Seonghwa's first few weeks aboard the ship had been spent mostly below deck, keeping himself busy with the chores no one else wanted to do. He scrubbed floors, mended nets, and washed dishes—all the while trying to find his place among a crew that still viewed him as an outsider. While he had agreed to help around the ship in exchange for passage, his limited duties left him restless. But he knew better than to push too hard too soon. Trust wasn't something that could be demanded; it had to be earned.
The days aboard the ship settled into a routine as the ocean stretched out endlessly around them. Each morning, Seonghwa would wake early, the sound of waves lapping against the hull greeting him like a lullaby that never ended. He made his way to the galley, where he spent most of his time. It was here that Wooyoung, the ship's navigator and cook, could usually be found preparing the crew's meals or plotting out the next course.
At first, Wooyoung had been less than welcoming. With his quick wit and sharp tongue, he made it clear that he didn't have time for newcomers who didn't pull their weight.
"Stick to your cleaning, pretty boy," Wooyoung had muttered one morning as Seonghwa offered to help chop vegetables. "I've got this covered."
Seonghwa, used to handling dismissive attitudes from the elite in the palace, wasn't fazed. He simply smiled and returned to his cleaning, knowing that it was only a matter of time before things would change.
It was a slow shift, but gradually, Wooyoung's attitude softened. At first, it was just small things. Wooyoung would toss him a task here and there, nothing too important—stirring a pot or watching over the fire while Wooyoung went above deck to check their course. Seonghwa took it in stride, doing each task with quiet diligence, never complaining or asking for more than what he was given.
Wooyoung, it turned out, was both the ship's navigator and its cook, a dual role that required a sharp mind and quick reflexes. When he wasn't bent over a pot or chopping vegetables, Wooyoung was poring over maps and charts, calculating their route with the precision of someone who knew the sea as well as he knew his own kitchen. And when Seonghwa wasn't cleaning or organizing supplies, he listened carefully to Wooyoung's rants about the crew.
"San's impossible to work with," Wooyoung would grumble as he kneaded dough for the evening's meal. "One day he's all laughs, the next he's ready to fight anyone who so much as breathes near him. And don't even get me started on Yunho and Mingi—they're like children sometimes. Always joking, always pulling pranks."
Seonghwa rarely replied more than a nod or hum of agreement, but it was enough to keep Wooyoung talking. It wasn't just idle chatter, either. Through Wooyoung's rants, Seonghwa started to learn more about the crew's dynamic. The camaraderie, the unspoken tensions, the bonds that had formed over years at sea. Wooyoung's complaints were laced with affection, revealing how deeply he cared for his crewmates despite their quirks.
As the days dragged into weeks, Seonghwa found himself gravitating more toward the kitchen, not just because it was one of the few places he could be useful, but because it gave him a chance to understand the crew. He was learning, little by little, how they operated—who was quick to anger, who kept to themselves, and who always had a joke ready.
And it was in the kitchen, during one particularly uneventful day, that Seonghwa made his first real connection with Wooyoung.
It started innocently enough. Wooyoung had been in a foul mood all morning, scowling at the supplies and muttering under his breath as he prepared the crew's lunch.
"Something wrong?" Seonghwa asked, glancing up from where he was organizing the shelves of spices.
"We're out of sugar," Wooyoung grumbled, slamming a pot down harder than necessary. "Again. How am I supposed to make anything decent without sugar?"
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Take me home | Seongjoong
FanfictionSeonghwa escapes his royal life and seeks refuge aboard The Black Siren, a notorious pirate ship led by Captain Hongjoong. Disguised as a commoner, Seonghwa navigates the dangers of the sea while hiding his true identity. As he bonds with Hongjoong...