Twilight melted away; a red orange glow seeped over the horizon as if the light itself was being poured from a molten sun. The whole landscape was bathed in the glow of morning sun, lighting every blade of grass, shining from each leaf.

   Water bottle, check. Ropes, check. Jooyoung inspected his backpack one last time before embarking on his expedition. He put on his jacket and grabbed his GoPro camera on his table.

   Dr. Shin peeked into Jooyoung’s room, “Dr. Kim, are you sure you don’t want any of the villagers to accompany you?”

   Jooyoung jumped at the sound of Dr. Shin’s voice, “Dr. Shin, you startled me. I’ll be fine without any company.”

   “Are you sure? It might be dangerous in there,” Dr. Shin furrowed his eyebrows.

   “I’ve prepared all the necessary equipments here if anything happens. Besides, the villagers told me that the route I’ll be taking is a common route they usually take for hunting.”

   “But…” Dr. Shin began to protest.

   Jooyoung interrupted Dr. Shin, “Dr. Shin, I’m not new to this. I’ve been trekking for years. I’ve experienced dangerous encounters before. Furthermore, the villagers assured me that there are not likely to have wild dangerous animals in the jungle. I will be back before sunset if that would make you feel better.”

   Dr. Shin sighed, “Well… I guess I can’t stop you. Just stay safe and don’t go too far.”

   Jooyoung nodded, “Will do, Dr. Shin.”

   Jooyoung carried his backpack and gave Dr. Shin a gentle squeeze on his shoulder, “I’ll better get going. See you later!”

   Dr. Shin nodded and watched Jooyoung as he walked out of the community house. Jooyoung began his lone trek, armed with a positive attitude and excitement.

~.~

   Jooyoung was drenched in sweat, it soaked the clothes on his back like a map of some foreign land. Sweat trickled down his face and into his eyes, and they were stung by the salty sweat. It was mid-noon. Jooyoung decided to take a short break under the canopy which provided shade from the blazing sun.

   Jooyoung rummaged through his backpack for his water bottle and gulped down the water. He leaned back against the tree trunk and looked around. From every direction came the hums and chirps of insects and the song of birds, creating a symphony of nature. The air tasted both sweet and fresh. Not far from where he was resting, a beautiful butterfly with brightly painted wings like petals on the sky caught his eye.

   Hyorin would love this. I will show her this beautiful butterfly when I return. Jooyoung knew that Hyorin loves butterflies hence he decided to snap a photo of it. Jooyoung grabbed his GoPro and carefully  tiptoed towards the butterfly. He gently raised up his GoPro in front of the butterfly and he successfully captured a photo of it. The butterfly, as if it was aware of Jooyoung’s presence, flied away; beating its wings up and down delicately. Jooyoung packed his equipments and cleaned after himself before continuing his trek.

   He walked for an hour before the bright sky was covered with menacing huge black clouds. Soon, it began sprinkling. Little droplets of water drenched his clothes, skin and hair. The sprinkling turned into a torrential downpour. The sky grew darker. The thunder bellowed its malicious moan from the heavens above. The coldness seeped through his jacket and chilled his skin.

   Due to the thunderstorm, Jooyoung had to halt his trek and return to the village. Jooyoung braced through the storm despite the bone-chilling cold that seemed unbearable in the howling wind and icy rain.

   Despite his blurred vision because of the heavy rain, Jooyoung tried to stay extra careful as the ground was slippery due to the steady downpour. He had to walk through a steep ridge and it was challenging for him as there are roots peeking out of the soil and puddles of water all over.

   He tried his best to avoid stepping on the roots and puddles of water. However, he missed a footing and staggered sidewards. Before he could grabbed on a tree trunk, he rolled down the steep ridge at a speed that constricted his throat so that he could barely draw breath.

   His head hit a rock. Shortly after, he could feel a mixture of warm and cold liquid at the back of his head. He was unsure if it was his blood or the rain but he was certain that his head was throbbing violently. The pain was unbearable and he felt helpless. He knew that would be the end of him.

   “Help…” Jooyoung could barely utter a word.

   Jooyoung felt faint, as numbness took control. He laid still as his vision began to fade. He realized he could not hear anything; not even the deafening thunder. Images of Hyorin flashed before his eyes as a tear gathered at the edge of his left eye. Soon after, everything went blank.