“What’s wrong with you Baekhyun?” Suho paced back and forth in front of Baekhyun’s bed. 

 

“Like I said, I don’t know that woman,” he nonchalantly lied down on his bed.

 

“Yes you do, you were the one who brought her and begged me to let her stay onboard.”

 

“I did no such thing.”

 

“What’s wrong with you? Does anything hurt? Did the black matter mess with your mind?” Chen, who was on the bed, fussed over him.

 

“Stop it Chen. I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I feel really good.”

 

“But how can you completely forget about Minyeo. You were attached to her just a few days ago,” Chen said.

 

“That’s not possible. I would never be disloyal to Jinju.” 

 

Before Suho could blow up at him, Chen abruptly stood up to lead him out. After closing the door, he turned to Suho and said, “Suho, I think we need Lay. Something strange must have happened to Baekhyun.”

 

“No, I will not allow that woman onboard.”

 

“Look, we’ve been docked in Póthos for too long. We’re lucky the navy is leaving us alone at the moment. They can come back anytime.”

 

“Then we’ll set sail by sundown.”

 

“You know we can’t leave without Lay, especially now that there’s something like the black matter to worry about,” Chen tried to reason with him.

 

“There is already a woman onboard. I don’t know what I was thinking when I even let her stay and I will not allow any more bad luck on this ship,” Suho was adamant. 

 

“Why don’t you just kick Minyeo overboard,” Sehun interjected into their conversation.

 

“Sehun!”

 

“What? Why was she onboard in the first place? Wasn’t it because of Baekhyun-hyung? Well hyung no longer wants anything to do with her. Instead he’s fixated on someone else. Wouldn’t it solve your problem if you get rid of one girl instead of having two onboard? At the moment, one of them is more useful than the other.”

 

“Sehun-ah, we can’t do that just because you happen to not like Minyeo,” Chen reasoned. “Baekhyun doesn’t remember her now, but we don’t know how it will be later on.”

 

“What do you say captain?” Sehun directed toward Suho.

 

“The ship will set sail at sundown, with or without the healer.”

 

“Wait Suho, let’s talk about this,” Chen walked after him.

 

“There’s nothing more to talk about. I’m going back to the helm. Have D.O. guard Baekhyun’s door and Sehun, you stay here until D.O. arrives then tell everyone we’re leaving at sundown.”

 

“But Suho—“

 

“My decision is final. I am the captain and those are my orders.”

 

~~~*~~~

 

“Jinju?” Lay was worried when she continued to look down without replying. She hasn’t talked ever since they left the ship. “I’m sure it isn’t what it seems,” he tried to reassure her with an awkward pat on the shoulder.

 

“It’s okay Lay. It really just wasn’t meant to be.”

 

“That’s not true. Fate has nothing to do with love. Whatever happens is up to the people involved.”

 

“Well then, I’m deciding that it’s not meant to be.”

 

“Why are you giving up so easily. A little while ago you were about to go on your own.”

 

“Look Lay, I don’t expect you to understand my situation since your mermaid reciprocated your love. Love is a two-sided affair. I’m tired of being the one who always has to struggle, especially now that I find out it might be because of that girl,” Jinju turned back to him with angry tears in her eyes. 

 

“But—“

 

Jinju angrily wiped away the tears and gave out a heavy sigh. “If Baekhyun truly cares, he will come to me on his own accord and explain.”

 

“If he doesn’t?” Lay asked hesitantly.

 

“If he doesn’t...then this time I will make sure every emotion I feel for him disappears. I will forget to the point he will no longer appear in my dreams. It will be as if I never met him, that he was never a part of my life.”

 

“If that happens, can the future you really live with yourself, knowing that you let the person you loved die when you could have prevented it?”

 

It was silent for a while after until they reached the town centre. As soon as they arrived, they saw a large crowd congregating around the town square and even more people walking in that direction. “What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t know,” Lay replied with confusion. 

 

They tried to squeeze in between the townspeople, but were only able to get halfway. It was so packed that Jinju felt as if fresh air was not reaching her. In fact, she was greeted by body odor and the smell of rum in the man’s breath from her right. When they finally had a good glimpse, Jinju let out a gasp. In the centre, there were several upside down “L” shaped posts. One had a dead body hanging on it. “What is this?” she said in disgust.

 

“It be a gibbetin’,” the man to her right answered.

 

“What is that?” 

 

“The navy is trying to deter crime and piracy by executing the criminals and leaving their bodies to rot in public. I think we should leave this instant,” Lay grabbed a hold of her and tried to stir her away from the scene. 

 

She looked back one more time and saw a man in blue and white uniform hanging up the next body. She recognized the gangly frame topped with salt and pepper hair. “Elioda...” she whispered his name. The old man had been part of the crew that took her captive, but no one deserved such a cruel end. 

 

“Let’s go Jinju,” Lay pulled her away. “No one should have to see this.” Jinju agreed with his sentiment. She will definitely be getting a lot of nightmares in the coming days. 

 

~~~*~~~

 

Baekhyun abruptly woke up after a particularly disturbing dream. His heart was pounding hard against his chest and a feeling of dread was crushing him, but as soon as he was awake he couldn’t remember what it was about. He groaned and wrapped himself up in the blanket. After a few seconds of no motion, one small tear dripped to the pillow underneath his head. He was thinking of her again. That’s probably the reason why he had another nightmare.

 

A loud knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. “Yah, Baekhyun! It’s been five days since you left that room. Are you really not going to eat?”

 

The mention of food made his stomach growl, but he refused to move. “Go away D.O. I don’t want it.”

 

“At least come out of your room, hyung. You’ll end up starving yourself,” Sehun banged on the door. 

 

“Just leave me alone.” Baekhyun wasn’t starving himself like they thought he was. He would just sneak around the ship at night when only one or two people were awake. It made it easier for him to avoid the crew.

 

It was quiet for a while, then Baekhyun felt a chill in the air. Next thing he knows, there’s a loud bang, the door knob falls off, his door suddenly swings open, and he is met with two angry men and a worried one.

 

“Hyung,” Sehun walks to his bedside with a tray of bread and fruit juice. “Hyung, please eat.”

 

“Go away,” Baekhyun groaned after pulling the blanket over his head.

 

“Enough Baekhyun,” Xiumin pulled the blanket away from him. “Stop acting like a child. What’s done is done. We’re five days away from Póthos. Throwing a fit won’t change Suho’s decision and it won’t turn the ship around. So get up off your and eat.”

 

“Hyung~” Baekhyun whined.

 

“Don’t give me that look, just eat.”

 

“But—“ his words were interrupted when D.O. shoved a piece of bread in his mouth.

 

Seeing him chewing his food, Xiumin sighed and made a move toward the door. “When you’re done eating, Suho wants you up on deck.”

 

“Yah hyung, my door,” Baekhyun shouted.

 

When he saw that Baekhyun spoke perfectly, D.O. shoved another piece of bread in his mouth. “Don’t ever hope that your door will be fixed. Captain’s orders.”

 

“Shtoopi apten,” Baekhyun said through a mouthful of food.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Elsewhere, Suho was looking over a map with Chen. 

 

“Where should we go next?” Chen asked. “We’ve just been aimlessly sailing around.”

 

“Well if Baekhyun just told us what he found out in Póthos, then we could chart our next destination,” Chanyeol inputted from his position on the wheel.

 

“I’ve asked Xiumin to get him,” Suho said.

 

“What good is that going to do us?” Chen asked. “He doesn’t remember anything. If only you let me call for Lay.”

 

“I don’t want to start this again Chen,” Suho rubbed his forehead. “We’re not going back to Póthos.”

 

“Yo captain, you called for me,” Baekhyun made his entrance. 

 

Suho gave out a large sigh, “Finally.”

 

“So where’s our next destination,” Chanyeol asked him. 

 

“Why are you asking me? Isn’t that the captain’s job.”

 

“No, that was your job. You were supposed to find any clue in Póthos that would lead us to the gold pearl,” Suho retorted.

 

When Baekhyun looked at them in confusion, Chen said, “I told you he won’t remember anything. We need—“

 

“The gold pearl is no treasure,” Baekhyun interrupted him.

 

“Yes it is. That’s what we’ve been trying to look for all this time,” Suho argued.

 

“Don’t tell me you forgot that too,” Chen looked incredulously at him.

 

“I haven’t forgotten but according to everyone I found the gold pearl five years ago. Didn’t I tell you that?”

 

“What?!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “Are you telling me that we’ve been aimlessly sailing around the world for nothing.”

 

“That’s not what you’ve been telling us this whole time. Everytime we stopped at an island you would always have the next destination in mind and we would sail there,” Chen said.

 

“Are you hiding the treasure for yourself Baekhyun? Have you been deceiving us this whole time?” Suho asked him cautiously.

 

“No, It’s not like that. I don’t know what’s been happening for five years but I would never keep treasure to myself. Yes, the gold pearl exists and I can lead you there, but it’s not what you think it is.”

 

“Where is it?” Suho asked.

 

“Póthos.”

 

“I swear Baekhyun, if you’re only saying that to go back for Jinju I will maroon you.”