Unexpected Encounters

Grrrrr... Damien's stomach growled loudly the moment the man left, the smell of the soup finally hitting him fully. He hadn't eaten in days.

The bread and soup had a flavor he wasn't used to, but it was warm and delicious. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ate. He was still alive.

...

More than two hours had passed since then.

Normally, Damien would have killed time on his smartphone, but of course, there was no signal here. He'd turned it off to save the battery after wandering through the forest. With nothing else to do, he found himself rereading a history textbook he had in his backpack. He had never read a textbook so intently before, but that's how bored he was.

The man had told him to wait—or at least, Damien thought that's what he meant—but how long was he supposed to wait? At least they weren't trying to starve him to death, so he figured he could wait as long as needed. Still, it was really boring.

And when you're bored for too long, your mind starts to wander to all kinds of unpleasant thoughts.

"Where am I?" Damien Crowell wondered.

"Will I ever be able to go back? Are my mom and dad worried about me?"

"Is Riley crying because I disappeared?"

"Maybe I'll never return. Maybe I'll die here."

…Only dark thoughts were filling his mind.

He tried to change his mood by looking away from his textbook, and suddenly, a thought struck him.

When the bearded man left earlier, did Damien hear the sound of a lock being turned? He wasn't sure.

He had no intention of escaping—what would be the point? He didn't know the language here and wouldn't survive outside. But the temptation to see if he could leave this drab room pulled at him.

On unsteady feet, he approached the door, tempted by the possibility…

Bang!

The thick metal door suddenly swung open, smacking him right in the head.

"—!!"

The sudden hit caught him off guard, and the pain was so intense he couldn't even scream as he writhed on the floor in agony.

"■■■■■■■■!?"

The bearded man's voice rang out in a panic as he rushed to help Damien.

As always, Damien couldn't understand a word he said.

The man looked at Damien's forehead, concern evident on his face. After examining the bruise, he sighed in relief and said something again.

It still hurt a lot, but apparently, Damien was fine—wait, who is that?

Before Damien stood a surprisingly handsome man.

The bearded man's voice was coming from this good-looking guy.

He looks so hot!

He had shaved off his scruffy beard, and his hair and clothes were now neat and tidy. The transformation was startling—this guy was actually really good-looking.

It was almost embarrassing to call him "an old man" now. He looked like he was only about twenty. He was much younger than Damien had thought.

From now on, Damien decided to call him "big brother" instead.

As Damien began to get flustered, the... well, "big brother" now, looked at him with a puzzled expression. Then, as if remembering something, he hurriedly stood up and offered Damien a hand to help him stand as well.