Star Illusion | ATEEZ Pirate AU

Chapter 45 - Out of character

Hongjoong watches as his little treasure dashes out of the room. A feeling of irksome crash over him, he almost had her in his palm but a certain cockblocker interrupted him. He glares at the stoic quartermaster at the door frame. If it wasn't him, someone would've holes in their head.

Hongjoong brush against Seonghwa's shoulder, advancing to the quarter room. He pours wine in a glass, picks it up and sits on his favorite red velvet couch.

"What do you want?" He spats at Seonghwa without sparing a glance. The latter situates himself across from Hongjoong, giving him a judgmental stare.

Suffocate silence hangs in the air when Seonghwa doesn't answer his question. Hongjoong swallows the whole content and pour another glass of wine, glass after glass until he seems to cool down. Then Seonghwa opens a conversation, "You're really serious about her."

"You came to me because of that?" Hongjoong scowl in disbelief. Star slipped through his fingers because this guy decided to have a chit chat with him.

Under the furious glares of the captain, Seonghwa remains unbothered, "Do you really love her?" He shoots Hongjoong another question, feeling strange as the word love is incompatible with the cruel pirate king.

Hongjoong doesn't give him a proper response. Although deep scowl doesn't fade from his face, a hint of smirk displays on his lips.

"And does she even love you?" Seeing his captain being overconfident, he wants to wake the lovesick man from his delusion. Even their blind crew can tell that Hongjoong is head over heels for the seeress. But as for Star, he can't decipher her feelings. She's over-friendly with everyone, to the extent that it annoys him.

"It's clearly seen in her eyes." Hongjoong stares at his wine glass as if it was the aquamarine eyed girl. His grin is getting wider which Seonghwa can't help but has an intense urge to wipe that cocky smirk off with his dagger.

"You know it won't work out." Seonghwa begs to differ. He only saw Hongjoong trying to allure the poor girl. While Star, although she pretends to be brave, she can't hide the fact that she fears him.

Hongjoong snaps his head toward Seonghwa, "Quartermaster Seonghwa, don't poke your nose into my business."

"Captain Hongjoong, you can't force her to stay on the ship." Seonghwa returns him with a cold gaze. He doesn't want to interfere with the captain's love affair but he can see through Hongjoong's ploy which he doesn't like it one bit.

Hongjoong laughs upon hearing Seonghwa's remark. "I didn't, I gave her choices."

"You never give anyone choice." The tiny captain has the audacity to lie in his face.  It was his scheme. And Hongjoong's scheme always wins. Always.

"Seonghwa, you really know me." Hongjoong chuckles, placing the glass on a small table. "And you should know that you can't do anything. Just don't get in my way, I don't wanna have a new quartermaster yet." His eyes turn into slits but a grin on his face never disappears. That's the look when he threatens his victim. But it doesn't work on Seonghwa anymore.

Seonghwa let out a scoff, "That girl must've bewitched you."

A low chuckle escapes Hongjoong's lips. "If someone was bewitched, it's you. The cold-hearted quartermaster tries to protect an innocent girl from the merciless pirate king. How surprising is that sound."

Seonghwa taken aback for a second before he regains his composure, clenching his jaw. "Don't bullshit me. You said she was just a guest. Then treat her like a guest. But you're trying to drag her into our mess. She may help us now, but to what extent? We live in a different world from her. We're thieves. No matter how kind she appears to be, deep down she's like those elite who despise us. You and I both know, it won't end well."