"Imp it is then," Onew said. "Now, where to start. You know my ship is called the Romanticide, right?" At Imp's nod, the captain continued. "We'll get to my second heartbreak later. It was actually named after my first love, Changsun, though most people knew him as Joon."

  "We were childhood friends, then sweethearts during our later school years. All very sweet and innocent until we were about fifteen or sixteen. I had just started working at an inn to help my family and help save for mine and Joon's eventual marriage. Well, at least I thought we were going to get married.  Changsun had always been a talented performer, so had signed up to work at one of the traveling shows, he claimed for similar reasons, to help his family and save for our future."

  "That may have actually been his intention at first. He certainly seemed upset enough as he kissed my cheek goodbye. We were going to be separated for two long years, but at the time I thought it would be worth it if we had a lifetime together. How wrong I was."

  "Since Changsun had no fixed address, I couldn't send him letters, and I only had infrequent news of him from travelers who'd seen the show and stopped by the inn where I worked. They had nothing but praise for his act, and I couldn't help but feel pride that my future lifemate was so well thought of. Finally, the time came for him to r eturn home."  Onew stopped then and reached around Minho to pick up a mug from the table in front of him. He took a long drink before continuing.

  "I was so happy to see him, and he'd gotten even more muscular and handsome in the time he'd been away. At first, he seemed happy to see me too, but it wasn't long before I noticed he'd changed."

  "Changsun, or Joon as he didn't really answer to his real name anymore, spent a lot of time with some of the other performers, especially a boy he referred to as Mireu. I didn't think anything of it at first. I was often busy at the inn, and naturally he would have made new friends in the time he was away. The group had been planning on spending quite some time in our town, to rest, repair or replace equipment, and develop and practice new acts."

  "When we were together though, the way Joon spoke to me was so different. He had always been so soft-spoken, almost a bit shy as he would peek out from his overlong bangs. Now he was sarcastic, nearly if not downright insulting, and tried to play it off as just joking. I went along with it at first, figuring he'd had to develop a thicker skin in order to survive the rough environment, and would take time to turn back into my sweet Changsun. However, he just got worse and worse."

  "Then there were the new demands. We had always agreed our first time would be on our wedding night. Now he was demanding more and more intimacy. I was in love, so at first I didn't say anything, until he tried to get my pants off in the barn one night. I pulled away and asked him what he thought he was doing. He had a cold tone in his voice as he ridiculed me for my "old-fashioned" ideas, and if I didn't understand he had these needs now, he'd go find someone who actually appreciated him. He grabbed the lantern and left, leaving me confused at his attitude and in the dark."

  "I didn't cry. I took a bit to get myself and my thoughts in order, checked to make sure my clothing was arranged properly, and left, to try to find Joon and see if we could talk properly. Well I found him alright. In the ten or fifteen minutes since he'd left, he'd managed to find Mir and bend him over an, actually I have no idea what type of equipment it was. It doesn't matter now. He didn't even bother pulling out when he saw me, though Mir tried to wiggle free. I asked him if he was together with Mir and for how long. Didn't he love or want to marry me any more? He didn't even bother answering me. Mir managed to get him to move by jabbing him in the stomach. Once he pulled his pants up, he was the one who actually told me that it had pretty much been since he'd left, and that no they weren't really together, they just used each other for stress relief. All five of them did in their little group. He also said he was sorry, but none of them had any idea we were engaged, and no their activities didn't stop once they came back. Joon, who hadn't bothered putting himself away and was actually himself, just smirked and said if I couldn't handle sharing him or taking care of his needs, I should just go kill myself."

  "That happen? Hardly. Sure, my heart might have been broken for a little while but I got over it. I'm not the first one, and I won't be the last to think they were in love with someone who turned out totally different that what they had thought. They say living well is the best revenge, so I set out to do so. I'd saved up more money than I expected to, since my parents moved away and Joon's had left me theirs in their will after they died, six months after their son left since we were supposed to marry, so I gathered it all, including a nice bonus from my boss when I told him I was leaving, plus Mir came to me when he heard and told me he and two of the others thought I'd been treated very badly, and even though money was no substitute they still wanted to offer me something so they collected what they could and swiped all of Joon's savings to give to me. He smiled and wished me good luck wherever I ended up. Some people might have been offended and seen what he did as just buying me off, but I truly believe he only meant it as a kind gesture. I didn't know him well, but he seemed very sweet. I packed up my things, saddled my mule, and left for new adventures."

  "Eventually I made my way here, sold my mule, and found a job as a ship's cook on a small but wealthy merchant ship. I learned the ins and outs of how such a ship is run, and after a few years I saved up the rest of the money for my own small ship. I had my heart broken once again along the way, but I'm actually grateful to him and Joon since eventually I met Minho here who makes me happier than any man deserves." He hugged his husband.

  "Aw Jinki, I love you too." Minho turned to peck his husband on the lips before saying, "I have no such story. I grew up in this town, worked on the docks since I was big enough to, and one day was swept off my feet by a handsome stranger who was looking for crew, and the rest is history, except for living happily ever after after helping Key and Heechul with their particular problem."

  Imp appeared to be wiping a tear away from under the hood of his cloak. His voice was slightly watery as he said, "I've heard of this Joon. He and another man, Thunder I think they called him ran away a few years ago. The story goes they thought they were so good they would do better on their own, rather than staying with the company. Nobody's heard from either of them in years. Mir and a couple of the others run the place now. They've settled in a permanent location and from what the travelers I've spoken to have said, they're doing better than ever."

  "Good, I'm glad. It wasn't Mir's fault he didn't know. It's nice to hear they no longer have to travel and are doing so well." Onew cuddled Minho close.

  Heechul cleared his throat. "Looks like it's our turn next Bummie."

  Key, who hadn't ceased the other's back said, "I guess so. Want to go first Princess?"

  "Sure, why not?"