I don't exactly remember at what time we came back to the castle, all I remember is almost floating back here in a dream-like state. I still don't think I've fully snapped out of it and it's already the next day. In fact, Yeosang had to jerk me harshly to get me to focus on breakfast.
"Earth to Sun-Mi," He practically yells in my ear as I jerked out of my mindless stupor. I look around the small kitchen table, the same one that we were in when I spilled the pot of water on Mina, and see that all 3 men that have joined me for breakfast are staring at me. Yeosang, Hongjoong, and Wooyoung look over at me with a bit of concern in their eyes.
"What? Did something happen?" The three men exchange a glance before turning back to me.
"That's what we're wondering," Yeosang shoots back. It's only then that I realized how stupid I must've looked daydreaming in front of them.
"Oh," Is the only response I could come up with that wouldn't give me away completely. I play with the food on my plate for a little, feeling their scrutinizing gazes on me but staying oblivious just the same. The kitchen grows quiet until I can't keep the secret to myself "Ugh! Iwentona datewithSeonghwa!" I blurt out, biting my lip in regret when I realize what I've said.
"You... what!" Captain asks incredulously, not believing me completely. I fiddle with my hands and repeat what I said slowly for them to hear.
"I went on a date with Seonghwa." Looking down at my hands, I can feel a deep blush settle onto my cheeks. All three men sit completely still, mouths agape.
"WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY?!" Wooyoung yells, slamming his hands on the table and startling me. The three of them sit leaning forwards, listening intently to what I have to say, with eyes peeled open.
"Um... I, uh, after I argued with Seonghwa yesterday he snuck into my balcony to say sorry." I pause and they all nod enthusiastically waiting for the rest of the gossip. "At first I didn't want to talk to him because I was mad but he convinced me to go into town with him. He said he'd make it up to me so I said yes."
"What did you two do?" Yeosang probes deeper, grabbing my arm tightly.
"We--we went into town and ate some of the pastries and then we danced--,"
"YOU GUYS DANCED! THAT'S SO CUTE!!" Woo squeals. I shush him heavily as doors swing wide open to reveal the subject of my fantasies. We all fall quiet, a bit too quickly when he walks in but he doesn't notice our strange behavior.
"Good Morning!" Seonghwa addresses us, striding across the room confidently with a soft smile plastered on his face. He looks pretty freshened up and energized considering how late we stayed out together. He still has the clothes on from last night though which I find a bit odd.
"Good morning, Seonghwa," We all chime, watching him walk across the kitchen to pick up a glass of water and drink it. I try as hard as I can to not stare at him but it's extremely hard when he keeps trying to grab my attention with his own gaze. He walks over to the table to see what we're doing, once in a while looking in my direction.
"What are you all up to today?" he asks, trying to start a conversation.
"I will be hiding in the room again today, avoiding all forms of social interaction," Hongjoong responds, leaning back in his chair to look up at Seonghwa who's hovering above him.
"Hongjoong, You can't hide in your room all the time. You need to let yourself relax, that's the reason we came here." Yeosang advises, but Eye-patch doesn't answer.
"Why don't you come with me today to the docks. I overheard that my dad will be arriving-- oh, right." Woo stops himself when he sees Captain's face saddened.
"You're so good at comforting people, Wooyoung," Yeosang remarks sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, I forgot," He defends himself while I sit here, confused as to why Captain got sad. I decide to leave the questions for later, listening to what Yeosang has to say.
"I'm going to be gone for most of the day again with my parents. They... um... they said they had something important to tell me today."
"Do you know what about?" I inquire.
"Mm, no. I don't know." He quickly answers, fidgeting with his hands. I can tell he's a bit anxious about this meeting, but I don't think he'll talk to me about it right now.
"What about you? Are you free today?" I turn to Seonghwa, finally mustering the courage to look at him, waiting for his answer.
"Sadly, no. I'm going to be working in the gardens and helping around to keep myself busy. I feel bad for just crashing here and doing nothing." I nod a bit disappointed and he begins to walk away.
"Aren't you gonna join us for breakfast?" He stops mid-stride pursing his lips and then shaking his head.
"I can't, the Gardner is waiting for me. I'll see you later, though." He smiles reassuringly and I return to eating, feeling 3 pairs of eyes on me once again. All three men are huddled up together as far from me on the table as they can, whispering in low tones and casting suspicious glances. I continue with my food, side-eyeing them here and there when Wooyoung clears his throat to catch my attention.
"So... did you like the date?" He inquires, eyes sparkling with curiosity as he resumes our earlier conversation.
"It was... something," I smile down at my food, biting softly on my lower lip and feeling my stomach tingle at the thought of what happened last night. They all coo at my reaction.
"OH, to be young and in love!" Eye-patch wails, pretending to faint with a hand at his head.
"Guys! Stoppp! It was just a small date," I try to calm them down but they ignore me over their excited chatter.
"Sun-Mi, you do know that he came to ask us for advice on how to make it up to you right?" Yeosang reveals. I'm too shocked to answer so I only stare at them, hearing Hongjoong expound on this revelation.
"He's right. After you two argued, Mina also stormed off and we stayed talking. He mentioned that he felt bad for upsetting you so we tried giving him some advice."
"And...?"
"And we suggested that he take you out in a date." I press my lips together finding it both cute and funny that he needed their help to think of how to make it up to me.
"Did you guys kiss?" Wooyoung asks, shocking me but catching the other 2 mens' attention.
"Wha-- No, why?" The three of them groan while Wooyoung stands up walking towards Yeosang.
"All he had to do was--," Wooyoung demonstrates, violently grabbing a terrified Yeosang and dipping him while he pretends to kiss his best friends. Yeosang shrieks, smacking the lookout as hard as he can, making his friend laugh as Wooyoung helps the navigator sit back up.
"Yeahhhh, no. That didn't happen," I laugh as Yeosang mad-dogs his purple-haired friend. Wooyoung goes back to his place and the conversation dies down. Hongjoong and Yeosang begin filing out to start their day, excusing themselves as they exit. I'm stuck in here with Wooyoung who slurps greedily at his bowl of milk setting it down loudly with a noisy slam.
"Well, I need to get ahead if I wanna get to the docks on time," He begins, also excusing himself from the table. I look down at my breakfast bowl, a bit downcast since it'll be the second day in a row that I'll be left alone when Woo picks up on this. "Do you wanna come with me, Angel-face?" I nod vigorously, quickly kicking up after myself and joining. He smirks to himself as we walk out together.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just nice to know you still can't resist my charms." I scoff, pushing him away as we both laugh and head out of the kitchen.
~
The sun shines over us making me get a little sweaty in my clothes. Thankfully I was able to trade in the torturous corsets and stilettos for my more comfortable leather pants and white button-downs. We've been walking around the docks for a while now and I still have no idea what we're looking for. It's starting to get full as more boats begin to dock in the marina and more people begin unloading the catch of the day for shop owners here-and-there.
Wooyoung looks around at the bigger boats that are coming up ahead as we walk along the port, stopping to contemplate one of the larger ships. It's a massive creation, towering over us at a great height. The large vessel is painted a dark navy blue color with tad bits of gold outlining it, much like the standard navy uniform. Its cotton white sails and sturdy masts decorate it beautifully making it an intimidating ship to come across.
"Woo, what exactly are we here for?" I finally decide to ask after marveling at the ship with him.
"Oh, well, uhh..." he doesn't get to finish what he is saying before we hear somebody calling for him.
"Jung Wooyoung?" A male voice calls. We snap out heads in the direction of the voice to see a robust man, probably in his thirties, striding up to us, curiously eyeing Woo. I don't think he notices me at all.
"Cain?" The purple-haired lookout addresses the man making his way towards us, laughing unbelievingly at who he's seeing. "Cain!" He exclaims but this time out of joy walking into the man's open arms. They embrace for a moment or two when Cain pulls away, griping Woo's shoulders tightly as he gets a good look at him.
"It's been like, what? 2 years? Look at you, you haven't changed a bit. Still short as hell."
"Haha, funny." Wooyoung laughs sarcastically, clearly offended by the insensitive remark. It honestly surprises me that the confident and snarky lookout I know would feel so insecure about his height. And the funny thing is that he's not even that short.
"C'mon now don't get offended, I'm just joking with you. I've missed you. We all have." Cain tells him, still ignoring me.
"Hey, is my dad, um..." Woo trails off looking up at the boat we're standing in front of which the man catches on to.
"Oh yeah, he's here. Wanna go say hi?" Wooyoung hesitates, looking back at me with a tint of worry in his eyes.
"I-I don't know, what if he's mad at me?"
"Woo, it's your dad," I speak up, stepping forward and setting a hand on his shoulder. "It's been over two years. He probably misses you just as much as you miss him." The lookout presses his lips together in a taut line.
"Alright, let's go." I smile encouragingly as we both turn to Cain to lead the way. Cain was staring blankly at us while we wait for him patiently, before snapping out of his thoughts and finally setting his attention on me. At first, he frowns, and then it turns into a smirk.
"Is... she coming with you?" The man asks, looking at me with an odd look.
"Yes, why?" Cain shrugs, spinning on his heels and leading the way. Woo and I look at each other in confusion but we decide to brush it off and follow the man.
He leads us up the gangplank up until we reach the main deck which was a much longer trek than going up the Aurora. Woo and his old friend talk the whole way up, completely forgetting that I am also following them. I almost trip when I board the main deck but neither of them bats an eye as they joke their way to the captain's cabin. I try to play it cool but in reality, I probably look ridiculous following them around. Suddenly, Cain stops in front of the captain's cabin's doors and swings them open, walking in like he owns the place.
"Captain Jung!" Cain bellows as soon as he walks in, not giving a care for whatever discussion his Captain was having beforehand. Something about the way he had presented himself so far has rubbed off on me the wrong way and I don't know what it is. It's just the way that he acts so insensitively that bugs me I guess, and I know I shouldn't let it get to me but it does.
I walk into the cabin shyly taking in my surroundings and I can't help but compare it to Hongjoong's room. They look so much alike besides the fact that this one looks a bit bigger and orderly than Eye-patch's cabin. Near the back wall where large stained windows are letting in the light, there is a group of men huddled together, deliberating something in whispered tones.
"Cain, what did I tell you about interrupting at the wrong damn time!?" A loud voice booms through the room silencing everyone. Cain even looks a bit sheepish at being called out before refocusing on what he was doing.
"Erm, uh, sir someone very important is here to meet you—,"
"WELL, THEY CAN WAIT, CANT THEY!"
"B-But it's your son!" Cain makes one last attempt to get the Captain's attention which works. The chair that the man was sitting in creaks as he gets up off his chair and stands as straight as he can.
"Wooyoung?" Cain's captain gets up enthusiastically. Even with the deep creases at the corners of his eyes, that familiar gaze— a mixture of confidence and wits— lies in that pair of amethyst-colored eyes. As soon as the man looks up I can't help but notice the uncanny resemblance between Woo and his father.
"H-hey, Dad," Wooyoung responds with a shaky voice. His hands tremble slightly as he stands as still as he can next to me, looking for my hand to hold. I easily slip my hand into his and give it a squeeze which helps him relax a little. I've never seen him this nervous, not even when we got caught by Sehun.
His father takes a minute to gather his thoughts, pushing past the men around him to stand in front of Wooyoung, hesitantly pulling him into the tightest bear hug I have ever seen. Woo's grip on my hand tightens and he gasps a little, slowly letting go of me to wrap his hands around his dad.
"I've missed you, Son," Captain Jung whispers, unwilling to let go of Wooyoung. The purple-haired lookout only melts into his father's warm embrace, holding onto him like there's no tomorrow. The sight brings a melancholic feeling to everyone in the room as their hearts warm at the sight of the father and son reuniting after being brutally separated 2 years prior. When they release from the sentimental embrace, I can see Wooyoung's teary eyes as his dad looks at him with pride. "You've changed a bit, haven't you? More confidence, I see, and muscle. And... a new friend?" His father trails off moving his gaze towards me with a raised eyebrow and playful smile.
"Oh! Ha, Dad, this is, uh, Sun-Mi. She's my crewmate." Woo introduces, pulling me forward and I stiffly wave, taking in the man known as Captain Jung. I had heard about him before since he and my parents would occasionally cross paths but I didn't remember what he looked like.
He's a short, chubby man with lines of old age decorating his face. Even with old age, you can tell he was a handsome man when he was younger, Wooyoung being his spitting image. They share the same nose and face shape but his father has slightly droopier eyes. Even their honey-tanned skin is exactly alike.
"Sun-Mi..." he repeats, extending a hand for me. I take it chuckling a bit.
"Lee Sun-Mi, daughter of—,"
"King Lee." He cuts me off confidently and I nod slowly to show he's correct. "Why you've grown so much since the last time I saw you. You were such a tiny thing at the time." He recalls, smiling at me politely. "Say, when were you kidnapped by the Pirate king?" I sputter not knowing what to say and looking over at Woo.
"Dad, she wasn't—,"
"I left on my own accord." Captain Jung looks at me surprised. "I joined Hongjoong's crew willingly." The man looks between me and Woo for a brief second before frowning.
"I don't see how joining outlaws like them would be reasonable for a princess like you but neither did I think my son would choose that bastard over me. How did you guys get through Mina's soldiers?" He responds turning back to go sit at his desk. Already I'm getting a bad feel from Wooyoung's father.
"Yeosang," Woo and I utter in unison, making the Captain chuckle.
"Of course. I'm surprised he's still kicking it with the pirates. It seems like all the kids of your generation like the sense of rebellion."
"Dad, why did you come?" Wooyoung asks, trying to quickly change the subject as he sees that I feel uncomfortable.
"I could ask the same of you."
"You first," Captain Jung stares at his son for a bit before speaking.
"I was ordered by Sehun to bring a certain pair from Eohithra to here. They are supposedly coming to settle some... inquiries from Queen Lee." His dad looks over at me and then looks away. "Your turn."
"We had recently escaped Sehun and were in low supplies. Yeosang informed us that we were in Ocleavean waters so we decided to take the risk and come here to stock up."
"Is that so? I heard about a band of pirates escaping captivity but I never thought it'd be your crew. I'm not surprised considering that your Captain is a sneaky prick." The old man says sourly and I can see why Hongjoong didn't want to come with Woo. Captain Jung must hate Hongjoong for taking his son. The room falls quiet and tense, so much so that it becomes suffocating. In an attempt to break the ice, I clear my throat and decide to ask something I had been wondering about since I heard the old man mention Eohithra.
"Um, Captain Jung? You mentioned that a pair from Eohithra were left under your care. Who exactly would this be?" Woo's dad pressed his lips together as he thinks and I wait anxiously, crossing my fingers that it's someone I'm close to.
"I believe their names were... Baekhyun and Chungha." My eyes light up at the mention of their names and I step forward excitedly to ask for their whereabouts.
"Are they still on the boat? Do you know where they are?"
"Yes. They should be in the sickbay. Do you know them by any chance—," I don't listen to the last part he says because before I can think, my body shoots towards the Cabin's doors, on its way to the sickbay. I hear Wooyoung call out for me but I ignore it too. My mind is set on seeing my friends again and I'm not about to miss the chance. I sprint across the main deck, swerving and dodging the men and other things in my way.
I almost trip and smash into two people, but that doesn't deter me from who I might meet on the other side of the sickbay's doors. I'm so ecstatic at the chance that I may be able to see Baekhyun and Chungha but before I can open the doors I freeze.
Surprisingly enough, I'm apprehensive to actually open the door. What if I'm let down and they're not there? What if they ignore me because they're mad that I left? What if Queen Lee has brainwashed them into hating me? All the sudden possibilities swim around my head, drowning my thoughts in them. I struggle with myself, a struggle between mind and body, when I finally decide to take the risk and open the doors...