Precious ◈ | Seongjoong/Yungi ✓

Episode 7: Storm in a Bottle ◈ Part 2

In the tranquil moonlight, Seonghwa sits on the floor of the deck and leans his back against the edge. He lazily spins the Storm in a Bottle around in his palms. He's been thinking a lot these past few days, but the conversation with San and Dayeol earlier really made him ponder.

His eyes flit up, spotting something in the distance and disturbing his thoughts. A ship is passing by. They typically wouldn't see each other at night, at least not too clearly, but this vessel has its lights on. He sits up in alarm.

What are they—

A tiny red dot lands on his chest and trails around. With his newfound gun expertise and knowledge imparted by Hwang Hyunjin, Seonghwa scrambles away. He screams when he hears the bullet ricochet off the edge where his body just was. The Storm in a Bottle slips from his grasp and rolls across the floor.

He crawls after it, careful to avoid the new red dot searching for him. Grabbing the artifact, Seonghwa swiftly stands up and bolts for the door. However, it seems the red dot was more of a way to check if anyone was there. Now that it's been confirmed...

A cannonball shoots across the threshold and rattles The Wonderland. Seonghwa isn't hurt in his fall, but the Storm in a Bottle shatters. His eyes widen, turning red at the rims. The thundercloud rises into the air furiously. It expands the higher it gets, growing angrier and louder.

Until lightning strikes.

The door swings open, and dozens of pirates run out to assess the problem. Wooyoung hurries to the elder's side and pulls him up.

"Seonghwa, are you okay? What was that?"

Seonghwa points out to sea. "There's a ship firing at us, a-and..." He meekly looks from the shattered glass to the dark and perilous sky.

San leans over the edge a bit and exclaims, "That's a Navy ship!"

"You can tell?" Wooyoung gasps.

"Y-You can't?" San blinks confusedly.

Jongho hisses, "What the heck are they doing out here?"

The ex-officer frowns and says, "My guess is they're scouring for pirates to blow up. An order from Her Majesty, for sure."

Another cannonball comes flying, and the blond shouts, "Everyone get down!"

The Wonderland is more fortified than before, and she can handle a few cannonballs. The main problem is the raging storm building momentum. The waves swirl around like a whirlpool, and the winds whip like a rope. A moment later, rain pelts like bullets.

Captain Hongjoong grits his teeth. "Where did this storm come from?!"

Seonghwa bites his lip shamefully and stays out of his sight. Wooyoung clings to his arm and cries, "Who cares? What about the Navy?"

A loud screech rumbles from underwater. Of course. If there's cannon fire and storms, there's...

Kwi-eomi splashes out of the sea as agitated as ever. Her roar stretches out over nearly a hundred miles. Even the quick snap of her tail causes a massive shift in the ravenous waves.

Wooyoung whines, tugging hard onto Seonghwa's uninjured arm. "Oh, Lord have mercy! Not the whale!"

Hongjoong runs to the bow, struggling to get the sea beast's attention over the loud hurricane. He slips on the wet floor, grabbing onto the railing when the water violently rocks the ship sideways.

"Kwi-eomi! Hey!" he shouts for her in the ancient tongue. "It's okay! Please, calm down!"

Whether she heard him isn't certain. Kwi-eomi turns on them, ignoring the Navy vessel. With another grand roar into the sky, she closes in on The Wonderland.