Treasure for All

2. London

A loud buzzing pounded in Dahae's ears. She reached to her nightstand and pressed the button on her clock to shut it off. Slowly she sat up and stretched while letting out a silent yawn. Her eyes wandered over to the small window that was allowing the early morning sun to seep through.

This is going to be a good day, she thought.

"Good morning, beautiful," Hongjoong greeted her while carrying a tray of food and setting it on the small coffee table in the middle of the bedroom. "I had Grace-Anne prepare you a meal that'll help you with your strength today."

Dahae had fallen ill with food poisoning two days prior. The crew had visited a dig site in the outskirts of Dubai, and she was the only one whose dinner had been wrongly prepared. Her fellow medic Yeosang was quick to diagnose her and make a list of what she needed to eat and take. Thankfully, she was recovering quickly but still felt a little weak. Hongjoong had forbidden her from finishing any of her work until she was completely well.

Hongjoong was a pretty flexible guy, but he still had a particular way of keeping things in order around the ship. If a crewmember was ill, they were quickly limited to what they could and couldn't do after being checked and diagnosed by either Yeosang or Dahae. On cleaning days, everyone had to take part to clean their bedrooms, do laundry, mop the deck, whatever. He made sure everyone was working together by putting their skills to good use.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Hongjoong sing-songed as he stroked his fiancée's head. Dahae hadn't realized she dozed off again.

"I'm up," she claimed as she opened her eyes. Hongjoong's smiling face was the first thing she saw.

"Stand up and come eat your breakfast, and I'll believe you," he chuckled before pecking her forehead.

"Yes, mom," Dahae teased as she crawled out of bed.

Making her way over to her chair by the coffee, she could still feel her legs feeling as if they were a mix of lead and jelly, but at least her stomach didn't feel like fire. Her breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, a banana, and orange juice.

"I noticed the weather looked nice today," she said as she began peeling the banana.

Hongjoong sat in his chair next to Dahae's and began to study his maps on his computer. "Dinah predicts it'll be sunny until we get to London."

"What's in London?"

"A friend of my dad's is an archeologist and explorer there," he explained. "He just returned from an expedition in the Conga and found something he wants us all to see."

"What did he find?" Dahae sipped her orange juice before starting on her eggs.

"He didn't exactly say. He just messaged me about it last night, and I told Mingi to set a course for London."

"I see."

"Speaking of London," Hongjoong said as he shut his laptop and turned towards Dahae and took her left hand into his, "I was hoping we could go to a great jewelry place and pick out your engagement ring."

Dahae's eyes lit up. Hongjoong had proposed, but didn't have a diamond to put on her finger, only the white rubber ring she currently wore. She didn't mind, but Hongjoong had always noticed how much she admired Celestia's wedding ring and Grace-Anne's engagement ring. All he wanted was for the woman he loved to be happy.

"I'd love to, Joong," she smiled. "But will we have time?"

He kissed her cheek. "I plan on having us stay there for at least two nights."

"Two nights? We usually stay only one night."

"I've been doing some thinking lately, and I know that our explorations are becoming more tiring with each new challenge; so I decided to treat everyone with an extra day in London."

"So, basically, a vacation day?" Dahae asked, a grin slowly blooming on her face.

Hongjoong nodded.

The crew had been getting more and more tired in the past few months, and Hongjoong had taken note. He had always put others first to a point he sometimes wears himself out doing so. Dahae admired how much he cared for everyone else around him, and she loved that about her fiancé; but the dark circles under his eyes worried her. He was a hard worker, but Dahae didn't want him to work until his death. When he said they would all take a rest day, her heart was put at ease.

"Seonghwa, Yeosang, and I have been discussing a rest day for a while, but we could never agree on a proper time."

"When did you decide now was a good time?" Dahae asked as she finished her meal, Hongjoong taking the tray.

"This morning just before I got your breakfast," he replied as he headed towards the bedroom door. "We'll be landing in about four hours. Do you feel okay to walk around?"

"Joong, I stopped vomiting the night before last." She stood from her chair and began walking towards the bathroom. "I think I'm more than capable to explore."

"Alright, but if you still feel bad later, please tell me."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Dahae saluted just before shutting the bathroom door.

Hongjoong chuckled at her remark as he strolled out of the room with the tray of empty dishware in his hands.

The captain made his way around the corner, past the dining hall, and into the kitchen where Yunho was busy with a boiling pot. The island counter was covered in utensils, vegetables and herbs, and Yunho was dressed in his pajamas still but his hair was combed.

"Good morning, Yunho," Hongjoong greeted.

"Good morning, Captain," his crewmate replied with a bow.

"Dude, it's just us. You don't have to call me 'Captain.'"

"Sorry. Just a habit."

Hongjoong placed the tray by the sink, and looked around the kitchen. "Where'd Grace-Anne go?"

"She went to go wake Seonghwa and get ready for the day," Yunho replied. "How's Dahae feeling?"

"A lot better." Hongjoong leaned against the counter. "The color is back in her face."

"I'm happy to hear that, but I'm preparing this soup just in case we have another emergency like that again."

As much as he was the repairman and engineer for The HALA, Yunho was also a cook alongside Grace-Anne. He always had a recipe book with dishes made for those who were sick or had certain food allergies, and Yunho had been using it the past two and half days to help with Dahae's illness. Grace-Anne had one similar but mainly used it to prepare Celestia's meals, as she couldn't eat certain foods while pregnant.

Yunho pulled the wooden spoon out of the metal pot, placed the lid on it, and turned down the stove. "So where are we going?" he asked as he untied his apron and hung it on the wall hook.

"London," Hongjoong replied. "We're arriving there in about three hours, so be ready by then."

A/N: Italics means their speaking in Korean.