Cruise of Wonder Read online

  The boarding time written on the newspaper advertisement was 9am. Jinho found it strange that there were no people even though the boarding time was fast approaching.

  "The free ticket surely would have brought many people here just wanting to see it out of curiosity…" He said, bewildered by the lack of people.

  "Wait for me!" Looking back, Jinho found Juna taking inhaling deeply whilst bending over her back, out of breath from the race to the pier.

  "This is why you shouldn't have followed me," Jinho said bluntly, and turned again towards the Sangsang pier.

  The wind began to blow. Quite strong gusts stirred up the dust making him unable to open his eyes. Lightning crackled ferociously nearby, and the rain followed the bellowing thunder. Jinho opened his eyes slowly to see an unbelievable scene emerge. The pier, once full of sunlight, disappeared and a stormy, darkened harbour took its place. The harbour had enormous ships docked. Many people, as if appearing from nowhere, were all carrying big luggage cases. It was suddenly very busy, filled with people leaving and families sending them off.

  "Keep aside!"

  A bearded man with dark, sun-tanned skin jostled Jinho along, carrying his bags on his back.

  "Uh, I am sorry."

  From the quiet harbour of before, Jinho was now thrust among people, and at a loss of what to do. Somebody grabbed his arm. Surprised, he looked up at the person to find it was Juna.

  "What is going on here?" Dilating her eyes, Juna gazed as if spellbound at the sights and sounds of the ships around her.

  "I don't know. We must have arrived at the wrong place. Let's go back." Jinho reclaimed his arms from Juna and made his way through the crowd. An announcement was issued from the harbour's loudspeakers:

  "Attention please! This is the final call for any remaining passengers for The Mari. Please make your way to the boarding area immediately. The Mari will be setting off soon."

  "What are you gonna do?" Juna asked, following closely behind him.

  Blocked by hoards of people and luggage, jinho replied, trying to squeeze in between.

  "What do you mean, 'what am I gonna do'? How will I even get on this ship? How am I supposed to get anywhere with all this confusion?"

  "No, I don't mean boarding! Look, I am gonna see if this is anything to do with Mr. Kim." Her answer got on Jinho's nerves deeply.

  "Who are you to do that?" He said, staring at Juna fiercely and shouting.

  He was not sure himself why he was so agitated but the memories of his childhood struggles came to him. Juna, having such an amiable character, was naturally good at everything; from singing to studying. She put effort into everything until people praised her. She would get special compliments from Jinho's parents in particular. The more outstanding she became, the more Jinho became shy and daunted in her shadow.

  Juna turned on him, not wanting to be outdone: "You are the one who acts too brazen! Do you think it'd be sensible to just get on the boat?"

  "What?" Jinho said, staring at Juna angrily. Out of the blue, someone interrupted their argument, snatching the newspapers they held.

  "Stop wasting time!" A brown-skinned man with reddish-brown hair cried out abruptly. He ripped the boarding tickets from the newspaper and thrust them into his chest pocket. "Hurry up! Do I have to waste my time and come get you?"

  He had a grim look on his face, and it gave quite a scary impression. He was a large man with a red striped scarf around his neck and a bizarre, smiley face tattoo on his arm. Unsure as to why, Jinho and Juna obeyed as the man had demanded. No, they had to move. He looked strong enough to restrain them with one hand.

  "Ex… excuse me…" Juna tried to start a conversation with him, but he ignored her and made his way through people obstructing his way by kicking them.

  "Stand aside!"

  Frightened by his rough and tough voice, they made way for him. He arrived at the front of the biggest ship of all anchored in the harbour. The ship was an immense wooden ship as if from a history book. In addition to its grand scale, it was so old that it was doubtful that it could even move with red rust crumbled from every corroded nail in the hull.

  "Get on." The man, now with his face soaked in rain, urged the two to the staircase of embarkation.

  "We… we don't need to get on board. We're fine." As Jinho hesitatingly responded and tried to go back, the man's big hands strangled him.

  "Here's one more who doesn't react to just words. Just get on and don't talk."

  His face was snarling like a wolf. Jinho turned pale before the man released him. He followed Juna gingerly on board.

  "Are we being kidnapped?" Scared, Juna asked quietly. Jinho choked out a reply in a faint voice, "I guess so."

  Jinho pushed the buttons on his phone as secretly as possible, but the phone that he charged this morning did not work at all. The man, looking at Jinho from behind, swiftly took the phone from him and threw it away into the sea.

  "Don't waste your time doing needless things."

  Getting on the ship, he weighed the dropped anchor and made a loud, piercing whistle with his fingers and mouth. In reaction to the sound, the ship started to move slowly away from the harbour, blowing loud whistles.

  The ship's deck, strangely, was unoccupied, apart from the two children and the man.

  The ship quickly advanced away from the harbour. It was unlikely that they could flee now, even if they jumped to the water. Beside the fact they were not confident swimmers, the people on the harbour did not seem the type of people sympathetic enough to rescue them.

  Suspicious Seamen

  As time passed, Juna's body began to tremble after being soaked by the wind and the rain. She wanted to be in any place warm, rather than this frightening situation.

  After they set sail, the man went below deck, passing through the two indifferently, as if he had finished his duty.

  "What are we gonna do now?" Jinho, standing by himself, asked Juna.

  "Perhaps, Mr. Kim was kidnapped like us as well," answered Juna, wrapping her arms, and shivering with cold.

  "Oh, yeah… My dad." Only then did he remember that they came here in search of his father: "If so, he might be on this ship as well?"

  The thought of finding his father relieved him for a short moment. However, thoughts of the dark, daunting sky, the frightening lightening, the large black waves threatening, as if ready to fight the old ship - that would not surprise anyone if it fell apart and sunk right now - and last but not least, the man who could kill with his eyes alone, overwhelmed Jinho in searching for his father.

  T

  he sound of someone walking could be heard from beside the stairs leading down where the man disappeared. Jinho and Juna looked there, nervously anticipating his return.

  "Welcome, dear passengers."

  To their surprise, a less-than-10-year-old-looking boy appeared. In stark contrast to the other person they knew aboard the ship, the boy was grinning amiably. His skin also darkened by sunlight and his white, big, singular front tooth made him look lovable. He was wearing the same red striped scarf as the man. As the boy approached, Jinho felt more relaxed. He thought that the presence of a happy child aboard should be a sign that this ship may not be as dangerous as he had thought. Off guard for a moment, Jinho slightly held the boy's outstretched hand, accepting his request of a handshake.

  "Nice… nice to meet you. I am Jinho. Jinho Kim."

  "You too, my name is Hyun."

  The boy continued, precociously, but with a kind tone: "Please enjoy the voyage as much as you can."

  He looked up at Jinho and Juna, who were much taller.

  "Enjoy? Is this place really that enjoyable?" Juna said in a voice with emphasis, as if she wanted him to promise to her.

  "I mean, you know, Miss Jung, doesn't everything depend on how you think?" he answered, vaguely, shrugging his shoulders.

  "By the way, how did you know my name?" Hearing her name called, Juna looked confused.

  "Why, from the passenger li
st, of course. Any other questions?" Hyun seemed to reply insincerely as if he was fed up with their questins, but wanted to remain polite.

  "Then what about Changook Kim? Is Mr. Kim also here?" Jinho asked, taking advantage of the opportunity.

  "Changook Kim? I've never heard of this name." Hyun replied in a hurry. He continued: "Dear passengers, I am so sorry. It is meal time. I might pass out from two days of fasting if I pass the chance this time." As the boy, losing his patience, tried to leave, Jinho grabbed his arm.

  "Is it true? That Changook Kim isn't here?"

  "Yes, it is. If I say no, then it's no. You two are the only passengers onboard the Mari for now.

  No, as far as I know, you are the only passengers. This is unfamiliar and somewhat embarrassing for me as well, but in a way I feel pleasant to meet you. So please, no more questions? Now, would you like to follow me to the canteen." Leaving with a smile, Hyun exited down the stairs rapidly and skilfully.

  Being left alone with Juna, Jinho became depressed. The hope that he might find his father here had been shattered.

  The curling waves caused by rainstorm made it difficult for Jinho and Juna to balance. Losing the only purpose to get on the board worry and resentment arose.

  "This is nonsense!" Jinho shouted, holding on to the bow, as the ship undulated.

  "Let's leave here anyway, it's freezing cold." Her body shivering, Juna grabbed the handrail of the staircase of which Hyun had disappeared.

  ~

  Below deck, the bottom of the ship led to a narrow aisle. On both sides of the aisle were several doors. Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing which door Hyun had picked.

  "Do you smell that?" Entering a warmer place, different from the cold deck above, she seemed much more content.

  Wringing the soaked clothes he wore, that were still dripping with water, Jinho replied, "I can smell something burning."

  From the end of the aisle, sounds of shouting could be heard.

  "Is that what you call 'a dish'?" The voice was instantly recognizable. It was the read-haired man from before. The sound of objects falling heavily was followed after a barrage of harsh curses. "Damn it! I am definitely gonna kill him one day."

  The man with dishevelled hair kicked the door open and huffed. Jinho and Juna fixed their bodies on the wall, so that they could not encounter him. Giving them a little glance, he pounded the wall right beside Jinho's head and went away.

  "Phew." Jinho soothed his chest with his hand, feeling relieved. The man seemed even more aggressive than before. None of them could possibly know what the man could do in the worst of cases. That sent a chill down Jinho's spine.

  "Dear passengers, I would like you to come here." Hyun poked his head out of the room where the commotion came from and called out to Jinho and Juna.

  ~

  The place in which they finally rejoined with Hyun was a canteen, but looked very different from what you'd usually find aboard a ship. The chairs and the tables that had been subjected to the man's rage were broken and scattered in all directions and a choky, burning smell and a dense smoke made them feel like they were in military CBR training.

  Hyun, meanwhile, was sitting in a corner, eating food unidentifiable from the burning, as if he had become accustomed to it.

  "Please come and help yourself."

  As Jinho and Juna stood, holding their nose, Hyun offered the two a plate, with the same food on it.

  "Do you really think I can even eat it?" Jinho muttered sitting down on a chair. Hyun chuckled, tapping the ash left on his lips.

  "It's quite edible. Although that's only when you are really starving." His white teeth smeared with black ash made him look ridiculous, like some sort of comedian.

  Jinho almost smiled, but the worry and guilt he felt for his missing father made him change his mind.

  "Yuck." Juna retched not being able to withstand the food after one careful bite.

  "My food has a good palate indeed!" A young man came out, pulling back a dirty kitchen curtain, speaking with an almost bragging tone to his voice. Wearing the same red scarf as the others, but he had hair that looked like a chicken's earlobe.

  "Be honoured. It's a magnificent meal that I, a noble man, cooked."

  Magnificent? It's just burned food served on a broken plate!

  Jinho thought the chef was insane, but dared not to say a word, opening his lips a little as if about to speak.

  "I am sorry, but it was horrible," wiping her lips, Juna told him brazenly.

  "What? What a trifling human! Your vulgar tongue is making you sound disgraceful. As the world's best cook, I made and tasted it myself but here you are, saying it's not delicious. How can such

  a peasant like you know the depth of its flavour? Tut, tut."

  Not being able to tolerate Juna's comments any longer, the chef went outside, brushing away off dust on his sleeves.

  ~

  As time passed by, the dense cloud of smoke had settled more. In the ship, only three people were left in the room, still and silent. Although the appliances rattled noisily every time the ship wobbled, it soon became quiet.

  Finishing up his meal silently, Hyun opened his mouth at last. "The man that just went out is called Louie. He is the chef." Wiping his mouth with a grubby napkin, he said indifferently: "He's superficial, but not malicious. It's no harm if what he says to you goes in through one ear and out the other. If you ever talk back, however, you won't hear the last of it, so keep that in mind." He put the empty plate on the sink and started to wash it. "Those two are gonna end up killing each other, fighting with each other like that."

  At this time, a man in shabby, worn out clothes appeared. With a sombre look upon his face, this scarcely bearded man mumbled as he entered the canteen,

  "And I am gonna die from starvation."

  He sighed, looking at the food on the table and turned around. He did not seem to be interested in Jinho and Juna at all.

  "It's been a long time. You should at least have a bite." Hyun suggested with a worried tone.

  "Who cares if I even go without?." The man with slouched shoulders slowly went outside. Thinking that his appearance from behind looked familiar, Jinho tilted his head slightly. Hyun sighed and said,

  "That man is called Berr, a deck hand. He only stays in his room. So he won't do anything to harm the passengers." Blinking his big eyes, he looked at Jinho and Juna in turn: "But you should be careful about Mapi."

  "Mapi?" Asked Juna in response.

  "The one you met first. He is a deck hand as well, but dangerous. As you already figured out, he is like an active volcano. Being patient is hard for a person like him, we don't know when he's gonna explode. Especially being the mortal enemy of Louie, it's always very close when they meet."

  Jinho asked after a while. "Then, where is the captain of the ship?"

  "Captain?"

  "Yes, I have something to ask to him." Asked Jinho quite seriously. Hyun had a puzzled look on his face, as if the question Jinho asked was unusual.

  "There's no captain."

  "Pardon?"

  "There no need for such things as a captain on the Mari."

  Looking at Hyun, who answered so surely, Jinho became speechless for a moment.

  "Then, who controls this ship?"

  "The Mari moves without being controlled or navigated. It's a ship that steers itself."

  Jinho opened his mouth wide in disbelief. He couldn't accept Hyun's words anymore.

  "What? That's crazy! A ship that can navigate itself? How can it know where to go? Besides, the publisher of the boarding tickets was definitely called Changook Kim in the newspaper.

  How can they know nothing about it? Where is everyone responsible for these tickets?"

  Surprised and a little agitated by Jinho, Hyun said carefully, "Although I am currently responsible for passenger management, I haven't heard before that the publisher of the boarding tickets was a person by the name of Changook Kim. If he did publish the ticket, he wo
uld have boarded before for sure, but he is not here… so…" Deep in thoughts for a while, he continued saying timidly, "There's a possibility that he was a castaway."

  "Castaway?" Jinho's face became darker all of a sudden.

  "Yes. Recently, our ship encountered unusually high winds. Never seeing such weather before, we were all panicking. To the degree that even several veteran sailors were thrown overboard, castaway. Now, after making repairs and reorganising, the Mari is searching for those we lost at sea. It is likely that you guys became passengers related to this. It makes more sense, if the person you are looking for was a castaway."

  "No way..." Jinho looked in disbelief of what Hyun said. "You mean… my dad dropped into the sea?"

  "Perhaps." At this point, Jinho's legs gave away and he fell back onto a chair. "But, you don't have to worry much. After the incident, we got a letter in a glass bottle from the sailors that they arrived safely on the adjacent islands."

  "Re- really?" Jinho asked again.

  "It's highly possible. But there's something I am worried about…" Hyun slowed down a bit. "It's the islands… I mean… the islands around the accident spot are never really easy to survive in. Although I've never been there, I've heard it is quite a hazardous place. Even if they got there safely. We can't guarantee their life after that. I guess, maybe they got stuck in a jail there, judging from the fact that we received no messages from them thereafter." His face darkened for a moment.

  "A jail? No! No way. It will be fine, my dad is smart… nothing happened. Isn't that right, Juna?" Although surrounded by worries, Jinho said this as if putting a spell on himself.