Chaeyoung smiled innocuously. 

“It’s not hard to recognize a renowned theater actor who had been travelling eight countries to perform the infamous play, 'Worcestershire' and 'The Blood of Heinz’. Yes, I am the lead character of those. You must plays to have known me.” 

The captain spoke with exuding confidence and feigned nobility. He was never a man of high class, so he wore his suit with pride and stood tall. It was the only way he knew that could convince the maiden. Good thing he decided to shave his mustache and fix his hair with pomade and combed his bangs up his scalp. It helped him to look presentable, at least. 

At the far corner of the room, Dahyun was trying hard to stifle the chuckle that wanted to escape his mouth after hearing the nonsense their captain was telling the lady. Jeongyeon kept his expression indifferent although deep inside, he was worried sick that the girl would find out that he was lying.

“I’ve only watched once, though.”

“May I know your name?” Chaeyoung was starting to divert the topic from their identity to avoid getting any more questions. 

“My name is Sana.” 

“That’s a nice name. Now Sana,  do you have any vacant rooms for tonight? I’d prefer six so my secretary and fellow actors can suit theirselves.”

“We do have six rooms.”

“Thank you. Can you take us there now?”

-——-<>-——-<>-——-<>-——-

“I’ve only found out now that those sauces were named after the plays you acted in.”

“My plays were that great.” 

-——-<>-——-<>-——-<>-——-

Chaeyoung glanced up the sky and saw the blazing sun shining brightly upon Corona. The gray clouds that enveloped the town yesterday were all gone. It was the perfect time to take a walk while enjoying the scenery around the kingdom. However, the captain wasn’t out to enjoy sightseeing. He had someplace important to go. As always, he brought Jeongyeon with him, along with four of his men. He sent out the rest with Tzuyu to go search for surgical equipment he needed to finally stitch up Dahyun’s wound. 

Jeongyeon rented a horse carriage for them to trail the streets at a faster pace. During the ride, the captain was immersed in his own thoughts as he studied the structures around them. 

Chaeyoung once escaped to Corona when he was just nine years old. Life in his birthplace, Northern Isles, had been cruel on him since his parents died due to an unknown reason. He decided to run away from home and ride a random boat which led him to Corona. He was taken care of by an old widow when he first arrived there, but it was this delightful kingdom that raised him during his adolescence, as the old widow died when he was fourteen. This was where he first started gaining interest on sailing. 

Now, a decade has passed since he departed this place. However, as he looked around, it seemed like it was only yesterday when he left. The brick houses remained as they always were — ordinary and cozy. The townspeople still wore their usual smiles while they carried on their simple lifestyle. Only, Chaeyoung couldn’t see the brightness he used to see in their faces. 

Corona looked the same, but it certainly felt different. 

“Do you miss staying here?”

Chaeyoung was snapped out of his reverie.

“You didn’t have to ask me that. You always knew.”

Actually, the captain never told Jeongyeon about how he felt about Corona. He’d let him know the whats and hows, but not the whys. But he didn’t need Chaeyoung to pour out everything to him, he just figured it out all by himself, and he was right. 

“Want to visit your Grandma?” Jeongyeon asked slowly. 

Chaeyoung glanced down his feet and tried to stretch a smile. 

“Nah. Chief Zico might be waiting for me there.”

Both remained silent until they reached their destination.

They stopped in front of what seemed to be a towering lodge. Its roofs sloped down to only a couple meters off the ground. The walls were made of smooth marble, and the windows looked like you could stand on its frame, however, all of it was closed shut. Jeongyeon studied the odd facade which had small statues of winged demons on each post. 

Chaeyoung started towards its large oak door and knocked on it a few times. The peephole slid open, a pair of eyes appeared to examine them.

“Son Ch—”

He wasn’t even done telling his name when the peephole was slid shut before the door was opened for them. His crew rushed in to break the neck of the doorman, and drag the body somewhere.

Chaeyoung stepped forward to the carpeted floor and headed to the stairs on his left. When they reached the second floor, he saw dozens of tables, each was crowded by fancily dressed people holding up a bunch of bills in their hands. They were either playing cards or betting on a game. 

“I don’t remember Suho inviting us here.” Jeongyeon whispered to the captain who was searching for something from his standpoint. 

“We’re here for the brooch. Now I want you to keep an eye there by the window. Tell me when he has arrived. I’ll be at his office.”

Before the quartermaster could even protest, Chaeyoung had already stormed off. Defeated, he slightly opened the window and watched the street down below.

Chaeyoung walked through the crowd that didn’t seem to mind him. He scanned the room looking for a door that led to a staircase. When he found it, he hurriedly pushed it open and found the stairs at the end of the hallway. As he was walking nearer, he caught a glimpse of a woman dressed in a red robe leaning on the wooden railings. She drank heavily from her wineglass and poured another from a bottle beside her. She wore on her neck the sapphire necklace Chaeyoung was looking for. 

“I think you went through the wrong door,” the lady finally said after noticing his presence.

Chaeyoung tried to conceal his surprise and removed his gaze on the brooch.

“Oh, isn’t this headed to Mr. Suho’s office?” 

“It’s up here.” The woman struggled not to slur with her words. She was obviously drunk.

“I’m here to see him.” Chaeyoung started climbing up the stairs. “Is he here?”

The lady was already gulping down from the bottle. She stared into space, seemingly preoccupied with her own thoughts. Chaeyoung walked closer to her and took the discarded wineglass on the table. The lady let out a small laugh, then poured for him some wine.

“I suppose you’re a partner of his.“

Chaeyoung nodded as he leaned his back on the railings, swirling the drink in the glass. 

“Right. Moonshining at Vivoré.”

“You arrived at the wrong time. He sailed off to Weselton two weeks ago.” 

The captain could hear a hint of sadness in her voice. He took a large gulp of the wine and placed the glass back on the table. 

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

The lady lifted the bottle once more and drank all of its remaining contents. After slamming it down on the table, she chuckled and shook her head. She reached for another bottle below her and popped it open. 

“You must be lonely.” Chaeyoung locked his gaze into her eyes. He sounded sincere and concerned. His eyes mirrored her emotions.  

“I’m not. It’s not like I’m his wife or whatever.” She rolled her eyes then took a sip from the bottle.

“I’d like to have a taste of that.” Chaeyoung uttered while staring at her face.

The lady glanced back at her and smirked.

“Which one? This one or my lips?” 

Chaeyoung was unfazed by her mockery. Instead, he remained calm and smiled.

“I can have both.”

“And how would you do that?”

In a heartbeat, Chaeyoung leaned forward and closed the gap between them. As the seconds pass by, the air around them becomes warmer. And the lady started kissing him back — slowly until their pace quickens that they began to breathe heavily. Chaeyoung’s hand made its way to her waist while the woman wrapped her arms on his neck. They’re exploring each other’s mouths now. All of a sudden, she broke off from the kiss and looked at his face. Her eyes were burning with desire, the look that Chaeyoung acknowledge as soon as he saw it. The lady dragged him to the room right next to them as the red robe slipped off from her shoulders.

The wine was long forgotten.

==========

“What’s taking him so long in there?”

Jeongyeon sat lazily by the largest window and stared at the narrow road in front of the lodge. He had been staying there for almost an hour, and he was worried. He leaned his head on the glass and sighed. 

One of his crewmates, Hwang Yeji, came running upstairs. He ran towards the baffled quartermaster with a look of urgency in his face.

“Mr. Suho,” he spoke while catching his breath. “He’s at the front door.”

Jeongyeon bolted from his seat and sprinted towards the crowded room. His eyes immediately scanned the place for any sign of Chaeyoung but found none. His ears perked up when he heard a few of the guess greeting a newcomer who turned out to be Suho. He cursed under his breath before running towards an open door at a corner.

“What happened?” A voice echoed through the empty hallway.

He turned his head and saw that it was Chaeyoung staggering his way towards him. His shirt was torn open, revealing his bare chest. Jeongyeon could not mind questioning him about it.

“He has arrived!” 

Jeongyeon was already panicking. However, the captain looked unbothered, his eyes half-open. He was looking out at the tinted glass window beside him. He tapped it with his forefinger and yawned. 

“The bay is right behind this building.” Chaeyoung was struggling to keep his eyelids up. He was too drowsy to realize the intensity of the current situation they were in.

“Come on, Cap!” Jeongyeon grabbed his forearm and was about to drag him outside when someone pushed the door they came in from.

“Son Chaeyoung? What are you doing in my house?!”

The captain lifted his gaze and smiled at the sight of a familiar face. He flailed his arms up and waved at him.

“Long time no see, Suho! See ya around next time!” 

After a cheerful greeting, Chaeyoung backed a few steps, then ran at full speed to the glass window, breaking it and throwing himself off down.

Jeongyeon and Suho were left baffled for a second, before the latter called his men to chase him up. Not knowing what to do, the quartermaster reluctantly followed Chaeyoung by jumping out of the window.

He screamed as loud as he can while he fell, only to be muffled later when he landed on a bale of hay. 

“Nice jump there, my friend.” Chaeyoung said with a mocking grin on his face. 

Jeongyeon removed the strand of hay that stuck under his tongue and dusted off his clothes. 

“I could’ve died there, you freak!” 

Chaeyoung only laughed out loud while Jeongyeon’s pale face slowly turned red. He looked back up at the broken window where Suho was glancing down at them and waved his hand again.

“Thank you chingu!” he shouted with a smug look on his face.

“Let’s go.” Jeongyeon told the coachman who turned out to be Tzuyu. 

The horses neighed and sped away from Suho’s lodge.

——                      ——                      ——

Chaeyoung threw himself on the bunk bed without taking off his shoes. He was too worn out to do so, and he wanted to sleep so badly since their escape from Suho’s lodge earlier that day. 

“What the hell was all that for? What’s with the brooch?”

Chaeyoung grumbled before pushing himself up to sit. He glanced at Jeongyeon who seemed pissed for not informing him earlier about his plan to rob Suho’s sapphire. He gave him an apologetic look before explaining.

“Don’t you remember? He stole this from me when I last shipped his goods to Klauff. It was just a stone back then, now he’s made it to be an amulet.” 

The quartermaster was shutting the windows as he listened, and he became convinced that the burglary was justifiable. That sapphire was important to Chaeyoung, it was a gift for him when he was still a child. For years, he deeply hated Suho for taking his prized possession away from him.

“Okay. Now, why was your shirt torn? What happened to you? Why were you drunk?”

Chaeyoung hesitated as he recalled what happened to them. He sighed and saw that Jeongyeon was waiting for him to answer.

“A woman upstairs wears this on her neck. I had to take it from her.”

“Looks like you took more than just the sapphire.”

“Too bad I didn’t. We just kissed until she brings me to her room. She fell asleep right after she tore my shirt.”

Jeongyeon showed an expression on his face that Chaeyoung couldn’t understand if he’s shocked, disgusted, or unbelieving. He was too tired to be bothered about it, so he lied back down on his bed and closed his eyes. The quartermaster was baffled for the umpteenth time that day.

<><><><>

Slap

“Why did you let that bastard take the necklace?!”

Suho was fuming with anger as he looked down at his wife who fell down on the floor. She was frozen in her position, holding on to her reddened cheek. Not one of their maids or guards dared to help her up. No one wanted to be involved with Suho’s anger.

“I don’t care if you with him, but you shouldn’t have let him rob you!” He was practically screaming at her face. “Not that jewel! You’re ing stupid!” 

Suho massaged his temple in frustration. He turned his back on her and looked out at the window. The view of the bay could be seen right behind his house. The crescent moon shone brightly, and was reflected clearly on the waters along with the little stars that glowed across the sky. It was a scenery of tranquility, but that moment, Suho could not manage to find his inner peace.

“Leave. Get out of my sight. Get out of my house, LEAVE!” He shouted for one last time.

His wife, still trembling, rushed out of his office with nowhere to go.