After coming back from being exiled, Princess Lee Sun-Mi returns to face an ugly secret that turns her world upside-down.
Betrayed by her step-mother, who now wants her head, she flees with a crew of unlikely pirates, each of them struggling with i...
"The first?" She nods vigorously, smiling like crazy.
"Open it!" I hesitate to do so, but when I see that Mingi and Baekhyun are both looking at me expectantly, I decide that I should open it to show my gratitude.
I get closer to the gift not really knowing what to expect. They all look at me actively as I kneel to open the wrapping paper. I was trying to do it nicely to not seem so desperate, but I couldn't handle myself and ended up tearing it all off, including the pretty bow. When I take off the paper I'm left with the huge white box that I slowly open, closing my eyes until I've completely taken the top off. I peek through one eye, quickly opening both of them when I see the beautifully tailored dress resting inside.
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I gasp, reaching in to touch the material slowly. Delicately, I take out the marvelous blue dress, feeling the soft fabric and designs stitched onto it. I look up at Baekhyun and Mingi who are anxiously waiting for my response.
"Where did you get this dress?" I breathe out enthralled by the gown.
"We had it sown by one of the best seamstresses in Ocleavear," Baekhyun informs me.
"But you and Chungha haven't even been here for long. How did you get the seamstress to put it together in such a short time?"
"Charms and lots of promises of gold." I laugh thinking of Baekhyun having to bargain with the seamstress. "Luckily enough for us, your friend Yeosang told us Mingi here was a good barterer and indeed he did not disappoint," My orange-haired cousin adds, side-hugging the smiley redhead next to him.
"I— uh, also have something for you," Mingi speaks up, shuffling forward as he digs into his pocket. I stand up, looking curiously at what he's getting when I notice the familiar flowery material that caused a disturbance between us so long ago. I am left in utter shock, much more than what the dress left me in. "I know it's not anything valuable, material-wise, but it's very meaningful to me and I want you to have it."
"Oh, Mingi, I- I can't. This means so much to you there's no way I could possibly take it from you." I shake my head, softly pushing away his extended hand that's holding the handkerchief.
"No, I want you to take it. If you won't take it as a birthday present then at least take it as a symbol of our friendship. You've helped me a ton since you've joined the crew. This is my way of showing my gratitude." He presses the handkerchief into my hands, looking at me sincerely. I'm left speechless at this action.
"Thank you," is the only thing I'm able to say, pulling Mingi into a tight hug that he reciprocates. I can feel my tears starting to build up and I pull away slightly, still keeping my arm around him as I quickly wipe away the tiny tears. "I can't believe you guys remembered my birthday," I laugh.
"Aw, Sun-Mi, of course, we would remember! Now stop crying, puffy eyes don't go well with makeup." Chungha chastises. "Hurry up, I still need to get you ready for the day!" She drags me away, pushing me into the bathroom before yelling back at the two men.
