Water Heart | P.Sh

| 2.14 |

When Jay had returned with Jiyeon, Jake had immediately helped Sunoo lift Lin up onto the table. Leaving Jiyeon to run around and check on Lin's vital signs. Eventually resorting to open each of Lin's eyelids and staring into her eyes. By now the storm had settled and it was simply just raining outside.

"She's alive," Jiyeon excused and straightened up, hands on her hips, "the crew is not."

"Sorry?" Sunoo blinked a few times in confusion.

"Oh yeah. Fantôme took them. Jungwon and I were lucky to be in the Crow's Nest," Jiyeon waved it off, "and you guys were in here. So all good we're about... what? One, two... eight people left. This is gonna be fun guys."

"What do you mean the whole crew is gone?" I questioned in confusion, pushing away from the wall I was leaning against with my hip.

"That's what they do," Jiyeon excused with a shrug, "take the crew."

"Alright witchy witch, sit down," Sunoo declared and pulled out a chair for Jiyeon, "I have questions, and Sunghoon tells me you can give me answers."

"Alright..." Jiyeon slowly trailed off.

"Be a bit... you know... gentle," Jungwon reminded as he softly patted Sunoo's shoulder.

"That ship, what was it?" Sunoo frowned.

"Eau du Fantôme?" she questioned and raised her eyebrows in disbelief of Sunoo not knowing. He only nodded in return, "It's a myth."

"But it clearly isn't," Sunoo remarked.

"But it is."

"I saw it with my own eyes, it's not a myth."

"Myth's can be real."

"Just tell me what it is," Sunoo sighed and Jiyeon merely shrugged.

"Myth has that it was one of the first Pirate ships on the seas. Fought, stole, killed, raped, the whole ordeal. Very bad ones. It is said that they were so bad, so cruel, so vile, that the higher powers of the sea cursed them. Cursed them to sail the seas forever and hunt down the vile murderers of the sea. Not pirates, but the ones that had been the most brutal in murdering their enemies and innocent sailors," Jiyeon casually explained and picked at her nails.

"Then why did it appear for us?" I questioned in confusion, "I don't have the impression that any of you are vile murderers?"

"Someone must've killed someone recently," Jiyeon shrugged, "nonetheless. The Fantôme takes all crew it can find with it so all the crew on deck, gone. You guys stayed because you were in here. Jungwon and I were in the Crow's Nest. Unless anyone else hid on the ship it's just us now."

"And Lin?" Sunoo questioned, "what happened to her?"

"You're not supposed to look into the eyes of the crew," Jiyeon shook her head, "I can't be sure."

"But she was acting weird. Staring at them and talking as if she was hypnotized, then she fainted when I cut it off," he excused.

"Which really were the dumbest you could do," Jiyeon remarked, "the crew saw her, but can't go through solid construction... the sides of the boat. Had you let her be they would've just passed by her, perhaps killed her on the spot-"

"Then how can that be the dumbest-" Sunoo started but was immediately cut off.

"You cutting off their eye contact has done two things. Yes, she fainted, but we can't be sure she'll wake up from that. They've cursed her, alright?" Jiyeon questioned, "it's in her eyes. The curse of sand. Had it been longer she would've crumbled immediately, be a mere pile of sand, but it only got in her eyes. Depending on how long they managed to look at each other she won't wake up again, if she does wake up she would most likely act like her usual self and not remember anything. If you're lucky it's just a few grains of sand that has to be rubbed out of her eyes, if not... give it a week or two and she'll be blind."

"But... if it's a curse it can be worked against," I pointed out and Jiyeon calmly shook her head, "but the Water Hea-"

"It's not the same," Jiyeon shook her head, "Sunghoon knew the curse was cast on him. Lin won't remember it, she won't even know. To her she'll be losing her sight without any way of knowing why. We can't tell her about the curse if she wakes up."

"Why n-" Sunoo started.

"Awareness is equal sand pile," Jiyeon excused and glanced towards the girl on the table, whose hair stuck to the sides of her face just like mine did. Jiyeon had brushed all her hair away from her face unlike I had done.

"But can y-" Sunoo continued.

"I'll do my best to get her to wake up again," Jiyeon nodded, "she'll need soup and water on a daily basis. I have a few... remedies... that could help her. We should get her down under the deck in case they come back. Even if they got the murderer this time around they'll always come back for her when she's at sea."

"I'll help you carry her down," Jay offered and Jiyeon nodded quietly.

It seemed that slowly one by one everyone decided to go out of the Captain quarters and help carry Lin down. Eventually it was just Sunghoon and I left, standing at each side of the room. Not one word between us.

"You should go down and change into something dry," Sunghoon remarked and I shook my head quietly as I picked my lips, "you'll get sick."

"It's just my hair," I shook my head quietly before sighing and sitting down in a chair by the table.

"You usually don't look this worried when it's anyone else on board," Sunghoon remarked, "not even when I still had my curse."

"Get off your high horse, this is about home," I murmured and dug my hands up into my damp hair to pull it away from my face, "it's something else when Lin and Sunoo are the victims, "they are not used to this world yet, not this environment. It doesn't make sense why they would be the ones that got cursed."

"Because they're not used to this environment," Sunghoon repeated, "if not them, who else?"

"Me," I offered casually, "seems more fair. Lin has literally never done anything wrong."

"That's easily gonna be a no from me," Sunghoon shook his head wandering over to stand beside me, "how will we do if you can't see my handsome face?" he chuckled.

"Sunghoon-" I sighed in frustration.

"Alright, not the right time I see," he nodded quietly and sat down on the chair beside me, "I'm just gonna be selfish then and say that I am very happy you looked away when I told you to. Even though... you know..."

"I just wanted-" I sighed and he nodded before I got to finish what I was saying.

"You're just worried, I know," he assured and grabbed a wet lock of my hair and moved it over on my back, "I get that."

I glanced at him before biting down onto my lip, chewing on it thoughtfully as I slowly began frowning. Couldn't be... could it?

"Be honest with me," I spoke up and he glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow as his only question, "are you the one they were here for?"

"No," he gently shook his head, "I'm not."

"And you're completely honest?" I questioned and he nodded quietly, "Sunghoon..."

"I haven't killed anyone since you were on the ship the first time," he assured, "they would've been here a long time ago if that was the case. I promise it's not me."

"Okay..." I whispered quietly before simply nodding in return looking down towards my hands, where I had unconsiously picked at my nails.