A monstrous wave loomed ahead, towering over the deck like a vengeful force of nature. The air thickened with the scent of salt and unstable gravity.
It was too late to run.
Jean's scream was swallowed by the roar of the sea as the wave crashed over her, sweeping her off the deck and into the abyss.
__________________________________
Logan grunted as Junho's elbow slammed into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. The bastard had more strength than he let on.
"Freaking coward," Logan hissed, grabbing Junho by the collar and shoving him back, only for him to lunge again, fist flying.
Both of them traded blows… fists, curses, and fury clashing under the pouring rain. The yacht rocked beneath their feet, the storm turning more vicious by the second.
"Stay down!" Logan growled, swinging again.
But just as Junho reeled back, a scream cut through the chaos.
Farah.
She came running, her soaked heels slipping against the drenched deck, her eyes wide and unblinking, lips parted but no sound escaped them.
Soaked to the bone, horror etched deep into her features. Everything stopped.
The waves, the fight, his pulse, it all paused for a fraction of a second, as if the world needed a breath to catch up with her words.
Logan stood frozen for a second, watching the horror etched on her face. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Where is she? What is Jean?
He glanced behind Farah, expecting Jean to appear.
She didn't.
His heart began to pound harder, and his grip on Junho's collar slowly loosened. A cold shiver spread across his spine like a warning, one his heart understood before his mind could catch up.
Junho, still flushed with rage, barked, "Farah! Where's the phone?" His voice was sharp, he only cared about his phone and nothing else matters. "Don't tell me you let Jean win? She's so fragile, how could you lose to her?"
Farah didn't respond.
She was trembling uncontrollably, drenched from head to toe, as if the storm had ripped through her bones and silenced her tongue.
Logan's voice was low but piercing. "Where's Jean?"
Thunder cracked the dark sky again.
Silence. Only deafening silence from her. Even Junho turned, glancing around, the confusion dawning on him too.
And then Logan moved.
"Where is she?" Logan stepped closer, his voice now dark, his stare cold, and laced with deadly intent. Farah's knees buckled slightly as his eyes bore into hers.
And finally, like the storm forced the truth out of her lungs, she whispered, voice broken and shivering…
"T-the waves took her… she's overboard."
The moment the words left Farah's trembling lips, Logan froze.
Overboard.
In this stormy ocean.
His mind blanked. His chest tightened as if the storm itself had reached inside and twisted something important. He turned slowly, eyes scanning the churning sea just beyond the deck's edge. But Jean was nowhere.
Gone.
A scream ripped out of him before he could stop it.
"JEAN!"
The name tore through the storm, louder than thunder. It echoed across the waves and into the yacht's sleek structure. But no answer came, just wind, rain, and the haunting crash of the ocean.
His blood turned cold. He could still hear the rain crashing and the thunder growling above them, but it all sounded distant… muted under the rush of panic roaring through his ears.
He turned sharply toward the edge of the deck, searching for any sign… anything but the sea only mocked him with violent waves and inky darkness.
Junho, for once, didn't have a word to say.
"Where exactly?" Logan demanded, his voice dangerously low as he stared at Farah. "Where did she fall?"
Farah stuttered, stepping back. "N-near the starboard side… she tried to grab the phone, but the wave… she-she just disappeared!"
Logan's heart dropped.
"JEAN!" he shouted again, louder this time, desperate, as if her name alone could pull her back from the depths. His hands clenched the railing so tight his knuckles turned white, his body drenched, trembling… not from the cold, but from helplessness.
He turned to Farah, eyes blazing. "Where did she fall? Point! Now!"
Farah, terrified, raised her hand toward the far end of the starboard deck. "T-there… near the corner, she went after the phone, and then the wave washed her off…"
Logan didn't listen, and was already running. The deck was slippery, water pooling across the surface, the yacht rocked by every cruel wave. But he didn't stop. Didn't care.
He didn't waste another second. Staying low to avoid slipping. The storm had grown stronger, sharp winds and cold rain cutting across his face.
He reached the spot but saw nothing.
No hand reaching up. No voice calling back.
His heart sank.
But Logan didn't even look back.
He screamed her name one last time, his voice raw and broken.
"JEAN!"
No crew, no guests to help him.
No one knew.
Just him. And he couldn't think logically at this point. Couldn't draw out what will be his next step. All he knew was Jean had fallen.
But right now… there was only him who could do anything.
To save her.
He reached the rail, gripping the edge tightly, eyes scanning the tossing sea. "Jean…" he whispered like a prayer, hoping… begging… she'd resurface, coughing, clinging to something.
But nothing.
Just the waves.
And then, as if a force compelled him, without hesitation, he climbed up on the railing, eyes burning with a rage and fear he couldn't contain.
Junho shouted from behind, "Have you lost your damn mind?!" He called him out following him, finally shaken, "Are you insane? What are you doing?"
Logan didn't answer.
He jumped.
Into the storm.
Into the cold, merciless ocean.
For her.
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Junho stood frozen as Logan disappeared into the raging sea.
What the hell just happened?
His pulse thundered in his ears louder than the storm, louder than the crashing waves. Logan had jumped… actually jumped. Jean was gone, and now so was he. Both into the stormy ocean.
Junho's face twisted in horror as realization dawned.
I'm in deep shit.
There was no fixing this, not with explanations, not with excuses. He couldn't possibly go to his father and say, Two of the most important guests at your party decided to go swimming in the middle of the hurricane.
He cursed under his breath, then louder. "Fuck!"
Turning back to Farah, his panic turned violent.
"You useless idiot!" he snarled, gripping her arm recklessly. "I told you to watch her, not to let her fly into the damn ocean!"