Chapter 2: Strange Beauty
1377 Words
Jackson’s eyes fluttered open to a cloudy, dreamlike world… surrounded by giant, floating hamburgers.
They drifted through the air, golden buns glistening, thick patties oozing with cheese.
His stomach growled.
"Is this what the afterlife looks like?" he wondered, rubbing his eyes.
"If so, I’m not complaining—I’m starving."
Jackson reached for the two floating hamburgers, gripping one in his left hand while taking a bite of the other.
His teeth sank in, but… something felt off. It was soft—warmer than usual. And no matter how hard he bit, he couldn't eat it.
“Uhhh…”
A woman’s soft moans suddenly filled the air, causing Jackson’s brows to furrow.
He stopped eating the burger and became attentive to his surroundings.
“Why is it so… heavy…” the woman spoke again, and it echoed into Jackson’s ear.
His brows furrowed. Where was that sound coming from?
It was close—too close. His gaze dropped on the hamburger in his hand.
No way...
Jackson found his thought ridiculous, but just to make sure, he held one of the hamburgers and gripped it.
“Ahhhh!” a woman suddenly screamed and pushed Jackson away.
Jackson blinked, his grip loosening. The hamburgers shimmered and faded.
Instead, a beautiful woman in a black bikini stood before him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face burning red.
“Y-You pervert!” she shouted, her arms covering her breast.
Jackson looked at her, confused. “Huh?”
Her glare sharpened.
“Don’t ‘huh’ me! You just—just—” She stammered, cheeks growing impossibly redder.
“You pressed your face against my chest! And—and I felt your tongue!”
Jackson processed her words. Slowly.
Then, it hit him; the cloudy-like place with tons of hamburgers.
Everything was a dream.
“I’m sorry for what I did. I dreamed that I was eating a hamburger. I never thought it was your…”
Jackson couldn’t continue his sentence.
The woman’s cheeks flushed more, a sign of embarrassment with every second passing by.
“Dreaming? W-What a bunch of nonsense!” she exclaimed, clearly not believing him.
With a sigh, Jackson raised his hands in surrender, meeting her gaze.
“It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not, but I’m telling the truth. Still, I’m sorry because it wasn’t my intention…”
The woman could feel the sincerity in Jackson’s tone.
But still, she became alert and careful. She stepped back to keep some distance from Jackson.
“Don’t you dare do it again, nor talk about it, or I’ll rip your head out,” the woman said,
She pointed the stick of a tree between Jackson’s thighs.
‘Oh, that head, huh?’ Jackson thought, chuckling, as he suddenly understood what the woman was talking about. ‘Feisty.’
Jackson decided not to say those words out loud as the woman could misinterpret it again as him being a pervert.
‘But she’s pretty,’ he thought upon judging the woman’s features.
She is tall and graceful, with long dark brown hair, hazel-green eyes, and fair white skin.
‘Her elegance was familiar to me. Why does it seem like I’ve seen her before?’
Her eyes narrowed.
“What are you looking at?” She twirled the stick between her fingers. “Want me to bury this in your eye instead?”
Jackson raised his hands again. “Nope. Just admiring the… uh, scenery… Miss?”
“Irene,” she introduced herself, her grip tightening on the stick. “And you are?”
“Jackson.”
Irene looked at Jackson, her brows furrowing.
That name was similar to the person she once knew… but could that really be him?
“Now, you’re the one staring at me,” Jackson spoke, halting Irene’s thoughts.
“Tch.” Irene rolled her eyes, looking away.
Jackson grinned. This was going to be fun.
However, his smile faded upon remembering what happened to the cruise ship, and how he was thrown at the sea.
“We’re stranded on this island, aren’t we?” Jackson asked, his gaze scanning the surroundings.
Although the island looked sunny and peaceful, Jackson’s intuition said otherwise.
Something was strange in this place, and he couldn’t ignore his feelings again—like what he did on the cruise ship.
“I guess so…” Irene answered. She frowns upon realizing something. “Wait, are you also a guest of cruise ship XO8?”
“Wait… You, too?”
“I am.” She nodded. “The cruise ship’s upper deck exploded. Before I know it, I’m already here…”
“I see,” Jackson said and started stripping his shirt.
Irene’s eyes widened, looking at Jackson in confusion and annoyance.
“W-What are you—”
“Wear this. You might catch a cold,” he interrupted her sentence. “You can’t be sick. We need to survive.”
“T-Thanks…” Irene said, her gaze fixated on the floor as she took Jackson’s shirt and wore it.
Jackson being a gentleman didn’t cross his mind. Irene felt embarrassed again as she was quick to judge.
Still, she was being cautious of Jackson because she had a hard time trusting anyone.
And that won’t change. At least, not now.
“I’ll try to find some food and water,” Jackson said, his gaze fixated on her. “Want to come with me?”
“No. I’ll stay here.”
Using her stick, Irene pointed at the sand—where she had engraved the words SOS earlier.
“I’m sure tons of helicopters are searching the area now, given how many influential people are on the cruise ship X08.”
She added, “And since the waves brought us here, it means we’re near the ship.”
Jackson stared at Irene; he'd already recognized her from the way she spoke.
He couldn’t help but ask, “For instance, are you from the Vasquez family?”
Irene’s eyes widened in shock. A gripling realization consumed her.
“Are you the same Jackson, the soldier who saved us from a terrorist attack three years ago?”
That’s it—the reason why Jackson found Irene familiar.
Three years ago, the Vasquez family, one of the wealthiest and influential families in the country, had been attacked by terrorists in their home.
Thankfully, Jackson’s team saved them before everything got worse.
“The heck, that’s really you?” Irene said, her tone laced in disbelief. “You look different.”
“Maybe because I’m not a soldier now. I’m a computer programmer,” Jackson replied, trying to be casual.
Yet his expression says otherwise.
“What? But why?” asked Irene in confusion. “I heard that you’re good at your job. Dad even recommended you.”
Irene’s father had vast connections with the military, so he could back up Jackson easily.
However, the last mission ruined everything.
“If you won’t come with me, then I’ll go alone,” Jackson said, preparing himself.
He added, “Good luck on praying that a helicopter would fly on an island like this.”
“And why would that be impossible—”
Irene wasn’t able to finish her words when Jackson left her alone and astounded.
“That guy… What’s with him?”
***
Jackson carefully walked toward the forest, his gaze moving around while being attentive.
He was confident of leaving Irene at that place.
Aside from the fact that he wouldn’t go too far, that sunny place was safer than the dark forest.
If there is something Jackson realizes after wandering and studying the island, it’s that this place was mysterious—in contrast to its looks.
‘I wonder what island this is,’ Jackson thought, looking around to find some water.
‘If only I have my laptop with me, I could search for it.’
After a few minutes, Jackson found a coconut tree. He climbed it and picked enough coconuts—bringing Irene some of it.
When he went down, Jackson noticed a black circle mark on the coconut trees.
‘Wait… This mark. I’ve read this information before,’ he thought, frowning. ‘Could this be—’
“Ahhhh!”
Suddenly, he heard Irene scream.
- Writer
