—One Week Later—
"It's just that easy."
Namjoon snorted, "Just that easy, huh?"
"Yup."
She was a nice one.
"I should probably leave. Wouldn't want you getting in trouble for letting me into the—what was it called again?" Namjoon grimaced.
The girl snorted, "Wheelhouse. Nobody calls it that anymore though. At least I don't," the girl faced forward, "It's just where the wheel is."
"Ahh, the house of the wheel."
The girl playfully rolled her eyes, "Weren't you leaving?"
Namjoon grinned, lightly chuckling as he exited the room. They'd been on the ferry for a week. All the light talk and banter was barely enough to distract the two men from the fact that they weren't remotely close to land. Only with binoculars could Namjoon see the faint outline of the coast. The island was a thing of the past, left behind in an opaque mist.
Namjoon and Ed had to trust them. Whatever they had planned would be for the benefit of everyone on board, and surely they wouldn't jeopardize that for two men who had proven to be anything but threats. One good way to stay on their good side was to make friends with as many people as they could.
His friendship with Aida, the captain of the boat, was half and half. He couldn't say he let his guards down completely when with her, but he couldn't say she didn't tempt him to do so. It was nothing romantic in the slightest, but her aura was genuine, and those type of people would become harder to find the more you delved into the forsaken world.
Even in that point in time, Namjoon and Ed found themselves bumping heads with most of the women on board. It wasn't intentional, rather their ideals and remarks were beginning to sound a bit targeted.
"Have you talked to anyone today?"
Ed sighed, making a face, "I don't want to. Can't they just take us where we need to go and be done with this? I don't want to have to make friends with these people. These touch starved-"
"Be nice," Namjoon scolded.
"Look," Ed took Namjoon's hand, scoping the area for any eavesdroppers, "I have a bad feeling about these people," he whispered, "So I think we should take our own boat to the coast."
Namjoon turned serious, eyes staring back at Ed in deep thought, "What is making you so scared?"
Ed pursed his lips, shifting his gaze elsewhere, "I don't know. It's a gut feeling."
Namjoon sighed, "I'd be willing to do that, but the canoe's hull had a hole in it. We wouldn't make it to shore if we got on a sinking boat."
Ed looked over the railing, staring down at the canoe and the small, but otherwise significant hole at the bottom. Namjoon looked over to the other lifeboats, contemplating their next move. It was hard to do anything when constantly being watched by the women on board. It was clear that nobody trusted them yet, not enough to leave them unsupervised,
And certainly not enough to trust their word.
"One of them tried to flirt with me," Ed muttered, stare becoming void, "And I told her I was gay."
At first, Namjoon found no real problem with it, but the look on Ed's face spoke of fear...of dread. Ed didn't look too pleased to have let that bit of innocuous information slip passed his usually chatty lips, and suddenly Namjoon remembered the kind of world they had once lived in.
"Who?" Namjoon asked. Ed looked uncomfortable, and he glanced at Namjoon.
Ed sharply inhaled, "Um...That's not important. But she gave me this look of pure disgust," he looked at Namjoon, eyes sad, "And then she just turned and walked away."
Now worried, Namjoon hooked an arm around Ed's, "They're probably old school. Can't get much passed their thick skulls."
Ed chuckled, but it sounded forced, "Right..."
Namjoon squeezed him lightly to comfort him, but Ed still felt tense.
"Namjoon, what if they try to do something to me?" He whispered.
"I wouldn't let that happen. No way," Namjoon scoffed, "I'm here forever and always, and nothing is going to happen." His stern voice brought a small smile to Ed's face despite the obvious doubt behind his eyes. Namjoon meant each and every single word, and Namjoon was a man of his word.
"If they try to do something, they'll have to do it to me first," Namjoon reassured, grinning down at Ed.
Another few days went by, and Namjoon came to the realization of two things.
He stared at the plates set out before the table at the makeshift dining area. The women, all fifteen of them had sat around the table, lively faces lit up by faint glowing candles. He even saw Aida, but it seemed as though her smile was not as genuine. She didn't talk much to the other women, only listening to the other women speak. Before them was a set of cutlery, ready to be used to eat the chicken, peas, rice and beans generously piled onto their plates. Namjoon hid from sight and slowly walked back to the storage closet. There, Ed sat backed up against the corner, far away gaze on nothing in particular. He lazily scooped food into his mouth, chewing without urgency. It wasn't until Namjoon's troubled look rounded the corner that Ed seemed to snap out of it. He set his spoon down,
"Should I spit the food out? Is it poisoned?" He rushed out, grains of rice becoming harmless projectiles. He'd been skeptical of the food ever since their arrival but they weren't dead yet so that had to mean something.
Namjoon shook his head, eyes trained on one thing. Ed followed his line of sight, raising a quizzical brow.
"Bro. Speak."
Namjoon closed the closet door and picked up his plate, stirring the small pile of rice and beans with disinterest as confusion swirled in his brain.
"Yo, maybe you need a factory reset or something cause you seem to not hear me," Ed raised his voice. There was no animosity, only worry.
Namjoon shoved a loaded spoon into his mouth, "They're having a fucking feast out there," he muttered, "Gave us an ounce of food so they had enough to pile their own plates up."
Ed blinked, "What?"
"They each donated one generous grain of rice and one bean so that we wouldn't starve," Namjoon bitterly chewed his food. It was silent for a moment before Ed burst out into giggles.
"On one side I understand," Ed spoke through his laughter, "But on the other, if they're gonna keep us here, they might as well feed us enough."
Namjoon sighed in frustration, "That's what I'm saying!"
"I'm still hungry after these but I guess I'll be ready for hot girl summer," Ed commented.
Namjoon snorted, hoping to muffle his laughter, but Ed simply joined in and continued eating. It didn't take long for Ed to lighten the mood. He was often the source of peace in Namjoon's restless life. Maybe it was the way he always listened, or maybe that he always knew what to say. He struggled through his own battles but always knew how to make it out. Namjoon now wished he had done more for Ed.
Maybe then he wouldn't have ended up the way he did.
Namjoon hoped to talk to Aida about dropping them off at the mainland, his hopes up considering his closer relationship to her than to any of the other women. He walked timidly towards her, the gut feeling intensifying as if his body knew the answer before he did. The girl was back at the wheelhouse, but instead of being behind the wheel, she had her elbows propped on the window ledge. She pensively stared out into the ocean, the sound of waves crashing against the hull creating a soothing atmosphere.
Namjoon approached, closing the door behind him in the hopes no one noticed him slipping in. He stood beside her, opening his own window to stare out and feel the breeze. The sun had set, and the fog had blanketed over the sea.
"Hey..."
Aida turned to him, smile warm and welcoming like always.
"Hey, did you eat already?" She asked. Namjoon thought back to his close to empty plate, hoping his stomach wouldn't rumble at the thought of food. He was still hungry, but he chose not to make a big deal.
"Yeah. Did you?"
She hummed, staring back out the window.
Namjoon cleared his throat, "Hey...uh, I was wondering when you guys would drop us off at the shore. Ya know, it's been a while and we don't want to use up your resources," he said, "I know you guys probably don't want to get close to the mainland because of the...things out there. But we'd really appreciate to be let-"
"Namjoon," Aida interrupted, biting her lip. She glanced timidly at him, "I don't make decisions. I just turn the wheel left or right."
She sounded annoyed, causing Namjoon to draw back slightly, "You can't at least ask them for us?"
Aida sighed, "I can barely even ask for myself. My authority here is close to nonexistent. I may be the operator but I'm not the captain. I don't decide where we go, I don't even decide where I go," she faced Namjoon, "Look, if you want to leave, I suggest you take the boat you came on-"
"It's got a hole in it," Namjoon interjected, clenching his jaw, "We won't make it to shore."
"Trying is better than being stuck on this boat, Namjoon," Aida muttered, glancing at the door. Her voice came out as a whisper, "These people are weird. I suggest you try to leave as soon as possible."
Namjoon's blood ran cold, and he took another step back. Ed's intuition once again proved to be correct. What was strange about the interaction was Aida's hesitation to say anything since the beginning. This bothered Namjoon.
"Why are you telling me this now? Why wouldn't you tell me sooner? If they're as weird as you say?" Namjoon prodded, his patience wearing thin. The more she talked the more Namjoon realized that regardless of how good Namjoon was, she would never betray the same women she warned Namjoon of. Her loyalty was clear—unfortunately.
Aida looked exasperated, "I didn't know you. And I still don't know you. All of this is at mine and your discretion. What you chose to do with this information is up to you," she quietly strained, "If I were you, I wouldn't leave Ed alone for one second."
It came off as a warning, yet it sounded more like a threat. Namjoon's stomach dropped at her words, and he slowly backed away, a disturbed look on his face as his stare lingered on Aida. She looked just as guilty of having said it, but regardless, he knew she meant it.
Namjoon rushed out of the room, bumping into one of the women he'd seen ogling Ed. The simple thought of something happening to Ed made the hair on his arms stand, completely overshadowing the fact that he wasn't supposed to be inside the wheelhouse. It was at Aida's expense, and the woman knew this as her face scrunched up into a scowl. The woman entered the wheelhouse and closed the door behind her, leaving Namjoon to scurry back to the storage closet. There, Ed laid over the bench, staring up into the porthole like he would every day. He had never felt comfortable going out midday while all the women were out.
Now Namjoon knew why. Ed must've felt something Namjoon didn't, and with Aida's warning it only added to the apprehension.
Namjoon closed the door behind him, sitting down close by the bench Ed laid on. Ed offered a smile, letting it fade from his lips at the sight of Namjoon's expression.
"We gotta find a way to leave this boat," Namjoon whispered, huffing out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Uhh, yeah, I literally told you like a billion times," Ed chuckled, "But I'm glad we're on the same boat now...pun fully intended."
Namjoon didn't stop to laugh at the joke despite the back of his head finding it amusing. He was far too concerned about a possible escape plan and Aida's lingering words to really pay attention to much else. They'd been on the boat for far too long, stuck with suspicious, oddly-behaving and unpredictable women. He didn't have anything against women—not at all; it was merely this group of women whose behavior he had only rarely seen in some failed dates and escapades. The women who were constants in his life were kind and strong, nothing like the women on the boat who made his chest feel tight with all the negative energy they put out.
"By the way, I heard them talking about us," Ed commented, "About you and Aida, too."
At the mention of the girl's name, Namjoon sharply turned. His eyes narrowed to slits.
"Okay? And then?"
Ed clasped his hands over his lap, "They think you guys are fucking in the wheelhouse."
Namjoon's stomach dropped, "Oh..." he made a face, "Well we're not."
Ed shrugged, "They seem to think so. And you know how I said they were thirsty for some dick?" He bluntly asked. At the word, Namjoon grimaced. Vulgar, sexual language was such a turn off (not that he had many turn-ons to begin with).
"Well," Ed sighed, preparing to break his news, "Turns out they were once part of a women's community back at the island. They lived in a single house, lived with only themselves and no men in sight. And now they're looking to make up for lost time—" Ed looked unimpressed, "And that's in their own words. Verbatim."
Namjoon paled, "Oh..."
"Yeah, oh."
Namjoon paused for a moment, trying to process the revelation, "Is it too late to castrate myself?"
Ed blinked, suddenly bursting out into a fit of laughter. Namjoon lightly chuckled next to him despite the dire circumstances, hoping to alleviate the sinking feeling.
"Hey," Namjoon called out after they'd settled down. Both now stared at the porthole with uncertainty. The sunrise and sunset were certain, but getting to see the sun and the moon again was another thing.
"Mm."
"I want you to stay by my side every second," Namjoon ordered, "I dont want to lose sight of you to these ladies, no matter what."
Ed was quiet.
"Okay?"
Ed pursed his lips, nodding regardless.
Though Namjoon and Ed proceeded to make a plan of escape, life seemed to have other plans. The abysmal dark cloud above slowly covered the sky, following by the ground trembling as thunder clapped loudly. The treacherous waves clashed against the hull of the boat, rocking it side to side hazardously and causing everything inside every room to crash to the ground. The two men could not go through with an escape, not when the weather was so rough and the mist made visibility nearly impossible. In those conditions, you'd have to be suicidal to go out into. Try at, or have a really good reason.
That night, Namjoon found his reason.
As the two readied for bed, they shared wary glances, occasionally sharing nods that requested reassurance. Aida's words bounced painfully in his skull, prickly like a cactus. Her warning only warranted suspicion, more so the vagueness. She had to have known more than she led on, but Namjoon wouldn't try and find out what. His priority was keeping Ed safe without arising suspicion in Ed himself. Maybe it was a comment meant to intentionally keep them on their toes—maybe it wasn't. Namjoon was too scared to find out.
"What do you mean?"
Ed crossed his arms, raising a brow in confusion at his best friend. Namjoon avoided eye contact, trying not to scare Ed.
"If you gotta go out, just let me know. I want to know where you are all the time," Namjoon said, nonchalantly shrugging as he snuggled into his thin blanket. It was a struggle staying warm with winter steadily approaching, in a storage room inside a steel boat with little insulation.
Ed rolled his eyes, "You sound like my ex."
Namjoon sighed, "I'm just sayin'."
Ed's stare lingered, his eyes still heavily scrutinizing Namjoon.
"You sure?"
"Yeh. I care about you. I want you to be safe," Namjoon reassured, smiling this time.
"Fine," Ed sighed, finally smiling, "Aww since you care about me so much," he cooed, "I'll let you know when I'm stepping out and shit."
"Please do."
"Yeah yeah," Ed settled into his sleeping bag, snorting, "I wonder where I'll be in a year or two. Don't you?"
Namjoon hummed, "I wonder that too. I see you and I traveling and hiding out in a cabin somewhere. You know, I was planning to surprise you for your birthday. I wanted to take us to the Namhae forest lodge," he said, expression saddening. Ed reached out, holding Namjoon's hand and squeezing lightly.
"We can always still try. Thank you for even planning something. You know how I am with birthdays," Ed chuckled. Namjoon still felt a pain at his chest, slowly spreading. It didn't feel good, and Namjoon wondered if it was a sign of what was to come. Death was inevitable, sure, but so soon? Namjoon hoped to save Ed from a death he did not want.
"You hate celebrating aging," Namjoon mumbled, "But it's another year of life. Isn't that exciting?"
"Another year of questioning why men are the way that they are, sure, that's...exciting," he snorted. Namjoon lightly shoved Ed, but said nothing. His eyelids were beginning to droop, and sleep was looming over him. He was warm enough to comfortably sleep, even though his feet slightly poked out from under the blanket. He was just glad Ed was fully covered, warm and comfortable. Things were going to get harder from then on, but as long as Namjoon had Ed, he'd fight until the very end.
And so the two slept soundly in the confines of a drafty storage closet, lulled by the rocking boat that drifted farther and farther from the shore.
"Hey...."
Namjoon stirred.
"Namjoon-ah..."
The whisper was close, but Namjoon was sleepy and his dreams mingled dangerously with reality. He simply hummed as he tried to open his eyes. A blurry Ed looked down at him, lightly snorting and patting his shoulder.
"Hmm?" Namjoon hummed, taking in a deep breath as his eyes closed again.
"I'm going to the restroom...." Ed's words faded in and out, "...pee in the bucket....gonna tip over...."
Namjoon sighed, "Mhmm..."
"....be back in..."
"Mhm," Namjoon hummed once more, far too sleepy to understand what Ed was trying to say. He was tired, and all he wanted to do was rest is weary eyes until the sun rays shined through the porthole. Namjoon closed his eyes, exhaling deeply as the world grew dark once more.
It wasn't until Namjoon's subconscious screamed for him to get up. It was a sudden realization.
A lapse that would jolt him awake.
Namjoon gasped as he sat up in a hurry. His breathing was panicked and his heart sped up. In his mind there was only one voice repeating the same words over and over.
If I were you, I wouldn't leave Ed alone one second.
The ferry rocked rather harshly. The sway was enough to make you seasick but the queasiness in Namjoon's stomach was the product of something else. His eyes scanned the storage room, and he fully expected to see Ed sleeping peacefully just under the porthole, where he loved to lay. In Ed's place, however, there was nothing but an empty, disheveled sleeping bag. It gently shifted back and forth as the ferry rocked. Namjoon sat silently for a few seconds. It was still night. His eyes could've been closed for a second...for a minute...for hours before realizing and waking.
Namjoon could not wait for Ed to come back. No, he had to go find him even if all he ended up seeing was Ed in a vulnerable position.
He darted from his sleeping spot and ran towards the door.
Namjoon wiggled the latch around, pulling will all of his fear-induced adrenaline. However, the latch did not budge—not even a smidge. Namjoon stood, half dazed and frozen before the closet door. He doesn't remember when but when fully waking up, he realized he'd been pounding on the door, voice gone hoarse as he shouted angrily to be let out. The panic of not knowing Ed's whereabouts, or even how long he'd slept after Ed had gone to do his business, were clouding his judgement.
Namjoon was suddenly pushed back, falling hard onto the concrete floor. He looked up, his eyes meeting that of a stoic Aida's. The girl only stared for what felt like minutes on end. Her stare was cold, empty, nothing even remotely warm or comforting in that gaze for Namjoon to cling to.
"She looked like a stranger," Namjoon whispered distractedly, his eyes were glazed over, shifting quickly at nothing in particular. He was having flashbacks of the night—horrible and unforgiving. Mara watched the side of his face with dread. She knew what was coming before he could go any further. The pain and anguish in his voice was palpable, speaking of a predictable, yet wretched fate.
Namjoon frantically stood, snatching the door open and pushing rather harshly passed Aida. She said nothing, merely stumbling to the side and watching Namjoon run down the hall.
It was no coincidence that Aida was there, fully dressed in casual attire instead of her sleep garments. It was no coincidence that she showed no emotion towards a distraught Namjoon. She had made no effort to ask, no effort to look for Ed after opening the door to which she held the key to.
It was no mistake to pin her as unreliable the second she opened that door, for it meant every bad thing Namjoon could think of.
Namjoon rushed towards the deck, whirring passed rooms and looking into each and every one he came across, finding nothing but clean and tidy, not to mention empty beds. He doesn't remember ever feeling such an intense dread as that one.
Namjoon reached the deck, his eyes glued to the group of women huddled by the railing. They were all silent, staring out into the sea, holding each other for stability as the waves seemed to crash harder and harder by the minute. He did not see Ed anywhere amidst the group.
His voice squeaked as he opened it to shout,
"Where's Ed?!"
The sea was loud, almost deafeningly so.
"Where the fuck is Ed?!" He repeated, perturbed as the girls all turned their heads in unison.
You'd expect to see the same empty stare, or at least one warm smile. Something to hold on to.
But...
They all held a...condescending...almost amused look on their faces.
"Tell me-" Namjoon's voice cracked, "Where is he?"
Rendered to a whisper, Namjoon watched in horror as the women peered back over the railing, shoulders shaking as they impishly giggled amongst one another.
"I told you not to take your eyes off of him."
Namjoon jumped forward, head snapping towards the voice that whispered apathetically at him. Behind him was Aida, still as ever, like a statue—cold like one too.
"All he had to do was say yes," Aida whispered, "And he wouldn't be out there...probably dead."
Namjoon was momentarily confused by the statement, but thinking back to what Ed had said, it all made sense.
"One of them tried to flirt with me," Ed muttered, stare becoming void, "And I told her I was gay."
It was freezing that night, but the previous shake in Namjoon's body was replaced with an intense heat. One that swept over him like a wildfire, from the depths of hell itself. His throat let out a grunt as he pushed the women aside aggressively.
"-she gave me this look of pure disgust-"
"Maybe a little cold plunge will do the fag good!"
Their sharp tongues drove Namjoon further into his blind rage as he jumped down into the docking area, immediately assaulted with icy water that seemed not to phase him at all.
"He'll come out a changed man! That is if he even makes it out!"
"Namjoon, what if they try to do something to me?"
They squealed and snorted with laughter like a drove of pigs, one Namjoon dangerously wished he could send to the slaughter. With strength he'd never before seen in himself, Namjoon climbed onto their breached canoe, battling the strong currents and the heavy slaps from traitorous waves.
Thunder clapped louder with every minute Namjoon wandered off into the sea. He couldn't see the moon in the sky anymore, let alone five feet in front of him. That didn't stop him from rowing with his hands, with whatever he could find on the canoe. His voice was hoarse from shouting Ed's name, but no matter how loud he shouted it, the chaotic sea drowned him out. Tears and seawater burned at Namjoon's eyes, and his lips quivered with dread along with the cold that began seeping in just as the realization did.
Just as Namjoon was beginning to think that they'd likely lied and convinced him to voluntarily jump overboard, the canoe suddenly jolted. Namjoon fell forward, catching himself from a nasty face plant onto splintering wood and pushing himself up against the waves slapping at his back.
Wide eyed and confused, Namjoon searched around for the shore or rock he assumed he'd bumped into. It was still dark, and without the moon, the ocean and land were damn near indistinguishable.
It was all just a black sea of death and despair.
Namjoon searched around, looking to remove the obstruction. What he was faced with did not process, not in his distressed and impaired mind. Though it was a possibility he had shoved to the farthest back of his mind, it forcefully bled into a terrifying reality.
Namjoon sat back mute, staring abysmally at the harrowing sight of Ed floating lifelessly. The waves shoved him under but he'd surface yet again— motionless. Ed's pale skin was stark against the pitch black water, and he was ice cold—stiff—to the touch as Namjoon pulled him out of the water. He was gentle, fearing injuring his best friend even if Ed was already unfathomably far from feeling pain. Namjoon struggled to get his friend on board, especially as everything sank in—the canoe, the fatigue from rowing, being lost at sea, and most painful of all: the death of his best friend.
Namjoon heard a gargle, his hopes rising for a second before turning his friend over and setting him down to lay comfortably.
This was the breaking point.
Through Namjoon's lips passed a pained shout at the sight of Ed's face. Ed lunged at him, fisting Namjoon's clothes and skin to get a better grip. Namjoon weakly held his dead friend down, keeping Ed—or whatever was left of him—from sinking his teeth into Namjoon's arm. Seeing his reanimated corpse, milky eyes and uncontrollable desire to hurt him made Namjoon lose all sense of rationale. He was tempted to let Ed take a bite, just one, and that would be all it took for his pain to go away. However, as relieving as death sounded, Namjoon was afraid to die. Sure, he'd contemplated doing the unthinkable several times in his life but now that he was faced with death, it didn't look as tempting as before.
Namjoon heavily sobbed as he reached for the broken oar, using every bit of strength he had left to repeatedly beat Ed across the head. The squelch could be heard over the chaos, and he felt every hit resonate in his bones. Ed continued to fight it despite losing the battle, his head dented by Namjoon's continuous blows. Namjoon huffed and growled in seething anger, each swing coming down harder and harder as he took out his frustrations on what used to be his friend.
"Im sorry!" Namjoon shouted.
"Fucking idiot! Why didn't you wake up?!"
Chunks of brain matter splattered over Namjoon's face, dark blood oozing profusely from his friend and trickling down his own face.
"You're pathetic! Couldn't even save your friend!"
Ed stopped fighting back, milky eyes coated with blood, staring up emptily at Namjoon. The latter kept going.
"Those fucking whores," Namjoon slowly inhaled, plopping back and staring at the mush before him, "...are gonna wish they were dead."
Water was slowly sinking the canoe, yet a sopping wet Namjoon did not seem to care—not even a little bit. Ed lay motionless at the other end of the canoe, left a disfigured mess by his exhausted friend. Namjoon let the canoe take him wherever, numb to the cold and left to wonder if it was too late to climb back on board the ferry and exact revenge on the women.
Lazily turning his head, Namjoon saw a light flicker in the distance. It was a mere second in which his heart fluttered.
He looked up at the sky.
His shoulders shook as he silently wept.
"Anywhere you take me," he whimpered, "I'll go."
Namjoon's tired body slowly succumbed to sleep, limply laying back into the canoe. His mourning continued even in his dreams as visions of his lively friend bittersweetly danced in his mind.
The sound of waves gently crashing woke Namjoon up. He kept his eyes closed, however, when feeling a poke at his cheek, his face pulled into a frown.
"Hey....you alive?"
Namjoon stirred, overcome by a coughing fit. He was rolled over, water pouring from his lungs and wheezing out staggered breaths as he tried to fill them with oxygen. His head lolled onto the gritty floor.
But I'm laying, Namjoon thought.
This feels so good.
Namjoon opened his eyes, and if that in itself made a sound, it'd be the loud creak of rusty door hinges.
"You alright there?"
Namjoon responded with another fit of coughs.
"I recommend you hold your breath when swimming next time."
Namjoon processed the joke perhaps a bit too late.
"What's your name, big fella?"
Namjoon sighed, turning over to look at the sky.
It was blue and many clouds took up the sky.
The grey blob of fiery was gone, replaced with a peace and quiet Namjoon had never heard before.
"Nam....Namjoon."
"Ahh, Namjoon. Nice to meet you. You have any idea where you are?" The man asked.
Namjoon turned to him. His features were slightly blurry, but blinking helped clear up the picture.
"I'm stunning, I know, but my people really want to know who you are and where you come from."
His kind eyes were welcoming—quite the contrast to Aida's once she turned on Namjoon.
Ed.
"I was on a ferry..." Namjoon hoarsely grumbled, "And I jumped off."
"Oh?"
Namjoon's lips quivered, "To save my friend."
"...Oh."
The man stood from where he'd kneeled next to Namjoon, and he peered around for a moment. As if realizing the obvious, the man kneeled back down. He placed a hand on Namjoon's shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"Well, Namjoon, how about we get you some warm clothes and food. I bet you're starving," he offered, using the palm of his hand to guide Namjoon into sitting up. Namjoon stared at the man—he looked awfully young.
"What's...What's your name?"
The man chuckled, "Around here they call me Kim, but I wouldn't mind going by first names. It's Seokjin...or Jin...whatever floats your...I mean whatever you'd like."
Namjoon hummed, staring out into the sea. The treacherous waves had calmed, and on the horizon, far out into the sea, not a single ferry could be seen.
——-
A/N:
Hi lovely people! <3
So I moved cities and have a new job! And am also moving into an apartment with my friends. Life is busy busy so I've had to put down a lot of my hobbies, not just writing.
Hope you all understand!
Though I do get sad and stressed at times, I've lowkey never been better. These life changes will do me good!
Not sure when I'll be able to update to be honest but hopefully you guys are enjoying the chapter!
Much love!
-wethenaive