#loved when he took me and my brother on the local waterpark i love swimming and being in water SO much

[cupuacu]

dad sent me a old picture of him and me on a waterpark and damn we truly have changed so much and yet we are the same

[killingmebtob]

Swimming // Im Hyunsik

Author: @killingmebtob // Chi

Title: Swimming

Characters: Hyunsik and Reader

Author’s Note: Listen to Hyunsik’s Swimming

Summary: Hyunsik met the mermaid.

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Your name: submit What is this?

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One day, while I was diving in the middle of the sea, I met a mermaid. And I fell in love with her.

Hyunsik took a deep breath and welcomed the sea breeze as he stood in the balcony of his hotel room. He looked from left to right and absorbed the beauty of the sea.

He was glad that he finally agreed to his boss to take this vacation. He has been working non-stop for over six months for the largest project that their company acquired.

He would always say to his boss that he will take the vacation once the project is done. So, the moment they received a notification that everything was successful, he immediately booked a flight to this island and packed his bags.

He had always loved the sea. When he was young, his father would take both him and his brother to the sea near their family house. They would play all day, picking seashells and running on the sand.

When he grew up, he even took diving lessons as he wanted to explore the sea. He loved how unpredictable the sea is. How sometimes it is so strong that it can sink ships, and sometimes it is so gentle that it nurtures the creatures living in it.

//

Hyunsik rented a boat as he decided to take a dive that afternoon and explore the wonders of that sea.

He was offered assistance but he declined as he wanted to just relax and take his time. And besides, he was a professional diver; he could take care of himself.

He asked around for good diving spots and he was not disappointed as the locals are very friendly and even told him the secret spots where the marine life is well preserved.

He picked the one spot he was told that has the best view. He was told that it was on the left side of the Island, near where the forest is. It is far away from the busy resort and it is untouched.

It took him ten minutes to get to the spot. He was also trained to navigate in the seas so this was not a problem for him.

He anchored the boat a few feet away from the diving spot to make sure that everything under will remain unharmed.

The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. More than what he expected it to be,

Vibrant and pleasant colors are splashed all over the place. Creatures, big and small, are everywhere.

He explored every corner but made sure that he will just appreciate with his eyes. He did his best to not disturb the marine life.

He was busy admiring the scenery when a sudden pain shot up from his left leg. He felt the muscles of his calf and the toes on his feet tense and stiffen.

He tried to shake off the feeling but he can’t move it.

Panic started to build inside him. He moved his arms and tried to swim up the water and his weight was pulling him down.

The air in his lungs started to run out. His instinct told him to not open his mouth but his whole body is urging him to breathe. He felt like his eyes are going to pop out if he spend another second holding his breath. His whole body gave up causing his mouth to open. Salty water came flooding in, burning his lungs.

A few seconds and his body already stopped moving. He was still conscious but he cannot move.

Is this how he’s going to die?

He was facing upwards to the surface of the sea when he saw a shadow coming to him.

A fish? But it’s bigger than an ordinary fish.

There’s a big tail and a pair of… arms?

The creature swam to him and as it came close, he realized that it was a woman, but her lower body has the tail of a fish!

The creature wrapped its arm around his waist and swam up to the surface.

As they were gradually going up, he looked at the creatures face.

And that was the last thing he saw before everything turned black.

//

Two days passed since he almost died. He still can’t get what he saw out of his mind.

He woke up in the hospital after being unconscious for a whole day. He was told that someone called the ambulance and they found him in his boat near the shore, wrapped in blankets.

Everything was a puzzle for him. But the biggest question is: did he really see a mermaid?

He paced around his hotel room as he thought of what happened and he tried to recall what he saw.

Part of him says that he is just hallucinating. He was near death and his mind might’ve been playing tricks on him.

When he got tired of thinking, he decided to walk outside to get some fresh air.

While outside, he had the urge to ask the locals if there are tales of mermaids in the island.

He almost smacked himself. Of course there is! Where there is an island, there’s always going to be tales like that.

He decided to just put aside those thoughts and enjoy his vacation.

He visited shops and restaurants. Taking pictures of the place.

One of the locals said that there will be a special show in the afternoon at the waterpark. He got curious so he went to the park to buy tickets.

The said park is built on the east side of the Island. A huge building was built on top of the rocks. They were instructed to go inside and down an elevator taking them to an aquarium.

They are looking directly at the bottom of the vast sea.

Creatures roamed behind the glass for everyone to see.

He suddenly remembered the feeling he had two days ago when he almost drowned and died. Being there felt like he was diving again.

Cold sweat started to form on his forehead and he felt short of breathe.

He was about to head back to the elevator and up to the ground again when he heard the people clapping.

The sound of amusement and amazement filled the whole place.

He turned around to see what everyone was looking at and saw that behind the glass are two dolphins playing around.

Wait no.

It’s just one dolphin. Coz the other one has arms.

He stepped closer and felt like his heart dropped to the floor.

There in front of him is a mermaid playing with the dolphin.

Can everyone see it?

He looked around. Everyone seemed to enjoy the sight.

He looked closer to the mermaid and felt a sudden feeling.

He thought hard.

Memories came flooding in like water.

That face. That face belonged to the mermaid who saved him!

“She’s amazing, right?” a voice suddenly said from behind him. He turned around and saw an old man who looked like a tourist. The man looked at him as if waiting for a response.

“Who is she?” Hyunsik asked.

“A mermaid of course!” the man said.

Hyunsik’s brows furrowed. Suddenly, the old man laughed.

“I’m just kidding.” he joking slapped the younger man’s back. “That’s (Y/N). She’s a very good swimmer. The sea loves her, even the creatures. She performs here as a mermaid to entertain the tourists.”

Hyunsik almost punched himself. How can he, a grown up man, believe that mermaids exist?

He laughed in relief. He just spent a lot of time thinking about a nonexistent mermaid.

He watched as she performed underwater. Gracefully moving even with the tail attached to her. She never failed to flash a huge smile to the audience.

Looking at her is like looking at a painting in a museum. Every move she made conveys emotions and grace.

Hyunsik finished the whole show and waited for the mermaid to finally have legs.

After an hour  of waiting, the mermaid came out.

She was wearing a simple ripped t-shirt and acid washed, denim shorts. Her long hair, which is obviously just towel dried, were bundled on top of her head in a messy bun.

“H-hi.” Hyunsik said as he approached her.

She looked surprised and confused at the same time. From up close, he saw that her skin is tanned. Obviously because of spending a lot of time in the sea.

“My name is Hyunsik.” He said, offering his hand.

She hesitated for a bit. But at the end, she still took it and smiled.

Hyunsik felt a sigh of relief. But he can still see that she is confused. Of course, she will be! An unknown man just approached her.

“I’m not a bad guy.” He said, but somehow he felt like it made him look more suspicious.

He thought to himself, Why am I acting like a dork?!

“D-do you still remember me?” Hyunsik said.

She thought for a while, looking at his face and trying to search her memory.

Her face suddenly brighten up when she realized.

“Oh! You’re that stupid guy!” her warm voice filled with excitement almost made him melt until he realized what she just said.

“Excuse me?” Hyunsik said, still taken aback.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said, putting her hand on her mouth and slightly slapping it. “I didn’t mean for it to.. well.. uhmm.. I’m really sorry.” She looked at him shyly.

“It’s okay.” Hyunsik said. But it’s not okay. Why does she think he is stupid?

“I’m really sorry. It’s just that.. what were you even thinking? Diving without any diving equipment on? And in the middle of the sea?! That’s dangerous.” She said.

He wanted to defend himself and tell her that he’s a professional diver, but that wouldn’t change anything. He drowned and she saved him, that’s what matters.

With that, Hyunsik invited her for dinner, as a “Thank You” gesture since she saved him. (Y/N) hesitated at first as he was still a stranger, but he convinced her at the end.

They talked about lots of things. He found out that she was born in  the island and she had been swimming even before she learned how to walk. She told him how her ancestors were the original tribesmen in the island. Their tribe are those that believes in the ocean and treats it as their Goddess. That culture never left some of the families in the island. Many of them still does the rituals passed down by the ancestors.

They got to know each other and it didn’t even take long for them to get comfortable with each other.

A simple dinner led to (Y/N) asking Hyunsik if he would like to take a walk with her by the shore in the middle of the night.

“Take off your shoes.” She said as she took hers off and dipped her feet in the cold sea water.

Hyunsik followed her and did the same too.

He watched as she looked up to the moon, closed her eyes, put her arms up, and breathed deeply.

Her hair which is now hanging loosely behind her looked like black water falls, falling in waves to her back..

The light of the moon complimented the features of her face.

To Hyunsik, more than a mermaid, she looks like a Goddess who came to the earth to bless his soul.

He was enamored by her beauty and he can’t explain it.

“Beautiful.” He uttered the words before thinking.

(Y/N) opened her eyes with a smile and looked at him. “Yes, the sea is really beautiful at night.”

Hyunsik just smiled and didn’t correct her.

“Can I ask you something?” he suddenly said.

She faced him and gave him her full attention. “Sure, what is it?”

“That day when you saved me, you were swimming in the sea while wearing your tail, right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? I mean, I, who had no restrictions on my feet drowned, what more someone whose feet are tied inside the tail.”

She smiled. It’s as if she was asked the same question a lot of times. “When I am swimming in the sea,” she started. “I feel like I am one with it. I trust it like how a child trusts its mother. If, by any chance, the sea decided to claim me, I will humbly abide.”

She talked mysteriously, but to Hyunsik, it just added to her charm.

//

As he spent more day with (Y/N), Hyunsik felt more attached to her. The little things she did are wonders to him. And before he knew it, he already fell for her.

But somehow, he never got the courage to confess to her.

Maybe because deep inside he knows that he will soon leave and he can never ask her to come with him. She belonged to this Island as he belonged to the city.

This thought broke his heart.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Hyunsik finally said while they were having dinner together.

He waited for her to tell him to stay. Just a word from her and he will drop everything that he has and he will move to the island to be with her.

But instead, her face was calm.

She never said anything. She just smiled and changed the topic.

The night grew darker and he asked her for a final dance in the restaurant where they are at.

He memorized each and every detail of her that night.

//

The morning came and she did not show up to say goodbye to him.

Although it hurts, he just took a deep breath and forced a smile.

It was a wonderful dream, he thought as he sat inside the plane, looking outside the window to the great big ocean.

Hyunsik went on with his life. He worked until he got tired so that he won’t have any time to think about her.

Before he knew it, a month has already passed.

He was too busy at work that he did not even realize the state his apartment is in. Everything’s a mess.

He decided that it was time to move on finally.

He spent the entire day cleaning and putting things in order. Thinking that he should also put his life in order.

As he was cleaning his room, he noticed the jacket that he was wearing on their last night together. It was crumpled in one corner of the room. Unwashed and might still have sand in its pockets. When he last wore that, he held (Y/N) in his arms to dance. Does it still have traces of her?

He took the jacket and was going to put it in the laundry when something fell out of the pocket.

He picked it up and saw that it is a crumpled piece of paper.

He opened it and his tears fell as he read what was inside.

The ocean gave me you. You who brought happiness in my life in the short time that we are together. And now, it’s also the ocean who will take you from me. You are like a dream. I never wanted to wake up but I had to face reality.

But if I am going to listen to my heart, I would like to be selfish at least once in my life and ask you to stay.

I love you. Please don’t go.

(Y/N)