Chapter Text
Cannons going off was the first thing Hyungwon registered. Coming back into his senses from deep slumber, the lanky male eyed the cabin he was napping in. The heavy smell of gunpowder and smoke was the next thing his brain took note of.
“Pirates! Every man into your positions, fire those filthy rats all the way back to their mamas, move MOVE!” It was the captain of the ship Hyungwon was currently sailing in. His father’s command was that he shall watch over the valuable cargo, as it was being delivered across the ocean into the set trading port.
“Bloody pirates, just my luck,” Hyungwon muttered wobbling off the couch. The ship was rocking back and forth, the sound of cannons firing underneath his feet was pounding in his head. Making his way out of the captain’s cabin to the deck, which looked highly unsafe, Hyungwon swore if he made it out alive he’d never slack off his jobs again. The ship with black sails and a Jolly Roger flag was currently right next to his father’s trader and the crew was getting either shot or stabbed by pirates.
Freezing to his place in horror, the screams of the crew ringing in his ears, shots, blood spilling, Hyungwon realized he could very well die on this ship today.
“Sir Hyungwon, if I may give you orders, GET BACK IN THE CABIN,” The captain screamed at him, not able to make eye contact due to the sword fight he was engaged in with one of the dirtiest pirates Hyungwon had ever seen. Actually, now that he paid thought to it, Chae Hyungwon at his age of 22, had never seen a living pirate before.
“Yes Captain!” Hyungwon had never made a run for it so fast. Desperately slamming the door and trying to barricade it with chairs, which proved itself useless soon enough as there was indeed two pirates through the door in the matter of minutes. He hid himself in a small closet, trying to quiet down his heavy breathing. Hyungwon could feel his heart pounding in his chest so fast he was sure the pirates were able to hear too.
“For what did the Captain send us here,” murmured one of the faceless pirates. “It seems this wreck was carrying nothing else but wine and dried meat.”
“The governor’s son would not be here, if the cargo was worthless you empty headed rat,” Hyungwon could see a flash of hair in front of the closet before the doors were pulled open. He was faced with two men slightly shorter than him, wearing nasty smirks on their faces. “Well look who finally decided to show himself.”
“I will not die today!” Hyungwon tried to push himself through the men desperately, knowing it would not be of any use at this point.
“Nobody spoke of dying you lubber, let’s go,” And so Hyungwon was being dragged out of his ship, transferred into the pirate ship now making a flee, apparently obtaining what it came here for, leaving the trader to sink at its own pace, flames slowly eating the wood away.
After being dragged below the deck into a dirty cell and being told the captain would be interested in hearing him later, Hyungwon swore he would rather be dead. The ship was creaking as it sailed and gently rocked on the waves, he could hear screams and orders from above and doors slamming every once in a while, but other than those his own thoughts were buzzing the loudest.
Why on earth would the pirates hijack a mere trader and see such an effort in executing the crew only to get him. Sure, Hyungwon was the governor’s son, his father holding an authority in the kingdom, but he never got his son involved in his work. There was no worthy knowledge of the kingdom’s matters in Hyungwon’s hands and there was not anything particularly interesting in their cargo. The air in the cells was musty and humid. Hyungwon was getting a headache of it all, the smell, the thinking, and the questions.
The bars of his cell were being opened with a loud clack.
“Off your ass lubber, time to meet the cap’n,” Hyungwon couldn’t tell if the pirate was pissed off or if in general every single one of them sounded like he personally killed their dog. Most likely it was just their default mood and way of treating “earth lovers” like him. Hyungwon had already seen this face before, back in his father’s ship. The man with sand colored hair and stinging eyes, he looked like he knew everything about Hyungwon already and didn’t like it. Even without a gun pointed at him and the remarkable height difference between them, the authority over a prisoner like him the nameless man held didn’t leave Hyungwon any questions about making a fuss. He followed behind the man’s footsteps quietly, avoiding looking anywhere but the floor.
He was lead through the upper decks to the captain’s cabin. The small amount of fresh air Hyungwon sucked into his lungs on the way never felt so amazing before. The male couldn’t tell how many hours it had been, but the sky had grown dark and the first two stars were shyly making their entrance to the black canvas.
Much to Hyungwon’s surprise, he didn’t find a gun or a sword staring back at him as he was being pushed into the large room, instead there was a fully set dinner table. And a figure standing next to the window, back turned to them.
“Cap’n, your hearty is here,” the pirate poked Hyungwon’s back, making him step deeper into the cabin.
“Shut the door behind you, Jooheon,” Apparently the captain of the ship ordered, now turning to face both of them.
“Aye aye,” with a joyless face and voice the man called Jooheon left the room, leaving Hyungwon with an awkward silence between the captain and him.
Daring to lift his eyes from the floor after seconds passing, Hyungwon found the man observing him with a playful smile. As much as he hated to admit it, the captain was handsome. He couldn’t be more than a few years older than Hyungwon, he had lively brown eyes and light brown hair neatly styled back. His figure was broad, he was tad a bit shorter than Hyungwon but obviously more muscular than the lanky boy himself. Even the stained white dress shirt looked amazing on his figure and Hyungwon was jealous (maybe the slightest bit attracted as well).
“Take a seat,” his voice wasn’t harsh, but it was definitely a command. There was something about the man that made Hyungwon fear him, after all he had never before interacted with a pirate before.
Hyungwon sat across the captain, his stomach grumbling hungrily at the sight of all those dishes in front of him. He must have miscounted the amount of hours since his kidnapping, since currently his body felt like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“Eat up,” The captain was leaning his chin against the palm of his hand, smirking at Hyungwon as the said man crabbed for the grilled pork like his life depended on it. The whole time Hyungwon was filling his empty stomach, the man across him only stared with amusement and curiosity, not saying a word until Hyungwon had finished.
“You haven’t told me your name yet,” finding the surprising bravery in him to begin a conversation Hyungwon still found his hands shaking with nervousness, hiding them on his lap under the table. He was fully aware of the man’s identity by now; it was Wonho sitting about one meter from him at that very moment.
Wonho was close to a legend despite his young age, the man was known as a ruthless pirate and heartbreaker. If the word Hyungwon had heard was the truth, the kingdom had tried to catch this young pirate for years. He showed no mercy and only left chaos behind. His crew was charged for attacking and destroying at least 10 different kingdom owned ships and two villages. It had been a while since there had been any sights of him, but if one was to believe the rumors his cockswain turned the crew against him and made the captain take a walk on the plank.
“Chae Hyungwon,” the captain started lazily, almost as if he tasted the name on his tongue. “You can call me Captain Wonho.”
“Well, Captain Wonho, if you don’t mind me asking, why am I here?” Hyungwon was squeezing his knees, knuckles white, waiting for the answer with breath hitched in his throat.
The smile disappeared from Wonho’s face as his eyebrows furrowed what seemed to be in deep thought. “It was not in your cargo.”
“Pardon me?” Indeed the cargo had been meat and wine, those sell quite well at trading ports making it a good business.
“You do not know what I’m speaking of?” the expression on the older male’s face switching from thoughtful to light heartedly questioning. “Your father must not inform you of much.”
“Be so kind and explain me then,” Hyungwon was growing impatient, was he only here as a form of entertainment for this sinfully good-looking captain.
“How much do you know of Kihyun’s All Seeing Eye, Chae Hyungwon?” Wonho’s stare was sharp as he observed Hyungwon’s reaction, there was not much to observe though.
“Isn’t that only an old sailor tale?” it was Hyungwon’s turn to furrow his eyebrows. Was his father’s crew killed and ship sunk only for a fairy tale time? Unbelievable.
Wonho snickered behind his hand and took his time to consider his next words carefully. “Your father was planning to trade something valuable for the information of its location.”