Servant's Pride

29. The Note

With a slip of paper bunched tightly in his hand, Hongjoong wove through the narrow streets of the town. Rain thrummed onto the pavement and his shoulders, gradually soaking the durable leather of his jacket. The pirate dodged people left and right, taking care not to touch them or get too close. He slipped some money bags here and there, his fingers quick and subtle, like the touch of a feather in the crowded street.

When he rounded a corner, a breath he didn't know he had been holding fell from his lips. Crowds tended to overwhelm him, despite being used to the busy hustle aboard his ship. Something about the many strange faces that withheld their intentions from him had always irked the pirate. As he walked up to the inn nearby, he straightened his shoulders and shook off the clinging anxiety of the masses of moving humans.

He glanced at the swinging sign above the door, and then at his note. Protected by the canopy above the entrance, he unfolded the wrinkled paper to read it again.

Meet me on the night of the new moon at the Seagull's Claw.

It wasn't signed. At first, Hongjoong had assumed it to be a threat when a faceless courier had delivered it to him on the same day they had anchored at the port. However, the longer he had stared cryptically at the neat and cursive handwriting, the more Hongjoong's curiosity had grown. He doubted it had been Yeosang. While his writing looked similar he surely would have composed more, and he had no reason to be here.

Thus, Hongjoong had jammed a sword and two daggers into his belt and had departed in the evening. And given the looks of it, he had found the right place.

Hongjoong pushed the door open gingerly. Inside, the usual homey atmosphere of these kinds of taverns greeted him. A fire held off the chill air of late autumn and lit the room in orange light. No patrons were around. It was likely too early for them, or the inn wasn't very popular.

"Welcome, good Sir! What may I bring you?"

Shaking off the rain, Hongjoong stepped fully inside. Once he was sure that no ambush lurked behind the corner, he closed the door. His swift strides brought him up to the counter and the young lass working behind it.

"I be searchin' fer someone," he announced quickly. The girl eyed him, and then the empty room. A hand came up to coyly twirl her hair with her fingers.

"And who might that be? There's only me here," she giggled shyly. Hongjoong gave her a fleeting smile. If he weren't on his dubious mission, he wouldn't have passed on the opportunity.

"I be Captain Kim Hongjoong. Did somebody leave a message for me? I've been told to come here tonight."

He doubted it was the girl who had written him the letter. At his abrupt questions, her face fell into a pout.

"A pirate captain? Oh, there was someone, right. Let me check." She bustled around behind her counter to fish for a note. Her eyes skimmed it slowly and multiple times.

"It's room 18. I don't know if the person is still here, but I've been told not to mess with the chamber until you dropped by. Tell me if you need anything."

Hongjoong nodded thankfully before he sprung up the stairs. His boots were silent on the wooden planks, used to far more creaking. He passed the next floor and went straight for the one above. With a wary glance to both sides of the corridor, he continued slower.

Room 18 looked like any other from the outside. No message on the door, no light outlining the wooden frame. The pirate eyed it for a long moment. Then, without knocking, he pushed the door handle down.

The door opened with a drawn-out squeak. Apprehensive, Hongjoong stepped inside. His eyes searched the room, only detecting a bed and a desk underneath a window. His grip on the door tightened, readying for an attack from behind.