Hongjoong POV
I wake up at sunrise. I just was so excited for today that I couldn't sleep any longer. I say good morning to Seonghwa who has been navigating the ship the whole night. He has dark circles under his eyes and his eyes are bit red as if he was crying.
"Is everything okay?", I ask.
"Hmm... oh... yeah."
"You are still mourning , aren't you?"
"Yes. I am not sure if I will ever be okay without her."
"It will get better. You will be okay. I am sure."
I go into the kitchen to eat breakfast. It is sad to see that Seonghwa is still struggling with his fiancée's death.
I am not sure what we can do to help him get over it. At least he is smiling and laughing more often. On the first days he didn't smile at all and cried through the nights. He was so miserable when I met him for the first time.
Almost 4 months ago
Today it has finally stopped raining and the sun is shining brightly. It is quite warm for that time of the year.
I see Laopstech in the distance. It won't be long until we are there.
"Laopstech, it's been a while since I have been there. It is a beautiful place. I heard they do a lot of medical research at the hospital there, so I guess if you live there you don't have to worry about getting ill because the best doctors of Wolkmaar are just around the corner.", our newest and youngest crewmate says.
"I was at the hospital there once because I was very ill. They were able to figure out the problem very quickly. The lake is also a very nice place if you want to relax."
"I remember that I went swimming there with my parents but I didn't like it. The water was very cold even though it was summer."
We reach the town and look for a place to get lunch.
"If there is a lake on the other side of the city. Can we go swimming there?", Wooyoung asks.
"If you want to but after we were treasure hunting.", I reply.
"Isn't it a bit cold for that?", San remarks.
"I think it is quite warm today.", Yunho utters.
"I guess we have different definitions of warm."
We find a restaurant not far away from the town square.
After our lunch we go searching for treasures near the lake. I know from being here before that a lot of treasures are hidden in the high grass outside of the city. On our way we walk past a graveyard. A lot of people are gathered there. A lot of them are our age.
"Seems like someone died very young. I guess you do still have to worry about getting ill when you're living here.", Mingi says.
"We don't know why that person died. Maybe it wasn't an illness.", Jongho says.
Among the people I notice a tall and slim man. Even when crying he still looks beautiful. Why do I have the feeling that he is going to be important?
We walk over the wide field outside of the city. I try to keep my eyes open for any treasures.
"The sun is so bright I can barely see anything.", Wooyoung complains.
"Really I can see just fine.", San says.
"It's because your eyes are used to bright sunshine every day while my eyes are made for seeing in the dark."
"Maybe you should go treasure hunting at night then."
"Please stop bickering.", I demand.
"We weren't bickering. I don't know why Wooyoung always talks so fiercely.", San comments.
"That's just his way of talking. He just talks very passionately.", Yeosang explains.
"I found something!", Yunho exclaims and smiles brightly.
Like an excited puppy he digs out a treasure chest. It is full of gold.
We find a few more chest just a few steps away.
After walking around for two hours our backpacks are somewhat full and we decide to go back to the ship.
We sort everything into the storage before we pack some towels and spare underwear and go to the lake.
I sit down at the shore while the others get undressed.
"Are you not going to swim with us?", Yunho asks.
I shake my head.
"I want to sunbathe a little bit first."
The others run into the lake in their underwear.
"Ahhh so cold!", San screams.
They spatter water at each other and swim around in the lake. I giggle looking at them.
Suddenly I hear footsteps behind me.
I turn around and see the beautiful man from earlier. He has tears and eyes and stares back at me for a while. Then he turns around and wants to leave.
"Do you want to talk about it?", I ask.
He looks at me and nods.
I motion him to sit down next to me.
"What is your name?"
"Seonghwa."
"I am Hongjoong and the people in the water are my crew. We are treasure hunters who are making short stop here. I saw you at a funeral earlier."
"Yeah... M-my fiancée died. She was very ill."
"I'm sorry to here that."
We quietly stare at the lake for a little bit.
"I don't know what I should do now. She was my everything and every time I walk through the town something reminds me of her. I just can't imagine living without her. I don't know if I will ever be okay again. How could I ever be happy without her? How could I ever love again? I constantly recall all the happy memories of her. Sometimes in the morning I walk to her house because I forgot that she is not there anymore and then I realize again that she is dead and break out in tears. How can I live on like that?", Seonghwa suddenly tells and tears stream down his face.
I listen carefully to what he is saying but I don't really know how to console him.
"I think that you will be happy again even though it might take some time. Getting over the loss of a loved one is hard. Maybe you need to distract yourself a little, so all of the bad emotions don't come up as much. Life has to go on. Just try to get a routine in your life and try to do things that make you happy."
"All of the things that used to make me happy I did with her, so doing them will only bring back memories. I don't know but maybe I should move somewhere else so I don't constantly see things that remind me of her."
I nod. It gets awkwardly quiet again with the laughter of my crew in the background.
"Ehm... you said you are a treasure hunter. You don't have any more space for another crewmember, do you?"
I ponder about it for a minute. The main bedroom is full but there is technically still space in my double bed.
"It depends. Do you mind sleeping in a double bed with me?"
"Anything is good. I just think I need to get away for a little bit. Plus I can see a lot of new places. Maybe I can learn something or find someone else there."
"Then welcome to the crew."
Suddenly water splatters at me.
"You should come swimming too, captain. The water is really nice.", Wooyoung shouts and giggles.
I sigh.
"Will you also come swimming with us, Seonghwa?"
He hesitates a bit before he answers.
"Sure."
We get undressed and walk into the water.
"Who is that?", Yunho asks.
"He is our new crewmate.", I reply.
"Hello, I am Seonghwa."
"Woah, he is so handsome. You're getting rivalry, Yeosang.", Mingi jokes.
The members introduce themselves to Seonghwa and we play around in the water for a bit.
"San's lips are starting to get a little bit blue maybe we should go out of the water.", Jongho says.
We get out of the water and get our towels.
"It's a bit awkward to change your underwear with so many people around.", I say.
"I have an idea!", San exclaims.
We look at him as he gets Yunho to hold his towel out in front him. He stands opposite of Yunho and does the same.
"You can get changed in between the towels.", San explains.
"Ehm... I don't have a towel or extra underwear with me.", Seonghwa remarks.
"No problem. You can use my towel and I brought an extra pair of underwear with me because I didn't know if the others packed one for San.", I offer.
"Why? Does he have only one pair of underwear?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
We get changed into dry underwear without any embarrassment thanks to San's improvised changing room.
Then we lay down at the shore for a while and enjoy the sun.
Now
It was kind of a nice day looking back.
After getting ready for the day I take over the wheel.
After an hour I can see Aplbom in the distance. I smile brightly at its sight.
Only a few more minutes until I can see my parents again.
I somehow feel a bit nervous. I wonder what they are going to say about my new friends. Do we even have enough room for everyone?
I park the ship safely at the usual location and run inside the ship to quickly gather everyone together.
Then I go into my room and wake up Seonghwa and get the book I bought for my parents.
I go outside and look onto the island while I wait for the others. It's completely covered in snow but apart from that everything is the same as it was a few months ago.
Once everyone has arrived I lead them towards my parent's house.
We walk through the open garden gate and halt in front of the small wooden house.
I take a deep breath before I knock on the door. I hear someone walk towards the door. It slowly opens and my dad stands on the other side of it.
"S-Son?!", he exclaims and immediately wraps his arms around me.
"I missed you too, dad.", I say.
"What are you doing here and who are all of these people?"
"We came here because we need to find a key for the treasure of Aninliggat and Aplbom is one of the island where we might find it. The people behind me are friends that I made along the way."
"Hello, Mr. Motik.", they greet dad.
"Come in, come in! It's cold outside."
We enter the house. Last time I was here the house wasn't fully furnished yet. But now everything at its place.
They decorated the house with things that we found on our adventures or bought as souvenirs from other countries. I immediately recognize the carpet from Wajasi that my brother bought for our parents and the long case clock from the Neutral Zone. The others awkwardly stand at the entrance and look around.
"Who was at the door, honey?", mom shouts from the kitchen.
"Our son!"
My mom runs into the living room and hugs me.
"I missed you so much, Hongjoong. Have you been well?"
"Me too. I have been doing great. Don't worry."
"Is this your crew?"
"Yes, they are my friends."
I take off my shoes. The others do the same and we sit down at the table in the living room. Mom makes us tea and I tell them everything that has happened.
"That sounds very adventurous and a bit dangerous. I hope you are careful on your search for the keys. I don't want you to land in prison.", dad remarks.
"Of course I am careful. I have also a very reliable crew. So don't worry."
"I still can't believe that we have the prince of the Nekra Kingdom in our house. Do you want another cup of tea, your majesty?"
"Please just call me Yeosang. I don't like being associated with my family. I just want to live a regular life."
"I understand. Also, you are all so handsome and well mannered. Now I kind of wish I had a daughter to introduce to you."
My dad giggles. My friends blush shyly. This is kind of awkward...
"Oh, what I wanted to ask is if you have seen something that might be the key that I have described in the village?"
"No, I am sorry.", dad answers.
"Hmm okay. Have you heard from my brother?"
"We got a letter from him a few days ago. Apparently there aren't really any news."
"Did you celebrate the new year?", mom asks.
"Not really. We just stayed up a little longer and wished each other a happy new year.", Yunho tells.
I see that next to him Seonghwa has fallen asleep on Mingi's shoulder.
The poor guy must have been really tired after navigating the ship since the early morning hours.
After talking for a while I decide to show my friends the village and ask for the key there. Wooyoung and Jongho quickly help my mom with the dishes and Mingi wakes up Seonghwa.
The oldest crewmate looks around dazed.
"Did I fall asleep?", he asks.
"Yeah.", San replies.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not a big deal. You navigated all night. My parents know how it is. I want to show the others the island but if you want to sleep more, you can go back to the ship.", I say.
"I'm good. I think I am awake now."
The other two come back from the kitchen and we go outside.
"I think we won't be gone for too long. We should be back for lunch.", I say to my parents.
"Okay I will cook you something delicious until then."
We walk down the road until we reach the next house.
"All the houses are scattered around the island. There should be eight in total.", I explain.
Like the last time we go from house to house. In between we enjoy walking through the beautiful and calm neighborhood. But just like the last time we don't have much success regarding the key.
"I hope we have more luck on the next island. It's going to be so boring if we have to keep sailing from island to island the next weeks.", Wooyoung says.
"But it could also be an opportunity to find big treasures or interesting places.", Mingi comments.
"I'm just happy that I will see my family soon.", San says.
We go back to my parents house where we eat lunch.
"Since you were treasure hunters too, do you have any tips for us?", Jongho asks.
"Preparation is very important of course whether it is bandages, ropes or simply food. You should always be prepared for everything but our son should know this. It is also important to pay very much attention to your surroundings but with 8 pairs of eyes this should be easier. You should make sure that you stay fit if you want to be a treasure hunter for a long time. When working in a team trust and cooperation is crucial. Otherwise you just have to be brave.", mom tells.
"What is the craziest thing that ever happened to you?", Seonghwa asks.
"There are so many. I know one time we were in a ruin inside a mountain and one part of it came crashing down, so we had to run out really fast.", dad says.
We exchange a lot of stories until it's late in the afternoon. Mom and dad want to see the ship again, so I show them around while Wooyoung cooks dinner for us.
"It didn't change a lot, I just got it repaired recently.", I explain while they look around on the main deck.
"Good. You know how important it is to take good care of the ship.", dad says.
Mom opens the door to my room.
"I'm guessing the messy side is your side. But it is super clean in here.", she comments.
"Seonghwa loves cleaning so he cleans our room almost every day."
We go down into the main part of the ship.
"Everything is just as I remember it. Just more crowded. Can you show us what have found recently?", mom asks.
"We recently sold our loot so there is nothing to show to you. Sorry."
We talk a bit in the kitchen until dinner is ready. Mom praises Wooyoung's cooking a lot. Then we play a card game together.
The next day it is time to say goodbye.
We eat breakfast and go back to my parents house.
"I think we need to go now. We still need to visit a lot islands. Stay healthy and I hope your crops will grow well in spring. I will miss you.", I say to my parents.
"Stay healthy too. Don't get into trouble. Take good care of each other and find a lot of treasures."
We hug each other and my crew quickly says goodbye too.
"If you should see your brother in Wajasi then greet him from us.", dad says.
"I will."
We wave them goodbye and go back onto our ship. I get a little emotional as the island disappears at the horizon. Who knows when I will see my parents again.
Author's Note:
I was struggling with this chapter a little bit, so I am sorry if this chapter is a little bit short and boring. But I am very excited for Ateez's collaboration album. The pictures they posted look very cute.