It’s just another repetitive day for Son Seungwan. Seven o'clock.

Waking up, brushing her teeth, drinking at least 500ml of water to start—staying hydrated is never not important, and she continues with opening her laptop to look at the latest news, Youtube trending videos… and possibly job invitations.

The two-year pandemic still left its crippling marks for the opportunity to do her usual work of taking photos of some birds in New Zealand pissing or monkeys mating in Bhutan. Life has finally started to run quite similarly as pre-pandemic, though unfortunately not for the long International flights that used to take her somewhere as far as the Cape of Good Hope and even Longyearbyen, the northest city in the world which is only around 650 miles from the North Pole and extremely cold to the bone.

She never liked long hauls, as she flies mostly in economy, but now that she’s practically stuck most of the time at her rented studio apartment binge-watching series in Amazon Prime as Netflix is getting more mundane for her, updating her portfolio in her blog, and selecting worthy photos to be uploaded as stock photos for additional dimes, she kind of misses the taste of some icky lasagna for breakfast. Not that she’s getting a meltdown or no work at all—she still got some magazine or catalogue gigs, but having the past two years of not exercising her adrenaline somewhere outdoors to fill her pockets would count as something risky for her overall well-being in the next few years.

She just turned 29 last winter, still young by western standards, but definitely a dangerous territory in Asiatique regard—a year before hitting thirty means the Asian deadline for marriage and having a stable 9-5 job is getting even nearer to the finish line. Lucky for her, her parents had quite an intense education abroad in Canada and very much embraced the "chill" approach to life. At least the Asian deadline doesn’t choke her as hard as her schoolmates.

Financially wise, she actually made great bucks working fulltime as a freelance wildlife photographer, even Nat Geo is, or rather was, her loyal client. But still… a 20-ish female working contract-based as a photographer doesn't seem too convincing for most.

While she's watching some younglings dancing and singing a retroesque Korean Youtube-trending pop song sprinkled with discoesque beats, which is terribly overused and getting boring for her yet surprisingly attractive, her phone rings.

 

"Please don't tell me you woke up at some random rich kid's penthouse studying MBA in SNU and need my help to save your , Kim." It's a very rare occasion to receive a call around 7AM from Kim Yerim.

"What an attitude," responded her only friend from college that would make the effort to be in daily contact with her. They met at a photography club, Yerim was her junior, and just hit it off as they have similar antics. "And no I'm not. Though it would be great if it's real."

Seungwan laughed. "What's up? Cockroach came to wake you up in the face or something?"

"Ew unnie, don't start! I'm hanging up the phone now—"

"Wait Yerimmie, I was just kidding. Come come sweetie pie, I'm all ears," Seungwan said, with some drops of cutesy in her tone.

"You haven't left that cage of yours since God knows when, do you?"

"Okay it's my turn to hang up the phone--"

Yeri giggled. "Just kidding unnie. An eye for an eye. Are you free today and tomorrow? Bet you do."

"Yeah, why?"

"Then you have no reason to avoid accompanying me to Jirisan National Park!"

"And just what do you want me to do there?"

"Geez! I just simply want to take some nature pics. I think it's been awhile for me, two days one night would be enough."

"When?" Seungwan gets geared up when she hears the word "nature". It's not that she's a total outdoorsy and nature-y person, but she misses the ambiance of it.

"Right now. Heading to your apartment. 15 minutes ETA," Yerim said. "See you unnie!"

"Are you serio--???" Yerim hung up the call already.

 

Seungwan looks at her phone. She can't believe of what she just heard. It was indeed surprising and so sudden but there's gonna be camera clicks! National Park! Some trees! Some greenery! And some clicks!

Turns out today's not just another repetitive day for Son Seungwan.

 

---

 

Took around 3 hours to reach the National Park. Yerim had ordered two savory double cheese potato Isaac Toasts for their breakfast on-the-go. After they arrive, they go straight to their hotel room, putting their belongings, and then preparing their gears for the photo hunt. They might have less than 5 years in the industry, but they sure have the discipline to not waste their time for other things than getting themselves in the wild as soon as possible before the sun sets.

 

"You're going to bring two cameras for the shoot?" Seungwan asks, with Yerim attaching her macro lens on the second camera.

"Yeah, why?"

"One is enough. Trust me, you don't want to be bothered having your hands movement limited by that."

"I thought you're just saying that so it's easier to hold my hand during our hunt," Yerim smirks.

Seungwan throws a pillow to her beloved sisterlike friend. "Gee... I'm not that desperate!"

"Are you?" Yerim sticks her tongue out.

"I'm going back to Seoul."

"You're really so fun to tease, unnie." Yerim continues laughing.

"Whatever," Seungwan shakes her head, rechecking her gears and heading to the door. "But still, one camera is enough. It's up to you, though. It's your life."

"Why are you being passive-aggressive now! I'm just kidding Wan unnie," pouts Yerim as she closes her backpack, takes her camera, and goes to follow Seungwan who's already outside the room.

 

The clock may show 11 o'clock in the afternoon but since it's pre-summer and it's the largest mountainous park in the country, the weather feels supportive for the photo hunt. Seungwan misses the outdoor air. It's not like she couldn't go outside by herself but she's never fond of traveling around her own country with her own initiative—in other words the woman is personally kind of snobbish when it comes to travel, well with such extensive experience she's got we really cannot blame her.

 

"Unnie! Please take a photo of me," Yerim says. They are now stopping around a cliff after an hour walk full of taking photos here and there. They totally love their hunt and the view could never disappoint.

"Oh, I didn't know you're part of wildlife now."

"Shut up, unnie."

Seungwan laughs and prepares her camera to attach the wider lens as she uses the macro one. Once both Seungwan and Yerim are ready for the shoot, Seungwan notices something at the sky.

"Wait, you see that one?" Seungwan puts her camera down and points to the sky.

"What? I think it's just some kind of bird or a maybe jet."

Seungwan is not actually reassured with the answer and they both continue with the shoot.

"Thanks Seungwan unnie!" Yerim says, checking the result on Seungwan's camera. "Damn! I think you have some 'its' to work on fashion."

"Don't even start," Seungwan disliked the all-bourgeousie ambiance with all the gossip circling around that industry. And she's got her own comfort zone being in the wild.

"I know you're reaching 30 soon but it's never too late to start anew. Plus you definitely got the eyes for it. Why don't you try? I know it's not as challenging as photographing tiger."

"You have a point."

"Do'oh. Of course I have a point."

Seungwan smiles. "Wanna have another shot? Maybe you could try to have some variations with your pose. You definitely have some 'its' to be a petite model."

"Awww... Unnie you don't really have to return the compliment." Yerim playfully slaps Seungwan's shoulder.

"Just go pose or I'll turn off my camera and leave."

"URGH!!!"

 

Hearing Yerim's remarks, Seungwan can't help not to giggle. When she's about to take Yerim's picture, she notices that the thing she saw beforehand is getting bigger. She continues to take pictures and she realizes it's getting closer to their position. 

 

"Oh no..." Seungwan changes her viewing modes back and forth from the camera's viewfinder and with her bare eyes.

"Is there something, unnie?"

Seungwan's eyes widen. The thing is getting smaller but closer. It's got a rocky texture until she realizes... "Yerim, MOVE!"

She grabs Yerim in milliseconds and covers her on the ground. Seungwan's not sure what that thing actually is but it sure heads to their position.

"Oh my God, Seungwan unnie what was that?" They get up and look at the material that just hit the earth.

"It's a meteorite," Seungwan gets closer to the thing. "That's why it gets smaller. This thing comes from space."

"Whoa. I didn't know you're into space-y thingy, unnie."

"It's just basic science, Kim." Seungwan rolls her eyes. "Move, I want to take some pics."

"You do you," Yerim goes to a nearby rock and sits there.

 

Seungwan quickly changes her lens to macro and positions her camera toward the meteorite. Seungwan doesn't know why she feels quite excited with the meteorite. She controls her breath, putting her index finger on the shutter-release button. And... she clicks it. In a millisecond, she feels her body get some electricity. She's a bit scared but shrugs it off.

The second shot, she clicks it again but she can feel an even bigger electricity running from her index finger to her body. Her body's shaking with all the electric energy coming to her body. She can't handle it and she kneels.

"SEUNGWAN UNNIE!" Yerim runs to Seungwan.

Seungwan starts to feel an even greater pain within her body. "D-don't c-c-c-ome he----re....." She feels the electricity is eating her whole body and she loses her consciousness.

 

---

 

It was cold. But it's definitely not outdoor anymore, Seungwan could feel it.

She tries opening her eyes and only sees white.

 

"Am I dead already?" She mutters slowly.

 

She might be dead yeah, but she can feel almost all her body parts sore after being struck with some kind of divine lightning intervention. She looks around and sees both her camera and Yeri's on the desk. Turns out I'm not dead yet. Wait, where's Yerim?

As much as she wants to get up quickly and look for her friend, she couldn't. The pain from the goddamn electricity stays still. Seungwan pats her own forehead trying to calm herself down.

 

"Don't worry, your friend's fine."

 

Seungwan's almost shocked to death hearing an unknown female voice. "WHO'S THERE?" With an instinct she unknowingly forces herself to get up and sees a stranger, in a female form, with a cute face that most serial killers don't wear in the movies.

"Calm down. It's okay. I saved you both," the cute stranger says. "You still need a rest."

"I don't care about me! Where's Yerim?"

"She's fine. She got taken care of now."

Seungwan can't believe the words she just heard. "Just what do you mean by that?!" Forgetting all the pain that entails, she runs toward the stranger woman but the latter disappears. That makes Seungwan get scared even more.

"Don't worry. What I meant, she's being treated so that she can forget what just happened," the cute-possibly serial killer-woman appears behind Seungwan.

Seungwan clenches both her jaw and fist. "Bullshyt! That means I'm next right, I'm your next victim huh?"

"Calm down, Seungwan."

"And how do you know my name, you freak?!" Seungwan shouts and can feel that anger is rising within her. She runs toward the stranger again and she successfully grabs her. But at the same time, she feels her body weakens and off Seungwan once again losing her consciousness.

The female stranger takes off the anesthetic pen that just stabbed Seungwan's back. She sighs and puts unconscious Seungwan back to bed. "I'm sorry, Master...