Aurora - You are my light (Ateez x reader)

NINE

Jongho showed me around the ship as instructed. After his inappropriate remarks, I only exchanged the bare minimum with him, afraid of saying something wrong, and was relieved when the tour was over.

Surely, I wasn't infatuated with Seonghwa. Yes, he had been the only one kind at the beginning. Yes, he had taken care of me. Yes, he was stunningly beautiful, but that didn't mean I had feelings for him. At most, I admired him a bit. Perhaps I was suffering from a case of Stockholm syndrome. I chuckled at my silly thoughts.

The ship was huge, far too large for nine people. But it certainly had its advantages; I could avoid San and Mingi and maybe explore and eavesdrop to gather information. Every tiny detail could help me figure out what was going to happen to me.

Jongho had escorted me to my cabin and then bid farewell. I couldn't stop marveling as I looked around. The ship was so elegant and luxuriously furnished that I would never have taken it for a pirate ship. But the same could be said for its crew.

My room was equipped with its own bed, and I couldn't believe I was allowed to sleep in a bed for the first time in over a year without being haunted by abuse and mistreatment. In the corner to the left of the bed was a round wooden table with two chairs. An oil lamp was already burning there, casting a cozy ambiance in the room.

Someone had placed a decanter of wine and the matching wine glass on the table. My suspicion immediately fell on Seonghwa, and I couldn't help but smile at the kind gesture. The room had two windows with wooden grilles on the left side, through which only the sparse light of the summer evening outside filtered in. A kind of window seat was built into the panes, on which lay a fur and a cushion. Next to it stood a small chest, on which some books were piled, and two more oil lamps were burning.

I squealed with joy for a moment and then collapsed onto my bed on my back. I breathed a sigh of relief and happiness. Whatever awaited me in a few days, I would enjoy my time on this wonderful ship. I got up and poured myself a generous glass of red wine, taking a big sip. The gentle fizz of the wine enveloped my tongue immediately, and I enjoyed the pleasant warmth spreading through me.

Lost in thought, I gazed through the window at the open sea and settled down on the built-in seat in front of it. The spot invited me to linger, and I resolved to read a book or gaze out over the sea here during daylight. Thoughtfully, I finished the glass of wine and leaned my forehead relaxed against the cold window pane.

I considered what I could do with the rest of the evening and decided to explore the ship alone. On the way, I passed by the kitchen and paused there. I spotted Seonghwa, who was busy kneading dough. For a brief moment, I silently watched him work. He had his back to me and didn't notice me. Even now, I got weak in the knees at the sight of him.

During my tour with Jongho, I hadn't really looked at any of the cabins he had shown me, as I wanted to get through it quickly and be done with it. Now, I glanced around the kitchen thoroughly. It was spacious and equipped with shelves along the walls, stocked with spices and fresh herbs that I had never seen even in the palace. Pots, pans, and kitchen tools hung on hooks from the ceiling between the shelves.

In front of the counter along the wall where Seonghwa was working, a bar stretched with oil lamps hanging at regular intervals, providing ample light for the work surfaces. Three bar stools stood in front of the counter, inviting cozy drinking evenings. To the right of the long counter stretching along the wall, a wooden table was placed in front of a window, probably intended for quick meals. Because I knew that behind the archway to the right of the wall was a large dining hall that could accommodate thirty men. That much I remembered from Jongho's tour.

I really liked the atmosphere of the kitchen and resolved to visit it more often than perhaps necessary just because of it. At that moment, a second person appeared out of nowhere next to me, and I screamed in shock, jumping a step to the side as I looked at the redhead next to me, bewildered. Of course, my scream drew Seonghwa's attention to us.