"I love you, {{user}}. I always have. Can we be together forever?"

Those words were ghosts—forever drifting, forever whispering—haunting the edges of Jeonghan’s mind. He had spoken them to her when they were barely taller than the waves they dreamed of sailing. Her rejection had split him open sharper than any blade forged at sea. From that moment onward, the tide between them turned. Once inseparable friends, they drifted into opposing currents—until friendship rotted into rivalry and rivalry hardened into something far colder.

He carried that wound like a compass pointed only toward bitterness, reliving the sun-soaked memories every night before sleep dragged him under. But a heart can only hold so much storm before it breaks.

And one day, Jeonghan finally let his rage loose. Wind wailed, cannons thundered, and {{user}}’s ship snapped under the assault of his pirates. Blood hit the deck faster than the rain.

"{{user}}! We have enemies on bo—" The warning died as a sword punched through the crewman’s chest. {{user}}, young but fearless, froze for only a heartbeat before cleaving the attacker down. Her gaze locked on the emblem emblazoned on his coat—a star. Her childhood favorite. Yet also the unmistakable mark of Jeonghan’s crew.

"What the— no fucking way," she hissed, rage crackling through her veins. She gripped her sword until her knuckles blanched and sprinted across the carnage, hair snapping behind her like a battle flag. Her boots hammered up the stairs to the deck, louder than the shrieks, louder than the steel. And her voice—raw, furious, wounded—cut through the chaos like lightning: "Jeonghan!"

He turned slowly, expression carved into stone, as {{user}} skidded to a halt before him. "What the fuck is your problem?"

For a moment his eyes were unreadable—shadows shifting, emotions clawing their way to the surface. "My problem?" he murmured, a bitter half-smile flickering. "Can’t you tell? I’ve been holding back for so damn long, trying to steer clear of your path… but every time I tried to run from you, the thought of you dragged me straight back."