Few sailors filed onto the ship, all in blue and white uniform. Yong Guk propped his elbows on the railing of the ship, counting the number of people as they registered with someone at the shabby dock. Families pooled around their children, many kissing them dry before they left. Some were alone, loitering until the last second.

‘We still have one missing,’ said Daehyun as he stopped next to Yong Guk, eyes fixed on the papers and hands subconsciously ticking off listed people.

‘Who?’

‘A newcomer.’

‘What? The ship doesn’t need more mouths to feed. That’s why we laid off those workers!’

‘So sorry, so sorry, sir, but the arrangements were settled for final.’

Yong Guk ran his fingers through his hair, gripping it tightly. He sighed.

‘It’s much more difficult with the debts we’re getting ourselves into. We can’t have more seamen begging for money.’

‘Oh? It says here that he specifically said he wouldn’t accept payments whatsoever,’ said Daehyun, shuffling through the papers, eyebrows furrowed. ‘Doesn’t say anything about his background though, so we’ve no idea what’s up with this guy.’

‘Great. So we probably have a convict on our hands.’ Yong Guk groaned into his hands. ‘What’s his name, then?’

‘Zelo. Obviously not his real name, but it doesn’t state otherwise.’

‘A foreigner? Just better.’

 

 

‘Pleased to have you on our ship, Zelo,’ said Yong Guk in a stiff voice, scrutinizing the sailor. The stranger had his hair dyed blonde, unconventional for anyone who lived in his home town. Whenever a dyed foreigner passed by his town, it would be days until the residents stopped talking about them.

‘Nice to meet you too. Uh, sir.’ The boy beamed, tipping his cap.

Doing a quick one-up on the newcomer, Yong Guk almost shook his head in disbelief. The hair was brighter in the rays of sunlight, nearly white and eccentric in the sea of black-haired heads. He was tall and lanky and lean, years of bad posture taking its toll onto his back, and he seemed always to have a mischievous flash in his eye. Yong Guk shuddered at all the ordeals that could unfold if this newcomer stayed.

‘The cabin’s down the corner, three doors on the right. You’ll be sharing with three other people.’ He dropped a key in Zelo’s palm and swiftly left to attend other responsibilities, leaving Zelo lost as passing sailors strode in front of him, causing him to lose sight of the man. No one else bothered to give him a helping hand, too occupied with their own business, keeping a certain distance to avoid conversation.

Zelo’s expression turned down, unsettled by the man’s brevity, but soon became light as he thought of the stories in books that often spoke of the adventures at sea. He took a deep breath.

His key had the number 109 marked on it.

 

Zelo knocked on the short, wide door, jiggling the knob before he tried to unlock it. He nudged it open to see a wooden cabin, lined with two double-bunk beds. The cabin was less than special; mould often coated the corners of the walls, cracks by the wood planks.

He scrambled over his feet to the empty bed opposite to the door, one beneath the small circular window overlooking the vast sea. Eyes wide in fascination, he was open-mouthed as he observed the waves that rose towards the ship. Foam vaulted off the sides, rivulets of salt water occasionally falling on his face.

‘I wanted that bed, but if you’re that interested in it, it’s yours.’

Zelo jumped at the voice and whipped around to see his three fellow roomates, one laying stationary on another bed with a bottle of whisky in hand, the second was staring at Zelo over his book, and the third sitting cross-legged on the top bunk. The one who’d spoken was the one on the top, and he leaped off the bed, landing on his hands and feet before he slid up to Zelo with a smile.

‘Himchan. Yours?’ he asked.

Zelo introduced himself to the sailors and they did too; the man who was laying down mumbled ‘Jongup’ through his semi-sleeping state and the one reading greeted him politely and told him his name was Youngjae.

‘You’re new, right? So you must be training to become an able seaman,’ Himchan said, scratching the nape of his neck. He waved his hand at the two other, slightly uninterested men. ‘We’ve all been through the same. Tough luck.’

‘What do you mean?’

He leaned closer to Zelo, eyes widened for effect. ‘Some years ago a newbie joined and worked our asses off,’ he whispered slowly. They both leaned forward, Zelo anticipating his next words. ‘We’ve all been here longer, but he’s now First Mate.

‘The man at the port side; he’s Bang Yong Guk. That’s the First Mate,’ said Himchan, suddenly leaning back, nibbling at his thumbnails. ‘Wow. His name just gave me chills.’

Zelo tossed his head back to giggle, but quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. For a while, they talked and lost track of time.

 

From further down the ship, there were loud creaks as the ship tore away from the port, along with the hollers from sailors.

‘Oops!’ Junhong shot up and without another word, and sped out of the cabin.

Himchan opened his mouth to exclaim but thought against it and sighed, snatching up Jongup’s bottle before lifting the old drink to his lips.

 

Zelo ran through the short line of cabins and, glancing both ways first, skidded down the deck towards the end.

Yong Guk stood by the upper deck, hands clenched behind his back, still as stone, his chin forced up. A distant scampering caught his ear, and he eyed the lower decks. All empty except for a moving dot.

He glared down at the small figure, squinting only to find out it was Zelo, who was running for the far end of the ship.

Yong Guk could already see the scenario in his head. The boy would do something insane, perhaps jump into the sea or vandalise the property. Before he knew it, he was chasing the kid, sprinting down flights of staircases until he landed on the last floor. With his breath heaving sporadically, he headed for the young sailor. In his head he listed out how to put him down; the two prominent options of negotiating or brute force running in his mind.

Instead, he balked – mentally and physically – as he saw Zelo stood there, leaning eagerly over the metal rails. For seconds more, nothing observable happened.

Zelo stared off to the shore as it shrank to a dot, the sea enveloping the docks. Gusts of wind lifted his cap off his head and he reached to catch it before it blew away, tip-toeing a little. He pushed up his white sleeves.  

And then he hurdled over the railing, legs unsteady on the small area that was a cliff to the sea. He hooked his arms around the rail.

With all initial plans thrown out by shock, Yong Guk observed the sailor, his chest and knees weak with both wonder and bemusement. As Zelo edged along, Yong Guk took another step closer, cautious, waiting to see what would occur next. He cocked his head, his brows tense.

Zelo glanced around to see Yong Guk looking at him from behind and gave him the happiest grin, teeth glinting off the sunshine.

'What a day.'

Before Yong Guk could stop gaping and respond, Zelo had already turned back to the sea, watching the water in hopes of seeing fish. White froth flicked up from the hull and he observed it as it flied up. Zelo laughed out loud, his voice soon drowned out by the tides.

Yong Guk heard his heart thump in his head.