After San creepy remarked 'I'm watching you', I slid down onto the floor.

Now, I regret using to tweet 'I could die for you' on Ateez posts. I don't wanna die in the hand of pirate Ateez. Is this karma of my past sin for commenting thirsty tweets?

"What does he want?" Aurora asks me, she looks terrified at the scene.

"I have no idea." I really have no idea why he suddenly chased after me and why he said he's watching me.

Is it because of the conversation among the rebellious group? But if that is the reason, he should confront his crew, not me. Then what's the reason!!

Ughhh! Feeling my sanity slipping away, I tug on my hair like a mad woman.

Aurora sees me have gone into crazy mode, she sits back on to her bed, staring warily at me.

I ignore her glance and slowly crawl to the unoccupied bed.

I'm so exhausted from thinking about anything. It's been a long day.

And my brain begin to shut down at

3

2

1

---

"You made our honored guest scared less." The purple-haired first mate says to the combatant when he returns from the guest's cabin.

He saw everything. When Star started running away from the forecastle to her cabin. He didn't intervene because it was entertaining. And he didn't want to upset San cause he still loves his life, actually no one who loves their lives dares to offend him.

But he speaks out this time because Star may be the one that can help them lift the curse.

He might not be the smartest person on the ship but he can feel her sincerity. Still, he's not believing her 100%. His past experience tells him to be cautious.

The combatant remains quiet but Wooyoung is already used to his silence treatment.

"I know Soenghwa ordered you to keep an eye on her but did you have to go overboard?"

Of course, San doesn't answer him. He only flashes his devilish smirk and brushes past him while padding his shoulder.

Wooyoung can only shake his head. He guesses he needs to be a babysitter for a while longer.

---

I jolt awake as I hear a girl screaming.

The moonlight travels through the porthole allowing me to see that I'm still in the ship's cabin.

My brows furrow when I hear another scream. There're only 2 women on the ship; Aurora and me.

My head abruptly snap toward her bed.

It's empty!

Don't tell me those were Aurora's scream.

Panic surge through my body.

The door suddenly opens with a loud bang making me jump into sitting position.

A man holding a lamp enters my room, he takes big steps inside and stops in front of me.

A sigh of relief escapes Wooyoung when he sees me inside the room.

"Wha-" I haven't finished my word but he instantly grabs my arm and pulls me out of the room.

Ugh, I haven't worn my shoes.

We're making our way toward the main deck where the commotion takes place.

People stand in a loose circle. My heart drops when I see Aurora is held captive by San who's pointing cutlass at her neck, and facing Seonghwa who looks like a grim reaper that is ready to take her soul away.

Wooyoung ushers me toward them.

When Aurora notices my presence, she breaks into a crying mess and tries to break free from San. But he only holds her tighter in his embrace.

"Are you trying to escape?" Seonghwa interrogates Aurora.

"Um...No," She hiccups, her slander shoulder shaking pitifully.

"Then why are you poking around the lifeboat?" He presses her.

Oh My Lord. I completely forgot that the female lead tried to escape on the second night.

And yeah, she failed miserably.

At this point, I don't know what to do to help her. I'm just a side character who is barely able to save her little . How am I supposed to fight with these two devils?

I decided to watch the scene silently because in the original story, the girl survives. So in this scene she must survive too. If I blindly interfere, I might be the one that lost my life.

"I was...lost.." Aurora says.

"Why are you leaving your room in the middle of the night?"

"I..I need to um...find a toilet."

Some of the crew let out snicker when they heard her excuse.

But Seonghwa being Seonghwa, he keeps on his poker face, not believing her lie. He's the best at capturing liars.

"And does the lifeboat look like a toilet to you?"

Oh savage.

Aurora is at loss of word.

"Sir, she probably doesn't know the way as she didn't take part in the ship tour this afternoon."

To my surprise, Wooyoung speaks up.

I look at him in awe. This is the character development that I'm seeing.

Aurora also stares at him with wide eyes. She is surprised that her sworn enemy speaks for her.

Seonghwa stares at Wooyoung, exchanges wordless communication and gestures San to let go of the girl. She fell down on the floor as her legs gave way.

I immediately come to support her.

"Still, as a punishment, you can't step out of the room until we reach Port Royal. Wooyoung takes them back to their room." Seonghwa finishes ordering and turns on his heel to leave.

---

Wooyoung sent us back to our cabin, on the way he didn't utter a word which can identify that he's mad.

When we reach the cabin, he leaves right away.

"Thank you." Aurora's voice comes out like a whisper.

But Wooyoung can hear her as he stops and turns around.

"No need to thank me. I didn't save you, I save my people. " His eyes bore into Aurora. The atmosphere becomes tense.

"Star said you're the key part of our goal. True or not, I'm not risking it." After he coldly said, he walks away and disappears into the dark.

---

Rolling right and left on my new hardened bed, Wooyoung's words occupy my mind and prevent me from sleeping.

My body and brain scream they're too fatigued to ponder over heavy issues.

But my heart somehow fills with worries.

I can't believe Wooyoung helped Aurora because of what I said.

It could be a good thing because that means Aurora life is safe. But at the same time what if he and Ateez too caught up on my word and decided not to develop any relationship with her or worse they treat her as a tool then how this story is going to end.

Anyway I feel like I have to talk things out with Aurora first.

"Why were you trying to escape?" I want to know what's going on inside her head. How did she think it's a good idea to steal a lifeboat and sail in the middle of nowhere? She could get caught in a storm or worse being captured by other pirates.

When I read the book, sometimes I think her actions are reckless. Since she is with me in person now, I hope I can figure out her mind.

"I'm not waiting for my own death." She says, her voice maybe harden but it fills with pain.

"But your action expedites your own death though."

"I don't care, at least I try."

Oh I want to applaud her fighter attitude.

"And at least I'm not siding with pirates to survive."

Did she just insult me?

"Me, being the key to their goal, haha, and they actually believe that." She laughs bitterly.

I stare at her silhouette in the dark, flabbergasted.
Is this the same sweet female lead that I know?

"I said that because I really mean it. You're important to them." I explain to her.

She laughs again and says, "I can't bring myself to believe you. Well, perhaps you really are the seer. But just don't involve me in their filthy business. I'm the one that controls my own fate."

Wow, she really spilled her mind.
I kind of understand her not liking someone to control her life. But her fate truly revolves around them whether she likes it or not. And she'll fall in love with one of them too.

"I know it's hard to believe now but things will be clearer in the future."

She quiet for a moment and replies to me with a crack voice, "I don't know."

"You'll be fine. So don't worry too much." I reassure her. But to be honest, since this story is in the Angst genre, Oh well, it's gonna be tough before Ateez and Aurora warm up to each other.

"Umm... I just, I don't want to stay here anymore." Her voice comes out like a whisper.

Her abhorrence toward the pirates is stronger than I thought.

If she still insists to leave, I won't hesitate to steal her 'Y/N' career.

Err... on a second thought, no, because pirate Ateez are freaking scary.