It had been a few hours since the end of the battle. Chan and Jun had been busy tending to Donghun, while Seyoon and Byeongkwan cleaned up the aftermath. 

Donghun had finally fallen deep asleep, after eating dinner and drinking some water. Chan thought it was so sweet how well Jun took care of Donghun. Jun was by his side the whole time and even helped feed him at dinner. Jun had asked for Donghun to be moved to the captain’s quarters as well. Chan thought Jun seemed extra caring of Donghun.

They must have a very close relationship. Chan smiled as he watched the other two.

Chan got up to leave them alone after gathering all him supplies. “I will come check on Donghun in the morning. If something feels wrong, please come find me anytime.”

Jun nodded silently, so he wouldn’t wake up Donghun. 

Chan left quietly and walked to his and Byeongkwan’s shared room. Chan really liked the dynamics of the crew here, and everyone had taken care of them well. Jun and Donghun were smart and responsible, and both of them looked out for Chan - although neither of them admitted it.

They were tough on him and gave him a lot of work, but they never bullied him or mistreated him. Both Jun and Donghun weren’t mean to Byeongkwan either, even when the other was still recovering from his injury. 

On top of that, Chan had noticed that Byeongkwan and the last crew member, Seyoon, were quite close. They always seemed to have something to talk about with each other. Seyoon was always looking to meet with Byeongkwan during his work breaks. 

Chan liked the crew so much, he was thinking it might actually be comfortable to stay on this ship permanently.

Chan paused when he reached the door of his shared room with Byeongkwan. He heard shuffling inside. Chan opened the door to see his room in a mess. Byeongkwan was sitting in the middle of the mess, folding clothes into a box.

“What are you doing?” Chan asked.

Byeongkwan glared at him. “What does it look like? We’re leaving!”

“What?” Chan replied. “What do you mean we’re leaving?”
“This is the perfect time!” Byeongkwan explained. “First mate is out of commission, and the captain is busy looking after him. This is the perfect time to escape!”

“Escape? Why would we want to escape?” Chan sat down on his own bed and folded his legs. “I like it here.”

Byeongkwan gave him a long, hard look. “Chan. They are pirates. We can’t stay here.”

“Sure, they are pirates…. But they are good people.” Chan said simply.

“Pirates...” Byeongkwan sighed, “Pirates can’t be good people, Chan!”

Chan pouted. He didn’t understand what Byeongkwan didn’t like. 

“You get along with everyone, right? Especially Seyoon. I’ve seen you with him. You look happy hanging out with him!” Chan retorted.

“Hanging out with Seyoon….I like it- I mean, I used to like it.” Byeongkwan tossed more clothes into a box. “But this and that are different things. We can’t stay here, Chan. It’s too dangerous for you.”

“I can take care of myself!” Chan threw a shirt at Byeongkwan.

Byeongkwan folded and tossed the shirt into the bin. “No you can’t. That’s why I’m here.”

Byeongkwan stood up and walked over to Chan. He put his hands on Chan’s shoulders and looked directly into the younger’s eyes. “As someone who worries for your safety, I cannot allow you to live here.”

Byeongkwan took one look at Chan’s annoyed expression and sighed. 

“Chan, I’m doing this for your own good.”

Chan swatted Byeongkwan’s hands off of his body. He lied down on his bed and turned his back to the older.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. It was rare for Chan and Byeongkwan to fight.

“Even if we left,” Chan argued, “Where would we go?”

Byeongkwan sighed. “I don’t know, Chan. But it’ll be better than here.”

“How do you know?” Chan rebutted. 

“I don’t....but,” Byeongkwan took a deep breath, “But we can’t stay h-”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. They both quickly fell silent as the door opened.

“Hey.” Seyoon appeared in the doorway. “I was just wondering if I could get someone to help me take down the sails.”

“I’ll go.” Byeongkwan volunteered. He and Seyoon left and Chan freaked out internally.

Did Seyoon overhear our conversation? If he had, we would be in big trouble!

Chan recalled Jun explaining that he would kill them if he found them trying to escape. 

Chan stood up. He picked up the box of clothes and the bag of food supplies laying out and shoved them under his bed. If they found out for real, there would be no guarantee of their safety.

Chan had to find out if Seyoon had heard them.