Memories of the Sea I BTS X OC I

Chapter 11 - Fake Love

Hae stood at the bow of the Sparrow, looking out onto the calm sea that stretched before her. She let the view calm her, even as her stomach churned anxiously. The breeze played with her elaborate skirt and tugged on her braided hair, trying to pull the strands free from their confines. She felt alone, even though she was far from the only person on deck. Yoongi had stayed in their cabin since the beginning of their voyage, faking seasickness. He – or rather, the fact that nobody could remember his name – was too noticeable on a small vessel like this, where the crew knew all the passengers on board. She felt his absence, even though she didn't like to admit it.

The Sparrow was a small merchant's ship, and carried a cargo of rough spun fabrics and a small number of travellers. It was perfectly ordinary, and therefore a good way to reach Solseom inconspicuously. If all went well, nobody would notice anything amiss.

"Oh dear, Hana, you'll catch a cold if you keep standing out here in the wind! Come on inside, we've made some soup for your husband, something light so he can hopefully keep it down." Hae turned, faking a polite smile as she faced Ana, the captain's wife. She was welcoming and kind, but a terrible gossip, and Hae didn't like the way the older woman always tried to get personal information out of everybody.

"That sounds wonderful, thank you", the girl replied, and reluctantly left her place at the helm. The Sparrow's passenger's hall was right next to the kitchen, and always seemed crowded, so Hae avoided it as much as possible. While Ana fixed her a plate of soup and chattered about the weather, she did her best to look comfortable and at ease, but she didn't know how well she played her part. The other passengers were ordinary folk, as far as she could tell, and still she felt suspicious of them. As soon as she could, Hae bid the captain's wife goodbye and left the hall.

The cabin she shared with Yoongi was in the back, near the captain's quarters, as all the passenger's rooms were. Balancing the bowl of soup carefully in one hand, she carefully found her way, getting lost twice in the sprawling wooden corridors. Finally she arrived at her destination. Hae instinctively raised her hand to knock on the cabin door, but changed her mind and just let herself in. It was her bedroom too, after all.

"I'm back", she announced quietly, closing the door softly behind herself. Yoongi was on the floor, doing push-ups, his face blank and his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. He either hadn't heard or ignored her, because he didn't react at all. Hae lingered in the doorway, her gaze drawn to the man on the ground. He was shirtless, and his skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat as the muscles of his back worked to support his weight. It was mesmerizing, fascinating in a primal way that was difficult to describe. Hae felt her cheeks heat, and turned away to put the soup on the small table.

Yoongi looked up when he heard the clatter of the plate, and got up, a half-smile on his face. "Soup again?", he asked, humour in his voice. She nodded, and the both of them sat down. "I've never seen you work out like that", Hae commented, idly, while he ate. "Usually you just nap the day away". She was teasing, of course, but her words still rang true.

"We'll be in Solseom soon. Tomorrow morning, if the Sparrow's course is right." he hesitated, playing with his spoon. "I guess I'm just nervous. I worry for Jungkook, and it probably won't be easy to get him out if he really has been captured." It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he caught himself before he could. Hae understood. If Jungkook had been arrested as a spy by the Caelians, he was most likely hurt. Maybe even dead. It had to be hard to face that possibility, especially on a ship where he didn't have any control how fast they were going to reach port. They could arrive too late.

Hae took in his unreadable expression, the determined set of his shoulders. "Relax. We have to get there before we can do anything at all", she said, trying for reasonable but ending up sounding just as unsure and concerned as he was. Yoongi finished his food in silence. Then, he looked at the girl, visibly brightening.