First Encounters
Legend of the SeaJongin stood on the deck of the ship, staring out at the beautiful, calm water. It seemed strange to him that this was still the Argennin Sea, with the reputation it had gained over the centuries. He had heard that this sea could turn angry and do horrendous things to the occupants, if their intentions were impure. Cringing, he thought of the stories that had passed down through the years. Some accounts told of people being crushed to their deaths by the storms, while the ship stayed perfectly intact. Smiling to himself, the tall young man knew that if they ran into a terrible storm, it would probably be the work of magic, purging the world of evil. It would be a fitting death, if one had bad intentions for their journey.
The sound of a bottle hitting the ground caused him to jump, partly from his current dark thoughts. Frowning, he noticed that it was a drunk old sailor, his grungy hand hitting the deck as the bottle rolled across the wooden floor and hit an empty keg, the fragile glass shattering from the impact. Jongin tried not to laugh as he thought of the fate of the ship possibly already being sealed, if the crew was filled with drunkards. If that was the case, this could be his first...and last trip across the sea.
A tall young sailor walked up from the lower deck, frowning as he made his way to the old man. The young man was surprisingly clean for a sailor, and his thick back hair gleamed in what little sunlight left. He glanced over at Jongin briefly, his face as appealing as his nicely kept appearance. Walking over to the old drunk, he shook his gently, speaking softly when the old man awoke from his stupor with a snort.
"Come on, man. Zico won't be happy if he finds you up here drunk, so let's go to bed now. You know that he'll be up here soon,” the handsome sailor smiled when the old man nodded, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet as he leaned on the strong young man.
“Thank you, Jaehyo. You're a gem in the middle of ,” the old man mumbled, causing the other man to laugh at his odd, albeit drunken, comparison.
“Alright, let's go,” Jaehyo smiled at Jongin as he passed, acknowledging him with a curt nod of his head. Jongin watched in silence as they passed, feeling hope that this may not be a bad journey after all. If all of the sailors were as kind as this Jaehyo was, this just might go smoothly.
Sighing deeply, the tall young man began to make his way to the lower deck. If Jaehyo had spoken the truth, the deck might be a little too crowded for Jongin's liking soon. Following them at a safe distance, he walked back to his cabin, lying down on his cot. He had better get some rest, if he wanted to have a chance at a good first full day at sea. This was going to be a fun escape.
*
Soojung awoke with the sun, rising early to see what this first day at sea would bring. She was excited about this adventure, because, first of all, she had never been on a vessel as large as this one, and second, this would be the first time she had ventured out on her own. Even though women held the most power in Fre'limar, she had always felt pressured to become as powerful as she could, in her own right.
Having sway in politics had never interested her, yet her grandmother had always pushed her to follow in her footsteps...while, at the same time, submitting to a husband. Soojung couldn't quite pinpoint it, but she knew something was wrong in that analogy. Control. Her grandmother had already shown, through Soojung's father, that she wanted full control of the family and everything they did. She wanted to push everyone else in a corner and lead as she saw fit, and that was one thing that had pushed the young woman away. As the strong woman her family had nurtured her to be, she would do what she wanted, and not what everyone else wanted. She would have freedom, created in her own way.
Turning her gaze to the ocean, she inhaled deeply, taking in the salty scent of the gentle waves lapping at the edges of the ship. The sound and smell combined was soothing to her, while, at the same time, energizing.
Jumping suddenly at a loud clanging noise, she followed the sound to the crew, hard at work keeping the ship sailing smoothly. When she turned back around, she nearly ran into a tall young man, uttering a nervous apology before looking up at him. He offered an awkward smile back as he ducked his head in a nod of deference. Frowning, Soojung was about to say something about not deferring to her, when she recognized the man. She would recognize him anywhere, with his long, lean form, deep, dark eyes, and most of all, the unique scar on his chin. She had always wondered how he had gotten it, but also realized that she had never spoken to the man. That was about to change.
“Myungsoo? You're Kim Myungsoo, correct?” Soojung knew she couldn't be mistaken, but had to ask anyway. The only other person he could possibly be was his cousin, Benji, and that would be a far stretch, seeing as Benji was much more solid, with more rounded features altogether. No. This had to be Myungsoo.
The tall man's entire demeanor changed, a dimple forming on his right cheek as he frowned at her, shaking his head. While he stared at her, she could tell that he was deciding whether to tell her the truth or not. Finally, he relented with a deep sigh, chewing on his lower lip before laughing nervously to himself. “You're Soojung,
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