A/N: Before heading into the chapter, some of you may or may not notice the hint in my comment last chapter that there'll be endingssss  \(★ω★)/ 

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My legs lead me to the captain’s quarter. I enter the room with a thumping heart. Nervousness pools at the pit of my stomach as Jim’s words rerun in my head.

‘Miss Star loves captain, right? He still loves you, but he’s afraid to show it.’

The lad might be making up stuff since the siblings are reputable for teasing people to another level. But it’s too late to retreat now, I have already stepped inside the room.

I shut the door and turn around. After we earned fortunes from our rising business, Hongjoong spent a little money on decorations with his favorite red color. The floor is covered with a burgundy rug. Maroon cushioned chairs settle around a dark red wooden table on the right side of the room.

I advance to the left side where Hongjoong perches on a red velvet couch that we bought for him at the last stop. It has lower quality than his beloved couch, but it does make him happier as we find him sitting on it everyday.

Hongjoong casually sip a fruit wine from the villagers. His unreadable gaze follows my movement until I sit on another red couch across from him. Reality hits me when I’m right in front of him. How will I start the conversation? Am I supposed to ask him what he truly feels about me? I know the weight of this question holds as our friendship could be ruined by one single sentence.

“How are you doing?” Hongjoong strikes me with a typical question. His gaze becomes sharper as he stares at me.

“Fine.” I answer curtly and decide to keep my mouth shut, and wait for him to reveal why he summoned me here first.

He nods, taking another sip, then continues speaking. “Jim reported that you looked slightly disturb and have been spacing out lately.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Did he order Jim to keep an eye on me?

Sensing my accusation, he quickly adds, “Jim just stated his concern to me.”

“Oh…” I scratch my cheek as I didn’t realize I space out that much for Jim to notice. Sometimes I kinda get lost in my mind, but I don’t think it’s a concern. “It was nothing to be worried about. I’m fine.” I shrug and lean against the back of the couch.

Truthfully, I’m a little disappointed that he called me because of this reason. I thought he was going to confess to me.

“What’s bothering you?” Hongjoong throws me another question, still not buying into my answer. “As a captain, I should know of my crew’s condition.”

My face immediately twitches. His comment definitely bothers me right now. He cares for me because I’m one of his crew. That’s it?

Noticing my sour expression, he sighs. “Star, please tell me. I’m trying to help. If you’re not happy on my ship, then at least tell me what’s the reason.”

“It’s you.” I blurt out. He’s the culprit who occupies my mind. The way he acted around me made me overthink. And whenever I get near him, I get these weird feelings that I try to push away. Until Jim told me he still loves me, I came here to prove. And this is what I get!?

My straightforward answer caught him off guard. His eyes go wide, the glass almost slips out of his hand. He places it down on a small table and turns to me. His expression turns dead serious.

“Am I a bother to you?” He keeps a straight face, yet the tone in his voice sounds hurtful.

Perhaps, I’m being too blunt. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but he asks it upon himself. So I’ll just deliver it to him.

“Yes.” The feelings that I’ve been trying to bury for the past few months blow up. “You changed. You acted strange around me. Seriously, we barely talked together cause you always lock yourself up in your room. I thought we understood each other since Wonderland, but I guess I was wrong.” I huff. “Why don't you tell me your reason instead? I ask this as your crew who try to understand her captain’s condition!”

After listening to my confession, his expression turns grim. He peers outside the window before answering me. “Because of you.”

It’s my turn to be shocked. I swear I didn’t come here to pick a fight with him, but he gets on my nerves. “Why? The fact that I returned burden you? I know I didn’t contribute much on this ship. But I tried to help negotiate the deals. Do you hide in your cave because of me too? Because I looked different? I’m not pretty like Alice-”

“Star.” Hongjoong cuts me off, pinching his nose as if he’s trying to control his frustration. “You know it’s not that reason.”

“What reason tell me?” I lower my voice down, feeling bad for acting immature.

Hongjoong suddenly gets up. “We won’t have this conversation today. You should leave.” Then he heads inside his cabin, leaving me alone in the quarter room.

I ruffle my hair, fuming at myself. My reason for coming here isn’t to argue with him, but to admit my feelings. Now he is upset with me. I totally blew my chance away.

I defeatedly get up and walk toward the exit. My hand coils around a door knob, but it refuses to open the door.

Hongjoong’s words ring in my mind. There’s a reason he acted strange around me. He fled the scene because he didn’t want me to know. Could it be Jim was right?

My heartbeat quickens up. I immediately whirl around and stomp toward the door on the opposite side of the quarter room.

I must know his real reason, and I must convey my feelings today. Even if our friendship breaks apart, I can’t hide away from it anymore.

I enter his cabin without knocking and see Hongjoong half laying down on his red velvet double bed with an arm perch on his forehead. He opens his eyes, surprise flash across his face. He straightens up when I sit next to him.

“I won’t leave until I know your reason.” I say, crossing my arms.

Hongjoong rubs his face tirelessly and looks at me defeatedly. “I don’t want our friendship to ruin because of me.”

My heart thumps harder against my chest. Hope sparks from the bottom of my stomach. I anxiously wait for him to continue. Yet, he refuses to open his mouth, begging me through his eyes to not let him speak.

I grimace when he stays tight-lipped. “Jim said that you still love me but you are afraid to show me. Is it true?” I get straight to the point and hold my breath when his expression changes.

Hongjoong scoffs, “That lad.” He curses under his breath before peering at me. His gaze loops downward to avoid our eye contact.

He his lower lip and eventually speaks his mind. “It’s true. I still love you. I can’t forget you no matter how much time has passed. I did my best to be your friend, but I couldn’t do it. After you learn about my feelings, will you change? Will you push me away-”

I don’t wait for him to finish his sentence as I pull his collar and peck him on his lips. He blinks fervently as I pull away.

“You…” He gulps, staring at me with wide eyes. His expression is so funny that I want to again. But first, I have to convey my feelings before this guy passes out.

“Sorry for making you wait so long. I was at fault too. I thought you didn’t love me anymore so I decided to remain as your friend. But I really hate it when you act strange around me. It bothered me so much and I didn’t know my own feelings until recently…that I still love you too.”

“Is this a dream?” Hongjoong whispers in disbelief, frowning at me.

His remark makes me snort. My hand reaches up to tug his mullet. His mouth instantly spread into a giant grin.

Light giggle leaves his lips as he cups both sides of my face and he leans in closer. “If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

I chuckle as he recites the same sentence when he regained consciousness from drowning. My arms circle around his waist. “Captain, this isn’t a dream, or do you want me to pull your hair again?”

He laughs heartily and shakes his head. Just the sound of his laugh makes my heart flutter. “Thank you for loving a man like me.”

I giggle. The cheesy Hongjoong is back. “Well, I should thank you for loving a weird girl like me too.”

Hongjoong chuckles at my comment. He caresses my cheeks while staring right into my eyes, then he kisses me. His soft lips move against my lips. My eyes flutter shut and I kiss him back, hugging his neck. My heart blooms like a firework soaring into the sky. All of my bitter worries melt away and leave only sweetness.

I remember our first kiss that tasted like wine intoxicated my mind. But this time it feels way more sweeter, warmer, and full of love. His beard kinda tickles me, but it’s not a problem. If he doesn’t care how my outer appearance looks, I love him for who he is too.

I slowly lie down on his red mattress with him on top of me. Our lips part for a moment and we stare at each other. Smiles paint on our faces. “I love you.” We speak at the same time. Both of us chuckle, enjoying happiness that fills the air.

I can’t believe we fought a moment ago and now we’re kissing and confessing our love. I pout my lips as a signal for him to kiss me again. Hongjoong smirks mischievously and reclaims my mouth. His kiss becomes more passionate, his hand rests on my waist and another on my hip.

My whole body erupts on fire when he starts to kiss my jawline down to my neck. As he goes lower, my mind becomes blank. He stops leaving a trail of kisses when he is stopped by my shirt.

His dark gaze finds me, making me breathless. “Are you sure?” He asks me in a raspy voice.

I gulp hardly and nod. He bites his lower lip and connects our lips again while his hands slowly lift up the helm of my shirt.

When the shirt is raised halfway at my stomach, he completely stops. He jumps down from the bed, leaving me perplexed. He fumbles on a row of shelves full of books and small chests looking for something.

“Er…” I gradually sit up. I'm beyond shocked by the situation. Did I scare him with my ?

A short while later, he comes back with something in his hand. His hazel orbs sparkle brightly, and he beams me with a dazzling smile. He opens his palm and I see a silver ring ornate with a blue gemstone.

“I found it in one of the chests. And it reminds me of you.” Hongjoong says softly. His face flush red as if he’s being shy to present me a ring, but apparently not shy when he kissed me a moment ago.

I blink at the blue gemstone. “But my eyes aren’t aquamarine blue anymore. They’re brown.”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “This ring reminds me of the sea, my home. And you’re also my home, Star.”

His cringy explanation makes my heart melt. I press my lips together to prevent myself from smiling too wide.

“So Star,” Hongjoong takes a deep breath and stares into my soul.

“Will you marry me?”

I sit still like a statue, my heart skipping a beat. Heat flares behind my eyes. And a loud wail escapes my mouth. Hongjoong startle by my outburst, looking flustered. I dive to hug him so hard that we roll down into the floor. He lets out a soft grunt as his back hits the solid ground.

He pats my head while I lay on top of him, crying into the crook of his neck. I never thought that someone would love me and ask me for marriage in my life. And this guy just proposed to me with the ring that reminded him of me, his home. I sob harder as happiness transforms into tears.

After I finish crying, I look at him with unshed tears. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you!”

Hongjoong chuckles, staring at me with such tenderness. He places me back on his bed. Then he lifts my left hand and puts the silver ring on my ring finger. I look at the small piece of shiny aquamarine and feel another wave of euphoria attack me.

Hongjoong brushes my tears away while he also sheds tears. “Thank you.” He says and caresses my cheek. “My miracle.”

I twitch my body from shyness. My body feels like it’ll explode under his stare. “Well,” I tug my hair behind my ear before gently tugging at the helm of his shirt.

“What are you waiting for? Let's continue.” I say shamelessly.

His sweet smile quickly turns into a sly grin.

—

The next day is hectic. The storm hit us last night, but that’s not the point. Before the sun rose, Hongjoong summoned every crew member and announced that he’ll hold a wedding today.

The crew were utterly shocked. They glanced between their captain and me with hanging jaws. Hongjoong hugs my waist and flashed them a huge brilliant grin. They either gasp in horror or cheer like they won a lottery. They blatantly paid money to the winners in front of their captain and the quartermaster who prohibited gambling on the ship. I saw Hongjoong’s mouth twisted when there were fewer winners than losers.

Our friends came to congratulate us. Yeojin whined because she lost all of her money. Most importantly, she was upset that her plan failed. After she received a threatening gaze from Hongjoong, she shut up and hid behind Yeosang’s back. Scared that captain Mullet might expel her from the ship, she exaggeratedly added that I really loved him to the moon and back, and I even whimpered his name in my sleep every night. I had to pinch her waist to stop her nonsense. However, it was too late as Hongjoong was already looking at me questioningly.

Yunho, another person who also lost the bet, said that even if he lost money, seeing me and Hongjoong happy made him even more happy. He initiated the hug, saying it would be the last time he could hug me. So I asked Hongjoong if I could still hug my friends after marrying him, if he refused, I’d reconsider the marriage. Hence Hongjoong answered ‘Yes’ with a clenched jaw.

Wooyoung pushed the puppy guy away and proudly announced that he gave me such wonderful advice so Hongjoong should thank him. Hongjoong scoffed and asked who he placed a bet on. Wooyoung immediately changed the topic. He congratulated me and apologized to me that he couldn’t introduce me to a better guy so I had to stick with his captain. Then he swiftly ran away before a punch landed on his face.

Wooyoung and Yeojin giggled behind Yeosang’s back after successfully annoyed Hongjoong. Yeosang sighed at them and walked toward me. He wished me to be happy and gave me a warm genuine smile. I caught gloomy clouds in his eyes and felt bad. Noticing my expression, he patted my head, saying that whoever I chose, as long as I’m happy he was already contented. Then he peered at Hongjoong with a stern look.

“You better take good care of Starry or I’ll take her away.” His remark caused an uproar by his supporters. Yeosang became mortified after the devil left him.

“Me too.” The combatant stepped forward. “If you make her cry, I won’t stay still.” San gazed at his captain coldly. Their threat made Hongjoong’s face darkened.

Then San’s hardened face turned soft once he laid his gaze on me. He said he was no longer in a position to be beside me, but he’s still protecting me.

I thanked San and Yeosang for caring for me, and told them that they shouldn't be worried because if Hongjoong made me sad, I’m gonna teach him a lesson myself. Everyone snickered at my comment, except my mullet man.

Hongjoong turned to me and pouted. I laughed and booped his nose, earning a light giggle from him. Our interaction made the others cough awkwardly.

Then I noticed that my best friend was sulking at the very back of the group. I went to hug him and promised that he’d forever be my best friend. Mingi told me that he wasn't sad because of that reason, he was happy for me. But he felt betrayed because Jongho secretly placed the bet on Hongjoong and he won big time. Hongjoong proudly praised the younger guy for his far vision. Jongho grinned and fist bumped with the captain.

The only person who silently stood on the side was the quartermaster. Seonghwa found a chance to congratulated Hongjoong and me. However, he didn’t forget to threaten me that even if I married Hongjoong, I still need to follow the ship’s rules. I simply ignored his threat because after I marry Hongjoong, I’ll be the captain's wife and that position is even higher than the captain himself so I’ll hold the most power on this ship. Cue evil laughter.

Because my friends refused to leave me alone, Hongjoong had to shoo them to start working. However, the crew were so clueless of what to do as they never planned a wedding before. So Wooyoung and Yeojin took the role of event planner.

While Wooyoung led a group to organize the location, Yeojin went to ask the villagers for a wedding dress since we only have a few plain looking dresses.

Hongjoong went to oversee the whole process. He said I should get some rest since I barely slept last night. So I was left alone in my cabin and spent the first half of the day sleeping. After eating lunch that Jim delivered to my room, I took a long bath, scrubbing my body with some herbs that Yeojin provided me.

Honestly, my mind still doesn’t grasp the idea that I’m going to marry Hongjoong today. Yesterday I was still depressed with my love life. Thanks to Jim I guess. If he didn’t tell me that Hongjoong still loved me then I probably never would have known, because Hongjoong hell bent to never show his feelings.

I saw Hongjoong secretly gave Jim a bag full of coins. I thought Jim won the bet, however, he said he didn’t bet on Hongjoong, but someone else. His answer shocked me, but he refused to reveal who it was.

Once Yeojin came back from the village, she helped me dress up. She braided my hair while I sat on my bed in front of a long mirror, listening to her non stop blabber about Hongjoong and me.

“I knew something was wrong when you disappeared in captain Mullet’s cabin for the whole night.” She wrinkles her nose, probably having dirty thoughts.

I chuckle, blush creep on my face when I think of last night.

The thing is nothing happened. After our intense make out session, I just slept in Hongjoong’s embrace, reminiscing over our happy past. He said that we should wait after marriage. I can’t believe I married a conservative man.

“Jealous?” I ask Yeojin, who still sulks since morning.

“Yes!” She yells, answering me honestly. “You get to marry the love of your life. Both of you share such an unbreakable bond that nobody can intervene.” She tugs my hair slightly harder and continues.

“At first, I didn’t like Captain Mullet at all. He was a pirate, a criminal, the most wicked man I ever knew. I couldn’t believe that you fell for that man. But when he was with you, his personality completely changed. Technically speaking, you changed him from a corrupted man to a saint. I used to think that his love for you was superficial, but he proved me wrong.”

She sighs harder. “When you were absent, he was so devastated, he never told anyone how it affected him, but we all knew. I thought he was gonna be depressed for his whole life if you never came back. This morning was the first time that I saw him truly happy. And you too, I knew you were happy with us, but there was something missing from you. And when I saw you two together…” She trails off and groans loudly, “You guys love each other so much that I’m sooooo jealous!”

I chuckle, allowing her to vent it all out. It’s not a secret that Yeojin didn’t have a good impression of Hongjoong. But the way she speaks seems like she has approved of him.

After Yeojin finished braiding my hair into a single fishtail, she began to powder my face and tint my cheeks and lips with some red fruit extract. Once done with the makeup, she helps me change into a long red dress that she brought from a villager. I wear a pair of creamy low heel shoes and stare at myself in the mirror.

The red dress looks simple with a bow tied behind my back. My complexion becomes brighter with the help of blushing and red lip tint. I have to admit I kinda look beautiful today.

I hear a sniffing sound from the woman beside me. I turn around to see Yeojin sobbing into her hands. “I’m so happy for you.” She hiccups and wipes her tears. My heart turns soft at the sight. I step forward and hug her.

“Thank you, Yeojin, for everything.” I feel tears gathering in the back of my eyes. Because of her smart wish, I’m able to return and find my happiness. She has been encouraging and supporting me in every way. Although she tried very hard to set me up with Yeosang, I understand she did it because she meant good for me.

“Oh no, don’t cry. You can’t ruin your face. Captain Mullet gonna lock me in the brig for making his bride cry.” She pulls away and fans my face. We both laugh at her joke.

Someone knocks on our cabin’s door, the blue bearded navigator peeks his head inside the room.

“Ready?” Yunho asks us before his eyes go wide when his gaze finds me. “Wow, you look so beautiful. I won’t call you Starfish just for today.”

I snicker at his comment. But the way he looks at me in awe makes me shy. I playfully punch his arm for being exaggerated, making him giggle lightly.

“The groom and the guests are ready. Shall we head upstairs?” Yunho adjusts his long navy coat and offers me his arm.

“Oh, wait a moment.” Yeojin picks up a flower crown made up from various colors of wild flowers and places it on my head. And she hands me a red flower bouquet.

“Okay! She’s ready!” Yeojin clasped her hand together, proudly looking at me. Yunho gives me a thumbs up.

I nod my head, telling them that I’m ready. However, my hands become clammy and my heart beats in an erratic way.

Three of us walk outside toward the upper deck. The afternoon sky is bright and spotless. Fortunately, the air is cool and the waves are calm. The main deck is void of people as all of the crew gather at the forecastle deck where the ceremony takes place.

“Okay, we’ll leave first. You walk into the aisle when Wooyoung gives you a signal.” Yunho and Yeojin then rush to join the crowd.

I stand alone, waiting for the signal anxiously. I place my hand on my heart to calm myself down. There’s nothing to fear, I’m just getting married.

Oh my god! I’m getting married to the Kim Hongjoong!!!

“The bride is coming!!” Wooyoung’s dolphin shout cut off my panic. My legs automatically shuffle toward the forecastle deck. A trail of flower petals on the floor leading me to the destination.

As I walk closer, I smell a faint sweet scent of flowers. The bands start playing a song that I never heard of, but it sounds so romantic like the background music in a romance fantasy movie where the protagonists get their happy ending in the final scene. I see Jongho play a fiddle among other bandmates. He flashes me a toothy grin, probably because he became rich by winning the gambling money.

The crew stand between the aisle. They all dress up today and manage to comb their hair. They whistle and clap their hands when they spot me coming. Jack and Jim throw the flower petals above my head as I walk past them.

Mingi, Yunho, San, and Yeosang stand on the left side while Seonghwa, Yeojin, and Wooyoung on the right. They all smile at me, some of them even shed tears. I have to swallow the lump that starts to form in my throat.

My heart skips a beat when I see my groom standing in the middle. He wears a long red coat with white shirt and black leather pants. His hair neatly pushes backward and his mullet sway from the gentle breeze. His beard is shorter. His hazel eyes glisten under the sun, a hint of a smile displays on his lips. He stares at me as if he’s hypnotized by my charm.

I came to stand next to him while he’s still not blinking. I start to get shy because of his stare.

“Ahem.” The master gunner clears his throat and walks in front of us.

I raise my eyebrow at him. Don’t tell me he’s the pastor!?

Mingi grins at me while searching through his coat’s pocket, trying to find something. Then he starts to frantically search his pants’ pocket. “Shoot! Where’s my script?”

The others snicker and shake their heads at him. Hongjoong remains calm, yet his eyes glinting dangerously.

Mingi turns pale and clears his throat again. “This is the auspicious day of the Stargazer. Our beloved captain and our sweet, brave, lovely, beautiful,...” And the list goes on. “Shooting Star is getting married!”

After the sentence, he’s unsure what to say next. I see Wooyoung slap his forehead, and the others have to mouth him the script.

“Oh,” Mingi his lower lip nervously. “Hongjoong, do you take Star to be your wife? Do you promise to love and cherish her in the good and the bad? You must take good care of her, sacrifice your food for her, you can’t raise your voice or argue with her-” When the speech starts to turn strange, Hongjoong warns the pastor through his deadly glare.

Mingi shut his mouth and signal Hongjoong to answer.

“I do.” Hongjoong says firmly, staring into my eyes. His voice echoes throughout the area.

Mingi then turns to me. “Star, do you take Hongjoong to be your husband? We all know you’re willing to sacrifice everything for him, so after marrying him, let him spoil you, alright!”

I chuckle at my best friend’s speech and need to hold my laughter when Hongjoong’s face turns red.

“I have a question for my future husband.” I smirk playfully at Hongjoong. The crowd go Oohh. Hongjoong raises his eyebrow questioningly, but his mouth maintains a tiny smile.

“Which one is more beautiful, your beloved couch or me?”

Hongjoong lets out a surprise noise. Then he chuckles amusingly.

“Of course, my couch.” He hasn’t finished his sentence but I already raised my flower bouquet to hit him.

“Wait wait!” He yells in full panic. “I meant, of course, my couch couldn’t match your beauty. Even if I have to lose my couch a thousand times, I can’t bear the thought of losing you. You’re the only one for me.”

I bite my lower lip. My cheeks hurt from smiling too wide. This guy is so cheesy and I love him for that. Because he really meant it from his heart. His answer makes the crew squirm. I see Yeojin and Wooyoung fake gags.

“Miss Star, am I worthy of being your husband?” Hongjoong asks me in a firm tone.

“Yes. You’re the only one for me too.” I answer him, making him smile until his eyes turn into a half circle.

He turns to Seonghwa who passes him a ring. Then he wears the aquamarine ring to my finger. He holds my hand without letting go.

“Okay, now, may the groom and bride- ah! I can’t say it!” Mingi whines. The guests all sigh at his childish behavior. So Wooyoung takes charge instead.

“Now kiss and have kids!!!”

The crew cheer so loud that the ship is shaking. My face turns beet red, I can’t bring myself to look at Hongjoong in the eyes. No matter how shameless I am, I’m still too shy to kiss him in front of so many people.

A hand grabs my chin, raising my face up and another arm circles around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Hongjoong flashes me a wry grin. Of course, he has never been shy of public affection. He tilts his head and kisses me softly on my lips for a brief moment.

The crew squeal loudly and the music starts playing. I cup my burning cheek while Hongjoong satisfiedly chuckle. Mingi still covers his eyes and groans as if our kiss scene damages his eyeballs while the others have various expressions on their faces, like Yunho still squeals non stop but Seonghwa has a dark cloud over his head.

I can’t help but peer at Yeosang and San. To my surprise, Yeosang gives me the same warm smile he always offers me, and San’s mouth curves upward. I smile at them in return and they both smile wider.

Then I have to throw the flower bouquet for the next lucky couple. I eye Yeojin and give her a wink. She smirks back at me as she strides into the front line. Next to her, Jack jumps up and down in excitement. I swear someone gotta hold this lad before he sails all the way to propose to Aurora.

I turn around and throw the bouquet over my head. The crew scream for a short second and the voice dies down. I whirl around to see that the flower isn’t in Yeojin’s hands. Instead, it lay in the purple haired first mate’s hands.

Wooyoung looks shocked that he caught the bouquet. Yeojin squeals in delight and dashes toward him. She kisses his cheek and steals the flower from his hands while dancing around. Yeosang lets out a loud growl, glaring at Wooyoung in which the latter guy waves his hands like he’s trying to say that he’s also clueless.

I chuckle at the scene before craning my neck to my husband. He’s been staring at me with sparkling eyes.

“Let’s continue shall we? I had been holding myself since last night.” He whispers to me in a low seductive voice. My knees turn weak and goosebump forms on my arms. He doesn’t wait for my answer and instantly carries me up in bridal style. He shouts for his crew to enjoy the feast and heads out of the ceremony.

As he walks toward his cabin, the crew whistle behind us. I bury my face into his chest to hide my blushing face.

We reach the room in no time. Hongjoong places me gently on his bed. He takes off the flower crown and my shoe, then lies down next to me. He caresses my cheek, staring into my eyes with so much love.

“It still feels like a dream to me.” He seizes my hand before I successfully pull his mullet. He kisses my hand without breaking our eye contact. “I’m not a perfect man yet, but I promise I’ll make you happy.”

I hum in my throat. “You’re already perfect for me and I’m already happy to be beside you.”

A surprise flashes on his face, I see how blush creeps up his face as he smiles.

Wow! This shameless man also has a shy moment.

“I love you, my miracle.” He says before placing a warm kiss on my forehead.

“I love you too, my captain.” I say and peck his lips.

He the bottom of his lips and his eyes immediately turn dark. He gets on top of me, his mouth curves into a seductive smirk. “Are you ready, my love?”

His raspy voice sends shudder down my spine. I gulp as my body instantly heats up. I watch him lean closer as he connects our lips and kisses me passionately. I kiss him back and hug his neck. He reaches behind my dress and tugs the ribbon, but it takes him so long to take off my dress.

“How do I untie this?” Hongjoong breaks our kiss and mutters under his breath, looking flustered.

I try to pull the bow, but it’s tied into a very tight knot. I tug at it several times, but it doesn’t loosen at all.

Damn Yeojin, how dare you me with this dress! I’m gonna have my revenge when you marry Wooyoung.

I exhale frustratedly and growl at my sheepish husband who was once feared by the entire seven seas, but now he is defeated by a mere red bow.

“Just rip it off!”

—

After sharing a hot night together, Hongjoong takes me for a night walk to cool down. I changed into a pale pink dress after we completely destroyed that red dress. The upper deck is void of the crew as most of them are drunk and probably have gone to sleep.

We stare at the starry night sky. Hongjoong hugs me from behind and I lean my head into his chest. The night is silent, we can hear our heartbeat beat in the same rhythm.

“Grandma, today I married my miracle. I’m not a stupid child anymore!” He shouts into the darkness of the night.

I giggle at his remark. It seems like he was getting offend for being called stupid child by Seakeeper.

“Grandma in-law. It’s me, Star. Your grandchild is now mine. You don’t have to worry about him. I promise to take care of him, never let him suffer. I’ll make sure he lives a good, healthy and happy life! But if he makes me sad, can I hit him!?”

“Grandma, you don’t have to answer her because I’ll never make her sad.” Hongjoong says confidently.

“Right, because you’re so head over heel for me.” I say, turning around and hugging his neck.

He nods, “True, are you sure you didn’t bewitch me? Why am I so in love with you?” He tightens his arms around me, bringing me closer. “You came into my world like a miracle, and I’m able to spend a lifetime with you is also a miracle.”

This cheesy man knows how to shake my heart. I smiled too much today. My cheeks will be cramped at this rate.

“What about you? What did you do to me? Is it because of your mullet?”

Hongjoong laughs, his eyes turn into a crescent moon. “We’re so head over heel for each other.” He says, staring at me dreamily.

I nod and pout. “We almost didn’t have a chance to spend a lifetime with each other because we refused to speak our feelings,” I think of yesterday’s incident and feel scared. Everything could go wrong if we didn’t speak the truth. “So from now on let's be honest with each other. We’re now a family, we’ll share the burden, any worries, good days or bad days, we’ll pass it through together.”

“I promise. I’ve learnt the lesson.” Hongjoong nods, mouth tugging downward. “If you didn’t confront me yesterday, I’m afraid I would still be the saddest man on earth.”

“Good, and at this moment onward, we’ll be the happiest couple on earth.” I beam at him and let out a lion yawn.

“Are you tired?” He asks me with slight concern.

I shake my head even though I’m so sleepy, but I want to spend our sweet time with him more. “I’m stronger than you think.”

He hums, a wry smile carved on his lips. “Why don’t we head back to our room and continue our duty?” His suggestion makes me snort. My whole body is so sore. I have to lean against his body to stand properly. But seeing his alluring gaze, how could I refuse him?

I tiptoe and graze my lips against the tip of his ears, the same thing he did when he taught me to helm the wheel. I feel his body turn rigid and his breath catches in his throat.

“Aye, captain.” I whisper.

Hongjoong instantly carries me up and flies toward his cabin.

—

The sun peaks from the horizon. The sky gradually changes from midnight blue to red and orange hue. Hongjoong and I stand at the main deck, staring at the splendid scenery. It’s our hobby to watch the sunrise every morning.

Hongjoong hugs my waist while another hand pats my huge bump, the result of our passionate nights 8 months ago.

My belly becomes so big that it’s difficult to walk, but I insist that I want to go outside the cabin since it’s boring to stay inside all day. Hongjoong can’t resist my aegyo and takes me outside when the water is calm.

“Hongjoong! Star shouldn’t be out here. The air is still cold!” The surgeon scolds my husband as he stomps toward us. He became extra sensitive when he found out that I was pregnant. He supervised my overall wellbeing and forced me to drink his bitter herbs brew everyday. I want to cry so bad.

“C’mon, brother. Let the lovebirds do whatever they want.” Yeojin chimes in, heading toward us with Wooyoung supporting her.

“Both of you too. I said you shouldn't walk around.” Yeosang sighs loudly and ruffles his hair in frustration.

Yeojin pats her huge belly and beams at Wooyoung, ignoring her brother’s word.

“No one can stop these girls, you know it.” Wooyoung says to his brother-in-law. Yeosang then shoots him a glare. Wooyoung chuckles dryly with a pale face.

Apparently, Wooyoug and Yeojin became a couple. Because I was no longer Yeojin's roommate. Wooyoung volunteered to be her roommate without telling anyone. And suddenly, she and I had the same symptom, we threw up at the smell of food and were nauseous for no reason. We thought we had food poison until Yeosang learnt that we were both pregnant.

After knowing Wooyoung took advantage of his sister, Yeosang almost tore the ship apart, the sea burnt with his wrath, and the sky almost collapsed. Wooyoung didn’t dare to approach the furious brother-in-law for a while.

Later, they got married. And yes, I had my revenge by giving Yeojin the same tightly knot dress.

“I can’t believe we’ll be uncle.” Mingi walks toward us, glancing between me and Yeojin. He has been saying the same sentence from the moment he learnt of our pregnancy.

Yunho sighs dreamily. “Ahh, I want to fall in love and have a lovely kid too.” He hugs Jongho who unfortunately stands closest to him. The younger guy scrunches his nose and pushes the puppy guy away from him. There’s this village girl who has a big crush on Jongho, but he doesn't know what to do so all he did was to run away whenever he saw her coming.

San climbs down from the shroud after his night watch. He suanters toward me and crouches down, placing his ear against my belly to listen to my baby. He always does that whenever he’s with me. Hongjoong peers at San and says nothing.

At first Hongjoong would give San the burning glare. And San is the type who didn’t care. To stop Hongjoong’s jealousy , I said I wanted to adopt San as my son. After that Hongjoong never revealed jealousy in front of me ever again.

I pat San’s head and he looks up with dimples on his cheeks. He’s been staying around me when Hongjoong was busy. He said he will protect me and my child. Lately, he became more open to others, he talked and smiled more. I’m so glad to see him happy.

Seonghwa walks down from the quarterdeck and heads toward our group. “Captain, we’re ready to head home.” He raises his eyebrow at me as a way to greet me and I raise my eyebrow back at him in return. We officially became frenemy. We often get into ridiculous verbal fights and I mostly win because I have the highest position on Stargazer. Well, the truth is everyone spoils me and they also love to tease the grumpy man.

“Um, let’s go home.” Hongjoong nods and scans his crews’ faces with a faint smile.

We built a house on the small island where Hongjoong and I held the wedding ceremony. No one on the island knows our real identity and they are very welcoming to us. As Yeojin and I are close to our due date, we decided to stay at our home after completing a business deal.

We’re no longer concerned with our financial situation. Yet, we didn’t stop working because we had fun exploring the world. Until now, the rumor of the previous pirate king seemed to be buried under the bottom of the sea. But Ateez still concealed their identity. Many of them keep their beards, including my Hongjoong. He still styles his hair the same as he knows how much I love his mullet. 

The others return to their stations. Wooyoung and Yeojin keep bickering over the baby's name as they return to their cabin.

“You still didn’t name our baby either.” I told Hongjoong that he should have an honor for naming our kid since he worked so hard.

Hongjoong stares at me and says, “Our child should be name after something that bond between you and me.”

I nod in agreement, but I am really talentless at naming stuff.

“Ocean.” Hongjoong says as the waves reflect light into his eyes. “The ocean where we met and where we fell in love with each other.”

My heart blooms upon hearing our baby name and the meaning behind it. “I love it.” I pat my belly as I feel the baby kick. “I think Ocean loves the name too.” I giggle and look up to my husband.

“I hope our Ocean grows up to be kind and brave like you.” He tugs my hair behind my ears, washing me over with his warm gaze.

“And smart, and strong like you.” I add.

He only smiles and says nothing in return. Whenever I praise him, he always has this kind of reaction. I understand that he is still uncomfortable with his past and didn’t think highly of himself. His wound is too deep to be completely healed in a short period of time.

He might not notice that he've changed so much, from a cunning man to a righteous man. He executes the trades in honesty, helps needy people, and even allows homeless people and orphans to work on his ship.

As his wife, I’ll show him that he became the person that I’m proud of and I’m sure the day he finally accepts himself will come.

“What is it?” He asks when I stare at him for too long.

“I’m thinking why my husband is so handsome, my heart melts every time I look at you.”

He chuckles at my cheesiness and kisses my cheek. But I didn’t exaggerate though. My heart literally melts when I’m with him. Everyday I spend time with him, my love for him increases more and more.

“And your beauty blind my eyes every time I see you.” He says. Our cheesiness floods the Stargazer every day that the crew are getting used to our way of expressing love.

I giggle and playfully scrunch my nose. He knows that I’m insecure about my body and he always praises me.

“The image of you wearing the red wedding dress is still engraved in my mind. You were so beautiful, my heart almost stopped beating.” He tells me this sentence a hundred times, but it still makes me blush. “But you were more beautiful when I ripped that dress off- ouch!”

I pull his mullet when he starts to head toward content. My whole face is now flush red. Hongjoong chuckles satisfiedly after teasing me. One thing that doesn't change is his shamelessness.

I feel Ocean kick in my womb. I think our baby agrees with me too.

Hongjoong holds me tighter, mischievousness in his gaze replaced by softness.

“I love you, my miracle.” Hongjoong says the sentence that he whispers against my ears every night before falling asleep in each other's arms. And my heart pounds every time he tells me that.

“I love you too, my captain mullet.” I answer him with the same sentence that I always respond to him, the sentence that I wish to tell him for the rest of my life.

And like every time, Hongjoong lets out a heartily giggle and gives me the warmest and sweetest kiss.

When I first landed on this world, it’s funny how I tried so hard to secure a happy ending. But now being with Hongjoong and Ocean, I hope there’s no ending, all I wish is our happily ever after.

☆*:.｡.o(*^‿^*)o.｡.:*☆

It's their happily ever after but why there tears in my eyes? (｡╯︵╰｡) I'm gonna miss this couple so much. I hope HongjoongXStar shippers will love it and cry with me.  I had a mental breakdown while writing the last sentence like I didn't want it to end too (TT_TT)

And pls stay tune for Ending II ( ˘⌣˘)❤(˘⌣˘ )