"Jayden," I repeated his name. "That's a nice name."
"..."
"My name is Dan Nuea." I repeated my name. "Are you okay? I think my friends will arrive soon. Please hold on a little longer." He turned away as if he didn't care about what I was saying. "It may be hard to believe, meeting someone for the first time in a place like this, but trust me." As before, he didn't respond.
Being a captive didn't leave much to do besides sitting and thinking. They brought food at certain times and then left. I wondered who the boss was that ordered me not to be touched until he arrived, when he would come, and what he would do to me.
The sun set once again. Nothing had happened to me all day, but Jayden had suffered more injuries. I tried asking him about it, but he didn't answer. As night fell, the moonlight replaced the sun, and the silence was different from during the day. I could hear the sound of waves... We're near the sea.
I was sure we had been taken to an island. Japan has many remote islands. If we were trapped on one, it would be difficult to find us and escape.
"We're on an island. Did you already know that from the start?" I whispered, not expecting an answer. "Do you have any other information? I think this is a remote island in Japan because I was in Tokyo before I was kidnapped. Am I right?"
This time, he gave a small nod.
"It's okay. Japan has many remote islands," I said softly. "It will be hard to find us, but Tiger will definitely be able to." I kept trying to comfort him.
Just a few minutes later, the metal door to Jayden's room opened. I knew what was going to happen, and my chest ached. I gritted my teeth as Jayden was beaten again. My heart pounded, filled with emotion. I couldn't let them find out about the hole in the wall, or we wouldn't be able to talk or plan anything....but "Stop! He's going to die, can't you see that?" I shouted, unable to hold myself back any longer.
They stopped and looked toward the sound. "What was that? Where did it come from?" One of them walked toward the corner of the wall. "Hey, there's a hole in the corner. Look at this."
"Where? Damn," the two of them looked nervous. "So, you've been talking all this time? Planning something?" They rushed toward my room. It was a stupid move, I knew, but I couldn't hold back anymore.
Jayden was about to die...
They grabbed my shirt collar. "What are you planning? What were you talking about?"
"Stop hurting him." My words made the two men in front of me burst into laughter. "Who are you? Do you think you have the right to order us around? You'd better shut up. Why did you yell? You're an idiot!"
I leaned back and slammed my forehead into the forehead of the man in front of me—hard. We were both stunned for a moment.
"Shit! What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, raising his fist to punch me, but the other man stopped him.
"Heh, don't hit him. That's a direct order from the boss. Do you want us to get punished again? We were already in trouble last time. If we do it again, we won't survive."
"Yeah," I said. "You can't touch me, can you?"
He gritted his teeth. "...You."
"Hit me."
"Damn it!" He finally let me go.
"Stop hurting him," I repeated. "Or I will hurt myself and tell your boss that you did it. How badly do you think he'll punish you? The more injuries I have, the angrier your boss will be at you."
"You bastard..." They were both furious but couldn't argue with me.
"Treat his wounds."
"What?"
"You heard me, didn't you? Or would you rather I tell your boss that I was beaten?"
"You're crazy! You were the one who hit me!"
"But you don't look injured," I replied. "Whereas I... I'm so injured that I feel like screaming so the person who hit you guys earlier today can hear it. Is he still here? The door is open, so..."
"Shit!" The two of them cursed, then left in frustration.
"One more thing," I said, making them turn back. "Don't cover the hole in the wall. I'm sure you two are responsible for this room, or at least one of you is. If your boss finds out you didn't know about the hole, you'll be severely punished, right? I'll keep the hole a secret as long as you don't seal it. Deal?"
"Why should we listen to you? We just need to seal it with cement, and the boss won't know."
"Fresh cement will be obvious. How can you seal it without it being noticeable?" I asked. "Either way, you'll be punished if he finds the hole. And if he finds it, I'll pretend to be scared and say that Jayden and I were planning to escape together. I'll make your boss as angry as possible and get you punished as severely as possible."
I spoke calmly and seriously.
They clenched their fists, trying to contain their anger, then finally left, shutting the metal door. Not long after, Jayden received basic medical treatment, though it seemed awkward and unskilled. When I was sure no one was in his room, I spoke to him again through the hole in the wall.
"Do you feel better? Sorry, in this situation, this was the best I could do. At least your wounds have been cleaned, and the bleeding has stopped. Eat something. It may not taste good or be nutritious, but your body needs to recover. Eat and rest."
"..."
"The moon is so bright," I continued, even though he didn't respond. "That means it's a full moon and the sky is clear. Plus, we're near the sea. It's a shame we're stuck here. If we were on vacation, walking along the beach while looking at the moon reflecting on the water would be amazing, wouldn't it?"
"Ha ha, I haven't heard your voice except when you said your name. Anyway, you should sleep."
The next day, there was no sign of rescue, but at least Jayden wasn't beaten. Their boss asked why Jayden received medical treatment. They lied, saying they needed to get information from Jayden and that if he died, the whole effort would be wasted.
Luckily, the boss seemed to believe them. I kept talking to Jayden, though it was more like talking to myself since he didn't respond. That same night, I woke up to a sound. Gunshots...
Not just one, but several, before they stopped. The metal door to my room slowly opened. I started feeling afraid.
Jayden…It was Jayden, holding a gun, opening the door and quickly approaching me.
"Jayden..." I called his name, not understanding the situation. Jayden fired directly at the chains binding my hands and feet.
"Can you run?" he asked in his usual neutral tone and expression. I quickly nodded.
He grabbed my wrist and made me run. As we left the room, I saw the two men who had threatened me earlier—dead, covered in blood—alongside two other corpses. Jayden raised his gun and shot a man running toward us without even needing to aim.
Incredible.
I ran after him, my body and heart trembling. I had never seen anyone actually shoot someone, but Jayden did it like it was nothing. We stopped at a hallway corner. When his bullets ran out, he discarded the gun, grabbed another from a body, and handed it to me. I took it, even though I didn't know how to use it.
It's clear that Jayden is highly skilled in combat. During the close-range fight, he pushed me out of harm's way. Since I didn't know how to fight, all I could do was hide.
I was startled when someone appeared behind me. Just as I thought I would be caught, a bullet pierced the man's forehead. I turned around and saw Jayden, panting. He had taken down the other enemies and was running toward me, grabbing my hand so we could keep running.
"Sorry, I don't know how to use a gun," I said, apologizing for being a burden.
He didn't respond, staying focused on our surroundings. As we ran, he pulled me into his arms and fired at someone behind us. I didn't see anything, but I heard several gunshots before Jayden let go of me, and we kept running. I had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like forever until we finally made it outside.
It was incredible that he managed to fight through so many enemies, even with someone as burdensome as me. Jayden used a flashlight—who knows when he grabbed it—to light the way. When we reached the dock, we boarded a speedboat. Jayden started the engine, and we sped away. I glanced back and saw many people chasing after us. Jayden was an excellent driver, maneuvering so skillfully that I eventually lost sight of any pursuing boats.
However, just as we were escaping, the boat's engine suddenly died.
"What happened?"
"We ran out of gas."
"This is bad." Even though I didn't see any boats chasing us, stopping in one place wasn't a good idea.
"There's an island ahead," he said. I squinted, and he was right. A small island was a few hundred meters away. "Can you swim?"
I shook my head. Jayden handed me a life jacket. I put it on before he pulled me into the sea. I swallowed salty water, unprepared for the plunge. Jayden held onto my arm, supporting me on his shoulder, and began swimming toward the island. Our boat had already drifted away. If they didn't find it soon, the current would carry it off, leaving them with no clue about which island we had escaped to.
"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. His injuries were already bad enough, and now he had to swim while carrying me. "Sorry, I said I'd help, but I ended up being a burden."
As usual, I got no response.
When we reached the island, we hid in the forest for a few hours until we were sure we were safe, at least for now.
"Thank you," I said sincerely, exhaling in relief as I leaned against a large rock. "Can I ask you something? If you were capable of escaping, why didn't you do it earlier, Jayden?"
"I never thought about escaping."
"Why not?"
"Why would I?"
"What do you mean? You were captured. Isn't it natural to want to escape?" I asked in shock. "Did you have a plan?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Did you ever think about running away? Were you planning to stay there?"
He nodded.
"..." I fell silent. He didn't seem to be lying. His face remained expressionless, his eyes empty. "Were you planning... to die there? They really wanted to kill you. Jayden, why?"
"..."
"Alright, so... why did you run away now?"
"They know you're just the twin brother. They would've killed you."
"You helped me escape?"
"Yes."
"Why did you help me when we barely know each other?"
"Then why did you help me?"
I paused as he returned the question. "I see. Thank you so much."
"You said..."
"What?"
I waited for him to continue, but he said nothing more. Silence enveloped us. I looked up, watching the sunrise paint the sky in bright orange hues.
"Where are you going?" I asked as Jayden stood up.
"To check if they're following us."
"Jayden," I called out immediately. He turned to me. "You're not going back to them, are you? You said you planned to stay there."
"No," he replied briefly before walking away. I frowned, not understanding anything, and decided to follow him.
"We should stick together," I suggested. "Even though I can't do much if they find us, I'll try not to be a burden."
We walked cautiously. The forest was quiet, with only the sounds of birds and insects, but I remained alert for dangerous or venomous animals. When we reached the beach where we had swum to the island, our boat was gone. That meant the current had taken it away, just as we had expected.
We had fled quite far. There were many islands along the way. Finding us on an uninhabited island among so many would be difficult, meaning they wouldn't find us immediately, but it also meant that rescue might take a long time. If we had stayed on the original island, maybe Tiger could've found us. But here, how would they even know where we were?
Jayden walked to the shore and erased all traces of our presence. Then he approached me.
"You said your friends would come to help us, right?"
"Yeah."
"We'll stay here until they arrive. In the meantime, I'll protect you... until you're safe."
"Will you come with me?... Jayden," I called, waiting for his answer.
"Why should I?"
"Are you going to stay here?"
"Yes."
"You can't. You have to come with me. You can't stay alone on this remote island."
"..." He was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you want me to come?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
"Alright? What do you mean?"
"I'll go with you."
"Good." I sighed in relief. I didn't understand this man... wait, man? "Jayden."
He turned to me again, his usual blank expression showing no annoyance at being called multiple times.
"Sorry if this sounds rude, but how old are you? I'm twenty-six."
He fell silent again, frowning slightly as if thinking. Did he really need to think to remember his own age?
"Eighteen."
"...Oh." I was stunned. Eighteen... eight years younger than me. I didn't know what shocked me more: an eighteen-year-old being tortured for information without screaming in pain, his skill in handling weapons, or the fact that he didn't care about his life or fear death.
I fell silent, thoughts swirling in my head. Maybe he had been through things I didn't know about, like Tiger. I wouldn't judge, but... But those empty eyes... They made me sad. At least he promised to come with me.
"Let me see your wounds," I said, remembering. When he removed his shirt, I was shocked. His injuries were worse than I had thought. I helped him remove the wet bandages. I considered using my shirt as a bandage, but it was wet too. It was better to leave the wounds open.
While waiting for rescue, we had to survive on this deserted island. I blamed myself for only studying and working, never learning other useful skills. I didn't know what to do. Jayden found water for me from nearby plants.
"Thank you."
He asked, "How many days will it take?"
"What?"
"For your friends to arrive."
"Uh, I don't know. Sorry."
"I see," he paused. "Then maybe we should build a temporary shelter. I'll explore the island."
"I'll go with you."
We explored the island together. It wasn't very big. There was no beach at the back, only forest. We didn't encounter any dangerous animals. When we found a suitable spot, we started building a shelter. Jayden only had a knife. He cut branches to make the shelter and arranged leaves for bedding. When I asked if I could help, he told me to keep watch.
When the shelter was done, he started sharpening a stick.
"Are you going to fish?"
"Yeah."
"We can't make a fire, right? The smoke could give us away."
"That's right," he replied. "I'll try to find fish that can be eaten raw."
"Ah, alright. What should I do?"
"Find water from the plants, like I did earlier."
"Okay," I agreed obediently. Meanwhile, I watched Jayden fish. He stepped into the water with the sharpened stick, moving deeper before diving in. Amazing...
Would his wounds be okay?
I found some water and returned to the shelter. I took off my shirt to let it dry. It wasn't good to wear wet clothes all the time. I sat under a tree on the beach. Soon, Jayden returned with three fish. We began filleting them.
"You're really smart," I praised him. "You can do anything."
"Do you know how to fillet a fish?" he asked. I nodded, so he handed me the knife and a fish. I knew how because my mother owned a restaurant, and I often helped in the kitchen. That's how we got our meal.
"It might sound strange, but I'm glad you're here."
"..."
"If you weren't there, I would have died. I don't mean to say that you had to be there, but even if I had managed to escape, I would have starved to death. I can fillet fish, but I can't catch them or build a shelter. Thank you so much."
"..."
"When we get back, I'll repay your kindness. I want to be your friend. Well, I'm older than you, so we could be like brothers."
Jayden didn't answer. He frowned slightly, as if he were thinking about something.
And there was something else—I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination—but he looked confused.
"Did I say something wrong?" Like before, he didn't respond.
Time passed, and night fell. The air was freezing because we couldn't make a fire. Jayden and I lay together in the shelter. I stared at the sky and the stars. I immediately sat up when I noticed Jayden breathing strangely.
"Are you okay?"
He was bleeding again from the wound on his stomach, which had previously stopped bleeding.
"The wound reopened? This is bad." I used my dry shirt to press against it, not knowing what else to do. I wished I had medical supplies. I knew nothing about medicinal plants.
"Jayden," I called out instinctively. His face looked pale. "No, no, don't die."
"Jayden, please," I tried to hold back my tears. "Please don't die. You saved my life. Jayden, please." In the end, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore as he lost consciousness. "Hic, I promised to help you."
I kept trying to stop the bleeding. His breathing was weak, and he had a fever. After a while, the bleeding stopped. I let out a relieved sigh. My shirt was soaked with his blood, so I carefully used my t-shirt to bandage his wound. He was only wearing a t-shirt. The air was freezing, so I decided to hold him to keep him warm.
I didn't sleep all night, worried about him. I listened to his heartbeat. Knowing that his heart was still beating reassured me. At dawn, Jayden regained consciousness. He looked confused to see me holding him. I quickly sat up.
"Sorry for invading your personal space. You passed out last night, and it was cold. I was afraid something would happen to you, so I held you."
He didn't reply. I smiled when I saw that his face looked better.
"Thank you," I cried without realizing it, gently resting my forehead on his arm. "Thank you for not dying."
I cried for a moment before wiping my tears away. When I looked at Jayden, I noticed a confused expression on his face.
"Sorry for crying. Maybe it's weird, but I was really scared that you would die. I'm relieved. I watched over you all night. You're so strong and resilient. Why do you look confused?"
"Why were you afraid I would die?"
I was startled by his question. "It's strange that you're asking that. I promised to help you. Besides, you saved me. Like I said, I want to be your friend. Or we could be like brothers if you think I'm too old."
"Friend?" He frowned even more. "What is that?"
"Huh?" That shocked me even more. "You don't know?"
He shook his head.
Before we could talk further, we both heard a sound coming from the beach. We quickly hid. There was no time to destroy the shelter. Since Jayden was still injured, I helped him move. We saw several armed men searching for something.
Maybe us.
After a moment, I spotted someone I knew and couldn't hold back a smile. I immediately stepped out of hiding.
"Tiger!"
"Nuea!" Tiger turned toward me, along with several others not far from him. He looked around to assess the situation. "Are you okay?" He let out a relieved sigh.
"Yes," I nodded. I returned to the hiding spot and excitedly told Jayden, "My friends are here. We're safe." I slowly helped Jayden stand. But when Tiger saw Jayden, his expression changed. He raised his weapon and fired near Jayden.
"Nuea, get away from him!"
"What are you doing, Tiger? Don't shoot him!"
"Nuea, move away!" Tiger shouted. His expression and tone were so intimidating that I felt afraid. I looked around and realized that more than ten guns were aimed at us. "What did he do to you?"
"Tiger, calm down. He didn't do anything to me. He saved me."
"Impossible," Tiger said in a low voice. "Nuea, step back."
"I understand," I replied, slowly stepping away, afraid that Tiger would shoot Jayden.
"Come here." I walked toward Tiger, who immediately pulled me behind him. "Damn it, what did you do to Nuea?"
"He didn't do anything to me," I quickly defended Jayden. Tiger didn't lower his gun, keeping it ready to fire. "He's injured. He doesn't have any weapons. I was kidnapped, and so was Jayden. We escaped together. He saved me, really, Tiger. I swear. Please don't do anything to him."
Tiger didn't respond, his expression remained hard.
"Tiger, please," I gripped his arm tightly. In the ten years I had known him, I had never seen him this terrifying. "Tiger, please don't do anything to him."
I cried again, unable to hold back my tears. That made Tiger hesitate.
"He really didn't do anything to you?"
"Yes. If he did, why would I defend him? Please trust me."
"Alright," Tiger lowered his weapon. "Capture him." Immediately, everyone lunged at Jayden, restraining and tightly tying him up.
"He's injured. Why are you tying him up? His wound will reopen," I protested. "He was close to dying, Tiger."
"He won't die from those wounds," he replied as he put away his gun. "Take him to the ship."
I looked at Jayden with deep concern. His eyes showed no fear at all, even with so many weapons pointed at him.
"Do you know Jayden?"
"We once tried to kill each other. I don't know if that counts as a meeting."