I sat in the boat that was taking us back to the mainland, glancing toward Jayden, who was tied up not far from where I was sitting, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"Tiger, can you untie him?"
Tiger didn't answer. I looked at Jayden again. Thanks to my request, he had already received first aid, but he was still bound. Several people were keeping a close watch on him, as if letting him escape would be a huge problem.
Tiger had said that they had once tried to kill each other. I wanted to ask for more details, but I figured this wasn't the right time. It was better to wait until we reached the mainland and Jayden could receive proper medical treatment.
"Can I talk to him?"
"No."
"I understand," I nodded.
"Nuea."
"Hmm?"
"Come here for a moment." Tiger led me to a quieter spot. When we were alone, his expression softened. "Don't tell Nao that I made you cry. He'd be really mad at me."
"I won't tell him. But honestly, it was quite shocking to see how you handled Jayden," I said. "Tiger, to be honest, you scared me."
"I was worried about you."
"I know," I nodded. "I want to know more details. After we get to the mainland and Jayden is taken to the hospital, can you tell me?"
"Nuea," Tiger said seriously. "What are you thinking?"
"I want to help him. I already made a promise."
"Ugh," Tiger rubbed his forehead. "Because you asked me, I didn't kill him, even though I should have. And now I have to take him to the hospital?"
"'You should have killed him?'" I repeated. "He's just a boy. He's only eighteen."
"So what?" he replied. "You were with him when you escaped, right? On the first island, we found a lot of corpses. That was the work of the eighteen-year-old boy you're talking about. He's not just any kid. In our world, age means nothing, Nuea."
"Alright, I won't mention his age," I took a deep breath and exhaled. "But Tiger, can you help him without killing him?"
Tiger crossed his arms and said, "Why should I?"
"Because I'm asking you… please."
He frowned, thinking. "Fine. Ugh, everyone in your family is too kind. I'll tell you the details. But for something this big, I also have to tell my brother. And his reaction will be just like mine. He might pull out his gun and shoot without hesitation."
"Is Jayden really that dangerous?"
"Listen," Tiger pointed toward Jayden. "Not a single one of my men dares take their eyes off him, even though he's tied up and injured."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
The journey to the mainland took several hours. We were taken straight to the hospital. Jayden and I were placed in separate rooms. Not long after, Nao came to see me, hugging me tightly with joy and relief.
"Dan, I was so worried. I almost fainted when I heard you were kidnapped. Thank goodness Tiger brought you back safely," Nao continued hugging me. "Did anyone else help you? Where is he? I want to thank him."
"He is in another room, but you can't go in. I'll convey your thanks to him," said Tiger.
"Why?" Nao asked in confusion. "Is he seriously injured?"
"Yes, very serious. And there's another reason."
"Hmm?" Nao looked puzzled.
"It's a difficult reason to explain. Tiger will tell me first, and then he will tell you."
"Okay," she nodded quickly.
"Yes, Nao, Dan will tell you later. It's complicated. I don't even know much myself," Tiger added.
"Why doesn't Suea just tell me directly? Why does Dan have to do it?" Nao still didn't understand.
"Tiger wants me to decide what he should tell you." Nao was silent for a moment.
"Alright, I understand. I'll let Dan decide how much he wants to tell me."
"Thank you for understanding," I said. We talked a little longer. Nao asked me what happened when I was captured. I answered briefly, without too many details.
"I'm sorry, Dan," Nao looked sad. "You were captured because they mistook you for me."
"It's not your fault," I said, touching his shoulder to reassure him.
"The ones at fault are the people who captured me. Besides, it's better that they took me. If they had taken you, I would have lost my mind."
"Dan," Nao hugged me tighter. "I almost lost my mind when I heard you were captured!"
"It's okay. Calm down."
Time passed until the evening. Nao insisted on staying with me at the hospital, but I refused because it would make him uncomfortable. It was better for him to go back and rest in a more comfortable place. We talked for a while until he finally agreed.
"Alright, I'll go now. Will Tiger come back tonight?"
"Yes, he'll talk to me and then leave."
"I understand."
Nao left the room with an attendant. Now, it was just me and Tiger. "Alright, Tiger, tell me the details."
Tiger sat in the chair next to the bed that Nao had previously occupied. "You want to know the whole story?"
"Huh?" I was surprised. "You know him?"
"Not much, but I've done some research on his past. If you want to know his story from birth, I can bring you the documents."
"From birth? I don't think that's a good idea," I answered honestly. "That would involve his family, right? I don't want to invade his privacy too much. Just tell me about the current situation."
"Alright," he nodded. "He's a killer. You might have seen it for yourself. I've heard his name before I met him. He's quite famous. My brother warned me about Jayden before I met him. When I saw him, I understood why."
"Uh-huh."
"What was it like being with him?"
"Mmm, he barely spoke to me since I first tried to talk to him. We were in a cell with a hole in the wall. I saw him getting beaten. I asked him a lot of things, but he didn't answer. And at night, he helped me escape, saying that those people were going to kill me."
Tiger said nothing, just listening intently.
"He doesn't seem afraid of anything. He doesn't care about his own situation. Even when he was seriously injured, he didn't scream. He didn't understand why I said I wanted to help him or why I didn't want him to die. He didn't understand why I wanted to take him off that island. Even though he could fight or escape, he didn't. Oh, and he doesn't know what a friend is."
"How could he? He was raised as a killer since he was a child. That's why he's not afraid of anything and doesn't understand your kindness. Because he's never received it."
I fell silent, feeling like my heart was being squeezed.
"Someone once compared him to a tool," Tiger continued. "Maybe that was the purpose of those who raised him. He follows orders without question, Isn't afraid of death. He does what he's told, even if it's to kill. And he's very well-trained. I'm even more surprised that he helped you."
"I remember you didn't seem to believe me."
"Yeah. Do you want to know why I was there?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"This will be a long story. So here's what happened: his gang stole a large shipment from another gang, and Jayden was ordered to guard a decoy ship. One ship carried the real shipment, while the other was just a decoy. Jayden was on the decoy ship, his job was to fool the other gang for as long as possible, but the plan failed because they were ambushed."
"Jayden was captured because they wanted to know where the real shipment was. Our strategy was to wait for both gangs to fight each other, then attack them. Now we've secured the shipment they were fighting over. What's left, my brother is handling it. We had been planning to take down Jayden's gang for a long time. Their presence was a major problem. When we heard about this shipment, we thought it was a great opportunity to get it without much effort and for free."
"At first, we were also handling this, but Nao called me, saying she couldn't reach you. I tried to contact our people, but I couldn't either. So I had to go find you. I thought I would find Jayden during the conflict with his gang, not on a remote island with you."
"Ah, so that's the situation... So now Jayden..."
"He has nowhere to go and no place to return to."
"Is that why he was willing to die?"
"Maybe he doesn't know yet that his gang has been destroyed. I think he didn't fight back or try to escape because he failed his mission."
"Because even if he returned to his gang, they would kill him?"
"No, he only failed once. No one would kill someone that skilled. That would be a waste. He also didn't plan to betray his gang because he didn't try to escape."
"Then why?"
"I think it's because..."
"Because what?"
"He wasn't ordered to escape or fight. Because his mission was to distract the enemy on the ship. He wasn't given instructions on what to do if he was captured."
"..." I was silent. "Does he really need orders for that... for something so simple?"
"That's how he was raised. And he probably thinks his life has no value or purpose."
"Oh, right," I said, recalling. "He said he would keep me safe until you arrived. I asked if he would come with me, and he asked if I wanted him to. I said yes. That also counts as an order, right? Like I ordered him to come with me."
"Maybe you've become his new boss."
"...I don't think so," I frowned. "Then why did he help me escape? He wasn't ordered to help me."
"That's what I don't know. What did you two talk about while you were held captive?"
"Just general things. I asked how he was doing, told him to hang in there, that I would free him soon. I tried to comfort him the whole time."
"I see," Tiger sighed. "I don't know. Maybe we should ask him directly."
"Can I see him?" I asked eagerly.
"No."
"Ah," I sighed in disappointment. "Tiger."
"Hmm?"
"Take me to see Jayden."
"No."
"Then I'll tell Nao that you made me cry," I threatened. "He'll be really mad at you."
Tiger was silent. "Didn't you say you wouldn't tell him?"
"I won't, if you take me to see Jayden."
"And this isn't our deal. Are you lying to me?"
"I changed my mind," I crossed my arms, staring at him with determination.
"Alright, but I'll be there. We'll meet halfway, okay?"
"Yes, just seeing him is enough."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Tiger took me to another room in the hospital. Jayden was sitting on the bed, his body covered in bandages. About six guards stood around him when we entered, and Tiger ordered them to leave. Reluctantly, they left. I sat in the chair next to his bed and called his name, "Jayden. Are you feeling better?"
"..."
"Your face looks better. Have you eaten?" I asked, but there was no answer. I glanced at Tiger, who just shrugged. "You know your gang has been destroyed, right?"
"..."
"What will you do now? You have nowhere to go."
I waited in silence for Jayden to answer, but he remained quiet. Tiger spoke again.
"If you don't know where to go or what to do, and you have no reason to live, do you want me to kill you?"
"Tiger!" I shouted.
Jayden slowly looked at Tiger before answering, "Yes, just do it."
"Jayden!" I yelled. "Why would you say that? If you wanted to die, why did you help me escape?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were safe. After that... I didn't care. Dying is fine too."
I fell silent, feeling an indescribable pain. My hands clenched tightly.
"'Dying is fine'?" I repeated unconsciously. It was heartbreaking to hear someone say that. "No, you can't die... no."
Tiger received a phone call. "Is it done?" he answered, looking at Jayden. "Come meet me. I'll send the location."
Tiger hung up. "He'll be here in less than an hour. The place isn't too far."
"Phi Leon?"
"Yeah."
"He's going to kill Jayden?"
"Of course," Tiger answered without hesitation. "He said he wiped out his gang, but he was curious why he couldn't find Jayden. So he's coming to finish the job."
"He can't do that."
"And," Tiger lowered his voice, "Jayden himself doesn't want to live. Why are you insisting? He even asked me to kill him."
"That?"
I looked at Jayden with mixed emotions. Should I let him die as he wished? No, this wasn't his true wish. He just didn't know his purpose in life. His life... had never been his own.
"Do you really want to die? Just because you don't know what to do, dying is fine? I don't understand. But... Can you live?"
"Yeah."
"Then, what do you choose? Life or death?"
"I don't know."
"Ah," I let out a long sigh. "This is your life. Please choose."
This time, Jayden remained silent. I rubbed my temples in frustration. "If you want to kill him, kill him. If you want to let him go, let him go."
"Jayden," I called softly. "Your life doesn't depend on others."
As I looked at him, his face still expressionless, I remembered what Tiger had said. Like a recorder playing on repeat in my mind, I wondered if this boy had ever smiled like other children. Has he ever wanted anything? Or, for as long as he could remember, had everything been taken from him in childhood, leaving him empty? Orders from his boss were the only thing that gave his life meaning. Without those orders, he easily said, "Dying is fine."
Jayden's story hurt me in a way I couldn't explain.
I thought about it until I heard the door open. I turned quickly, seeing two guns pointed at Jayden. Leon and Ben looked surprised, but their eyes carried the same determination Tiger had when he first saw Jayden.
"Step aside," Leon ordered coldly. Tiger complied.
"Nao, you too," Leon added.
"It's Dan," Tiger corrected.
I stood in front of Jayden. "No!" I shouted. "Can't you see he's injured? He has no weapons. He's not fighting back. Can't you let him live?"
After a lot of tension and discussion, I pleaded with them. I even knelt and bowed my head. "I'll take responsibility for him. Please, Phi Leon, Ben."
Silence filled the room until finally, Leon sighed and put away his gun. "Alright," he said, though reluctantly.
Tiger looked at me with a mix of annoyance and wonder. "You and Nao are really alike. Too kind."
I gave a small smile, then turned to Jayden. "Jayden, everything's okay now."
Jayden remained silent, his face expressionless. Tiger shook his head and said, "You should at least thank him, kid. Dan cried and begged to save you."
"It's okay," I reassured him with a smile. "Jayden, let's get to know each other better. I'm older, so you can call me 'Phi' if you want. But... Can I call you Jay? And you can call me Dan."
Jayden nodded slowly. "Alright."
I smiled widely, feeling relieved and happy.
"Jay," I called him. "Let's make a deal. If I call you and you hear me, you have to answer."
"Yes."
"Alright, Jay?"
"Yes."
"Now, call me."
"Dan."
I smiled again. "Very good!!"