Chapter Text
The Nightmare Crew was off to a glorious start.
Sails full, hearts high, snacks pre-packed.
Their destination: Demian, a jagged island whispered about in taverns and half-remembered lullabies, home to the Spider’s Lair and where the map to the Dream Piece was supposedly carved into ancient stone.
Unfortunately, no one on board actually knew how to get there.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
“This definitely isn’t Demian,” Gahyun said, arms crossed as she stared at the rolling fields of golden dirt and cheerful rows of sweet potatoes stretching to the horizon.
“You don’t know that,” SuA said defensively. “Maybe the Spider’s Lair is underground. Like... beneath the crops.”
Siyeon squinted at a nearby scarecrow wearing a sunhat. “Yeah. Real ominous.”
They had arrived on Boca, an island famously known for two things: its world-class sweet potatoes and its complete lack of caves, mystery, or pirates.
“Okay,” JiU admitted as she lowered the spyglass. “Maybe we’re slightly off course.”
Handong, deadpan as ever, replied, “We were supposed to go northeast. We went west.”
“I followed the sun.”
“The sun moves , Captain.”
“Why is that my fault?”
“You’re the one who said ‘Let’s explore the sea like it’s destiny!’ ” Yoohyeon piped in, doing a dramatic JiU impression that involved a lot of squinting and hand-waving.
“It sounded poetic!”
“It sounded directionless,” Siyeon said, plucking a potato off a cart. “Also? These look amazing.”
Gahyun, chewing one thoughtfully, nodded. “I mean... if we’re gonna get lost, might as well be somewhere with carbs.”
SuA was already bargaining with a local farmer, two daggers on the table next to a half-eaten potato. “How many of these for my soul? No, wait—how many for Yoohyeon’s?”
Yoohyeon gasped. “You said I was priceless!”
“That was 2 days ago. Things change.”
JiU pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling the oncoming headache of command. “Okay. We regroup. We restock. Then we find Demian for real.”
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
The library on Boca was small but cozy, smelling like old paper, dried herbs, and roasted sweet potatoes—because apparently, they really put those in everything. Shelves curved like ship hulls lined the walls, packed with books about island flora, cartography, and the regional history of yam farming. A carved wooden sign above the entrance read “Knowledge is a Compass.”
The Nightmare Crew stomped in like a small, chaotic hurricane.
The group crowded around a table covered in their crumpled, sauce-stained map, arguing in progressively louder whispers.
“Look,” JiU pointed. “Demian should be here , past the reef—”
“No, that’s where we almost hit a whale,” SuA said.
“That was a rock.”
“You named the rock.”
“His name is Bernard.”
Gahyun slapped down a guidebook. “When will you guys learn how to read a map? ! This is exactly why we ended up in Potato Purgatory!”
“You know what we need?” Yoohyeon said suddenly. “A compass. Or a globe. Or a new map. One that isn’t drawn on the back of a fried fish wrapper.”
“You said it was ‘aesthetic,’” SuA mumbled.
“I was trying to believe in you! ”
A loud SHHHHHH echoed from the front desk, where the elderly librarian was clutching her tea like a weapon. The crew flinched in synchronized silence.
Amid the chaos, Siyeon paused.
She felt it. The distinct, prickly sense of someone watching her. A sixth sense, honed from years of navigating haunted caves, trap-ridden ruins, and SuA’s impulsive decision-making. Slowly, she turned her head.
Behind a stack of atlases sat a woman—young, hair the color of sunlit lemons and big wire-framed glasses. Papers were scattered around her like autumn leaves, each filled with intricately drawn maps, scribbled notes, and compass diagrams. Her eyes, a cool, unreadable gray, were fixed on the crew with thinly veiled judgment before quickly focusing back on her maps.
Siyeon approached like a wolf circling prey: curious, unhurried, and very much prepared to bark.
“You got a problem?” she asked, leaning on the table with a polite-but-ready-to-throw-hands smile.
The blonde didn’t look up from her notes. “You’re loud. And lost.”
“Bold of you to assume we’re lost,” Siyeon said.
“You’ve mistaken at least two reefs for dragons, mispronounced Demian five different ways, and you just folded a 17th-century trade route into a hat. And your wrapper map is upside down.”
“…No it’s not.”
“The compass rose is showing that South is up and North is down.”
“Look, sunshine, if you’re so good at maps, maybe you can tell us how to find Demian.”
The blonde paused, like she was trying to figure out if Siyeon was messing with her or just genuinely like this.
"First, my name is Dami. Second... You’re really trying to get to Demian?” the girl said.
Siyeon’s eyes narrowed. “You actually know about it?”
Dami finally looked at Siyeon. Her expression was unreadable, but something mischievous flickered in her eyes.
“Maybe.”
“And the Spider’s Lair?”
“Maybe.”
“Do you ever say anything that’s not ‘maybe’?”
Dami tilted her head. “Maybe.”
“Are you gonna tell us?”
“Maybe not.”
Siyeon blinked. “Wow. You’re a real delight.”
Dami smiled, sharp and small. “You’re going to get yourselves killed.”
“Probably,” Siyeon agreed, with zero hesitation. “But we’re very charming while doing it.”
Dami considered her for a long moment. “If you really want to find the Spider’s Lair…”
Siyeon leaned in. “Yes?”
“You’ll need more than a snack bag and wishful thinking.”
Siyeon leaned back. “So, you do know.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Siyeon groaned, rubbing her temples. “You’re the worst.”
“I get that a lot.”
By now, the rest of the crew had noticed and crept over, whispering loudly in what they believed was stealth mode.
“Who’s the nerd?” SuA asked in a stage whisper.
“She’s mysterious,” Handong whispered back. “I like her.”
“She might know the way to Demian,” Siyeon said.
“She definitely does,” Gahyun added, squinting at the scribbles. “That’s a map. A real one.”
JiU was already ready to bargain “If you know something, we’ll trade. Gold. Info. Potatoes.”
“I already have potatoes,” Dami said, deadpan. She stacked some of her papers, clearly unbothered by the chaos she’d just dropped on them. “I’ll think about it. If you’re still in town tomorrow, maybe I’ll draw you a map.”
“And if we’re not?” Siyeon asked.
“Then I guess you stay lost.”
JiU sighed deeply, the sound of a captain perpetually on the brink. “I hate mysterious cartographers.”
“I love her,” Yoohyeon said dreamily.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
The next morning, the Nightmare Crew was still in town.
Definitely not because they were waiting on Dami. The Nightmare Crew definitely didn't need the help of some cryptic cartographer.
But there they were, loitering at a café, watching the library from across the cobblestone square with the subtlety of a kraken doing ballet.
“She’s late,” JiU muttered, tapping her spoon against her tea cup.
“She didn’t say a time,” Gahyun pointed out, casually dunking a potato scone into honey like it was a personal vendetta.
“She’s mysterious,” Yoohyeon reminded everyone again. “They’re never on time. It’s part of the brand.”
“She’s not coming,” Handong said, deadpan. “She probably went back to her map-cave to laugh at our suffering.”
“She’s definitely coming,” Siyeon said confidently, arms crossed, eyes on the library like she could will Dami into existence.
And then the door creaked open.
Dami stepped into the café, satchel slung over one shoulder, a folded map in one hand and a half-eaten sweet potato in the other. Her expression was unreadable. Again.
SuA immediately stood up and pointed like she was summoning a final boss. “ You! ”
“Me,” Dami said, taking a bite of her potato.
“You have the map?” JiU asked, standing beside her like a captain trying not to look desperate.
“Maybe.”
Yoohyeon clapped her hands. “She’s consistent. I respect that.”
Dami approached, unfolding a parchment that shimmered faintly with ink and age. The lines weren’t just routes—they were layered, annotated, alive. Ancient script curled around the edges like sea foam. The Spider’s Lair was marked with a spiral symbol, right in the center of an island shaped like a fang.
“This is real,” Gahyun whispered, awe creeping in.
Dami nodded. “It’s one of the few surviving maps made by the Cartographer’s Guild before they vanished. Most people think Demian’s a myth because it’s not where it should be.”
“What, like it moves?” Siyeon asked.
Dami didn’t answer.
JiU narrowed her eyes. “That’s not comforting.”
Dami rolled the map back up. “If you want to find Demian, you need me.”
“And what do you want?” JiU asked. “Gold? Glory?”
Dami adjusted her glasses. “Field work.”
“…What?” SuA blinked.
“You know how boring Boca is? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get good cartographic data when your entire island is a root vegetable farm?”
The crew stared.
“I’m coming with you,” Dami said, as if that was that. “I want first access to the ruins. And the mapstone. And anything cursed.”
Yoohyeon raised her hand. “Can I be cursed this time?”
“No,” the crew said in unison.
JiU sighed again, a captain’s sigh—the deep, exhausted kind forged in the crucible of chaos. Then she extended her hand.
“Fine. Welcome aboard.”
And just like that, the Nightmare Crew had a new member.
Dami didn’t say anything more. But she did finish her sweet potato.