The Pirate King of Wellerman (Woosang)

Chapter Three

Almost immediately, Yookyung and Yeosang ran down the stairs and looked out of the window. Well, Yookyung had stayed behind the safety of the window while Yeosang went out through the same door his parents had entered. Apparently, some other people had the same idea, as some people stood by the open doors of their homes. Yeosang looked in the direction that everyone was looking at and his eyes widened. People he had never seen before were walking in the direction and they weren't dressed the same way the citizens of Nam-gu were. Something sparkled within their belts when the sun hit it in the right spot. There was something different about the people that were walking into Nam-gu, though for Yeosang, it didn't take him long to figure it out.

Pirates. The people walking into Nam-gu ... were pirates. Pirates that lived in Wellerman! The very pirates he had read so much about. Why were they here though? All the years he had been alive, the pirates had never come here and from what he had heard from his parents, they never came then either. So, why now? Something that he was about to find out. Looking in the opposite direction, the mayor and a few of his associates stood still, watching the pirates approach them. As much as they didn't show it, Yeosang could tell that they were scared of whatever was about to happen. Focusing back on the pirates, he watched as the small group of them came closer and closer. The closer that they came, the more intimidating they seemed.

A meter way away from the mayor, the pirates came to a stop. The five that had come all had the same expression. Anger. That expression alone gave the impression something was wrong.

"Kim Wooyoung," Chaeyoung, the mayor, said, "Finally, a new pirate king. I was getting tired of seeing your old man as the king."

"Firstly," Wooyoung replied, "Don't talk about my father like that. And secondly, that's not why I'm here. You stole something from us and we want it back."

"I have no idea," she said, "What you are talking about."

"You stole," he responded, almost gritting his teeth, "Two cutlasses from us. You stole something that was rightfully ours and we would like to have it back. You had managed to sneak through the guards and their posts, gone into the building and stole two cutlasses. When was the last time we stole something from you? I know we pirates have the reputation of stealing things, but when was the last time we stole something from you? Other than today, when was the last time we came into Nam-gu? When was the last time we came here to cause an argument or a fight? Genuinely. Because if I remember correctly, it was before my father was the pirate king. Maybe even before my grandfather was the pirate king."

From what Yeosang could see, Chaeyoung clenched her jaw. Something was telling him that there was truth to what the pirate king had said. Something had been stolen, yet it was clear Chaeyoung wasn't going to admit it any time soon.

"I still don't know," she said, "What you are talking about. We didn't steal anything from you. Why in the world would we want to steal from you?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Wooyoung asked, "Actually wait, let me answer for you. Out of every town in Korea, Nam-gu is the town that hates us the most. You are the ones that have the most problems with us and the only ones that like to cause drama between the towns of Nam-gu and Wellerman. And lets be honest here, you are the only ones who would actually consider stealing from pirates." Silence. As clear as the lie was, it was crystal clear that Chaeyoung wasn't going to admit that something was stolen from Wellerman. With the seconds that went by, the more frustrated the pirates had become.

"In one week," Wooyoung said, "Wellerman will have a fight with Nam-gu. You have one week to prevent this fight. All you have to do is return the two cutlasses you stole. If you do, the fight will be called off. But, if you don't, the fight will go ahead as planned. We will not take this situation lightly. Do you understand me?" Yeosang, amongst other Nam-gu citizens, gasped. A fight? All over two stolen cutlasses? The first fight in literal decades.

"Yes, we understand," the mayor replied.

"Good," the pirate king responded, "Don't forget it because I can tell you right now, we won't forget." He looked over his shoulder at the pirates that had come with him.

"Let's go," he said, "We have a fight to prepare for." Taking in the view of Nam-gu for the final time for the day, Wooyoung and his pirates turned around and made their way out of Nam-gu. Yeosang didn't get to see them walk away completely as he was pulled back into the house. The door instantly closed once he was inside. The expressions on his parents' face was pure horror. Yookyung seemed a little more relaxed about what had happened, but she still seemed the smallest bit worried about what her parents would say or do. Everything was quiet. No one in the Kang household spoke a single word. None of them could believe what had just happened. They had just gotten a glimpse of the Wellerman pirates, but on a fight declaration. The one time they had ever actually seen them in person, was all over an incident that could lead to blood shed and numerous deaths.

"Do you see what we mean now, Yeosang?" his mother asked, "The pirates that you are so obsessed over are no good."

"But," Yeosang answered, "Didn't you see mayor subtly lying to the pirate king? She was hiding the fact that either she or someone she knows stole the cutlasses from the pirates."

"That doesn't matter, son," Mr Kang said, "We now have a fight that will be happening and it was the pirates' idea. They declared the fight on Nam-gu. They did exactly what we and everything else has warned you about. Now do you believe what everything has been telling you about them?" Yeosang fell silent. Nothing had prepared him for something like this to happen. While his stance on the Wellerman pirates hadn't changed, he couldn't retort now.

"Yeah," Yeosang responded, "I get it now." As much as he didn't want to say it, if it got the attention off himself, then it was the only way to get out of the situation.

"Good," Mrs Kang said, "Now you understand why people don't like them and don't want to be near them or go to Wellerman." The moment the conversation ended, his parents as well as his sister went into different parts of the house, leaving Yeosang to stand by himself. He knew that what he saw and heard was a situation that was not good. But, did it change his perception of the pirates? No. He thought that this would have been a one time incident, but clearly his parents didn't think so. Whether or not Yookyung had thought any different was unclear. Taking in a deep breath, Yeosang walked back to his room, wanting to be left alone from the situation. Nothing was going to change his parents' minds about them.

Walking into his room, he closed the door behind him and instantly, he went to his bed. He crossed his legs and sat still. Every single book on the Wellerman pirates taunted him ever so slightly. Everything he came to believe about the Wellerman pirates wasn't entirely broken, but altered. He felt like he had to consciously tell himself what his parents had said was just their belief and not his own. He knew what he believed and it didn't align with what his mother and father believed.

"I know," he whispered to himself, "This is an isolated incident."