treasure || bang chan

epilogue

                         ༄ 2018

The world changes in such subtle, imperceivable ways. The difference in the piers and docks, in the nuts and bolts holding it all together. The difference in the ships — sleek and buffed aluminum bodies instead of mildew-covered oak, billowing sails made from polyester instead of cotton canvas.

I trusted one thing would always be the same. The sea.

Standing at the very edge of the bow, I opened my arms and sucked in a lungful of salty air. The ocean had not been my home for almost 150 years, but each time I came back, the familiar babble of water and squall of seagulls welcomed me like a jolly childhood friend.

I rubbed my palms together. "What do you think, boys? Ready to sail?"

I turned and saw my family standing on the deck, staring down at the iPhones in their hands.

"You really brought your phones?" I said disbelievingly. "All of you?"

"Sorry, Chan." Minho was taking pictures of Jisung against the cloudless blue sky. "My mom asked for photos."

"I'm ordering iFood," said Hyunjin. "I have to make an offering if the seagulls are gonna crown me their supreme overlord."

"Changbin's on Twitter calling people piss babies," Jeongin snitched.

"Well spongegar_6969 is being a piss baby," Changbin grumbled.

I sighed. "As long as it's... necessary."

Jisung flinched as a seagull flew over his head. "Minho, can you please just take the picture?"

"You keep moving and fucking up the panorama."

"But the birds are trying to kill me!"

"Ahoy, me hearties!"

Felix rode a full circle on the mainsail, dismounted with a diving somersault and landed in Changbin's arms. He was dressed in breeches, an eyepatch and a tricorne hat — a pirate costume he bought from Party City.

"Felix, you look ridicu—" Jisung shrieked and darted across the ship to escape a swooping seagull. Minho filmed him.

"What was that, Jisungie?" Felix cupped his ears, feigning attention. "Sorry, can't hear ya over the sound of my own radness."

"I'm pretty sure pirates never said 'ahoy' or 'me hearties,'" said Seungmin.

"We did sometimes, actually." Haseong was assisting him with his myriad of suitcases. "At this point it's lost all meaning. Jesus, Seungmin, how much shit did you have to take from home?"

"Look, if this bucket goes down, I'm not gonna do the 'Cast Away' thing with the bivouacking and the loin cloths. I brought tents, daily changes of clothes, forty-seven flare guns and, most importantly, my trusty Switch."

"Alright." I slapped my hands together to get their attention. "This should be a lovely time to set sail. We're here to celebrate the sea — and of course, Felix's early one-hundred-year deathday."

"I'm still attached to the plane thing," said Felix.

"You're not doing the plane thing," said Changbin.

"Wait, there's my takeout guy!" Hyunjin leapt off the ship and fled up the dock. "Don't leave without me!"

I hung my head. Haseong came over, tipped my face up and kissed me.

"You okay?"

"You're gonna call me a fogey."

"What is it?"