Treasure | Seongjoong

Episode 1: Welcome to The Wonderland • Part 1

Amidst a vast stretch of glittering sea, a magnificent ship swiftly sails. A wide white flag decorated in black lines whips with the wind. There's a messy, blood-red W inside a red circle printed atop the stripes, but the jagged font looks cool and commanding. Make no mistake; although there is not a Jolly Roger, this is, in fact, a famous pirate ship.

Standing at the helm is a handsome, spirited young man in a black hat. He hums a short tune, a smile of contentment gracing his lips. Whisps of his blond hair tickle his face, but he does not remove his hands to brush them back.

Down on the deck, crew members bustle about. A young man with oreo hair lightly swats the back of another man about his age wearing a tank top with messy black hair and carrying a cargo box. The man at the helm chuckles to himself at the sight.

A shout comes from the crow's nest above. "Land ho! Captain, I see the port up ahead!"

"Everyone prepare for docking!" the young man in the hat, the captain, calls out. A bluebird soars above the pirate ship's sails and carries on over the harbor of the nearby island city of Gyeongnam.

In a cramped corner of Gyeongnam Island lies Jinju. This slum area is home to tens of unfortunate families barely getting by. Crude buildings made by the most capable hands of the community sit crookedly side by side in the wide alley.

Elderly ladies busy themselves with mending clothes while watching the children play make-believe and hopscotch. Wives and husbands are absent due to long work hours, and those incapable of working are left to hold down the fort. The retired men gossip about the younger generations amidst a game of cards.

Grimy as they are, the close-knit community manages to get by with a few smiles day by day. One of the most prominent reasons is a young man of twenty-five years by the name of Park Seonghwa. From late boyhood to early adulthood, his name has passed by their lips on too many occasions to count. Such is the consequence of offering help enough times to develop a reputation.

Seonghwa does not cringe at the sound of his name being called. Not only is he aware that he brought it on himself, but the young man is more than happy to aid others. As long as he can be useful, he doesn't mind in the slightest. Even today, as he prepares to go to his job at the fish market, the youth is taking time out of his morning to fix a table set for an old man known as Grandpa Won.

"Much appreciated, son. Sorry to bother you with this, but I just don't have the same energy and strength as I used to," Grandpa Won says.

Seonghwa lifts his head from where he kneels on the ground with a hammer and smiles respectfully. He brushes back his black hair before triple-checking the sturdiness of the final chair. "No problem, Grandpa."

"You know, my parents named me Won because they hoped I would get rich as an adult. Look at me now, no money to even pay a good young man like you for your services."

The grin on Seonghwa's face widens slightly, and he stands up. The table set is fairly old, and termites have nibbled on some of the wood. Nevertheless, Grandpa Won celebrates its revival as if he had won the illegal lottery. Seonghwa hands the tools over to the table owner and dusts his hands.

"There's really no need. If you'll excuse me, I need to get down to the harbor now," he replies politely.

Grandpa Won waves him off with a hearty laugh. "Go, go! Don't let me hold you up. You should stop by when you get off work later. My daughter-in-law promised seafood tonight. It's the expensive stuff. God knows where she got the money from."