Star Illusion | ATEEZ Pirate AU

Chapter 38 - Who's gonna carry her?

[Warning: loooong chapter ahead]

The spacious quarter room becomes suffocating when more than 20 grown men are cramped inside the room. To make it worse, angry shouts are throwing everywhere.

Captain of the notorious Pirate King's Revenge sits at the head of the large table, surrounded by his crew. Instead of paying attention to their argument, he casually sips on his brandy.

Hongjoong called for another meeting that evening to find a recovery plan for the quest to Wonderland. At the beginning of the meeting, he declared to stop attacking merchant vessels until reaching Wonderland, as his expectation, the crew went uproar. Seonghwa was the first one to reject his idea. But once he announced the calamity prediction from the seeress, they were thunderstruck and later accepted his order.

That was how it led to the current argument. The food supplies can last long for 3 weeks. However, the repairing will take 2 weeks. How are they going to feed over 100 men and find food before it runs out?

Hongjoong takes another sip and glances at Seonghwa who sits at his right side. Although Seonghwa participates in voicing out opinion, he strangely remains quiet most of the time.

"What's wrong with you?" Hongjoong whispers to him.

Seonghwa diverts his gaze to Hongjoong. "What?"

"You seem off." Hongjoong noticed the bizarre expression displaying on Seonghwa's face since he entered the quarter room. But he didn't have a chance to ask until now.

Seonghwa's face twists. He stayed silent for a moment and decided to speak to Hongjoong. "Whatever the seer's going to tell you, don't listen to her."

Hongjoong detects seriousness from his quartermaster and can't help but wonder what Star told him. Is it another prediction?

Then Seonghwa realizes that perhaps Star already told Hongjoong. He snorted with disdain as he saw how Hongjoong changed from drinking wine to brandy because he said wine affected his brain. 

Remind him again how this guy became his captain.

Hongjoong spots Seonghwa's instant change of expression, he understands right away that it must be about the same prediction he received earlier. Hongjoong chuckles lightly, "How was her prediction?"

"Nonsense." Seonghwa scoffs and curls his lips in disgust.

Hongjoong shook his head. He never witnessed his quartermaster take an interest in any women. If Seonghwa found a lover, the world would come to an end.

"She told me too." Another voice rises from Seonghwa's back. Hongjoong and Seonghwa crane their necks to see the surgeon wearing a bashful expression.

"Um, about the future..." Yeosang coughs awkwardly, "Love life..."

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa snort at the same time. The three exchange glances but none utter a word. They don't have a good feeling about this prediction.

"Did I miss something?" The first mate, who is tired of hearing the crew barking at one another, joins the conversation.

The question makes the three react awkwardly. Wooyoung smirks teasingly. Something fishy is going on.

Hongjoong frowns at Wooyoung, "Aren't you supposed to be in your station?" He recalls his order for Wooyoung to be on watch.

"San changed with me." Wooyoung coolly replied although he was the one that requested San.