The Legend of Magic Island | taejun + sookai

part 21: setting the stage

At the break of dawn, Captain Hongjoong and his crew gathered once again to go over the plan they had. Taehyun laid out a simple sketch of their ship, marking the mast and a spot below the deck.

"There's a chance they're tied more securely after they had escaped last time," he explained, "We could have a distraction, while Yeonjun and I go to get the captain to safety while a few take care of the pirates above deck."

Taehyun handed the quill pen to the captain, who leaned his cheek into his palm.

"Wooyoung, Yeosang, San, Mingi. I want you four with Yeonjun and Taehyun," Hongjoong ordered, "Seonghwa and Jongho are with me. Yunho and Hueningkai stick together if you don't want to get hurt."

They nodded in agreement, Hongjoong looking up from the map at the sunrise.

"If we go now, there's a lesser chance of attracting too much attention," he commented, "Yeonjun, Taehyun, I want you two to get a look at your ship and theirs. Tell us where everyone is and we could plot an attack based off of that."

Taehyun and Yeonjun nodded in agreement, glancing over at their ship, which was still docked at the port.

"I think I have an idea," Yeonjun said quietly, smiling slightly. He leaned in closer so the others could hear him.

"Alright, here's the plan..."

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Captain Soobin and Beomgyu's hands were tied, roughly thrown on board. Soobin fell with a harsh thud, Beomgyu falling right after. They fell to Captain Bang Chan's feet, shakily staggering to their knees.

Panting, Soobin slowly glanced up at his old friend. Chan drew his cutlass, pointing it at Soobin's throat. The captain didn't change his expression, breaking eye contact and staring down at the wooden deck.

Instead, he let out a light chuckle and closed his eyes.

"So... this is how it ends," Soobin murmured under his breath, "It seems it didn't take much for you to beat me."

Captain Bang Chan shrugged, lowering his sword. "I was always the better fighter, Soobin. It was a mistake to challenge me in the first place."

"I never wanted to challenge you in the first place," Soobin mumbled in a quiet voice. His eyes still closed solemnly, he kept his head low while he was kneeling before the other.

"I already gave you the chance to join me years ago, now's not a bad time to change your mind," Chan bargained, "You and I could've done something."

Soobin slowly opened his eyes again, his expression unchanged.

"You're wrong," the captain breathed, "You and I never got along, even my father knew that. Not to mention my 'chance' to join you was a threat."

"Maybe it feels like we were friends since I saw you so often," Soobin chuckled, then shook his head, "You were a wolf in sheep's clothing. Except I was never foolish enough to fall for your tricks."

Captain Bang Chan rolled his eyes. "Your views were pointless anyways, what good is it to find a treasure you're not going to take?"

"It's not the treasure that matters to me," Soobin breathed, "It's the journey to get there. My father never cared about riches or fame, neither did I."

He glared up at Captain Bang Chan, his voice trembling as he forced out his words.

"I'm staying with my crew until the end, whether that's now or sometime in the future," Soobin continued, his voice staying quiet, "They're not leaving my side and I'm not leaving theirs."