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It’s unfair, really. Everyone is in the same boat, literally and figuratively. How come some people are deemed worthy of saving just because they have money? Yunho sighs as he stands amongst the crowd of his fellow 3rd-class passengers. There are men and women, both, screaming and begging for life. The stewards were blocking the way, keeping the gate locked. Five minutes ago, Yunho himself was up at the gate, throat raw as he screamed useless insults and threats. The stewards wouldn’t budge. Yunho gave up, letting himself fall behind in the crowd.
He thought about the past few days, recalling how excited he had been to return to the States. Just yesterday, he was talking to a second-class passenger, some schoolteacher named Park Seonghwa, about his plans when they were to arrive. Yunho’s parents had purchased land for him to use. He told Seonghwa how he planned to build himself a house and eventually find a person to settle down with. He never told Seonghwa that someone was waiting for him in New York. Song Mingi, a man he met in France three years ago. It was quite a scandalous thing to be in a relationship with someone of the same gender, but Mingi never made him feel ashamed about it.
About a month ago, Yunho and Mingi decided to move to the States for a better life. Mingi went before Yunho, something about making sure his job was secure. Yunho couldn't even remember why; he was too worried about leaving Mingi alone. Yunho knows he’s not going to make it out. By the time they get all of the first-class passengers off the ship, it’ll be too late. He’s pulled out of his thoughts when a gunshot goes off. One of the stewards shot at an older man who got too aggressive. Yunho remembered seeing him board the boat. He seemed so excited. Before he realized it, Yunho felt tears running down his face. Amidst the screams and sobs, he turned around, going back in hopes of finding another way out.
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Up on the deck of the ship was First Officer Choi Jongho. He was in a panic, trying to fight off men attempting to board the lifeboats early. He was under orders to let women and children on first. Earlier, he had noticed that some of the boats were being filled only half full. He would’ve told them to fill them all the way, but then another man would try to save himself and run for the boats. Jongho had to threaten the crowd with a gun, and that terrified him. Everything about this situation was terrifying and surreal. Earlier that night, he received the notice that the ship was headed toward icy waters. When the iceberg warning arrived, it was too late. They were going too fast to turn on time. Jongho remembered the feeling of the ship scraping against the ice. It was so chilling. They say that when something fearful or dangerous happens, it activates your fight or flight mode, and in some cases, you freeze. Jongho felt like doing all three at once, but it’s a ship, a sinking ship; you can only run so far.
San stood against a railing in the grand staircase. He watched as some people walked calmly, like they were headed to dinner for the evening. Others were frantically pacing, in a hurry to get to a lifeboat on time. It seemed like not everyone had accepted the fact that their doom was close at hand. San never imagined his life ending so soon. He was newly wed to his wife Yeosang; in fact, part of the honeymoon included a voyage on the “unsinkable” ship. San trusted the word of the stewards and officers, so he had made sure to get his wife on a lifeboat as soon as possible. He remembers Yeosang pleading with him, begging him to come with her. San begged the officer to let him on, but not all the women and children had boarded the lifeboats yet. San promised her that he would be safe and find a boat, too, but he knew that was an empty promise. Yeosang knew it too, but at that moment, it comforted the two.
Hongjoong didn’t know what he was planning on doing when he got offboard the ship. He had mustered up enough money for a ticket, but he had no plans, really. It was just him, his notebook, and the clothes on his back against the world. But right now, it seemed like the world had other plans for him. He woke up from the horrendous sound and the shaking of the iceberg hitting the ship. When he got out of bed, his room had already started flooding. The water was so cold that his feet went numb right away. When he left his room in nothing but his pajamas, there was so much commotion. No one knew what was going on. One of the stewards had thrown a lifejacket at him and kept moving. Hongjoong knew that the ship was flooding, but he didn’t know how. He wondered if Wooyoung was alright. They met when Hongjoong was sneaking around the ship. It wasn’t the most pleasant meeting, but they had grown to be very attracted to each other. The closer he got to the boiler rooms, the higher the water got. Hongjoong hadn’t realized he had been screaming for Wooyoung until the water was to his neck. The boiler rooms were sunk by now, he figured. There’s no way anyone could survive that long in water this cold. He knew he had to survive. One of them needed
Seonghwa was panicking. He couldn’t breathe, and he was shaking. The ship was sinking, he was going to die. He had gone on a break from work, expecting a vacation, not a death sentence. The morning before, he had snuck off with Jongho, and they were going to talk about their future together once they docked. Seonghwa had a feeling that Jongho would come with him, and he was ready to accept the boy into his life. Now, he wasn’t sure if his life would continue. His thoughts were interrupted by a man sobbing as he walked past. He was drenched and shivering, repeatedly muttering how he needed to survive for someone named Wooyoung. The man went on about how one of them had to survive. Maybe because of the circumstance, or because he wasn’t in his right mind either, Seonghwa decided that the shivering stranger was right. He didn’t know where Jongho was, but he had to try and survive for both of them, and maybe, just maybe, Jongho would make it out too.
Mingi had just arrived in New York City, the place where anything was possible. He had managed to use some savings to travel there to meet Yunho when he arrived. The entire city was buzzing about the arrival of the Titanic. The ship that was said to be so grand and glamorous, incapable of sinking. Mingi couldn’t lie; he was also excited to see this amazing ship, but he was more excited about the passengers, the one passenger he cared about. Jeong Yunho, his partner and friend. Mingi smiled to himself as he held the ring box in his hand. As soon as Yunho got there, he was planning on proposing. Of course, they couldn’t legally get married, but to each other and their close friends, they would promise themselves to each other. Mingi found a quiet pub to rest in until dawn, when the Titanic was due to arrive.
Yeosang could admit that she wasn’t the brightest person at times. Yes, she had done excellent in school and university, but sometimes she was a little slow on things. Her friends made sure she never forgot it. She was excited to live the life of a wife of the rich, but it was also daunting. One wrong move, and it's all over for you. Word gets around fast with these women. Yeosang was the talk of the town, having just married wealthy businessman Choi San. The Choi’s were a powerful family, and Yeosang had her husband's reputation to hold and protect. It was overwhelming, but she truly did love San, and she knew he loved her. San would reassure her every day when they were courting each other that she would be happy and loved. He never failed to prove that to her. The plan was to get married in Paris and start a new life in Chicago. San was starting a new idea and needed to report to Chicago right away. Yeosang wanted a longer honeymoon, but when San proposed the idea of taking the Titanic, she wasn’t as upset. All she could think about earlier that day was how jealous her friends were when she left. How she had managed to get a rich, handsome, loving husband and a honeymoon on the greatest ship in the world. None of that mattered now; all Yeosang could think of while the lifeboat was lowered into the icy sea was whether she would ever see her husband again.
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Since the day they left Southampton, Wooyoung had been drenched in sweat and covered in coal. It was annoying, but he needed to leave Europe; he felt suffocated there. He had no money, though, so the only way he figured he could get to America was to work on the ship. Unfortunately for him, by the time he offered to work, nothing but grunt work in the boiler rooms was available. It sucked, but it was his only option, all he could do was complain and keep working. So when they arrived at Queenstown and a man came wandering through the boiler rooms, Wooyoung yelled at the poor man, chasing him out. He felt bad, but the man continued to come back. Wooyoung learned his name was Hongjoong, and he was also clueless about what to do when they arrived. It gave Wooyoung a sense of comfort, and the two became close over the next couple of days. They would sneak around the ship together during Wooyoung’s breaks and find different places to fool around with each other. Both men decided that when the ship docked, they’d adventure together. Wooyoung had just gotten off his shift when the boss asked him to cover another man’s shift in boiler room 6. He groaned, complaining about how he had just ended his shift, and he just wanted to rest. After a threat to lose his job, Wooyoung agreed. Luckily, he was working with a friend. The two quickly got lost in songs and stories, no one even had time to register what happened when boiler room 6 was struck, drowning every worker in the strikingly cold water.
San had always been selfless and kind. An angel, his mother had always said, but it wasn’t to brag. San was genuinely a good man. The last good deed he did was leading a terrified old man to a lifeboat. There wasn’t room for both, so San helped the man get on board. The poor man was sobbing and manic, which made San terrified, too. He broke. San didn’t know where to go. He rushed back to the grand staircase, not knowing what he was doing. People around him were yelling at him to go back, but all San could do was run. He was so blinded by fear and tears that he ran into another young man. The two men fell to the bottom of the stairs. The man stood up, yelling and cursing at San, who wasn’t listening anyway. San pulled out a locket from his jacket pocket. Inside the locket was his beautiful wife. Yeosang. What would Yeosang do without him? The most beautiful and loving woman in the world was his, but soon she’d be alone. It killed him to know that Yeosang would have to live in a cruel world without him. The glass dome of the grand staircase began to crack. San rose to his feet, moving to the railing of the staircase, giving him the last bit of safety. When the glass broke, he kissed Yeosang’s picture as the violent, rushing water consumed him.
The last boats were being lowered, some toppling, sending the poor, innocent souls to their icy deaths. Most people at that point were running towards the stern, trying to avoid the dark water as much as possible. Jongho was standing at such an intense angle, and his feet were starting to slip. He nodded as he decided that it was time to save himself if he could. He told the men around him to save themselves as he ran off. He didn’t know where he was going, but it was better than managing the boats. He ran to the bridge to find the captain just standing there. Jongho couldn’t help but yell, trying to get his captain to move, to do something. He knew his efforts were useless, the captain had made his decision. Jongho, tears streaming down his face, ran up, like all the other passengers. He hoped that Seonghwa had made it onto a lifeboat. He couldn’t bear the thought of him dying a most painful death in the cold water. Sobs racked through his body as he scrambled to the stern of the boat. By now, the ship was almost standing, so many passengers dangling from bars and anything they could hold on to. Jongho was able to get to a railing where he could sit and wait for his impending death. He called out to whatever god was listening, begging for Seonghwa to be safe and that any mistakes he had made in life would be forgiven. Jongho didn’t know what happened after death, but he prayed that whatever happened was good to him. When the ship broke, Jongho lost his balance on the railing. He fell from his place, sliding down the deck, into the wreckage.
Yunho watched as people slid down the decks. He had managed to find a spot on the railing at the edge of the stern. When the ship broke, he almost fell, but he managed to hold on. Now, he was watching as the sea grew closer, the rest of the ship sinking quickly. Yunho cried for himself, knowing he wouldn't make it, for the other passengers who were so scared, for Mingi, who had no idea what was going on. Mingi, his best friend, the love of his life. Once the rest of the ship had sunk, Yunho tried to swim upwards, trying to fight the numbing water, but his attempts were useless. The suction was pulling him deeper and deeper into the water and towards his death.
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Seonghwa could see his breath almost crystallizing in the air. It was so cold outside, not as cold as the water, but still too cold to function in. The tears froze on his face as he watched the Titanic sink into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. He doesn’t even remember how he managed to get onto a lifeboat, but here he was. He hoped that Jongho made it onto a lifeboat, but he had a feeling that he would never see him again. Seonghwa felt lost and heartbroken. How could he return to life after this? He sobbed, but he had cried his last tears long ago.
Yeosang couldn’t watch it. She couldn’t watch as the ship sank, most likely taking her husband down with it. She cried on her mother's shoulder, mourning for San. She didn’t have to wait for confirmation, she knew he wouldn’t have made it. He was too kind for that. Yeosang couldn’t even fear for her future, not when she didn't have San. He was the only one who could truly comfort her. Now he was gone, and she would have to live without him. Yeosang didn’t know if she could do that, if she was strong enough for it.
When the Carpathia arrived, Hongjoong hesitated before boarding. He wasn’t sure he wanted to board another ship. All he could hear in his head was Wooyoung’s nagging voice telling him not to be stupid and to board the boat. Hongjoong had managed to jump onto one of the last lifeboats as it went down, though he wasn’t sure if he was relieved. He didn’t deserve to live, not when there were so many other people who had great lives ahead of them. The stewards of the Carpathia were taking names from the passengers, giving them some hope that maybe their loved ones were saved. Hongjoong knew it was useless, but he told them to write down Wooyoung.
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On the morning of the 15th, Mingi had heard that the Titanic would be towed into port. It was a little disappointing to hear that the Titanic wouldn’t be coming in on her own, but Mingi really didn’t care about the ship. His heart was racing at the thought of seeing Yunho again and proposing to him. Later that night, Mingi became incredibly anxious after hearing the ship had sunk, but papers and the radio said all the passengers and crew safely made it to another ship.
He knew it was time to panic when it was later confirmed that the Titanic was lost and most of the passengers and crew had died. When the Carpathia came to port on the 18th, Mingi stood amongst the 40,000 other people, waiting and waiting. He watched as passengers got off, some sobbing with pain or relief, some kissing the ground, others running to loved ones. He watched as others in the crowd waited for people who never got off board. Still no Yunho. Maybe since he was third class, he was getting off last. Maybe he forgot something on the ship or was stuck in the swell of passengers rushing to get off. No sign of the man he wanted to say vows to, promise to live forever with.
Mingi stood high, on top of luggage and cars, looking for Yunho, who wasn’t to be seen. He tried his best not to cry, trying to be brave.. Mingi couldn’t breathe, the tears and emotions releasing, overwhelming him. He reached to pull out the ring box in his pocket, but it wasn’t there. Mingi froze, eyes pacing the ground. He couldn’t lose the ring, he needed to propose to Yunho with that ring. He crawled like a madman, mumbling to himself, tears blurring his vision. The ring, the ring to propose to Yunho with. He needed it, he couldn’t lose both Yunho and the ring on the same day. He couldn’t lose Yunho, not when they had planned a whole life together, not when they had planned to build a home, a life, and maybe even a family one day. No, he needed the ring because maybe then, if he could find the ring, he could find Yunho. Maybe Yunho was also lost in the crowd, but he found the ring. Maybe Yunho would find him. Mingi searched and searched. Waited for hours; most of the crowd had dispersed by midnight, but Mingi was still searching. Searching for something that would never return for him. Some people tried to comfort him, but it was useless. All night, Mingi sat at port, watching staff load the Carpathia with new supplies for its next journey. He watched as the Carpathia left port. No Yunho.
Four days of agony, of stress and tears later, a list of casualties was posted around the city. Mingi didn’t want to check the list, knowing it would confirm his worst fear. But Yunho was nowhere to be seen. For four days, Mingi had to sit and think of all the possibilities. The owner of the pub had watched the poor man agonize and sob for days. He managed to convince Mingi that checking the list could help in some odd way. So Mingi slowly made his way to a newsstand, grabbing the paper. It was so heavy, pages upon pages of lost souls. Mingi scanned over the names. They weren’t in a specific order, he had to read the names of passengers and crew members who didn't make it. Jung Wooyoung-Crew, Choi San-1st Class, First Officer Choi Jongho-Crew, and finally, Jeong Yunho-3rd Class. Jeong Yunho, on the list of lost passengers and crew. Mingi stood there, tears streaming down his face. The pub owner was patting his back in consolation, but Mingi couldn’t find it in him to do anything but cry.
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Mingi sighed as he stood over the land that had previously belonged to Yunho. In the past few months, he had gained ownership over the land after having to break the news to Yunho’s parents. After the funeral, Yunho’s father passed the land on to Mingi, knowing the two had plans for it. Now, Mingi stood along the fencing, pulling out the paper Yunho had drawn his plans out on. Mingi needed to do this for Yunho, to live the life they would have had with each other. So, he met with a carpenter and started working on the blueprints for his new home.
After the home was finished, Mingi placed the plans of their lives together as well as a picture of Yunho on the mantle of the fireplace. He cried, talking to Yunho about how he would do his best to be happy and that he would never forget him. Even if he found someone else, Yunho would be the love of his life forever. His speech to the portrait on the mantle was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mingi wiped his tears and opened the door. There stood Kim Hongjoong, a survivor of the sinking, who was looking for work when Mingi built the house. The two had become fast friends, and though Hongjoong had never met Yunho, he knew Yunho meant the world to Mingi, so Hongjoong made sure to look out for him. The older had invited Mingi to the pub that night to celebrate the house, it would be good to get out. Hongjoong watched Mingi say his last goodbye to Yunho as he left. The two walked in comfortable silence as they headed to town.