Prince of Shells

20. Two Rings

With joined forces, the crew managed to get away from the danger. The trio around their captain wreaked havoc on the enemy ship while the Precious sailed away into the night safely.

This was not the first time they had to split up to get out of a tight situation, so most of the crew members were mostly calm in their work. However, Seonghwa could not help but shake all over. He held the little box with the rings clutched tightly to his chest as if it could help him get his lover back.

A proposal. Hongjoong had planned to propose to him officially.

Seonghwa was still shell-shocked and useless concerning any kind of work. So Yeosang kept him close by his side while he steered the Precious and the rest of the crew took care of the rather harmless hole in their ship.

"You must be surprised. Hongjoong can be oddly romantic, huh?" Yeosang gave a fond chuckle that quickly turned into a heavy sigh. He frowned.

Worried, Seonghwa looked out over the deck to where Yeosang's eyes were staring, but there was nothing of importance. Why was the man looking so bitter if so far, everything had gone well? Did he know something? Was Hongjoong in danger?

With his fingers tight around his new treasure, Seonghwa gently nudged Yeosang with his elbow.

"What's wrong?"

Yeosang's fingers were holding the wheel with enough force to turn his knuckles white. He also bit his lip at Seonghwa's question as if unwilling to tell. In the end, he relaxed his shoulders with a deep breath, though. As if apologising, his fingers slid over the wooden wheel.

"I should have kissed him. I hate this." Yeosang dropped his forehead against his hands, resting there for a moment. While a cute blush was decorating his cheeks, his distress was also much too relateable for Seonghwa for him to tease the other man.

So instead of cooing at him smugly, Seonghwa just placed an arm around his shoulders to pat him gently.

"It's alright. You can still do that when he comes back. And if they don't, we'll complain."

Seonghwa's marriage was on the line here, he would not hesitate to break Hongjoong out of prison with guns blazing if those bastards tried to get between the two of them. Not after they had finally come to this point.

"It shouldn't take us long to reach the island. Maybe another day? We should be there in the evening tomorrow. Go have some rest. I'll switch shifts with Mingi later and sleep afterwards." Yeosang surrendered exhaustedly, leaning his full weight against the wheel to slump down over it with a pout. He looked like a sulking kitten, and Seonghwa thought it was adorable.

With another gentle pat on the man's back, Seonghwa stepped away and back into the captain's quarters. He made sure the door was tightly shut behind him before going to light a little lantern next to the bed, so the room was barely illuminated. After kicking his shoes off, he dropped down onto the bed to stare at the little box in his hands.

With ginger fingers, he pried off the little golden hook and opened it.

The two rings inside were gorgeous. They were settled in a soft cushion of dark burgundy velvet and the light beautifully reflected from the gems inside of the intricate metal.

They were not exactly the same, but they fit each other. One of the rings was a light silver that wrapped as a simple band around the finger only to be decorated by some leaves towards the middle. The leaves surrounded what appeared to be a blooming flower of some sort, and inside of that flower were those gems.

Seonghwa had seen his fair share of gems while on board. He had even gotten to know some of the easier names through Yeosang's informative books. However, he had never seen some quite like those. The one in the silver ring was black, but despite its blackness, it seemed to reflect the light in all colours of the rainbow. It was fascinating to just twist and turn the box in the dim light, seeing the little dots of light dance over the wooden lid.