Love & Ink Pages

7

(Please skip this if you're not comfortable with mention of blood or murders)

Snippet from Taehyung's Diary

Ahoy there, journal!

Logs from Voyage #17

Twenty days at ocean, visiting various spots and stops.

Day 1

I stood on the deck of my cruise, staring out at the vast expanse of ocean before me. The salty sea breeze whipped around me, carrying with it the sounds of waves crashing against the hull. Few crew members huddle around me with white champagne and were talking about randoms.

I've been captain of this ship for quite some time now, and my reputation precedes me. The crew respects me and they often tells me how they couldn't imagine sailing under anyone else.

But despite the chatter of my surroundings, my mind was elsewhere - consumed by thoughts of her. My eyes were following her each and every moves. Sarah. She was a newbie in my crew and an outcast, nobody really cared about her.

Her eyes were like that of a gentle fawn, small and innocent and a face of lost puppy in the crowd.

As I observed her discreetly from the deck, she seemed to be a bit lost and nervous, her vulnerability adding to her undeniable allure. A voice inside whispered, "Perfect." Her innocence, her very presence, it all seemed like it was meant to be captured, to be preserved in my next art collection.

Day 3

In the past two days, I'd managed to establish a sort of rapport with Sarah. She seemed to be opening up to me, and that fact thrilled me in ways I couldn't openly express.

As we strolled along the deck, the night sea whispering its secrets all around us, she turned to me with a look of gratitude in her doe-like eyes. "Captain Taehyung, if it weren't for you, I could never imagine continuing my journey as a crew member on any ship. Thank you for showing trust in me and talking to me here. I'll always remember you as my guide and mentor," she said, her voice soft.

"You will remember me in many ways, Sarah," I replied, smiling at her, though my thoughts were anything but innocent.

As the clock struck midnight, the sky remained shrouded in darkness, not a single moonbeam in sight. It was the kind of night I liked-the quiet, the solitude, the secrets that only the night could hold.

I turned to her. "Sarah, have you ever seen the Caption's room beneath the deck?"

She hesitated for a moment, her brow furrowing. "There's a room under the deck? I've never seen it."

I nodded and said, "Come with me, I'll show you."

We made our way down a narrow, dimly lit passageway that led to a part of the ship only I knew about.

Sarah followed me inside, unaware of the secrets I harbored in the depths of this cruise. She had no idea that she was stepping into a world of darkness, one that she would soon become a part of, whether she wanted to or not.

Upon entering, Sarah's eyes landed on the sculptures encased in glass boxes. The eerie beauty of those creations seemed to freeze her in place, her eyes widening, and I could sense the shivers that ran down her spine.

"Cap Kim, w-what are these?" she asked, her voice trembling with a nervous curiosity.

I stepped closer to the glass cases, a hint of satisfaction playing on my lips. "This... This is my secret world, my hidden treasure," I explained.

She nodded, her curiosity piqued, and took a cautious step forward into the room. "I never knew a man like you is into such things..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep my own emotions in check.