Hongjoong watches as his little treasure dashes out of the room. A feeling of irksome crash over him, he almost had her in his palm but a certain er interrupted him. He glares at the stoic quartermaster at the door frame. If it wasn’t him, someone would’ve holes in their head.

Hongjoong brush against Seonghwa’s shoulder, advancing to the quarter room. He pours wine in a glass, picks it up and sits on his favorite red velvet couch.

“What do you want?” He spats at Seonghwa without sparing a glance. The latter situates himself across from Hongjoong, giving him a judgmental stare.

Suffocate silence hangs in the air when Seonghwa doesn’t answer his question. Hongjoong swallows the whole content and pour another glass of wine, glass after glass until he seems to cool down. Then Seonghwa opens a conversation, “You’re really serious about her.”

“You came to me because of that?” Hongjoong scowl in disbelief. Star slipped through his fingers because this guy decided to have a chit chat with him.

Under the furious glares of the captain, Seonghwa remains unbothered, “Do you really love her?” He shoots Hongjoong another question, feeling strange as the word love is incompatible with the cruel pirate king.

Hongjoong doesn't give him a proper response. Although deep scowl doesn’t fade from his face, a hint of smirk displays on his lips.

“And does she even love you?” Seeing his captain being overconfident, he wants to wake the lovesick man from his delusion. Even their blind crew can tell that Hongjoong is head over heels for the seeress. But as for Star, he can’t decipher her feelings. She’s over-friendly with everyone, to the extent that it annoys him.

“It’s clearly seen in her eyes.” Hongjoong stares at his wine glass as if it was the aquamarine eyed girl. His grin is getting wider which Seonghwa can’t help but has an intense urge to wipe that cocky smirk off with his dagger.

“You know it won’t work out.” Seonghwa begs to differ. He only saw Hongjoong trying to allure the poor girl. While Star, although she pretends to be brave, she can’t hide the fact that she fears him.

Hongjoong snaps his head toward Seonghwa, “Quartermaster Seonghwa, don’t poke your nose into my business.”

“Captain Hongjoong, you can’t force her to stay on the ship.” Seonghwa returns him with a cold gaze. He doesn’t want to interfere with the captain's love affair but he can see through Hongjoong’s ploy which he doesn’t like it one bit.

Hongjoong laughs upon hearing Seonghwa’s remark. “I didn’t, I gave her choices.”

“You never give anyone choice.” The tiny captain has the audacity to lie in his face.  It was his scheme. And Hongjoong’s scheme always wins. Always.

“Seonghwa, you really know me.” Hongjoong chuckles, placing the glass on a small table. “And you should know that you can’t do anything. Just don’t get in my way, I don’t wanna have a new quartermaster yet.” His eyes turn into slits but a grin on his face never disappears. That’s the look when he threatens his victim. But it doesn’t work on Seonghwa anymore.

Seonghwa let out a scoff, “That girl must’ve bewitched you.”

A low chuckle escapes Hongjoong’s lips. “If someone was bewitched, it’s you. The cold-hearted quartermaster tries to protect an innocent girl from the merciless pirate king. How surprising is that sound.”

Seonghwa taken aback for a second before he regains his composure, clenching his jaw. “Don’t bull me. You said she was just a guest. Then treat her like a guest. But you’re trying to drag her into our mess. She may help us now, but to what extent? We live in a different world from her. We’re thieves. No matter how kind she appears to be, deep down she’s like those elite who despise us. You and I both know, it won’t end well.”

Hongjoong listens to the quartermaster's long reprimand and bursts out laughing. He laughs for a full minute then stops abruptly. He tilts his head, boring eyes at Seonghwa. “You and I both know, you don't mean what you said.”

Seonghwa scoffs and rises to his feet, earning a brow raise from Hongjoong.

“Don’t twist my words. I don’t care about her. But if you really love her, don’t drag her into our hell.” After spitting his words, Seonghwa strides out of the room.

Hongjoong’s gaze follows the raging man’s back. His grin gradually vanishes.

Our hell...

---

People say ‘The higher you go, the cooler it becomes.’ I’ve experienced it at this moment.

Ahhhhhh!!!! Out of all places, why did my legs bring me to the crow's nest?!

“You done screaming?” Wooyoung picks his ears, scrunching his face. “I got that I’m handsome but you don’t need to scream in my face.”

His cocky comment makes my mouth itch to taunt him, but my current situation prevents me from doing so. My feet freeze on the ratlines while my sweaty palms cling onto the rail.

He scoots over to the side, his hand tapping an area beside him. “Come here, little Star. If you keep hanging there you're gonna fall. The corpse would be unsightly.”

I’m torn between climbing down or joining the cocky first mate. However, climbing down isn’t the best choice as my legs lost strength and I don’t wanna die unsightly either. I shakily climb over the rail and sit next to Wooyoung, arm hugging the mast.

Wooyoung snorts at my action, “If you’re that scared, why did you climb here in the first place?”

“I wanna ask myself that too.” I whisper. It’s all Hongjoong’s fault that my brain and body malfunction.

Wooyoung throws his head back, laughing. “I thought you’re strange but you exceeded my expectations.”

“Shut up, I haven’t got revenge from your little trick.” I scowl. My still hurt from falling.

“Ohh, little star is so feisty today.” Wooyoung cooed. “But seriously, what did Hongjoong do to you? You look out of your mind.”

“Nothing!” I panic. What happened between Hongjoong and I can’t be known to a single soul, especially the gossip lover Wooyoung.

“Hmm, sure...” Wooyoung wiggles his eyebrows.

“I said there was nothing!!” I hit his arm when he doesn’t stop giving me a mischievous look.

“Yah! How dare you hit the mighty first mate of the Pirate King’s Revenge!” He pats his arm where I hit him.

I roll my eyes because of his overreacting. “And how dare you offend...the most powerful seeress of...the entire world.” Raising my chin, I bluff after his smug remark.

Wooyoung lets out another snort and glares at me while I gladly return him one. The glaring competition then proceeds. Even though the wind blows harshly, we keep our eyes wide open until my hair swat into both of his face and mine.

“Argh! your hair got into my eyes.” Wooyoung rubs his painful eyes. “I wasn't wrong. Your hair resembles that Kra-” My hand slapped his mouth from saying the forbidden word.

“Are you trying to summon the squid?” I shush him. His eyes go round when he remembers the monster. We scan around the ship, finding any abnormality in the water. Several minutes passed, the giant squid didn’t make an appearance. Thus we exhale relief sighs.

Wooyoung pats his mouth that was slapped by me. “If the kra- the squid really came, I’ll sacrifice you for injuring my handsome face.” He notices my hand grips on San dagger so he laughs it off. “Just kidding, who would dare to throw away the most powerful seeress of the entire world.”

Grimace at how he mocks after my shameless bluff, I cross my arms and huff. Wooyoung chuckles, reaching his hand to ruffle my messy hair to be messier. “You’re this cute, that's why Hongjoong can’t take his hand off you.”

“Wha..What are you saying..” His bluntness caught me by surprise. I lower my head to hide the flush that starts to creep on my cheeks.

Wooyoung grins playfully, “As a self-proclaimed veteran, I can guess what happened between you two.”

“You did?! How?” I stare at him wide eyes, scared that if he knows, the entire world will know too.

“The way he looks at you lately and how he keeps calling you his treasure, he can’t wait for the day to...” He lets the sentence trail off, winking and biting his plump lower lip.

“Ew! Gross!” I hit his arm again. This time he doesn’t rebuke me for hitting him, instead he fixes his scrutinizing gaze on me.

“Do you like Hongjoong?”

The question hit me square in the face. I tear my gaze away from him and fidget on the helm of my shirt nervously. It’s the same question that I ask myself too. After a short moment, I answered him. “I don’t know...”

“Hm, you don’t know.” He grabs on his chin, musing over my answer. “Then between Hongjoong and me, who do you like the most?” Unexpectedly, he leans closer to me with a twinkle in his eyes while his arm circles around my shoulder.

He’s indeed a veteran, his spell almost had me lost inside a pair of brown iris. But I, who’s not so immune to his charm, makes the toughest choice of my life by shoving his face away.

Wooyoung grunts then fake a sniff. “Oh my little Star, you broke my heart, I thought you loved me. I thought we have a thing going on between us. Because he’s the captain and I’m a mere first mate so you chose him right?”

I roll my eyes at his terrible acting and tap his hand that begins to go lower to my hip.

Wooyoung detaches his hand and giggles, “So you like someone else? Whoever you like will get in deep trouble. Hongjoong won’t let you go easily. So don’t tell him that you love me, I don’t wanna be shark food. Or you can tell him that you like Seonghwa. Hongjoong can’t hurt Seonghwa though.”

I listen to his awful suggestion and feel a throbbing pain in my head. If I say I like Seonghwa, then I’ll die in his hand instead of Hongjoong’s.

“Or you can say San.” Wooyoung smirks, a playful glint flashes across his eyes.

My face twists in horror. San will cut me with his San dagger if I borrow his name.

Wooyoung mistook my reaction as my answer. “You hate him?” A fallen expression cast on his face.

“Nonono.” I quickly answer him. Even if San spooks me to no end, I could never hate him.

“Really?” Wooyoung seems to not believe me.

“Why would I hate him, he saved me multiple times.” I tell him the matter of fact.

“It’s understandable. My poor mate is labeled as a devil. In this lifetime, will he ever find someone who loves him.” He sighs and stares at the orange sky.

I blink at him confusedly. What is this guy getting at?

“He carries himself that way because the world forces him to be.” A short pause then followed with another sigh. “The time when we recruited him. On that day the sky and water turned as red as fresh blood, the smell of death stretched for miles. We sailed into an abandoned ship. There he was, San, in the middle of a pile of rotting corpses.” He stops and stares at me. The dullness in his eyes makes goosebumps rise on my arms.

“He massacred his entire crew. He never mentioned why he did it but he said they deserved it. And he smiled. A smile that haunts my mind until these days.”

Cold sweat pools at my back when I imagine San’s maniac smile in the middle of piling corpses. I’ve messed up with the wrong devil. San’s background is so intriguing and dark. I’m not surprised that his character is so terrifying since he has passed such a tragedy.

“He’s like a body without a soul. He barely opens up to us. The only emotion he shows is when he kills. It’s been like that for years. Until one day, I notice he starts to show more emotions. Do you know when?”

I shake my head, at the same time wondering why Wooyoung told me all of the sudden.

Wooyoung’s smirk returns, “When you show up.”

I choke on my saliva and shakily point at myself. Is this another bad news of the day?

“Wha-what..emotions?” Whatever emotion it is, I hope it’s not a negative one as my fragile heart can’t take anymore hostility from any of them.

“That’s for you to find out.” Wooyoung leaves a hint and a classic wink. But I don’t think I’ll ever find out, especially after he told me how San massacred the entire ship.

“What about you? How did you join the group?” After knowing San’s story, now I’m curious about his background.

I stare at Wooyoung, thinking he’ll begin another long story but he turns quiet, focusing his eyes at the horizon. “Sorry, nevermind me.” I take his silence as a clue to stop digging his past.

Both of us then fall into silence. The evening wind starts to cool down. I stare at the stunning view as my mind begins to drift into the issues that I haven't solved. However, my tired brain shut itself and my eyelids gradually close, I slip into dreamless land.

Being Wooyoung, he can’t stay still for a long time so he turns to talk to the girl but finds that she’s already fallen asleep. He lifts up his finger to poke on the girl's rosy cheek and smiles to himself.

He isn’t ready to share his past yet. He hates to remember how weak and useless he used to be. Apart from the crew, he never opened up to anyone else, she’s the first woman that he wants to call a friend. It’s the first time that he doesn’t want to get close to a beauty like her in that way because he knows that their interaction isn’t a shallow one. Promising himself, he won’t let his womanizer side ruin their friendship.

Staring on her peaceful sleeping face, his eyes lit up into a mischievous glint. His playful side just can’t let the opportunity slip.

I wake up, feeling a tingling touch on my face. Groggily open my eyes, I meet with a million stars in the dark blue sky.

Sweat broke as I remember that I'm still in the crow’s nest. Lifting my head that rests on Wooyoung's shoulder, I peer at the blurred ratlines disappearing into the darkness down below.

“Wooyoung, why didn't you wake me up? How am I going to climb down?” I cry, tugging my hair in frustration. However, Wooyoung doesn’t utter a word which is totally strange. I turn to him and become speechless.

The supposed first mate has transformed into the devil!

“San!” I instantly bolt away from him. But his hand on my waist secured me in place.

My mouth turns dry once I realize I lean into his embrace. The story that Wooyoung recently told me resurfaced. I’m facing the man who slaughtered the entire crew.

My brain goes blank but the only thing I can think of is to curse at the tricky first mate. That Woo freaking young, how could he pass me to the devil? I’ll *** you and *** until you regret messing up with me!

“Where’s Wooyoung?” My voice came out pathetically weak.

Moonlight shines on his sharp features, making him look ethereal. He oozes a mysterious aura, dangerous yet hypnotizing. His dark gaze intently stares at me from behind his black fringe. “Gone.” Hoarse whisper enters my ears. Cold creeps from my head to toe.

When other people say gone, they might mean that he left. But when San said gone, Wooyoung might be gone forever.

Wooyoung, don't leave me, come rescue me from your friend first. I weep bitter tears in my mind.

Our closeness would allow him to know that my body trembles helplessly. “C-Can you let go? I’ll take my l-leave.”

A second turns into minutes, he stays in the same position, his arm tightly secure on my waist. The only difference is a smirk that appears on his face. Before I passed out from his intense stare, I pry his icy hand out of me which he surprisingly let go.

Exhaling the breath that was being held, I slowly rise to my feet, however, thousands of pins attack my legs because I sat in the same position for too long. I hold onto the mainmast, waiting for the pain to subside.

San gaze linger on me. He probably thinks I’m standing here like a fool so I can’t help but explain myself, “My legs hurt.”

Suddenly he gets up and turns his back at me.

“What? You want me to apply ointment for you?” I ask him, not understanding his action.

“Get on.” He says in a raspy voice.

I blink, trying to register what he meant.

“Get on.” He repeats when I stand still and lower himself down.

My jaw drops. He’s willing to piggy ride me. Wooyoung’s words might be right because he has acted out of character around me. I fidget in the spot, not knowing what to do; climbing down myself or let San carry me.

In the end, I made up my mind because I don’t wanna fall to my dead.

“T-Thanks.” My arms carefully circle around his neck and his strong arms secure around my legs as he lifts me up. I lean backward, trying to not touch him in the best way possible. However, when he swings himself to the ratlines, I squawk at the momentum and hug him for dear life. I can hear a low chuckle in his throat. Heat flares all over my body because of mortification.

“Don’t laugh.” I didn’t sign up to be a scaredy cat, okay! I’m glad that he’s not able to see my blushing face right now.

San swiftly climbs down and reaches the ground in a couple seconds. He gently lowers me down. Once I steady on my feet, I turn to thank him but he’s already climbing up.

Wooyoung observes the scene from the look-out on mizzenmast. He clicks his tongue in disapproval. He sacrifices his station for his mate to make a move but this guy delivers the girl to the ground instead.

He gotta teach San another important lesson.

---

My stomach keeps growling loudly because I completely forgot to eat and most importantly I forgot Aurora. I’m such a bad friend. Quickly grab several food at the kitchen, I head back to my cabin.

When I’m about to open the door, it yanks open by the red face surgeon.

“Yeosang?” Noticing his brow knit together, I call him warily.

Yeosang’s scowl turns into a forced smile but he is unable to hide his exasperation. “Star, please take care of Miss Aurora.” Finishing his sentence, he walks past me. I call after him but he already disappears at the corner.

I enter the room to find Aurora with an equally foul mood on her bed. Placing the tray on her nightstand, I turn to her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Star, please don’t call Yeosang again. I said I’m fine.” Her voice came out hardened. She definitely argues with Yeosang.

“You guys fought.” I sigh and sit on my bed. I thought her relationship with Yeosang had become better, but it turned out she doesn’t get along with the angel.

“It’s nothing. And thanks for the food.” She avoids answering me and starts munching on a sea biscuit.

She changed. The word pops up in my head. Or perhaps she’s always like this since the beginning. I always thought that she’s the same character in fiction. Since Ateez can act out of character then she could be too. Stupid me.

A bitter smile forms on my face. Questions that left unanswered remain at the tip of my tongue.

The more I try to find the clue, the more mystery I stumble upon. I lose in my thoughts until my stomach growls in protest.

Ughh whatever, let just eat first!

☆*:.｡☆*:.｡☆*:.｡☆*:.｡☆*:.｡☆*:.｡☆*:.｡

(ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ......

Eh? Where're my tables?  You guys broke all of them. 

Nevermind, I'll give you ships to sail or sink.  (｀∀´)Ψ

🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢