WHO ARE YOU?|ATEEZ FANFIC (In Editing Progress)

Chapter 9|Illusion in the sea

That night, Yeosang just couldn’t sleep. With his eyes open, he was laying on his back in the center of the bed between Wooyoung and San, who both had an arm and a leg around him and were snuggling up to him like a sticky octopus. Although it was relatively cool outside that night, it was practically impossible for Yeosang to freeze in this bed with the two boys pressed against him like that. He was sweating from the tight embrace, felt the heat coming from their bodies, but he was sure that wasn’t the reason for his insomnia. That was exactly how he had slept the last couple of nights. Yes, at first he had needed to get used to it. Not only was he not used to being cuddled all night long, but also he was not used to being close to the other boys and especially with Wooyoung he never thought he could be that close. He was happy about it though and that’s why he hadn’t had any problems sleeping in their embrace until now, but that night something was different. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t fall asleep. He turned to Wooyoung, turned to San, turned to his stomach, turned to his back, but he just couldn’t find a comfortable sleeping position. He was also pretty sure that it wasn’t the bear snoring that he could hear from the living room. He was used to Mingi snoring like that after all and it wasn’t so extremely loud, that it would be keeping him awake. After a while, Mingi’s snoring even subsided and stopped completely, but even then Yeosang couldn’t fall asleep. It frustrated him. Outside the bedroom window, the birds in the trees were already beginning to chirp, announcing the arrival of next day with the sun slowly raising on the horizon, and a light breeze was blowing past the window. The next morning was already dawning. Frustrated, Yeosang rubbed his eyes and yawned.

It doesn’t work… I can’t sleep…

He thought to himself and then carefully freed himself from the tight embrace of the two cuddle-addicts. He sat up straight and sighed. The early first sunlight  broke through the curtains into the room and shone in his face. He raised his eyebrows and grumbled quietly. Tired, he rubbed his eyes and yawned extensively, before he quietly and carefully slid forward on the mattress to the edge of the bed. When he stood, he raised his arms above his head and stretched thoroughly, until something in his neck and back area cracked quietly, then he tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake anyone. He carefully opened the bedroom door and sneaked out of the room, through the hallway and into the bathroom, where he freshened up, before he quietly tiptoed down the stairs. The quiet ticking of the clock was the only sound Yeosang could hear on the ground floor. As he stepped down the last step, he turned toward the living room, where he expecting to see Hongjoong and Mingi sleeping, but he was surprised when he saw only Hongjoong. The armchair where Mingi usually slept was empty. Yeosang frowned in surprise.

“That explains the silence in the house.” He whispered to himself. He looked at Hongjoong, who was lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, sleeping peacefully. A pout adorned his plump lips and his hair was a total mess, as if someone had ruffled it aggressively. His position didn’t look particularly comfortable. He was lying on his back, one arm hanging from the couch and one leg stretched over the backrest, his chin pressed against his chest because of the way too big pillow under his head. That couldn't be comfortable, and yet Hongjoong slept like a baby. Yeosang would never understand why Hongjoong didn’t just sleep upstairs with Seonghwa. The bed was big enough and certainly had enough room for a boy of Hongjoong’s small stature. The front door was locked, so intruders would have to find another way into the house, through the window or with force through the door and that would most likely wake up somebody, so Hongjoong sleeping here in the living room was not really necessary. Yeosang shrugged und looked over at the empty armchair again. Where was Mingi? He turned around to the entrance area of the house, where the boys had their shoes stored in a small shoe cabinet next to the door. Mingi’s shoes were missing. If he was out for a walk? Yeosang tiptoed over to the shoe cabinet and grabbed his pair of shoes, put them on before quietly opening the front door and going outside. The fresh breeze that blew in from the water hit Yeosang as he walked down the narrow gravel path to the garden gate and blew the mint-colored strands of hair out of his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding him. The morning beach was awash in cool colors and gentle waves broke on the shore against the cliffs at the edge of the rock wall that completely framed the town and the beach in a U-formed shape. Yeosang opened the garden gate and stepped onto the grey asphalt road that bordered the beach before taking off his shoes and dipping his feet into the white sand. He looked around. The song of the birds grew louder as the sun rose on the eastern horizon and the first calls of the seagulls echoed across the beach. They flew in circles over the coast where they had built their nests. Yeosang smiled at the sight before walking barefoot along the road to the beach. Small white grains of sand tickled between his toes with every step. It was a pleasant feeling and it relaxed him. As he walked, he kept his gaze fixed on the deserted city. It was a mystery to him why there was no one else here. This city was so beautiful that he would have expected to meet someone even at this time of day for a morning jogging session or someone taking their dog for a early walk. But there was no one. However, as empty and lonely this town felt for him, if he was honest he actually preferred it like this. He was content not to be confronted with any more strangers when he was already having trouble socially interacting with the seven boys. What he was most happy about, however, was that since he was locked in this glass box he didn’t have to meet another Halateez. His last encounter with a Halateez was deeply burned into his memory. It wasn’t the fact that they had ambushed him and locked him up, or that they wanted to let him die in that glass box, that had taught Yeosang to fear the Halateez. Rather, it was the feeling that Yeosang had as he stood in the glass box, the Halateez on the other side of the glass opposite him, with whom he had maintained eye contact for a little while before Wooyoung and Mingi had entered the room. One detail that Yeosang had left out of his story to Hongjoong and the others was what the Halateez looked like. Even now, the memory of it sent shivers down Yeosang’s spine. Unlike the Halateez on the screen in the warehouse, the Halateez in front of him was not wearing a mask to cover his face, so Yeosang could see his face clearly. Sharp almond-shaped empty eyes, gray in color, his hair strawberry blonde and a face that Yeosang knew just too well. A birthmark had adorned his left eye. It was his face. Yeosang wasn’t quite sure, if it was reality, or if it was the result of his lack of oxygen inside theglass box. It must’ve been. A hallucination was the only way Yeosang could explain the enormous resemblance. The Halateez really did look just like him, only he seemed a little younger and somehow lifeless. Pale skin, dull empty eyes that looked at him with a hint of sadness in them. The others certainly wouldn’t have believed him if he had told them that the Halateez was his spitting image. He would’ve probably sounded insane to them. He himself didn’t know, if what he saw was real or just his head playing games on him. He just knew, that if any of the others would’ve told him something like that, without Yeosang actually seeing it, he wouldn’t have believed it. It sounded way to crazy.

Lost in his thoughts, Yeosang continued walking straight ahead for another half hour. On his way he passed the skate park, where he sat down fr a while. Thinking about the day before, he had to smile. He looked around and relaxed in the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded him. They could actually stay here. Of course, it was not ideal. The house they had decided to live in was too small and they would probably have to look for something bigger, if they wanted to avoid Hongjoong or Mingi getting back problems or the bathroom situation becoming too critical with only one bathroom for eight boys. They also did not know how long the supermarket would continue to replenish itself with fresh food and what would happen if that no longer happened. But despite all the doubts and worries Yeosang had about this place, he liked it here. Although he had initially resisted letting the others get close to him, he now really enjoyed being with them. His trust issues with the boys had also slowly subsided. Although he was still a little angry because the group had repeatedly gotten into trouble, after they ignored his words and concerns and just carried on as Hongjoong or Wooyoung suggested, but he tried to put that behind him. He knew that the two of them had only been concerned about the safety of the group and at the latest after Wooyoung had fought so hard for Yeosang’s safety and Hongjoong had practically gone into fire for them, Yeosang had no choice but to trust them.Despite their previous differences, Wooyoung and Yeosang had actually become very close. They had known each other for three weeks now, but somehow it felt to Yeosang as if he had known Wooyoung for years. They got along so well that it almost made Yeosang feel creepy. But he was happy about it. Wooyoung was a really nice guy and the others, like San and Yunho, for example, had also become very dear to Yeosang. The only one he couldn’t quite say what he thought of was the youngest of the group. Compared to the others, Jongho was still very quiet and reserved, but when he did say something he usually made the others laugh. He definitely was a really nice guy and Yeosang liked him, but for him it felt so hard to really talk to him, that he didn’t know how to get closer with him. When he got up again after some time, wanted to continue his morning walk and turned towards the beach, he suddenly stopped. Not far from the skate park, he and the others had already discovered an abandoned pier yesterday, next to which stood a sign with a ship painted on it, but for some reason today it was not abandoned. Yeosang immediately noticed the ship floating in the water next to the pier, tied to the posts with ropes to prevent it from drifting away. Yeosang hesitated.

“What the..?” He mumbled to himself confused and a little nervous, and carefully stepped closer. It wasn’t a ship that Yeosang would have expected to see at the pier of a city like this. Not a yacht or even a motorboat. On the contrary, it appeared to be a classic ship, built of wood with a steering wheel, masts, sails and even cannons protruding through holes in the side of the ship.

Looks like a pirate ship.

Yeosang thought as he looked at the ship more closely. It was painted in a warm shade of brown. The sails were white and almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. The ship was parked backwards, the stern on display, so Yeosang could read the golden letters that told him the name of the ship. Illusion. Yeosang swallowed nervously as he stood in front of the large ship. Where did it suddenly come from? He was one hundred percent sure that it hadn’t been there the day before. And what was even more important: who brought it here? A shiver ran down Yeosangs spine as he looked at the ship in front of him. First they moved into a ghost town, now ghost ships are anchored on the beach. If Yeosang was to actually see a ghost around here, at this point he wouldn’t even be surprised about it. Maybe the Halateez parked it here. Panic rose up in Yeosangs chest at that thought. He didn’t want to stay and find out, turned around to run back home to tell the others about what he had found, when suddenly he saw someone standing right behind him. He flinched.

“Shit-!” Yeosang stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet, leading him to fall to the ground with a big thump. The person in front of him immediately crouched down to him.

“Yeosang, are you okay?!” Hearing Mingi’s deep raspy morning voice, Yeosangs panic immediately faded away and he calmed down a little. He looked at Mingi. His black hair with the blue stains were messy and he was looking tired. Did he have trouble to sleep as well? Mingi carefully helped Yeosang to get back in his feet. Yeosang brushed the sand off his butt and sighed, looking at Mingi with squinted eyes.

“You startled me.” He grumbled and Mingi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Sorry.” He said.

“I gotta be honest, i didn’t see you until you turned around.” With one eyebrow raised Yeosang eyed the tall boy and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Sure, Yeosang wasn’t as tall as Mingi or Yunho, but he for sure wasn’t that tiny, that Mingi didn’t see him at all. Mingi looked past Yeosang at the ship and gulped nervoulsy.

“Where did this ship come from?” He asked. Yeosang cluelessly turned around and shrugged.

“No idea. I just discovered it too “ he answered, as Mingi carefully walked a few steps closer to their discovery, taking a closer look at it.

“Should we go and wake up the others about it?” Yeosang asked nervously as Mingi hesitantly stepped onto the pier. Mingi just shrugged.

“I don’t know. Is a ghost ship that wasn’t there yesterday and suddenly appeared out of fucking nowhere important enough to rip them out of their beauty sleep?” He looked back at Yeosang, who had his arms tightly wrapped around his body and his eyes locked to the ship. It creeped him out. Then he nodded slightly.

“We should wake them up.” He said. Mingi nodded in agreement and walked back to Yeosang.

“Lets go then.”

Wooyoung couldn’t believe his eyes when he and the rest of the group arrived at the beach by the pier one hour later. He stared at the ship in front of him, not sure if he was still sleeping or not. He was nervously clinging to San’s muscular arm and didn’t know what to think of what his eyes saw. All he knew was, that their peaceful time was certainly over.

“That can’t mean anything good.” He muttered as Hongjoong stepped forward and took a few steps toward the pier.

“Did you see anyone else here when you found it?’ he asked directed to Yeosang and Mingi, who both shook their heads.

“It was just the two of us.” Yeosang answered.

“And on board?”

“Do you really think we dared to get up there on our own?” Mingi asked in surprise and Hongjoong quickly realised how stupid his question was. He too wouldn’t have dared to go up there, so he didn’t expect Yeosang or Mingi to.

“Who do you think brought it here?” Seonghwa asked and Hongjoong shrugged.

“I guess we’ll have to get up there and find out.” Next to him, Yeosang heard Mingi grumbling nervously.

“Great.” He mumbled, before he and the rest followed Hongjoong to the pier. They stepped carefully onto the wooden pier, which squeaked and creaked with every step, which did not exactly inspire courage in the boys. Mingi clung anxiously to Yeosang, shaking, as the two walked closely behind Hongjoong until he stopped at the bottom of the plank leading up to the ship. He looked up at the ship and hesitated. He gulped nervoulsy. Small waves broke on the bottom of the ship and a thin layer of fog surrounded it and the pier, which made the overall picture even more creepy and did not exactly inspire courage in Hongjoong. He rubbed his arms and turned around to face the others. He looked at Mingi, who now didn’t seem as tall and strong as he usually did, shrunken in himself, hiding behind Yeosang’s broad shoulders. Seonghwa was holding Wooyoung and San by their hands, as if they were scared little children. Jongho seemed to be the least scared of all this, but that actually didn’t surprise Hongjoong at this point. Trying to give himself courage, Hongjoong took another deep breath and nodded to himself.

“Okay.” He said and then looked at Seonghwa, who was eyeing Hongjoong slightly nervously.

“I’m going up first.” Hongjoong continued, sparking worry in Seonghwa’s chest.

“On your own?” He asked and Hongjoong nodded.

“Yes.” He answered.

“I’m going up to make sure it’s safe. Don’t come up till i tell you.” Yunho furrowed his eyebrows worriedly and stepped a bit closer, to put a hand on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“What if you get in trouble?” Hongjoong just shrugged at Yunho’s question and stepped onto the plank.

“I’ll improvise.” He said, then carefully climbed up the plank until he arrived at the top, where he hesitated and looked around. The deck of the ship was just as deserted as the entire beach. Here, too, fog lay over the ground, turning everything grey and gloomy, giving Hongjoong unpleasant goosebumps creeping up on his arms and neck. Barrels were placed in all corners of the ship, next to the door to the captain’s room, at the bow of the ship and near the cannons. At the bow of the ship, next to a platform that gave a better view of the water, lay a stack of old papers that fluttered in the light breeze from the lake, but could not be blown away because of the book that lay on the papers to keep them down. Seonghwa watched Hongjoong hesitate to get onto the ship. For a moment he even considered joining him to encourage him, but he knew that Hongjoong would immediately send him down to the others again. If they really got into danger up there, Seonghwa would only stand in the way in case they had to run away. When Hongjoong finally pulled himself together and got of the plank and onto the ship, Seonghwa took a deep breath and squeezed San and Wooyoung’s hands for strength.

“Be careful, Joong!” He called after him, but Hongjoong was already no longer to be seen. The seven boys on the pier nervously held their breath as they waited for a sign from Hongjoong. For a moment it was uncomfortably quiet between the seven boys, except for the annoying buzzing of mosquitoes buzzing around the pier and the gentle flow of the water beneath their feet. Feeling unsettled by the persistent silence, Seonghwa limped forward a few steps, pulling Wooyoung and San with him by the hand, and the others followed them as if by reflex, as to not be left behind by their oldest.

“Where is he?” Mingi whimpered in fear and Seonghwa shook his head.

“I don’t know.” He carefully approached the plank and took one step onto it.

“Joong?” His voice was shaking nervously as he called for a sign of Hongjoong and for a moment the boy remained silent, when he suddenly leaned over the railing on the upper deck so he could see the boys on the pier.

“You can come up!” 

“FUCK SHIT!” Mingi screaked in shock, flinched and jumped behind Seonghwa to hide, leaving Hongjoong muddled by his reaction.

“Chill dude.” He said, for which Mingi angrily glared at him.

“You scared the shit out of me!” He scolded the older one, but Hongjoong just shook his head and gestured for them to come to him on deck.

“Just come up already. It’s safe!” With that, he disappeared from the railing again and Mingi turned around to Seonghwa, who had relief at Hongjoong being safe written all over his face.

“Let’s go.” With Seonghwa in the lead, supported by San as they walked up the plank, the seven boys boarded the ship. When everyone was on board, Hongjoong came down the stairs from the upper deck and walked towards them. Yunho looked around the deck skeptically.

“Looks so much smaller from up here.” He said and Hongjoong nodded.

“It’s not a big ship, but it seems seaworthy.” Confused by Hongjoong’s words, Jongho looked at him while the others spread out on deck and looked around.

“Seaworthy? Why would that be important?” Jongho asked as Wooyoung, who was standing by the platform at the bow of the ship, called the group together. Immediately, San, Yeosang, Yunho and Mingi ran over to him and gathered around him.

“What is it?” Hongjoong asked before he, followed by Jongho and Seonghwa, also went to Wooyoung. Passing San and Jongho, Hongjoong looked at Wooyoung, who was examining the paper in his hands. Wooyoung hesitated to present his find, but then handed it to Hongjoong, who immediately accepted the paper. When he saw what was portrayed on it, he immediately felt his heart feel heavier, as if the burden he thought he had gotten rid of had immediately fallen back on him. A sigh left his throat.

“Looks like a map.” He said. Yeosang immediately groaned in annoyance.

“Oh not again..” he rolled his eyes and frustratedly rubbed his face with his hands. Yunho put a hand on Yeosang’s shoulder in an attempt to encourage him, before leaning forward curiously to see what was on the map. Confused, he raised an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t look like the map we had last time.” He said. Jongho grinned mockingly and shook his head.

“Maybe because it’s a different map?” Yunho rolled his eyes.

“No shit, sherlock.”

“Looks like a sea map.” San said as he looked at the map, which was mainly blue in color. The bay in which the small beach town was located was scribbled in the lower left corner of the map, while the rest of the map showed the lake, which on the map looked more like a whole sea. On the upper right corner of the map, there was a small spot coloured in purple with blue palm trees and pink bushes drawn on it. It looked like an island out of a fantasy drawing. He turned the paper over to check the back, but it was completely blank except for a few yellow stains of beer. When he turned the map over again and again his eyes met the small island in the upper corner, he paused for a moment and then looked up with furrowed eyebrows.

“Is that…” He murmured thoughtfully, pushed his way between Wooyoung and San, who were both standing in front of the platform at the bow, then he climbed up onto the platform to look over the railing. Confused, the two boys Hongjoong pushed to the side looked up at him.

“What are you looking at?” Wooyoung asked, but Hongjoong wasn’t paying attention to him. With his eyes slightly narrowed, he looked out over the lake, searching for something. Curious, Seonghwa joined him on the platform and tried to figure out what Hongjoong was looking at.

“Is there anything there?” he asked. Hongjoong hesitated, then pointed to the horizon.

“Do you remember the strange landmass we discovered when we arrived?” Seonghwa paused. He could faintly remember seeing something on the horizon, but whether it was really a landmass or just a strange shadow, he wasn’t sure. He followed Hongjoong’s pointing and looked over to the horizon of the huge lake, then he saw it. Very faintly visible, on the edge of the horizon, he saw the land mass lying lonely on the water, far away from the mainland.

“That must be the island on the map.” Hongjoong then said. Seonghwa nodded in conviction.

“Looks like it.” The two came down from the platform and Hongjoong rolled the map into a thin scroll.

“I think we have to go there.” He said suddenly, completely shocking the others.

“What?!” Yeosang burst out in horror. He stared at Hongjoong with wide eyes and couldn’t believe his ears. He couldn’t be serious.

“Why would we have to go there?” Yunho asked, what everyone else was thinking.

“Yeah, Don’t you think that’s a bit of a hasty conclusion?” San added.

“We found a ship and a map. So? Why should that mean we should go to that tiny little island over there? And why would we go anyway?” he continued. Yeosang nodded in agreement to San’s words and looked hesitantly at Hongjoong.

“We have it good here. Why should we risk it to follow some strange map again?”

“It doesn’t even say where we should go. No cross, no nothing,” Jongho added approvingly and Yeosang nodded.

“Exactly.” Hongjoong hesitated a little uncertainly and looked out at the water. It shimmered in the light of the sun, which was now high above them in the sky and shining down on them all. Hongjoong couldn’t quite explain it, but something deep inside him vigorously told him to follow this map. Of course he understood the doubts and reluctance of the others. He also saw no reason to simply leave their current accommodation, where they had made themselves so comfortable and settled in well, but to him it felt as if they had no choice.

“I can’t really explain it.” He began hesitantly and scratched the back of his head. The others looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to give them an explanation that would make them understand, but he just shrugged.

“I think you just have to trust me on this one.” For a moment, the ship was quiet and the boys exchanged uncertain glances. Then Jongho stepped forward, biting the inside of his lip, unsure of what to say.

“Hyung.” He began and looked into Hongjoong’s round brown eyes.

“Don’t get me wrong, I trust you. We have all followed you this far and made you our leader not without reason, but because we trust you and your decisions.” Jongho took a deep breath, a little nervous. Hongjoong looked at him with gentle eyes, which made it even harder for Jongho to be honest. He shook his head.

“We are safe here. We have shelter, food, hot water and a huge beach on our doorstep. I just don’t understand how, with all of this, you come to the conclusion that you want to set sail on a pirate ship that I’m pretty sure we can’t even steer, for no real reason.” Hongjoong nodded quietly and lowered his head. He felt the expectant, questioning looks of the others on him, but could not think of an explanation. Just as he was about to take everything back, Wooyoung suddenly spoke up.

“We once talked about how nothing here is a coincidence.” He said, catching the attention of the others. They all turned their heads to him and looked at him questioningly.

“That was just speculation.” Yeosang interjected unconvinced, but Wooyoung shrugged.

“And if we were right? Has anything here seemed like a coincidence to you since we woke up in the desert?” He questioned, making Yeosang think. When he asked him like that, Yeosang actually couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t been planned. Their journey through the desert had been planned by the map the Halateez had given Wooyoung, as had their arrival at the warehouse and the tunnels underneath. His kidnapping and near murder, as well as their escape, had all been written down somewhere or carried out by the Halateez. Yeosang was one hundred percent sure that they were pulling the strings here.

“You’re thinking of the Halateez, am I right?” He asked Wooyoung and he nodded. Just the name of these dark figures sent a chill down Mingi’s spine and he shuddered.

“Don’t tell me you think…” He said in frustration and Wooyoung gently placed a hand on his arm to calm him down. Hongjoong looked questioningly at Wooyoung and Yeosang.

“So you also think that the ship is not here by coincidence.” He asked. Sighing, Yeosang nodded and rubbed his forehead.

“But even if the Halateez have parked the ship here, why should that motivate us to set sail?”

“I don’t think we’ll have another choice.” Seonghwa said dejectedly.

“If the Halateez have planned this path for us, I agree with Hongjoong. Then we have to go. Otherwise we will definitely only have more problems with the Halateez than we already have.”

“So shut up and obey?” Jongho asked. You could hear in his tone how pissed he was about their conclusion. Seonghwa caringly put an arm around his shoulders.

“I know that’s not fair. But we really don’t seem to have another choice.”

“What is the worst that could happen if we stay anyway?” Yunho asked hesitantly and Yeosang escaped a little chuckle.

“You mean we should rebel against the Halateez?” Yunho shook his head.

“It’s not rebellion if we just stay where they drove us. We could pretend we never saw the ship and just stay here.” He suggested, but Hongjoong didn’t think it was a good idea.

“I don’t think we could get away with it. We should know them a little by now. They’ll show up and force us to go or someone will get hurt again.” Yunho lowered his gaze.

“Yeah… We can’t risk that.” He admitted. Jongho huffed in frustration and sat down on one of the barrels.

“So we’ll go?” He asked. Hongjoong looked around a little hesitant and nodded.

“Well first we gotta find out how to get this ship to sail.”