It was crowded in the evenings.  Traders were boasting about their catches on the coast, pirates swindling others out of their money. They all huddled in separate cliques, but still shouted to each other when a part of the conversation could give them to chance to brag about their experiences.  es who slung around the bar were giggling and cuddling on their laps. The clinking of bottles against their bottoms and the rough laughter of men echoed in the bar. 

You were passing around tables, men grabbing drinks and bread off the platter above your head.  Tonight you had decided on a simple short sleeve dress that extended past your ankles, light and airy for the summer night.  Out of the crowd, you were most noticeable from the bosomed women in exposed clothing.  Even your hair was simple, just hanging past your shoulders. Everything was going smoothly so far.  

"Hey there little lady, mind getting me a drink?"

A young man who seemed not that much older than you whistled, looking you up and down.  The men around town never called you a pet name unless they were flirting with you.  It was common to hear "wench," or  "slave," but if any regulars were caught saying those words Yongguk would have threatened to slit their throats. This guy for sure, wasn't a regular.

"Did the lass hear ye? Seem to be out of luck mate!"

You stared at a rougher, older man sitting across the table, taking down a huge bucket of ale. They didn’t seem to know each other.    

The young man ran a finger down your exposed arm, but you didn’t turn away. It wasn't your place to refuse customers.

"I'll be back with a round of ale if you would like," you gave him a smile, but every part of your arm he touched left a burning sensation on your skin.

"Hmmm, how about a bit more?" He grabbed your wrist and attempted to pull you onto his lap. You stopped him immediately, grabbing onto the edge of the wooden table before he could get any closer.  

"No, I'll…I'll be back soon sir," you said slowly, backing away from the table as he let go of your wrist. Laughing, he shook hands fiercely with the latter, and as they began to converse you quickly hurried away.

A cat call screeched behind you as you skittered past customers.  Someone lightly kicked your bottom and tripped you, causing you to almost drop the platter of empty jugs. You whirled around at a crowd of drunk, laughing pirates. They howled and threw some coins at you, whistling. You frowned, wiping the dirt off your dress and proceeded to escape.

"Scurvy wench, get back here!"

"Be thinking of escaping? Come back and get some!"

You hated moments like this. It was expected in your line of work, but you despised all things that were pirates and men alike. They were knaving, thieving, wretched people who made the worst out of habits.  Any step out of line, they could kill you. Especially you, a helpless slave girl.

Here you weren't a slave though. Here, at 'No Joke,' you worked in place for food and lodging, even extra spending money you didn’t need.  You walked without chains, without burden, without the weight pulling you back.  All thanks to one man who protected and cared for you.

"Yongguk! I need a refill of ale please."

He nodded in your direction, but continued to hand out rum and converse with the men around the main bar. Knowing he had acknowledged your request, you slipped through the wooden half-door and dumped  the empty jugs into a large container filled with water.

"Jongup-ah, dishes!"

"Coming noona!" Jongup yelled from the backroom. He took the container away without any effort, closing the door with his foot before glancing at Yongguk.

"Zelo and I are almost done sorting the supplies hyung," Jonggup called before he shut the door. Yongguk raised his eyebrows subtlety, wiping some bottles with a washcloth. He used the cloth to wipe his forehead too, and you cringed at the dirt on his skin.

For a while you stood there, staring at Yongguk doing his work. He was sweaty, his vest thrown off to the side and his sleeves hanging loosely past his wrists.  He laughed and joked with the customers, throwing in a jest here and there to ease their troubles. Yongguk really had a way with words, as well as Himchan. Jongup was learning hospitality for customers from them, but it was taking a while.  He managed better in the storage room, lifting heavy boxes and organizing shipments.  Lost in your own thoughts, you didn’t notice a large man blundering over to stand beside you.

"Oh, what do we have here?" A voice drawled from around the counter.

You froze, not daring to turn around and see who it was. Hands grabbed your waist and lifted you out of the door. You yelped, finding yourself face-to-face with a burly beard with the intense smell of sweat and dirt. Disgusting.

"A bit saucy are we?" His finger reached out to touch your chin. You were about to scream when another pair of hands gripped your shoulders.

"There you are," smooth and silky, long fingers gently tugged you from the stranger, "You have an order to fill little miss."

"Hey there brat! The wench is being taken by me!"

"She isn't for you," the fingers tightened around your shoulders," and if you do harass her again, there will be more than just a warning."

Stranger beard huffed, waddling away. You sighed, relaxing into your saviors arms.

"Thank you, Himchan," you whispered as he let go of you.

"Not a problem at all," Himchan said, putting his arm around your waist," just remember, I can't always be there to help you. Earlier with that bilge rat that almost caught you…"

"I was fine Himchan."

"You were lucky he wasn't that drunk as this one."

Himchan scooted you towards Yongguk, who was bringing out a box of bottled rum from underneath the counter.

"Hyung," Himchan tightened his arm around you, "there's been a bit of trouble tonight for Yeon."

"She seemed to handle it fine," Yongguk didn't bother looking up while men threw their coins and bill on the counter.

"She got picked up off the ground by some burly bastard!" Himchan spit.

"I'm alright Himchan, please, don't bother Yongguk with me. Things like this always happen in my line of…work," you sighed, bowing your head down.

Yongguk looked around before stepping closer, resting one of his large hands on your shoulder. His intense stare made your heart skip a beat, but you said nothing.

"Yeon-ah. I know you're strong, but that guy could’ve snatched you away if Himchan hadn't stepped in.  Be aware of your surroundings," he scolded you softly. Against the loud racket of the bar, you agreed even if you could barely make out what he said.

"Yes, Yongguk."

"Careful Yeon-ah, big guys like that, they could start a fight," Himchan patted your skinny waist, "you could be stolen if that ever happened."

Stolen. As if that didn’t happen before. Himchan meant to comfort you, but his words you swallowed with a heavy stomach. There were countless times before when you had been taken away from previous owners. Thrown into the back of a cart, shoved into a bag, tied up and tossed in a ship, you knew it all.

"Go back to work Yeon-ah, " Yongguk said, his eyes focused on the customers who swaggered their way onto the counter.  His voice was rough, but you knew he meant it with a kind heart.  It was just in his character.

---

Stepping over the door with jugs and bottles filled, you took a deep breath and maintained a stoic face walking around the room. Within the hour, everything became normal again. Guys whistled and snorted, you walked past them without a glance.  Himchan flitted past your peripheral vision several times attending to quarrels or finding a new place to observe the floor.  Every now and then you would turn back to look at Yongguk, who was just working diligently as usual. It was comforting to know you were protected.

"Noona!" Youngjae  appeared from  around a wooden column and tapped your head.

"I'm working Youngjae," you narrowed your eyes, but he just chuckled and patted the side of your face.

"Noona works too hard these days," he teased you, poking at your sides. You couldn’t help but let go of your emotions and smile at his antics. He was cute, Youngjae. Word has it he had traveled even further than Himchan or Yongguk as a kid, his father the proud captain of a small crew that perished in the South Sea.  Sometimes Youngjae would walk with you while you handed out drinks. You thought it was because he pitied your loneliness, however Youngjae secretly wished you didn’t have to work on the floor as much.  Apprentices and well-off sons were intimidating. Traders were scary. Pirates were frightening.

"I'll be in the left corner if you need me then, some pirates want to hear about my trip to the south seas," Youngjae laughed and patted your cheek again.  

He jumped around a few tables, but stopped midway when the bar doors suddenly burst open, slamming against the door stoppers and barrels.  Surprisingly, all you did was grip the platter harder and stared. Seven men sauntered in, as all eyes in the bar turned to stare.  They walked with all confidence and charisma, one winking at the girls while another momentarily shook hands among the mates.  Youngjae adjusted his hat and protectively stood next to you, squeezing your hand.   You were shaking, against Youngjae's arm, keeping your eyes on the bar entrance.  It was already that time of the year.

The Captain particularly stood out from the rest, his head held high and two long barreled pistols visible on his belt.  He looked around, smirking at whoever caught his gaze. An eye gleamed grey while the other submerged all in an endless bistre ocean.

"They're here."