Captain joined Seonghwa a while later with the man he had called Yeosang by his side. Seonghwa had proclaimed him to be the navigator of their ship. Yeosang seemed quiet and reserved, but less brooding than the others. He had taken Captain's boots away from Seonghwa's arms, handing them back to the leader of the pirates. While the captain sat down with a knife and some rag on his bed to absent-mindedly clean his boots, Yeosang perched on the massive chest at the bottom of the captain's bed.

The room itself bothered Seonghwa. Some maps lay strewn around, the books disclosed their contents blatantly on the desk and the sheets of the bed were rumpled. However, Seonghwa's momentary interest was stuck elsewhere.

He had discovered something at Captain's neck, something he had thought to be some kind of tight-fitting necklace before when it really was not.

The necklace really was a scar comprising silvery lines that circled his neck, apparently entirely. (Seonghwa could not peer beneath the horrid mullet.) It looked as if something had chafed his skin with too much pressure and then those wounds had healed badly. Seonghwa's own neck tried to copy the sensation after the view of it alone made him queasy (he had first thought it had been a knife) and, surprisingly, he felt as if he had experienced it before.

That, or Captain had some run-in with Jack Ketch once and lived through it.

"Yeosang here was a prince once too, you know? His kingdom fell before we could return to him, so he stayed with us. You have a lot of similarities."

Seonghwa gawked at Yeosang. A real prince. His unique heritage explained his stance, being able to read the maps and logs. Respect filled Seonghwa's chest. Yet, he could not wrap his head around the idea of a noble prince staying here voluntarily.

"I figured it would be nice of me to let him help you. Finding your way around a ship is challenging if you had nothing to do with pirates before," the captain mused. He was occupied with his boots, not looking up, but Seonghwa grew restless. Did the captain suspect him already? Did Seonghwa mess up? A real prince would see right through him.

Seongwha waited for Captain to lift his gaze and stared quizzically into his fire-born eyes until a toothy smirk appeared on the pirate's lips.

"Aren't you grateful? You can spend time with one of your kind." His voice tilted cheerfully, but his gaze stayed dark, stayed dangerous. Seonghwa took back what he had said about befriending Youjin. This man would not hesitate to slice him open if he discovered Seonghwa's true identity.

Seonghwa shivered, suppressing his distress.

"That's a marvellous opportunity for sure. Thank you, Captain."

At that, the other man chuckled. He set his boots down next to the chest that Yeosang waited on with smooth patience.

"We will reach the shore tomorrow. I want you two to take the day off and for you to get more useful around the ship. I don't need you to hinder my men."

Yeosang nodded and rose from his trunk. Seonghwa was uncertain whether to follow the order and to spend time with Yeosang now. Fidgeting with his hands, he stood.

"If you behave, you may join Yunho and the others on their nightly tour. Don't need me a frustrated prince on board. Don't think you can escape, though. I'll send Jongho with you."

Whoever that was, thank you.

Still, that sounded terrific. Even if Seonghwa shouldn't test the captain's patience now, he could imagine how these trips on land may come in handy later. Did the pirates get drunk during that? They hat to get drunk. And once they fell asleep, Seonghwa could sneak away. That was the loophole he had been looking for. Now he just had to pretend until then.

"Heave to, Yeosang. You stay here, landlubber, sit down."

Seonghwa dropped into his chair again. He sat on his uneasy hands to keep them from organising the desk in front of him. Yeosang left with a graceful smile and eased the door shut behind him.

"I have to acknowledge that letting you clean the deck was not the best of all decisions. You had way too much fun for it to be a punishment." Captain threw a smirk at Seonghwa, implying that he had watched him. The baker thinned his lips. Like a hawk, he observed the pirate wandering about his cluttered cabin. He drew various things out of chests and drawers, creating a bigger mess.

"However, I can respect that was my mistake to make. You shall not suffer further."

That was unexpectedly diplomatic of him. Seonghwa was stunned.

"Kneel there." The pirate motioned to a wooden basin with water sitting in one corner of the room. Nonchalant, he pulled off the ridiculous amount of rings on his fingers one by one.

Seonghwa eyed the harmless tub suspiciously, not moving an inch.

Dry laughter sounded and then Captain marched towards Seonghwa. He stemmed one heeled boot on the seat next to Seonghwa's thighs, locking him in. His hand came up to grip a handful of Seonghwa's hair and wrenched his head back to make Seonghwa look at him.

They were close; close enough that Seonghwa could count the long lashes of the pirate and smell a distinct note of actual soap on him. He gritted his teeth, eyes spitting venom.

"I just told you I do not plan on hurting you. Why not listen to me?"

Seonghwa exhaled. Looking up into those dark eyes of the pirate had Seonghwa's fingers itch to cut his damn hair off. It looked hideous and resembled some kind of knotted bird's nest.

"I don't trust you. You are a pirate, after all."

A slow smirk formed on the other's face, something evil shining through. Seonghwa immediately knew his boldness was a mistake when he was dragged by the brutal grip on his hair. He stumbled after the man with his head bowed in pain.

"That's right, I am. Apparently, you do not expect me to treat you like a human being. I might play into that stereotype if you're not more careful." A harsh kick met Seonghwa's knees. He keeled over in front of the basin, with the pirate pressing close to his side to maintain his hold on Seonghwa.

Seonghwa yelped as the other man's free hand reached around him to rip on his shirt and send the buttons flying. The fabric got hauled from Seonghwa's shoulders and wrung around his wrists within seconds. Before the baker could do as much as squirm, the captain pressed one knee on the taut fabric. He had effectively trapped a now quivering Seonghwa, who tried to duck within his shoulders, wanting to keep some kind of dignity. The pirate's eyes on him were all kinds of intimidating.

"Stop squirming. I might actually drown you if you don't." The sharp growl made Seonghwa freeze to allow the captain to act as he wished. Satisfied, the pirate cupped his free hand into the water, wetting Seonghwa's hair in a way that was much kinder than just pushing him under.

Then something else touched Seonghwa's hair. The captain used both of his small hands to massage it in.

"What is that?"

"Woad. I'm going to turn your hair black."

With that, Seonghwa could live. Hiding his heritage might come in handy in foreign places when he had to flee from the pirates.

"I was told you were going to discuss my stay with me."

"Certainly. How long do you want to stay?"

Seonghwa spluttered, almost throwing the other man off as he tried twisting around. He received a sharp kick to his back for that. With a groan, he ducked again.

" I want to leave as early as possible! My time here depends on how long you will keep me hostage." Seonghwa whimpered when his hair got pulled. A snort came from the pirate.

"Hostage, do not hornswaggle me. What prince is stupid enough to run aboard a pirate ship? You brought this upon yourself. You know you would have drowned like some worthless stone had I not pulled you out."

"That was after you pushed me in!"

With one rough haul, Seonghwa got yanked backwards. He expected to hard wood to connect with his back and clenched his eyes against the pain. Instead of the floor, however, he hit the pirate's shoulder. His fingers were still tangled in Seonghwa's hair, leaving Seonghwa no option but to swallow his tongue and wait.

The captain brought his face alarmingly close to Seonghwa's. Warm breath caressed his cheek. Stubbornly, Seonghwa averted his eyes and fixated a barrel filled with swords up ahead. He hated how their bodies pressed together lengthwise, making his stomach churn.

"You talk back a lot. Did your daddy never teach you to stay demure and sit prettily in important confrontations?" The pirate hissed in a low voice. Seonghwa jerked at his arms indignantly.

"He taught me to treat only those with respect who deserved it."

The man laughed, leaning in until his lips brushed against Seonghwa's ear as he talked. Seonghwa shivered again and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the repelling touch of the pirate's mouth against his sensitive skin. His arms bulged in his effort to stay still. Anxiety coiled in Seonghwa's stomach even as an uncalled blush dusted his cheeks at the proximity.

"I will tell you something. On a ship, the captain is the sole king. And he is to be treated with respect." With that, he bodily shoved Seonghwa forwards, right towards the basin. This time, Seonghwa was prepared. He held his breath as he was forced under, recognising the water as not as salty as the ocean. It burnt less in his eyes.

Captain left him there, roughly threading his fingers through Seonghwa's hair. He hauled him out again a moment after, pretending for his innocence. Seonghwa gasped for breath. He had swallowed no water but glared at Captain as if he did.

"Stop pretending, princess." The captain grabbed Seonghwa's shirt and pulled it off to dry Seonghwa's hair with it. Dark blue stains seeped into the familiar fabric. After dropping Seonghwa's shirt into the basin, the pirate dragged Seonghwa up to his feet. Once more, he nudged him towards his desk.

"Tell me now, so that we can contact your parents and get you the hell off of my ship. Where are you from?" He leaned over the table to retrieve a map and spread it out in front of them. After shoving Seonghwa's head over it, he crossed his arms, waiting.

Seonghwa stared at the map and broke out in a cold sweat.

He had no idea where he was and neither where he was supposed to come from. He did not know how the people from different continents looked like. Or what kind of travel was believable in the world.

Seonghwa gulped around the spit collecting in his mouth. He could just be a prince with mixed races parents. Crossing the waters was possible anywhere, right?

Seonghwa's hands were clammy.

With no goal in mind, he pointed down somewhere, hoping that it was not unreasonable.

"That far? You sure came a long way, eh?"

"I tried to bring souvenirs from far away, yes." Seonghwa nodded vigorously and stood up straight to regain his height above the captain. The pirate looked pensive for a moment.

"Fine, that's not on our route, but I shall discuss it with Yeosang. Be prepared to spend a long time here."

That backfired.

Seonghwa panicked, trying not to show his distress on the unimpressed demeanour he guessed nobility to have.

"How about handing me off to the government instead? They can pay first and then I will get that money back at them." Anything to flee earlier, please.

The captain chuckled. Low and mischievous, the sound curled in his throat.

"Obviously you are from far, far away, yes. You might not know who I am, but no, I can't just walk into some city and drop you off there."

"Who are you, then?"

A smirk that resembled one of a kitten, a large and savage kitten, stretched upon the pirate's lips. It distorted his features into the grimace of a demon. Seonghwa recoiled. His eyes widened at the sinister expression.

"Captain Kim Hongjoong. Remember that name, prettyboy. You will curse it 'til yer last breath. You will know about me in a while. I want you to spread the word at your home about how terrifying a pirate I am. Let the world know of your hate of pirates, be my guest."

The captain walked over to his chest and plucked out some fabric to toss at Seonghwa.

"I also hope you die with my name on your lips. Although you might save yourself from that if you behave."

With that, he nodded at Seonghwa to disappear. Still shaken and off-put by the pirate's ghastly personality, Seonghwa put on the fresh shirt and stomped outside of the stuffy cabin.

Kim Hongjoong. Yes, Seonghwa would remember that. He would reveal the pirate's location as soon as he had fled. He would make Kim Hongjoong regret ever mocking Seonghwa and other people he treated like dirt. Seonghwa might be a nobody, but Hongjoong was just the same. A vile pirate, a slaughtering criminal with a pretty face that hid an ugly inside.

Outside, the sun dipped into the ocean. Seonghwa had been inside that cabin longer than he had expected. His throat reminded him of its pain now that he could think again, so he carefully snuck away to the kitchen. Maybe he could ask Yunho for some food. Anyone was better than the vulgar captain.