After Eye-patch decided that I could stay, Yeosang lead me towards the forecastle. On my way there, we had to pass the main deck where I could feel the eyes of all the men on me. Glares and stares were directed towards me and as much as I tried to ignore them, their curious eyes were swallowing my thoughts. I then felt a hand on my shoulder which initially made me jump. I whip my head around to see Yeosang peering at me.
"Are you ok, you look tense," he notes. I give him a reassuring nod as he moves in front of me to open the door to the cabin built under the forecastle. Much like the quarterdeck, the forecastle deck was elevated with room for a cabin under it. When Yeosang opened the door and stepped inside I followed after him surprised to see the amount of space. It was an open room with enough light coming in to see clearly. Boxes lined up the walls with dust bunnies collecting on them. Inside two twin cots were pressed up against the wall. The air smelled musty and I could see the dust floating in the air. I continue studying the homely cabin when he speaks up from behind me while closing the door. "This here is called the sickbay. I know it's a bit dusty but this is where you will be staying for now. I hope Captain and the rest didn't scare you too much. It just takes them some time to show their colors."
"I didn't ask for you to help me." I begin.
"But I did it anyway," he responds.
"Thank you." He smiles acknowledging my gratitude. It's a soft smile that reaches up to his warm brown eyes. Much like Taehyung's. I turn around looking away from him before my eyes tear up again. I set my bag down on one of the cots which causes more dust to rise into the air around me. I can't cry here. I look over at the other bed and the boxes which causes curiosity to stir in me and before I can think I open my mouth to ask Yeosang my questions. "Did someone used to live here?"
"Yes, in fact, he was our surgeon. His name was Gunho, in case you were wondering," Yeosang replies.
"What happened to him?"
"He... Left." Yeosang replies vaguely. I look at him with a suspicious glare but he waves me off, "Don't worry. It's not like he's gonna haunt you. I don't think he'd haunt a pretty lady like you." I chuckle at that which seems to satisfy him. "Now that you're bombarding me with questions, how about you let me ask you some?" I shrug turning back to the boxes as I make my way over to them.
"You don't trust us much do ya? Is there a reason?" He begins. I slightly flinch at his question. He always seemed sharp to me but I didn't know he was THAT keen. I continue looking through one of the boxes while I answer his question.
"I'm very cynical. About everything. It shouldn't have come as a surprise considering how I questioned you the last time you were at the castle." I answer absentmindedly. When I realize what I've said it's too late.
"Right, the castle, Why did you lie about your position at the castle?" I take in a sharp breath as I think about what to respond with.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You lied to Captain about who you were even though you knew I had seen who you really were. You're lucky Ten said I could trust you the last time. If not I would've exposed you right then and there." I turn to him sharply, stumbling a bit to catch my balance because of my injured thigh, which seems to startle him.
"What else did you want me to do? I'm on a ship with freakin' PIRATES for crying out loud." My fuse begins to run short at his interrogation. I stalk over to him with a limp but that doesn't make me look any less intimidating. "I can't even trust my own family without them putting a bounty on my head, how can I trust the others?! Heck, I don't even know if I can trust YOU!" I raise my voice which startles him. He stares at me wide-eyed with his lips slightly parted as if trying to come up with a retort but failing. I didn't notice when I had jabbed a finger at him but he was now backing away from me. Shaking my head, I slump my shoulders and look down. "I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have--"
"No, I understand," Yeosang interrupts taking tiny steps towards me again, "It must be hard trusting a band of pirates that just threatened to kill you, I know, I was in your shoes at one point." He finally gets close enough to place a hand on my shoulder. I tense up at first but then relax into his touch. He has a compassionate and caring aura, I can tell. It rolls off him in waves, sending a splash of comfort through me. I look up at him and meet his kind gaze.
"I forgot you were a Kang." He laughs, the deep sound ringing through the air.
"And a terrible one, too. I remember calling one of our guests a fat pig that would never find a suitable lover. I told her she'd crush them under her weight." He recalls and I snort at his comment trying not to burst out laughing. "Ok, in my defense I was only 8 and she had eaten my chicken." I giggle at his excuse, shaking my head. He then slides the hand resting on my shoulder down my arm until he grabs my hand. "Sun-Mi, I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm asking you to let me trust you. I-I just need something from you that I can trust. If Ten said I could confide you, it was for a reason." I break eye contact with him looking over at the cot to my right. I sigh.
"I am the princess. Princess Lee Sun-Mi. I used Hae earlier because that's my mom's maiden name. I lied because-- because I was scared you'd sell me." He nods never letting go of my hand. "Yeosang?"
"Hm?"
"What's gonna happen to me? I mean not everyone on this ship is jumping for joy at my prescence." I ask making eye contact with his milky brown eyes once again.
"Don't mind them. It's an act. I'm sure they'll warm up to you soon. Besides, I won't let anything bad happen to you while you're under my tutelage." He declares.
"Promise?" I ask squeezing his hand.
"Promise." He squeezes back. "But for now, You'll have to stay in this room until Captain is sure you're not a threat. Only I have access to this room along with Seonghwa. Seonghwa will probably be here shortly, but I have to go." He informs me while making his way to the door. He brings out a pocket watch from one of his pockets, pressing his lips together into a taut line as his brows pinch up.
"Will you be long?" I inquire heading over to my bag on one of the cots. He looks back up at me with a small smile playing on his lips.
"Not long." Turning around, he leaves the room locking the door behind him.
~
I had cleaned up the room a bit with the spare broom and duster I found in the closet. Kind of surprised to find one in this room but I don't mind the extra storage space. I had been locked in this room for hours so I decided I might as well have arranged myself properly, it was not half bad considering my injured leg. I also looked through the boxes in the room to see what I could use and clear out. There were all kinds of stuff in them like old herbs that have been rotting there for who knows how long and other knick-knacks, who I suppose were Gunho's. While looking through the boxes some more, I found some old pictures with a couple of familiar faces of the crew members I had sort of met, but one struck me the most out of them all.
It was a picture of the brunette from earlier, with another man who looked very much like him(except he was a tad bit darker), and a beautiful woman. Her features, from her tiny eye slits to her wide teeth-bearing smile, seemed highly familiar but I can't seem to pinpoint why. The three of them were hugging and they looked extremely happy as they stared into the camera, but somehow I felt that there was more to this picture than I could tell. I bring the picture closer to my face when the door's handle to my room begins to shake as someone outside tries to unlock the door. Quickly, I stuff the picture back inside of the boxes and stand up as quickly as I can, ignoring the sharp pain running up and down my thigh. I dust off my clothes as I wait for the person to step into the room. I was expecting Yeosang, but instead, I'm faced with a fairly tall raven-haired man. Not being as tall as the brunette or the red-head but still up there. I instantly recognize his face and match it with a name that had been floating around in the air since I met him and Yeosang at the castle.
"Seonghwa," I state, "W-Where's Yeosang?" He looks at me warily with his onyx colored eyes. His sharp facial features and high cheek-bones make him look above regal, Heavenly almost. He's sporting a white worn-out, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tucked into a pair of tight black jeans and black leather boots. He also has a beige waist apron which I found a bit odd. His broad shoulders block the exit and the entrance of the room as he contemplates whether he should step inside.
"He's in a meeting with Captain and a few others. Captain sent me here to bring you this," he says stepping into the room and closing the door shut with his foot. I then notice the tray with warm food that he carries and the bag in his other hand.
"Um, you can lay that on this cot." I begin, clearing the stuff I had found and laid on the cots. He shuffles over setting the tray down and the scent of the food wafts into my nose. My stomach begins to rumble loudly as I remember I hadn't eaten the whole day. It's almost night time and I'm famished. When I finish fixing my mess, I limp over to the food and look at the contents. There's a bowl with warm red soup that has vegetables floating around in it along with a plate filled with rice and meat. On the side, there's a piece of bread and a water-filled glass. I blink a couple of times to make sure I'm not making things up.
"I-Is something wrong? Do you not like it? I'm sorry if you--,"
"Oh goodness no," I reassure Seonghwa who started to apologize, "I just-- I didn't expect to get fed this well considering I snuck onto the ship." He relaxes, sighing out loud.
"Well, yeah, but you're under Yeosang's care. Since you're his responsibility you are to be dressed and fed like any other crewmate. The only difference is that you can't leave this room." I nod absentmindedly, not even paying attention to like half of what he said. I only got my eyes on one thing and that's the food in front of me. I don't know where to start so I pick up the first thing I touch which is the plate with meat and rice. I use the fork provided to eat and when the food reaches my mouth it's an explosion of flavor. All the spices and herbs mixing in together to create something so divine.
"Hey, Seonghwa? Who made this?" I ask turning to face him. He had been staring at me expectantly as if waiting for me to ask.
"Um... I did. Do you like it?" He reveals and my eyes widen at his response. "What?" he asks. I didn't mean to seem too disbelieving but damn this stuff was good.
"Nothing, it's just amazing. You cook better than half of the chefs back at the..." I trail off and he picks up my thoughts for me.
"Back at the castle?" I look away from him setting my plate back down as he removes the satchel from himself and sets it down on the cot across from me. "I remember you. You're one of Ten's friends right? The princess to be exact, correct me if I'm wrong." I stay silent and he just chuckles to himself. "It's ok, I can keep a secret. Anyways Hongjoong mentioned that you were injured. Do you mind if I take a look at the wound?" I hesitate to respond at first looking for an answer.
"C-Can I change first?" I ask.
"Of Course. I'll be outside so just lemme know when you're done." He says as he exits the room. I grab the bag he left on the cot and look through its contents. There's a worn-out white shirt much like the one he was wearing and a pair of black jeans. They seemed too big and baggy in some areas so I decided to look through my bag to see what Irene had packed me instead. There was a pair of brown corduroy pants, with a stylish white off the shoulders shirt, and a loose white dress. There was also a nightgown stuffed in there, so I decided to put that on. As I stripped down into my underwear, I try as delicately as possible to take off the cloth that got stuck to the scab forming on my thigh and let me tell you, honey, it was not a nice thing to do. The cloth had attached itself to the wound and it burned like crazy when I slid off the pants.
I then remember that I wasn't wearing any bandages to cover my chest area so I quickly pull some out from my own satchel and bandage my chest. I have bruises and scrapes covering my body along with some old scars. I guess the adrenaline from yesterday made me clueless as to all the injuries I was accumulating, but now my body ached. Some bruises were so bad that it hurt just to tense up my muscle there. I slide on the nightgown delicately and I feel the soft material brush my skin.
I don't usually use nightgowns because they are uncomfortable but this one was one of the few I tolerated so I was surprised to see the thought Irene put into packing my clothes. The smooth cotton texture of the dress skimmed my legs and caressed them. The gown is very light and transparent, making me very self-conscious since I can see my outline. I ignore the self-conscious thought and finish folding up my dirty clothes. I shuffle over to the door and stretch out my hand to knock on it when I hear voices outside.
"What the hell was Captain thinking?!" A deep voice hissed, "He's stupid if he thinks this woman is trustworthy. That Royal navy slut. She will sell us to them, I can feel it." I freeze, my hand barely touching the doorknob when I hear his comment. Are they talking about me?
"San, You shouldn't say that. She's inside you know." A voice, who I think is Seonghwa, speaks up, "Anyways, she doesn't seem to be of any harm. From what I've seen she's just quiet and respectful. Even when Hongjoong threatened her she put up no protest."
"She's tricking you, can't you see?! Those Royal bastards are probably on our tail, using her to monitor us."
"And why would she monitor us when she ran away from the castle?" Another voice pipes in. This one sounds soft but reasoning, much like Yeosang's, so I'm guessing it's him.
"Didn't you and Seonghwa leave the boat to visit that friend of yours' at the palace? She probably followed you guys back and used that excuse to cover herself." A deeper voice speaks up who didn't sound like the first man I heard. He sounded an awful lot like the read-head I saw earlier.
"No, We kept a watchful eye. Mingi, she can be trusted. I know she can. She's just scared. Who knows why she was even running away from the castle in the first place." Yeosang responds in my defense. I hear one of them scoff at Yeosang's comment.
"That whore is working for those Royal bastards. When we get caught it will be your fault and Captain's fault," My heart wrenches at his harsh words. Is that all anyone sees me as? A whore? The man, who I initially heard continues ranting. At some point, my body acts before I think and I slam the door open. "She is a liar, a golddigger, a--"
"Have you guys ever heard of anything called a whisper?" I ask with an innocent expression as I open the door to reveal four men standing at the doorway. Yeosang, Seonghwa, one that I recognize as San, and the red-head from earlier freeze looking at me like deer caught in headlights. San stutters on what he was going to say, so Seonghwa speaks up for him.
"Sun-Mi?! H-How long have your b-been standing there? How much did you hear?"
"Enough," I answer sharply and turn to the two men who were bad-mouthing me. "And by the way, before you start jumping to conclusions, I am a woman on the run from the queen who wants my head. Not a whore, not a slut, and sure as hell not some royal navy spy." I say, emphasizing every syllable to make my point. San's cheeks are beginning to burn up, and the red-head glares at me, quickly looking away when I make eye contact with him. "Don't worry, I don't plan to hang with you for much longer," I add in coldly with a sour expression.
"Su--"
"I'm ready. In case if you still wanna come in." I interrupt Yeosang and turn sharply on my heel, into the room. I hear Seonghwa and Yeosang shuffle in while the other two men grumble as they make their way to their places.
"Sun-Mi, I'm so sorry you had to hear that." Yeosang apologizes closing the door beside him. I'm standing between the two cots, my back facing the two men in the room, with my fists curling and uncurling into a ball. It honestly ticked me off to hear how much crap they were talking. I guess what hurt more was getting the title of whore from people I didn't even know. Way to go, Sun-Mi, Just when you thought you'd get a second chance!
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing," I answer back which makes a cloud of awkwardness settle between the three of us.
"I know, but what else can we do about it?" The room stays silent after Yeosang's comment for a couple of seconds when Seonghwa decides to break up the awkwardness.
"Um, Your wound?" He asks. I slightly tense up and turn to them stiffly. Yeosang notices my behavior and as much as I try to act normal about it he only scrutinizes me further.
"I think I'm good. It's not that bad," I reassure Seonghwa, but he only continues to pry.
"Captain said you were bleeding. Just a little look,I won't hurt you." I bite my bottom lip and look back and forth between the two men in front of me. I get super uncomfortable with physical contact. It would have been different if the wound was on my ankle or my arm but it's on my upper thigh. But I mean he wouldn't try to do anything to me, would he?
"Umm... Just don't hurt me," I say trying to sound jokingly. Seonghwa laughs reassuring me that he won't but Yeosang keeps noticing my strange behavior from afar. I nod and sit at the edge of one of the cots as Seonghwa pulls out a first aid kit.
"So, where is it?" I take a big gulp as I slowly pull up the hem of my gown. My brain is screaming at me to stop and to not trust them. My heart beats faster as the horrific scenarios of what they might do to me play out. Thoughts of past incidents with men run through my mind but I try to swallow them down. They are respectful men, I think trying to calm myself down, They're not like the others. I lift up my gown and leave about 90% of my thigh exposed. Both men's eyes widen as they take in my wound (and my thigh). Seonghwa seems like he's about to say something but instead, he just looks away. I look over at Yeosang who was staring at my exposed leg but quickly looks away with a slight blush.
"Well," Seonghwa speaks up clearing his throat, "If you feel uncomfortable with me touching your--"
"Just do it." I snap a bit harshly, "I-I mean. It's fine. I don't mind." He nods.
"Yeosang there should be some bottled water in that satchel over there. Can you pass it to me?" Seonghwa asks and Yeosang follows. He gives Seonghwa the water and sits down next to me on the cot. "This might hurt just a bit but I promise I won't hurt you too much." I nod and he gets to work on cleaning the wound with a cloth and the water. I wince a little when the cloth touches the tender skin. He looks up at me apologetically with an awkward smile. The three of us sit in silence until Yeosang speaks up.
"The wound looks like it was healing. Did you heal yourself before you got caught?" He asks.
"Oh, yes. I used a heated-up knife to sterilize and seal the wound. It re-opened during my fight with some of your crewmembers." Both men nod and I look at Seonghwa who is handling my wound with extra care. Somehow instead of being put on edge by his touch, I feel almost safe. If it were someone else touching my thigh I would be freaking out but I'm not. "Seonghwa?"
"Hm?"
"Are you like the doctor on the boat?" I mean, he seems to know what he's doing but I'm just being curious at this point.
"Uhhh, Not exactly." He responds and I tilt my head to the side with a befuddled expression, "Well, I used to help out our last doctor--"
"Gunho, right?"
"Yes, him. Anyways, I would help him out here and there. I picked up a couple of things but nothing too fancy. I also studied a bit of anatomy back when I lived as a royal but nothing stuck. I was only ever good at cooking." he admits. I nod and turn to Yeosang.
"How about you? What did you do back when you lived as a royal?" He ponders my question a bit before answering.
"I was always studying history or navigation. It was rare when I paid attention to anything to do with science." I nod make and 'O' shape with my lips.
"How about you?" Seonghwa asks me.
"Me? Uh, let's see. I studied anything I could get my hands on. I would read most of the books in the castle's library about medicine and botany. I can make all kinds of things from treatments to poisons. I would experiment all the time. I also loved studying different languages. It's amazing listening and speaking all the dialects and tongues." I noticed Yeosang nodding with great interest at my speaking and Seonghwa nodding along to what I would say as he continued to wrap up my wound. I didn't notice but at this point, I had started to rant. I was getting all bubbly and excited talking about my interest I didn't leave much space for them to talk. "I'm sorry am I talking too much?"
"It's fine," Yeosang laughs at my sudden pause.
"It's nice hearing you speak," Seonghwa admits which makes me shy all of a sudden, "I never thought you'd be the bubbly and talkative type."
"Yeah, you seem a bit cold at first," Yeosang adds in bluntly. "Not gonna lie, I was intimidated by you when I first met you at the castle." I giggle while covering my mouth as Seonghwa finishes bandaging my leg.
"There!" he says, "All done!" He gives me a proud smile and pats my knee while getting up and picking up the bloodied cloth.
"Thank you, For everything." I utter and they both give me tiny smiles.
"Just promise us you won't sell us away to the navy," Yeosang adds jokingly and I roll my eyes.
"Maybe." I smile at them and they make there way to the door. "Hey, you guys won't forget about me in here will ya?" I ask before they leave.
"Of course not," Seonghwa reassures with Yeosang giving me a minute wave before leaving me alone to my own resources.