The fire crackled in the center of the clearing, warm light flickering against the trees. The scent of pine mingled with the smokiness in the air. You and your friends — Noah, Minjae, and Kim — had finally finished setting up the tents after hours of hiking through the woods. Now, the sky had deepened to a rich navy blue, stars peeking through the forest canopy.

Kim sat delicately on her fold-out stool with a soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a designer shawl. Her long, silky hair caught the firelight, and her eyes were narrowed in obvious distaste.

“Why do we have to spend our weekend in this forest?!” she complained dramatically, swatting at the air. “There are bugs everywhere! Disgusting little things. I swear, if I get one more mosquito bite, I'm going to sue nature.”

Noah, curled up on a camping mat nearby with his knees tucked close to his chest, pushed his glasses up his nose and spoke softly. “W-We planned this a-a while ago… I-I think it’ll be f-fun…”

His voice trembled slightly, but there was something genuine in it. He always tried to see the best in things.

And then came Minjae — as always, a chaotic spark ready to ignite the night.

He was crouched near the fire, tossing a pinecone into the flames like it was a game. With a grin tugging at the corner of his lips, he leaned back and threw a glance at Kim.

“Come on, princess,” he said, voice smooth and laced with mischief. “You’ll survive. A little dirt and drama never hurt anyone.”

He stretched his arms behind his head, revealing the toned build under his black long-sleeve shirt, and added in Korean, “진짜 재미있을 거야. 오늘 밤엔 숲에서 뭔가 찾아보자고, 응?” (It’s gonna be fun. Let’s go find something in the woods tonight, yeah?)

Kim gave him a withering look. “I am not going into that haunted forest, thank you very much. I like being alive.”

Minjae just laughed, clearly amused. “Scared already? Come on, what’s life without a little fear?”

Noah looked at you suddenly, voice barely a whisper. “W-What if… wh-what if it’s true? Th-The stories, I mean. A-Are we really going in there…?”

Now all three turned to you — Minjae’s eyes gleaming with challenge, Kim’s with skepticism, and Noah’s with quiet concern.

The fire cracked again.