sitting at the side since driving "tired her out) while Taemin would do the driving on the other motorcycle with Jieun and Mino riding at the side.

"Can't I just go and find another out—"

"No one cares!" Taemin finally shouted. "Should've left you and take the other guy with me…"

Jieun dropped her jaws. "Well, I—"

"It's not like you'll be wearing those clothes permanently. We're going to the small village a few hours away from here. They might have clothes to spare," Naeun said.

"At the worst, they can kill us!" Myungsoo added with chirpy attitude. Naeun glared at him and stomped on his feet, cursing him for scaring the new girl. Myungsoo only let out a painful scream and leaned against the wall, holding on his feet with his hands.

"Wait, what do you mean we're going to the village?" Jieun asked. She scrunched her eyebrows. "I need to go back!"

Taemin sighed. "Okay, where did you come from?"

"I came from another world—" She noticed Mino slapping his face in frustration. "—and I need to know how to get back!"

Taemin eyed at Mino. "I feel sorry for you. You have a crazy partner—"

"I'm not crazy, and I'm not his partner! I am his classmate," she corrected. She made a fist with her small fingers. "Look, it was nice meeting you and having you rescue me and all, but I have to go back. The teachers could be waiting and my parents can get worried sick! Who knows how long I've been here." She looked at Mino. "Don't you want to go back, too?"

Mino bit his bottom lip. He looked at the trio, then back at Jieun. Then, with a sheepish look, he shrugged his shoulders and backed away from her, coming closer to the rescuers.

"Jieun, I'm not sure what's going on around here and what the dangers are. I don't want to go and encounter zombies or ghouls or whatever. I want to stay with them for a bit," he confessed. He knew he was making her angry just by the look of her face. The way she paled, then flushed red in anger already told him that she felt like she was being back-stabbed.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I can't believe you don't care."

He snapped his eyes wide open. "What? I do care, okay? I just don't know what this world can do to me! There are monsters here, Jieun! Monsters. This isn't some dream we're in, okay? This is real."

"You guys better make up your mind," Naeun said, getting into her seat. She slipped out her helmet. "Remember that revenant I was talking about? It's coming closer. It knows that we're here."

"Really? Then we better start moving fast," Myungsoo said, getting on the motorcycle. He started the engine with just a touch of his finger. He pointed to the other motorcycle, and released a crooked bolt of lightning on the object, starting the engine on Taemin's motorcycle. "Are you guys coming or not?"

Jieun looked at Mino. "Are you really going to go with a complete group of strangers?"

Mino shrugged his shoulders. He kept his mouth shut and walked over to the motorcycle, keeping quiet about the entire situation. He slipped on a helmet he had found a few minutes ago and looked straight ahead, ignoring Jieun's dreadful expression.

Taemin gave her a sorry glance. "Well, he's in. Are you?"

She stared at him, then shook her head. "Heck no. This is ridiculous! You all are ridiculous!"

Jieun looked around, then began to head towards a random direction. She marched on, carrying only her bag that had limited supplies. She heard Taemin and Mino yell for her, telling her that she was either an "ungrateful idiot" or a girl who "won't survive alone."

"Hey!" she heard Naeun scream. Jieun looked back once to listen to what the girl had to say. Naeun gave her a disgusted look, as if she was almost regretting telling her the valuable information she was able to leak. "Be careful of the revenant!"

What the hell is a revenant? she wondered. She only waved her hand carelessly and stormed away, leaving the four absolutely dumbfounded.

After an hour of walking, Jieun stopped and sat down on a tree stump. She looked around, knowing that she completely lost in the forest. At the very least, she knew that she was heading farther away from the crew. She felt bad leaving Mino behind with the strangers, but she could only see it as a lost opportunity for him. If she was letting him take her hand and he wouldn't take it, then she had no choice but to leave him alone.

She looked up at the sun, then sighed. It was hot and dreadfully humid. When she looked at the water bottle, she remembered that it was barely half full since Mino had drank most of the liquid when they were stuck in the well. She cursed at herself, then cursed at Mino for taking advantage of her situation.

Damn it, she thought, sighing. I'm thirsty.

Behind her, she heard a twig snap. She widened her eyes and got up, looking around. She listened for voices, but nothing came up. Rather, a strange cloaked man came closer to her, stepping on twigs with its bare feet. Not knowing what to do, Jieun raised her water bottle in front of her, planning to throw it and using that chance to run away.

"Please don't hurt me," the man said in a horrible deep voice.

Jieun's grip around the bottle only got tighter. "W-What do you want?"

"I'm trying to find my son," the man said. He let out a shaky sigh. "He looks to be around your age. Have you seen a boy with white flames?"

"White fl—" Jieun stopped. Taemin automatically came to her mind. "What do you want with him?"

"He is my son. I lost him in the raid at another city," the man explained. "I've been asking people if they have seen him, but every time I go, he seems to have taken off." He let out a mopey sigh. "He might hate me for not protecting his mother. You see, his mother died when our city was being burned. I was out of the city, so when I came back, I found absolutely nothing…"

Jieun frowned. She couldn't tell if the man was lying or not. She wasn't able to see his face; it was covered with the long, oversized hood. Even if she could see his face, she knew that she would have problems figuring out of he was lying or not. 

He looks pitiful enough, she thought. Maybe he's innocent. At least he speaks.

"Actually, I did see him," Jieun finally confessed. "However, I'm pretty sure he left. There's a city up ahead if you walk for an hour. That's where I last saw him."

"An…hour…?" The man let out a disappointed growl. It was a strange growl, as if something was missing in the throat.

Jieun widened her eyes as she fumbled her thoughts. Missing. A. Throat.

At the corner of her eyes, she managed to catch the perfect angle to notice that this man was definitely strange. The sunlight briefly shone below his chin, where she discovered that it was hollow and black. She predicted that this "man" was made of eighty-percent flesh, fifteen-percent nothing, and five-percent something else.

"A-Anyway, I should go," she sputtered out. She looked around and stepped back. "I have my own stuff to do. I—"

"Oh, but won't you lead this old man up the hill? He has a very sore back," the man said in a hoarse voice. He came closer, but Jieun only stepped away. "Are you scared…?"

Yes. Terrified. Jieun gulped. "N-No! N-Not at all! It's just that I need to go—"

"But I need help," the man insisted. "You see, I'm hungry. You look like an enjoyable meal, eh? Would you like to send respects to my wife in the graveyard? It's not that far—"

He was interrupted when a streak of white flames blew up right in front of Jieun. She gasped and screamed and crawled to a tree, trying to figure out what was happening. The flames grew bigger, surrounding the man. It reached for the cloak and began to burn it, but the man only wept in sorrow. As his clothes dissolved in the flame, Jieun was able to see how he really looked like: a corpse.

"My son!" it cried out, lifting its hands in the air.

"Cut it out!" Jieun looked up and saw Taemin on a tree branch, glaring at him. Small flames of white were floating above his finger tips. "Man, this is gross." He looked down at Jieun. "I can't believe you almost fell for him."

She looked at him, stunned. "Wha… Why are you here?"

Her thoughts were interrupted when she sensed the monster twitched its neck and getting up. Suddenly, it began to run towards Jieun, its arms wide open for a hug while its mouth was hanging open for a feast. She screamed and stood still, petrified with fear. Taemin quickly reached down and grabbed her shirt, pulling her up and barely missing the attack.  The corpse moaned with sadness as it clawed the tree and looked at them with desperate eyes.

Taemin, who noticed that the tree was beginning to burn up, muttered a few words and began to carry Jieun around her waist. He jumped along some trees, trying to get further away from the revenant. The corpse only followed, but the flames were eating up its legs and it had no option but to crawl towards them.

"Whew. That was a close one," Taemin muttered, flipping his brown bangs to the side once they landed on a branch he thought would be safe. Jieun felt her heart beating against her chest, and she wasn't sure if it was because of fear or if it was because of him. She decided that her heart was racing because she realized what kind of situation she would've been in if Taemin had not rescued her at that precise moment.

She turned and looked at him, pale and with wide eyes. "H…How…?"

"Listen, I don't really like you, but the rest were asking you to come back," Taemin said shortly after he caught his breath. He looked at the decomposing body, then sighed. "Looks like Purification isn't fully developed yet. Come on, let's go."

"G-Go where?" she stuttered.

"Back to the gang."

"B-But it's an h-hour walk—"

"Who said we were walking?" He smirked when she saw her lost expression.

Just then, the two heard loud engines roaring towards them. Jieun's face brightened up when she saw two headlights shining at them. She was secretly glad to see everyone heading towards them, but she was surprised when she noticed that one of the motorcycle didn't have a rider. Rather, it was moving on its own as if it was possessed by a ghost. 

"Okay, when I say 'three,' we're jumping off this branch," Taemin said.

Jieun gaped at him. "You want me to what?"

"You have trust issues," he said. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Can you trust me?"

"I—"

"You got no choice. One—"

"Taemin, I can't—"

"Two—"

"Taemin, please—"

"Three!" He jumped down the branch, doing a few flips in the air. Jieun only screamed and jumped off, following his lead. She closed her eyes and curled herself into a ball, worried to death. 

The moment she felt like she hit something, a harsh gush of wind hit her face. The engine sounded even louder than she had expected. She slowly opened her eyes, and discovered that she had landed in the side car with her hands hugging her knees. Taemin was taking over the motorcycle, driving right behind Myungsoo. She slowed her breath, trying to figure out what she had done to land almost perfectly on the vehicle.

Then, she felt someone put a helmet on her head. She looked up and saw Taemin grinning at her while holding his thumbs up.

"I found that when we were looking around," he shouted, trying to fight against the roaring engine. "I hope it's to your liking!"

She looked down at the helmet, noticing that it was just a regular white helmet. She smiled, showing that she liked the plain helmet. It was simple and appropriate—something that fit her taste. She slipped it on, blushing a bit while looking forward.

She didn't know how long she would have to stay here, but for the moment, she decided to follow the crew, whether they got into trouble or not.