𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 | woosan

one

one.
the port of crestlocke

—

On the open sea, a large and lonely passenger ship effortlessly churned through its deep blue waters. After a starry night's travel, the sun finally showed its face again and illuminated everything in its wake. Stringy clouds of white dragged across the sky, creating little opportunity for sunlight to be blocked by their lack of puffiness.

Unbothered, it constantly bathed crashing waves, seagull wings and radiant faces in light. It brought warmth to the deck and to early risers, who scurried from their rooms to revel in the morning serenity.

Jung Wooyoung had waited three long years for this very day — the day he'd finally let loose in the comfort of his hometown.

Having served in the army, you'd think the rambunctious young adult would have shed his childish demeanor to dawn more matured colors. But, the salty ocean breeze seemed to bring back more and more wild hues with each lapse of seafoam churned under the boat's bow.

Wooyoung grew up in a small coastal city, having observed many ships from his bedroom window at a young age. For hours on end, he would watch them come and go in the company of his father. They would document every boat that'd port and leave, betting delectable rewards for correctly predicting when their inevitable return would be.

Oftentimes, juice pouches or shortbread cookies would be the prize, which meant they all defaulted to a young Wooyoung anyway.

His father didn't mind giving away childish snacks though, as he was already shaping his son into a successful sailor fit for the navy. Being a retired naval general, he thought it'd be best for his son to follow in his footsteps.

Yet when recruitment day finally arrived, Wooyoung did the unexpected and defied his father's wishes — he opted to sign up for the army instead. It wasn't without a loathful reprimanding from his father, of course, who begged for Wooyoung to be transferred.

However, the decision had already been made when pen met paper and when the boat tipped off on that faithful August afternoon, Wooyoung waved goodbye to his seemingly indifferent parents.

Now that the boy was back on another boat, he couldn't help but refresh his memory — Why didn't he join the navy?

Well, maybe it was because his father already left his legacy on the ever changing tide; which might have extinguished his blazing trail, but never eroded the scorch marks left behind.

Wooyoung didn't want to receive praise meant for his father simply because they shared the same flesh and blood. He would've felt like he accomplished nothing and at least venturing out into a different, equally valorous branch gave him some freedom from his parents' constraining life plan.

It had been set in stone the day he was conceived, something apparently all babies needed nowadays to get anywhere in the rapidly changing world.

What Wooyoung didn't expect two months before his departure though, was a letter from his parents informing him they no longer owned the mansion by the bay.

Apparently, his father — not only a retired general, but a highly successful businessman — and mother — a dainty woman, while in love, stayed mostly for money — moved away years prior due to work. Not once in their dozens of letters then, did they think to mention this crucial fact to their son before he came home.

Or, what was his home.

But Wooyoung wasn't ready to adhere to his parents' plan, to let go of Crestlocke; that little city by the bay which he's held onto for so long.