http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwaVA2ZS1kk (Right click to open in a new tab)

Kim Hyunjoong - Kiss, Kiss

Hyunjoong

My alarm wakes me up at 5.30 a.m from my peaceful sleep. I rub my eyes groggily and then get up to take a shower. After eating breakfast, I finish the last of my packing and head out to catch a cab to the trainstation. A cab stops as I holler and the cab driver puts my baggage into the trunk, we then drive off to the trainstation.

I board the train and take a seat next to the window where the cool breeze blows my hair playfully. As soon as the train starts moving, I grab a book out of my baggage and start reading. It doesn't take long until I fall into a gentle slumber.

***

I wake up around 6 p.m and notice an old man sitting in front of me. I straighten myself and smile politely, he smiles back stiffly. I try to start a conversation but the old man is already ahead of me;

''Where are you travelling to, young man?'' he asks with a rough, hard voice. I crinkle my nose as his cigarette breath reaches me so I shuffle and lean my arm against the window to get some fresh breeze. 

''To Jeungsan, ahjussi,'' I say. As soon as I mention it, his face turns into a frown.

''Now why would you go to such a horrible village, boy?'' he says with a stern tone.

''Aish, please don't tell me that you believe in the Jeungsan folklore as well?'' I sigh.

''I do!'' he exclaims. Well then, I think it's time to question him.

''Can you tell me about the folklore?'' I ask and start taking out a notepad.

''No,'' he says flatly.

''Why not?'' I ask, giving him a questioning look. He refuses to say anything. Another question. I clear my throat;

''Can you at least tell me about the village?'' I ask, hoping that he'll answer.

''The village holds a curse, young man. You are not in your right state of mind if you go there,'' he warns. I slightly squint my eyes to show my disbelief. He chuckles and continues;

''Young men like you tend to be naive and never take advice from elders,'' he says and lights a cigarette. I reach my hand out and grab the cigarette. He gives me a confused look.

''It's bad to smoke, ahjussi,'' I say and stub the cigarette out.

''Aish, this boy!'' he mumbles. I chuckle.

''Next stop, Gusan!'' the speaker announces.

''Ah, my station! It was nice meeting you, young man. But don't ever say that you've never been warned about the village. Be safe!'' he says and hurriedly gets off the train. How come I'm the only one who doesn't know about Jeungsan's folklore? A quick thought comes into my mind; my laptop. How on earth could I forget about it? The answer's been right under my nose the whole time.

I take my laptop out and type in; Jeungsan village and folklore. I never expected the searches to be so... little. An article catches my interest and I click on it;

25^th October, 2012.

Mysterious disappearances of young women in Jeungsan still ongoing

Another girl has disappeared and left no traces at all. 17-year-old, Shin Ji Soo, was last seen on Tuesday late afternoon spending time with her friends. The Jeungsan case has been open for 5 years and the police can't seem to find the cause of the disappearances. When we asked the local villagers about it, they either stayed quiet or became irritated. So far, no villager has said anything about the disappearances. We now know why this village seems to be ''cursed'' as no one can explain the disappearances and the strange posters hanging everywhere in Jeungsan. One anonymous person gave us a tip that the villagers would sometimes meet together in groups at night and walk up the hill to a certain monastery. As we got curious about it, we sneaked into the village late at night to film any occurences, that's when we got shocked.

While filming around 12 p.m, villagers slowly started showing up and knocked on everyone's door. As they all gathered, they started walking up the hill. Around 40 people were seen walking up there. We got interrupted while filming as two villagers noticed us and began chasing us with sickles. Luckily, we made it to our van and drove off. Unfortunately, the police didn't believe us since we somehow lost the tapes while being chased.

The crew and I made a vow to never step into that village ever again.

Woo Jae-Hwa

Hmm, interesting. I spend all evening researching about Jeungsan village, but the strange thing is, I can't seem to find the folklore at all. As far as I've come to know, people have different experiences in that village. Some mentions good things about it, others bad. I don't know what to think about the village, but I'll soon find out when I arrive.

After eating dinner, I read my book for a while and then prepare myself to go to sleep as there's nothing else to do. I close the window and wrap myself in a blanket tightly. Within a matter of seconds, I drift off.

***

''Next stop: Jeungsan Station!'' the speaker announces.

I quickly wake up, grab my things and hurry out. I'm finally here.

As soon as I step out, I get this strange vibe which I can't really describe. It's not a comfortable vibe, though. I take a cab to the village and as soon as I mention Jeungsan village, the cab driver looks kind of... frightened? He's a bit reluctant at first but finally gives in. I arrive at the village 15 minutes later and the driver quickly drives off, not even giving a glance at my payment. I sigh and stuff the money into my pocket and enter the village with confidence.

After a while of searching for my house, I finally find it. It's not really what I imagined it to be but... oh well. The house is small, plain and old-looking. I notice the villagers are staring at me so I smile back at them and they just ignore it.

What a nice welcome.