Rumors spread across seven seas about the Pirate King disappearance for over a year. Some believed that he and his crew were dead. On the fateful night of the battle between pirates and the Royal Navy at Nassau coast, many witnesses reported that the Revenge vanished before their eyes. Some believed that the crew were cursed. Some thought that they had super power, or made a contract with the devil.

However, those who have seen the pirate king’s face said that they spot a group of men looking similar to the Revenge crew in some small islands. But they couldn’t prove anything.

Besides, the HMS Declaration belonging to commander Chris also mysteriously appeared out of nowhere after disappearing for almost a month. The soldiers were all present, except commander Chris and lieutenant Jongbin. All of the crew stated that they had no memory of their disappearance for over a month. They remembered that they chased after the Revenge into the devil’s triangle and encountered a storm. Hence people believed that commander Chris and lieutenant Jongbin had died from the storm.

With the vacant throne, many pirates exercised their power to become the next pirate king. But none of them was close to this young man. He possessed a similar trait as the previous pirate king since he used to be his first mate on the Revenge. Pirate King Erik, however, never claimed the title. The rumor had it that he was trying to go to a magical island called Wonderland to find his previous captain. The man was truly loyal, sadly, he never succeeded in sailing to Wonderland.

“Ye really believe that the previous pirate king was dead?” A man asks his fellow sailor while biting on a pipe. The most common topic among taverns in sea ports is about the disappearance of the Pirate King. The mystery that no one can solve.

“Shame on him and his crew. They should die on the gallows.” Another man answers with a scornful expression. He lifts up his tankard to take a sip but someone crashes into him and spills the liquor into his pants.

The man angrily curses and springs up from his seat, ready to fight with the person who spilled his drink. He turns to face a man towering over him. Fierce gaze glares at him intently. The sailor subconsciously falters.

“Sorry mate, didn’t see you sitting there.” The man covers his face and head with black bandanas, but his fiery red hair noticeably peek out. Even though this scary man apologized to him, it sounded so threatening.

“B-be careful.” He stutters and sits down as he doesn't want to cause trouble with this giant. However, the same man put his arm across his shoulder.

The red haired man whispers into his ear in a low intimidating voice. “What ye be sayin’ about the pirate king and his crew? I wanna know too.”

The poor sailor unconsciously gulps down and sweat breaks on his forehead. Although he never encountered a real pirate before, at this moment he believes he feels like he just met one.

Luckily, someone pulls this scary man away from him. A shorter guy with a red bandana smiles at him creepily. “Sorry sorry, my mate is drunk.” Although this new guy looks less scary than the taller man, he oozes the same dangerous air. “Anyway, You lot better be watching your mouths, who knows the pirate king might lurk around here and plot to take his revenge. You definitely heard how he tortured his prey, right?” The tall and short men snicker evilly, making the sailors horrified. The nearby tables start to look at them curiously.

“Ouch!!” They suddenly cry when a woman pulls their ears. The woman has shoulder length blonde hair, and a pair of twinkle almond shaped brown eyes. She dresses in a simple white shirt and leather pants, but her beauty isn't hindered by them.

“Apologies for my crew's behavior, gentlemen.” She smiles charmingly that the sailors forgot to be angry. “I’m captain Yeojin of Losing Star. We’re new here and looking for a business partner.”

They nod absentmindedly as they are bewitched by her beauty, making her ‘crew’ snort.

“We will take our leave then. Please enjoy your meal.” She says politely and drags two men with her out of the tavern.

Once they walk into a deserted street, the female leash out at the two men.

“Seriously, you two! We’re here to find a trade partner, not to scare off people.” Yeojin angrily whisper-shouts at them. “I got it that you both are angry, but try to hold it in, will ya?! Our identity can’t be exposed!”

“Shut up! You’re not really our captain. Because people might remember us so Hongjoong allow you to be fake captain.” The red haired gunner master rolls his eyes in disdain, scratching his head as he hates wearing bandana. But they have to wear it to hide their identity.

Yeojin scoffs, “So what. Outside the ship, I have the authority. Captain Mullet already assigned me. So you two better behave!”

The first mate snickers, strolling casually as if he didn’t threaten a man's life a minute ago. He doesn’t intend to cover his face because he has grown his beard and he even said the bandana hides his handsomeness. Fortunately, no one in this small town recognizes them. “But all of us here are breaking the rule to drink at a tavern. Gosh, Seonghwa might strave us today, especially when we failed to find a partner.”

The trio shudder to think of what punishment awaits them at the ship.

—

They row a lifeboat to a ship that is anchored slightly far away from the land and other vessels. This schooner is way smaller than the Revenge with only two masts. From an outsider's view, they look like a harmless immature merchant as the other merchants own larger vessels to carry goods.

As soon as the trio embark the ship, they meet with the surgeon. He ties his long hair into a tiny ponytail when he’s on the ship. But whenever he needed to go ashore, he would wear a hat and let his long hair cover his face.

“How is it?” A crease between his brows disappears after seeing that his sister and friends are safe. Yeosang always becomes worried sick whenever the crew leaves the ship as he’s afraid that they might get caught.

The trio shake their heads with slump shoulders. Yeosang sighs and turns to the man standing behind him clad in black attire. He no longer keeps his one side bang, his hair grows longer and he also grows a short black beard. As a result, some crews jokingly call him Black Beard.

The quartermaster stares at them expressionlessly as if he already predicted that they would fail.

“Captain is waiting for you lot in his quarter.” Seonghwa says indifferently, causing the trio to gulp saliva.

Five of them walk into the quarter room. Unlike the splendid room inside the Revenge, this room is small and consists only of a table and chairs. Apparently, they couldn’t afford to decorate the room nicely.

The navigator and the boatswain greet them, sitting at a round table in the middle of the room. They instantly know the outcome judging by the trio’s expression. The combatant sits at the window sill with a blank expression, staring outside as if his soul isn’t here. San, too, grows his hair and beard, and doesn't bother to tie it nicely like Yeosang. His messy hair covers his face the entire time. Since coming back from Wonderland, he never stepped foot onto land, and the crew also didn’t want him to appear in front of a crowd because he looked too intimidating for a normal merchant.

Another man standing at the farthest window, holding an empty wine glass. Sadly, he could drink his favorite wine one bottle for 3 months. He ties his long hair into several rat tails like the old days before he became captain of the Revenge.

All of Ateez members change their outer appearance by growing beard, except Mingi as he despises his red beard, saying it makes him look not impressive. He’s willing to cover his face when traveling outside the ship.

Seonghwa clears his throat to catch the real captain's attention.

Hongjoong whirls around and speaks to them without waiting for the report. “We’ll leave this place tomorrow at first light.”

“Ahhhh!! Not again. This is the 5th port that we failed to acquire a partner. I can’t eat scrap food any more. We’re so poor. Should we pirate again?” Mingi whines and receives dead glare from others in the room.

“Just kidding!” He shouts and pouts, heading to sit next to Jongho. The younger guy shakes his head at him and peers at Hongjoong’s face that becomes darkened.

“We still have a chance in this town. I’ll try to use my beauty and lure those men to become our business partners.” Yeojin announces with determination.

Seonghwa scoffs, rolling his eyes. “How many times have you said that? Your beauty has nothing to do with it. Those people want money.”

True to his words. She has been saying this line 100 times and failed. Those men were just interested in her beauty, but didn't want to trade with a poor merchant.

“Should we contact Erik for help?” Yunho suggests as he’s tired of his crew arguing over the same matter.

Hongjoong crashes the glass down on the table, startling everyone. “No, we won’t associate with piracy. I told you, contacting Erik will only alert the Royal Navy and our enemies. We need to let our rumor subside before contacting him. And no, we won’t use money from piracy to live our lives ever again.”

The crew nod at his response. Captain has changed into a totally different person after Wonderland. He wouldn’t allow his crew to get money in a dirty way. They know that he also misses Erik, but he worries about their safety. Even though they have been missing from the scene for more than a year, the Royal Navy still hunts them down.

“I miss my Lucky Star..” Yeojin sighs. “I wonder if she didn't miss us at all?” The atmosphere suddenly turns rigid. The others glimpse at Yeosang, Hongjoong and San anxiously as if it’s a taboo word.

“C’mon, why do we have to stop talking about her? Do you forget our new ship name is Losing Star!?” Yeojin huffs in dismay. She understands that they all miss her, but to avoid talking about her because some lover boys are hurt is just nonsense.

“I believe she's doing fine in her world. If she’s here she would suffer with us.” Jongho says. Some of them nod solemnly in agreement.

Suddenly, San walks out of the room. Wooyoung pinches Yeojin's arm from making his best mate upset. Then both of them bicker again for the nth time today.

Hongjoong stares at the open door where San just left. His hazel eyes become dim.

“The meeting is dismissed.”

—

When the red sun peaks above the horizon, the poor Losing Star travels to a new city in hope to find a business partner. The small schooner rides above waves after waves tirelessly. The crews work vigorously this morning, fatigue shows on their faces since they nearly have to work almost day and night with a small number of people. Approximately 30 crew survived after Wonderland. They didn’t hire new crew members because they were afraid to be exposed that they were former pirates. The crew agree to stay together, including the young lads; Jack and Jim.

“Captain, what’s your plan?” Seonghwa asks Hongjoong who is helming the wheel and receives no answer back.

Seonghwa sighs and Yunho shrugs at him. They have no idea how to comfort their captain either. Hongjoong has been living like a soulless man since that day. He would participate in a conversation only when he deemed  it necessary. But most of the time, he’s quiet, losing inside his mind with a glass of wine.

Apart from him, San is even worse. He became quieter than before. Although he doesn’t act harmful, they are all worried about him. The crew try to converse with him daily to engage him in human interaction. Let’s just say getting an answer from San was harder than getting a business partner.

Luckily, Yeosang remains in his best self. He’d take care of everyone's well being. Sometimes, he went out of his way and exhausted himself working all day and night. Because some income was from his newly invented medicine.

When nightfall, the crew always spot three of them staring at the stars for hours. Truthfully, deep down everyone is saddened by Star’s departure. But they couldn't afford to be in sorrow since life must go on.

After Star was gone, they stuck on Wonderland for a week since they didn’t have a ship to sail out of the island. They waited until Seakeeper regained her power and she manifested a small ship for them to travel. They were lost for a while, not knowing what to do with their new life. So Seonghwa suggested doing sea trade. However, they could only trade in small cities and islands to avoid being captured by the Royal Navy and getting recognized by local resident. They barely made money and were about to go bankrupt. The next town will be their last chance since they have no money left. They might need to sell the schooner and scatter.

—

At the forecastle deck, the fight breaks out between the master gunner and the first mate. They still can’t choose the name for their ship because they actually hate the name Losing Star.

“She must be named Shooting Star, so we can say we sail like a shooting star!” The master gunner hollers, giving out the reason that makes the other crews scrunch their faces in confusion.

“Eww, so childish. Since our ship is quite tiny so Litttle Star is a fit.” The first mate squeaks back.

“Shut up you two, Lucky Star is the best. It means we’ll be lucky!” Yeojin breaks in between. Both men then pick up a fight with her. Three of them bicker on the same topic at least once a day.

Then the trio completely shut their mouths when they feel life threatening glare from a certain location. They peer at the combatant oozing a scary aura a few meters away from them. He was the one who named the ship, Losing Star. No one was brave enough to challenge him so the name stayed with them for a year.

Seeing the trio become silent, San continues practicing his swordsmanship. They then sigh out of relief. Yet, they didn’t give up on the topic as they argue in lower voices.

The boatswain rolls his eyes, he’s tired of hearing the same conversation over and over. While the surgeon beside him develops an immune system to block their voices. He looks quite peaceful.

“Do you think the Seakeeper can hear me? Can she take us back to Wonderland?” Yeosang mutters to Jongho.

“Seems like she doesn’t want us there.” Jongho sighs. Here we go again with the same conversation with Yeosang. The younger man swears if any of them speak the same line to him again, he’s gonna break someone in half.

Truthfully, it’s not that they didn’t attempt to go back to Wonderland, but they didn’t know the way. Whenever they traveled into the devil’s triangle, they would appear outside the area every time as if someone wanted to keep them out.

“Kraken.” San suddenly speaks up. It has been a long time since they heard him talk. Poeple around the area look at San as if he has grown two heads.

“It was already dead with that squid woman. Why would you call for it?” Wooyoung crinkles his nose. That giant squid still gives him nightmares until these days.

San uses his sword to point at a black spot in the middle of the sea at the same time as a crew on the crow’s nest screams while climbing down the shroud.

“KRAKEN!!!!!!”

Everyone on the ship whips their head to see a single tentacle rise up in the air. The bright blue sky turns dark in a mere second. Wind roars from the horizon and sea waves become erratic.

“Holy ! Tell me it's not real!” Mingi curses in horror, grabbing his hair. The others are too shocked to utter a word.

The kraken swims toward them at frightening speed. Hongjoong doesn’t have time to order his crew to prepare for a battle as it sends a gigantic wave toward their small vessel. The crew hopelessly watch the waves crash upon them.

—

When they open their eyes again, they find themselve on a beach. Losing Star floats above the water with no damage from the enormous wave caused by the Kraken. The sky is clear, the sea is calm, no sign of a storm and most importantly, there’s no legendary creature in sight.

“Where’s this place?” Yeojin coughs out water, scanning her surroundings.

“It looks familiar.” Yeosang answers her, and helps his sister get up.

The pirates get on their feet and observe the area in perplexity. The row of the trees that bear strange-looking fruits catch their attention

“Don’t tell me this is Wonderland?!” Yunho shrieks, then the others gasp after him. They remember the fruits that they had to consume for an entire week to survive.

“Why did we suddenly appear here?” Jongho furrows his brows, trying to figure out the strange phenomenon. Kraken that was supposed to be dead with the sea witch came out alive and attacked them. Upon regaining their consciousness, they arrived in Wonderland which they tried so hard to sail into the Devil’s triangle in the past. He’s certain that Kraken didn't attack them based on its instinct because they would surely be dead by now, but from someone’s order.

The sea witch was dead, so that person must have a power like her, such as Seakeeper.

“Seakeeper may want something from us.” Seonghwa thinks the same way as Jongho, he’s looking around for a presence of the old lady. The crew then shout for Seakeeper, and scatter around the beach.

Hongjoong doesn’t participate in the search party. He stares seaward, losing in his mind yet again. Then he squints his eyes when something catches his eyes. “What’s that??” The nearby crews follow his line of sight and gasp.

A woman washes upon the beach, almost with few clothes on her body. They rush toward her. The surgeon takes off his coat and places it on her body, then checks her pulse.

“She’s alive.” Yeosang exhales in relief. He prepares to pump her chest when the woman opens her eyes, revealing her glistening brown eyes.

“Kraken!!!!” She suddenly screams and lets out a fit of cough. Surprised by her shout for Kraken, they’re all taken aback.

“Woah! Miss, don’t say the curse word!!!” Mingi yells at her, sounding offended because they just encountered an old nemesis.

She looks at them confusedly. Then she screams and scoots away, hugging her body as if they’re bad guys.

“Calm down, we won’t hurt you.” Yunho offers her a gentle smile, trying to calm the strange woman.

Instead of listening to him, she looks around and observes their faces warily. Then she suddenly gets up, Yeosang’s coat that covers her body also falls down to the ground. They quickly look away with flushing faces. She wears a bright pink cloth that barely covers her upper body and a pair of pants that are painfully short.

Yeojin walks up to her and picks up the coat to cover her body.

She stares at Yeojin with wide eyes and scans their faces again. Then she slaps her face loudly, making all of them shocked. They glance at one another, not sure what to do with this strange lady.

forms into a big O and shouts. “Beard!!!”

—

I’m at a loss for words. Is this a dream? Why do I see Ateez in a pirate costume? And all of them grow their beard. They look just like a bad edit that atinys made.

Because of my shout, the guys consciously touch their beards in confusion.

“Err, miss, are you okay?” The blue haired navigator who stands the closest to me asks cautiously as if he is scared I’ll do something crazy.

“Yunho?” I already know it’s him, but his blue beard that resembles his hair color kinda throws me off guard.

Yunho gasps, “How do you know my name? Perhaps you are a seer?”

I blink. A seer? It’s been a long time since someone called me that.

Someone clears his throat. I notice that the men are all looking away from me with a flustered look. I peer downward and squirk. The coat that Yeojin gave me still reveals my body. I’m still wearing my hot pink bikini and short shorts.

I turn around to properly wear the coat before facing them again.

“Thanks, Yeojin.” I say to my female bestie who continuously gives me a wary look.

“Yeojin!!” She shrinks, jumping to hide behind Yeosang’s back.

After I guess two people name correctly, the guys have various reactions; some watch me with amazement, while some don't hide their skepticism toward me. I don’t blame them though since they never saw my real body before.

“I think she’s suspicious. She could be the one who commanded Kraken to attack us. We should stay away from her.” A familiar voice which always attacks me speaks up.

I squint my eyes at my long lost nemesis; the quartermaster.

“Well well, Mr. Grumpy, how impolite of you to greet me like that.” I snort, crossing my arms. He wears his favorite black attire. Too bad he no longer has the one side bang, but I have to admit that he be serving looks with that black hair sweeps backward and his short beard.

As soon as I said that, Seonghwa and the others turned rigid, narrowing their eyes at me. That isn’t the reaction I expect from them, I thought they would know by now that it’s me, Star.

“Who are you?” A man fearlessly strides toward me. His scrutinizing gaze makes me slightly intimidated. The air around him changed from the way he carries himself. A once sly captain turned into a stern man. His mullet grows longer, tying behind his back and he also grows a brown beard. He may look a little different, but my heart begins to beat faster.

Before I’m able to answer him, a light giggle reaches our ears. We crane our neck to the source of the sound and see bubbles float above the sea before the water rises up, forming into a woman's body.

“Seakeeper!!!” We shout in unison.

“Glad to see you all again.” She smiles dazzlingly, peering at us with her sparkly blue eyes. Her long black hair sway from the gentle wind. Her bare feet step onto the sand and stop in front of our group. Her body becomes solid, unlike the transparent version last time I saw her.

“So you were the one who brought us here? Why though?” Wooyoung asks her, giving me a sidelong glance from time to time. The first thing I notice about him is his eye-catching purple beard. As he is aware of my stare, he gives me a wink. Typical Wooyoung, I suppose.

“Someone made a wish.” She answers him and averts her gaze at me. Then all eyes fall upon me.

I gulp down, confused by her response. So one of my friends made a second wish to bring me back?

“May I ask who she is?” Yeosang’s eyes flicker between Seakeeper and me. I believe he already knows the answer, but wants to be confirmed by the old woman. I notice his long ash blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Too bad, his beard hides his beautiful face.

The old lady giggles at his question and smiles wider. “The person you want to see the most is here.”

Ateez are all taken aback by her answer. They freeze on the spot, staring at me like I’m some type of alien invading their world. I thought they’re going to scream and welcome me warmly. I blink at them and turn to Seakeeper. She’s also raising her brow as if she doesn't expect their dry reaction either.

A minute passes, some of them start to react. An exclamation can be heard from the group of men on the beach.

“Star.” Yeosang whispers my name in disbelief. His mouth starts to quiver, but he refuses to approach me.

Hongjoong gradually shifts closer to me. “You’re really Star?” He whispers, his hazel eyes wavering with hope and fear.

I nod my head, at the same time someone jumps to hug me from the side. “Oh my god, princess. It took you long enough to come back to us.” Yeojin sniffs her nose, shedding her tears. She pouts cutely like she’s upset with me.

Then Mingi is the second person to come forward and hug me. He’s the only one who still looks the same as he doesn’t grow a beard. “Wow, Shooting Star you changed a lot!!” He lifts me up and spins me around. He laughs so loud that I also let out a giggle. I miss this guy so much. He hype me up like no one else.

However, our surroundings are silent. The others remain still as if they still haven’t processed the information.

“How are we going to be sure that she’s Star? Not someone who tries to use her identity.” The pessimistic quartermaster asks Seakeeper. He doubtfully glances at me. His skepticism starts to get on my nerves.

I have an intense urge to roll my eyes at him. “How about I sing and dance for you guys-”

“No!!” They instantly shout at me to stop.

“We believe it’s you.” Yunho smiles, his eyes brim with tears. He engulps me in a tight hug, resting his chin on top of my head.

“Welcome back.” Jongho smiles warmly. Yunho steps aside to allow the younger guy to come to me. I open my arms to receive the hug but his neck and ears turn red indicating that he’s too shy to hug me, so I initiate the hug instead. He wraps his arms around my back awkwardly.

After Jongho lets go, I turn to Seonghwa, lifting my eyebrow at him challengingly.

“Only Miss nuisance can say something stupid like that.” Seonghwa finally flashes me his signature villain smirk, his remark sounds more like an insult than a confirmation. I stick my tongue out at him and make him snicker.

“My little Star, it’s been so long, let me give you a kiss.” Wooyoung pushes his friends away and walks into the front. He pouts his lips and aims at my cheek, but Yeojin pulls him away just in time. Then she pushes her brother in front of me.

Yeosang’s body becomes stiff, eyes wide. He still hasn't recovered from the shock. “S-starry.” He stammers, raising his shaky hand toward my face, but stops midair before touching me.

“Yes, it’s me.” I smile and lean my face into his hand. I see him gulp down, and tears rolling from his eyes.

“I miss you so much.” His voice becomes hoarse, caressing my cheek gently.

“Me too.” A lump forms in my throat, the next thing I know I also cry with him. He pulls me into a tight embrace. We sob in each other's arms. He cries so hard that I feel his body trembling against me. It takes a minute for us to calm down and Yeosang reluctantly pulls away. He wipes my tears with his thumbs.

“I have so many things to say to you, but now I don’t know what to say.” He says, flustered, causing Yeojin to sigh in disappointment.

I turn to look around me. My friends have teary smiles on their faces, even Seakeeper, she elegantly brushes her crystal tears from her eyes.

Then Yeosang steps to the side for other people to greet me. Hongjoong steps forward. He opens his mouth, yet no words come out. It takes a moment for him to speak.

“You’re back.”

I nod, pressing my lips together. His hazel eyes search for my face. They are so intense that my heart palpitates. Some feelings arise but I’m not sure what that is supposed to mean to me.

“It’s good that you’re back.” He repeats. I see him clench and unclench his jaw.

It seems like he’s lost for words and so do I. Hence I nod again. What’s this awkwardness between us? As if the others sense the air, they shout for the other crews to come greet me.

Hongjoong then step aside, his gaze lingering on me. Then he turns to his grandma which I believe I see at him ‘Stupid child.’ He doesn't falter by her remark, instead grinning widely and hugs her.

The former Revenge crew walk up to me, but they don’t get too close to me because, well, someone is exuding a dark aura. Standing slightly far away from the group, the man has his black and red streak hair covering his entire face, his black beard covering his jawline. But I remember instantly that he’s my life savior.

“Hey, Sannie.” I call him when I see that he doesn’t intend to reach out to me. I saunter toward him. He takes a step backward and turns on his heel, walking away into a wood behind him.

I stop in my tracks, stunned. Wooyoung scratches his head in confusion. “Err, I think you kinda surprised him, let me talk to him, alright.” He winks at me and runs after his mate.

I stand there, my chest weighing down. Many questions pop up in my head. San isn’t happy to see me? Why?

“Miss Star!!” Then 2 boys almost as tall as me skip toward my direction.

“Jack? Jim?” I'm awed to see the scrawny boys have grown taller. Their voices lost a hint of high pitch childlike into more masculine. Both of them flash me toothy grins. I can’t help but pat their heads.

“We all miss you, Miss Star.” Jim says politely, his cheeks turn slightly color. The crew behind enthusiastically chim in, shouting how they miss my singing. I laugh at them. Then I recognize that around 30 people are here with us. The reality hit me. Only 30 people survived from the last attack. From more than 100 crew members down to 30.

A smile fell from my face. Tears gather in my eyes when I don’t see the cook who Mingi and Jongho kidnapped from Port Royal. Many familiar faces weren't here either. On the sea, I spot a small vessel anchored near the island. The ship is so small compared to the mighty Revenge.

The crew gradually stops shouting when they notice that I begin crying. Jim and Jack awkwardly exchange glances at each other. “Miss Star, are you that happy to see us?” Jack asks innocently.

“Yea, I’m happy to see all of you here.” I brush my tears away and smile as I don’t want them to worry.

“Yeah! Me too! I’m so happy to return to Wonderland. Now I can make a second wish to marry Miss Aurora. I don’t care what I have to sacrifice.” Jack then turns dreamy with his wishful thinking. Jim grimaces, pushing his younger brother’s head. Jack growls angrily, then both of them kinda get into a sibling physical ‘fight’.

I helplessly watch them trying to bite each other's head while the crew look at them disinterestedly. It seems like they get used to their fight as nobody stops them.

I turn left and right, looking for Aurora.

“She returned home with her parents.” Yunho answers me gloomily.

“Oh, she made a second wish?!” I draw in a sharp breath as his answer surprises me.

My friends don’t answer me back and glance at Hongjoong. He narrows his eyes at them as if to prohibit them from answering me. “He made a wish for her.” But Yunho continues.

I look at Hongjoong with my mouth agape while he sighs when the truth is revealed. “Did something happen to you?! Did you turn into a sea monster!?” I scan him up and down, afraid to see that he partially returns into a monster.

Hongjoong shakes his head and gives me a half hearted grin. “You see, I’m fine.”

I frown, his answer doesn't ease my worry since he always lies into my face. So I turn to Seakeeper for confirmation, but she only smiles at me in return. Something is surely going on, I bet they won’t tell me. I’ll just have to use my spy skill to lure an answer out of soft hearted ones.

Thus I turn to Yeosang. He also shakes his head, including Yeojin, Yunho, Mingi, and Jongho. So I turn to my nemesis; Seonghwa. He only shrugs in return.

“You can take off his clothes to check if you want.” This sentence comes from the crowd. Hongjoong raises his brow at his crew, and loops his eyes downward to look at his shirt, then a tiny smirk gradually appears when he makes eye contact with me. Heat creeps on my face. I inwardly grimace as I lost to him this round. Whatever! I’ll eventually find out later.

I clear my throat and change the topic by talking to Seakeeper. “You said someone made a wish so who made a wish for me to come back here?”

Instead of answering me, she peers at Yeojin who grins proudly and recites what she said at that time.

I wish for Star to go back to her world, but if she wishes to return to our world, please make her wish come true.

My mind blows after listening to Yeojin. So I was the one who made the wish to come back here. Before I fell asleep on the cruise ship, I remembered I wished to see my friends again. That was why I appeared here.

“Thank you.” I smile at Yeojin. She’s smart for making that wish. But she returns me with a sulk.

“We waited for so long. Some of us thought you didn’t want to come back to us.”

Smile freezes on my face. Do they think that I don’t miss them? Then I realize the reason why San is upset with me. He was hoping that I’d return sooner, but I returned a year later.

“Yah! Don’t say that. Shooting Star happily lives in her world with her friends. It’s not her fault that she wished to see us now.” Mingi reprimands Yeojin. She pouts and whispers apologetic words to me. But Mingi’s words hit me in the face, because I was anything but happy.

“So why did you wish to come back to us?” Yeosang heads toward me with a glimpse of concern. “Did something bad happen to you?”

My mouth turns dry, thinking about my reality. A lot of bad things happened, but where can I start? A part of me doesn’t want them to know about my circumstance.

“Nevermind, you don’t have to tell us. You have us now.” Yeosang pats my head, radiating warmth that I need the most right now.

“Child.” Seakeeper suddenly calls me, which I notice her stern expression. “You have to decide whether to stay here or go back to your world. This is your last chance. You will not be able to travel across realms again.”

San and Wooyoung have returned at the same time Seakeeper announces the bad news to me. I feel all eyes pressure me just like the time in the cave when I had to go back to my world. Yet this time is different, I’m in my own body and I’m free to decide the future for myself.

“I…” I never imagined that I'd be stuck in this situation again. I thought I’d never come back here. All I know is I want to be with my friends a little longer, but my decision alone isn’t enough. “Do you want me here?” I ask them in a quiet voice. “I don’t think I can save anyone’s life this time.” I look to the ground and play with the sand with my bare feet. Although they’re happy to see me, if I stay here and become a burden to them then I better leave.

While awaiting to hear their responses, I chew my inner cheek with rising anxiety. Then a cold hand grabs my chin to lift my face up.

I meet with a pair of cold dark eyes that hide behind the long messy hair of the combatant.

“No one asks you to save us.” He says, his raspy voice fuse with a tone of coldness. “I’m your dagger, I’ll protect you.”

The next sentence caught me off guard. My mouth ajar as I feel my tears threaten to shed again. San was too serious playing the role of my bodyguard. And I know every word that comes out of his mouth always holds the truth. Does that mean he is no longer upset with me?

Once I see a corner of his lips curve upward, a knot in my heart loosen. I drive to hug him, his rigid body turns relaxed as he returns my hug. His skin is cool to the touch but my heart feels so warm and full.

“Damn, that was the cringiest thing I ever heard him say. Who taught him to say that?” Mingi fake shudders. Wooyoung puffs out his chest, grinning proudly as San’s love guru.

After San withdraws from the hug, Yeosang speaks of his concern.

“One thing that you need to know before making the decision,” He says in a serious tone. “Our situation is dire. We’re running out of money and food. We don’t want you to suffer with us. You still have your family and friends waiting for you at your home. Seeing you today already makes all of us happy.”

The others nod grimly along with Yeosang’s speech.

“My home…” I trail off. What’s home? I think of the things going on in the past year and compare it to the present where I’m among my friends.

“I’ve made up my mind.” I announce confidently to Seakeeper. My friends wear an uneasy expression, anticipating my decision.

“I’ve found my home. I would rather be famished than being alone.” I say loud and clear. Seakeeper smiles and nods at me in approval. The others’ expressions are written with confusion.

“Someone translate for me, what does she mean?” Yeojin elbows Wooyoung as he also frowns upon my answer.

Then Jongho exclaims, his voice comes out like a squeal. “I remembered you said something like no one was waiting for you at home because you live alone–which I’m sorry about that.” The others look between me and Jongho as he continues with his smart theory. “That means you decided to stay here with us.”

“Really?” Almost everyone has an eye size of an ostrich egg, gawking at me in disbelief.

“Aye.” I smile and wink at Jongho for figuring out. Instantly, Mingi charges toward me, lifting me up and spinning me around for the second time. He cheers, his thunderous voice echoes through beach, and the crew joins in. Yeojin jumps up in the air, hugging Wooyoung which he allows her to squeeze him.

“Star didn’t lie though when she said her real body can make us drool.” Yunho jokingly comments and wiggles his eyebrows at me. I choke on the embarrassment of my memory. I once boldly told them that my body was hot. Now, I deeply regret it.

Hongjoong scratches his nose with his finger, trying to hide his wry smirk since he was the person who said out loud that he wanted to see my real body. Seonghwa was also at the crime scene. He scrunches his face, but his ears turn red, and he refuses to look my way.

San stares at me blankly, but who knows what he’s thinking. Wooyoung whistles at me with a playful grin and gets slapped on his arm by Yeojin. Whilst Yeosang and Jongho have the same bashful expression and look anywhere, except me.

Then the master gunner abruptly ceases with the cheering and puts me down to the ground. His expression becomes stoic and speaks to me in a scary assertive tone. “Now tell us why you dress like that.”

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I hope this chapter put a smile on your face since the previous chapters were so tough. 
See ya next chap (≧◡≦) ♡