Memories of the Sea I BTS X OC I

Chapter 5 - I'm fine

Jimin, Jungkook and Teahyung crowded around Hoseok's prone form, shielding him from view the best they could while Seokjin kneeled at the side of the wounded helmsman, Namjoon hovering over his shoulder. They all were slightly ruffled, shallow cuts and scrapes marring their handsome forms, but they weren't seriously hurt.

Hae wanted to hurry over to them, to see if she could do anything to help, but she controlled herself. Her hands shook, but she held the steering wheel steady against the push and pull of the currents. There wasn't a course or even a definite direction the Truth should take, so it was easy enough to sail with the wind, gaining distance as fast as possible.

The main deck looked like a slaughterhouse, blood drying on the wooden boards, the dead and dying strewn about like puppets with cut strings. The morning sun shone brightly, promising a clear and pleasant day. Youra had left Hoseok's side as soon as the captain and his men had arrived, and was currently trying to coax a wailing sailor away from his fallen friend, who lay near the foresail's mast, arms flung open, head and neck sticking together at an odd angle. He had red hair and square shoulders, a fighter's form and the scars to prove it. His arms were full of tattoos, small mementos of the life he had lived.

"I can fix him, I know I can", the man cried, reaching for the hands of the broken body sprawled on the floor, ignoring Youra completely. He was young, and his desperation made him seem younger still. "Come on, come on. I remember you, Ginge. You just gotta wake up. You can do it, come on. I'm still here, I remember." He went on and on, but his friend didn't move, didn't miraculously come back to life. He was gone.

Hae felt with the young man, who had obviously just lost someone who had been very dear to him, if he tried to call him back like this. She paused at that, frowning. But whatever thought she just had slipped her mind the instant she tried to get hold of it, escaping back into the misty ocean of her memories. Instead, Hae watched as Youra and a few others helped the grieving boy on his feet and lead him below deck, where most of the other sailors had already disappeared to.

"You did well", somebody said behind her, and Hae recognized Yoongi's voice without turning around. The girl couldn't think of anything to reply, so she shrugged. "They all did well", he continued eventually. Hae looked at the scene before her – four bodies, now covered with white cloth, were laying one besides the other, motionless. The wounded had been moved below deck – Seokjin would see to them in time.

"Some of them died", she said, and she couldn't keep the emotions out of her voice. Her head still ached, and she felt tired already. She wanted to go home, even if she didn't quite know where that was. Another pause. Hae wondered if he had left, if she just hadn't heard him leaving, but then he took a step forward, putting a hand on the wheel, steadying it. She hadn't realised it had been moving, that her grip had slipped, allowing the ship some leeway. He looked unhurt – he had been below deck during the battle, commanding the canonniers. She couldn't help the resentment bubbling up inside her. He had been safe – others hadn't been so lucky.

"They paid the price for our folly", Yoongi admitted quietly. His gaze wandered to the side, where Hoseok had lain. His face was unreadable, cool and collected. "Aren't you scared?", Hae asked him without thinking, incredulous. Once she had started speaking, she found it difficult to stop. "Because I am. You thought this port was safe. And now all those people are dead or dying or hurt, and the other ship might still come after us! And you're standing here, calm as you please. Just – why?"

The first mate of "The Truth Untold" looked at Hae, studying her. "It wouldn't help to be scared. Scared people make mistakes, and we can't risk losing our heads right now. But you're right, of course. We thought Solseom was save, and it wasn't." He said something else, but Hae couldn't quite make it out. A strange whistling filled her ears, and her head went fuzzy for a second. She blinked a few times, confused, and stumbled as the floor seemed to tilt under her feet. The girl gripped the steering wheel tighter, looking for something to lean on. Hae felt nauseated, like her stomach was trying to turn itself inside out. Slowly, gradually, her vision cleared and the noise calmed. She took a deep, gasping breath, trying to get her body under control again.