VOYAGE I: Onwards To Utopia

Chapter 18

Books

While Hongjoong maneuvered the ship and Yeosang made sure they were sailing in the right direction, the others were on a break and decided to pay Shinji a visit on the other Ship.

"Shinji-ah, I missed you!" Wooyoung exclaimed upon entering the door.

"You saw her yesterday."Seonghwa says.

Wooyoung pouts at the older."I still missed her though."

Shinji lets out a soft chuckle, garnering everyone's attention."Me too, it feels different not hearing your high pitched laugher in the morning Wooyoung-ssi."

"See she missed me too, bleh."Wooyoung sticks out his tongue at the others, as he went to give the girl a gentle hug.

"Correction, she missed your fox-like laugh, not you."Jongho teased.

"It's the same thing."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is!"

"No."

"Shush, we came here to visit Shinji, not cause a ruckus."Seonghwa chided.

"Aren't you guys busy?"she asked, wondering what they were doing there at that hour not working.

"We're on a break for a while."Yunho replied.

"Anything you wanna do?"asked San.

"Could you guys read me a story?"

"Sure! any request?"Mingi says, rushing to the bookshelf loaded with hard bound books, its titles in golden writings that decorated the spines.

"Anything you guys think is interesting."she smiles.

Mingi pulls out brown book, with a picture of a wooden boy with a long nose on the cover. He then flips it open to scan it.

San then places a book he had just finished checking back onto the shelf and goes over to Mingi, peeking over to what the quartermaster was reading.

"Oh I've read this one, in the end he becomes a real boy."San verbalizes, making Mingi glance at him with murderous eyes.

"Spoiler."the quartermaster frowns, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. He then takes out another one, that had a pink cover with two children and a house made of sweets.

"I've read that one too, turns out the old lady was a witch and wanted to eat them."San cackles.

Mingi turns to San."I'm going to kill you."he exclaimed and the two of them started chasing each other around, while Seonghwa tries to stop them.

Meanwhile, Jongho along with Yunho and Wooyoung were all silently going through the shelves.

"These books are nice."Jongho commented.

Yunho pulls out a book entitled Snow White.

"You guys remember this story?"Yunho asked, smiling.

"Of course, its about the girl who choked on an apple."Wooyoung proudly replies.

"No she didn't choke, the apple was poisoned. That's why she died."Yunho retorted.

"Oh, that's right."Wooyoung scratches his head.

"Why are you blaming the apple?"Jongho asks, looking hurt.

"Because if the apple wasn't poisoned, she wouldn't have died."Wooyoung points out.

"Agree."Yunho seconds.

"It was the witch's fault, if she didn't make the apple poisoned and if she didnt give it to her she wouldn't have died."Jongho debates.

"Still, when ate the apple she died."Yunho counters.

"Its her fault for eating the apple then."Jongho crosses his arms.

"We'll she didn't know it was poisoned."Wooyoung added.

Just as the three were about to hit each other, Shinji lets out a laugh. She was laughing so much that she had tears coming from the side of her eyes.

"You guys are too much."she says while catching her breath." Have you decided what story you'd read for me yet?"

***

Junhee was up at the sterncastle with Donghun, they had greeted some of the ateez members that came over to pay the girl a visit.

A thought suddenly popped in Jun's mind."Hyung, can I ask you something?"

"You are already asking."Donghun replies, his eye looking through his spyglass.

"Aish, I just wonder, what would you do if Shinji fell in love with someone and you'd have to part with her again."the Captain asked, glancing at the other and reverting his eyes back in front.

Donghun retracts his spyglass and places it hi the pocket of his coat."I, never thought about that honestly. I'd always thought she'd always be beside me."

"You know you can't keep her forever, she might eventually leave one day. She's bound to catch feelings for anyone, and it's got nothing to do with her not seeing the person."Jun says.

"I know, he'll have to prove himself to me then."