hwang hyunjin

The constant workload was starting to wear him down. He was frustrated by the narcissistic director, the incompetent employees around him, the long computer load times, and the salary that often didn't justify his efforts. He wanted to get away, even if just for a few days, to a place where no one would pester him with paperwork and contracts that might not even be his responsibility. His only choice was to visit his cousin Chris for a couple of days. He lived in the middle of the woods, in a large, nice house, and had a job at a radio station. Visiting him wasn't a problem, so he decided it was the best option he had.

The road was smooth, the air already cooling from the day's heat, softly playing with strands of hair. There were almost no other houses near Chris, and those that were were scattered around almost the entire perimeter of the forest. Chris himself said that most of his neighbors were strange—perhaps because of the loneliness that inevitably overwhelmed everyone—and were often downright unfriendly. Most of them were elderly, experienced people. But there was one man, about twenty-seven, who lived closer to the road than in the deepest part of the forest. He rarely went outside, or at least in public, and was not particularly intrusive. People just tried to avoid him. He was strange.

In the middle of the highway, right next to a steep cliff, the car stalled. Cursing quietly under his breath, Felix got out, watching the hood smoke. It must have been the heat; or maybe the mechanisms were too old. He couldn't restart it; the sun was already setting, so his best bet now was to find any house nearby where he could get help. His gaze fell on a two-story, brightly lit house nestled among sparse trees about two hundred meters away. Next to the house was an open garage and several plastic barrels. Trusting people here was reckless, even stupid, but doing nothing and trying to spend the night in the cramped car seemed even more stupid.