“This- better- work!!” Yoo Jung grunted as she pounded the watermelon she found unto a sharp rock. She wiped the sweat and rain off her forehead and gazed up at the gray sky, filled with dark, billowy clouds. Yoo Jung heard the growling of her stomach as she can no longer wait to dive her teeth into the soft, sweet flesh of the watermelon. Her final blow cracked open the watermelon. She grinned in delight until she noticed that the flesh was yellow. 

“Yellow? I hope it’s still sweet!” she stood from her crouching position and cradled the pieces of the yellow melon in her arms. Yoo Jung ran through the muddy garden, “It’s a yellow melon! “ she exclaimed with excitement. 

Xu Kai grumbled, “Finally! That took you long enough!” 

Yoo Jung rolled her eyes, “and it would take even longer if you did it.” she barked, kneeling beside him. She broke off a piece of melon and handed it to him. He held it reluctantly with his left hand and took a bite. Xu Kai nodded his head in approval, “Wow, this tastes better than I thought.” 

“Don’t judge a watermelon by its color.” Yoo Jung said proudly. She sank her teeth into the melon and was speechless for a moment, “It’s so sweet!” 

Xu Kai scoffed in a small laugh, “This is the first time today that you’re quiet for this long.” 

“Ya! When I’m hungry, I get quiet.” She took another bite and did a happy dance. Xu Kai couldn’t help but smile at her silliness. 

It was nightfall now and the pair could hear the crickets chirp while the fire that Yoo Jung built burned away at the wood. Yoo Jung readjusted Xu Kai’s gauze around his right arm, “It was actually pretty funny watching you slip.” she teased, “given how ‘athletic’ you claim to be.” 

“In a controlled environment.” Xu Kai corrected, “this,” he gestured at where the two were situated, “we are in the middle of nowhere, covered in mud and rain.” 

“That’s why athleticism isn’t everything, brains are important too.” she pulled tightly at the knot she made, making Xu Kai grimace, “And you have one?” he joked. 

“How do you think we got this far?” she pointed out, “I made us a shelter, took care of your wound, found us food, and made us a fire.” she grinned proudly, “you, on the other hand, had one job: operate the stern, in which you failed.” 

“I didn’t fail, it literally floated away.” 

“Because you didn’t tie it up!” 

“Because you wanted to win so bad!” 

“You-!” Yoo Jung crossed her arms, knowing he’s right. Sometimes, her competitiveness gets in the way of her judgement. “Well, I do have brains, how did you think I graduated from high school at fourteen?” 

“Fourteen? That’s horrible.” Xu Kai said, “Did you get to enjoy high school at all?” 

“Wha-? Of course I did…” Yoo Jung lied, “Either way, you can at least be more appreciative.” 

Xu Kai looked down and mumbled, “Sorry… and thank you.” 

She smiled at how apologetic Xu Kai appeared and stuffed a watermelon piece in his mouth, “eat it, you’re too thin.” 

“You know that watermelon is basically sugar water.” He said with a full mouth. 

“At this point, does it look like I care?” Yoo Jung took another big bite. 

“Do you think this garden belongs to someone?” Xu Kai asked looking around them, “If there’s a garden, there must be a gardener.” The garden stretched far beyond the horizon and stopped where the forest touched it. 

Yoo Jung’s eyes widened, “look over there!” She pointed toward small, yellow lights glowing from a distant cottage. They exchanged glances and beamed with hope. 

“C’mon!” she said. 

“...that’s the address...ok...yep.” Xu Kai hung up the phone.
“Well?” Yoo Jung questioned. 

“They’ll be here in 10 minutes, that’s what my dad said.” 

“Thank goodness!” she sighed in relief, then turned to the old gardner, “Thank you sir. We wouldn’t know what to do without you.” 

“Not a problem at all! Come and sit by the fire to stay warm.” he invited, his voice was sleazy and smooth, “I’ll fetch us some tea.” the gardner with a wrinkly face said upon leaving the room. 

Yoo Jung made herself comfortable on the couch, wrapping a fluffy blanket around her, she leaned against a pillow. The cozy home was made of mainly wood, with oak furniture. It reminded Yoo Jung of a cabin. She sunk into the pillows and blankets, drifting into rest. 

Xu Kai couldn’t help but notice the pictures on the walls of this old man’s home, “This feels strange…” 

“What does?” Yoo Jung asked with her eyes shut. 

“All of these pictures are with him and a dog in front of his yard. But, there are no signs of owning a pet anywhere in his house.” 

Yoo Jung stood up, “Well maybe those pets don’t belong to him?” 

Xu Kai leaned in closer to the photos, “but on their collars, it has his address on them… All of them.” There were at least 10 black and white photos on the walls. 

“Maybe he fosters dogs?” 

Xu Kai looked over at Yoo Jung with a serious look, “Do you really believe that?” 

She hugged her knees tightly, “Well...what do you think this all means?” she was beginning to feel nervous. 

“I don’t know. Not enough evidence to conclude anything.” 

“But...what about the dogs?” 

“Who knows.” 

“Xu Kai…” Yoo Jung whispered. He turned to her pointing to a woven basket. When he walked over to the basket, he noticed piles of dog leashes, some stained with blood. 

“It looks like you found my prized collection.” 

The two shifted their eyes toward the man who was holding a tray with the tea cups and a kettle. 

“And it looks like our stay is overdue.” Xu Kai said, pressing his fingers on Yoo Jung’s shoulder. She knew what this meant. 

Yoo Jung smiled, “Thank you for inviting us inside. We’ll wait for Mr. Song and my sister out on the road. That way, they don’t miss us.” 

“Of course.” the man said with a sly smile. His voice sent a chill up Yoo Jung’s spine. He went on, “I don’t normally have guests as you can see, I prefer other sources of company… It’s too bad you can’t stay longer. I really like you two, especially your...hair.” 

Yoo Jung let out a nervous laugh. She stood from the couch and was about to move, but Xu Kai held her wrist. 

“Excuse me, but can you lead us to the front door?” Xu Kai asked politely. 

“Of course…” The man led them out the door and waved goodbye. Xu Kai and Yoo Jung ran out so fast, Yoo Jung felt like her legs were going to fall off. They finally stopped at a road sign, as Yoo Jung was completely depleted.  She held her breath and her cheeks grew wide with air, Yoo Jung turned away and puked. Xu Kai frowned and felt as though he was going to throw-up too. 

“You- you!” Yoo Jung could hardly speak, “your legs are twice as long as mine. You- you could at least try to run at my pace!” 

“And die?” Xu Kai said breathlessly, “This is why we never enter a stranger’s home. We could’ve been his next victims!” 

“We shouldn’t judge him yet.” 

“I rather puke than be skinned.” 

“Skinned? How did you know that?” 

“He had a dog-fur pelt as his table cloth-” 

“WHAT?!” Yoo Jung jumped, “You saw that?” 

“My mom was a veterinarian, I can recognize a dog’s anatomy and fur when I see one.” Xu Kai answered. 

She was speechless. Yoo Jung could hardly believe that they were almost  this old man’s next table cloth. 

“And next time, never turn your back on an enemy. You always have them go first so they don’t do anything to you without you knowing.”

“What?” Yoo Jung couldn’t think straight, still traumatized by the likelihood of being killed. 

“Nevermind, your ‘I-graduated-high-school-at-fourteen’ brain isn’t going to get it.” Xu Kai said, trying to catch his breath. Yoo Jung finally noticed how tightly she was holding Xu Kai’s hands, she can see her knuckles turn white. She pulled away quickly as Xu Kai released his grip too. The two heard a honking and turned to the sound. 

“Leena!” Yoo Jung cried upon seeing her best friend. Leena ran out of the car and embraced Yoo Jung, “what on earth happened?!” 

“Leena-ah! I hate camping!” Yoo Jung sobbed 

--- ONE DAY AGO ---

Leena threw her suitcase in the back seat, “It’ll be fun, Yoo Jung, trust me.” 

Yoo Jung felt weary, she tucked her dark brown hair behind her ears, “Me and nature are not friends. I hate being outside. I made myself take a survival class in college because I’m so afraid nature will do something to me. Have you ever seen the movie-” 

“Yoo Jung! It’s only for a weekend. YOU WILL BE FINE. Our annual camping trip is always exciting. Eugenia does a great job at planning it. ” Lina said, closing the car door. 

“Well, all she does is just sit at her desk and look at Mr. Song’s schedule all day…” Yoo Jung replied, “Everyone in the office knows that Eugenia is the least motivated employee.” 

Leena laughed, “I know, I know. Her gifting is in event planning, not schedule planning. Besides, I have a feeling Seung Hyung might propose this weekend!” she squealed with excitement. Leena zipped up her neon pink sweater, and leered. Yoo Jung couldn’t help but adore her best friend whom she considered her older sister, she smiled brightly, “Seriously? How do you know?” 

“His secretary told me that he was looking at rings two weeks ago.” Leena hugged Yoo Jung, “that’s why I really want you to come to our company’s camping trip.” 

“I’m so happy for you Leena, Seung Hyung is a great person.” Yoo Jung said, giving in to her best friend’s hug. 

Leena pulled away, “you’ll also meet his son too! I believe you two are the same age.” 

“Oh. That’ll be fun.” Yoo Jung replied sarcastically. 

“He’s a bit of a tough nut to crack, but he can be very sweet. I know you’ll get along. He’s Seung Hyun’s plus-one for the trip!” Leena laughed. 

The two drove 1.5 hours to the special location and met with all of their coworkers. The camp was surrounded by a glistening lake and fields of forests and farm land. The campsite was luxurious. Yoo Jung didn’t imagine a large mansion-like building made of oak wood, with a balcony encircling it as a ‘cabin.’ The place was scenic, nestled on a hill surrounded with wild flowers. 

“Hi, Yoo Jung. I’m so glad you can join us.” Seung Hyung greeted. He was tall and slender, wearing a flannel button-up and worn out jeans. He was dashing, not to mention he was also a successful lawyer. Yoo Jung couldn’t be happier for her friend. 

“This is my son, Xu Kai.” Seung Hyung gestured his son over to Yoo Jung and Leena. Xu Kai looked just like his father: tall, slender...dashing. His stare was penetrating, his jawline can cut through a rock, but he didn’t have a smile. In fact, he seemed like he had the same attitude as Yoo Jung: camping was the last thing they wanted to do. 

“I’m Yoo Jung, Kim Yoo Jung-”

“She’s like my little sister!” Leena cheerfully interjected, giving Yoo Jung a big, back hug, “Please take good care of her!”

“Leena, I don’t need to be taken care of!” Yoo Jung whispered harshly, pulling away from Leena’s arms. 

Seung Hyung joked, “Well, I think it’s more our Xu Kai that needs taking care of. Leena said that you completed your master’s degree along with your bachelors? That is very impressive!” 

Yoo Jung let out a shy laugh, “Well, it wasn’t too bad.” 

“She’s so smart! Her degree is in education! She just applied for this prestigious high school, oh gosh, Yoo Jung-ah what’s the name of that school again?” Leena asked. 

“Leena-ah, I haven’t heard back from them yet, so it doesn’t matter.” 

“But isn’t the school’s name-” 

“Mr. Song! Should we get started?” called a voice of one of the employees. 

“Yes! Let’s go inside everyone and get settled in!” Seung Hyung said, leading the way inside the wooden mansion. 

“This must be the Song Law Firm! Welcome!” exclaimed the host, “I’m so glad you all are here! We have lots of recreational activities in place as well as relaxing ones, like our famous Japanese-style spa. But, of course, we can’t forget our annual partner scavenger hunt, which has a one thousand dollar prize waiting for its winner!” 

Everyone cheered and Yoo Jung’s eyes widened. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on that prize! 

The host continued, “So, let’s put our things away and meet back here in ten minutes!” 

“Seung Hyung donated the one thousand dollars for this scavenger hunt. It’s the first place prize! He’s also adding an additional gift certificate to a hotel stay in Jeju Island, but that’s a secret, so no telling!” Leena whispered over to Yoo Jung while the two hauled their suitcases to their rooms.

“What’s second place?” Yoo Jung asked. 

“Seven hundred and fifty dollars!”

Yoo Jung grinned in delight, “The first prize will be mine! You and I will for sure win this!” 

“Well…” 

“Well what?” 

“Since I know where the prize will be… I can’t participate…” Leena said hesitantly. 

“What?! Who will be my partner then?” 

/ 

“Stop looking so gloomy! It’ll be fun!” Seung Hyun said, patting Xu Kai on the back, “Yoo Jung is smart, so you’ll have a high chance at winning!” 

Xu Kai buckled his life jacket, “Dad, this is a horrible idea. Being stuck with your future sister-in-law for two hours is not only awkward but-” 

“Stop complaining, if you don’t hurry, you’ll end up with the stern instead and not a canoe.” 

/

“You got us a stern? How do you  operate that thing? How fast can it go?” Yoo Jung questioned upon stepping on to it. Her legs wobbled as the stern shifted back and forth. She sat down and  could feel the hot afternoon sun burn her bare shoulders. Yoo Jung wore a sleeveless, blue shirt and a purple jacket tied around her waist. 

“It was the only one left, besides, I do know how to operate a stern.” Xu Kai replied, he slowly stepped into the stern too, trying his hardest to balance. Xu Kai looked up at the sky and readjusted his navy blue cap, “A storm is rolling in…” 

--- PRESENT TIME ---

Yoo Jung took a long sip of her warm tea; huddled in her blankets on her bed, she scrolled away on her laptop, the computer lights reflecting off of her glasses. 

“Ya!” she cried when the bright lights of her room switched on, “Who?!” Yoo Jung looked over at her door seeing Xu Kai standing there, “Hey, what are you doing here?” 

“Your door was open.” 

“So? I was going to close it.” 

Xu Kai walked over and sat on the floor beside her, “What are you doing?” he questioned. 

Yoo Jung gave up on trying to get Xu Kai to leave. She actually didn’t mind his company given the fact that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere and escaped a likely death together. 

“I’m looking up the guy that we met earlier. You won’t believe what I found.” 

Xu Kai gazed at her with curiosity, “What?” 

“This man was pretty much a dog-murderer.” Yoo Jung answered in a slight whisper, with her eyes glued to the screen, “he was arrested two years ago for animal cruelty when a neighbor noticed a foul smell of rotting meat coming from his barn. Go Eun Cho is his name. He was released from prison on good behavior, but is still on parole. Look, two months ago, he violated his parole when another neighbor heard several dogs barking in his house.” 

“You know that animal cruelty is an early sign of a pschopathic serial killer.” Xu Kai said, “This is disgusting.” 

“I suppose that makes sense,” she agreed, “those poor dogs.” 

“What if there are still dogs on his property?” 

Yoo Jung didn’t make a sound, she knew what he was thinking. 

“He violated his parole only two months ago. What if there are still dogs hidden in the barn on his property? The only way to find out is to check.” 

“Are you crazy? We can’t just walk up to the old man’s house, knock on his door, say ‘hey, we looked you up and saw that you are a potentially a psychopathic serial killer and we want to make sure you aren’t murdering any animals, may we check your house?’” Yoo Jung mocked. 

“Who said we’re going to knock on his door?” Xu Kai declared. 

Yoo Jung gaped at him in disbelief, “Don’t you get it? It’s dangerous. You said it yourself, we shouldn’t be entering a stranger’s home. We could be his next victims.” Yoo Jung reminded him. 

“But, is he a stranger anymore? We know plenty of information to suggest that he could still be holding animals in his home.” Xu Kai repelled, standing up from the floor. 

“We- we should just report our concerns to the police.” Yoo Jung stuttered, following him. 

“Do you honestly think they will do anything about it? If we file a complaint, the most they’ll do is pay a short visit. You saw what we found in his house, nothing. But if we check his barn, there might be animals hidden there.” Xu Kai took out his phone and began searching something up. 

“What are you doing?”

“Looking up his house. He gave me the address and I want to make sure I know where the barn is located.” 

“You remembered his address?” Yoo Jung questioned, impressed by his sound memory. 

“It’s easy for me to remember things like this.” he answered, his eyes glued to his phone screen. 

Yoo Jung bit her lower lip, feeling reluctant and anxious, “Ok, fine! If we do this, Leena and your dad can’t know.” 

“C’mon.” 

“What?! Now? But I haven't eaten yet…”