Memories of the Sea I BTS X OC I

Chapter 9 - Interlude: Shadow

"I'm really sorry, Hae. I didn't even see you leave with him, I just looked away for one second and you were gone, I was worried sick! I shouldn't have left you there, sitting at the bar all on your own, I'm just ... really sorry" Youra was stirring her breakfast oats far more than necessary, clearly agitated. Hae just shrugged, eating spoonful after spoonful, feeling vaguely sick and famished at the same time.

"It's fine. Nothing happened", she told her friend, grimacing faintly. Her wrist smarted unpleasantly whenever she moved it, but far worse was the lingering feeling of Connors fingers on the delicate skin of her neck, tracing the lines of her tattoo. She knew it wasn't her fault – if it hadn't been her, sitting at the bar alone, it would have been another girl. It wasn't fair to blame Youra, or Hae herself, for what had happened. There would always be another girl, who would be drunker, or more alone, and she didn't deserve that either. It was guys like Connor who were the problem, not their victims.

"Still. I'll make it up to you, all right? Maybe we'll...", Youra stopped speaking abruptly, her eyes growing large. The mass hall was suddenly somewhat quiet, people only whispering their words when before there had been shouts and laughter. Hae turned. Teahyung had entered the room, which was weird in itself. The officers almost never shared their meals with the crew – the only exception had been the evening after the fight. Even more bizarre was the fact that he was carrying a plate of shiny golden honey cookies, heading straight for the table where Youra and Hae were sitting.

"Good morning, ladies", he greeted them, bowing to them in an exaggerated fashion before depositing the cookies on the table before plopping down unceremoniously into one of the empty seats. People stared at him like he had grown a second head, whispering to each other.

Teahyung's smile was a little bit strained, his shoulders set in a tense line. Still, he pretended not to notice the awkward atmosphere, and offered the cookies to Hae. She took one, biting into it with gusto. She hadn't remembered until now, but she loved Yakgwa.

"They're delicious", she complimented. "Did you make those?". Youra beside her seemed frozen with astonishment – she hadn't even taken a cookie yet. Teahyung was obviously relieved that she wasn't acting as strangely as the rest of the crew, and shook his head.

"No, If I tried to make Yakgwa, they would probably be inedible", he laughed. "Or I would end up burning down the whole ship if there was nobody supervising me - Seokjin would never let me do that to his precious kitchen".

"That bad, huh?", Hae smiled, taking another cookie. They were perfect, a tasty balance between sweet honey and sharp ginger, all wrapped up in crispy dough. "Who made them then, if it wasn't you? Seokjin?", she asked him between two bites.

Teahyung's whole face lit up. "No, Jungkook's the mysterious cookie cook you're looking for. He made a bunch of them this morning so we'll have enough while he's gone." Youra was eyeing the plate now as well. She had apparently adapted to taking her breakfast with an officer of the Truth and began to eat once more, even if she didn't join in on the conversation. All around them, people slowly turned their attention back to their own affaires, but the strange tension lingered.

Hae tilted her head curiously, chewing on her cookie. She hadn't expected to hear that some of Namjoon's inner circle were leaving while the Truth anchored at Ma City. It wasn't that strange, she supposed – they might have family or friends nearby they wanted to visit. Still, she couldn't imagine any of the officers having a life besides their work on the ship.

"And you? Do you have any plans?", she asked Teahyung, who nodded energetically. "Yeah, I'll be your shadow for the day. So your plans are my plans, I suppose. Although, if you're open to it, I totally have some ideas what we could do! There's a mystical echo cave not far from here, or we could visit the fortune teller of Ma City! She's amazing, I've never seen anything quite like her before."