Last night after I was dragged away in the middle of my performance by several crews, I felt so queasy and decided to go back to my room. The ship was so shaky that I couldn't walk straight.

“Mr. Helmsman, can you park the ship for a moment? I wanna throw up!” I shouted while wobbling along the way.

Then I caught sight of the culprit who was the cause of my distress. He descended down the stairs looking as fine as ever.

“Yah! Kim Hongjoong!!” I shouted at him on top of my lungs.

Hongjoong stopped in his tracks with an amusing look in his eyes. The seer in front of him was a totally different person when she was in her normal self. Chuckles escaped his lips as he recalled her groundbreaking performance. He was so astonished that he accidentally spilled wine on his coat.

She called him by his full name and angrily pointed at him. Instead of feeling anger, he found the situation entertaining. “Aye, my seeress.” He responded.

“You! how could you do that to me?” She ran toward him while sobbing. Her sweet scent and rum brushed his nose as she grabbed on his coat collar and shook him. He held her hands to stop but she swatted him away. They stood close to each other, so close that he noticed her flushing cheeks and tears b in her half opened eyes.

Her body swayed but he was able to catch her in his embrace. He thought she was gonna push him away like in the quarter room this morning but she stayed in his arms. Unexpectedly, she dropped her head on his shoulder. “You don’t believe me.” Her voice muffled against his shoulder.

He acknowledged that she was upset about his rejection of her premonition dream. Even if she begged him in this condition, he wouldn't change his mind. But she sounded so gloomy right now. His hand impulsively patted softly on her head while the other hand remained at her waist.

“I just want a good ending for us.” She craned her neck and whispered against his neck.

Good ending? Hongjoong was curious.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.” She whispered again. This time Hongjoong felt a surge of warmth rising in his cold heart. Small smile displayed on the young captain’s face. He wanted to tighten the embrace but stopped when he heard her continue. “Tiny Hongjoong need to be protected.”

The tiny guy scoffed. He didn’t need to be protected and most importantly he wasn’t tiny.

She abruptly pulled her head away and stared at him with her sparkle eyes. She leaned her face closer and Hongjoong nervously watched.

Wait, did he just feel nervous? That didn’t sound like him. No, this whole action wasn’t him at all. 

Star lifted her hands up to touch on his mullet. Bright smile appeared on her face.

“I’m the president of Hongjoong’s mullet enthusiast club. Promise me you’ll never let anyone touch it!” She yelled in his face. But he didn’t understand what she meant. He raised his brow at the girl. However, his silence triggered her as she started pulling on his mullet.

“Promise me,” She pouted and pulled his hair harder. Hongjoong grimaced, if it was someone else, he swore that person would lose their hands in less than one second. He let go of her waist and tried to grab her hands before his hair fell off.

“What the hell are you doing?!!” An anger filled voice coming from behind him.

The quartermaster quickly pulled the girl away from Hongjoong. The warmth of her body disappeared and was replaced by a chill night breeze.

Seonghwa went inside the bridge for several minutes and came out to see his captain being harassed by the bothersome seeress. And his absent minded captain let her do it. If the crews saw them, Hongjoong’s reputation would be tarnished. Seonghwa's face darkened at the thought and he gripped on the girl’s wrist but she tried to wriggle away.

Star turned her head to look at Seonghwa.

“Ohh, our Seonghwa,” She cooed. Seonghwa’s face twisted at the way she called him. Normal state Star was already bothersome but the drunk Star was 100 times exasperating.

“Stop being sooo grumpy.” She giggled at him.

“What a nuisance.” He tightened his grip and dragged her away.

“Ouch it hurts!” She whined. “Mr. nerve wrecker let me go!

Seonghwa stopped in his tracks. Nerve wrecker?!

He lost his patience and shouted for the combatant. “San!! Bring this crazy girl back to her cabin!”

San appeared out of nowhere and caught Star before falling down when Seonghwa threw her away. He supported her to walk as she hugged his arm. She craned her neck to see him and her sour expression turned bright instantly.

“Our Sannie! My life savior!” Star shouted cheerfully. San halted in his steps and stared at her.

“Sannie, what’s wrong?” She tilted her head looking innocently at the combatant whose face was getting darker by seconds.

Star kept mumbling Sannie and giggled. While San’s jaw clenched and his hand clenched and unclenched around the dagger’s hilt at his waist.

“You should smile more.” She smiled and unanticipatedly raised her finger to poke on his cheek.

At the end of her sentence, San ready to unleash his dagger and finish the girl right at this moment but to the girl's luck she was pulled away by the first mate.

“Wahh, I never thought you’re this type of girl.” Wooyoung clicked on his tongue in disapproval. He draped an arm around Star’s shoulder. Scanning the three guys, he snickered inwardly. His captain grabbed on his mullet, losing in his trance. While the quartermaster was burning with rage beside the combatant whose hand still tightly gripped on the dagger's hilt.

Earlier Wooyoung noticed a commotion near the stairs. He enjoyed the show for a while and intervened when he saw his combatant friend likely to end the girl’s life.

“Little Star, I want a pet name too.” Wooyoung playfully pouted.

Star gazed upward, thinking deeply, “Dolphin!”

“Why?” He asks.

“Because you laugh like a dolphin.” She laughed in high pitch, imitating the way he laughed.

“That’s not nice.” He sighed, shaking his head at her.

“You know what is not nice? Your lame pick up line.” She said and laughed louder. Wooyoung stunted and then raised both arms to lock on her neck.

Before Wooyoung successfully strangled the poor girl. The blue haired navigator yanked her away. “Even if she was drunk, you shouldn't treat her disrespectfully.” Yunho scolded at Wooyoung. But the latter guy just rolled his eyes.

“Are you okay?” He examined her for any injury from his crewmates but saw none. Yunho sighed in relief. He afraid his crude crewmates would hurt her someday. So he took a silent promise to protect the girl. Since the day Star fainted, he felt guilty toward her, thinking it was his responsibility.

Star squealed at him in response, “Oh my giant puppy!”

Yunho's smile froze on his face. She tiptoed and began rubbing his head while mumbled puppy nonstop. Yunho was too shocked to stop the girl. The others snickered at his misery and didn’t plan to help him either.

Then a strong pair of arms pull Star away.

“Who let she drink?” The boatswain sighed like an old man, looking at the drunk seer. She was the strangest girl he ever knew. Her mysterious background, her shift in personality, her seer ability, all of those pique his interest. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to dig into her secret.

But unfortunate to Jongho, she started squealing at him too. “Jongho-yah is sooo cute.” She pinched his cheeks. He cried for her to stop but he didn’t want to push her away as he was afraid she would get hurt. Never once in his life has a girl done this to him.

“Shooting Star!!!” A loud roar pierced through everyone’s ears. The tipsy master gunner with a look of betrayal snatched the girl away from Jongho. “No! I’m cuter than Jongho.” Mingi was fuming when he saw his favorite new friend compliment his best friend.

Star let out a long deep sigh and beckoned him to lean closer to her. He lowered his face and then Star flicked him in the forehead with full force. “Nope, Jongho is cuter.”

Mingi's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped to the ground. He glared at Star as if she cheated on him.

The surgeon who coincidentally walked past the scene, stomping his way and pulling the girl to his side. “You unruly thugs don’t know how to properly handle a lady.” He glared at his crewmates. They all returned glares at Yeosang disdainfully.

“Angel,” Star greeted him. Yeosang blinked at his new name and smiled shyly.

“I’ll take you back to your room.” He gently supported her and walked away from the group.

“And I’ll prepare hangover soup for you.” He adds.

“No!!” She suddenly screamed. “I won’t drink your green terror!”

Upon hearing the girl’s remark, Yeosang had an absolute idea that the green terror she said was his masterpiece medicine. His hands spontaneously let her go and she fell on the floor.

Yeosang looked at the seven crewmates who gave him the how-does-the-betrayal-tastes-like looks. Yeosang was at a loss of words.

“So who is gonna bring her back to the room?” Someone spoke up. Eight pairs of eyes stared at the unconscious girl on the ground and among themselves.

---

Back to the present.

Hongjoong sits at the head of the table in his quarter. He’s waiting for his crew to come in for the upcoming meeting. Normally, he isn’t the one who is waiting but this morning he feels different. He wants to be the first one to come here.

His mind drifts into last night’s episode, a hint of smile displays on Hongjoong’s face. Star’s performance was truly memorable. And when she confessed to him, well, even she didn’t tell him explicitly, the way she spoke and her actions convey her feelings.

Light chuckles escape his lips. No one can resist his charm. He thought proudly to himself. 

He touches his own mullet and laughs. Not a single soul ever pulled on the pirate king’s hair, but she is the first one. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry one bit. It must be because of the wine effect.

“You smile like a fool.'' The harsh voice of the quartermaster enters the room before the owner makes an entrance. Seonghwa wears a disdainful look and sits at Hongjoong’s right side.

Hongjoong slap lightly on Seonghwa’s left shoulder. “She’s right, you’re so grumpy.”

“Don’t even remind me of her.” Soenghwa grumbles. He thinks of the seer and feels a surge of anger. 

She dared call him Mr. Nerve wrecker. She’s also his Miss nerve wrecker. Let’s see who is gonna win the nerve wrecking fight. But he’s confident he’s gonna win.

“Aye captain! Aye Mr. nerve wrecker!” The purple haired first mate strides inside the room.

“You shut up.” Seonghwa growls at Wooyoung.

But Wooyoung laughs in a high pitch tone and sits down on Hongjoong’s left side.

“I didn’t expect her to be so blunt.” Wooyoung says. When she started singing and dancing, he remembered he felt like he never knew her before. She was indeed a person full of surprise. She even dared attacked the most fearsome pirate kings and still miraculously survive. 

Another figure enters the room and Wooyoung greets the person zealously. “Aye Sannie!”

The combatant glares at Wooyoung and emits killing intent. A flash of silver flies across the room. A sharp dagger embedded in the table where Wooyoung sits.

Wooyoung smirks and wink at his friend, “I love you too Sannie.”

His raspy voice calls out to Wooyoung, “You lame dolphin.”

San grabs on another dagger but before he throws it, Hongjoong interferes, “If you dare put another hole in my table, I’ll order the whole crew to call you Sannie from now on.”

San lets go of his dagger and walk to retrieve the dagger that embedded in the table while glaring at Wooyoung. Turning away, he sits on the window sill.

Sannie, San thought of the name the girl gave him and felt an unexplainable emotion rise within him. He glares at the dagger in his hand. 

Would this dagger also end this weird emotion like how he ends his enemies?  

Recalling when Star poked his cheeks and telling him to smile, his hand tightly grip on the dagger. Sinister smirk gradually appears on his emotionless face. 

Another person comes inside and becomes Wooyoung's next target.

“Captain, I didn’t know we had a puppy on our ship.” Wooyoung asks Hongjoong but his eyes glues at the navigator.

“Shut up Wooyoung.” Yunho grimaces and sits next to Soenghwa.

Yunho is still shocked from Star’s attack. He thought Star considered him as her friend but turns out she always saw him as a puppy. And this morning, he sought revenge on her but he didn’t feel relieved one bit.

The boatswain comes in next. He chose to sit beside Wooyoung and become the next victim of the first mate.

Wooyoung attempts to squeeze Jongho's cheek but the younger boy swats the older boy’s hands away. “Jongho you’re not cute.” Wooyoung pouts. Jongho can only snort in return. He unconsciously touch his cheeks and feels regret for not squeezing her cheeks harder.

“Right! because I’m cuter than him!” A roar of the gunner master came inside the room. He marches and sits next to Jongho. And unfortunately he got flicked by the younger guy.

“What was that for?” Mingi glares at Jongho.

“You’re annoying.” Jongho responded.

Mingi shockingly froze in his seat. His fav new friend and best friend betrayed him. After Star flicked him last night, he immediately sober up. 

“Stop being over dramatic.” The surgeon on devil mode saunters in and sits next to Yunho.

“Nothing is more hurtful than knowing my favorite patient belittled my medicine all along.” Yeosang sighs. “From now on, she will have a real taste of green terror.” Then he smirks devilishly.

“And you called us unruly thugs.” Someone mutters.

A soft knock on the door making the whole room become quiet. They all turn their heads to see the newcomer and spot the black haired girl peeks her head inside.

The girl laughs dryly, “Hi guys...” She meekly enters and shuts the door behind. She sits at the end of the table. But the burning gaze of Ateez made her shift nervously in her seat.

---

The intense atmosphere in the room suffocates me to death. I can't believe I was so drunk that I sang and danced crazily in front of the whole ship. More importantly, I’ve made grave mistakes offending all of Ateez and I’m here to receive my karma. I want to dig a hole and escape right here right now.

“Before we get into the main topic,” Hongjoong breaks the silents, “Why don’t we hear from our seeress first?”

I stare at Hongjoong wide eyes. He grins at me casually. I look left and right but only see people emitting dark aura. I know I'm officially a dead meat.

I take the hint and start my speech, “I’m sorry for my inappropriate behavior last night. I was drunk and...”

“Apology accepted.” I hadn't finished my sentence when Hongjoong cut me off.

All eyes draw to Hongjoong in disbelief.

His gleaming eyes stare at me and I have to avert my gaze. I look down onto my laps to hide my burning cheeks. That jittery feeling come back again.

“But you have to apologize for calling me tiny.” He continues.

“But you’re tiny.” The members murmur in unison.

“Yahh!!” Hongjoong shouts and slam his fist onto the table. But the members holler with laughter, not intimidated by him at all.

Before the tiny captain gets more violent with his crews, the door opens, revealing the female protagonist.

The laughter die down and one of them particularly shoot her dagger for splashing rum into his handsome face.

Aurora walks inside and sits beside me. Her vibe is also different today as she doesn't seems to fear them. “I have something to say.” She tells the crew.

Seonghwa smirks darkly, “If you want to beg us to let you go then-” But he is cut off by Aurora next sentence.

“I agree to go to Wonderland.” She says. Her honey brown orbs sparkle with determination.

I let her word sink in and gasp.

“Really?” I ask, excited that I don’t have to tie her to the ship.

She nods and smiles at me softly.

Ateez seems surprised by her decision as well but they gladly accept her. They feel relieved that they don’t have to worry about escaping girl anymore. And their journey will be a smooth one from now on.

When Aurora sees Star and the pirates turning their attention away from her, her soft expression changes into an unreadable one. She glances outside the window and lifts a corner of .

// I divided the chapter into 2 parts to protect your eyesight. I hope you like the ot8 moments o(>ω<)o