“Captain Bang Yongguk that is for you.” The man huffs, pouring the gold coins from the table top to his bag, one hand still holding the gun against the previous owner of the treasury. The other seated on the rackety chair by the table that’s being swept off of his richeries sighed deeply as Yongguk dropped each of his cents to his bag, ready to rob him and walk out.

“Okay, Captain. You robbed me off, each cent. What do I do now?” the man asks in a husky, worn-out voice. He was dressed very much unlike Yongguk, who had worn a coat over a coat to keep himself warm in his sailing days. This one here was dressed poorly in a half torn white shirt and pants without proper ends. The two legs of his pants were of two lengths and Yongguk raises a brow at that.

“I must say thank you for being such a generous thief. You should really find a better hide out.” Yongguk takes off his hat to bow a bit, and lifts his bag over his shoulder, the gun still pointed at the man seated by the table. After all, Yongguk was robbing off a good amount of pennies from a thief who stole from the governor of the city just a matter of hours ago. Yongguk had anchored his ship in this port and the first thing he heard was of a good robbery. With his crew, he was going to catch that thief.

Of course, he was hiding in a cave that’s probably going to be flooded in the tides by the coast. Yongguk only took his pistol out to turn the fickle man into a lap cat, seated all well and waiting nicely for Yongguk to gather up all the coins. How he had a table and a chair in this place was far from reality to Yongguk and he didn’t care for the moment. Thanks to this lad, he doesn’t have to go robbing from random people and can set sail already. Yongguk must say he finds the man too thin and too innocent-looking for robbery, but you need not tell a pirate that looks can be deceiving.

“Farewell!” Yongguk says in a smirk as he steps backwards in the cave, feeling the water run up to his boots as they started to chuck in the forming mud. “Oh, isn’t that a pity; it’s going to flood soon.” Yongguk mutters. He shakes his head at how he had to tie up the thief to the chair from his wrists and rubs his brows in worry. Is he really going to leave this man to die?

The funny haired man finally yelps and ruts about in his chair. “You took all my money, you pigeon!” he yells, clenching his eyes and withering under the tight knot.

Yongguk feels insulted as he widens his eyes and pushes his pistol into its holder. “I’m sorry but did you call me a pigeon?” he lifts up his hat to focus his eyes on the other, and they meet – finally. Yongguk, for a second – thinks ‘Dark. His eyes are dark.’ Wondering if he saw right, he leaves the bag on the flooding floor rising in water every second and takes unsure steps towards the man withering on his chair.

Himchan stops trying to break free when the pirate grabs his jaw and starts to turn his face about. It scares him for a second at the smirk that creeps into Yongguks face after he finds what he wants. 

The eagles’ eyes. The light, fading scar right to the side of his ear of his left eye proved what Yongguk was looking for. “Gracious, my crew would be pleased.” He mutters under his breath. “How did you turn out to be a lonely thief?” he speaks his mind as he hurriedly unties the man. He pauses when the knots loosen; suddenly thinking he didn’t really come to an agreement.

“I save your life, by the way. You owe me your own.” He demands and the man on the chair scoffs loudly right in to Yongguks face. “No damned way of me owning anything to you out of all people!” He struggles further and Yongguk inhaled deeply, feeling his patience ticking off. One thing he hated was when people didn’t obey him.

Himchan kicks one of his legs and it hits Yongguks ankle in a pretty bad way, and that was Himchans’ last failing card of the deck. Yongguk scowls in displease and claws onto Himchans’ hands and groans. “Listen to me lad; if you try to pull that trick once more, I’m blowing your pretty little head into pieces, Aye?” Yongguks eyes thin out and his lips stiffen as he threatens, and he feels content when Himchan paralyzes.

“Good boy-…” Yongguk opts to say, but Himchan manages to tug once madly at the knots of his wrists, and considering Yongguk untied them halfway, it comes off. Himchan overpowers Yongguks clawing hands in surprise and makes a dash for a heavy punch right at the pirates face. He knew he had to act quickly, and yanks for the pistol in his waist and stands equals with the sniffling pirate with the pistol in his own hand.

“Ha! Who’s the one owing something now, huh?”  Himchan asks in a smirk – watching the captain rub his nose angrily. “Well, isn’t someone being a tough little tadpole to love, huh?” he smirks and waves his hand to sign no.

“It’s still you.” Yongguk replies in a smirk, still rubbing his nose. He’s startled when a drop of blood trickles down to his fingers. “Damn, you’re not as weak as you look, huh?” he mutters.  Himchan doesn’t think twice on the fact that he’d be a murder afterwards, but he pulls the trigger.

And it turns out to be just that.

No bullets.

Yongguk starts to laugh at the horrid expression on Himchans face, and when Himchan throws the gun to the floor, he yelps. “Hey watch it wart! That’s my grand-dads’!” He dives to catch the pistol and Himchan takes a couple of steps backward in the watering cave floor. Yongguk safely tucks away his pistol by his waist and notices how Himchans eyes dart out to where the sack of coins was.

“Na-uh. Don’t even think about …”

But Himchan never listens and jumps at the bag and starts to dash out of sight, running in a frenzy to get out. Yongguk sighs and follows, his ankle wobbling as he did. He was a fast runner and he was happy with it, because he caught up with the running thief much earlier than expected and managed to pull his shirt and make him fall flat onto the ground of muddy sea water.

Without further wait, Yongguk hoists up the man and along with him comes the sack of coins. He yells and kicks his feet, and is constantly slapping Yongguks back as Yongguk puts him on his shoulder and carries him like a log, ignoring how annoying the other was as he kept yelling. Hopefully the sun had fallen and the moon light never encouraged village men to walk about. He was walking like a duck thanks to the injured ankle, but he was doing fine in his mind.

A sack of gold and an eagles’ eye coming in a package was great news to celebrate even as a pirate. He’s going to pull all his crew and drink up enough rum to make him pass out for two days tonight! Oh he was doing great!

“Yo ho ho, it’s a pirates’ honor! Yo ho ho! It’s a pirates’ honor! Yo ho ho! It’s a pirates’ honor, Got an eagle eye for yar self!” Yongguk sings as he stomps his feet in the sand and walks to where his ship was anchored. Himchan groans in shoulder. “Stop singing yah! You sound like ballade of broken pianos!”

Yongguk chuckles. “Yo ho ho, it’s a pirates honor!
Yo ho ho, it’s a pirates honor!
Yo ho ho it’s a pirates honor; robbed a sack of Irish coins!” The man on his shoulder had stopped struggling now, as they must have walked quite a distance with Yongguk being absolutely neutral about Himchans’ behavior.
“With my coins came a lad with black O’ hair!
With my coins came a lad with black O’ hair!
With me coins came a lad with black O’ hair, haven’t paid a barber in weeks!”

Himchan turns red for unknown reasons and slaps Yongguks’ wide shoulders once again. What’s it to Yongguk that his hair was overgrown?

“The lad got not an ounce of facial hair!
Wore a pair of uneven trousers, but fair;
as he wore his clothes too thin for the air; and haven’t brushed his teeth in weeks!”

Himchan turns apple red now, feeling embarrassed as ever. What kind of a wired pirate was Yongguk who cares about his uneven pants and facial hair out of all things! He grumbles and kicks his feet about; knowing that it wouldn’t make a difference. Yongguk is highly amused by the reaction of the one on his shoulder and decides to continue further.

“He ran away from his parents, where -
to he found himself prisoned under the heir;
who seized the throne of the market fair; being the largest gang of thieves!”
Himchans eyes widen. How does Yongguk know where he comes from, and what happened to him? What does he mean by the eagles’ eye anyway? And Yongguk continues to sing, glad that his ship was finally coming to sight. Himchan faces his back thus saw nothing ahead.
“The ones whose eyes were bladed over;
Cut in the corners and pricked in the center;
Turned all the boys into walking minizers; but found a way of escape!”
Himchan is literally grasping onto Yongguks coat; thinking that the man might drop him then and there.

Everything Yongguk had been saying so far was true. He ran away from his parents when he was about seven, and was caught by a gang of thieves who prisoned not just him, but few others kids of his age as well, and continued to cut the edges of their eyes with blades and prick their eyes in the night. Whatever they did never made any of the boys’ blind; and in fact, Himchan doesn’t even know why it was done that way. He had to join the thieves in robbing for the next couple of years and he managed to run away just fortnight ago; and had arrived in Ireland in hope of a new life (not that he thought he could manage another way to earn though). It’s only been a day since he earned something for himself and he’s being kidnapped away again.

“He sailed all the way to Ireland hoping
maybe he can start from the top and founding
he’s been taken away from the beginning; as he sits idly on my hand!”
“Yo ho ho, it’s a pirates’ honor,
yo ho ho! It’s a pirates’ honor,
Yo ho ho! Its’ a pirates’ honor; walking down the coast to sea!”
“Waay, hay and up she rises!
Waay hay and up she rises!
Waay hay and up she rises; like the beauty she is in sea!” Yongguk never avoids the smile that spreads on his lips as he sees his beloved ship close enough from land, standing idly by the calm sea. Oh he was going to set sail again!
“The pirate takes the boy in his sailing,
Takes him over the world that’s turning,
Gives him food and pours rum onto him, and that’s a pirates word to keep!”
“A fair share of our robberies forming,
he shares his eyes for our own using,
Lives his life like a pirates’ knowing; the sea is land for me!”

Himchan is soon listening to the lyrics of the pirates’ shanty and is already pondering on his chances. Yongguk is offering him to come along with him, and to serve him as a pirate. In return he’d get his share of the robberies, but what does Himchan has to believe in the man? He almost killed him. Almost; but yet. Himchan is too busy considering his options at the moment that he forgets he should be trying to run away when Yongguk puts him down to the sand again.

Himchan feels the salt in his cheeks forming a thick crust and Yongguk signs in his eyes to turn over and look at the ship. Himchan does, and gasps a little. It was a great ship, Himchan could say from just the looks of it. The sails were high and the deck was so large, there must be a couple of floors up and down and Himchan can’t deny he felt excited. What has he to lose, anyway?

“You know, lad. It’d be great if you can lend us your eyes when we’d need it in land. Of course, for that – we’d have to treat you right. I can’t promise you everything – nor the best of what we have; but I can give you two meals a day minimum. It’s my best offer.”

Himchan keeps his eyes fixed on the ship and the even wider sea ahead of it, and blinks twice. He can leave behind all he had been so far to a new life; new people and perhaps find who he is if he takes his chances.

“What if I have enough and want to leave?” He asks. Would Yongguk let him walk out if he doesn’t want to be a part of the picture anymore? He is a pirate after all. Yongguk chuckles. “My crew doesn’t walk out on me. There’s a couple of reasons for that. First; I assure you – the very moment you’d want to step off my boat and disobey what I say; I’d kindly throw you off board. There’s a lot of hungry sharks than you imagine, honestly.”

Himchan scrunches up his nose. Does Yongguk even plan to take him ahead or not?

“Second; it’s not that bad… life as a pirate.”

Himchan for a moment thinks that the smile adjourning Yongguks lips is truthful and is filled with honesty – to which he himself smiles back in return. Yongguk could have left him in the cave to die, and true they fell into a fight with Yongguk never getting the better of it (let’s remind you of Yongguks’ bleeding nose and broken ankle) – but somehow he was still here.

Offering Himchan a life ahead of him, Yongguk had somehow kept him alive. Sure; that his pistol never had any shots; but to Himchan – Yongguk didn’t behave heartlessly as he thinks he is. He knew Himchans’ story as well…

“I don’t know why you need my eyes; though. They’re nothing special.” Himchan adds, even if this might blow his chances ahead. For some reason he didn’t want to start his new life with a lie. Yongguk stares at Himchan in disbelief. Is this lad nothing special; after all? No. It can’t be. Yongguk recognizes those scars well. He scoffs. He might not even know for himself that he has eagle vision, but it was Yongguk who needed to confirm it now.

“Face the ship straight, lad.” He orders and Himchan gives him a look that says ‘heck, no.’ But Yongguk scowls and turns Himchans’ shoulders himself. Yongguk turns his head and notices a couple of coconut trees. “There are two coconut trees to your left. Tell me how many nuts you can count.” Yongguk demands. He’s counting himself as thirteen and Himchan is still facing the boat.

“Seventeen.” He man says oddly, wondering what was so interesting about counting a bunch of coconuts. It made no sense. Yongguk starts to count all over again and fails to count as much. Leaving Himchan behind he takes a couple of long steps towards the trees and counts.

Himchan is oddly staring at Yongguk who starts to smile to himself in content and returns. “You see, you can see what’s behind you to a extend far from anyone else. It’s wicked to cut your eyes and prick them, but they gave you eagle vision. You always see what’s behind you, who are following you, and you always get away. That’s a masterpiece of robbery. Even if you can count coconuts facing your back to them; I can’t. I guess you lad didn’t know the rest of the world called it eagle vision.”

Himchans far too taken from words that Yongguk is the one to continue. “Now; if you’d consider being a part of my crew, I suggest you swim across to my ship.” Himchan breathes in and watches Yongguk step ahead into the sea water, carrying the sack of coins over his shoulder. He walks up ahead a bit and turns.

“Are you coming, lad?”

Himchan nods once, and follows Yongguk into the water. “Kim Himchan.” He adds, and Yongguk understands, unfolding his palm for Himchan to take. “Captain Bang Yongguk. Welcome aboard.”

And they shook their hands, both of them in the sea up to their waists and the moon in full above them. Yongguk swam ahead and Himchan followed through the current, even if he wasn’t the best swimmer around. Yongguk didn’t seem to mind the fact that Himchan was a few good feet behind him as he swam ahead.

Finally it was time for Himchan to leave his stuffy past behind and find a new light ahead of him, explore the world under a captain with a wired sense of humor, and join his crew with a talent only few in the world possessed.

May the two set sail and join hands in many adventures; but this was how they met… the legendary pirate captain Bang Yongguk and his greatest of his crew!