Captain Hongjoong and his crew, cursed and bound to Tortuga, sail the treacherous seas. Action, murder, and romance follow their wake, all while trying to defeat Barbossa, their enemy behind the curse of Tortuga. In this, alliances shift like the ti...
The evening continued its watch over the crew, the sun above twinkling as if to offer solace. The Black Pearl sailed forward, a vessel navigating the sea of emotions, each member carrying their burdens and hopes. The journey, both literal and metaphorical, pressed on into the unknown, guided by the stars and the shared strength of the crew.
Eunchae didn't end up joining the crew last night. Just as she was about to board, her mother rushed outside in a flurry of panic.
"I'm so sorry, Captain, and the crew," she exclaimed, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "She's just been finding new ways to run away because her exams are nearing."
With a firm grip on Eunchae's collar, her mother bowed apologetically, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Yeosang couldn't help but stifle a laugh, his hands embracing the heart trinkets Eunchae gave him. Hongjoong pretended to cough, hoping that the crew wouldn't catch on to their amusement.
"I don't remember being that scared of exams that I would join a pirate crew," Mingi exclaimed, his mouth widening in horror at the thought.
"You didn't even go to school, Mingi-ah," Hongjoong said, lightly patting his friend's back with a chuckle.
Jongho shuddered slightly and moved ahead, "Teenagers are scary."
The crew shared a moment of lightheartedness, the tension from earlier dissipating as they chuckled at the unexpected turn of events.
"I feel lighter now. They didn't lie when they said kids are angels of heaven," Yeosang remarked with a small smile.
"They say that for newborns, Sangie. She was a teenager," Wooyoung teased.
"Hush, Woo, let him have his moment," San hushed him, allowing Yeosang to enjoy the brief respite from the weight of his emotions.
----
"You know what? Why don't we have a party?" Yeosang proposed during the community dinner, causing a collective drop of cutlery. The crew looked at him, a mix of surprise and disbelief on their faces.
"What?" Mingi asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Your real motive was to beat Barbossa and be free, right? The whole crew is free now, we should celebrate," Yeosang explained.
"Sangie, are you okay?" Wooyoung inquired, concern evident in his voice.
"I know the thing with Miray and the underdrew hit us all hard and all that, but you guys deserve a celebration. It's like winning a war after years, and you're finally free, even when a war has many casualties," Yeosang expressed, attempting to bring a sense of lightness to the heavy atmosphere that lingered after recent events.
As the lively debate continued on board, Hypaxia blissfully ignored the bickering, fully engrossed in savoring Seonghwa's culinary masterpiece-a meal that was nothing short of perfection. Every bite seemed to transport her to a realm of flavors, and she found herself shedding tears of joy at the exquisite taste.
"What do you say, Daphne?" her brother suddenly said from the side, nudging her.
"That's kinda insensitive if you ask me, but you do you," Hypaxia replied, not fully grasping the joyous atmosphere around her, still enveloped in the lingering emotions from the recent challenges.
"Im healed now, guys. Trust me, I don't want to bring you down from celebrating your freedom. Come on, y'all are pirates; who knows when the next adventure comes, and we're gasping for our lives. We should party?" Yeosang said, trying to lighten the mood and steer the focus toward the celebration of newfound freedom.
"He isn't very wrong, but we should ask Mingi," Yunho said, turning to his friend.
"Me? Why?" Mingi questioned.
"Your mates, the undercrew, worked under you," Yunho explained.
"That's true. We weren't really that close; they were like my employees. Of course, as a human, I'm mourning their loss, but listening to Yeosang, I'm realizing that this really calls for a celebration," Mingi said, acknowledging the need to embrace the moment despite the recent losses.
"You guys are actually unbelievable," Hongjoong remarked, his voice laced with amusement.
"Am I the only one who still disagrees?" Hypaxia asked, turning the attention towards her.
"As long as I get rum, I have no disagreements," Seonghwa said nonchalantly, earning a narrowed-eyed look from Hypaxia in disbelief.
"There's the island of Lyjor a few hundred miles from here, it's famous for its bar. We should go there," Jongho suggested, still stuffing some bread into his mouth.
"But it has native tribals living there. Is it even safe?" Seonghwa asked him.
"Anything is safe if you're strong enough," Jongho replied with an 'obviously' expression, earning a collective eye-roll from the crew.
"Let's sail to Lyjor!" Hongjoong exclaimed with a wide grin, his hands on his waist, and he dashed out of the room.
"Is it me or is the captain acting weird?" Jongho asked, nudging Seonghwa, who shushed him before anyone else could hear.
"He hasn't ever said these many words in his lifetime at dinner than what he said today," Yunho, who sat in front of Jongho, remarked, and Mingi joined in, nodding at the two.
"The captain seems normal though," Wooyoung mumbled while San stuffed a big piece of cucumber into his mouth.
Hypaxia ignored the discussion about the captain's strange behavior before she unintentionally spilled something and turned toward Soren
"Ren, you good?" she asked him, a hint of concern in her voice."Why wouldn't I be good?" he replied, giving her a strange stare. Hypaxia turned back, side-eyeing him, before continuing to enjoy Seonghwa's masterpiece of a meal.
And honestly, i am worried about him, in barely even a month he went through a fatal attack, two mental breakdowns, and two exact mental burdens and now he's proposing a celebration. I wish to just hug him and tell him he can tell me what's wrong but he just seems so dismissive right now, i know he is not in fact fine.
She held her forehead with her hand gently before she could scream in frustration
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