(no subject)
Title: Chasing Freedom, Chapter 9, Siwon/Eunhyuk, Zhoumi/Eunhyuk
Length: 3154 words
Author: shieldkitten
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Siwon has pressing concerns, and the Sapphire Pearl sails beyond the edge of the map.
Author's Note: Thank you cynicalxcharm for your immeasurable help with the beginning of this chapter.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10
Five, six, seven. Siwon had lost count of just how many sit-ups he had completed during the night, but he continued relentlessly, counting in sets of ten as he brought his chest into contact with his knees before easing back to rest on the hardwood flooring of his cabin. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself up again, revelling in the mild burn of the muscles in his abdomen.
He had wakened from a dream feverish, his night shirt bunched under his arms and sweat pouring from his forehead despite the cold air. After hours of tossing and turning on his bare bed, Siwon had resorted to exercise to ease his mind, relocating to the hardwood floor to do sit-ups and push-ups while the ship rocked rhythmically beneath him. The air was cold, drifting in through cracks around his door and windows, but a light sheen of sweat coated Siwon’s bare torso as he exercised, trying to keep his thoughts from wandering from counts up to ten. Yet they wandered, frequently, to his responsibilities, to his fears, to the anger he had pushed to the back of his mind in an effort to deny it even existed.
They were nearing the edge of the map. Siwon was staking everything, almost forty lives, on the mere belief that there must be a route around the northern edge of the continent. Shindong’s daily report of the food and drinking supplies grew ever more grim. The Sapphire Pearl had been meant for the exportation of food to Brazil, so food was not an issue, but unless they chanced upon some lake or spring - Siwon would be grateful for even a babbling brook - even reducing the water rations would not be enough to last them past two weeks. Then, they would have to turn from their route to take refuge in Greenland further North, and the deviation would have been a blow to morale Siwon was not sure his passengers could take on a journey with such tenuous chance of success.
Ten, Siwon thought, and sprawled out on the floor, waiting for his breathing to even out. It was hopeless. These same thoughts had been circling in his head for hours, so much so that he knew exactly where they would lead him. Soon, he would be thinking of the route on the western side of the continent - should he sail along the coast of Russia or along the coast of America if they did find a route, as they must? He would be more comfortable, he knew, sailing in friendly waters, and there was a chance he could make port and let his crew dispatch letters to their families. Then his thoughts would turn, inevitably, to Eunhyuk, and whether the man would change his mind if he saw American soil again and decide to return home.
He pushed off the floor with a grunt and began to pace, running a hand through his damp hair. He had never intended for Eunhyuk to have such a protracted stay on his ship, much less for him to become so dear to his crew. No, he had supposed Eunhyuk would beg to be released from duty after his first blister, but now the man had calloused palms and light bruises from his frequent mishaps and he still showed no sign of wanting to leave. Hangeng was fond of him, Shindong was protective, the younger crew members teased him mercilessly, and Zhoumi…
Siwon balled his hands into fists, staring out the window at the sky turning amber over the dark, unbroken expanse of sea. He was not a jealous man, and here he had no cause to be jealous. If Eunhyuk preferred Zhoumi’s company then so be it, it was not for Siwon to be resentful, or hurt.
No, he was merely concerned. Zhoumi was the sort of man suited to a life of persistent bachelorhood, and Eunhyuk was the sort of man who deserved to be given the utmost devotion. Eunhyuk had not asked to be betrayed, or to be placed on a ship heading in the wrong direction, or even to be given any special treatment, and yet here he was, making the best of things. It was admirable, Siwon would admire him, if only Eunhyuk would show some more refined taste in his choice of company.
Siwon was grateful for the knock on his door. He didn’t enjoy thinking ill of Zhoumi, or calling Eunhyuk a damned fool in the privacy of his thoughts. It was petty, and Siwon was not a petty man, nor a jealous one, he was the captain of a ship, a captain with many more pressing concerns than with whom Eunhyuk chose to spend his time. He was a captain expecting Hangeng with the morning report, no doubt with filled more of those pressing concerns.
“Come in,” he called, striding over to his wash basin and dipping his washcloth in the cold water. He glanced up as the door eased open, and was surprised to see Eunhyuk staring at him, eyes wide.
“Captain, you’re naked,” Eunhyuk blurted out, gaze dipping to a point above Siwon’s navel. Siwon glanced down, startled, and was relieved to find that no, he was not naked, merely shirtless still. Eunhyuk seemed to come to the same realisation, and he started, his cheeks taking on the shade of red that Siwon was becoming so accustomed to.
“I mean to say… T-that is, your shirt-- I-it’s not-- You aren’t naked, I mean.”
Siwon chuckled, feeling his agitation melt away as Eunhyuk made a heroic effort to tear his eyes from the region of Siwon’s chest. If Siwon had been any less self-possessed he might have blushed.
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Lee, I thought you were Hangeng with the morning report,” he said instead, running his washcloth over his skin, goose pimples rising in its wake.
“Breakfast,” Eunhyuk murmured, eyes tracking the progress of the washcloth. He wet his lips, curling them inward to meet his tongue.
“Pardon?” Siwon asked, smile on his lips. Perhaps he had spent too much time sailing to and fro between Boston and Brazil, where heat necessitated a certain amount of bare skin on the ship. Eunhyuk, clearly, was not nearly as familiar with another man’s torso as he could be. Eunhyuk glanced upward and caught Siwon’s eyes, and immediately turned an even deeper shade of red.
“I hoped to breakfast with you this morning,” he said, gaze now fixed resolutely on an oil painting hanging on the opposite wall.
“Mr. Lee, perhaps you would be more comfortable if I dressed?” Siwon kept his tone polite, feeling it would be rather unkind to sound so amused.
“No. Yes.” Eunhyuk looked torn. “Yes, yes, you should get dressed.” He turned abruptly and darted toward the door. “I will wait for you in the hallway.”
Eunhyuk was more or less composed by the time Siwon pulled on a clean linen shirt and joined him in the corridor, though he seemed to have a little trouble meeting Siwon’s eyes. Siwon decided not to press the matter, or tease him, though he would have dearly loved to coax a little more of that endearing spluttering from Eunhyuk’s lips.
“I did not expect that you would keep our appointment, Mr. Lee,” he said, leading the way to the stateroom. “After all, you had a rather late night.”
Eunhyuk smiled wryly and rubbed at his eyes. “I asked Hangeng if he would wake me. Oh, the morning report! I have to tell you… something about wind speed, and clear skies - I can’t recall exactly, but he ended with ‘all’s well’.”
“Then that’s all I need to hear.” Siwon swung open the door to the stateroom. The sky had brightened considerably since he last looked at it, and was as clear as reported. “Beautiful day.”
“It is.”
Eunhyuk sank into one of the high backed chairs at the dining table and stifled a yawn behind his hand. They lapsed into silence as Siwon fought down a yawn of his own, and struggled to find something to say that didn’t involve questions about Zhoumi. It was absurd, that he was tongue-tied. He had never been speechless, or awkward, and yet here he was without a word to say.
“Good morning!” Shindong’s entrance was most welcome. Even Eunhyuk seemed to brighten at his appearance.
“Good morning, Shindong,” he said, rising to help Shindong with his tray, but Shindong gave him a wide berth.
“No offence, Eunhyuk, but I think it’s better if you don’t help,” he said teasingly, setting the tray down on the table. “I bring distressing news, Captain.”
“Oh?” Siwon turned to the steward, surprised. What could possibly have happened between Hangeng telling Eunhyuk ‘all’s well’ and Shindong’s arrival?
Shindong nodded as he poured out two cups of dark coffee. “We’ve officially reached the very edge of the map.”
“Well, that’s hardly news,” Siwon spoke with a reassuring tone of voice, noting the look of alarm on Eunhyuk’s face. “If the wind had been in our favour we would have passed the boundaries of the map days ago.”
“That wasn’t the news,” Shindong paused for dramatic effect. “This is the last of the coffee.”
“Oh,” Siwon glanced down at the coffee pot. “That is distressing news.”
“If only we had waited till after we picked up the Brazilian imports to run off,” Shindong sighed, clutching the emptied tray to his chest.
“We would have lost our Chinese passengers and missed the point of our voyage entirely,” Siwon pointed out.
“Yes, but we would have had coffee,” Shindong said mournfully. “Oh well. I’ll leave you to your breakfast, gentlemen.”
“Thanks, Shindong.” Eunhyuk called out as Shindong left the room, shutting the door behind him. Siwon picked up his cup and raised it as if to make a toast.
“The last of the coffee. I think we should make full appreciation of it, Mr. Lee.”
Eunhyuk smiled and raised his cup as well, before blowing lightly at the surface of the steaming liquid.
“Are we really at the edge of the map?” he asked, setting his cup down on its saucer with a clink. Siwon nodded and beckoned him over to the sideboard, where he had placed the map of the North American continent. He smoothed out the parchment paper with unnecessary care.
“If you will follow my finger, Mr. Lee, this is where we began, in Boston. We made a stop in Halifax, if you recall, before setting sail Northward. Here, this curved line?” Siwon daringly placed his hand on Eunhyuk’s narrower shoulder and steered him to the window, directing his gaze landward. They could see the snowy white edge of land just on the horizon to the west. “That is what it represents.”
“Land,” Eunhyuk murmured, staring as if transfixed. “I feel as though I haven’t seen solid earth for years.”
“Have you grown tired of life at sea?” Siwon watched Eunhyuk’s face. He was anxious for Eunhyuk’s answer, though he would rather not think too hard on just why he was anxious.
“No, not quite.” Eunhyuk stepped forward, pushing aside the gold-trimmed curtains. Siwon let his hand fall from Eunhyuk’s shoulder and fisted it at his side, curling in his palm the lingering sensation of Eunhyuk’s coat under his skin. “I don’t dislike the journey, but I think I will be glad to finally reach China.”
“Have you thought at all about what you will do in China?”
“Not exactly.” Eunhyuk let the curtains fall and turned around, leaning against the glass of the window. “I’ve had some ideas, all vague. I suppose I can find some sort of work, though I can’t imagine how I’ll be able to communicate with what Zhoumi has taught me.”
“I wouldn’t advise calling anyone dirty pigs.”
“No, that would be most unwise,” Eunhyuk agreed solemnly, nodding. “And you, Captain? What do you plan to do? Will you keep sailing?”
“No, this is to be my final voyage.” Siwon stared out past Eunhyuk to the stretch of coast behind him. He was glad to see dry land as well, even cold and snow-covered like this. “The sea may have given me purpose in life, but I am a landsman at heart. I intend to accompany Hangeng to his hometown. He assures me there will be ample land on which to make a living.”
“Farming?” Eunhyuk sounded surprised.
“Does it seem beneath me?”
“No, not beneath you,” Eunhyuk spoke cautiously. “I just cannot imagine you with an ox and cart. The first time I saw you, you were standing at the helm of your ship, in your dark blue uniform. You looked… Princely, almost.”
Siwon lowered his head, taking a step towards the shorter man. “Almost?”
Eunhyuk grinned. “Your tricorne hat would hardly pass for a coronet.”
Siwon blinked at Eunhyuk, surprised, and then he laughed, shaking his head. This was the first time Eunhyuk had taken a jibe at him, and he felt pleased, rather than insulted. In truth he had always envied Zhoumi his easy, comfortable relationship with Eunhyuk. There was no denying that Zhoumi, out of all the crew, knew best how to draw out Eunhyuk’s confidence and laughter.
“Have we always been sailing at such a slow pace?” Eunhyuk asked, turning to watch the progress of the coast. “It seemed so much quicker out at sea.”
“No, we sailed at 15 knots under sail while out at sea, but I gave orders to reef the sails once in sight of land. It would be a poor sport now if we were to crash full tilt into some submerged atoll.” Returning to his seat, Siwon picked up his cup of coffee. “Come, we aren’t doing the last of the coffee any justice, and I must soon don my princely tricorne hat if I am to find us a path through these icy waters.”
“Almost princely,” Eunhyuk corrected him, joining him at the table.
Almost all the passengers and crew had come above deck to watch the progress of the ship along the coast, and Hangeng had to remind them time and again not to crowd around portside, unbalancing the ship. Siwon stood at the helm, searching the coastling for any sign of a waterway. Chaegeum took soundings at his orders at half hour intervals, but there seemed to be no risk of grounding as yet. Shindong had carted a short table from the galley and placed it square beside the wheel, with blank sheets of paper pinned to its surface.
“One would think you were an intrepid explorer,” Siwon said to him, watching him sketch lines as they progressed.
“Keep your eyes on the horizon, Captain,” Shindong replied tartly, busy adding details of the landscape, such as little coves and hills. “If you fail to find a path, we’ll wind up striking Greenland.”
“The failure would be all mine, then, of course.”
“Of course. No uncharted seas around the Cape of Good Hope.”
Siwon ignored his steward and surveyed the deck, seeking out Eunhyuk among the other men. He found him standing with Zhoumi along the railing, one hand placed lightly on the wood for balance. They were close to the spot where Siwon had first seen Eunhyuk, green with seasickness. How different Eunhyuk seemed now, looking hale as could be, and sure on his feet, his body swaying only to adjust to the motion of the ship. Eunhyuk always spoke of himself as though he was still the same man who had stumbled onto the deck, fleeing his home, but Siwon realised with a jolt how much Eunhyuk had changed, and how independent he had grown.
Siwon thought of asking Eunhyuk if he would perhaps be willing to come with him to Hangeng’s hometown. If farming was not his cup of tea, there could still be other work in the village that Eunhyuk could take up. Siwon thought it would be pleasant to have another familiar face as his neighbour, or perhaps, he fancied that it would be even more pleasant still if he could come home after a hard day’s work in the field to a piping hot meal, and Eunhyuk, with a ready smile and several small children at his side.
Rousing himself before he could become lost in such an absurd, if not wholly disagreeable, daydream, Siwon turned the wheel a little to the left, steering them closer to the shore. It would give Shindong a better look at the coast, and something else to look at rather than cast knowing looks at him all the time. He nodded to Chaegum, who lowered the sounding line. They were still too deep for any sort of accurate measurement of the water depth.
They sailed on, past noon when hunger and the sun drove most of the passengers, including Eunhyuk, below. Siwon ate his lunch with Shindong and Hangeng on deck, reluctant to leave the wheel. Shindong was right, any failure would be on his account, and there was no way he could face the Chinese passengers if he had to turn around in the end.
He was glad when Seungjun emerged from the galley needing Shindong’s aid in diffusing a situation that involved the stove and an overenthusiastic attempt to make an omelette. It left him alone with Hangeng, and he could relax a little, allow himself a moment to relinquish the wheel to Hangeng and close his eyes, resting against the table.
As always, Hangeng seemed to know his thoughts. “We’ll find a way.”
“Of course.”
Hangeng shifted his grip on the wheel and turned to give Siwon an appraising look. “Then there is something else on your mind.”
Siwon sighed. Sometimes Hangeng could be too astute. “It’s nothing. Tell me again about your hometown.”
“Gonghe Village,” Hangeng began, with practiced ease from years of retelling, “is a settlement along the Muling River.”
Siwon had imagined it countless times, a picturesque agricultural village bordered by mountains, where farmers cultivated crops like soy, wheat and maize. It was subsistence farming, supplemented by wild-caught fish and domesticated animals, secluded as the villagers were from major trading by their location. It was a wonder the village was there at all, founded, no doubt, by some happy chance when nomads had wandered along the river and discovered they could carve a living from the bit of valley among all the highlands. Hangeng said he remembered cold winters, but also very pleasant, if short, summers when his father would bring the family down to the lake at the end of the river.
“I’ll be glad to finally see it,” Siwon said, when Hangeng lapsed into silence, eyes fixed on a distant point.
“As will I.”
Hangeng frowned, squinting into the distance, one hand over his eyes. Siwon straightened up, following his line of sight. At the same time, Henry gave a great shout from the crow’s nest above.
“Captain! I see a waterway! Captain!”
I'll try to have the next chapter up a little quicker, I'm so sorry about these long waits D:
Length: 3154 words
Author: shieldkitten
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Siwon has pressing concerns, and the Sapphire Pearl sails beyond the edge of the map.
Author's Note: Thank you cynicalxcharm for your immeasurable help with the beginning of this chapter.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10
Five, six, seven. Siwon had lost count of just how many sit-ups he had completed during the night, but he continued relentlessly, counting in sets of ten as he brought his chest into contact with his knees before easing back to rest on the hardwood flooring of his cabin. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself up again, revelling in the mild burn of the muscles in his abdomen.
He had wakened from a dream feverish, his night shirt bunched under his arms and sweat pouring from his forehead despite the cold air. After hours of tossing and turning on his bare bed, Siwon had resorted to exercise to ease his mind, relocating to the hardwood floor to do sit-ups and push-ups while the ship rocked rhythmically beneath him. The air was cold, drifting in through cracks around his door and windows, but a light sheen of sweat coated Siwon’s bare torso as he exercised, trying to keep his thoughts from wandering from counts up to ten. Yet they wandered, frequently, to his responsibilities, to his fears, to the anger he had pushed to the back of his mind in an effort to deny it even existed.
They were nearing the edge of the map. Siwon was staking everything, almost forty lives, on the mere belief that there must be a route around the northern edge of the continent. Shindong’s daily report of the food and drinking supplies grew ever more grim. The Sapphire Pearl had been meant for the exportation of food to Brazil, so food was not an issue, but unless they chanced upon some lake or spring - Siwon would be grateful for even a babbling brook - even reducing the water rations would not be enough to last them past two weeks. Then, they would have to turn from their route to take refuge in Greenland further North, and the deviation would have been a blow to morale Siwon was not sure his passengers could take on a journey with such tenuous chance of success.
Ten, Siwon thought, and sprawled out on the floor, waiting for his breathing to even out. It was hopeless. These same thoughts had been circling in his head for hours, so much so that he knew exactly where they would lead him. Soon, he would be thinking of the route on the western side of the continent - should he sail along the coast of Russia or along the coast of America if they did find a route, as they must? He would be more comfortable, he knew, sailing in friendly waters, and there was a chance he could make port and let his crew dispatch letters to their families. Then his thoughts would turn, inevitably, to Eunhyuk, and whether the man would change his mind if he saw American soil again and decide to return home.
He pushed off the floor with a grunt and began to pace, running a hand through his damp hair. He had never intended for Eunhyuk to have such a protracted stay on his ship, much less for him to become so dear to his crew. No, he had supposed Eunhyuk would beg to be released from duty after his first blister, but now the man had calloused palms and light bruises from his frequent mishaps and he still showed no sign of wanting to leave. Hangeng was fond of him, Shindong was protective, the younger crew members teased him mercilessly, and Zhoumi…
Siwon balled his hands into fists, staring out the window at the sky turning amber over the dark, unbroken expanse of sea. He was not a jealous man, and here he had no cause to be jealous. If Eunhyuk preferred Zhoumi’s company then so be it, it was not for Siwon to be resentful, or hurt.
No, he was merely concerned. Zhoumi was the sort of man suited to a life of persistent bachelorhood, and Eunhyuk was the sort of man who deserved to be given the utmost devotion. Eunhyuk had not asked to be betrayed, or to be placed on a ship heading in the wrong direction, or even to be given any special treatment, and yet here he was, making the best of things. It was admirable, Siwon would admire him, if only Eunhyuk would show some more refined taste in his choice of company.
Siwon was grateful for the knock on his door. He didn’t enjoy thinking ill of Zhoumi, or calling Eunhyuk a damned fool in the privacy of his thoughts. It was petty, and Siwon was not a petty man, nor a jealous one, he was the captain of a ship, a captain with many more pressing concerns than with whom Eunhyuk chose to spend his time. He was a captain expecting Hangeng with the morning report, no doubt with filled more of those pressing concerns.
“Come in,” he called, striding over to his wash basin and dipping his washcloth in the cold water. He glanced up as the door eased open, and was surprised to see Eunhyuk staring at him, eyes wide.
“Captain, you’re naked,” Eunhyuk blurted out, gaze dipping to a point above Siwon’s navel. Siwon glanced down, startled, and was relieved to find that no, he was not naked, merely shirtless still. Eunhyuk seemed to come to the same realisation, and he started, his cheeks taking on the shade of red that Siwon was becoming so accustomed to.
“I mean to say… T-that is, your shirt-- I-it’s not-- You aren’t naked, I mean.”
Siwon chuckled, feeling his agitation melt away as Eunhyuk made a heroic effort to tear his eyes from the region of Siwon’s chest. If Siwon had been any less self-possessed he might have blushed.
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Lee, I thought you were Hangeng with the morning report,” he said instead, running his washcloth over his skin, goose pimples rising in its wake.
“Breakfast,” Eunhyuk murmured, eyes tracking the progress of the washcloth. He wet his lips, curling them inward to meet his tongue.
“Pardon?” Siwon asked, smile on his lips. Perhaps he had spent too much time sailing to and fro between Boston and Brazil, where heat necessitated a certain amount of bare skin on the ship. Eunhyuk, clearly, was not nearly as familiar with another man’s torso as he could be. Eunhyuk glanced upward and caught Siwon’s eyes, and immediately turned an even deeper shade of red.
“I hoped to breakfast with you this morning,” he said, gaze now fixed resolutely on an oil painting hanging on the opposite wall.
“Mr. Lee, perhaps you would be more comfortable if I dressed?” Siwon kept his tone polite, feeling it would be rather unkind to sound so amused.
“No. Yes.” Eunhyuk looked torn. “Yes, yes, you should get dressed.” He turned abruptly and darted toward the door. “I will wait for you in the hallway.”
Eunhyuk was more or less composed by the time Siwon pulled on a clean linen shirt and joined him in the corridor, though he seemed to have a little trouble meeting Siwon’s eyes. Siwon decided not to press the matter, or tease him, though he would have dearly loved to coax a little more of that endearing spluttering from Eunhyuk’s lips.
“I did not expect that you would keep our appointment, Mr. Lee,” he said, leading the way to the stateroom. “After all, you had a rather late night.”
Eunhyuk smiled wryly and rubbed at his eyes. “I asked Hangeng if he would wake me. Oh, the morning report! I have to tell you… something about wind speed, and clear skies - I can’t recall exactly, but he ended with ‘all’s well’.”
“Then that’s all I need to hear.” Siwon swung open the door to the stateroom. The sky had brightened considerably since he last looked at it, and was as clear as reported. “Beautiful day.”
“It is.”
Eunhyuk sank into one of the high backed chairs at the dining table and stifled a yawn behind his hand. They lapsed into silence as Siwon fought down a yawn of his own, and struggled to find something to say that didn’t involve questions about Zhoumi. It was absurd, that he was tongue-tied. He had never been speechless, or awkward, and yet here he was without a word to say.
“Good morning!” Shindong’s entrance was most welcome. Even Eunhyuk seemed to brighten at his appearance.
“Good morning, Shindong,” he said, rising to help Shindong with his tray, but Shindong gave him a wide berth.
“No offence, Eunhyuk, but I think it’s better if you don’t help,” he said teasingly, setting the tray down on the table. “I bring distressing news, Captain.”
“Oh?” Siwon turned to the steward, surprised. What could possibly have happened between Hangeng telling Eunhyuk ‘all’s well’ and Shindong’s arrival?
Shindong nodded as he poured out two cups of dark coffee. “We’ve officially reached the very edge of the map.”
“Well, that’s hardly news,” Siwon spoke with a reassuring tone of voice, noting the look of alarm on Eunhyuk’s face. “If the wind had been in our favour we would have passed the boundaries of the map days ago.”
“That wasn’t the news,” Shindong paused for dramatic effect. “This is the last of the coffee.”
“Oh,” Siwon glanced down at the coffee pot. “That is distressing news.”
“If only we had waited till after we picked up the Brazilian imports to run off,” Shindong sighed, clutching the emptied tray to his chest.
“We would have lost our Chinese passengers and missed the point of our voyage entirely,” Siwon pointed out.
“Yes, but we would have had coffee,” Shindong said mournfully. “Oh well. I’ll leave you to your breakfast, gentlemen.”
“Thanks, Shindong.” Eunhyuk called out as Shindong left the room, shutting the door behind him. Siwon picked up his cup and raised it as if to make a toast.
“The last of the coffee. I think we should make full appreciation of it, Mr. Lee.”
Eunhyuk smiled and raised his cup as well, before blowing lightly at the surface of the steaming liquid.
“Are we really at the edge of the map?” he asked, setting his cup down on its saucer with a clink. Siwon nodded and beckoned him over to the sideboard, where he had placed the map of the North American continent. He smoothed out the parchment paper with unnecessary care.
“If you will follow my finger, Mr. Lee, this is where we began, in Boston. We made a stop in Halifax, if you recall, before setting sail Northward. Here, this curved line?” Siwon daringly placed his hand on Eunhyuk’s narrower shoulder and steered him to the window, directing his gaze landward. They could see the snowy white edge of land just on the horizon to the west. “That is what it represents.”
“Land,” Eunhyuk murmured, staring as if transfixed. “I feel as though I haven’t seen solid earth for years.”
“Have you grown tired of life at sea?” Siwon watched Eunhyuk’s face. He was anxious for Eunhyuk’s answer, though he would rather not think too hard on just why he was anxious.
“No, not quite.” Eunhyuk stepped forward, pushing aside the gold-trimmed curtains. Siwon let his hand fall from Eunhyuk’s shoulder and fisted it at his side, curling in his palm the lingering sensation of Eunhyuk’s coat under his skin. “I don’t dislike the journey, but I think I will be glad to finally reach China.”
“Have you thought at all about what you will do in China?”
“Not exactly.” Eunhyuk let the curtains fall and turned around, leaning against the glass of the window. “I’ve had some ideas, all vague. I suppose I can find some sort of work, though I can’t imagine how I’ll be able to communicate with what Zhoumi has taught me.”
“I wouldn’t advise calling anyone dirty pigs.”
“No, that would be most unwise,” Eunhyuk agreed solemnly, nodding. “And you, Captain? What do you plan to do? Will you keep sailing?”
“No, this is to be my final voyage.” Siwon stared out past Eunhyuk to the stretch of coast behind him. He was glad to see dry land as well, even cold and snow-covered like this. “The sea may have given me purpose in life, but I am a landsman at heart. I intend to accompany Hangeng to his hometown. He assures me there will be ample land on which to make a living.”
“Farming?” Eunhyuk sounded surprised.
“Does it seem beneath me?”
“No, not beneath you,” Eunhyuk spoke cautiously. “I just cannot imagine you with an ox and cart. The first time I saw you, you were standing at the helm of your ship, in your dark blue uniform. You looked… Princely, almost.”
Siwon lowered his head, taking a step towards the shorter man. “Almost?”
Eunhyuk grinned. “Your tricorne hat would hardly pass for a coronet.”
Siwon blinked at Eunhyuk, surprised, and then he laughed, shaking his head. This was the first time Eunhyuk had taken a jibe at him, and he felt pleased, rather than insulted. In truth he had always envied Zhoumi his easy, comfortable relationship with Eunhyuk. There was no denying that Zhoumi, out of all the crew, knew best how to draw out Eunhyuk’s confidence and laughter.
“Have we always been sailing at such a slow pace?” Eunhyuk asked, turning to watch the progress of the coast. “It seemed so much quicker out at sea.”
“No, we sailed at 15 knots under sail while out at sea, but I gave orders to reef the sails once in sight of land. It would be a poor sport now if we were to crash full tilt into some submerged atoll.” Returning to his seat, Siwon picked up his cup of coffee. “Come, we aren’t doing the last of the coffee any justice, and I must soon don my princely tricorne hat if I am to find us a path through these icy waters.”
“Almost princely,” Eunhyuk corrected him, joining him at the table.
Almost all the passengers and crew had come above deck to watch the progress of the ship along the coast, and Hangeng had to remind them time and again not to crowd around portside, unbalancing the ship. Siwon stood at the helm, searching the coastling for any sign of a waterway. Chaegeum took soundings at his orders at half hour intervals, but there seemed to be no risk of grounding as yet. Shindong had carted a short table from the galley and placed it square beside the wheel, with blank sheets of paper pinned to its surface.
“One would think you were an intrepid explorer,” Siwon said to him, watching him sketch lines as they progressed.
“Keep your eyes on the horizon, Captain,” Shindong replied tartly, busy adding details of the landscape, such as little coves and hills. “If you fail to find a path, we’ll wind up striking Greenland.”
“The failure would be all mine, then, of course.”
“Of course. No uncharted seas around the Cape of Good Hope.”
Siwon ignored his steward and surveyed the deck, seeking out Eunhyuk among the other men. He found him standing with Zhoumi along the railing, one hand placed lightly on the wood for balance. They were close to the spot where Siwon had first seen Eunhyuk, green with seasickness. How different Eunhyuk seemed now, looking hale as could be, and sure on his feet, his body swaying only to adjust to the motion of the ship. Eunhyuk always spoke of himself as though he was still the same man who had stumbled onto the deck, fleeing his home, but Siwon realised with a jolt how much Eunhyuk had changed, and how independent he had grown.
Siwon thought of asking Eunhyuk if he would perhaps be willing to come with him to Hangeng’s hometown. If farming was not his cup of tea, there could still be other work in the village that Eunhyuk could take up. Siwon thought it would be pleasant to have another familiar face as his neighbour, or perhaps, he fancied that it would be even more pleasant still if he could come home after a hard day’s work in the field to a piping hot meal, and Eunhyuk, with a ready smile and several small children at his side.
Rousing himself before he could become lost in such an absurd, if not wholly disagreeable, daydream, Siwon turned the wheel a little to the left, steering them closer to the shore. It would give Shindong a better look at the coast, and something else to look at rather than cast knowing looks at him all the time. He nodded to Chaegum, who lowered the sounding line. They were still too deep for any sort of accurate measurement of the water depth.
They sailed on, past noon when hunger and the sun drove most of the passengers, including Eunhyuk, below. Siwon ate his lunch with Shindong and Hangeng on deck, reluctant to leave the wheel. Shindong was right, any failure would be on his account, and there was no way he could face the Chinese passengers if he had to turn around in the end.
He was glad when Seungjun emerged from the galley needing Shindong’s aid in diffusing a situation that involved the stove and an overenthusiastic attempt to make an omelette. It left him alone with Hangeng, and he could relax a little, allow himself a moment to relinquish the wheel to Hangeng and close his eyes, resting against the table.
As always, Hangeng seemed to know his thoughts. “We’ll find a way.”
“Of course.”
Hangeng shifted his grip on the wheel and turned to give Siwon an appraising look. “Then there is something else on your mind.”
Siwon sighed. Sometimes Hangeng could be too astute. “It’s nothing. Tell me again about your hometown.”
“Gonghe Village,” Hangeng began, with practiced ease from years of retelling, “is a settlement along the Muling River.”
Siwon had imagined it countless times, a picturesque agricultural village bordered by mountains, where farmers cultivated crops like soy, wheat and maize. It was subsistence farming, supplemented by wild-caught fish and domesticated animals, secluded as the villagers were from major trading by their location. It was a wonder the village was there at all, founded, no doubt, by some happy chance when nomads had wandered along the river and discovered they could carve a living from the bit of valley among all the highlands. Hangeng said he remembered cold winters, but also very pleasant, if short, summers when his father would bring the family down to the lake at the end of the river.
“I’ll be glad to finally see it,” Siwon said, when Hangeng lapsed into silence, eyes fixed on a distant point.
“As will I.”
Hangeng frowned, squinting into the distance, one hand over his eyes. Siwon straightened up, following his line of sight. At the same time, Henry gave a great shout from the crow’s nest above.
“Captain! I see a waterway! Captain!”
I'll try to have the next chapter up a little quicker, I'm so sorry about these long waits D: