Hyunjoong

''Mr. Kim! Mr. Park is calling for you. Please meet him at his office,'' Hana, the secretary, says from the speaker. I finish writing my documents and sort them in my file. I take the file with me and hurry to Mr. Park's office.

I knock on the door and Mr. Park calls me in. I bow and give him the file and set myself on a chair in front of him.

''You called me, sir,'' I say and fold my hands.

''Ah, yes. You see, I want someone to film a documentary about folk religion...'' he starts.

''And you think I'm the one who could do it?'' I ask. He nods firmly.

''I think you're the proper guy to do it. You always take your work seriously and that's what I like about you. You're very ambitious and independent,'' he says proudly. I smile and bow.

''So where should I start?'' I ask. Mr. Park clears his throat.

''You would have to move to Jeungsan which is quite far away from Seoul. It's a small village and you can get there by train. It takes roughly around 1 and a half day to arrive there. You have to stay there for at least 3 months to get the footages,'' he admits. I hesitate and Mr. Park notices it.

''It's not mandatory to do it though...'' he says calmly.

''No, no! I can do it. I just needed some time to think about it for a moment,'' I say. He smiles and chuckles.

''Great! I can always count on you! You'll be leaving tomorrow morning and take the 6.30 train. Go to Ms. Lee at the reception and she will give you the things you require to film. After that, you have permission to go home and pack,'' he says warmly. I stand up and shake his hand;

''Thank you, sir. I won't disappoint you!'' I say brightly. I turn to leave but get interrupted by Mr. Park;

''Hyunjoong! Just... be careful when you arrive at the village, arasseo?'' he warns. I look puzzling at him for a moment but I bow and leave the room quickly.

I walk to the reception and ask Hana for the requirements. She takes me to the storage room and gives me a medium-sized box that contains; empty tapes, small microphones, two tripods, CCTV cameras, a tape recorder and a brand new Sony HDR-CX760V video camera.

''Hana? Can I ask you something?'' I say.

''Hm? Yeah sure, go on,'' she says kindly and sorts the boxes in the storage room. I lean on the doorframe;

''Mr. Park warned me to be careful when I arrive at the village and he had a very concerned look on his face...'' I began. Hana stops sorting and straightens herself and tucks her hair behind her ear. She has a concerned look as well.

''What is it?'' I ask alarmingly. She clears and looks at me.

''Uhm.. I.. hmm. It.. is told that the Jeungsan village is... cursed,'' she admits.

''... And you believe that?'' I ask flatly. She nods.

''Even though it's a folklore, I kind of do,'' she says. I sigh and grab the box;

''Thanks for sorting this. See you in 3 months!'' I say and give her a tight hug. She blushes and I chuckle.

''Take care and good luck!'' she says. I wave and head to the parking lot. I stuff the box into the trunk and I drive home.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a tough journey.