Seungri and Chaerin hike over a small wooden bridge. They reach a small clearing. There are a number ofsigns pointing toward different trails.

Chaerin grabs the map and some water. Seungri swigs some water, munches on trail mix, takes a peek in the guidebook.

 

“What do you think? “Cannibal” Trail or the other one?” Chaerin ask.

 

“Guidebook says a couple of these other trails lead to some pretty sweet views.”

 

“We’re not Lewis and/or Clark. We’re gonna stick to one of the ones the Ranger said.”

 

“You folks need some help?” A woman around 40s, approaches, wheeling some supplies in a handmade wagon. She is worn, haggard, but has a friendly, smile. She wears a flannel shirt, old jeans and dirty boots.

 

“We’re just going over our options here.” Seungri said.

 

“Well, take it from me, any way you choose, you can’t go wrong.” The woman said.

 

“The Ranger at base suggested Donner Trail or...” Chaerin said.

 

“...Willow Bridge. I think the Ranger only knows those two trails. Well. Between those, I’d pick Donner Trail.

Willow Bridge will shoot you to the top, but there’s not as much to see.” The woman weaves through Peddler’s Point,

it’s a better hike and prettier all around view.

 

Chaerin looks at Seungri. “What do you think?”

 

Then, the woman notices a ring on Chaerin’s finger. “That’s a pretty ring.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Not your traditional wedding ring, but it’s all the same in the Lord’s eyes.” “How long have you two been wed?”

 

Chaerin and Seungri trade looks.

 

“Oh... we’re not married. Not yet anyway.” Chaerin answer her.

 

Seungri shoots her a look: “not yet?”

 

“It’s a ring my father gave me for graduation.”

 

The woman replied feels embarrassed. “Oh, I’m sorry. You just looked like you was married is’all. Both so beautiful.”

 

(Beat)

 

“I’m just an old fashioned silly-bird. I need to mind my own business.”

 

“No, it’s fine.” Chaerin replies.

 

“Which one of those trails got the best clearings?” Seungri divert the topics.

 

“Clearings? Neither will give you much in the way of clearings. But, there’s another path, this one here points to the map. The Falls. Its got some beautiful vistas and one of the prettiest falls you’ll ever see.”

 

“Sounds perfect.” Seungri said looking at Chaerin.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Last thing you need is me fussing’round you, taking you from your private time.”

 

“Thank you.” Chaerin said to the woman.

 

“Yeah, thanks for the tip.” Seungri say.

 

The woman walks off, but stops only a few feet away. “I’m just gonna say it and go, but if you two were to marry... I bet the

Lord would bless you with a happy, healthy and handsome child. Good luck and God bless you both.”

 

Chaerin and Seungri don’t know how to respond. The woman leaves. Once out of earshot...

 

“I suddenly feel the need for confession.” Chaerin confessed.

 

“Not yet? Love taking your shots, don’t ya?”

 

Chaerin shoots him a stern, but playfully y, look. “When I see an opening.”

 

Seungri checks the map. “That path she was talking about winds through these falls. What do you think?”

 

“I think... if you get eaten by a bear and there isn’t a Ranger around, I’m not carrying what’s left of you down

this mountain.”

 

“And they say romance is dead.” Seungri said smiling wide.

 

They throw on their backpacks and head on their way.

 

“Who’s Lewis and/or Clark?”

 

“You really were stoned through high school.” Chaerin said disbelief.

 

****

 

Chaerin and Seungri continuing their trek on the thin path.

Seungri maneuvers around a massive tree. He freezes. Gestures for Chaerin to be quiet and mouths the words, “Don’t Move.”

 

Chaerin stops, startled. Seungri motions towards...a mountain stag, with magnificent antlers, chews on a plant in the distance.

 

Chaerin quietly slides out her digital camera. Snaps a photo of the animal. The Stag stops chewing and looks at them.

After a long beat, the Stag skips away through the trees.

 

Chaerin watches the animal disappear, smiles.

Seungri removes his backpack and crosses to Chaerin. He helps remove her backpack and kisses her. She kisses him back.

 

“You’re going to lose that out here.” Seungri said angle on Chaerin’s heart-shaped locket through her shirt.

 

“It’s fine. I never take it off. Not since you gave it to me. Betcha don’t remember...”

 

“...February 27, 2006.”

 

Chaerin stares incredulously, romantically at Seungri. Speechless.

 

“I remember every moment with you.”

 

“I’ve got you so whipped.”

 

They kiss. Chaerin climbs onto Seungri’s lap. He leans back, better positioning, places his hand down, when...

 

“OUCH!” Seungri yelled.

 

Seungri brings his hand back up. Blood trickles out of a small cut across his palm.

 

“What?” Chaerin said panicky.

 

“My hand... Something stuck it.”

 

Chaerin quickly examines the cut. Seungri quickly becomes flustered, woozy. He turns away from the wound.

 

“It’s okay. It’s not too deep. Let me get the first aid kit.”

Chaerin rummages through her bag. Seungri, in more psychological discomfort than physical, looks away wincing.

Chaerin returns, wipes the blood away best she can. She applies some peroxide...

 

“That stung.” Seungri groan.

 

“Gotta clean the wound, baby.”

 

****

 

OBSCURED POV

From a distance... through trees.

Chaerin attends to Seungri’s wound.

The POV narrows... solely on Chaerin.

 

****

 

Seungri looks at Chaerin, a twinge of embarrassment in his eyes. “You know me and blood... we don’t do so well.”

 

“I know.” “All done.”

 

CRUNCH of something stepping on a thicket.

Chaerin glances toward the sound. Seungri admires the dressing of the wound. “Not bad, Nightingale. Not bad at all.”

 

“Did you hear something?”

 

Seungri follows her eye-line. There’s a softer CRUNCH. “It’s probably the deer.”

 

“The deer went in the other direction.”

 

Seungri’s demeanour suddenly becomes cold, creepy. “Maybe it’s someone, or something, stalking us.”

 

“Quit it.”

 

“Something inhuman watching our every move.”

 

“I said, knock it off.”

 

“Something coming for you, Chaerin.”

 

Chaerin straps on her backpack. “Just when I think there’s hope for you.”

 

“What?”

 

“You’re an .” Chaerin walks away.

 

“This is a joke. You’re not really mad, are you? Chaerin...?”

 

She turns the corner and is out of sight.

 

“I’m sorry!” Seungri yelled under his breath. Unbelievable.

Seungri’s in disbelief. He grabs his backpack, heads after her. “Chaerin!”

 

He turns the corner, looks up, but doesn’t see her. The path winds like a snake.

 

“Chaerin, wait up!” Seungri moves up the winding path. He stops, eyes searching. Something’s wrong.

 

The path opens up. Seungri can now see a hundred yards ahead, but... No sign of her. “Chaerin?! This isn’t funny.”

 

Silence.

 

Two birds sream and fly from their perch overhead. Seungri eyes the birds, then takes off.

Seungri heart-rate increases. He moves quickly up the path, a steep incline. He brushes past a bush and stops. Lying just

off the path... CHAERIN’S BLUE HIKER’S TOWEL. He picks it up.

 

“Chaerin?!” No reply. His heart now pounding.

 

Seungri moving faster. Up ahead, he stops again, finds... CHAERIN’’S RED BANDANA.

 

“Chaerin!”

 

Silence.

 

Seungri picks up the bandana. He’s flying. He cuts through

some tiny evergreens, off the path...

Seungri freezes when he sees... Chaerin’s backpack lies against a tree. A few feet farther along, her cut-off jean shorts. Next to them... her shirt. But no Chaerin, until...

 

“Good old Hansel. Following the trail of bread crumbs.”

 

Seungri turns to see Chaerin lying against a rock, wearing just her bra and . She smiles at him coyly. Seungri exhales deeply. Relieved, but fuming.

 

“You .”

 

“Doesn’t feel good to be teased, does it?”

 

Okay, he had that coming.

 

“Truce?”

 

“Truce.” She smiling.

 

He takes her in. She’s quite a sight. He sits down next to her. They kiss. Then... Seungri breaks the embrace.

 

“Don’t disappear on me again.”

 

Chaerin mouths the words, “I promise.” Crosses her heart.

 

He leans in, they kiss again. Soft and sweet at first. Then it deepens. Chaerin rubs his chest and removes his shirt. They kiss again. Harder this time. Their hands all over one another.

 

Seungri slides his hand under Chaerin’s , between her legs. She moans softly. Chaerin unhooks her bra and is about to remove it, when:

 

“Hey, Check this out.” A man around 30s, a skinny local with a twisted smile and his friend, 20’s, a slob, emerge from the forest. They are followed by...another man around 30s, scruffy and unshaven, probably their ringleader. The ringleader clutches a shotgun in one hand and a weathered sack in the other.

 

“Looks like we got ourselves a little party.”

 

The ringleader and his friend ogle Chaerin. She tucks herself behind Seungri, who shifts quickly into protective mode. She snaps her bra back closed.

 

“We were just moving our way up the mountain.” Seungri said eyeing the man in front of him.

 

“You were moving your way’round more than just that.” The ringleader reply.

 

Chaerin eyes her discarded clothes. The skinny man spots them too. He grabs the shorts, sniffs them.

 

“Like a peach.”

 

Seungri tries to seem relaxed and friendly.

 

“You folks best be careful about what you do up here... Never know who’s watching.” The ringleader said.

 

“Appreciate the advice...I think we learned our lesson.” Seungri said still tries to seem relaxed and friendly.

 

The ringleader nods as he looks them up and down.

 

“You city folk, ain’t ya?

 

“No, just up for a weekend trip. And, uh... you folks live up here?

 

The ringleader glances at two of his men, then back at Seungri.

 

“It’s easy to spot the city folk. It’s like they’re trying to be friendly, when really they don’t want to be.

 

“I think you just startled us is all.”

 

Chaerin looks over at...

...one of the ringleader man sticks his tongue between his fingers, rapidly flails it about.

 

Uncomfortable silence.

 

“We’ll just be on our way.” “May I have those?” Seungri eyeing for Chaerin’s shorts. A bold move from Seungri.

 

Long beat. Tension high.

 

The ringleader concedes, gestures to the skinny man to give the shorts back. The skinny man reluctantly obliges.

 

Seungri passes them to Chaerin who slides them on. Two of the ringleader man eyes on her soak in every inch of Chaerin as she does.

Seungri takes Chaerin’s hand. They make a move, but... the ringleader stops them with the barrel of his shotgun.

 

“Where you runnin’ off to?” The ringleader said.

 

“Yeah, we just getting acquainted and .” The skinny man interrupted.

 

Seungri glances down at the barrel that runs across his chest.

He can no longer hide his fear. “We just want to get a little further along before the sun sets.”

 

The skinny man eyes the sky. The sun beams down through the trees. “Plenty of time’fore that.”

 

“Look. We don’t want any trouble. We just want to be on our way...” Seungri said.

 

“And why do you suppose we mean to make trouble?”

 

Seungri looks down at the gun. The ringleader smiles a yellow smile.