The wind howled through the twisted trees, carrying whispers that Joon-ha couldn't quite make out. It wasn't just the eerie sound of the wind rustling through the unnatural leaves—it was voices. Faint, distant, yet too close for comfort.
He swallowed hard, glancing at the others. They were all still trying to process what Alice had just told them. The five of them—strangers just moments ago—now bound together by something none of them understood.
Min-seok was rubbing his temple, eyes narrowed in deep thought. Tae-hyun stood with his arms crossed, his jaw tight with tension. Ji-woo's fingers trembled as she hugged herself, glancing around anxiously. Ha-eun was eerily quiet, her expression unreadable.
And then there was Alice.
She stood a few paces ahead, rocking on the balls of her feet, twirling that same lollipop between her fingers. She was watching them. Studying them.
"W-Wait." Ji-woo's voice was shaky. "You just said we have to leave. How? Where do we even go?"
Alice's smile never faltered. "That's the fun part! There are many ways out, but only one real escape. You just have to find it."
Tae-hyun scoffed. "And what happens if we go the wrong way?"
Alice tilted her head. "You die, of course."
Silence.
Joon-ha's stomach churned. He clenched his fists, trying to steady his breathing. No. There had to be more to this.
"Is this… some kind of sick joke?" Min-seok muttered. "None of this makes sense. This has to be a dream."
Alice pouted. "Oh, I do love it when people say that. It makes the moment they realize the truth so much more exciting."
Joon-ha's pulse pounded in his ears. They needed to move. Standing here, arguing, wasn't going to help.
"Fine," he said, voice firm. "Then let's start moving."
The others turned to him, surprise flashing across their faces.
Alice beamed. "Oh, I like you! Straight to the point." She gestured ahead, towards the thick, gnarled trees that stretched into the distance. "Then go on! Walk down the path and see what Wonderland has in store."
Joon-ha hesitated.
Something about the way she said it—so playful, so amused—sent a shiver down his spine.
He glanced at the others. Tae-hyun met his gaze, then sighed. "Tch. Fine. Not like standing here will change anything."
Ji-woo looked uneasy but nodded. Min-seok exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. Ha-eun remained silent, but she was the first to step forward.
With hesitant steps, they followed the winding path into the dark forest.
The deeper they went, the stranger things became.
The white grass beneath their feet felt too soft, almost like fur. The trees swayed even though there was no wind. And those whispers—the ones Joon-ha had heard earlier—only grew louder.
They weren't in Korean. They weren't in any language he recognized. But they filled his head, pressing against his skull like something trying to force its way in.
Ji-woo suddenly grabbed his arm. "D-Do you hear that?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Are we sure this is the right way?" Min-seok asked, glancing around warily.
"No," Tae-hyun muttered. "But it's the only way we have."
Ha-eun, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
The group froze.
"What is it?" Joon-ha asked.
She didn't answer right away. Then, in a low voice, she said, "There's something up ahead."
Joon-ha squinted, trying to see through the dim, eerie light. At first, it looked like just another tree. But as they stepped closer, he realized—
It wasn't a tree.
It was a signpost.
Carved into the splintered wood were words in a language he didn't understand. The letters twisted and shifted, as if alive. But as he focused, the letters slowly rearranged themselves into something readable.
CHOOSE YOUR PATH.
Two arrows pointed in opposite directions.
The left path was shrouded in mist, the air thick and damp. A faint, rhythmic tapping echoed from somewhere deep within.
The right path was darker, the trees so densely packed that only slivers of light seeped through. And between those trees… something moved.
Joon-ha's hands clenched.
A choice.
And no way to know if either was the right one.
Behind them, Alice's voice rang out, singsong and playful.
"Well?" she chimed. "Which way will you go?"
No one spoke.
Then, a slow, hollow laughter drifted from the misty path.
And from the dark path… a pair of glowing eyes blinked.
Joon-ha took a shaky breath.
They had to choose.
And they had to do it now.