Jihyo senses that she had to stop talking about the deeper side of the story, knowing that there are older women who are listening to their conversation. She bows to the chieftain before shifting to the woman next to her to help her out in the final preparation.
Soon after, she finishes the lemon herbal tea for Sana with the help of the old women around the area. The chieftain bids his farewell, and he even fails to remember to introduce himself to Jihyo, but the lady doesn't mind anymore. In the end, she thanks the grandmothers and limps her way back to Sana's tent with the enclosed cup of hot herbal tea in hand.
Jihyo passes by the young guy by the counter and slightly bows her head to greet him while he is fixing his things, probably getting ready to leave and go home. She also notices the men of Wan started roaming around the village. "So this is how it works every night," she mutters under her breath before she enters the tent. Her expressionless face, the exact opposite when she was with the older members of the village, comes back when she sees Sana staring back at her while sitting on the edge of the bed.
Sana pouts and stomps her feet on the ground. "Where did you come from? I peeked earlier to check on you, but you walked even farther," she says. Jihyo shows the cup in her hand and places it on the desk next to Sana.
"I made that for you," Jihyo says and backs away.
"Is this another cup of tea?" she asks and Jihyo just nods. "I noticed that you drank the other one in one go. It's something that I just bought outside, so I thought it would be more special if I'd be the one brewing for you," she tells Sana.
Sana smiles, and she wants to stand up and pull the captain in one big embrace, but she knows she's incapable of doing that at the moment. She takes a note in her mind that soon, she'll have to hug the captain.
She scoots over near the desk and takes the cup by her two hands. She makes a glance at Jihyo who is standing quite a bit far from her while she blows on the tea. After cooling it off enough for her tongue not to get burnt, Sana takes a sip of it. She makes a face, but she calms down in a millisecond, knowing that Jihyo made it herself and is currently looking at her.
'It's too sour..,' she thinks and turns to Jihyo.
"What did you put in this? It tastes different from the one I drank a while ago," Sana asks and casually takes another sip, though it was too sour for her taste. Jihyo smiles and takes a seat on the chair across Sana's bed. "Lemon. I hope I didn't put in too much. I was afraid you might not like it when you can still taste the herb," she replies.
Sana is taken by surprise every time the captain puts an expression on her face. Jihyo must have stowed a lot of effort into making her a cup of lemon tea. Sana internally sighs and subtly nods, telling herself to act positively. She inhales the aroma of the tea before she bravely drinks and finishes half of the container already.
"Nope, the number of lemons that you have placed must be the exact amount required. It blends well on my tongue," Sana articulates. She thinks that, for sure, she'll gain a lot of Vitamin C after she consumes the whole drink.
"I'm happy you liked it. Thank you."
Sana eyes Jihyo for a moment. The captain is unaware of what's running inside the woman's mind, but she stares back at her before she looks away. The predicament makes Jihyo clear her throat to wake Sana up from her deep thoughts. Sana blinks and turns away when she hears Jihyo. She sips on her tea and heaves a deep sigh.
'I didn't know it meant a lot for her. But hearing her showing her gratitude with a simple thank you also means a lot to me, someone who she still has her doors closed on,' she reflects.
"Jihyo, the map-"
Jihyo chuckles. "While everything, including you and me, is still recovering, we don't have to worry about the map, okay? I know where it is already, that's what's important. We prioritize our safety and health here." Even before Sana can reply, they are interrupted.
"Good evening. May I come in?" they hear a familiar voice on the other side of the tent. Sana and Jihyo are alarmed, but they feel relieved when they see Tzuyu adorably peeking her head through the mesh door. "Of course, you can!" Sana says, laughing at Tzuyu when she looked like a floating head when she peeped her head in.
Tzuyu steps in and explains her unexpected presence. "I volunteered to guard the tents while the two of you are asleep." Sana raises an eyebrow. "Why only you? Jihyo and I are staying in two different tents," she tells the younger crewmate.
"Well, that's because we assumed that our captain would not like anyone guarding her overnight, so I surmise that one would be staying over in this tent to guard you, and only you," Tzuyu further elaborates. Sana shifts her body to Jihyo's direction, anticipating her response to Tzuyu's words. "Indeed, that's right. Tzuyu should invest her time in guarding you instead of me," says Jihyo, obviously talking to Sana, but she was facing the other girl by the entryway. "But, Tzuyu, make sure to take a rest from time to time," this time, she directs her sentence to Tzuyu.
Tzuyu bows to the captain. "I will surely do it."
Jihyo stands up and walks over to Tzuyu. "Now, if I may, I'll take my leave. Have a good night's rest everyone," she says before exiting. The two ladies are silent and watch the captain disappear from their sight. Sana quickly averts her attention to Tzuyu and exclaims, "Tzuyu! I missed you! How are you feeling?" Tzuyu is caught off guard. She gulps before she responds with an "I'm better than before."
"That's very nice to hear." Tzuyu only stares at the woman who showed her wide smile, puffing up her cheeks in the process. "Pull yourself together," in the most inaudible way, she mutters.
Meanwhile, the other girls are preparing to sleep. Momo is peacefully seated on her bed, her legs folded and her eyes staring into a void. Chaeyoung fixes her pillows and blankets when her eyes divert to the unusually quiet lady.
"Is something bothering you?" Chaeyoung inquires, but Momo is not replying to her. The younger crewmate frowns. She also didn't get enough reply from Momo while they were walking back to the other girls. She deeply sighs and focuses on herself when Momo suddenly turns to her and asks, "nothing. I can handle this myself and maybe with the help of Nayeon."
"Nayeon? Why not with me?" she asks, settling herself on her bed while her body faces the girl she's conversing with. Momo chortles and attacks, "what if I'm bothered about some kitchen problems? Can you help me out?"
"Why not?"
Momo snickers and scoots over the edge of her bed. "Talk to your unappetizing food," she teases playfully. Chaeyoung gasps and scoffs in disbelief. "Hey, you. I may eat in an unappetizing way, but my food will always look delicious."
"Yeah, tell me that, but you don't add strawberries into bacon!" Momo reprimands with a laugh in the end. Chaeyoung crosses her arms and cutely pouts.
"Look at you being sulky," the older girl says and makes a rectangle with her index finger and her thumb to make it look like she's taking a photograph with her self-made flash sounds. Chaeyoung dismisses her cute act and turns to Momo to throw a question, "but why with Nayeon, though? It's been a long time since I've seen the two of you hanging out on the ship."
Momo breathes out and nods at Chaeyoung. "That's exactly the reason why I want her to be the one helping me out," she tells the younger crewmate. Chaeyoung finally understands her reasons, so she just gives Momo a warm smile which Momo mirrored as if she were replying.
"When are you going to talk to her?" Chaeyoung asks and lays down on her bed. Her hands underneath her head as her eyes gaze on the ceiling above her. Momo shrugs her shoulder before answering, "probably tonight."
Chaeyoung knits her eyebrows. "Tonight? Why not tomorrow after we sleep?" she asks. Momo laughs and copies Chaeyoung's position. She spreads her arms and has her eyes staring at the ceiling, and she responds, "because now, I feel more confident than ever."
"Good for you, Momo. Then I guess if you leave while I'm asleep, make sure to do it quietly," Chaeyoung warns the older girl. Momo scoffs and reminds her, "as if you'd wake up. You're a heavy sleeper, I remind you. Either Mina or Dahyun has to jump on you just to wake you up."
Chaeyoung lifts her body and throws a pillow towards Momo which the girl has skillfully caught before it hits her. "Why do you like to tease me that much?" she sulks once again. Momo laughs at Chaeyoung and gently throws the pillow back to her bed. "I'll go in a few hours. I'm waiting for people to sleep, and by people, it includes you," Momo states, emphasizing the last word.
"I will, I will. Besides, I'm feeling very sleepy already," Chaeyoung says.
"Good night, then."
"Good night, Momo."
And there, silence has filled the room in just a matter of seconds.
Inside another room, Jeongyeon and Nayeon are bickering. "I get to be near the window. Final." Nayeon aggressively shakes her head, not agreeing with what Jeongyeon wanted. "Fine, whoever needs to go through the door has to take the bed near it," the older girl negotiates with the younger. Jeongyeon stares at the wooden door before she nods at Nayeon. "Deal."
Just then, Nayeon jumps on the bed they were arguing about, sitting next to Jeongyeon who occupied the bed. "Why are you here?" Jeongyeon asks.
"The winner of this bed has not been announced yet, so we have to wait on the bed we wish to have," Nayeon tells the younger crewmate. Jeongyeon scoffs, "fine."
They wait for a few minutes, and no one is budging from their place. "Come on, Nayeon. Just let me have this bed!" Jeongyeon whines, and so does Nayeon. "I know you have the ability to stay inside a room for a week, and I am very certain that I will not move an inch from my place right now," Jeongyeon adds. Nayeon smirks, "and so am I."
"You can't just sleep beside me," Jeongyeon complains.
Nayeon nods confidently. "Who told you I'd want to sleep beside someone like you? Of course, I'll make sure I'll win over this bed," she says.
"Okay, if you say so," Jeongyeon deadpans.
Nayeon thinks of a plan and starts pushing Jeongyeon out of the bed. "Nayeon, what are you doing? Hey!" she screams as she almost falls over, but she's lucky she was quick enough to dodge and get hold of a nearby object to keep herself from falling. "Whoever falls off the bed, she has to sleep on the other bed," Nayeon says. "Hey, it was not part of the deal," Jeongyeon exclaims, considering that she realizes that she was on the disadvantageous side.
"You should have readied yourself, Jeong-"
Just then, they heard someone knocking on the door. They halt from their physical fight and stare towards the direction of the door. Now, someone has to go through the door if ever. The deal only acknowledges one of them as the loser if they leave the room as they have to walk through it. The two girls gulp nervously.
"Nayeon? Jeongyeon? Are you inside?" they heard Momo's voice. Nayeon and Jeongyeon turn to one another before Jeongyeon yells back, "who do you wish to open the door?" They hear silence from the other side, probably Momo was wondering if asking such a question was ever necessary. "I'd like to talk with Nayeon," she answers.
Nayeon gasps in utter shock. She points at herself, feeling the defeat that she will possibly get. Jeongyeon is also surprised, too. "Imagine, Momo called you to answer the door this time when we're fighting over a bed, bound with a deal. She doesn't usually call you, and the timing is a miracle.. so she sides with me," Jeongyeon mocks.
Nayeon slaps her arms and stands up from the bed. She approaches the door, still glancing at Jeongyeon from time to time who is sticking her tongue out to poke fun of Nayeon. Finally, she reaches the door. Nayeon pivots the doorknob and pulls the door open - as expected, she finds Momo on the other side. Momo peeks her head inside the room and waves a hand to Jeongyeon whom she found sitting on the messy bed.
"What's the matter, Momo?" Nayeon asks.
Momo scratches her nape and replies, "I'll make this quick. Later, can you meet me downstairs? We'll just have a drink while I discuss a few things with you."
Nayeon sighs sadly and nods at Momo. "Around what time?" she asks.
"Whenever you're free.. I'll be waiting downstairs," Momo answers.
Nayeon thinks for a while before she nods and smiles at the crewmate. "I'll get to you after I prepare," she says and hears a faint "thank you" from Momo before she shuts the door.
Jeongyeon gazes at her, waiting for her to speak about what they just talked about. She tilts her head, curious. Nayeon shuts her eyes and prepares herself. "Momo asked me to see her downstairs, she's waiting for me," she breathes out. And there, Jeongyeon bursts out in laughter. She holds onto her stomach and laughs at Nayeon's despair. "Stop it, Jeong," she puckers her lips and sits on the loser's bed.
"It's so funny.. you know why?" Jeongyeon pauses to give herself some time to recover from laughing. "You were so confident, and you even made this deal.. turns out you'll still have to sleep near the door. Ah, scary!" she says, trying to scare Nayeon, knowing that the girl hates her bed near her door. "Jeongyeon! I'm warning you!" Nayeon screams, her fear starting to act up. Jeongyeon only laughs and shakes her head as she sees the older girl getting scared. "You better prepare now. You can't let Momo wait for you."
"Fine. I lost."
"It doesn't matter..," Jeongyeon mutters under her breath and tucks herself under the blanket.
Jihyo stares at the bandages that almost wrapped her full body. "What has gotten into me?" she tells herself. Everything. She feels everything in her, everything around her is starting to change. The sight of her wounded self reminds her of what she had done. "Will they forgive me if they knew?"
Suddenly, she hears footsteps outside. The men from Wan's army are walking past Jihyo's tent, and Jihyo gets to hear them discuss some Aelia Village tradition that she doesn't know about.
"Ah.. tomorrow, they'll start setting up the decoration for the festival. It's great that the queen and the chief are around during this celebration," one man tells his companion. "You're right. We're most likely to receive a lot of fortune in the coming year," replied his companion.
Their voices begin to sound unclear when they walk away from Jihyo's tent. "A festival preparation tomorrow?" she murmurs before laying down on her bed, avoiding her bandaged body parts to come in contact with anything. "I guess I'll have to see tomorrow," she tells herself and drifts away to sleep.
Inside the next tent, Tzuyu has been watching Sana for a few minutes now. The injured girl must have felt drowsy after having a cup of tea - presumed by Tzuyu as she spots an empty cup of tea on the desk. Tzuyu sighs and leans on her chair with her arms folded.
For the past few days, Tzuyu hid away from the crewmates, locking herself inside her cabin. No one knows what she's been doing, but every time, she spots Sana, she'll automatically feel sorry for some unknown reason. Right now, being stuck inside a tent with Sana, her mind wanders once again. "You were the last piece to Captain Jihyo's puzzle. The one who filled the space on the map. If Nayeon's accident didn't happen on that day, would I be able to meet you? Would we be able to find out that there is such a place in this world?" she halts, referring to the mysterious island near Aelia village where the crown is hidden and gives yet another deep sigh.
"Could you stop me if I'll choose to end our friendship that we created during my days of being a crewmate?" Tzuyu utters. "Sana, I'm lost. So lost," she continues before leaving the tent to get some fresh air.
Dahyun shuffles on her bed, unable to sleep. Frustrated, she gets up and decides to stroll some more in town. She puts on her coat and heads downstairs, quite surprised to see Momo seated at a table in the lobby.
"What are you doing?" she asks the cook of the crew. Momo turns to her, also astonished to see Dahyun awake in the middle of the night, and answers, "I'm waiting for Nayeon. I'm meeting her tonight." Dahyun nods, but there is something in her that tells Momo that it was unusual for them to talk. Momo senses the wordless action so she explains, "just need her to help me with something."
"Is that so? I see," Dahyun says and points at the entrance of the inn. "Well, I'll head out and maybe take a tour around town," she tells Momo. Momo gives her a soft smile and a gesture of a thumbs-up before saying, "take care, Dahyun." Then, Dahyun exits the inn.
Just as Dahyun left the scene, Nayeon descended from the staircase. Momo immediately stands up and slightly bows to the older girl. "What are we going to talk about?" Nayeon asks. Momo approaches the inn's door and invites Nayeon to go outside. "We'll talk about it while we walk, shall we?" Momo says, knowing how Nayeon loved to go walking when they were children even before she got the chance to study in a high-class academy. Nayeon nods, agreeing.
Soon, they set off and Momo starts the conversation. They walk side by side. "So.. uh... First off, I'm glad you agreed to talk to me," Momo begins awkwardly. Nayeon stays quiet, pressuring Momo to continue and keep the conversation going. "It's just that... I was afraid I did something wrong because you suddenly felt so far from me..you were avoiding me," she proceeds.
"I have my reasons."
Momo nods. "Yes, yes, I know. And... I completely understand. I am deeply sorry if I have done something wrong without me realizing it. I know you might not want to tell me, and it's... It's fine, perfectly fine," she says in one breath. Nayeon sighs and nods her head.
"Plus.. I'd need your help with something.."
"Tell me," Nayeon says. Momo stops in her tracks and rubs the back of her head. The other girl advances and makes a stop when she notices that Momo isn't stepping forward anymore.
"The thing is... I need your help in confessing."
Nayeon raises an eyebrow and turns on her heels to face Momo who looks extremely shy at the moment. "And how can you say that I am capable of doing that?" she asks the younger crewmate. Momo chuckles, "because you're an expert at it."
"Remember that time when we visited the Thelonious Kingdom during the coronation day. We were so young, and it was our first time seeing people our age. That time, do you remember when we spotted Mina from afar and I immediately told you I wanted to be friends with her, but I was very shy and I stopped myself from doing so. But you, you were so natural. You pulled me with you and befriended Mina as if you knew each other for a long time," Momo explains, laughing at the memory while she narrates it to Nayeon, but the older girl is not having fun - she frowns.
Momo is too oblivious to see the sad expression plastered on Nayeon's face. She is too immersed in recalling the past. "So what do you say? Will you help me?" she asks once again.
Nayeon suddenly hates herself for this. She shouldn't have agreed to meet Momo tonight, she should have stayed and maintained her plan of avoiding her. If she refused to talk with her, she would have won the deal against Jeongyeon, and she wouldn't need to hurt one more time. But she had no choice, she'll turn out to be a bad person if she rejects the younger crewmate.
She remembers talking to Mina - how Mina told her that her intuitions were wrong and that Momo had no intention on her, how Mina reassured her countless times that night. 'I guess I was right all along. Momo likes Mina..,' Nayeon internally sighs and finally declares her another defeat for tonight. 'Nayeon, you were quick. But your friend is quicker,' she tells herself.
'Mina, I like you,' her internal voice speaks as she looks up at the night sky. 'Those are the words I've been wanting to tell you, but I'm still afraid to take you away from Momo. And I'm right.' Nayeon scoffs at herself. For the times they've been together, she failed to say it at least once, and now, she knows it's impossible to ever tell it to the girl once Momo tells her feelings.
"Nayeon?" Momo wakes her up from her thoughts. She waves a hand in front of Nayeon's face. "Nayeon? Hello?" she says. Nayeon shakes her head to get herself out of the clouds of thoughts, and she gives Momo an answer, "sure, I'll help you."
Momo is over delighted. She runs up to Nayeon and flings her arms around the older girl as they proceed in walking. "Thanks, Nayeon."
Nayeon grins, though she is in pain. She's still happy she got to talk with Momo like this once again. "When are you planning to tell her?" Nayeon asks. Momo thinks. "Hmm.. the following days, maybe. How about before we set sail?" she says, and Nayeon nods in approval. "Sure, so how can I help?"
"What can I tell her?" Momo replies. Nayeon thinks of a perfect line, but she realizes that it's best if Momo just tells her true feelings. "Just tell her how you feel."
"Wouldn't a spontaneous confession be difficult?" the younger asks, and Nayeon replies, "people appreciate it more if what you're saying is true and unscripted."
"I think so, too," Momo responds.
Nayeon is suddenly curious. "When are you planning to confess, by the way? Her room?" she asks. Momo turns to her with a ridiculed face. "You mean our room?"
"What do you mean? You're not sharing a room with Mina. You're with Chaeyoung," Nayeon says. Momo nods her head and stops in her tracks. "Exactly. Silly, why would I need to have Mina in the room when I can directly confess to Chaeyoung? It's too awkward to have an audience, okay?" Momo states.
Nayeon widens her eyes, and she pulls Momo by her shoulders. Her palms rest on both Momo's shoulders while she stares at her, confused. "HUH? What do you mean to confess to Chaeyoung?" Momo knits her eyebrows. "I like Chaeyoung, stupid!" After shouting it out loud, she covers her mouth and looks around the place, making sure no one heard her.
"You like Chaeyoung?! Wait.." she turns her back on Momo and massages her temples. Momo laughs at her and says, "you thought it was Mina, too? Dahyun thought so, too! I was a bit flustered, wondering why in the world would I like Mina when I see her as a friend like you?"
Nayeon faces her once again, laughing at herself. "Then why are you acting up when Mina is around? Why do you look as if you're trying to chase after her heart?" Nayeon asks.
"Those kind acts were to befriend her so I can ask her to help me with the confession. She seems pretty close to Chaeng, considering that they might be close since they work in the same department on the ship," Momo explains. "You see, I see her similarly as how I see you. I couldn't approach you... Because I can sense that you hated me and you didn't want to talk to me," she adds.
All of a sudden, Nayeon pulls Momo in a tight hug. Momo is a bit surprised to feel the sudden action from Nayeon. It's been a long time since they've hugged like this - Momo hugs her back, tightly as if they'll never meet each other again. "I perceived you grew feelings for the same girl I'd fallen in love with. I avoided you so I wouldn't witness the two of you falling in love for each other," she muffles.
Soon, the two girls returned to their respective rooms. Nayeon shuts the door behind her, astounded to see what greeted her upon entering. Jeongyeon occupied the bed near the door that according to the deal, Nayeon will take. The bed that they were fighting for earlier was completely cleaned up and vacant, meaning it was for her to take. Nayeon takes off her coat and sits on the edge of the bed by the window. She faces the side of the other bed, staring at Jeongyeon's back who is sleeping soundly. "Thank you, Jeongyeon."
Around the town, Dahyun explores every corner. She comes to visit the tents where Sana and Jihyo are accommodated. She sees no presence of Tzuyu so she rushes and searches for her everywhere. There she spotted her nearby, "Tzuyu! What are you doing?"