Jihoon looked apprehensively at the dingy old shop tucked in between two colourful blocks of brick. In contrast to the newer and sturdier buildings that flanked the particular store Jihoon was interested in, the wooden shop looked on the verge of disrepair with rotting wood with moulding windows and was crawling with ivy. Added on with the long grass that easily reached his thighs, it looked more like a cliché set up of a haunted house the wandering circuses loved to put up.

Doubt wheedled into his mind and he seriously wondered whether this was the correct place his hyungs had sent him to. To be completely honest, with the ten bottles of rum they devoured carelessly yesterday, he would not put it pass them to make a mistake in their drunken haze.

Nonetheless, it was already noon and the sun was beating mercilessly at his bared neck. The thick coat did him no help in cooling down but he was too lazy to carry it on his arm. Some shade inside that dodgy store would bring him some relief at the very least.

With increasing trepidation, Jihoon manoeuvred around the lawn, frowning at the inconvenience it brought. There was no clear pathway leading to the front porch and every few step landed his foot on a muddy spot of ground that seemingly had magical powers to his boots in. After hopping a few suspicious spots and missing most, he finally reached the house. The walk really seemed further than it looked, Jihoon thought while wiping the sweat and seeking the comfort of the shade the house provided. But seriously, there isn’t even a flattened pathway here. Maybe Kyung-hyung was drunker than I imagined.

He gave himself a second or two to catch his breath before turning to the pathetic excuse of a door that creaked and groaned at the smallest puff of air the weather brought. At the corners of the door, Jihoon could see a predator making itself home on its complicated web.

“Um, is there anyone here?” He called out and knocked cautiously on the door. It shook worryingly under his gentle actions but remained upright.

He was only met with silence. Shuffling awkwardly on his feet, he tried again, knocking on the door louder this time with a more definite ‘Hello!’ Gazing around, he was half hoping that the owner of this dingy shop would appear from nowhere to give him some shelter from the heat, and maybe a cool lemonade or two. He pouted.

“Hello, a person named Kyung sent me here, telling me that you have exactly what he needs. It’s really hot outside so can we talk inside? If there’s anyone here?”

Jihoon was somewhat worried that some passers-by would get suspicious of a 181cm tall man knocking frantically at a door of a haunted house. There was no reason for concern however as the streets were relatively quiet.

As his eyes swivelled around for some semblance of primitive life, a wooden board covered with ivy caught his attention. With nimble hands, trained from years of tying ropes, he tore away the obstruction and slowly made out the elegant words of “Lee’s” engraved into it. His jaw dropped open in surprise.

Unexpectedly, Kyung was shockingly sober and had given him the right address. The person he was sent to find was a mysterious Lee Taeil, period. No other description whatsoever, mostly because the first mate had fallen back into a drunken stupor. His only assistance was a mumbled “Try to bend down to find him” followed by an inanely long and unnecessary declaration of his love to Brenda Beckham Clarence, whoever that was.

Just as he was about to give up and set out on his long trek back to Nillili Mambo, there was a faint sound of footsteps inside the house. The next thing he knew, the door slowly creaked open, revealing the messy and cluttered interior of the store. Inch by inch, his hungry eyes took in the piles of book that swayed precariously, the jars that littered the shelves and the floor, the weird things that were tossed haphazardly everywhere and a tiny man with round rimmed glasses.

“Yes, I’m Lee Taeil. Can I help you with anything?” The voice that sounded from the man was high and melodic, seeming as small as the man’s size itself. His hair was littered with dust bunnies and leaves while his face was smudged with mud at awkward angles. The shirt he was wearing could have been white or even neon pink, Jihoon could not tell underneath all that dirt. Despite that, with its sleeve rolled up, the colourful tattoos and muscles were clear for all to see.

And see Jihoon did.

“Hello?” Lee Taeil asked, this type with his eyebrow furrowed. That was good enough as an indication for Jihoon to get his together before the door slam back shut in his face.

Clearing his throat, he bowed down respectfully. “Yes, urm, I’m Pyo Jihoon. Park Kyung sent me here to get something that apparently only you would have.”

In an instant, the smooth features of the smaller man immediately crumpled to an annoyed frown. “Park Kyung, as in the first mate of the Blockbuster pirates? You mean that particular Park Kyung?” The irritation is his voice was so audible, Jihoon had to hide a wince with a forced smile.

“Yes, I mean, yeah, I guess so?” If Jihoon had lesser sense, he would have face-palmed at the tilt at the end of the sentence which either made it sound like a question or made him sound like a confused idiot.

“You guess so?”

Pyo Jihoon, get your together before it hits the fan! He berated himself mentally, tightening his palms into a fist. It was marvellous feat though because the change from courteous and shy tiny man to grumpy and bad-mood tiny man was quite abrupt. “No, not guess. Uh, let me repeat myself. I am Pyo Jihoon of the Blockbuster pirates. And yes, my first mate has sent me here to request something from you. But before we go into details, perhaps we should take this inside?”

Taeil hesitated but thought better of it and quickly opened the door further for his bigger stature to squeeze in. The inside of the shop was similar to what he first saw, although it was surprisingly bigger on the inside.

“You can sit here while I get a drink. It is hot,” the shopkeeper said simply as he pointed to a rickety chair and promptly disappeared through another door.

The sound of glass tinkling assured him that the other had not escaped. With a grateful sigh, Jihoon removed the heavy coat from his back and draped it over a dust free chair. Luckily for him, there was a draft inside the shop that blew cold air right at him. He slumped tiredly on the chair and merely enjoyed the cool wind for as long as he could.

Taeil soon emerged with a tray in his hand and handed him a glass of water. It was hardly lemonade or cold but it would make do. With a loud and boisterous thank you that may or may not have startled the shopkeeper, Jihoon quickly downed the drink.

“I must have kept you waiting for a long time.”

“Oh no, not at all. It was the walk here that killed me, not the waiting.”

“The walk from sea is far from here. I apologise, I was at the forest harvesting some medicinal herbs,” Taeil continued softly, pouring the taller another glass of water.

Jihoon nodded his head eagerly. That kind of explains the other’s dishevelled appearance, even though Taeil looked more as if he fell and rolled down a trench than collecting herbs. But Yukwon had taught him tact when necessary so he kept his mouth shut.

After the third glass, he finally felt alive enough to continue. “As I was saying, Kyung-hyung sent me here to collect something from you.” He paused, waiting for Taeil to ask a question but he proved to be an introvert to some extent. Undaunted, he forged on. “Uh... A stone… A milea stone? Or was it Ameira? I should have written it down.”

“Asmerelda stone? You mean an Asmerelda stone?” Taeil deadpanned.

“It’s close enough!”

“It really isn’t.”

“Moving on, Taeil-sshi, he said that only you would have it. We sailed all the way from Ba’ Du’ Shaar all the way to Minealine just to find you,” he explained. “But I don’t understand. Why only you?”

“It’s not only me. The Asmerelda stone is definitely rare but not impossible to find. He only wants it from me because he knows I won’t charge anything for it. And that I won’t kill him when he takes it from me either. He’s a troublesome idiot.” With that, Taeil slowly makes his way around the shop looking for something.

“But I don’t understand. If it’s so rare, why would you just give it for free? What’s so special about it anyways?”

As usual, his captain and first mate have kept him in the dark once again on their new plans. His only clue to its value was the three months’ worth of intense and heart-racing sailing they risked to come all the way to Minealine. The usual time would take at least six but Jiho had crazily chose to cut right through the country of Alabine on the Prethore Straits that was literally b with sea predators, pirates and whirlpools. Jihoon had never seen so many strands of hair unkempt on Minhyuk’s head before.

“I don’t want it. Only people like you need it.”

Jihoon’s eyes rarely strayed from the busy man making his way slowly but surely around the room. “People like me?” He repeated.

“Pirates, I mean pirates. You ever heard of the legend of mermaids, Jihoon-sshi?”