Young and Wild || seongjoong || ATEEZ

Chapter Seven : Her Daughter

Chapter warning : none

Tortuga.

One of the most popular establishments for buccaneers, which later became home to all pirates and a trade port for any man who dared to sail near. Seonghwa had heard the name before, only in passing with his studies of geography when he was younger. The name was always mentioned with hate dripping from the tongue that taught him- the name was taught like a curse, only to be whispered out loud if it had to be spoken at all. It had taken Seonghwa many years to fully understand why the name and island were hated so much among his teacher and fell advisors, but as age found him, Seonghwa was able to figure out that Tortuga was the only place in all the seas where pirates were able to walk freely without the fear of being caught by some navy guard and hung for their crimes.

A safe haven for the pirate kind.

On the great island of Tortuga, they were free and untouchable. No navy officers, no doom waiting for them in the form of the sharp jaws that laid within the execution rooms, no fear of a greater power... Tortuga was the ultimate place for a pirate to be.

However, Seonghwa knew that didn't mean it was safe by any means. There would be trouble lurking around every corner, he would have to be very careful and keep his eyes peeled for any trouble that would be stalking him from within the shadows.

Ever since Seonghwa had nearly met his fate with the assassin that had crawled through the open window of his room and had nearly strangled him to death, Seonghwa had been on edge. He was restless and jumpy. His face was pinched together like he was constantly smelling something rotten- his arms crossed over his chest protectively while his eyes were always constantly darting all around him. Even during the day, there always seemed to be some heavy presence following him. Seonghwa could not shake the feeling that there was something there, something within the deepest shadows that was watching his every move.

The image of the demasked man that had laid upon the wooden floor, blood stains splattered up on his chin and even his ear from the deep and fatal wound San had delivered to his neck remained imprinted in Seonghwa's mind. He could still see how the fabric had become dark and wet from the blood that pooled under his head as he laid there lifeless- his mission left incomplete. The rather blissful expression on the nameless man's face was something that didn't ease Seonghwa's body but only left him tight as he tried to stop himself from wondering who the man was, what his name that was given to him, if he had a family, or even why he had climbed through Seonghwa's window to only wrap his stronger fingers around his neck and try to squeeze all the breath out of him.

After that night, Hongjoong had brought them all together before they departed to the sea once more, and had told them that it seemed that whatever Seonghwa's father was planning had finally started. What Jongho had mentioned was true after all, there would be men after him now- hitmen whose only job was to kill him for a big sum of money from his very own father. The captain had stressed that they needed to be even more careful now and would need the assistance of more men on the ship to make sure a surprise attack would not catch them by surprise. Hense their trip to Tortuga where Seonghwa had been told was where the rest of the crew that worked upon the Destiny stayed while the main crew went out and about on their adventures.

Hongjoong was tense too. The captain looked like the adrenaline that had rushed through his veins when he burst into the inn room just moments before an attempted assassination had not worn off even days after it had happened. His attitude and body language were crazier than they normally were, and the wild look in his eye did not wear off either as he seemed to keep Seonghwa in his line of sight at all points throughout the day until they boarded their ship and pulled away from the dock.