" What a mess . These rich people , I swear , don't even think of others as human beings ! "
" What happened now ? "
" What would you know? I'm the one who always has to do everything ! Come here and help me out . "
" Alright , alright . Calm down ! "
" Listen , there are 5 sacks we need to ...
Ouch ! Damn it , my foot ! "
" Whoa ! Are you okay ? "
" Ugh , just my luck…"
[ Then, as his eyes landed on Jiwon lying there... ]
" Holy crap ! There's a body ! Wait... is she dead ? "
[ Panicking , he moved closer and checked... ]
" Oh , she's alive ! "
" Hey , little girl ! Can you hear me ? Hello ? "
" What do we do now ? "
" Looks like she's passed out . Quick , hand me the water bottle."
" What ? Oh—uh, here you go . "
" Yeah , this should wake her up…"
[ A few drops of water hit Jiwon's face , and her eyes fluttered open ... ]
" Hey , girl . Are you okay ? "
Jiwon was extremely startled . It was an unfamiliar place . Before they could make sense of the situation , she shoved the man in front of her and ran .
When she reached outside and saw the ship was moving .
" No… no , this can't be happening ."
She whispered in disbelief. The endless ocean around her took her breath away .
" Hey ! Stop !"
The same voice followed her as the two men from before came running after her . Panicking , Jiwon turned and sprinted down the deck , not even thinking about where she was going .
Suddenly , she collided into Hyeonie .
" Whoa ! "
Due to the impact , Hyeonie ended up on the ground with Jiwon on top of him . For a moment , Hyeonie's world seemed to freeze . Her messy hair brushed against his face , and her terrified expression made him forget where they even were .
But Jiwon wasn't in any state to notice . Without a word of apology , she rushed toward the front of the ship .
There everyone was partying . She didn't even notice the crowd dancing , drinking , and laughing—until she crashed right into Haejin . This caused the cold drink in her hand to spill all over herself . The cold drink ruined her expensive clothes .
Haejin: " What the hell ! Today is cursed Why is everyone crashing into me ? Are you blind ?" ( visibly irritated )
Jiwon couldn't respond . Everywhere she looked , there was nothing but endless water . The ship had already traveled far out into the sea .
The crowd quickly noticed her strange behavior.
" Who is she ? "
" Doesn't seem like one of us ."
" Is she crazy or what ? "
" Hey , you ! "
Haejin snapped , her anger surging .
" Are you deaf ? I'm talking to you ! "
Jiwon seemed even more overwhelmed and frightened . She found herself surrounded by a curious crowd .
" What's wrong with her ?"
" Is she okay ?"
" Or is she just crazy ?"
" She's acting like a lunatic !"
The voices around her blurred together , the crowd closing in tighter . The endless questions and stares made her feel like she was having a panic attack. Then, once again, she became unconscious .
After some time...
Jiwon slowly opens her eyes .
Mr. Song (Physical Teacher ): Hey , are you alright ?
Mrs. Park (Class Teacher ): It's okay , don't panic . Just take a deep breath and calm down .
Mr. Song : What's your name ? And... why are you here ?
Mrs. Park (interrupting ) : Come on , don't be so direct . Take it slow . ( Softly ) Listen , it's alright . No need to be scared . Can you tell me your name ?
Jiwon (hesitating) : Jiwon .
Mrs. Park (smiling warmly) : lovely .
Haejin : Huh ! Lovely ! My foot . What's she doing here ?
Mrs. Park : Wait ! I'm asking something ! ( look at Jiwon ) Now tell me , how did you get on our ship ?
Nari : Is she... a thief ?
Sumin : A thief ! I should keep all my things safe .
Haejin : What's wrong ? Explain it !
Mr. Song : Enough ! Will you all just stop ?
" Is she crazy ? "
" What the heck ! Now what ? "
Mrs. Park : Silence ! Jiwon , speak up !
Jiwon : Umm… actually , I… I mean…
Yura : Stop stuttering and just tell us__what are you doing here ?
Yun : Oh , come on Yura .
Jiwon : ( Deep breath ) Actually.. I… accidentally got on your ship . I'm really sorry . I was exhausted and passed out . Before I knew it… the ship had already left . I'm truly sorry for bothering you all . Believe me .
Jiwon says all this in one go . Everyone reacts differently . Some people are annoyed and others curious .
Haejin : Fine . So you got on the ship by mistake . But why the heck did you fall on me ? Do you even know how expensive my outfit is ? Who will pay the compensation ?
Yura : Ugh ! She's still whining about her
dress .
The atmosphere becomes chaotic . The ship has already sailed far into the sea . Mrs. Park seems unsure of what to do with Jiwon .
" Disgusting . "
" No way . We're not going back for her . "
Jiwon : You don't need to go back because of me .
Mrs. Park : But what about your family ? They must be worried about you .
Jiwon : I… I have nobody .
Mrs. Park : What ? You mean... no one ?
Jiwon : Yes , mam . No one will be worried about me .
Mrs. Park : Oh… I'm so sorry , dear .
Nari : Wait , hold up . Then what's she going to do here with us ?
Mr. Song : We can't go back for her . Right ? And honestly , if she can't stay here then where will she go ?
Haejin ( mocking tone ) : Easy . We can just throw her in the water .
Sumin : What if she steals all our stuff while we're sleeping ?
Mrs. Park : ENOUGH ! Listen , all of you . She'll stay with us until we return and no one will bother her . It's my responsibility to send her back safely . Is that clear ?
Nari : So , she is getting a free trip with us ?Haejin : What ? Like , seriously ? That's not fair at all !
Mr. Song : What do you people want exactly !?
Haejin : As long as she's with us , she must work like an employee to cover her stay . Simple .
Mrs. Park : No way ! Don't forget that she's my responsibility .
Jiwon : It's okay . I have no problem with that .
Mrs. Park : What ?
Jiwon : I'll work for all of you while I'm here .
Mr. Song: But ....
Jiwon : Don't worry . I'm used to it . I've done similar jobs before .
Finally they decided that Jiwon will stay with them until they return , but she'll work there like a regular staff member to repay her mistake . Mrs. Park and Mr. Song aren't happy about this arrangement but they have no other choice . Then Jiwon starts to work .
Haejin still wasn't done being mad at Jiwon .
After 1 hour...
Haejin : Hey , you ! listen here...
Just as she was about to bully Jiwon , someone interrupted .
Yun : Hey , girl . Yeah , I'm talking to you .
Jiwon ( confused ): Huh ! Me ? Yes , what is it ?
Haejin : I called her first .
Yun ( ignoring Haejin ) : Come with me .
Nari : Where is she taking her ?
Yura ( rolling her eyes ) : Are you deaf or what ? Yun called her . That means she's coming with us .
Haejin : What the... But..
Kyun ( sighing ) : Just drop it for now . We've already dealt with enough this morning...
Seungri ( glaring at Haejin's group ) : Ugh ! These people always need to be reminded where they stand .
Seokjin ( grabbing Seungri's arm ) : Relax . Calm down .
Joonho (smirking ) : Oh ! And what exactly are you gonna do about it ? Huh !
The air thickens with tension , ready to explode . Before things get out of control , Kyun pulls Joonho back while Seokjin stops Seungri . They exchange low warnings .
Kyun (muttering) : We'll settle this later .
Seokjin (calm but firm) : Chill . We'll handle it when the time's right .
Yun doesn't even glance back. And just like that , Jiwon follows them , leaving Haejin's group standing in silence . Yun tells Jiwon ...
On the Ship
Yun : So , Jiwon… Whether it was by accident or fate , you've ended up on our ship .
Jiwon : Yeah…
Yun : Listen carefully . I'm only saying this once . You see her ?
( gestures toward Haejin )
You're lucky I got to you before she did anything . But don't expect me to save you every time . If you want to stay out of their hands , you'll have to do exactly what I say until you get back . Otherwise , next time… I won't stop them .
Jiwon (shocked ) : What do you mean !!
Yun : Hey , explain it to her .
Yura : It's simple , really . As long as you're with us , you do what we say__kind of like__serving us . In exchange__we'll protect you from Haejin .
Jiwon stares at them , completely stunned . Their words , their attitude—it all feels off . She thinks to herself ,
" Who's protecting who from whom ? I don't understand anything…"
Yun : Got it ?
Jiwon : Ahm… yeah .
Jiwon observes everything around her, slowly piecing things together . Their gang… their rules ... Everything is wired here ...
Meanwhile, elsewhere ...
Scene: A Different Part of the Ship
Minseok : So , did you hear anything about that girl ?
Soojin : I think she is staying with us until we get back . I don't think Haejin is going to let her go that easily .
Minseok : She ended up here by mistake and now she's stuck doing their chores .
Soojin : Yeah , but she's actually doing them . Maybe she's used to this kind of thing . Doesn't seem like a big deal .
The mention of Jiwon suddenly brings back the memory of what happened that morning . Hyeonie seems lost in thought , his vision unclear .
Hyeonie : But this isn't right . Something worse could happen to her .
Minseok : You're not wrong . Knowing the kind of person Haejin is...
Hyeonie : I wasn't even talking about Haejin . I meant the others .
Soojin : Wait , wait… Are you that worried about her ?!
Hyeonie : A-Ah…
Minseok : Oh come on , after what happened this morning ...
Before Minseok can say another word , Hyeonie quickly covers his mouth and changes the subject .
Soojin : What happened this morning ?
Hyeonie : Ahh... nothing much .
Soojin : Really ?!
Minseok just smirks but stays silent .
" Whatever she just a stranger after all ... "