As the sunset painted the horizon in hues of orange, Rina stood on the beach, listening to the gentle sound of the waves. Four days earlier, a storm had overturned their ship. By chance, four strangers—Rina, Kota, Marie, and Yuji—had ended up in the same lifeboat and washed ashore on this uninhabited island.
At first, everyone worked together. Kota took the lead in searching for food, Marie kept the fire going, Yuji built a simple shelter from driftwood, and Rina tended to those who were injured. Despite being complete strangers, the group fell into a strange, comforting rhythm of harmony.
But it didn’t last.
On the fifth day, Rina happened upon a radio in Yuji’s backpack. It seemed broken, but the mere fact that he had one shocked her. When confronted, Yuji reluctantly confessed:
“I was hired to investigate this island. This wasn’t an accident—I was supposed to be here.”
The atmosphere changed instantly. Marie exploded in anger. Kota fell silent. Rina couldn’t find the words to respond. That one confession—something close to betrayal—shattered the trust they had built.
The next day, Marie admitted something too: that she had prior knowledge of the island. It was a site under secret government research—something was hidden here.
Rina and Kota were thrown into confusion. Doubt crept in where trust had once been.
But everything changed that night.
While exploring deeper into the island, Rina discovered the entrance to an old underground facility. The rusted iron door was half-open, and a faint light leaked from within. Steeling her breath, flashlight in hand, she stepped inside—and found rows of monitors, communication equipment, and files labeled “Subject Records.”
The real shock: photos of the four of them were pinned to the wall.
“…We were chosen from the beginning?”
Rina was left speechless by the truth unfolding before her.
Later, the four of them gathered again and shared everything they knew. The reality was this: they had been selected as test subjects in a secret government project aimed at studying human psychology under extreme conditions.
But the storm hadn’t been part of the plan. The operation had failed. The four of them had been left behind.
Anger. Disbelief. Fear. All these emotions swirled through the group.
And yet, Rina said:
“But that doesn’t mean we have to fall apart. Whether we were chosen or not, the fact that we’re here, alive right now—that’s real.”
No one spoke, but her words settled deep.
The next morning, the four worked together to repair the facility’s communications system—and finally succeeded in sending a rescue signal.
When the rescue helicopter approached the island, a large bonfire blazed on the beach, lit by their own hands. There was no longer anger or suspicion.
Only one thing remained—like the rising flames:
Hope.
