kim hongjoon |02

Many people think that all pirates are unscrupulous and cruel people. Could it be that the whole point is that no one really knows them?

Park Seonghwa is the crown prince, currently stuck with his father in the middle of the ocean, unsure what to do. He wasn't sure what the purpose of this so-called expedition was. He was taken, so to speak, by force, so he could escape the stuffy castle and get some sea air for a couple of months. He didn't know how much time had passed since they set sail. Time at sea felt long, monotonous, and boring.
And so, another day, he lay on some semblance of a bed from which he had fallen many times during the night, either from the strong rocking or from lack of habit. His bed in the palace had been enormous and much softer than this strange cot, but he didn't complain much. His father said they would soon be returning home, and that was at least a small relief.
Seonghwa was silently examining the wooden ceiling for the hundredth time when suddenly shots were heard from the deck. Seonghwa thought someone was attacking them, but he was wrong. When he got out, he realized their crew had started firing. Not far from them was a ship with a black flag flying on top. It was obvious it was a pirate ship. A few more shots and everyone firing from Seonghwa's ship fell lifeless. The pirate ship sailed closer, and several pirates began to deftly jump onto their deck. Seonghwa's father, immediately fearing for his own life, locked himself in the captain's cabin, abandoning his own son to his fate. The prince, of course, was very scared; goosebumps ran down his spine. He was afraid of being killed, because they were pirates, but to his surprise, the four who jumped onto their ship did not look like ruthless cutthroats. The first thing Seonghwa heard from them were the words of the pirate captain:

• Hey, princess, aren't you scared?