FELLOWSHIP || Ateez Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty Three: Through Wind and Storm

Hongjoong POV
Ooof! I sit down on the kitchen floor. San's training is hard but I definitely made huge progress. San gives me a glass of water and sits down next to me. He lays his head on my shoulder and breathes heavily.
I never noticed it until now but over the past year his physique changed a lot. His posture is a lot better, he has gained a lot of weight and especially a lot of muscles. But so also have Mingi and Yunho. Especially over the last two months all of us have built a lot muscles.
What I am concerned about is how Mingi has changed. In the beginning he was so excited and eager to see the world. Now he seems to be very uncomfortable with visiting new places.

11 months ago
I leave the ship. I should have put on thinner clothes. It is pretty hot today.
I walk through the fields while some farmers curiously follow me with their eyes until I make it to the village. I really hope I can find someone who can sell me some bread and maybe some fruits. I look around to see if there is a shop or a small market but then I bump into a huge pillar.
"Ouch."
The pillar suddenly moves and I realize that it is actually a tall boy.
"Oh, I am sorry."
"No problem but I haven't seen you here before. Are you an adventurer?", he says and smiles like an excited puppy.
"Yes, I am a treasure hunter. Ehm, do you know where I can buy some bread?"
"Oh really? Do you have a ship? You travel the world? Go on adventures? Find treasures?"
He looks at me with big eyes. I don't know what to say. I just want to buy food. Another tall man approaches us.
"Good morning Yunho. Don't you need to look after your crops? And who is this?"
"Ah, I already did that? He is an adventurer! Isn't that exciting?!"
"Oh, really? Where are you from? Where have you been to?"
The man smiles brightly and swings excitedly from one side to another. I nervously look around, not knowing what to answer.
"Ehm, I was born on a ship soo... yeah.... And I have been pretty much everywhere."
"Woah amazing!!!", the man exclaims.
"Sorry if we are interrupting you with something. It's just really exciting for us. We just pretty much never get off of the island.", Yunho apologizes.
"It's okay. I understand. Ehm, but I still need to buy food."
"Oh, yeah. We will show you where you can buy something."
We walk through the village. The two point out the houses of different farmers and tell me the history of every field.

We reach a big house at the edge of the village. There is a huge oven at the side of it. Next to the front door is a small built in shop. A chubby woman greets us from behind the counter.
"Yunho, Mingi! What can I do for you?", she asks.
I step forward.
"Ehm, hello I need some bread and a few apples please.", I say.
"Oh hello. How much do you need?"
"Two breads and a half kilo of apples."
"I haven't seen you here before by the way? Are you a traveler?"
"He is an adventurer!", Mingi answers.
"An adventurer? Haven't had one of those here in a long time."
The woman gives me the apples and the bread and I pay.
"Have a nice day and good look on your adventures.", the woman says.
The bag with the apples is really heavy. Yunho notices that I struggle with it and takes the bag from me.
"Let me help you."
"Can we see your ship?", Mingi asks.
"Yeah, why not."
They ask me a lot of questions about my journeys. I tell them a lot of different stories and they have big reactions to everything I say.
After some time we are finally back at my ship.
"Wow, it's huge. Do you have a crew?", Mingi asks.
"Not at the moment."
"Do you need a crew?", Yunho asks.
"Actually I do. It's really hard to do everything on the ship on your own."
"But I am guessing you want people with experience?"
"Not necessarily, no."
"Could we join then?", Mingi utters.
I look at them. They are both tall which is definitely an advantage. Apart from that they are also farmers which means that they are used to working in harsh weather conditions and are decently fit.
"If you want to you can. But aren't you needed here?"
"I think our families would be doing fine without us. It was just always our dream to go on adventures and travel the world."
"You should think about it some more. It's a big decision. I will be here until tomorrow. I can also show you the ship if you want to."
"Yes. I really want to see it.", Mingi exclaims.