As the footsteps of the stranger approaches us closer and closer, Yeosang grips my wrist tightly. I glance at the street ahead and slightly bend my knees, ready to sprint back to Stargazer as soon as Yeosang gives me a signal.

“Yeosang, is that you?” The woman calls him again. Instead of running, Yeosang knits his brows and turns around. He instantly gasps, letting go of my wrist.

Confused by his action, I whirl around to see whoever this woman is.

A few steps away from us stands a beautiful woman in a pink silk dress who appears at our age. Her brown hair and eyes sparkle under the sun. She wears a diamond necklace and earrings that beam light into my eyes. Two muscular men stand behind her like bodyguards. She looks like a real life rich young lady of a mafia family.

Yeosang turns completely rigid, “Amelia…”

I raise my brow questioningly at Yeosang for knowing this beautiful woman. However, he doesn't notice my signal as his eyes glue onto her.

“It’s really you!” The woman exclaims and advances toward us. The bodyguards follow her, but she gestures to them to stay where they are. As soon as she reaches Yeosang, she pounces on him, I mean hug him. “I couldn't believe we’d meet here. I miss you so much.”

“M-me too.” Yeosang stammers in a daze and pats her back softly.

Amelia giggles, withdrawing from Yeosang. “You’ve changed so much, but you’re still as handsome as ever.”

Because of her compliment, a shy smile appears on his face. I frown at their interaction. This woman must be someone important to Yeosang, or else he wouldn’t risk exposing our identity by staying here to flirt with her.

Anyhow, I hate the fact that they treat me like air, like hello! I’m still standing here.

“I didn’t think that you’d notice me in this.” Yeosang touches his beard. Today he doesn't tie his hair and let it cover the side of his face, and he wears a black tricorne.

“How could I not remember my first love?” She covers while giggles in a high pitch tone.

What!!?? I almost spit my saliva. So this is the girl that Yeosang told me she was his first love, the girl who later got married to a rich merchant!

“How’s your husband?” Yeosang brushes his nose shyly, his cheeks flush pink when the woman mentions that he was her first love.

Her smile instantly fades. “He died a month ago. Heart attack.” She answers Yeosang, deadpanned.

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” Yeosang says politely. But she shakes her head.

“I never loved him, but my family forced me to marry that old man. It was terrible, marrying someone you never have feelings for. The only good thing is his businesses become mine.”

I grimace at her for speaking her mind out loud, even Yeosang looks awkward with her answer.

Amelia doesn’t get a clue from Yeosang’s reaction and draws closer to him, whispering anxiously. “I heard a rumor that you and Wooyoung were on the previous pirate king’s ship, is that true?”

Like cold water pouring on my body, I share a nervous glance with Yeosang as he looks startled as well. My hand immediately reaches toward San dagger at my belt. Our secret must not be blown out today. If she exposes us, I'll silence her here and now. And for her giant bodyguards, I’ll just run.

But when the scary bodyguards peer in my direction, I discard my evil thoughts and shout at Amelia. “No, we’re working on a merchant ship! The rumor is so baseless!”

She averts her gaze to me, looking surprised to see that I’m standing here from the start.

“Who’s this?” She asks Yeosang while looking at me up and down.

“She’s my…” Yeosang trails off, his eyebrows knit together as if he can’t find the right word to introduce me.

“She’s my quartermaster Star.” Another woman's voice chims in. Yeojin strides toward us with a grin on her face. “Hey, Amelia.”

Amelia whirls around and gasps. “Oh my, Yeojin. I miss you so much!”

Yeojin only grins and winks at Yeosang and me. I’m a little relieved that she came to save the day, but I still want to hear Yeosang to finish his sentence.

“You both work on a merchant ship?” Amelia asks the siblings doubtfully.

“Yes, and I’m the captain of Stargazer. We didn't do anything illegal, trust me.” Yeojin adds, raising her chin proudly. She’s good at lying naturally as if she was an actor in her past life.

Amelia looks skeptical, but doesn’t mention a word. She nods her head and subtly peers at me with an unfriendly gaze, and turns to stare at Yeosang fondly. “Well, since both of you are here, why don’t we catch up a little?”

—

All of us went to the biggest tavern in the town that Amelia inherited from her dead husband. She acquired us a private dining room and ordered a lot of food that can feed the whole town as if to flex her lavishness.

Yeosang, Yeojin and Amelia talk about their childhood while I stuff food into my mouth, staying quiet all the time.

“Yeosang, did you get marry to someone?” Amelia asks out of the blue, causing me to spit food back into my plate. I cough and hit my chest painfully.

Yeosang passes me a glass of water and pats my back. Because of his action, Amelia skeptically stares at us. “You two…”

“No, they’re friends.” Yeojin chirps, a smile of mischievousness blooms on her face. “My brother is single and his heart is also available.”

I raise my brow at Yeojin who sits on the opposite side of me. Is she going to set Yeosang up with his first love!? I suddenly lost my appetite.

Amelia’s face immediately brightens up and she gives her first love a meaningful glance while Yeosang only smiles awkwardly in return. What bothers me is that he doesn’t even correct Yeojin’s sentences.

I place my knife and fork down as the food here tastes horrible.

“Well, Yeosang, my ship is traveling to the Indian sea next week. We’re looking for a surgeon because no one wants to go since we’ll be traveling for more than 6 months. Are you interested?”

“But our ship also needs a surgeon.” I answer Amelia and earn a chill glare from her.

“Me! I’m a surgeon too.” Yeojin chimes in and I kick her leg under the table. She yelps in pain and tries to kick me back but I already move my legs out of her reach.

Then I turn to Yeosang, yet he stays so still with an unreadable expression that my heart sways in anxiety.

“No worries, you can give me the answer tomorrow.” Amelia smiles sweetly at Yeosang and resumes reminiscing her sweet past with the siblings. A while later, she leaves us, saying she’ll have a meeting with her business partner.

Three of us continue eating the food while Yeojin keeps blabbering about Yeosang and Ameila’s past. She said Yeosang always sneaked a glance at Amelia whenever she came into their store. He would stutter and make cute mistakes. And he was so heartbroken when he learnt the news of Amelia’s marriage which he had to heal his heart for over a year.

I listen to her while stabbing a knife into the meat, repeatedly saying that I’m full but she doesn’t get my clue and continues talking. I huff in frustration and glimpse at Yeosang. He has been so quiet for the whole time after Amelia left. It scares me to think that he’ll consider her offer. I want to get inside his head to see what he’s thinking.

When Yeojin repeats her story for the fifth time, heavy rain pours down from the sky. We have no choice but to stay inside the tavern, waiting for the rain to subside to travel back to the ship. However, in the next hour, the rain has no sign of stopping and the sun is traveling down the horizon.

As if Amelia has seer power, she provides us free rooms to stay for the night. So we decided to stay in the town and will return to Stargazer tomorrow. Although we’ll be breaking rules for staying on land overnight, it’s dangerous to row a boat in this weather.

As we’re about to head to the rooms, Yeojin picks one of the keys and darts out of the dining room. “I’ll go look for Wooyoung, you guys go to your room first.”

—

Yeosang and I sat on the edge of one and only big bed in a vast room without saying anything for half an hour.

The rain outside pours harder every minute just like a non verbal storm between Yeosang and me.

I glance at Yeosang who’s staring at the wooden wall like it's the most interesting thing to do rather than talking to me. It upsets me that our relationship has turned south after we just made up. I thought time would heal our bond, but when Amelia appeared, I feared that she would ruin everything.

As I gather my courage to talk to Yeosang, someone knocks on our door. Yeosang instantly gets up and advances toward the door.

I pray so hard that whoever behind the door isn’t Amelia.

Yeosang exchange a few word with that person and comes back with a paper in his hand. He reads it with a crease appears between his eyebrows.

“Yeojin said it’s too dangerous for Wooyoung to stay in a crowded tavern so they’ll find a place to hide for the night. And we’ll meet them at the port tomorrow morning.” Yeosang sighs and burns the note with the candle light.

“They’ll be fine. I believe Wooyoung can take care of Yeojin.” I say, trying to ease anxiety from Yeosang.

“I know. Both of them can take care of themselve, but…” He peers at the bed. “Yeojin took another key so I guess we have to stay in the same room tonight.”

I immediately frown. It’s not something new. Yeojin banned me from my own cabin so I have been staying with Yeosang for the past week. Besides, I used to sleep on his small bed and this bed is way bigger than his.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to sleep with me anymore?” I joke with him to lighten up his mood, but it comes out wrong as his face twitches.

“Starry, how long do you think you can stay with me?” Yeosang asks me in a serious tone.

“What do you mean?” My face falls after seeing his stern expression.

“Yeojin forced you to stay with me, but do you want to?” He sits next to me on the bed, staring right into my soul.

“Of course, I want to stay with you.” I stare back at him firmly.

Yeosang breaks our eye contact and pinches his nose bridge. “You have no idea how your words have an effect on me.”

I realize that my answer has another meaning. I falter and stare at my hands on my laps.

“No one forced me, Yeosang. I want to be with you. I really mean it.” I look up and reconnect our gaze. His eyes turn wide and he instantly breaks our eye contact for the second time.

I shift closer to him and ask in a quiet voice. “Are you really going to leave with Amelia?”

“I’m not sure.” He whispers back, staring at the wall again.

His answer comes with a thunder from outside which takes my breath away. “What? You can’t leave us!” I subconsciously raise my voice.

“It’s just temporary.” He shakes his head, still not willing to look at me.

“No, 6 months is too long. Aren’t you going to miss us?” I grab his arm as if it’ll prevent him from leaving me.

“I definitely will.” He answers me firmly, however, he sounds determined to go.

I scoff in frustration. Yeosang can be so headstrong when he makes up his mind. But he isn’t the type of person who makes a decision on a whim, there must be a reason behind it.

“Do you still like Amelia?” I ask straight to the point. There’s no way he would abandon his crew for a woman from the past if he doesn’t have feelings for her.

Yeosang whips his face to me. He’s staring at me with confusion for a moment, then a smile threatens to break on his lips.

“What?” I shake his arm, unsure of what his smile means.

He shakes his head and stares at my hands that grip onto his arm. “This isn’t about Amelia.”

“Then what is it?” I shake his arm harder, trying to force an answer out of him. The more he tries to dodge my question, the more anxious I become.

His smile gradually falters and he looks away from me for the third time, heaving a long sigh before answering me.

“After staying with you for a whole week, I want to get over you.”

His response struck me like lightning. It pierce my heart and makes my whole body numb. My arms lose strength and I let go of his arm.

“Is it that bad to love me?” I force my voice out of my throat while the back of my eyes burn hot.

Yeosang shakes his head and places his hand on my shoulder. “You make me the happiest person in this world, but at the same time, I don't want to feel this greed anymore. I’m upset at myself for hurting you when the problem came from me. So I just need time to reflect on myself. I promise, I’ll come back and be your friend like before.”

His explanation is like a punch to my stomach. He blames himself for hurting me, but he doesn’t realize that by leaving me, he hurts me even more.

“Don't go!” I yell, tears spill from my eyes. “I didn't stay here in this world for you to leave me!”

Yeosang’s eyes flash with pain when he sees me cry. He wipes my tears with his shaky thumb. “Please don’t cry because of me.”

Anger and fear drive me to hug Yeosang tightly because I’m scared to lose him. “Then don’t go!” I shout into his chest and snort into his shirt.

Yeosang remains still with one hand pats the back of my head while another arm circles around my waist. He embraces me without answering me back and lets me wail into his chest.

Is it selfish of me to prevent him from getting better? But deep down I’m so scared that he’ll really get over me. What’s wrong with me?

—

I wake up with a dull thump under my skull. I groan and groggily open my eyes. I spot Yeosang’s face looming above me with his soft gaze staring at me. Black circles under his eyes are a shade darker as if he didn’t sleep the whole night.

“Good morning.” He whispers to me while brushing a strand of hair off my face. “Eat first, before we leave.” Then he gets up to pick a tray of food and place it next to me on the bed.

I smile at him for being so caring. I pick up a spoon to taste the heavenly-smelling soup and suddenly freeze. The spoon falls from my grasp as I remember our conversation last night.

I cried in his embrace for the whole night until I fell asleep and he didn’t even change his mind.

Anger rises from the pit of my stomach. I turn to scoff at Yeosang and get up from the bed, ignoring the breakfast and stomping into the bathroom.

Because of my ego, I didn’t eat breakfast nor speak a word to Yeosang. He looks at me helplessly while trying to start a conversation with me. I snort inwardly and continue ignoring him.

When we climb down the stairs, we find Amelia in front of the main entrance talking to several guests. As soon as she spots her first love, she excuses herself and literally flies toward him.

“How was your sleep last night?” She approached us with an alluring smile on her beautiful face. Today she wears a tight elegant red dress that emphasizes her good figure.

“Good/Terrible.” Yeosang and I speak at the same time. Upon hearing his answer, I turn to narrow my eyes at him. Seeing me cry all night was good? I swallow my rage and turn to glare at Amelia instead.

She ignores me and talks to Yeosang. “I’m glad you have a good sleep in my tavern.” She grins wider when Yeosang smiles back to her. “So what’s your answer? I believe your captain and quartermaster won’t force you, right?”

“I…” Yeosang trails off, appearing reluctant to answer her. His reaction causes a storm that I try to suppress erupts.

“Yeosang won’t leave us. He’ll continue working at Stargazer.” I reply to Amelia through gritted teeth.

“Excuse me.” Amelia sneers at me. “I’m asking Yeosang, not you.”

I bite my inner mouth. My mood has been down since last night and her attitude gets on my nerves.

“Yeosang told me he doesn't want to work with you. And He’ll never leave us so you better find someone else.” I raise my chin up, looking at her challengingly. I feel Yeosang tugs at my shirt, but that only adds oil to the fire. “Oh, and his heart is already taken. You won’t stand a chance. You’re a past so stay in the past. He got over you a long time ago. We’re leaving. Bye.” I give her my most iest smirk at her and pull Yeosang with me, but Amelia grabs Yeosang’s wrist.

“I’ll only listen to the answer from Yeosang’s mouth.” She says, glaring at me while I glare back at her.

“Both of you, please calm down.” Yeosang looks so awkward and helplessly glances between us, crazy women.

“If you don’t want to work on my ship then tell me who takes your heart?” Ameliat turns to Yeosang.

Yeosang’s gaze falls upon me, making my heart leap. However, he doesn’t say anything to prove his point to Amelia.

“But she doesn't love you, right?” She scoffs, glaring at me from the corner of her eyes.

To my dismay, Yeosang presses his lips into thin lines without answering her. His reaction makes me feel like someone steps on my heart.

“Why do you want to work with someone who doesn't care about you? Please come with me.” Amelia tries to persuade Yeosang. Her sentence is like a last straw for me. I step in front of Yeosang, facing her.

“Who says I don’t care about him? I care about him more than you do!” I shout out loud and catch attention from the guests inside the tavern. But now I don't care, I fill out with rage ready to burn this down with me.

“It pains me when he’s in pain. He’s the only person who makes me feel like I’m home. How dare you take him away from me!”

Amelia rolls her eyes and folds her arms. “If you love him then why did he have this kind of expression?”

I peer at Yeosang, my heart instantly plummets. Pain written across his face and he refuses to meet my gaze. My brain screams at me that I might lose him forever. My heart yells at me the obvious reason why I kissed him back, why I’m so upset when this woman tries to take him away from me. I want to kick myself for being blind for so long.

Thus I turn to Yeosang and place my hands on both sides of his face.

“I’m sorry for making you wait. I’m being stupid for realizing my feelings too late and I almost lose you.” I take a deep breath and say the sentence that he has been waiting to hear for a long time.

“I love you, Yeosang, and it’s not just as a friend.”

I stare at him through my tears, waiting for his reaction. Yet he remains still like his soul has left his body. Until a few seconds later, his eyes gradually become rounder.

“S-starry, do you really mean it?” He stammers, not believing my words.

I tiptoe and peck on his lips. “Yes, I love you, Yeosang. I really do.” I wail out loud like a baby at the same time Yeosang pulls me into a hug.

“I can’t believe this is real.” Yeosang mutters against my ear, a hint of disbelief and happiness mixing in his tone. He pulls away to stare at my face. A bright smile blossoms on his mouth. My heart instantly blooms from seeing his angelic smile.

“I love you, Starry. I’m waiting to tell you this. I should’ve been the one who told you first.”

I chuckle and hit his chest, and he laughs with me. Then we hear loud cheers from around us. The tavern’s customers clap their hands and shout at us to kiss.

Both Yeosang and I immediately turn awkward. I cover my face and whisper to Yeosang. “Can we leave? I'm so embarrassed.” I can’t believe I literally confessed to a man in public.

Yeosang chuckles and pulls me with him. He politely says goodbye to Amelia who looks too stunned to speak. I secretly give her a triumphant smirk before turning to pout cutely at Yeosang.

On the way toward the port, Yeosang and I walk hand in hand. My heart feels so light and it is filled with indescribable happiness. Today’s morning sky is so bright and spotless since the storm had left. Although the storm almost wrecked Yeosang and I apart, I’m glad that I finally learned my feelings through this storm.

Yeosang halts to a stop when there’s less people on the street. I raise my head up when I hear him chuckle.

“I’m so happy that I didn’t know what to say.” His eyes turn into a crescent moon. It’s been a long time since I've seen him being genuinely happy.

I inwardly scoff and pinch his waist. He immediately yelps and looks at me with a panicked expression.

“You still owe me for making me cry last night. How could you have a thought of leaving me?” I sulk at him.

Yeosang gives me a sheepish smile and hugs my waist. “I’m so sorry, Starry. I felt so horrible with myself and wanted to run away. But after seeing you fall asleep in my arms last night, I knew for sure that even after 6 months, a year, or my whole life, I’d never get over you.”

I press my lips together and fail to suppress a wide grin. “Of course, you can’t get over me. Now you’re bound with me forever.”

Yeosang chuckles, nodding his head “I’m glad to be with you forever.”

I fold my arms, and pretend to still be angry. “Then why did it take you so long to reject Amelia?”

Yeosang scratches his nape. “Well, I try to find the words to decline her politely, but you cut me off.”

Not sure whether to laugh or cry, I breathe in and out, trying to calm myself down. “And why did you look so hurt when I argued with Amelia?”

“I felt guilty for making you upset. And you even think of me as your home…” Yeosang trails off as he spots smoke rising from my head. He instantly cups my cheeks and pouts his lips. “Starry, please don’t be angry with me. I know I made a grave mistake so you can punish me however you like.”

“Kiss me then.” I blurt out shamelessly.

It’s Yeosang’s turn to blink at me bashfully while I tiptoe and claim his lips. His body becomes rigid and I feel his breath catch in his throat. It takes a moment for him to relax his body and kiss me back. I feel people glance our way since we’re kissing in the middle of the street.

When I pull away, his face has turned completely red. I smirk mischievously and kiss him again to see how red he can get.

Perhaps, my friends were right. I’m not innocent at all.

—

When we arrived at the port, we spotted another shameless couple in public. They were hugging and teasing each other, giggling so loud as if they were the only people in this world.

While we approach them toward the gangway where we tied our rowboat, I steal a glance at Yeosang to see that his face has changed from red to darkend. I can only pray that the couple will survive the wrath of the devil mode Yeosang.

As soon as Yeojin spots us coming, she pushes Wooyoung away from her, causing him to almost plunge into the sea. Luckily, the poor guy grabs the nearest pole and escapes his ill fate.

Yeojin dashes toward us with a flushing cheeks as we catch her red handed. “Hey, you guys came so early.” She awkwardly greets us while Wooyoung follows from behind, flashing his fabulous smirk at us like nothing happened.

Instead of greeting them back, we remain stone faced. Yeosang glances between Yeojin and Wooyoung silently, making the couple slightly falter.

Yeojin blinks at me as if to ask for my help. However, she and I still haven't settled our grudge, so I snort at her and whip my face away.

I see her confused expression from the corner of my eyes and laugh inwardly. Thus, she turns to Wooyoung who tries his best to avoid Yeosang’s dead glare. Seeing that no one helps her, she pouts cutely at Yeosang.

“Brother, I miss you so much.” She says out of the blue, but no matter how hard she tries to pull an aegyo on her brother, Yeosang remains unamused.

“Woah!” Wooyoung suddenly shrinks with eyes sparkled. “Why are you two holding hands?! Did something good happen last night?!”

Yeosang and I peer at each other. Yeosang’s harden face immediately turn soft while heat rises on my cheeks. We don’t intend to let go of each other’s hands and turn to smile at Yeojin and Wooyoung.

After noticing our reaction, Yeojin lets out a loud squeal that startles the whole port. She jumps in the air and turns to hug Wooyoung. The purple haired first mate, however, doesn’t return the hug and glances at Yeosang fearfully.

Yeosang clears his throat, and Yeojin instantly backs away from Wooyoung.

“I should be the one who asks you where you two go last night.” Yeosang says in a scary tone, observing them with a scrutinizing gaze. Both of them awkwardly avoid Yeosang’s glare and refuse to answer.

Seeing an opportunity to take revenge, I extend my hand to pinch Yeojin’s waist. “How could you offer Yeosang to that Amelia woman.”

“Oops.” Yeojin giggles, “C’mon, princess, I know my brother well. He wouldn’t go with her because you are the person who he loves the most.” She smirks proudly, raising her chin up. “You guys should thank me though. Because of my smart plan, you two got together.”

I grimace at her and turn to Yeosang. “Your sister is so mean. She even escaped with a random guy last night. You must discipline her.”

Yeosang immediately gives Yeojin and Wooyoung a warning glare. “You guys still need to give me a good reason.”

“Oh lord, did I make the right decision to set you two up?” Yeojin scoffs at us while the ‘random guy’ rolls his eyes at me.

In the end Wooyoung and Yeojin confessed that they stayed in the room that Amelia provided to us, but they left before the sun rose.

Both Yeosang and I exhale a sigh of relief. Thankfully, they didn’t witness my embarrassing confession and our passionate kiss in the middle of the road, or they would ridicule me until the day I turned 60.

We travel back to the Stargazer while Yeojin keeps pestering on how we became lovers in just one night. So I told her that Yeosang confessed to me in front of Amelia and the whole tavern. Both Yeojin and Wooyoung praise Yeosang for his bravery while my boyfriend looks at me amusedly because of my liar.

Once we board the ship, we’re confronted by an angry crowd.

“Why did you lot not get back to the ship last night? Do you forget our rule that sleeping on land is prohibited!” Seonghwa furiously reprimanded us.

Hongjoong stands beside him, crossing his arms and radiating a scary pirate king aura. Next to him, San also looks like he’s going to murder someone.

“There was a storm last night. So I didn’t think it was safe to row a boat back to the ship.” Yeosang bravely answers while Wooyoung, Yeojin, and I hide behind his back.

Hongjoong taps on the fuming Seonghwa’s shoulder and steps forward. “It’s good that all of you are safe. But there must be no next time.”

“We’re so worried.” Mingi chimes in with a sulky expression, and the other crew nod their heads.

Hongjoong came up with the rule for our safety. He didn’t want any of us to spend a long time on land because it’ll increase the chance of getting caught.

“Sorry for the trouble, we’ll not do it again.” Yeosang adds. After that, the crowd disperses to continue doing their duties. Yeosang grabs my hand and we walk toward the staircase.

However, the navigator suddenly yells, causing us to stop in the tracks.

“Why’re you two holding hands?” Yunho points at our intervening hands with an excited expression. His loud voice alerts the entire ship. Shortly, the crew gather around us in a big circle.

Yeosang and I turn rigid. We’re planning to tell our friends later, but didn’t expect Yunho to blow it up.

A light giggle comes out of Yeojin’s mouth while she jumps in front of us and shouts on top of her lungs. “Listen Stargazer crew, Yeosang and Star have an announcement!”

The crowd intently focus on us and we both turn speechless.

“Er..well,” Yeosang scratches his nape, glancing between me and the crowd. “Star and I…er…”

“I’ll take responsibility of Yeosang!” Because Yeosang is taking forever to finish his sentence, I cut him off. My announcement causes an uproar among the crew.

“What did you do to our surgeon?” Seonghwa scowls at me. Because he looks so serious, I have no idea how to answer him, so I tug Yeosang’s hand to answer for me.

“She stole my heart away.” Yeosang says with flushing cheeks. The answer causes Seonghwa’s face to twist as if he steps on dog’s poop. On the other hand, Yeosang supporters immediately cheer. Their loud voices probably reach the town at this rate.

Yunho hugs Yeojin tightly and they jump in a circle together. Little does he know, a purple head guy is sending him nasty glare from the side.

Hongjoong looks quite surprised by the news, but he gives me a tiny smile and nods at Yeosang. However, the man beside him looks at me blankly, he strides toward us, making Yeosang and I tense up.

“Still remember what I told you?” San asks Yeosang in a low threatening voice.

Yeosang nods, his hand clenching tighter around my hand. “I swear I’ll not make Star cry. You don’t have to be worried.”

I turn to look at both of them questioningly. Then Yeosang says in a sheepish tone. “Well, remember the day on the beach where San approached me. He told me if I made you cry, I wouldn’t have a chance to see starlight again.”

My mouth hangs open. So that was why Yeosang looked so gloomy when he came back because San threatened him.

San nods with a devilish smirk, then he turns to me with a softened gaze. “Tell me if he or anyone makes you cry.”

“Alright, thank you Sannie.” I say and witness dimples on San’s cheeks but it quickly disappears when his best friend appears.

“Hey Sannie, you don’t have to be sad, I’ll introduce you to-Ack!” Wooyoung’s face turns purple as San elbows him in the gut. Yeojin appears right beside Wooyoung, glaring at San. “Hey, don’t hurt my Woo!”

San peers at her with his usual blank face which is enough to make Yeojin falter and hide behind Wooyoung. A corner of San’s mouth tugs upward, he gives Wooyoung another dark look before walking away from us. Hongjoong comes forward and rests his arm across San’s shoulder, they both head toward the quarter room.

After San leaves, Yeosang releases a sigh. “San looks quite scary, don’t you think so?”

We all look at him in shock. Did he just find out that San is scary?!

“You’re way scarier.” Wooyoung mumbles, causing Yeojin to giggle out loud.

Yeosang instantly turns to the couple in front of him, he peers at his sister who hugs Wooyoung from the back like a koala. “You two.”

With a simple word, Yeojin immediately lets go of Wooyoung, however, he grabs her hand and steps forward. His expression is void of playfulness. Yeojin tries to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he only holds her hand tighter and turns to Yeosang.

“I know I used to say I think of Yeojin as my sister, which I really meant it at that time. But after we spent our time together, we relearnt of each other. And we didn’t let our emotions or ego ruin our relationship. Until lately, I have to admit that I think of her more than a sister. So I ask for your permission, please allow Yeojin and I to be together.”

After Wooyoung finishes his sentence, Yeojin looks at him with watery eyes while I secretly give him a thumbs up. Wooyoung stands with a straight back, waiting for Yeosang’s answer with nervousness written all over his face.

Yeosang remains stoic. “I hope both of you are mature enough this time. If you guys fight, don’t ever bring me into your mess again. I won’t help.”

“Yessir!” The couple shout in unison. Wooyoung beams at Yeojin and kisses her cheek. Although Yeosang pretends to look like a strict brother, he fails to maintain his facade as a giant smile breaks out on his lips.

Wooyoung and Yeojin turn to engulf Yeosang in a group hug. I watch the heartwarming scene with a fulfilling heart. We’re gonna be one big family.

“By the way.” I interrupt their happy moment and they all turn to me, “Since I’m your sister-in-law from now on, you guys better behave in front of me and show me your respect.”

Wooyoung and Yeojin immediately roll their eyes, they stick out their tongues at me before running away.

I chuckle at their annoying behavior and turn to Yeosang who stares at me strangely.

“I’m just kidding.” I peck on his cheek although I really plot revenge in my head. They can’t retaliate against me because Yeosang is on my side. *Evil laugh*

Then a hand places on my shoulder, I whirl around to see the master gunner’s gloomy face.

“Shooting Star,” He pouts and turns to Yeosang. “Since it’s you, then I’m relieved.” Then he turns back to me, grabbing my shoulders tightly. “You must take good care of Yeosang. He works too hard and doesn’t know how to take care of himself. You should stop belittling his medicine even though it tastes terrible-” Mingi quickly shuts up when Yeosang shoots a dagger at him.

I snicker at Mingi’s comment. Isn’t he supposed to say Yeosang should take care of me? Why is the role reversed here again? Before I correct his sentence, someone pushes him away.

“Congratulations, Starfish! Sangie!” Yunho hollers, he gives both Yeosang and me a bear hug.

“Thanks Yunho.” We say to the navigator who grins ear to ear. He winks at me before turning to whisper something to Yeosang, but his voice is so loud that I can hear him clearly.

“You should be careful when you sleep on the same bed with Star cause she sleeps like a starfish, you’ll end up on the floor.”

“It’s okay, Yunho. I can sleep on the floor.” Yeosang smiles sweetly at me, causing Yunho to shudder.

“I’ll just go collect my money. Honestly, I can’t stand you two.” Yunho pulls Mingi who still pouts at me with him.

I look at the two giants bickering until they disappear into the crowd. I turn to Yeosang because of Yunho’s remark. “It’s true though, I sleep like a starfish.”

“But last night, you didn’t sleep like that. You were in my embrace the whole time and you looked so beautiful.” Yeosang responded innocently. I bite my tongue and bashfully hit his arm for making me blush madly.

“Ahem.” Someone clears his throat, we turn around to see Jongho standing awkwardly beside the grumpy Seonghwa, they probably heard our conversation.

“Congratulations. I’m glad that you two are finally happy together.” Jongho says, scratching his cheek. As if he has nothing to say more, he turns to the man beside him.

“Well, congrats, I guess.” Seonghwa takes the clue and congratulates us with a grumpy face, folding his arms.

Scrunching my nose at his action, I can’t help but retrot him. “Wow, the quartermaster congratulated us, we’re such a lucky couple.”

Yeosang, who doesn’t understand that I was being sarcastic, turns to thank Seonghwa. The quartermaster's face suddenly becomes darkened and he stomps away, leaving Yeosang blinking confusedly at his reaction. Both Jongho and I facepalm at him for being so innocent.

Because the crew still hangs around the deck, the quartermaster leashes out his grumpiness to them. “Go back to work!”

However, no one moves the muscles as the winners busily collect their money. I hear Yeojin’s shouting at Jack as he doesn’t want to give up his fortune to her.

I turn to Yeosang and see a bright smile aiming at me. His soft gaze scans my face and stops at my lips. He slowly leans closer until-

“Err, if you guys are going to kiss, at least let me leave first.” Jongho says and immediately flees from the scene.

We both giggle at the younger guy before Yeosang grabs my cheek. He stares at my lips and looks back to my eyes. “May I?”

I nod shyly. Soon, his lips softly place on mine. I secure my arms around his neck and kiss him back. The noise around us suddenly dies down and the ship erupts with scream.

—

That night Yeojin dressed me up in a light blue dress, applied make-up on me, and tied my hair up into a bun. She even applied her expensive perfume oil on me. I asked her what for occasion, but she only giggled and flashed me a mischievous grin, saying it’s a secret. After finishing dolling me up, she blindfolded me and led me to somewhere on the ship.

I stumble along the way, hearing a series of giggles from the crew. After climbing the staircase several times and almost falling face first many times, we finally come to a stop. Yeojin lets go of my wrist, she mumbles good luck to me before leaving me alone.

I begin to fidget as no one takes off my blindfold. Yeojin could pull a prank on me for turning her brother against her. As I’m about to take the black cloth off my eyes, a hand that doesn’t belong to Yeojin unties the cloth from behind me.

Million Stars greet me as soon as I open my eyes. Since my surroundings are dimly lit, I feel like I’m floating in space. The light from several torches allows me to see that I’m on the Poop deck. The night breeze gently blows against my body. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and let out a dreamy sigh.

“Starry.” Someone calls my name from behind. I immediately recognize that the voice belongs to the man I fall in love with.

I turn around and am almost blind by his beauty. In front of me is a real angel.

The starry night background implements the silhouette of the man wearing a long navy coat. His hair sweeps backward and ties into a ponytail. His face is void of beard, revealing a smile as bright as the sun. A pair of twinkling eyes captivate me to get lost in them.

“Starry.”The angel calls me again, bringing me back from my trance. “Do you like it?”

I shut my hang open mouth and fervently nod. “Of course, I like you so much.”

Yeosang’s eyes get wide, he looks flustered by my confession. He cranes his neck to the side and tries to suppress his smile before turning back to me. “I-I mean the place.” He stutters shyly.

Oops.

My cheeks flush and I pretend to scan around the area. Yeosang and I are alone on the Poop deck. Although the name itself is far from romantic, this is such a romantic place during nighttime. “Did you plan all of this?”

“Yeojin actually planned it.” He answers honestly.

I hum in my throat. I gotta praise her for the surprise. Because of her good deed, I’ll not for one hour.

“You look beautiful today.” Yeosang says while his eyes turn even more gleamer.

I feel my heart expand from his compliment. I brush a lock of my hair away from my face and answer shyly. “Wrong. I’m beautiful everyday.” After I correct his sentence, he lets out a soft chuckle.

“You’re beautiful everyday, but today you’re my Starry so you look exceptionally beautiful.” He explains with a serious expression.

I giggle at his reason. Yeosang’s the type to spoil me too much, one day I might become a narcissist.

Suddenly, Yeosang brings out a banquet of flowers that I fail to notice that he hides behind his back all the time. I blink at him, didn't expect that he'd gifted me something. I take the banquet from his hand and when I look closer, the flowers are made of paper.

“What is this?” I ask him while inspecting the paper, there seems to be a handwriting on them.

Yeosang shuffles between his feet, appearing quite bashful to answer me. “Well…I wrote letters for you when you were gone. Since you weren’t in my world, I kept them with me.”

I gasp, an overwhelming sense of shock pour over me. “Yeosang…” Water threaten to leave my eyes, but I hold it back. My hands instantly circle around his waist, embracing him and resting my head above his heart.

“Thank you so much.” I promise myself that I’ll make him the happiest man on earth.

After I withdraw from the hug, I pick one of the letters and read it out loud.

“Dear Starry, I look at the stars every night, hoping it would help me lessen my longing for you.” Yeosang holds my wrist with a frown. “Please don’t read it.”

Although he begs me, I’m a stubborn person so I continue reading it. “I wish upon the star to see you again. Do you think the star will listen to my wish?”

I start running away from him when he tries to steal the letter from my hand. I giggle and run around the deck with Yeosang chasing after me.

Perhaps I perceive him as an unathletic person since he usually works inside sickbay. When he takes a huge step and hugs me from behind, I totally underestimate him.

Yeosang eventually snatches the paper away and hides it behind his back. After I recover from his surprising strength, I turn around to huff at him and pick up another letter.

However, Yeosang grabs my hand with a pout. “Please read it when you are alone. I’m kinda embarrassed.”

The torch nearby shows me that Yeosang's neck and ears have turned completely red. So I decide to stop teasing him and peck his cheek as an apology. “Thank you so much for waiting for me. I really appreciate it.”

Yeosang lets out a silly smile and touches where I just kiss him. I wave in front of his face to bring him back to earth. But then he looks up into the night sky. “Thank you for listening to my wish,” And he turns to look at me with so much tenderness inside his orbs. “And for bringing her back to me.”

I stare at Yeosang, speechless. My head can’t find the reason why this perfect man fell in love with me. I’m a person with many flaws, but he ignores it and loves me the way I am with all of his heart.

Yeosang extends his hand toward me. “May I have this dance?”

I stare at his hand. “There’s no music, do you want me to sing?”

Yeosang instantly coughs and earns a glare from me. I probably need to take my words back since he just doubts my singing skill.

Ignoring my obvious glare, Yeosang claps his hand and music immediately plays. I raise my brow at him and peer at the direction where the sound comes from.

“Yeojin forces the crew who lost the bet to play music for us.” Yeosang answers my curiosity, he sounds embarrassed of his sister's behavior.

I snort. As expected from Yeojin.

Anyway, don’t tell me that the crew are eavesdropping on us from the lower deck.

I tell Yeosang to wait for me for a moment and walk toward the staircase. The scene in front of me gives me goosebumps.

Literally, the entire crew are crowding at the below decks. Yeojin, Yunho, Wooyoung and Mingi sit at the staircase. Jongho stations at the main deck, playing fiddle among his bandmates. But I can’t believe my eyes to see Hongjoong, San, and even Seonghwa standing at the quarterdeck.

Instead of scattering after getting caught, they wave their hands at me.

Seriously! I grimace at their nosiness. But what to expect from the ship full of gossipers. Because if I were them, I would do the same.

“Don’t read it.” I pass the bouquet of paper toward Yeojin and change my mind. She’s gonna expose Yeosang’s cheesy letters and Yeosang might end up being angry at me. Hence I scan my friends' faces, looking for someone who’s trustworthy.

“Sannie. Can you keep it for me?” The combatant instantly climbs the stairs as soon as I call him. “And make sure that no one reads it. If they try to take it away, you’re allowed to stab them.”

Upon hearing my threat, my friends all groan. San takes the bouquet and gives me a small smile before whirling around and going down the stairs. I see that no one dares to make eye contact with him.

After seeing the nosy people's reaction, I’m relieved that Yeosang’s secret is safe. Then I walk back to Yeosang.

“If one day I make you cry, will you ask San to stab me too?” He asks me amusedly even though I spot fear hidden under his smiling face.

I press my lips together to stifle giggle. This poor guy 100% develops fear toward San after being threatened.

I hum in my throat, pretending to think. “Well…if you make me cry, you’re not gonna see this Star again.” I point at myself.

Yeosang instantly lost his smile, he circles his arms around my waist, “Rest assure, it’ll not happen. I’ll love and cherish you every second we spend together.”

The seriousness in his voice makes me feel like I want to cry happy tears. My arms automatically hug around his neck. “Me too, I’ll cherish every moment with you.”

As the music is still playing, we start dancing under the starlight. Our bodies move along the melody while taking in each other’s presence, feeling our hearts connect.

“Am I close enough for you to reach me now?” I ask him, remembering the fateful night that led our relationship to this stage.

“Hmm,” Yeosang hums in his throat, a playful smile carved on his mouth. “Maybe a little closer.”

I shift closer to him and ask again. “Still too far?”

Yeosang playfully scrunches his nose, nodding his head. “Yup, still far.”

I smile, playing along with him. I tiptoe until our nose touches. “Is this close enough?”

Yeosang doesn’t answer me as his lips brushes against mine. “This is perfect.” He answers before placing his lips on my lips. His mouth moves tenderly against mine. The taste of his lips is as sweet as honey, my head becomes light with euphoria. And I kiss him back, pouring all of my feelings into the kiss.

After we pull away from each other, Yeosang clamps over his mouth and barely looks at me as if I stole his first kiss.

“People are gonna misunderstand that I'm a bad guy if you act like that.” I grimace.

Yeosang lets out a hearty laugh at my remark. “I’m kinda not used to it. My heart feels like it’ll explode whenever I kiss you.”

I laugh at his honest comment even though my heart also feels like it’ll explode too. “If we do more than kissing, would you have a heart attack?” I , but it’s a mistake as his whole body freezes.

Seeing his reaction, my evil side wants to more. I tiptoe and gently kiss his nape. I smirk triumphantly when I feel his body slightly shiver. As I think I successfully , his arms lock me in place. I look up, expecting to see his bashful expression; however, a glint of mischievousness passes across his face. He lowers his head to whisper against my ears in a raspy voice that makes my hair stand “Starry, you’re making me become greedy again.”

My body turns stiff when he plants a kiss on my collarbone. My knees lost strength, I slowly slide down to the floor, but his arms strongly hold me up. I scream in my head. This man is anything but innocent!! He deceives everyone, including me!!

His chuckles ring beside my ear when he successfully took revenge on me. I bury my face into his chest because of mortification. My expression must look so funny to him. Yeosang pats my back and places his head on top of my head.

What’s more embarrassing is that there are people spying on us and they probably saw that since their voices get louder. I crane my neck to see several heads peeking from the staircase.

I chew my inner cheek in sour emotion. Since I lost to Yeosang, I can’t lose to them.

“If any of you forget that my lover is a surgeon, he can poison you guys with green terror.” I say loud enough for them to hear.

They immediately disappear in a matter of seconds. I snicker and turn to Yeosang to see his sulking face.

“You belittle my medicine again.” He heaves a sigh before his expression changes into fondness. “But since you call me your lover, you can name my medicine anything you want.”

After his comment, we hear barfing sounds from below. I hit his chest, giggling at Yeosang’s cheesiness.

Ignoring our nosy friends, he cups my face with both hands. “Today is the happiest day of my life. Thank you for loving me, Starry.”

“I should be the one who says that. You’re so nice to me even when we were complete strangers.” I lean my face into his hand. “Thank you for taking care of me from the first day we met until now. And thank you in advance for taking care of me in the future too, my angel.”

By being with Yeosang in this moment, I realize that love isn’t all about fiery passion, it’s about an unbreakable bond between two people. He’s someone who will be on my side on the best and worst day. He’s the person who I can open up with and trust with my life. To me Yeosang is a friend, a lover, and a family. And I want to be that person for him as well.

Yeosang smiles until his eyes almost close. He kisses my forehead, the warmth from his lips travels to my heart and spread throughout my body. Once he pulls back, he stares right into my soul. “Since his favorite star returned, the angel wants to fly again.”

His comment makes me grin from ear to ear. I remembered how he said he didn’t want to fly as I had to go back to my world. But now he wants to fly because I came back.

“The Angel and the Star will be together forever!” I shout into the night sky and peers at him. “It’s your turn.”

Yeosang takes a deep breath and shouts the loudest I ever heard from him. “I love you my Starry!!!”

The crew instantly holler when they heard us shout. I laugh when Yeosang looks so flustered, he probably didn’t expect that the whole ship eavesdropped on us.

“I love you, my angel!!” I shout again and nudge his arm, signaling him that it’s his turn.

Yeosang pouts but still do as I wish. “I love you my Starry!!”

“We got it!!” Someone from the lower deck shouts back.

Yeosang and I burst out laughing and continue shouting, confessing our love to the stars as if this world only belongs to us. Our voices and laughter echo into the night along with the background noise from the eavesdroppers.

We stargaze the whole night, knowing full well that we don’t have to miss the person beside us anymore.

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

It's the end of Yeosang's ending! Our angel finally become happy with his starry.  I hope Yeosang x Star supporter are happy reading this chapter.

And for next chapter, please expect slow up date as I'll be busy in June and probably don't have much time to write (T⌓T)