"Noona,  please don't cry."

You sobbed into Youngjae's arms while Zelo your hand, fuming with anger. Tears spewed from the corners of your eyes didn't stem from any sadness, but the sheer fear that Zico had the ability to possibly take you away from the life you knew. You couldn't stand the way he spoke about Yongguk. All you wanted was Yongguk to be comforting you right now, to run away with him and leave the business behind. To start a family, like a normal young woman of your age. No, those things would not be possible. The scars on your body had not faded away completely, especially the ones around your ankles. It was a constant reminder a girl from such penury could never be a part of his life completely without hurting him or the others.  It was a reminder you could not love him as much as you wanted to.

The bar was probably half empty now, Himchan holding the door open for the men to leave to their rugged homes and nagging wives, or Yongguk gesturing for others to recline their backs onto the beds of the inn. Underneath it all, the bricks and shelves of the cellar hid all the feelings you held back, throwing rage at the Captain.

"He's rotten to the core. A scoundrel like him touching my noona, speaking about Yongguk hyung like that. If I were older I would have beaten him until his lungs could no longer breathe the ocean air that he survives on. Filthy bastard-"

"Don’t…don't talk about him like that Junhong-ah."

In the rare moments when you felt vulnerable, calling Zelo by his birth name gave you the simple feeling of being his actual sister than just a girl he's only known for a year. Zelo halted his words, sighing while Youngjae tenderly kissed your temple with quivering lips, a calming attempt to soothe your tears. He had never seen you react in such extreme measures.  Even if Zico had meant to flirt with you, surely he had no intention of physically hurting you.

"We'll make sure he doesn’t come back again noona. How about… how about we relocate elsewhere? Kwangsik? Myundeol? The ports there are equally as thriving as we are here. "

"No, no," you shook your head, wiping the tears from the rims of your eyes, " I can’t bear to have Yongguk move his business. He's so well known here, we would have to start a new reputation-"

"Youngjae. Zelo," stern voiced Himchan opened the cellar door.

"Take Yeon home. Now."

"But what about the Captain-"

"He and the rest of the crew left, cursing along the way. They weren't meant for us though, it was more directed towards Ye-" he paused, noticing the tear stains along Youngjae's shoulder.

"Let's talk about this another time," Himchan unfurrowed his brows, giving you an encouraging smile.  He caressed your cheek swiftly before leaving, "Make sure she is safe."

"Noona let us take you home, we'll even go by horse. It's late at night after all."

---

A light rain began trickling down the inn's roof, patting the soft lining of Youngjae's coat enveloped around your shoulders.

"Come noona, let's get you home."

"Hyah!" Youngjae's nimble hands snapped the horses' reins, galloping down the dark roads with Zelo close behind.

In the distance on the other hand, Youngjae could make out a shadowed figure blocking the pathway into town past the bridge.  He slowed the horses' trot to a walk, stopping a few feet from the bridge.

"Who goes there?"

The figure said nothing, holding his ground. In the dim moonlight, his eyes glinted without a hint of fear from the two boys and horses, mouth covered with a black cloth tied around the bottom half of his face.  

"If you can't tell, we have some business to attend to, please move or we'll force you out of the way."

"Stop being nice hyung, and show this brute what you've got," Zelo bragged.

Youngjae stepped down from the horse, handing the reins to you.

"Steady," he patted the horses neck.  His hand traveled to your fingers, slightly squeezing them for a moment. "It'll be over quickly noona," he smiled.

Youngjae approached the man, stepping off the bridge cautiously.

"If you would sir, step aside. We are in a hurry."

"You wouldn’t speak that way, if you knew someone you cared about is in danger right now," the stranger mused.

That voice, you felt you had heard it before. He threw a shocking punch at Youngjae, who stumbled backwards holding the side of his face.  Catching his balance, Youngjae growled and lunged forward. However, he was grabbed  by the collar and shoved into a trough by the bridge, head held down in the water. Youngjae struggled to hold his breath, the trough filled with remnants of horse's feed and the rainwater trickling to a steady fall. Pushing himself out and kicking the stranger's shins, Youngjae threw a couple punches himself before wiping his jaw stained with blood.

"Youngjae!" you cried, watching him fall against the walls of a closed shop.  The horse took a few steps back, whining from the commotion.

"Who are you working for, to deliberately try and harm our noona?"  Zelo stepped down from his horse only to have Youngjae's hands lift, signaling him to stop.

"This is a fight between me and this pillage idiot," Youngjae growled again, giving the stranger a rough kick into his chest.  Although he toppled back groaning in pain, his determination seemed stronger than the bruises Youngjae had given to him.  He launched himself forward, ducking underneath Youngjae's staggering swings. You screamed when the stranger caught onto the horse's reigns, bringing you down into his grasp and stifling your cries with a gloved hand. Alarmed, Youngjae's horse whinied and galloped away.

"Youngjae! Junhong-ah!"

"NOONA!" Zelo's efforts were put in vain by an arrow flew past your ears and pierced his horse's leg. He neighed loudly from the throbbing pain, crumpling to the ground atop Zelo's body.   

"You son of a-"

The stranger wasted no time in hauling you off, your thrashes futile as he swung you over his shoulders.

"Help! HELP! Youngjae! Junhong! Mmmphr!!"

"Noona…" Youngjae tried to support himself on a wooden column, but instead sank to his knees, watching his noona being kidnapped away.

----

"Someone help me please!"

"It would help if you were quiet," he proposed.

He clamped his hand over your mouth again, pressing you on the stable wall. Refusing his offer, you yelped and beat at his chest with feeble fists, all the easier for him bind them together.

"I'm sorry," the stranger wavered, hastily tying your wrists together with rope.

"J-Jaehyo?"

Unexpectedly, you heard the slight clunk and rattle of familiar material: chains.

"No! No, please don't do this to me! Jaehyo stop, please!" you cried, struggling as one of the shackles clamped around your ankle.  

"No, no no no! Please, Jaehyo why are you doing this please don't let me remember I can't-"

"Don't scream anymore," Jaehyo replied, gathering your knees and back into his arms.

You pushed at his shoulders to no avail. The ropes and chains had you trapped in his grip. Yongguk, Yongguk where was he to protect you? Captain Zico…you never should have trusted the rest of his crew. Their courtesy and valor was no more than a mask. Underneath the charismatic personality held all the intentions of obeying their captain. He picked you up, the rusted cuffs scraping roughly on the scars of your ankles, and everything faded to darkness.