It is always the same dream.

Village

"Lee Chaerin." A small, slender woman said to me by way of a greeting. Her long hair was braided rather haphazardly, sitting around her neck and across her shoulders like a coiled snake. She stuck out her hand from underneath her flowing black robe.
Before I could even react, she had pulled away and begun walking - no, strutting - along the deserted road in her bare feet. Siwon had told me that these tribespeople were said to be one of the most technologically advanced in South Korea. I had no idea where he had gotten that information from because Chaerin seemed like she did not even own a pair of slippers. I was aware of how insensitive my thoughts were, but this entire assignment had me on the edge.

I turned back to pay the taxi I had arrived in. It had long since disappeared, leaving a trail of dust behind it.
How odd. Oh well, his loss. I stuffed my money back into the pockets of  my jeans.
I turned again to Chaerin, asking, "You do know where we're going, don't you? Why isn't Neukyong marked on any of my maps?"

She pretended not to hear me and kept walking at lightning speed.

How rude, I mumbled to myself, fidgeting with my small backpack, the only luggage I had.

Or rather, the only luggage I was allowed to carry with me before Miss Stuck-up Lee Chaerin threw the rest of it in a 'safety drop'. She wouldn't even tell me why, or even what a 'safety drop' was. As if my underwear could kill anyone.
"You will know what Suho allows you to know." That is all she had said by way of explanation for literally every single question I asked her since I had met her at the taxi stop. It didn't matter to her that I had no clue what a Suho was.

She must have thought that she was being mysterious, but she was just being annoying. 
And she was fast. I had to run to keep up with her. 

A few minutes later, the untarred muddy road had disappeared and we stood facing the tiniest, most dangerous pathway I had ever seen.

"We're walking on that?" I exclaimed in shock.

It was a fallen tree, at least 40 feet long and about 3 feet wide, laid across a wide canyon. Beyond it lay the forest of Neukyong, vast, green, and unbelievably dense.
We hadn't even entered the forest and the claustrophobia was already creeping in. Strange scents infiltrated my nostrils, filling me with a heady sense of adventure. I was as drawn to the forest as I was repulsed by it. I had always thought that being surrounded by nature, so many plants and trees, was supposed to help you breathe better. But at the moment, I could hardly see the fallen tree in front of me clearly. I doubted I could make it across the deep gorge without falling right into it.

"Problem?" Chaerin sneered, enjoying my discomfort. 
"N-no." I stuttered. She shook her head at me and walked towards my left.
Even as I watched, with my mouth open wide and hanging off my jaws, she crouched on the ground and dug a small pit with her bare hands. In seconds, it was deep enough for a small child to stand in.

She pulled out another black robe, similar to hers, and handed it to me.
"Put it on.  And no more questions." She said curtly when she saw my lips quiver. She walked confidently towards that fallen tree that was used as a bridge between the the road and the actual forestland.

She grabbed my arm and roughly dragged me along as well ignoring all my protests. I am pretty sure my eyes were squeezed shut for most of the walk across that tree.

I even screamed. But did Chaerin care? No.
It's a wonder I didn't die right then.

Fortunately or not, I survived that ordeal. 

It was twilight by the time Chaerin and I reached the hut we were now standing in.

"Mog," Chaerin addressed the old man in front of us with a ninety-degree bow and her fists crossed over her heart . She gestured for me to do the same. I almost fell over. 

The old man stood up and walked towards the back of the tiny hut we were in and whispered something out the window. 

While we were waiting for some miracle to happen, I lifted my head from that uncomfortable ninety-degree bow and observed my surroundings. A plain mud hut, with a window, a door, a small lamp and a few chairs. And the old man. His movements seemed blurred somehow; as if I was watching from behind thick glass.

Chaerin was always in such a hurry; it had been hard to actually see where we were, or even remember the way. Once we crossed that bridge, she'd led me through the forest in a million different circles before we'd arrived at a tiny, obscure village. I swear, I couldn't remember the way out of here even if my life depended on it. I was trapped here.

A handsome young man entered the room just then; and the older man left abruptly.

"Suho, I have brought the Stranger," Chaerin greeted, straightening from her bow. I straightened up, too. The way Chaerin said his name sounded almost subservient, as though 'Suho' was a title that he had earned for himself after performing some great deed.
The young man nodded. His skin shone in the lamplight. He was unnaturally pale.
Vampire, I thought and gasped aloud.

Suho turned his attention to me. "You are Shim Hyunjeong." It was not a question.
He cocked his head to the side, as if listening for a sound.
"Uh, yes... sir," I added for good measure. This man was treated with such great respect here, though he seemed barely the same age as me. I tried to think before I spoke, but I could see I wasn't doing a good job of that.

He read the fear on my face and chuckled to himself. "No need to worry, Miss Shim. We will take good care of you."
I stood staring at him for what seemed like an eternity.
"You are our guest. And you will be with us for a long time." Something about the way he said it unsettled me.
He seemed to be waiting for some kind of response. I nodded meekly.

I also realized that Chaerin had left the r