Chapter Text
The sky remains untamed, the ocean stayed their only friend. Land was far and few between and tried to house the peculiar life that had developed. Fantastical secrets were found on these islands not long ago; creatures no one prior could fathom, curses and scrolls people have yet to decipher.
The one thing they made to accommodate this life were simple ships; less man heavy to operate and less risk-filled to one's health. But with it, some boats also got a whole lot smaller yet more efficient. And people set up businesses with them.
Either to transport others to nearby islands, sell goods to travellers at sea, or simply to rob others—not looking if they could spare the money or not.
Seungjun knew no better than this world. Youthful days sitting at the shore, staring at the happenings around him and his close friend. A tiny, harmless dragon trying to chase a butterfly, a trader selling wildly overpriced goods, or people simply trying to destroy their livers for a night of fun they would forget the day after.
Soon however, instead of just sitting at the shore, Seungjun set sail himself after meeting a like-minded sailor.
“By the gods,” Seungjun groaned and kicked against the wooden leg of their table. “It was another dead end. I knew we shouldn’t have trusted that ragged old scribble as a reliable map.”
“Relax,” Jaeyoung shushed, “we didn’t have any other lead now, did we?”
“So?” the other scoffed, slouching down in his bar chair and grabbing his morning cup. “At least we wouldn’t have wasted food and time going somewhere absolutely useless.”
“We wouldn’t have known it was useless unless we went there,” Jaeyoung argued back.
“Oh, piss off smartass.”
Seungjun felt little nails tap over his blouse. “Piss off,” the brightly coloured parrot atop his shoulder echoed.
“See,” Seungjun grinned, “MK agrees.”
“MK! MK!”
“Because he always does,” Jaeyoung chuckled. “Anyway, shall we set sail again?”
“Sure. Where to, though?”
“The next town has a huge trader’s market, we might find something there.”
“And which direction is that?” Seungjun asked with a smirk and Jaeyoung got out a crudely drawn map.
“Uhm...N-North?”
“Are you sure?”
“My map says so.”
“Your map says about 6 different directions for each position,” Seungjun snickered. “Why do you still insist on making your own maps?”
“Because it’s fun and less expensive. Also, compasses just don’t make sense, alright? How does this thing know it’s north?” Jaeyoung grumbled and got a little compass out of his pocket, tapping his nail on the sturdy glass.
“There are magnetic—”
“Aye, aye, navy school drop-out, you have told me so before but it doesn’t make sense.”
“Well anyways, let’s just try and get to it,” Seungjun downed his drink and set it back on the table, maybe a bit too loudly. “Let’s get the wind back in our coats.”
“Don’t you mean hair?” Jaeyoung teased. “Since you lost your coat and all…”
Seungjun side-eyed the other. “Piss off.”
The bird ruffled its feathers. “Piss off.”
Seungjun long since knew that on the waves is where he belonged. Their ship was nothing to write home about: simple transportation for 3 to 4 people that was operable by 2. However, when it caught the wind and swayed over the seas, Seungjun felt alive. He had had a thirst for adventure ever since he was a child, he wasn’t out for riches nor power, he just wanted to see the world; find the experiences his grandfather had told him about. Meeting Jaeyoung was a blessing. A rather unfortunate happening, but a blessing nonetheless.
The urge to explore had gotten the better of Seungjun one day and he just wanted to get out; leave his stuffy town, the useless training and the proper business. He didn’t live far from the harbour and often found himself there to relax, but one fateful night he had gone there when the moon was at its highest, prepared with a rather overstuffed backpack. Dodging the guards and hiding behind the many piles of wares, he got close to the sleeping ships and picked the smallest boat he could find. It was a little rundown but seemed sturdy. Only two small masts sat in the middle and it had a cabin where about three people could sleep. He checked once more—twice more—to make sure no guards saw him before he boarded the ship.
It took him a while to get all the knots untied, and when he raised the sail, someone yelled at him. A guard came running his way while Seungjun tried his best to get far enough away from the harbour before the blue-clad man could jump on it.
“Hey! Get back here!” the man had called out to him.
Apparently Seungjun was still too close and the man jumped on the ship, but the yelling had woken up someone else who was aboard.
A scruffy man came out of the cabin on the ship shortly after to de-escalate the situation. He quickly informed them that he was the owner of the boat and lied that Seungjun was his cousin and that it was alright, kindly sending the guard away again.
Long story short, that man became Seungjun's companion from then on, a soft-hearted man named Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung was a weird person to Seungjun. He had simply asked why Seungjun was trying to steal his ship, before agreeing to set sail when he had listened to the other's goal, saying he wanted a reason to be on the vast ocean again anyway. Jaeyoung wasn’t a vague person but he liked to sugar-coat things. So, Seungjun figured that when he asked about Jaeyoung's prior endeavours, and got “I fell out with my last crew so now I sail alone”, that it wasn’t the simple disagreement Jaeyoung made it out to be. However, Seungjun didn’t pry further as he didn’t feel it was relevant.
The busy marketplace came a little too soon for Seungjun's liking. Seagulls annoyed the multiple food stands that had installed themselves close to the harbour, children ran around and traders screamed about their ’oh so great,’ pricing. It was way too loud but Seungjun grew excited. However, between the two of them, Jaeyoung was always the talker, easily striking up conversation with whomever would listen. Seungjun was social himself and seemed to attract people at random, but he often spoke for longer than he should and spilled more than needed. So just to be safe and not get manipulated by the wrong people, Jaeyoung was the one deciding their jobs, which often involved transporting wares or people. Even with his intimidating appearance—run down boots, long pirate-like coat and a white cloth wrapped around his head—people trusted Jaeyoung instantly, just his smile alone would convince any judge he was an innocent man. Maybe it was the bright blue hair that made him seem joyous, but Seungjun couldn't explain why Jaeyoung looked just incredibly reliable.
“So, what did you want to do here?” Seungjun hummed while trailing Jaeyoung who had set a relaxed meander through the market.
“Well, for one, I need to sell some things to stock up on food. And also ask around a little about the places here so I can finish my map,” he explained. “And then hopefully pick up a job.”
Seungjun groaned at the prospect. “I don’t want to keep dropping people off at random cities, I have places to go.”
“And where are those places?”
“I don’t know,” Seungjun pouted. “But definitely not wherever the average person here goes.”
“Come on. Taking such simple requests brings in at least enough money to eat. We need it if we don’t want to starve on your elaborate journeys.” Jaeyoung spoke as if he had said that a million times already, making Seungjun sigh.
“Fine. Get us a good catch, then.”
“You go buy food and”—Jaeyoung looked around for a bit before pointing at a bench— “go wait there once you're done, I’ll come and find you at least before the sun sets.”
“Alright. Fine. Good luck.”
With bouncy feet, Seungjun wandered over the market, metal clinking together as he tossed his little pouch up with every step. He picked some simple things that they could eat raw without much trouble, given that neither of them was a good chef and they didn't have a kitchen built in on their boat. A few cyclops children almost tripped him when they rushed past in a game of tag, but with a simple twirl, Seungjun dodged the oncoming traffic and continued over the market. He looked at how much money they had left and wondered if he could afford going to a cheap tailor. His clothes were fine, the flowy off-white shirt and simple high-waisted black trousers were breezy on the ship, but he really wanted something of a coat to go with it, as his last one got lost after a night he cannot remember, but involved a lot of rum.
Even if they were short on coin, he at least wanted to go and see. So after he had filled his large waist pouch full of goods, he headed into the city.
The streets were buzzing with people spending their free time or working outside. Construction workers mindlessly doing tasks, swindlers making their living in lighted shadows and families enjoying each other’s company. Seungjun had seen all the basics a million times already, so only an unusual kerfuffle between people of wildly different posture right outside a bar drew his attention.
“Please! I need to go there,” a shorter man in a white button up, dark green suspenders and rounded glasses begged a few burly looking sailors.
“We don’t care,” one of the sailors grumbled. “We ain’t taking no one to that place.”
The shorter man got a hefty leather purse from his black fabric trousers. “I will pay well, I swear.”
“No amount of money is worth that trip,” the sailors persisted.
Hearing the prospect of, hopefully, enough money to live off for a while, Seungjun stepped up. “Shall I take you, then?” he offered.
The man’s eyes widened. “You would?!”
“Of course, why not?” Seungjun shrugged.
“Indeed,” the other grinned. “Why not?”
One of the sailors walked over. “You have no idea what you are getting yourself into, kid.”
“Excuse me?” Seungjun returned.
“I’m just warning you, pretty boy.”
“I don’t need that, thank you.”
“Someone like you isn’t made for the ocean.”
Seungjun rolled his eyes having heard that sentence a stupid amount by now, and felt the little nails on his shoulder grip tight.
“Piss off…” the parrot called.
Seungjun whipped his head. “MK, let’s not get into trouble here,” he said politely, knowing he was outnumbered by the sailors.
The bird clearly wasn’t content with that and kept his feathers set outward and spread its wings to look threatening.
The sailor laughed at the display and addressed the bird. “Listen to the little escort.”
Seungjun felt anger well up. “Escort?!”
A hand grabbed his jaw. “It would fit you a lot better than pretending to know the ocean.”
With a swift back hand, Seungjun slapped the palm off his face and soon after saw bright yellow and blue feathers flock by.
“MK, no!” Seungjun yelled but the parrot had already clawed along the sailor’s cheek drawing a tiny hint of blood.
The world stopped for just a second and Seungjun got ready to pluck all the colour off his troublemaking companion, but the furious look rising in the sailor’s eyes made Seungjun panic. He quickly swiped his feathery friend out of the air and whipped around, rushing away over the pavement.
“Hey! Wait!” the bespectacled man called after him.
Seungjun didn’t look back and just ran into random streets, holding a stubborn parrot in a tight grip. Hoping to lose any potential chasers as best as possible, he ran through multiple crowds, getting complaints and yells from different people before hiding in an alley.
“SQUAWK!!”
“Shut your beak, you dumb bird!” Seungjun scolded, crouching down and leaning against a wall.
He put the parrot on his knees but the obstinate bird faced away from him.
“Look at me, MK.”
The parrot sat down as a response, so Seungjun put on a stronger voice. “MK.”
The beady black eyes finally looked back and MK lowered his head when Seungjun spoke, “You almost got us beat up, please don’t do that,” he said as if the bird could understand him and gave him a soft tap on the green feathers of MK's crown.
The parrot apologetically lowered his head further.
“Thank you, though,” Seungjun muttered after, “for standing up for me.”
The beady eyes sparkled as MK jumped back on Seungjun’s shoulder. While mimicking joyous and obnoxious kissing noises, MK pressed his beak against the other's soft cheek.
“Okay, alright, enough,” Seungjun chuckled and gently pushed the bird away again.
Someone suddenly yelled through the alley. “There you are!”
Seungjun crawled up and was ready to sprint until he saw that it wasn't any of the sailors, but the bespectacled man.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he huffed.
“Oh,” Seungjun breathed, “I didn’t think you would find me…”
“I sent the sailors on a wrong path,” the man laughed, “and then your rather loud Ara ararauna made me find you.”
Seungjun tilted his head. “My what now?”
“Your bird.”
“MK, MK,” the parrot chirped joyously.
“It's nice to make your acquaintance,” the man nodded to the bird. “I’m Mizuguchi Yuto,” he introduced himself.
Seungjun couldn’t help but get a bit of an odd vibe from the man; he held himself very proper but there was something playful in his eyes. “...I’m Seungjun.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Yuto smiled. “You said you could sail me somewhere?”
“Yes, that’s true,” Seungjun hummed. “Me and my friend sail people to places all the time, so there should be no trouble.”
“That’s great—”
“Oh no...” Seungjun sighed when he realised where he was and how low the sun hung.
Yuto arched a brow. “What?”
“Do you know the route to the harbour?”
“Yeah, it’s not too far. Why?”
“I was supposed to meet my friend there,” Seungjun sighed, “please take me.”
Another laugh bubbled out of the man. “Of course,” he answered.
To Seungjun’s dismay, Jaeyoung was already tapping his feet impatiently, standing cross-armed, right next to the bench. A nervous smile grew on Seungjun’s face as he approached the ticking time bomb.
“Where were you?” Jaeyoung grumbled.
“I… uhm… I wanted to see if there was a tailor in town,” Seungjun answered.
“What deal do you have with a tailor?”
Seungjun lifted his arms to give himself a defence. “I wanted a coat.”
Jaeyoung closed his eyes and sighed, “You got me worried for nothing.”
With a chuckle, Seungjun threw a glance over his shoulder, seeing Yuto stand behind him.
“By the way, Jaeyoung,” he started to change the subject, “I got us a job!” His excitement didn’t pass on to the other, who grew a look of concern, so Seungjun continued with, “Oh, don’t be so doubtful.”
Jaeyoung wasn’t convinced and took a deep breath before turning his expression friendlier and facing the new company. “I’m Jaeyoung,” he smiled.
“Ah, I’m Yuto. I met your friend just now while I was looking for someone to sail me somewhere,” Yuto explained and Seungjun puffed his chest when Jaeyoung looked a little impressed that this seemed like a normal job.
“And where to, would that be?” Jaeyoung asked.
Yuto grew a weird innocence in his eyes. “The Garden—”
“No,” Jaeyoung interrupted.
“Please—” Yuto tried.
“No. We are not going there,” Jaeyoung persisted so Seungjun came in between.
“Why not?” he asked, making the other widen his eyes.
“You don’t know The Garden?”
“...No?”
Jaeyoung let out a breath. “You didn’t learn that in your navy studies?”
“We might’ve but I skipped a bunch of classes,” Seungjun admitted.
“Then just trust me, we aren’t going.”
“Why?!”
Jaeyoung kept stern and lowered his voice. “That place is cursed. That place, and all its surroundings,” he bit. “Almost no one has ever returned from there with their life. And if they did, they had gone mad.”
Seungjun's curiosity hit peak levels. “So not much is known about the place?”
“We are not going,” Jaeyoung stayed put.
“Come on. Unknown land? Aren't you curious?”
“I know enough about it.”
“That's all stories; nothing proven,” Seungjun scoffed and opened his gestures. “All mapped territories we've researched so far have all been useless. Maybe this is where we should be headed.”
“I highly doubt your grandfather wanted to send you to your death.”
“Who knows, my family had quite dark humour at times,” Seungjun shrugged. “Besides, Yuto said he would pay well.”
“Of course,” Yuto confirmed. “You can even borrow my boat so that there is no risk of yours being damaged.”
Jaeyoung cocked his head. “If you have a boat, why do you need us?”
“Ah, because I do not know how my ship works… I inherited it, but I cannot sail it.”
“Perfect!” Seungjun hummed joyously. “If Jaeyoung here doesn't want to go, I'll just join you on your ship.”
“Oh, no no no,” Jaeyoung interrupted with a wave of his finger. “I am not letting you make that stupid mistake by yourself.”
Seungjun grew a devilish grin. “So you're coming too?” he cooed, pulling a sigh from his friend.
“There is no other way, is there?”
“Hm. No, not really.”
“You're going to get yourself killed someday...” Jaeyoung warned and Seungjun just laughed.
“A life lived fearing death, is a boring one.”
“A life lived ignoring danger, is a short one…”
“Yet you stay with me,” Seungjun gave back teasingly. “So how much do you really fear it?”
Jaeyoung let out a defeated chuckle. “I guess not enough.”
Seungjun couldn’t help but feel boastful at his victory. It was never hard to convince Jaeyoung to get to do anything, and Seungjun felt he secretly enjoyed the adventure just as much but just wanted to pretend to have a few brain cells.
“Alright,” Yuto sang, seeming excited to finally start his long-awaited journey, “but can we go to my hometown first? I need to gather some things.”
Jaeyoung nodded. “We need to go there anyway if we want to take your boat.”
“Oh, we’re taking my boat?”
“Well aye, you offered it and I don’t want mine damaged. If we are going to The Garden, I am not taking any risks.”
“Alright, sure. I have no sentimental connection to that ship anyway.”
“Great,” Seungjun hummed. “Then we can go?”
Jaeyoung shook his head. “We now need food for another person first.”
“I’ll handle that,” Yuto remarked, “there is a good seller in my hometown, I’ll get my share there.”
“Then we can go, yes,” Jaeyoung announced and took the lead to guide the group back to his small ship.
The salty scent pouring back into his nostrils got Seungjun at ease again. It hadn't been that long since he had set out to sea, only a couple of years, but it had started to feel like home more than the old stone house he used to live in. His grandfather's ocean stories by the fireplace had made the waters seem more familiar than his own dusty bedroom, even in his younger years. The cries of ocean birds and the clashing of waves was a prettier sound than the disrupted radio in his old living room.
Jaeyoung pointed out their boat and Yuto instantly complimented with, “Oh, that's quaint.”
“It's nothing much,” Jaeyoung shrugged, “but it gets us around.”
“I'm all for efficiency over extravagance.”
“That's good, then.”
Keeping it quick, because he wasn't feeling like this trip, Jaeyoung swiftly got the ship ready for departure.
“How long is it to your home town?” Seungjun asked.
“Just short of half a day,” Yuto answered, “so we should arrive around the late afternoon.”
“Alright, then we can have dinner there and start our travels tomorrow,” Seungjun suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Yuto grinned.
“Come help me here!” Jaeyoung called to Seungjun and together they got the rope back on board and raised the first sails to get them out of the harbour.
The wind wasn't too strong and the course to the next town wasn't through much open water. With everything up and running and the waves swaying the ship gently, Seungjun let Jaeyoung stay at the helm and went to join Yuto, who was hanging against one of the railings.
“So,” Seungjun started, “what do you want at The Garden?”
“See its flora and fauna mostly,” Yuto answered.
“Only that? You're going to a cursed island for the nature?” Seungjun questioned. He hopped onto the railing and went to retie the laces on his knee-high boots.
“Yeah, you could put it that way,” Yuto laughed. “But I just want to study it.”
“What do you do, then? Study plants?”
“That's part of what I do, yes.” Brushing dirt of his blouse, Yuto talked quite flatly. “I research mostly flora, and fauna I track occasionally. But I’ve been doing so much flora, I’ll be focusing more on creatures for a bit.”
“And then?”
“I write research papers and encyclopaedias,” Yuto explained.
“Oh god, those things…”
“Ah, you know them?”
“I used to go to a navy school, so I was forced to at least own an oceanic encyclopaedia,” Seungjun groaned and let his feet dangle again, “but I've never opened the damned thing.”
“They are quite interesting, I find.”
“We don't have any aboard as Jaeyoung can barely even read and I have no interest, so I wouldn't know how great their contents can be.”
“You could've learned the name of your bird with it at least.”
Seungjun grinned. “I know his name.”
“MK!” the parrot answered.
Yuto let his vision go over the colours. “Quite an unusual name.”
“It's what he answered when we asked who he was.”
“MK! MK!”
“He tells me constantly…” Seungjun sighed.
“I noticed. But he is actually an Ara ararauna,” Yuto explained again and reached an arm out to MK. “Quite a rare species for these parts actually. How did you get him? From a seller?”
To Seungjun's surprise, MK hopped off his shoulder and took a spot on Yuto's arm, not minding the studying eyes.
“No. He isn't even a pet, he finds his own food and place. 'He's just is another passenger', I always say. One day he kind of crash landed on our ship,” Seungjun explained, “he was exhausted so we fed him and he stayed.”
Yuto took hold of one of MK's wings and opened it, studying the yellow feathers, which contrasted shiningly next to the sky-blue ones. “I wonder where he is from, then...”
“Oh well,” Seungjun shrugged, “we all have our stories.”
“That's true,” Yuto said back. He let go of the feathers and used the hand to tap against MK's beak. “Can I borrow him for a second?”
“Like I said, he is his own bird, he can go where he wants with whomever he wants.”
“Alright, I'll be right back,” Yuto smiled and the bird seemed a little concerned. “Don't worry, I won't do anything harmful.” He walked off and went into the cabin.
Seungjun's eyes followed the duo curiously until they were out of sight. He wondered what they were doing but didn't hear MK scream so he felt it would be alright. MK was impossible to shut up if anything was wrong, so as long as he was silent Seungjun felt relaxed.
Watching the views, the waves and the distant islands fuelled his urge to get out further. He wanted to be in a place where there was nothing else to see but the water. There was always a landmass around them, there was always a destination in sight. He wanted to go beyond; find something new. While he was finally close to that wish, he had gotten impatient by now.
Time is an abstract concept, especially at sea. Travelling while the world barely changes, the waves all blend together and the land only passes by slowly.
Seungjun had slightly learned to read time by checking the stance of the sun or moon, but generally wasn't too concerned by the passing of light and just lived how the day let him. So when Yuto came back outside, Seungjun didn't know how far on their journey they were already.
MK bolted back to Seungjun to perch on his shoulder.
“Did everything go alright?” Seungjun asked and got MK to sit on his arm, he inspected the bird for damages but couldn't find anything.
“Yes. I just can't write well with this wind so I had to take him inside,” Yuto explained, “he is quite the magnificent psittacine.”
“...Thanks?” Seungjun said unsurely but not feeling like asking for another definition of a word.
Yuto took a better hold of a small notebook and pen he was carrying. “Can you get him to fly?”
“I don't know. I've never trained him…”
“You haven't?” Yuto frowned. “Macaws are quite smart, you can train them well.”
“I've just never needed to,” Seungjun shrugged, “he listens decently already.”
“Well, maybe we can try to get him to fly around for a little at least.”
“How…?” Seungjun asked hesitantly.
Yuto turned his stoic face to the waves and nodded. “Throw him.”
“What?!”
“His instincts will make him fly,” Yuto assured, “just throw him.”
“And if his instincts don't make him fly?” Seungjun questioned
“...He would drown, eventually, as macaws aren't made to swim. So don't worry, he will fly.”
“I'd rather not throw one of my passengers to their potential death.”
“He won't die, just throw him.”
Seungjun lifted his arm to get the parrot to eye-level. “MK, just go fly, for your own safety,” he advised but MK stayed put and huddled his head down into his feathers.
Two hands sneaked around the parrot and lifted it off Seungjun's arm.
“Hey! Don't!” Seungjun called but Yuto already rushed to the other side of the deck, meanwhile putting MK in a new grip.
He held the bird in one hand like how one would hold a spear, and threw him into the sky quite the same way. Seungjun ran after the duo but MK was already launched towards the ocean with surprising strength.
“SQUAWK!!!” MK yelled and flapped his wings uncoordinated.
“MK!!” Seungjun called.
A booming laugh came from Jaeyoung at the helm before the bright blue and yellow wings straightened and MK flocked back in a panic. Seungjun stumbled slightly as a heavy bird crashed into his chest before crawling over to his back. Claws anchored themselves in the back of his shirt and MK hissed a loud, “Piss off!” to Yuto.
“What did you do that for?!” Seungjun yelled at the researcher.
“I wanted to prove my theory,” Yuto nodded.
“By nearly murdering him?!”
“I almost certainly knew he would fly.”
“Almost…”
“Man,” Jaeyoung called from the helm, “you just nearly made my wish come true!”
“Squawk!” MK protested to the laughter.
Seungjun slapped his hands on his ears. “MK, stop screaming right next to my face,” he groaned and then hooked a finger around the hem of his shirt, which was digging into his throat with the heavy weight attached to it. “Also, get off, you're choking me.”
MK didn't listen, so Seungjun just turned his back to Yuto, instantly making the parrot crawl over his shoulder again as it hung itself against Seungjun's chest to avoid grabbing range.
“I won't do it again,” Yuto mumbled as he bent over his notebook once more and started scribbling.
“Can I at least look at what you’re writing?” Seungjun asked while he pried the bird off himself and placed it on the boat's railing.
“I thought you weren't interested.”
“I do want to know what you found after nearly drowning MK.”
“Ah, well, go ahead. It's not entirely proper since I can't write as well on the go, but here.”
The scrappy notebook Seungjun was handed didn't seem as expected. The outside looked used and fragile, its leather drying up. However, the inside was well taken care of and the handwriting was surprisingly neat, albeit a little hard to read, so Seungjun mostly eyed the drawings first. While trying to make it through the words afterwards, Seungjun noticed the empty spaces at the section for preferences.
“Likes: petting and Lee Seungjun'?” he read.
Yuto clicked his pen a couple of times as his hands looked restless. “That's all I've found so far.”
“He likes stealing more than he likes me, I think.”
“Stealing?”
Seungjun read some of the other words while trying to explain his suggestion. “Yeah, sometimes I miss jewellery or a few coins, and then find that MK has stolen them. The shinier the better.”
“Shiny, shiny, MK.”
“He also likes seeds a lot, although he will eat almost anything,” Seungjun mindlessly informed before continuing, “Dislikes: Shim Jaeyoung.' Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“I haven't found much else.”
“How about 'being thrown overboard'?”
Yuto shook his head. “Not of significance to record.”
Seungjun side-eyed the other but he seemed fully serious, so Seungjun went back to the paper. “He dislikes...hmm… Being ignored?”
“How do you know?”
Seungjun chuckled. “You try ignoring him when he asks for something and you'll know too.”
“What does he do, then?” Yuto asked, no tone different.
“Scream, mostly. Yank at your ear as well if he is in a bad mood.”
“Alright, thank you, I'll note it down,” Yuto said and took his notebook back.
“No problem,” Seungjun smiled and set a brisk walk up the stairs next to the cabin to get to the helm, hearing MK chase after him before the weight returned to his shoulder.
Jaeyoung grinned at the animal. “It's a shame you can fly.”
Feeling vengeful, MK hopped over to Jaeyoung in a swift motion and bit his ear.
“Ouch! What the fuck, you dumb bird!” he yelled and waved MK away to sit on the railing in front of the wheel.
The bird spread its wings and turned its tone low. “Ha ha ha,” MK imitated the booming laughter from before.
“I'll get you back for that,” Jaeyoung mumbled and MK bobbed his head tauntingly.
After a roll of his eyes, Seungjun spoke up. “How long until we get to land?”
“Hmm, still a while, I believe,” Jaeyoung guessed. “Why?”
“I want to nap. Yesterday was long.”
“Aye, true. Go ahead.”
Seungjun stretched himself before making his way down the stairs and humming a quick, “Thanks.”
When MK got wind of the plan, he flew down and entered the cabin together with Seungjun. The tiny curtains of the cabin were still closed and the lower two hammocks were turned into storage places, as they hadn't had passengers for a while.
With learnt skill, Seungjun climbed into his hammock on the right side and MK perched at the top of it, locking his feet as he sat down.
The soft swaying of the boat was now more relaxing than nauseating, unlike the first few days aboard.
He looked up at the colourful feathers MK was busy cleaning. “We're finally going to go somewhere new,” he breathed.
“Raise the sails,” MK chirped.
“Soon, soon,” Seungjun mumbled back through a yawn and pulled a simple blanket over himself. “We have to get to Yuto's town first,” he said while closing his eyes and letting the swaying shortly take him to dreamland.
