That night the five of them were sitting under the stars, hearing the sound of the waves tossing back and forth. They were eating dinner together and telling stories alongside the dim flickers of a lantern.
"I had met Captain Sobin in the marketplace one day," Hueningkai recalled, "I'd never seen him around before, and I was curious about him the minute I'd seen him."
"His life just seemed more—... exciting than mine," He continued, "There were no rules to follow, no one to tell you how to act, and you could explore for miles on end. It sounded perfect to me."
He recalled the time when he asked to travel with Captain Soobin, and how the other happily accepted. That day the Captain was leaving the port by midnight, and Hueningkai would have to make up his mind whether to travel with him, or stay with his family.
"And so that night," Hueningkai smiled, "I packed up my things and fled. I don't think my family ever went to look for me... maybe they tried and gave up on me? I still wonder how they're doing though.."
Captain Soobin shrugged, taking a bite of some bread.
"Something tells me they'd be angry with you running away and joining me," He replied casually, "I'm sure they're alright, they have more money than they know what to do with."
Hueningkai hummed in response, taking a bite of his food. They continued telling stories of how they had met Captain Soobin, each of them going around with their own stories to tell.
"When Hueningkai first met me," Beomgyu scoffed, "He thought I had fleas and asked me to get a bath first."
Captain Soobin laughed, "I remember that! Hueningkai was even willing to pay for you to go there as long as you cleaned up."
Hueningkai raised his hands in defense, playfully shoving Beomgyu. Yeonjun covered his mouth and snickered.
Taehyun leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees.
"I ran into Beomgyu when I was at the market, he was trying to steal my pocketwatch," Taehyun snickered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a shiny, gold pocketwatch. He waved it in front of Beomgyu, the other eagerly reaching for it.
"I was out in the marketplace with my friend when Beomgyu zipped by," Taehyun recalled, "I was wondering why he had ran past so fast, then I saw something shiny in his hands. Next thing I knew, my pocketwatch was gone."
Beomgyu laughed, clapping his hands joyfully.
"You chased me through a whole crowd just to get it back!" Beomgyu exclaimed, Captain Soobin covering his face in embarrassment.
"I had to bribe him to return it to Taehyun," The captain sighed, "I bribed him by buying him a slingshot."
Yeonjun scoffed, "Really? My old captain would never do that— It's finder's keepers."
"Exactly!!" Beomgyu exclaimed, pointing over at the boy, "Yeonjun gets me! You grew up stealing stuff too, right?"
Yeonjun furrowed his brow.
"What? No— I didn't— What?"
Beomgyu slumped his shoulders, "Nevermind then."
Hueningkai broke off a piece of bread, handing it to the Captain.
"Usually when we tell stories together, Captain likes to tell us stories he's heard from his father!" Hueningkai smiled, "Sometimes we make up our own here and there, but Soobin tells the best ones."
The other blushed, nudging Hueningkai playfully.
"Oh stop it you!" He giggled, "Beomgyu tells the craziest, Taehyun's are the scariest, yours are the most wholesome, and mine are passed down from generations."
They all turned to Yeonjun.
"Did you and your old crew tell any legends?" Hueningkai asked, the other paused.
Yeonjun shook his head, "Not really. Only on rare occasions. We did play a lot of card games though."
"Maybe we could teach you a thing or two about storytelling, and you teach us some card games," Taehyun said reassuringly with a smile. The others nodding in agreement.
The five of them laughed and joked around the entire night until Hueningkai tugged on the captain's sleeve.
"Capt'n! You should tell us a story before we call it a night," He said with puppy-eyes. The captain let out a 'hmm', and nodded.
"Tell Yeonjun about the one with the giant sea snake!" Beomgyu exclaimed, "I could've sworn I even saw it not too long ago!"
"I personally liked the Magic Island," Taehyun interjected. Hueningkai's face lit up as he nodded eagerly.
"Yes Capt'n! Tell him that one!!"
"That one always gives me the chills," Beomgyu shuddered.
The captain chuckled.
"Alright, alright.. I'll tell you that one," He smiled as all of the other pirates leaned closer to listen. Soobin smiled, looking at each of them.
"Let me tell you.. about the Legend of Magic Island..."
====
According to legend, Magic Island was once a beautiful island with deep, woodland forests and fantastical creatures. The island had acres of white, birch trees which seemed to beckon you to stay on the island with its calming whispers and singing of birds.
The sight was alluring, mysterious, and anyone could easily be entranced by its mysteries which lie within the forests.
There once used to be people who lived on the island, human but not quite.
Though it is barely known where Magic Island is exactly... the legend tells of a great treasure which lies on the island. Any sailor who dared to enter was never heard from again.
It is said on Magic Island there is a single star in the sky which can be seen. A single star that was bright enough to shine a white light on almost the entire island.
The island is filled with the unknown enigma, no sailor has made it back to tell its tales.
There is a forest with red and blue trees, their branches interlaced like the arteries of a heart and seem to surround you as you walk deeper into the forest.
There was a graveyard with a single golden platform where someone used to sit.
An empty wasteland of what once had the tallest pine trees and the cleanest flowerbeds.
Flower fields of orange, green, and yellow, planted into the pale yellow soil.
And a nest hidden underground, where a creature used to live.
As you make your way through the dark, forlorn forest with the dim light of a lantern, be wary of the cat with blue and green eyes.
The cat with blue and green eyes brings malice to its vulnerable prey, striking at your weakest point and becoming the thing you fear the most. It waits in the shadows, waiting for your guard to lower. Once the cat of blue and green got someone, it was said they were never heard from...
Again.
The treasure which lies on Magic Island is a lovely prize for a sailor who dared to take it. It was the greatest treasure of the world, more valuable than any jewel or diamond.
=====
Soobin finished telling the story, then looked at his crew. Beomgyu and Hueningkai were hugging each other tightly, terrified looks on their faces. Taehyun and Yeonjun sat there, leaned forward with interest. Soobin sighed deeply, setting the lantern aside.
"My father would tell me about the wonders of Magic Island," He said solemnly, "It was said that's where every creature came from."
"W-What about the cat?" Beomgyu shivered, "W-What'd the cat do to all those people? The part with the cat always scares me!"
"No one's lived to tell," Soobin explained, clenching his fists tightly.
"Ah! That's the scariest part about it!" Beomgyu shuddered and covered his eyes.
"Captain, i-is Magic Island... real?" Yeonjun asked quietly.
Soobin looked out at the dark sea tenaciously, and smiled.
"I know Magic Island is out there somewhere," He said softly, "I know it's not just a myth, it has to be out there. I-I just know it, really. My father stopped believing, but I'm not going to give up that easily."
Yeonjun and Taehyun exchanged a look, then glanced back at their captain. Hueningkai and Beomgyu slowly let go of each other, setting their hands on their lap.
"Where could we find it even if it was real?" Hueningkai asked quietly.
Soobin perked up, with the other members of his crew looking at him. He chuckled. Quietly, he got up from his seat and walked below deck. The crew waited, until Soobin emerged from below deck with a rolled up scroll that was stuffed neatly in a bottle.
"My father had drawn this map for me," Captain Soobin said solemnly, showing them the bottle, "There is only one map, and it's the one he's made. The others are not up-to-date enough for us to get a reliable location."
He handed the bottle to Hueningkai, who looked curiously at the rolled up paper within. He handed it to Taehyun, who carefully took it into his hands.
"Captain, I could copy the map on a separate paper to make two if you want," He offered.
"That's alright," The captain replied, "We don't need multiple maps yet until we're for sure on where Magic Island is."
Taehyun nodded, handing the bottle back to him. The captain tucked the bottle safely in his coat pocket, then sighed deeply.
"You're all really going to help me find it?" He asked, sitting back down. Hueningkai giggled, hitting the other playfully.
"How many times are you gonna ask us that?" He jested, "You ask us everytime you tell the story!"
"Well, you can always count me in," Beomgyu smiled, "That would mean we'll be the first to tell its story!"
Taehyun and Yeonjun nodded in agreement. Soobin paused, and chuckled.
"Then I guess our journey starts today," He said softly, looking up at the sky. The others looked to the sky as well, seeing the beautiful white stars scattered across.