#siren AU

[inkjam-moon]

Red Sky - Part One

Summary: After the death of your uncle, you make friends with his estranged roommate, a handsome young man, around your age that disappears for days at a time. When you find out something you're not supposed to, you learn exactly why the locals aren't particularly welcoming towards him. You want to help Jeongguk, but will he trust you enough to let you in?

Pairing: Siren!Jeongguk x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Word Count: 18k (I have nothing to say...)

TW: Sexually explicit content, mentions of suicide/death, physical altercation, drowning mentions, near death experience, drinking, verbal altercation, panic attack

A/N: tumblr literally won't let me post this in one part it's so long so part 2 will be up immediately!

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"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning..."

.

It’s overcast and misty where the boat finally stops. The late winter sun has just started to sink below the horizon, not that you can tell with all the clouds, but they are a slightly darker shade of grey. You wake yourself, stretching after the long trip from Busan, and grab your things, thanking the captain as you step onto the creaking wood of the old dock. The pungent smells of salt and low tide immediately assault your nose, your raincoat doing little to keep the relentless mist off your face, but you tug it closer nonetheless. You pull the paper out of your pocket and double check the hastily scribbled address that’s starting to smear. Honestly, you don’t even know if you’re in the right place. 

You look to your left and see nothing but the ocean, as far as the horizon. You can’t help but stare out at the crashing white foam of the waves, wondering how you ended up here on this miserable island. Well, you know how you ended up here, but you begin to think about what life choices you could’ve made to bring you to this point.

When you say island, you don’t mean a tropical paradise with palm trees and coconuts everywhere. You mean the North Pacific; a small fishing village off the coast of Korea that means little to the world. Honestly, if it sank into the sea one day, you don’t think anyone would mind too terribly.

You scan the surroundings to your right and see a row of dismal buildings. You tuck into the closest one that you can enter, jumping when the door slams shut behind you, causing everyone in the place to look up at you.

You seem to be in some sort of a bar, a small number of people scattered at tables, having probably just got back from being out at sea; a hot bowl of some sort of stew, and a beer in front of each of them. You walk up to the counter where a man stands on the opposite side, cleaning a glass.

“Excuse me?”

The man, older, rather large, and a bit scary looking, turns to you. “Yeah?”

“Uh-um, sorry to bother you, I was wondering if you knew this address?” You hold the paper out to him. 

He takes it from your hand and squints at it for a moment before looking up at you in surprise. “Hogeun’s place, huh?” He questions, his voice thick with the island’s harsh satoori. 

“Yes, I’m here to collect his things.” You explain. “I’m his niece.” 

"Y/N?"

"Um, yes?" Does this man know you?

"Wow, I can't believe it’s you. You're all grown up now.” He laughs. “Last time I saw you was maybe 20 years ago."

"We’ve met?"

He nods. "You don't remember?"

"No." You shake your head.

"You were pretty young, maybe four or five? But I guess when your mom stopped coming around you did too. I'm Donghyun." He reaches his hand across the counter and you shake it. "I was friends with your uncle, so if you need anything let me know, yeah?"

You nod. "Thank you. Um, his house is...?"

"Right, sorry." He hands you back the piece of paper. "Follow the road east to the cliffs. When you get to the fork go right and follow that to the lighthouse. His place is the only one down there.”

“Thank you.” You nod politely as you take your leave, thanking him once more as you head out the door. 

As you step outside, pulling your coat tighter around you, you look around to see there’s only one road in this town, so you set off to follow in the opposite direction of the setting sun, but just as you step off the curb, a voice startles you, making you jump as you nearly miss your step. 

“Hey there missy!” An old man you hadn’t noticed before is sitting in a chair next to the door of the bar. He seems to revel in the fact that he scared you. “Not often do we get travelers here. What brings you to Gageodo?”

“I’m here to settle my uncle’s estate.” 

“You Hogeun’s niece, eh?” He raises an eyebrow. You only nod, not sure how much information you want to give to him. “Old Hogeun kept some strange company. Some a them is monsters out there in the sea.” He points out toward the ocean. “You best read up on how to deal with ‘em.”

“Um, right.” You nod again before trying to turn away, but the old man stops you with a yell. 

“You best heed my words! They can be dangerous!”

“Are you saying there’s… mermaids? In the ocean here?” You scoff.

“I didn’t say it…” He looks around to make sure no one else is listening before whispering. “But I ain’t denying it either.”

“Right. I have to go.” You turn and head toward the road, ignoring the man as he continues calling to you, hurrying yourself along until you’re out of earshot. 

It’s about twenty minutes before you reach the eastern cliffs, finally seeing your uncle’s home emerge from the shadows of the heavy forest that covers the island. You recognize it from the picture he sent you. With the ocean to the front, and the forest to the back, the house sits modestly between them with the old rundown lighthouse in the distance. A grand view for a one story uh... house? Can you even call it a house? It looks more like a shack. You sigh and dig the spare key out of your pocket, walking up to the door and unlocking it, letting yourself in.

You fumble for a light switch, but can’t seem to find one so you turn on the flashlight on your phone to aid you. When you find the switch, you flick it on and the whole place seems to whirr to life. 

You have to admit, it’s bigger on the inside, sparse, but somehow cozy. There’s hardly any furniture; a table, and two old wooden chairs, a small, very worn couch in front of a large television, which is probably the newest thing in here, but that’s it for this room. You take your time exploring the rest of the house; two bedrooms, one bathroom, a decent kitchen, and a creepy basement.

In a normal house, you’d expect to see pictures hanging, things on the walls, little adornments that make a house a home, but this… this is just a house. It isn’t until you nearly trip over a dresser drawer that you find a picture inside. It’s in a simple dark green frame with a stand on the back of it, and when you look on top of the dresser, you can see the square where it once stood, the only spot not covered in dust, but what gets you is that it’s not a picture of his late wife, or friends, it’s a picture of your mom, his sister, leaning over your much younger uncle as he holds an even younger tiny baby you. She must’ve sent it to him before the fight they had. It warms your heart that he kept the picture after all these years. 

You were very close to your uncle. Back when you were little, he got into a fight with your mother, his older sister by about twenty years, that alienated him from the rest of the family and cut off any contact you had with him. When you got older, you took matters into your own hands and contacted him. The two of you became close as you kept him updated on the rest of your family. You’d always get a card on your birthday from him with some money in it; the older you were the more money you’d receive, he even sent you a spare key to his house, asking you to come visit; unfortunately, you never had the chance. That’s why you were the one that got called out here when he passed away; your number was the only one they could find. 

You place the picture frame back up on the dresser where it belongs, wondering why he put it away. Maybe he was afraid your mother would be the one to empty his place? You shrug, and walk into the spare bedroom, lifting your suitcase on the bed to unpack it, knowing you’ll be here at least a week to sort through his things. 

You head to the kitchen, deciding to start sorting tomorrow as you open the fridge to see what kind of food there might be. You’re disappointed as you only see a few wilting vegetables, some eggs, an assortment of sauces and pastes, and a few other scattered foods in take-out containers that have probably been in here longer than you want to think about. There’s also an entire case of beer, and half a container of orange juice. You’ll have to go get some groceries tomorrow.

Your stomach rumbles as you crack open a beer, taking a swig as you search the pantries for anything edible. Instant oatmeal. Well, it’s better than nothing. You grab a packet and toss it into a bowl, adding hot water from the kettle and waiting for it to set. When it’s ready, you grab it and your beer and head over to the couch, turning on the tv to find something to waste the time. 

It isn’t long after you eat that you find yourself dozing on the couch, the trip here from home having taken its toll on you. You turn the tv off, placing your dishes in the sink before locking the front door and then heading into the guest room. You put on your pajamas and climb under the sheets, the bed squeaking as you get comfortable, and then quickly drifting off into sleep. 

.

You’re startled awake by a loud banging noise, trying to wake yourself up enough to get your bearings before you realize it’s coming from the living room. Did someone break in? You check your phone to see it’s about three in the morning. What on earth? You slip a sweatshirt over your pajamas and grab the baseball bat from the corner of the room you stashed earlier before very quietly opening the door to the room to investigate. You don’t see anything, but you still hear the banging. You walk further into the living room to hear someone knocking rapidly on the front door. You’ve only met two people, who could be bothering you at this ungodly hour? The banging continues until you hear a voice above it.

“Hyung! Hyung let me in, please!”

You stand in front of the door, slightly terrified. Should you answer it?

“Hogeun hyung, please!”

At the mention of your uncle’s name, you lean the bat against the wall, step forward and unlock the door, opening it to see something you never thought you’d see. In front of you stands a soaking wet young man with dark hair that just barely covers his wide eyes. He looks like a stunned deer as he takes you in just as you do him, searching for something, his breathing ragged as if he ran here.

“Can I help you?” You ask.

“Are you…? Are you Y/N?”

You look at him surprised as your name leaves his lips. You’re starting to get tired of people knowing you before you know them. “Um, yes?”

“W-where’s Hogeun?”

You look at him, confused. Does he not know? “He’s not here. He’s-”

“Oh, can I come in?”

“I-”

“Please?” He pleads, his voice desperate. You step to the side and allow him to enter; he does so quickly and shuts the door behind him, locking it and relaxing a bit.

“How did you-”

“Hyung told me you might be coming to visit soon. Where is he? Is he sleeping?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh! Sorry. My name is Jeongguk.” He bows politely. “I’m a friend of your uncles.”

“A friend?” You ask in disbelief. Your uncle never mentioned Jeongguk which immediately makes you suspicious… But on the other hand, your uncle told Jeongguk about you.

“I know this sounds ironic since he’s your actual uncle, but he’s like an uncle to me. Or like a brother. He helped me out of a pretty bad situation once and I’ve been helping him ever since.”

That reminds you. “Right, um speaking of bad situations, were you running from something?” You ask, remembering his frantic entrance. 

“Running? Um…” He hesitates obviously not wanting to discuss the matter.

“Yeah, you seemed to be in a hurry to get in here. Like you were in trouble.”

“Let’s just say the people in this town don’t like me very much, okay? Now, where’s Hogeun?”

“You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

You sigh, walking over to the sofa and taking a seat on it. Jeongguk follows close behind, taking a seat next to you, obviously comfortable in this home, by the way he tucks his feet under himself. “I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but he…” You pause, taking a deep breath. “Hogeun is dead.” You whisper. It still hurts to admit it.

“W-what?” You look up to see Jeongguk’s doe eyes go even wider in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“They-” You take a deep breath, holding back your tears before continuing. “They found his body at the bottom of the cliffs a few days ago; the police said he must’ve jumped. They called me to come get his stuff sorted out, that’s why I’m here.”

The room goes silent. You look at Jeongguk to see his face twisted in what seems to be rage before he speaks, so low you almost can’t hear him. “Hyung didn’t jump.”

“Jeongguk-”

“He didn’t!” Jeongguk suddenly yells. “He-” Jeongguk stops and looks at you, seeming to contemplate something before continuing. “I know hyung. He didn’t jump.”

“I’m sorry, Jeongguk but there isn’t really any other explanation…” You sigh. “How come you didn’t know? It happened almost a week ago now. Where have you been?”

“I-” Jeongguk stops, closing his mouth and looking at the floor. He’s silent for a few moments before he suddenly gets up and walks toward the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” You ask, watching as he rummages around on the table and in drawers, looking for something, ignoring you. You get up and walk over to him. “Look, I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but I don’t really know who you are or why you’re here and it’s very late, so I’m going to have to ask you to-”

“Here.” He suddenly shoves an envelope in your face.

“What is this?” You take the envelope from his outstretched hand.

“Read it. I’m going to sleep.”

“What?” You turn as he walks away from you toward your uncle’s room. “You can’t just- this isn’t your house!” But it’s too late, Jeongguk has already disappeared into the room and shut the door behind him. Before you can huff off after him, you feel the envelope in your hand and sigh, lifting it to see what it says. 

In case of Emergency: For Y/N

That’s your uncle’s handwriting. You take one last look over at the closed door before tearing open the envelope to find one of your uncle’s letters inside, addressed to you.

Y/N, I wish I was writing to you under better circumstances, but unfortunately if you’re reading this, it’s likely something has happened to me and I’m sorry that you have to be the one to pick up after my mess. You’ve already met Jeongguk, I hope; he’s a good kid. I hope you two become friends and show him the same kindness you showed me. He’ll watch over the house so you don’t have to go through the hassle of selling it. Take anything you need; the account numbers for my bank are written below. Everything in them is for you as a thank you for letting me back into your life. Hopefully it’ll help. I hope you get things sorted out quickly, ask Jeongguk for help if you need any. He’s a little strange, but he’ll be good to you. Give the family my love and apologies, especially your mother. Hogeun

Well, at least that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. You turn and walk over to the door Jeongguk disappeared behind and knock lightly, when there’s no response, you open the door just a crack and peek inside to see Jeongguk fast asleep on the bed. You sigh and close the door again, there’s no use waking him. You head back into your room and shut the door, crawling back under the covers and closing your eyes to drift off.

.

You wake up to a loud clap of thunder, startled as you shoot up in bed. Man, are you always going to wake up to loud noises when you’re here? You stretch, checking your phone to see it’s a little after ten in the morning. You sit up, shivering. It got cold here last night. You’ll have to look at the thermostat after you eat something.

You grab your sweatshirt and slip it back on, remembering the intruder you had last night as you stand and make your way out to the kitchen. You manage to find some rice, grab the eggs, and a few vegetables that still look edible. You shrug and slice them up before throwing everything in a pan with some soy sauce, and sesame oil, making a very sad looking fried rice. Well, it’s better than nothing. As you dump about a quarter of it into a bowl, you hear a door open behind you and Jeongguk comes stumbling out, still half asleep.

“Is that food?” He asks, running up to your side.

“It’s not much, just some fried rice.”

"Can I have some?" He asks hopefully.

"Sure, there’s plenty. Take what you want."

Jeongguk grabs a bowl and dumps the rest of the rice into it before grabbing a spoon and walking over to the table, sitting down as he immediately begins stuffing his face.

"This is amazing." He groans.

You can’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. "Thanks, it would've been better with fresh veggies, but-"

His eyes widen as he looks at you. "You can make it taste better?"

"Well, yeah. I'll just have to get some things at the grocery store."

"What else can you make?" He asks, scooting closer.

"Uh, pretty much anything as long as I have a recipe. What do you like?"

"Everything! I love food! I used to love when Hogeun cooked!"

"Oh? What did he cook for you?"

"Mostly seafood stuff. He'd tell me what he'd want and I'd pick it up fresh for him. Crab, tuna, shrimp, mackerel, whatever he needed."

"Is there a fish market nearby? Do they have a lot of variety? I thought they sold everything to the mainland?"

"Oh, um..." Jeongguk hesitates. "I have a friend... One that fishes and stuff."

"Oh, if I give you a list can you get some stuff for me?"

"I can get anything from the sea that you need."

"Okay. Um, thank you. How- uh, how old are you anyway?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Oh, okay, I’m twenty-eight.”

Jeongguk simply nods as he goes back to eating like he's starved. When he's finished, he puts his bowl down and looks back at you. "Okay, I'm ready." He states.

"For what?" You ask as you continue to eat.

"To go to the store."

You chuckle again. “After I eat. And I’m going to shower first.”

"How long will that take?" Jeongguk tilts his head in what seems to be confusion.

“Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes?”

“Hm.” Jeongguk seems to pout at this.

“I’ll try to be quick.” You take another bite of your breakfast. "So, where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking."

"I'm from... Uh... The island."

"This Island?"

"N-no, the big one, to the south."

"Jeju?"

"That's the one." He nods satisfactorily.

"Right..." You shake your head.

After you eat, you excuse yourself to jump in the shower, wanting to wash the bus and boat feeling off of you. You wash yourself quickly, not entirely sure if you trust the lock on the bathroom door. When you’re finished and clothed, you grab your hair dryer and plug it in, starting to dry your hair when you see Jeongguk poke his head around the corner, observing you closely through the open door.

“Can I help you?” You ask over the whirr of the dryer. He mumbles something, but you don’t catch it, turning the dryer off to hear him better. “Hm?”

“What… What is that? It’s loud.”

“My hair dryer?” You wiggle it at him and he nods. “It’s for drying your hair faster when it’s wet. Your mom didn’t have one?” 

He shakes his head. “I never met my mom.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He shrugs, tossing your sympathy away with his shoulders. “She died when I was born. It’s not a big deal.”

You don’t know how to respond to that so you turn back to the mirror. “I should be done in a few minutes, okay?”

Jeongguk nods, heading back to sit on the couch and wait as you finish drying your hair. When you’re done, you throw on your rain jacket and boots and grab the keys to your uncle’s old rusted, red truck. You and Jeongguk climb in head back toward town to buy some food.

Jeongguk also does not know where the grocery store is, so you drive around for a bit until you find it. It’s about as big as you expected, which is to say not at all, but it’s the only one on the island. You pull into a parking space and lead Jeongguk inside, watching his eyes go wide in amazement at all the food. 

You putter around the store, grabbing this and that every so often to add to the baskets you and Jeongguk are carrying, trying to think of meals Jeongguk might enjoy. You occasionally ask him his opinion, but he just says yes to everything, following you around like a lost puppy. Surprisingly enough, as you're rounding the corner where the meats sit, you nearly run right into Donghyun.

"Y/N!" He smiles brightly at you.

"Ah, hello!" You smile back. "Fancy meeting you here."

He shrugs, "Picking up groceries for the bar on my day off."

"Oh, are you closed on Sundays?"

He nods, eyeing the nearly filled basket in your arms. "I guess you don't have much food at the house?"

"Ah, no not really. Plus Jeongguk eats like he's starved."

"Jeongguk? Do you have a dog or something?"

"No, he's my uncle's friend.” You explain. “Do you not know him?"

"No, I can't say I've ever heard the name before. His friend you say?"

"Yeah. He’s right-” You turn around to see Jeongguk is no longer behind you. “He was just here… Well, he's about my age, tall, brown hair, big eyes."

Donghyun's eyes go wide as though he knows who you're describing, but he doesn't say anything further, he simply shrugs again and shakes his head. "Oh, I saw Hajoon stopped you yesterday?"

"Hajoon?"

"Crazy old man, sits outside of the bar."

"Oh, right yeah. He was talking about mermaids or something." You laugh. "Can you imagine?"

"Yeah that's what I figured. He’s a nice guy, but I think all those years on the ocean turned his brain to seawater. So just... Don't pay attention to the things he says."

"Alright. I mean, I figured with the mermaids and all."

Donghyun smiles and nods. "Hey, why don’t you come by my house tomorrow? My wife and I would be happy to have some company to cook for.”

“Really? That’s so kind of you.”

“Absolutely. Our house is the one right behind the bar. Come by around seven, and bring your friend if you can find him!"

"Thank you, I'll see you then." And with that he walks off.

As soon as Donghyun disappears down the next aisle, Jeongguk’s voice startles you from behind. “Who was that?”

“Where did you go?”

“Hm? I was just around the corner. I found this.” Jeongguk holds up a box of sweet cakes. “Hyung always had these.”

“Alright.” You grab the box from him and stick it in his basket. “Come on, I think we have enough.”

After your shopping, you head back home, walking in the door to find you forgot to change the thermostat. You put everything down in the kitchen and then walk over to check it. 

“Holy shit, why is this only set to 60 in March?” You ask out loud, quickly turning the temperature up to 70. “Haven’t you been cold?” You ask Jeongguk as you put your groceries away.

“Cold? Not really.” He shrugs.

You shake your head and whip up some quick sandwiches for lunch before you begin organizing your uncle's belongings. Keep, donate, and trash are the three labelled boxes that sit adjacent to you on the floor. Keep- photographs, letters, money left in sock drawers; Donate- old clothes, out of date electronics, anything Jeongguk doesn’t want to keep; Trash - ashtray, empty cigarette cartons, beer bottles, shoes with holes in them.

It feels strange to you, compartmentalizing someone's life like this. Especially someone you knew. Someone you loved. You think about your own important things, what would someone keep of yours? Some clothes, maybe jewelry, probably your camera once they found it where it’s stuffed in the back of your closet, shelved with your dreams.

You sigh as you throw the last shirt in the closet into the donation box, finished with the guest room. You look at the time and realize you've been doing this for seven hours. No wonder you're hungry, it's nearly nine o'clock. You pick yourself up and make your way to the kitchen, cooking a simple stew for dinner to help stave off the cold outside.

You earn several grunts of happiness from Jeongguk as he continues to tell you how amazing everything tastes. When you’re finished eating, you do the dishes quickly before joining Jeongguk on the couch, grabbing the remote control and turning on the tv. "What do you want to watch?"

"Watch?" He questions again.

"Yeah, you know, watch. On tv? Like a show, or a movie?"

"I don't know. I never had one." He points at the tv. 

"Okay." You pull up Netflix , and start scrolling. "Stop me if you see something interesting." You scroll, not really focusing on the screen, but more on Jeongguk's reaction to it. It looks like he's really never seen a tv before; his eyes are blown wide in awe as he stares at it.

"That one!" He suddenly shouts, causing you to refocus on the screen.

"Boys over Flowers? Really?"

He nods. "I wanna watch that one."

"Okay, if you really want to." You click on the show and the first episode starts up.

You watch Jeongguk as he stares at the screen, enraptured by the scenes in front of him, and you take the time to study him. His hair is long, down to his shoulders, and a dark chocolate brown, almost black. His eyes are a lighter shade of brown, but sometimes you swear they shimmer like golden topaz when he gets excited. He’s on the taller side, his tan body toned and muscular beneath the clothes he borrows from your uncle’s closet. His nose is a little big, but it suits him, especially when he smiles, his eyes crinkling up and his lips pulling back to reveal his cute smile, reminding you of a rabbit.

There’s something about him… Something almost inhumanly beautiful as your eyes follow the lines of his body. Once he looks over and catches you staring, causing you to blush and pull your focus back to the tv. After the first three episodes, you decide to go to bed, the day's events finally catching up to you.

"Jeongguk, I'm going to bed." You state. He only nods, watching the final scene of the episode intently until the credits begin to roll. As you get up, the 'are you still watching' screen appears and Jeongguk panics.

"What happened?" He whines.

"Nothing, it just wants to make sure you're still watching." You hand him the remote. "Just press the 'okay' button and it'll keep going."

Jeongguk presses the button and is relieved when the show starts to play again. Knowing he's content, you take your leave and head off to bed, shutting the door behind you.

As you settle in, you have to admit that Jeongguk is slightly amusing, but he's a bit strange. Especially with all the things he doesn’t seem to know about. Is living on this island really that different than living on the mainland? Something about him feels off to you, but you can't seem to put your finger on it. Hogeun trusted him, so he can't be bad, right?

.

When you wake up the next morning, you have to check your phone for the time because it's so dark out it might still be night. 10:33 am. You get up and stretch, walking over to the window and peeking through the blinds to see it's pouring down rain again. Or is it, ‘still’? You see a bright flash of lightning in the distance. What a miserable place. You miss the sun. You sigh as you slip some pants on and walk out into the hall to see your uncle's bedroom door is open. Jeongguk must already be awake. You head towards the main room to see the tv is still on and is currently displaying the "More you might enjoy" screen from after you finish watching something in its entirety.

"Jeongguk, did you watch that whole show last night?" You call out, but there's no response. "Jeongguk?" You call again as you search the kitchen and bathroom, but Jeongguk is nowhere to be found. "That's weird…" You comment to yourself as you walk into the kitchen. Well, maybe if you make some breakfast, the smell of food will summon him. You cook up some eggs for a delicious egg sammy, but surprisingly, Jeongguk doesn’t crawl out of wherever he’s disappeared to, and you eat by yourself. 

As the day goes on, you continue sorting through your uncle’s things, wondering if maybe the stress of all of this made you hallucinate Jeongguk for some company. Was he really a dream? You shake your head, taping up the last box and carrying it out to the truck. You figure Donghyun might know where you can donate the clothes, so you’re bringing them with you to dinner tonight. At half past six you ready yourself for dinner, brushing your hair, and pulling on a warm flannel over your grey shirt and jeans, adjusting the necklace your uncle gave you in the mirror before hiding it under the collar of your shirt, slipping on your rain gear and heading out to the truck. 

You drive through the rain, up the road and into town, pulling in behind the bar to find Donghyun’s house. It’s not quite attached to the bar, but it might as well be. You park on the street and walk up to the door, knocking lightly. Donghyun answers the door with a wide smile. 

“Y/N! So glad you could make it.” He moves to the side and lets you in, taking your coat and hanging it up as you slip off your boots. He leads you into the small kitchen where a woman stands over the stove, cooking something. “This is my wife, Saki.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” She offers you a warm smile and you hear a lilt in her words.

“You too! Thank you for having me over.”

“Oh of course!” She puts down the spoon she was holding, wiping her hands on her apron. “Any excuse to cook for someone other than him.” Saki teases. “Why don’t you two sit, dinner will be ready in just a second!”

You thank her again before following Donghyun to the adjacent dining room, surprised to find a kotatsu as the main piece of furniture. You sit down on the pillow across from your host, pulling the blanket over your lap and feeling the warmth of the heater greet your chilled legs. 

“I hope you don’t mind the table, Saki’s from Japan originally. She insists she can’t live without it.”

That explains the accent. “Not at all! It’s delightful, I might have to invest in one for my apartment.”

“It’s good for those rainy days.” He agrees. “Which is almost every day here.”

“Time for dinner!” Saki exclaims as she walks into the room carrying two trays. She sets them both on the table and you see three large bowls of curry and rice, along with several side dishes, and cups of steaming hot tea. 

“Wow, it smells amazing.” You state as she places a bowl in front of you, the smell dancing through the air as you pick up your spoon. 

“Dig in!”

The three of you eat, sharing stories and laughs in the low lighting of the room. Donghyun tells you stories about your uncle; they both got jobs on the same fishing boat when they were eighteen and became close friends, your uncle eventually buying his own boat, and Donghyun taking over the bar for his father’s friend. They remained friends up until his passing, and the memory seems to hurt him as he tells you about how Hogeun used to join them for dinner just like you are now. Saki’s curry was his favorite.

“He always spoke so highly of you. He couldn’t wait for you to come visit.”

A pang of sorrow rings through your chest. “I wish I could’ve come sooner…” 

Donghyun smiles bittersweetly, placing a hand on your shoulder. “He knows you were busy.”

You’re thankful for the comforting gesture, nodding in acknowledgment. After the meal is finished, Donghyun brings out old photo albums and shows you the years of your uncle’s life that you missed, showing you what he was like without the stress of your family’s ideals weighing on him. He looked so happy. 

So why did he end his life? The question nags in the back of your mind, but you don’t want to bring it up right now. 

“So could your friend not make it tonight?” Saki questions. “Dongie said you might be bringing one.”

You shake your head. “Unfortunately not.”

“Too busy?”

“I’m not really sure.” You shrug. “I couldn’t find him.”

“You don’t know where he is?” Donghyun asks. 

“This probably sounds terrible, but I don't really know that much about him.” Donghyun and Saki exchange a concerned glance. “Hogeun told me about him in a letter. Said he could be trusted. I guess they were pretty close. He said Hogeun was like a brother to him. Hogeun even left the house to him so I don’t have to sell it.”

“What’s his name again?”

“Jeongguk.”

Saki thinks on this for a moment. “What’s his family name?”

“I… I don’t know. I never asked.”

Donghyun shakes his head. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard that name, not even in passing at the bar.”

“He’s harmless, honestly. I swear all he does is eat.” You explain. Another glance exchanged. It’s pointless to try and make them understand.

After a few more conversations, you bid goodbye, thanking them again for the meal before slipping your coat back on and heading out to the truck. You wave as you pull away, driving up the dark road back toward the lighthouse. When you pull into your uncle’s driveway, the house is dark. Jeongguk must not be back. As you unlock the front door, you can’t help but think once more, did he ever really exist? Or Was he something your mind made up due to the stress.

You close and lock the door behind you, walking into the kitchen and placing your leftovers in the fridge along with some assorted banchan they gifted you. You slide off your flannel tossing it on the back of the couch before settling down onto the cushions, running your hands through your hair as you take it down and then turning on the tv. You take off your necklace and twirl the medallion in your fingers.

A few hours later, there’s a bang against the front door that scares the shit out of you, causing you to jump out of the sleep you had fallen into. Just when you start to think you imagined it, you hear light knocking, getting up and walking over to investigate. You can’t see anything through the peephole, so you open the door a crack, peeking out to find Jeongguk standing there in the dark.

“Jeongguk? What the hell?” You open the door and he pushes past you, waltzing into the house, seemingly unbothered, though he is absolutely drenched from head to toe. “Are you alright?”

“Hm?” He barely turns toward you as he walks to the kitchen, tracking water across the floor. “I’m starving, do we have anything to eat?”

“Where have- Eugh, Jeongguk…” Your sentence is interrupted as you move to cover your nose, catching a whiff of him, the strong scents of salt and sea wafting off of his body in waves. “You smell like low tide.”

You watch him lift his arm up to sniff himself before shrugging. “It’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is.” You disagree, walking over to him and grabbing his arm. “You’re dripping all over the floor! And is this…?” You grab something off of the back of his shirt. “Seaweed?” You hold the green plant up between the two of you to show him. “What the hell have you been doing?” 

“N-nothing, I was just-”

“Come on.” You start dragging him toward the bathroom.

“What? Hey-”

You open the bathroom and pull him inside with you. “You’re not eating until you shower.”

“A shower?”

“Yeah you know, when you wash yourself with soap and water?”

He groans. “Do I have to?”

“Yes. Jeongguk, you stink.” You explain, turning the shower on for him. “Please.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “Fine.” He states, grabbing his shirt and pulling the wet fabric off over his head, allowing you full visual access to his toned torso. You blush, only allowing yourself a quick glimpse before turning your head to look away.

“I-I’ll have something ready for you to eat when you’re done.” You mumble, immediately leaving the bathroom and shutting the door behind you.

Pausing for a moment against the door to slow your heart rate, the image flashes in your mind again; was that a tattoo you saw? You shake your head in an attempt to clear it. Why couldn’t your uncle have befriended some weird old man instead of a hot guy your age? And why was he so goddamn weird?

You sigh to yourself as you walk to the kitchen, flicking on the lights and taking your leftover curry out of the fridge, putting it in a bowl and then sticking it in the microwave to warm up. You grab a towel and use it to mop up the puddles of water Jeongguk leaked all over the floor. When you finish that, you realize Jeongguk will need a change of clothes so you walk into your uncle’s room, or you suppose it’s Jeongguk’s room now… You walk into the room, and grab Jeongguk some sweatpants, boxers, and a shirt. You can hear the microwave start to beep back in the kitchen, so you walk back out to shut it off, but as you pass by the bathroom, you hear the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard. 

It’s low, but melodious, immediately catching your attention. You don’t know what it is, it almost sounds like the distant crashing waves, the lull of the open sea, a sweet word on the wind, filling your heart with so much emotion you feel like it might burst, and yet, you feel nothing at all, only a deep want, a voracious need in your chest that has you turning toward the bathroom and opening the door before you can stop yourself. 

Your vision goes blurry as you open the door, the sweet sound hitting your ears at a higher volume, echoing off the round acoustics of the bathroom walls and bouncing right back into your brain. As you walk toward the source, the shower curtain pulls back and the final barrier between you and the voice is removed, your reach for it when suddenly the sound stops. Your eyes focus to find Jeongguk standing before you, a terrified expression on his face as he takes in your drugged-like state. 

“Y/N?”

“J-Jeongguk? What-” You suddenly notice Jeongguk is still standing in the tub, naked as he’ll ever be and you turn away. “Oh god! I’m sorry I was, uh-” What were you doing? You look around for clues and see the pile of clean clothes you dropped to the floor. “Ah!” You bend over and pick them up. “I was just bringing you some dry clothes.” You place the clothes on the sink counter. “You can use my towel to dry off, I’ll wash it tomorrow.” You mumble before quickly leaving and shutting the door behind you.

What the hell was that? You don’t remember anything, it’s like you blacked out as soon as you came out of Jeongguk’s room. Weird. Maybe it’s just because you’re tired? Despite the odd feeling creeping up the back of your neck, you walk back into the kitchen, pulling Jeongguk’s food out of the microwave and setting it on the table for him just as he walks out of the bathroom. 

You’re still a bit too flushed to face him, looking down at your lap as you sit down at the table, watching out of the corner of your eye as he takes a seat next to you. He seems oblivious to your embarrassment as he immediately digs into the food, shoveling mouthfuls past his lips, making you wonder if he breathes when he eats. When he finally starts to slow down, nearing the end of his meal, you lift your head, still unable to meet his gaze as you mumble an apology. 

“I-I’m sorry for, you know, walking in on you. Like that.”

“It’s alright.” He says between bites.

“I don’t even know why I did that. Honestly, I don’t remember doing it.”

“You don't?” He quirks an eyebrow, eyeing you under the hair that falls across his face. 

“It’s the weirdest thing, right? I must be really tired or something.”

“Hm. Maybe…” He stretches and yawns, his spoon clinking against the bowl as he stretches his arms above his head. “Thanks for the food.” He smiles, taking his dishes to the sink and washing them quickly. 

“So, where did you go, if you don’t mind me asking.”

He shrugs, “Just had a couple things I had to do.”

“In the rain? Without a jacket? Or shoes?” You question, having noticed his footprints in the water he left on the floor. 

“Shoes are uncomfortable.”

“Right…” you watch him as he places his dishes in the rack to dry before turning and walking towards his room. “Jeongguk-” You call out to stop him. 

“Hm?” He stops, spinning back around to face you, his doe eyes wide in question. 

“N-nothing, never mind. I’ll talk to you in the morning I guess. If you’ll be here?”

“Sure.” He simply nods before walking away into his room and shutting the door. 

You sit at the table, temporarily stunned at the interaction you just had. God he’s strange. You get up, grabbing your necklace where it fell on the floor, shutting off the tv, and flicking the lights off on your way to your own room. You place the necklace on your nightstand, slip into some pajamas, and crawl into bed.

Just a few more days. You think to yourself. And then you can go back to your normal life. Or… at least what’s left of it.

.

Jeongguk quickly shuts the door behind him, glad to finally be alone as he takes a deep breath. Damn. He’s going to have to be more careful. He didn’t think he was being loud enough for you to hear him over the sound of the shower, that could’ve been a disaster if he hadn’t opened the curtain and seen you. Jeongguk drags his hand over his face, trying to wipe away the worry as he strips out of his clothes and flops down into bed with an exasperated sigh.

Jeongguk appreciates you. He’s grateful that you let him into your home, or, well, his home he guesses. You don’t ask too many questions. And you’re nice. You’re so much nicer than he ever thought you would be for some reason. Most people, especially in this town, aren’t particularly welcoming when it comes to him. He wishes Hogeun was here. It would make things so much easier…

He wishes he could tell you something.

He wishes he could tell you everything.

He wants to tell you everything, but Hogeun specifically told him to keep you out of it. He already hid all of their research in his room, hoping you won’t find it. Jeongguk pulls the letter addressed to him out of the bedside table, the one he found with yours, reading over it again.

Figure out what happened to me. Hide the research. And most importantly, make sure Y/N gets out of here as soon as possible. I would only blame myself if she got caught up in this mess that I made…

 Hogeun didn’t want you anywhere near the Ineo, so being near Jeongguk while you sorted things out was as close as you were going to get. Jeongguk has put up a firm wall, and tonight was too close for comfort. Jeongguk has to continue like this, sneaking away in the early hours to do what he needs to do. To find the answers. Jeongguk is determined to find a way to lift this curse.

.

When you wake up the next morning, it’s cold again. It’s early, you check your phone, unable to sleep because of the cold; it’s only just turning to eight o’clock. It takes everything in you to get out from underneath the warmth of the blankets; wanting to stay cocooned in them for the rest of the day, but you have things to sort. You shiver as your bare feet hit the cold wood of the floor, quickly reaching for warmer clothes; socks, a sweater and sweatpants, and slipping them onto your body.

You open your door and walk out to the living room to check the thermostat again. 60 degrees. What the hell? You turn the temperature back up to 70, feeling the heat immediately pouring out of the vent beneath your feet. Much better. But how did it get turned down? There isn't an automatic adjustment feature on it, it’s too old. Did Jeongguk…?

You huff, walking over to his room and knocking while you open the door to see Jeongguk sprawled across the mattress in nothing but shorts, blissfully unaware of the temperature. You walk over to him and are about to wake him when you see the tattoo etched into his skin, swirls of dark blue ink surrounding hands as they sink into the depths of color. You swear you’ve seen this before, but you can’t place where. Oh well, back to the task at hand. 

“Hey!” You smack Jeongguk in his bare chest, startling him awake. His eyes dart around the room until they land on you standing over him. 

“Y-Y/N?”

“Did you mess with the thermostat?”

“The what?” He sits up.

“The thing that changes the temperature. Did you turn it back down?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” He nods, unbothered. “I’m used to cold weather.”

“Aren’t you from Jeju?” He tilts his head as though he doesn’t understand why that matters. You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Okay, normal people get cold at this temperature, so I’m going to turn it up. Can you leave it alone until I’m gone please?”

He shrugs. “Sure.” 

You’re about to say more, but decide against it. He doesn’t talk much anyway. “Thank you.” You state as you turn and walk out, closing his door behind you. You barely make it three steps before the door opens again and Jeongguk follows behind you, he reminds you of a lost puppy sometimes. 

“Are you… going to make food?” He asks, pulling a shirt on. 

You chuckle, should’ve known that was coming. “I can, what would you like?”

He thinks for a moment before his eyes light up. “Hyung used to make these things,” He forms a circle with his hands. “Like little cakes? They were sweet.”

Sweet cakes? “Like, rice cakes?”

“No. Um… fluffy?”

“Hotteok?”

“Hotteok!” He points at you as he says it, clearly excited.

“Okay,” You giggle, turning to fish ingredients out of the cabinets. “I can make Hotteok, but you’ll have to wait for the dough to rise.”

Jeongguk nods, taking a seat on the couch and watching closely as you mix up the dough, putting it in a bowl and covering it before joining him. You set a timer for an hour and turn on the tv. You put on something mindless, dozing off as you watch until the timer goes off and jolts you awake. You get up and check the dough, kneading it before covering it for another 20 minutes or so. When that times up, you get the skillet ready, turning the heat on, and Jeongguk watches you carefully.

You look at him over your shoulder. How is he going to take care of himself after you leave? “Do you… want to help?”

His eyes go wide. “Can I?”

“Sure.” You wave him over. “It’s easy once you have the dough.”

You turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board and instruct Jeongguk how to separate it into balls while you mix cinnamon and sugar for the filling. You show him how to add the filling to the dough balls and then have him watch as you fry one up, waiting until it turns a golden brown before flipping it, squishing it down with the spatula, and then covering the pan with a lid so the sugar melts into a syrup. When it’s done, you scoop the pastry up out of the pan and place it on a plate.

“Voila.” You hold the plate out to him. “Hotteok.”

Jeongguk takes the plate, smiling. “Amazing.”

“It’s hot, be careful.” You scold when he picks it up immediately, burning the tips of his fingers. 

“Hot. Right.” He nods, blowing on it carefully.

He waits for you to cook a few more before you both sit down at the table together and eat. You can’t help but watch him, fascinated by the way everything seems new to him. He carefully eats the hot pastries, focused on nothing but the food in front of him the entire time. If anything, at least he’s amusing to spend time with. You smile as you observe him and his odd mannerisms. 

“So what are you going to do today?” He asks as he licks the remains off his fingers, you barely hear him, entranced by the flick of his pink tongue. No. You scold yourself. You can’t start thinking about him like that.

“Um, I’m going to try and bring some things up from the basement to go through.” You state, leaning back in your chair. “I didn’t realize how much was down there until yesterday. It’s going to take me a while to get through it all.”

“Can I help?”

“You want to spend all day going through boxes of junk with me?”

He shrugs. “I don’t really have much else to do.”

“Sure. I could use your muscles.” You nod. It’ll be easier to have Jeongguk lug everything up the stairs for you since you don’t want to do anything in that creepy basement. 

As you do the dishes, Jeongguk carries up box after box for you, covering most of the floor in the kitchen. You tell him that should be enough for now, and the two of you get to work sifting through the miscellaneous items your uncle collected over the years. One box has old movies on VHS and a video camera that doesn’t work anymore. Another is full of old fishing ledgers that he never got rid of. Jeongguk opens a third box and pulls out a series of old CD’s and vinyl albums. 

“What are these?”

“Hm?” You look up from the notebook you’re skimming through. “Oh those are just CD’s. You know. Music?”

“Music?” He takes one out and turns it over in his hands. “Who is Sonyeo Sidae?”

“Did you really just ask me that?” You scoff. He looks up at you with wide eyes. “You’ve never heard of Girl’s Generation? The nation’s girl group?” He shakes his head. “God have you been living under a rock?” You mumble, grabbing your phone and crawling over to Jeongguk, sitting down at his side and pulling up youtube. “Here,” You hand the phone to him. “This is their debut song. It’s one of their most iconic.”

The intro to Into the New World plays, and you immediately feel nostalgic, reminded of all the times you listened to this very song with your uncle when you were younger. His favorite was Gee. You watch Jeongguk, his head nodding along to the beat of the song as it plays, enraptured by the scene on the screen.

Several hours later, you and Jeongguk are dancing around the living room, having just taught him the moves to I Got a Boy, the two of you scream-singing along as the song blasts from the tv. 

“Ayo stop! Lemme put it down another way!”

The two of you dance like crazy until at some point during the last chorus you both crash into each other and fall to the floor in a heap, laughing until you can’t breathe. As the song fades out, the two of you catch your breath, both of you sweating from the unprompted exercise. 

“I didn’t know dancing could be so much fun.” Jeongguk smiles as he sits up, his breath heavy. 

“Would you believe me if I told you Hogeun knows every step to that song by heart?”

“Hyung? No.”

“Oh yeah, he is… well, was the biggest SNSD fan.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah…” You nod softly, pulling your knees into your chest. 

Jeongguk studies you for a moment, taking in your suddenly silent state. “You miss him.” It’s not a question, but a statement. An observation. 

You sigh. “I do miss him.” Jeongguk opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, you stand up, stretching. “Wow, four o clock already?” You look at the mess on the floor, realizing that you didn’t get much done as your stomach rumbles. “Hey, why don’t we have seafood tonight?” Jeongguk’s head perks up at this. “Would you be able to get stuff from your friend this late?”

“Of course.” Jeongguk stands with you. “What do you need?”

“Hmm, mussels and shrimp if he has them. Maybe some clams? Oh, and squid! I have everything for the stock, I just need to run to the store and get some noodles and veggies.”

“Okay, I’ll bring everything back here.”

“How much?”

“Hm?” He turns back to you. 

“You know, money? How much will it cost?”

Jeongguk shakes his head, smirking. “Don’t worry about it.” And with that he walks out into the rain, barefoot. You watch him walk down the path toward the lighthouse and disappear into the mist. 

.

About an hour later, you come back from the store with a bag full of ingredients as you hurry to the kitchen and start on the stock. Just as the stock is finishing, Jeongguk comes back through the front door, a bag of his own in hand, once again, soaking wet from head to toe. 

“What the-”

“Here!” He walks over and hands you the bag, shaking his hair as he does and sprinkling you with salty droplets. 

“Jeongguk!” You squeak, wiping some of the drops off your face. You open the bag and look inside to see everything you asked for. It’s all extremely fresh, so fresh that some of it is still moving. “Did you just dive into the ocean and pluck these out?” You ask incredulously.

“What? N-no, my friend had them.”

You eye him suspiciously, giggling. “I was joking, but you sound defensive.”

He looks anywhere but at you. “I’m going to go shower!” He runs off before you can ask him any more questions. 

“Clean up the floor when you’re done!” You call after him as the bathroom door closes. 

You quickly clean and prepare your seafood, chop up the veggies and stir fry the pork while your noodles cook. You add the pork and veggies together and pour in some broth before adding your seafood and noodles and covering the pot, letting everything marinate together for a few minutes until your mussels all open up. 

Jeongguk strides out of the bathroom just as you pull the lid off, filling the house with the warm scent of salty broth and seafood. He quickly mops up the floor as you divvy out two large servings into bowls, placing them on the table and waiting for Jeongguk to join you before you both dig in. 

It's delicious; the freshness of the seafood only adds to the delectability of the broth. The table is silent aside from the sounds of slurping broth and noodles, occasionally a groan or grunt of contentment slipping into the mix. When you’re done, you lean back in your chair, lifting your arms and resting your hands on your forehead to help you get a full breath. 

“That was so good.” Jeongguk states, putting his bowl back down from slurping up the extra liquid, the shells from the mussels clanking together against the porcelain as it hits the table. 

You smile, letting your hands drop back down into your lap. “I'm glad you enjoyed it.” You look back over at the living room and the mess you left before checking the time with a sigh. Only seven? God it feels like midnight. It’s hard to keep track of the time when the sky’s always dark. You suppose you should sort a few more things before bed. 

Jeongguk insists on keeping the entirety of Hogeun’s album collection, stashing them all away in his room. You pick through a few more boxes of clothes, as well as old books; text books that don’t even look like they were cracked, almanac’s where the pages are worn thin, and a few cookbooks with recipes missing; separating everything into sell, donate, and toss piles. When you finish it’s about ten pm, and decide to shower before heading to bed, wanting to wipe some of the feeling of dust off of yourself.

You grab a change of clothes from your room before heading into the bathroom and locking the door. You start up the shower, letting it get warm before you strip down and hop in, letting the water wash over you. As you wash your hair, you can’t help but let your mind wander to Jeongguk, thinking about him licking his fingers clean this morning.

You sigh in frustration; you know it’s been a while since you’ve had sex, but thinking about him like this… Your mind flashes to the glimpse of his nude form that you saw in this very shower. God he looked so good with the water trailing over his muscles. Stop it. You’re not going to be here long enough for it to be worth starting any sort of situationship, and a one night stand feels like it wouldn’t be… enough. You need to focus on finishing what you came here to do, and then get back home to… To fix the mess you made when you left. 

When you’re done, you turn off the water, stepping out to grab your towel and dry yourself off. You dress and then /dry your hair. After that, you come back out to the living room to see Jeongguk sprawled out on the couch watching tv. You smile at the way he reacts to the scene on screen; some sort of horror drama.

Damn. He really is handsome.

You turn into your room and shut the door behind you, heaving out another heavy breath before flopping down onto your bed and checking your phone to find a text. It’s from Donghyun.

Donghyun (11:03pm): Hey, how’s the sorting going? Listen, we’re having a memorial tomorrow night at the bar for Hogeun if you want to come. There will be food and drinks and friends!

A memorial? That’s so nice of them. You deserve a drink or two.

You (11:07pm): What time? Donghyun (11:07pm): 8pm! You (11:08pm): I’ll be there!

And with that you close your phone and set it on the nightstand before the energy you spent today catches up to you, and you fall asleep. 

.

The next morning you wake up to the sound of birds chirping. That’s weird. You don’t think you’ve heard a single bird since you arrived here five days ago… Your eyes flutter awake to see a bright beam of light streaming in through the slits in the blinds. You’re so used to the gloomy weather, the sight of light confuses you as you sit up and reach a hand out, turning it around in the beam where it lands on the bed. Sunlight. You jump out of bed and race to the window, immediately opening the blinds to see that sure enough, the clouds have dispersed enough to let the sun poke through above the trees as it starts its journey across the sky. 

You practically sprint to the front door, sliding into your slippers and throwing the door open to feel a warm breeze immediately caress your face as you step onto the front porch. You inhale deeply, the warm mix of early spring and late winter air filling your lungs. 

“Noona…?” 

You turn around to see Jeongguk walking groggily out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Jeongguk, the sun’s out!” You don’t know why you whisper it like a secret the island isn’t supposed to know; feeling like if you say it too loud, the sun might disappear and then the rain will come back, but as you look outside again, it rises steadily from the horizon, showing more and more of itself every minute, a few rays landing on your face where you stand, warming your skin. 

“Wow…” Jeongguk breathes, walking up behind you and observing the sky as it lightens. “Hey, why don’t I show you around the island a little bit todau?”

Hope springs in your chest, but you stuff it back down. “You- You don’t have to do anything else?”

He shakes his head. “Not on a day like this.”

You smile. “Breakfast first?”

.`

You make breakfast and you both eat before getting dressed. You pack a quick lunch for the both of you which Jeongguk offers to carry, not knowing how long you’ll be out. He slings the backpack over his shoulder and you both put on your sneakers before Jeongguk leads you out of the house and up the road.

Jeongguk shows you around the island, everything feeling vaguely familiar from long ago when you spent time here as a child. You walk around town on the south side of the island before making your way up the eastern coast, following along the pathway as you chase the sun, over rocky outcroppings and through dense forests, talking casually the whole way about nothing.

You stop to take pictures, showing Jeongguk how your phone works and having him take some for you, as well as selfies of the two of you together and taking pictures of him alone as well. For someone who’s never used a camera, he’s surprisingly photogenic. No matter how many you take, Jeongguk doesn’t seem to have a bad angle. In more than one, he stares wistfully out at the ocean, and you wonder what he’s thinking about. 

You and Jeongguk cut across the island to the west side, settling down to eat your lunch on one of the rocky outcroppings in the sea that Jeongguk convinces you to jump to, laughing every time a large wave comes and mists you both as you munch on your sandwiches. 

After you’re finished, you both wander along the coast back toward the house, enjoying the scenery as you arrive back at the dilapidated lighthouse. You stroll up to the side of the old white building, looking up at the glass paneling at the top, wondering what this must’ve looked like in its prime. 

“I guess ships don’t come to this side of the island anymore.” You think out loud. 

“Not really. Most of them try to avoid it.”

“Why?” You ask, continuing to walk forward until you’re on the cliffs in front of the building, taking a seat in the grass. 

Jeongguk shrugs as he walks over and takes a seat next to you. “Rumors.”

“Rumors?” You repeat. “What kind of rumors?”

“Mermaids mostly.” Jeongguk chuckles. 

“Mermaids? Mermaids put an entire lighthouse out of service?”

“You know how superstitious sailors are.” Jeongguk explains. “One or two ‘sightings’ and suddenly this side of the island was basically deserted.”

“Mermaids…” You scoff. “Well, I guess if they can cause a rift in my family, they can stop boats.”

Jeongguk scoots closer to you. “Hyung never told me why you stopped visiting him.”

“It was my mother.” You sigh. “When I was little, she used to bring me here all the time to visit her parents; this is where my family is from originally.” You begin. “Since Hogeun was so much younger, he still lived here with them. The two of them never really got along, they were constantly fighting with each other.

“One day when we were visiting, Hogeun took me out to sightsee, and my mother, not trusting him, tagged along. We were walking along the low cliffs, when my mother suddenly fell into the water. My uncle followed to make sure she was okay, and ended up saving her. When she came to, she was convinced that Hogeun had pushed her in. She claimed she heard someone tell him to do it and she never forgave him.”

“What… What does that have to do with mermaids?”

“Well, mother doesn’t remember anything from after she fell, but Hogeun… When he jumped in to save her, he claims he saw… something. It looked like a human, but their teeth were razor sharp, and their skin was painted with swirls of blue. They had grabbed hold of mother, and he had to fight them off of her. I don’t know if you ever noticed the scar on his face.”

“The one on his eye?”

You nod. “That was from them, they cut him with something during the fight. Hogeun became obsessed with finding it again, convinced the island was home to these mermaid-like creatures, but no one wanted to hear it. My mother’s parents moved to Busan a few years later to be closer to my parents and me, but Hogeun stayed behind here, saying he wasn’t finished. My mother never took me here again, still convinced that Hogeun had tried to kill her that day.”

It’s quiet for a moment before Jeongguk repeats a phrase he’s already said to you. “You miss him.” Another observation, but this time, it’s an invitation to talk about it.

“I reached out to him a few years ago without my mother knowing and we became like family again.” You mumble, looking down at your lap. “I… I regret not coming here sooner to see him… And now it’s too late.”

“He talked about you a lot.” Jeongguk states.

“Really?” You look to see Jeongguk’s focus on you. 

He nods. “Every time he got a letter or message from you, he got so excited. He was really proud of you.”

“Thanks, Jeongguk.”

“Did you ever figure out what you wanted to do?”

“What do you mean?”

Jeongguk looks out at the ocean again before looking back at you. “Well, he always said you didn’t seem happy. He said you needed to figure out what you wanted to do. Did you?”

You shake your head, pulling at the grass under you. “No, I… I Didn't. And sometimes I think it’s too late for me to change my mind.”

“It’s not too late.” 

You chuckle as you lay back against the grass. “Jeongguk, no offense, but I don’t think you know enough about the world outside of this island to decide that.”

“Maybe not.” Jeongguk lays down next to you as you both watch the sinking sun begin to paint the sky with bright streaks of oranges and pinks. “But I know he was right, you’re not happy.”

You smile bittersweetly. “I don’t have to be. As long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”

“Why do that, when you could do what you want to do instead? You could do that picture stuff he talked about. He said you loved doing that.”

“Photography?”

“Yeah!” Jeongguk smiles. “He said you were good at it.”

Hogeun was the only one you ever told about photography; how it was what you really wanted to do, but you never had the nerve to tell your parents, so you shoved your want down, and settled for something realistic that they would approve of; taking over your father’s business. “I could’ve been. But it was just a silly dream… It doesn’t matter anymore.” You sigh. 

“Why not?”

“I’m almost done with school for business, I’m learning how to operate the shop, I did what I had to do and I have what I need, nothing… Nothing more.”

“But is that what you want?”

“I don’t know what I want…”

The two of you lay there in silence for a long minute, nothing but the sound of the wind through the grass, and the crashing waves far below. You can feel Jeongguk’s gaze flick towards you on occasion, but you can’t bring yourself to meet it. As the sun finally dips below the horizon, you sit up, taking one last look out at the ocean before standing and walking up the path back toward the house. You hear Jeongguk’s footsteps behind you, and you slow down, allowing him to fall into step beside you. As you reach the front door, you pull out your phone to check the time; seven thirty. The memorial starts soon. As Jeongguk walks into the house ahead of you, you stop in the entryway to grab your keys.

“Jeongguk,” You catch his attention and he stops in his tracks and turns to you. “They’re having a memorial for Hogeun tonight at the bar if you want to come.”

“A memorial?”

“Yeah, it’ll probably just be a few people; mostly drinking and telling old stories about him.”

“And you want me to come?” He checks.

“Of course. I feel like you were the closest to him.” You remind him. “You should be there. To help honor his memory.”

“Okay.” He nods, walking back over to stand in front of you. “I’d be happy to.”

.

Thirty two minutes later, you park the truck in front of the bar and the two of you hop out. It’s dark as you and Jeongguk walk up to the front door, a chill settling in the air now that the sun has disappeared. You tug your jacket closer as you open the door, stepping foot into the bar. 

“Y/N!” It’s Saki. “You made it.” She walks over and gives you a tight hug. 

“Hi Saki.” You return the embrace and as you step back she notices Jeongguk next to you, her eyes going wide as her demeanor suddenly changes, she seems almost nervous.

“A-and who’s this?” She questions, looking him over. 

“This is Jeongguk, the friend I told you about.” 

Jeongguk nods shyly in greeting. “Hello.” 

“Nice to finally meet you.” Saki smiles politely. “I’m glad you could come.” And with that she walks away behind the counter where Donghyun stands talking to someone. You watch as she tugs his arm, grabbing his attention to whisper something in his ear and then nod in your direction.  Donghyun looks up and meets your gaze, offering a small smile as he walks over. 

“Y/N! You’re here!” He places a hand on your shoulder as he gives Jeongguk a once over. “And this is Jeongguk?” You nod and Donghyun sticks out his hand. “I’m glad you’re here to help us honor Hogeun.”

“Of course.” Jeongguk shakes his hand. “Anything for Hogeun hyung.”

“Great, well, there’s food on the table, and if you want a drink just come ask, they’re on me tonight.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” You smile warmly at him.

“Feel free to walk around, we hung up some pictures of your uncle. We’ll do a toast in a bit.” Donghyun nods again before walking away back behind the bar.

You turn to Jeongguk. “Hungry?”

You walk over to the food table and pile some warm food onto your plate before finding an empty table where you have Jeongguk sit as you grab drinks. Hogeun pours you both ‘something strong’ as he calls it, and you take the drinks back to the table, handing one to Jeongguk, his plate already halfway empty. He takes a drink and lets out a harsh cough as he sets the glass back down. 

“What is that?” He asks, his face twisted in disgust.

“Alcohol.” You explain. “You’ve never had it before?”

Jeongguk shakes his head. “Hyung used to share his beer, but they didn’t taste like this.”

“This is a stronger kind. It’s more concentrated.” You take your own swig, your face matching his at the taste. 

“What's the point of drinking something you don’t like the taste of?”

“It helps.”

“Helps with what?”

“It helps with this.” You gesture to the sad faces around you. “It dulls your senses. Makes it so it doesn’t hurt as bad.”

Jeongguk looks around the room before drinking the rest of the glass in one go. You stare at him in surprise, watching as he goes back to eating. After you finish what’s on your plate, Jeongguk goes back for seconds, and you take your time strolling around the room, looking at the different photos of your uncle that have been temporarily hung along the walls.

Mostly the pictures are of him with a blank expression as he holds various sizes of the catch of the day. There’s one of him mid-wrangling a very large fish, shock and surprise on his features as the fish attempts to wiggle out of his grasp. You chuckle, closing your eyes you can almost imagine yourself standing on the deck of the boat, drenched by sea spray as you watch the scene unfold; Hogeun yelling in surprise as you cackle at him, trying to take the picture before the fish escapes. 

When you open your eyes, you feel a presence next to you and turn to see Jeongguk laughing at the image in front of you, a sad fondness on his face as he’s reminded of the brother he lost. You circle around to the last photo, the big one they chose as the centerpiece on the small altar they built, a few envelopes on the table in front of it with words of condolences written on the front. The picture is of Hogeun when he was younger, in his prime, and in his lap sits a small child.

It’s you.

You’ve never seen this picture before, but the sight of it has a tear slipping down your cheek. Mostly because he’s smiling. Your uncle wasn’t known to smile in pictures, like shown in the rest of the photos around the room, but in this one, he’s beaming at the camera and you realize you know why. 

This was taken when he still had a family that loved him…

“Is that you?” Jeongguk walks up behind you, pointing at the picture.  He looks at you and sees you crying. “Noona? What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Nothing.” You turn away from him and wipe away your tears before standing upright again. “He just looks so happy.”

Jeongguk nods as if he didn’t realize it before. “He does.”

Just then Donghyun walks up to the two of you with two more drinks. “Another round?”

You nod, taking the drink from him and taking a long sip from it. “Where um, where did you get this picture?”

“I took it!” Donghyun explains, handing Jeongguk his drink and watching as the younger boy downs it in one go. “Hogeun brought you down to the dock one day, he said you wanted to see what he did. I was still working on a boat with him back then. I found it in one of our albums.”

“It’s perfect.” You state. 

“Are you ready to toast?” Donghyun asks. 

You shake your head. “You go ahead and do it.”

“Are you sure?”

You only nod, turning to watch as Donghyun grabs the attention of the room. He thanks everyone for coming before starting in on his speech. He talks about how he met Hogeun, and how they became friends working on the same boat. He tells several stories about Hogeun, getting several laughs from the other sailors in the room. When he’s finished, he raises his glass and toasts to the memory of his beloved friend. 

“To Hogeun!”

“To Hogeun!” The crowd repeats, and then you all take a drink. 

As you turn back to look at the picture again, out of the corner of your eye you see someone enter the bar.  His eyes immediately scan the room, searching for something until they finally land on it: Jeongguk. He starts walking over to you and something inside you is screaming to run away. Instead, you stand your ground and nudge Donghyun who turns to see what you need as you nod your head at the stranger. 

Donghyun’s eyes go wide before he moves to stand in front of you, blocking the stranger's path to Jeongguk. As he gets closer you see that he’s tall, his hair has greyed with age, and his beard has the same salt and pepper look. His eyes are different, one dark brown, and one cloudy grey with an unknown blindness. 

“Hwan, what are you doing here? Bar’s closed tonight for a private party.”

“Private party?” Hwan looks around at the tables. “Over half the town’s here.”

“And you still didn’t get the hint that maybe you’re not invited?” Saki spits as she walks over to stand beside her husband. 

Hwan scoffs. “I heard the prince of the Ineo himself was here. I simply wanted to come pay my respects. Ask him to stop crashing my ships.” He pushes Donghyun and Saki out of the way and stalks up to where you stand in front of Jeongguk. 

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re being extremely disrespectful disturbing the memorial service of my-”

“Protecting them just like your uncle, huh?” Hwan glowers down at you, his blind eye shining in the low light, before elbowing you aside, effectively shoving you to the ground.

“Y/N!” Jeongguk immediately bends down to check on you, but he’s pulled back up by the back of his shirt as Hwan yanks him upright, standing toe to toe with the younger boy, a perpetual frown plastered to his face. You see anger flash across Jeongguk’s features as Saki and Donghyun help you to your feet. 

“Hwan-” Donghyun tries to interrupt, but Hwan ignores him.

“It’s nice to see you up close. Now I know who to look for in my nets.” Hwan hisses. 

“What do you want?” Jeongguk stares down at the shorter man, suddenly seeming much more intimidating than you’ve ever thought with his tall, muscular stature. 

“To remind your kind that you’re not supposed to be here.”

His kind? He called Jeongguk an Ineo. Does he think Jeongguk is a mermaid? What the hell is this crazy guy talking about? Jeongguk only rolls his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Hwan inches closer to Jeongguk’s face, cracking his knuckles. If it comes to a fight, you're sure Jeongguk could handle himself, but you don’t want it to get that far. 

“Stop!” You yell, grabbing Jeongguk’s arm and tugging him away from Hwan. “We’re leaving.”

“Y/N, don’t-” Saki tries to protest, but you shake your head.

“It’s alright.” You turn to Hwan. “Listen, I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to back the hell off. Jeongguk is a good person. You’ve got salt in your brain. Ineo don’t exist.” And with that, you drag Jeongguk with you as you walk toward the door.

“Be careful young miss. I may have salt in my brain, but you’re sleeping with the enemy!”

“Bye Donghyun, Saki, thank you for tonight!” You call as you open the door.

“What do you think happened to your uncle?” Hwan yells after you. You can still hear him as the door shuts behind Jeongguk. “It’s only a matter of time before he kills you too-”

You huff as you drag Jeongguk over to the truck, both of you climbing in. “What the fuck was that guy’s problem?” You mumble as you start the truck up, quickly pulling out of the spot and driving up the road back towards the house. “He was crazy, right?” You flash a glance at Jeongguk who laughs. 

“Very crazy.”

“God, just because you’re not from this god-forsaken island.” You curse. “Obviously you have to be evil, right?” You didn’t realize how upset that encounter made you, but now that you’re outside it, you realize your heart is racing, and your hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly as you drive. 

Jeongguk seems to notice this as he puts a hand on your arm. “Are you alright, noona? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. “No, he just knocked me off balance. I’m alright…”

Jeongguk squeezes your arm in understanding, and the small gesture comforts you. You pull into the drive, parking before you both get out and walk into the house. You both slip off your shoes, but as you go to move further inside, Jeongguk slides in front of you, cupping your chin out of nowhere.

“W-what are-”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks again, concern evident in his big brown eyes as he gazes down at you. 

You get caught in his stare for only a moment before you shake him off. “I’m fine. I promise.” You assure him before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a beer out of the fridge, cracking it open before taking a long swig. Jeongguk watches as you kick the fridge closed with your foot before walking towards your room. “Goodnight Jeongguk.” You nod at him before shutting the door, leaning against it for good measure as you take a deep breath. You chug the rest of your beer before changing into some pajamas and flopping onto the mattress, face first, with a long sigh. 

You lay there for several hours, unable to sleep as your thoughts churn like the sea itself. Mermaids. Mermaids? There’s no way they exist, but at the same time, it can’t be a coincidence how many times you’ve been warned about them since you arrived. The crazy old man outside the bar when you arrived, the north side of the island being shut down, your own uncle having seen one, and now this Hwan character… 

You toss and turn as your brain attempts to put the pieces of an incomprehensible puzzle together without a guide. You check the time on your phone, groaning when you see it’s already 4:03 in the morning and you aren’t the least bit tired. You huff as you get up, tugging on a sweatshirt as you quietly walk back out to the living room, looking around for something to do. You decide you might as well sort through some more things while you have the time. The faster you’re done, the faster you can get off this island. 

.

You flick on the basement light, heading down into the murky room to grab a box before quickly bringing it back up the stairs. It only takes you about twenty minutes to get through this box, and when you’re done you head down to grab another. This one is full of old picture albums, and you take your time paging through it, but it’s mostly just pictures of fish from when he still worked on boats.

When you reach the bottom of the second box, you head back down the stairs to grab a third full of books, but as you pick this one up, an old worn book falls off the top of the pile and onto the ground. You put the box back down and pick the book up, dusting it off when you notice the single word stamped on the spine. Ineo. Your heartbeat thumps at the sight and you turn the book over in your hands. The front cover is dull, bleached from the sun, but you can still see the faint outline of words: Legends of the Ineo. You roll your eyes as you flip through the pages. Of course your uncle would have something like this lying around. How could anyone ever-

You nearly miss it, but the splay of blue ink across the page catches your eye, causing you to flip back, wanting to make sure you didn’t just see what you thought you saw. But sure enough, as you flatten the page with your palm, there it sits. 

A drawing identical to the tattoo adorning Jeongguk’s ribs.

You hurry upstairs, needing better light to read the faded words on the page. You sit on the couch and grab your phone flashlight, shining it on the book as you read: 

The Drowning Mark – A dark, swirling tattoo resembling water pulling downward, hands dragging the wearer into the depths. It slowly spreads over time, symbolizing the fate of the Ineo, the blue becoming more pronounced the more lives they take; until eventually they lose their soul completely, along with their human nature. Their skin then turns a deep cerulean, matching the color of the waters they inhabit.

Your breathing suddenly feels heavy. There’s no possible way that Jeongguk could be… He couldn’t…

Right?

It has to be a coincidence.

A million thoughts rush through your mind at light speed, not giving you a chance to focus on any one thing. You shake your head in an attempt to clear it as you slip back to the start of the book, wanting to learn as much as you can.

As the hours tick on and you make your way through the book, your incomprehensible puzzle starts to become, unfortunately, comprehensible. He eats and sleeps so much because using their human form takes more energy. He’s ethereally beautiful like they’re all said to be. He doesn’t know a lot about how the human world works. His general disdain for shoes. They way that he’s never cold. Piece by piece things slot into place and the thought you didn’t want starts to form in the back of your mind. 

Is Jeongguk… an Ineo?

You run your hands through your hair as you flip back to the page with the tattoo and stare down at it. It taunts you, the blue swirls seeming to come off the page and twirl in the air directly in front of you, and yet just out of your reach. You’re going crazy, right? It’s just because you haven’t slept. You need air.

The book falls to the floor as you get up off the couch, rushing to slip on some shoes and fumbling as you unlock the door, quickly rushing out of the house so fast that you don’t even close the door behind you. It’s not enough. As the sun rises behind the low clouds, mist hanging in the air, you race to the edge of the cliffs, gasping for breath as you stand at the edge. Your eyes flick over the scenery, from the overcast skies, to the roiling waves far below you as you attempt to breathe.

Could everything you’ve ever known be a lie? Could creatures like Ineo really be out there? You stare down at the rocks, the very same place where they found your uncle’s body. Could this have been the reason? Did he know? Did he feel this too? This feeling of betrayal, like nothing is actually real. You gasp, trying to force air to your lungs as you fall to your knees, everything feeling like it’s just too much.

“Noona!”

It comes from the direction of the house, but you can’t bear to turn and look, still trying to ground yourself. You can hear him running through the dirt and grass until he skids to a halt beside you, crouching down next to you.

“Noona? You left the door open, I was worried.”

It doesn’t hit you until he touches you. Until this creature you thought was your friend rests his hand on your shoulder, his breath ghosting your face as he tries to get you to look at him. You throw him off with surprising force, causing him to fall back on his behind as you scramble a few inches away from him. 

“Don’t touch me!” You hiss, lifting your foot with an obvious threat to kick his gorgeous face. 

“N-noona?” His eyes are wide with concern as he takes in your semi-rabid state. “What’s going on?”

“You lied to me!” You cry, tears suddenly streaming down your face as you grab a handful of dirt and chuck it in his direction. “Did you do it? Did you really kill him?”

Jeongguk’s hands are out in front of him like he’s corralling a feral animal as he gets back up on his knees. “What are you talking about? Come on, it’s not safe out here.”

Looking into Jeongguk’s eyes, for some reason, you are no longer afraid of what he is, you’re no longer afraid of him, only angry, furious with him. “I want you to tell me the truth.” You state, trying to calm the shake in your voice. He nods. “Are you an Ineo?”

“Noona I-”

“The truth!” You remind him. “Only the truth.”

Jeongguk sighs, glancing out over the water before looking back down at the ground between you. “I will tell you everything if you come back inside.”

You hesitate. Could this be a trick? Although, you suppose if he wanted to hurt you, he could just push you off the cliffs right now. You sniffle, wiping your face as you nod. He tries to help you to your feet but you smack his hands away, standing by yourself and cautiously leading him back toward the house. 

You both walk in, slipping off your shoes as you walk over to the living room. Jeongguk sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him, but you ignore him, choosing to pace in front of the tv instead. Jeongguk runs an exasperated hand through his hair, looking down at the floor, and that’s when he sees it; the book. He chuckles to himself as he picks it up.

“Where did you get this?”

You see what he’s holding and immediately snatch it out of his grip. “In the basement.” You state, flipping through it until you find the page with the drawing. “I didn’t think anything of it until I saw this.” You turn the book toward him and show him the picture. His hand immediately moves to his ribcage, his thumb rubbing over the fabric of his shirt. 

“Ah, I see…”

“Tell me.” You slam the book shut and put it down on the table in front of you. 

Jeongguk takes a deep breath as he looks up at you, his hands folded neatly in his lap. “It’s true.”

“And you?”

“I am.” He nods. “An Ineo.”

A lump forms in your throat but you force yourself to swallow it back down. “And Hogeun?”

Jeongguk’s face twists in anger. “I didn’t do that.”

“But you kill people.”

“No.” 

“No?”

“It’s… complicated.” He shakes his head. You simply cross your arms, waiting for him to explain and he sighs again. “Ineo are more like mythological sirens than mermaids. We are born of trauma, of death, and accidents. We’re made to lure humans to their deaths, to crash their ships, or tangle them in their nets. When a human dies by the ocean, some of them are given a second life as an Ineo; a slave to the sea, forced to do her bidding for her. We are given human features to help our purpose, but meant to spend our lives beneath the waves. Sometimes, Ineo can be born the natural way. It’s rare, but it happens.

“That’s what it was for me. My mother, like me, was born of another Ineo. She mated with another Ineo.” Jeongguk pauses. “She died of complications during my birth, so Yeongsu, my birth father, was left in charge. Something you have to understand, not all Ineo want to be what we are, we resist it, we fight it; and then there are some that give themselves over to the ocean fully, those are the true monsters.

“That’s what happened to Yeongsu. After my mother died, he became inconsolable. And went on a rampage. He is the reason the north side of this island isn’t inhabited. He set up just off shore, killing anyone he could get his hands on. He claimed so many lives that day…” Jeongguk trails off. “In the book, did you read about our marks? And how they spread?”

You nod. “It spreads with every life you take, eventually turning your skin blue as you lose your soul.”

“Right. And it does.” Jeongguk confirms. “My father… He killed enough people that his mark spread instantly. So much so that his mark had covered him completely in a matter of seconds.”

You walk over and sit next to Jeongguk on the couch as you process everything he’s said. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because Hogeun, he didn’t want you anywhere near this. Humans aren’t supposed to know about us. It’s dangerous.”

“Then why did he know?”

“He was helping me. Which is even more dangerous.”

“Helping with what?”

Jeongguk looks down at his feet for the first time. “He was helping me find a way out of this. To not be what I am.”

This surprises you. “Like a cure? Why?”

“I don’t want to be a monster…” Jeongguk holds his head with his hands.

You’re afraid to ask it, but your curiosity gets the best of you. “How many have you…?”

“One. But it was an accident.” He explains. “I was young. I didn’t know what I was capable of. I was just by the shore singing and someone heard my song. He jumped from the cliffs on the east side of the island and hit the rocks. I was a mess for days… I-I didn’t understand what had happened until I went back home and someone explained it to me.”

“Then my uncle…”

“If any Ineo knew he was helping me, or that he even knew about me, they would have tried everything in their power to kill him. ”

“Jeongguk-”

“Y/N, you can’t let anyone know what you know. Hyung’s death is on my hands, but I won’t let yours be too. Please.” He pleads, grabbing your hands and looking at you with a certain desperate sadness in his eyes, the feeling nearly tangible. 

“I won’t. I promise, but Jeongguk I need you to know that Hogeun’s death was not your fault. If someone killed him or not, it will never be your fault.”

Jeongguk offers you a weak smile. “Thank you…”

It’s silent for a long moment before you stand up. “I should get some sleep.”

“You were up all night, weren’t you?”

“Yeah…” You admit, walking toward your room. “If you need anything just wake me, okay?”

“I’ll be alright, noona, sleep well.”

You give him one last nod before disappearing behind your closed door, tossing your sweatshirt to the ground before crawling under the covers. Images of scaly tails and gills flash in your mind until sleep overtakes you.

.

When you wake up next, it’s some time in the afternoon. The house is quiet except for the pitter-pat of rain against the roof. Still tired, you get up, stretching your arms as you stand and change out of your pajamas, into some jeans and a t-shirt and securing your necklace around your neck. It was a long morning, but you have things you need to do anyway; like go to the grocery store. With the way Jeongguk eats, it’s no surprise you’re already running low on food. 

When you walk out of your room, you still don’t hear anything. When you check Jeongguk’s room, it’s empty. You hope he doesn’t disappear for too long this time… You grab your wallet and keys before heading out to the truck and making your way to town. 

You decide to stop in at the bar and grab some lunch since you haven’t eaten yet today. You park and head inside the dimly lit building to find it mostly empty, with Donghyun wiping down the bar. He looks up as the door jangles, his eyes widening when he spots you. 

“Y/N!”

“Hey,” You walk over to him and take a seat at the bar in front of him. “Is the kitchen open?”

“For you? Always.” He offers you a warm smile. “What’re ya having?”

Donghyun quickly whips you up a spectacular lunch as the two of you chat. It isn’t until you’re finished your meal and go to pay that he finally brings up the previous day.

“Nonsense, it’s on the house. An apology for last night.”

You wave your hand at him. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I know better than anyone that new people in a small town aren’t the most welcome; and Jeongguk is no exception.” You place a handful of small bills on the counter. 

“Y/N-”

“Please, it’s the least I can do to thank you and Saki for everything you’ve done for me already.” You push the money toward him until you’re sure he’s going to take it before taking your hand off the counter. 

“At least take this.” Donghyun slides something across the counter for you. You pick it up to find the original picture of you and your uncle used to make the larger copy from last night. “He’d want you to have it.”

You offer him a smile. “Thank you. I’m still in town for a few more days, so I’ll see you around.”

“Alright, we’ll have to have dinner again before you leave!” He calls as you start to walk to the door. 

“Of course!” You wave one last time before walking back out to the truck. 

You drive the short trip to the grocery store and grab a basket as you head in. You take your time shopping, perusing the aisles as you think of things Jeongguk might enjoy, even though he’s never had a bad thing to say about anything you’ve made. You grab the box of sweet cakes he likes as you wander over to the meat section. They have some fresh seafood options, but nothing can compare to the fresh seafood Jeongguk brought you. You wonder if he actually just went out into the ocean and caught it himself. You suppose that would make sense…

You stop in your tracks as you realize just how much you’re thinking about him during this simple trip to the grocery store. You begin to wonder when exactly your mind became a whirlwind of all things Jeongguk. You shake your head. You have been living with him for the last week, so it’s only natural that he’s become the focus of your thoughts, right? You start to wonder about what he and your uncle were working on, if they had actually found anything worthwhile about a cure. Or if there even is one…

You finish your shopping, packing everything in the seat next to you so it doesn’t get wet. As you start the truck, a light dings on the dashboard and tells you that you’re almost out of gasoline. You drive to the gas station by the docks to stop and get some gas. As you’re pumping, you start to hear the strangest noise.

It sounds like singing, but you’re the only one in sight. It almost sounds like it’s coming from offshore somewhere. You hold your hand up to block the relentless drizzle from falling in your eyes as you search the waves around the dock. It sounds… familiar. Like you’ve heard it before, but you can’t place it, the song sounding too similar to the crashing waves against the cliffs nearby.

You look around one more time, and when your gaze passes by one of the rocky outcroppings, you swear you see something moving. A shadow of some sort. Is that a person? You run over to the edge of the gas station where the cliff drops off, thinking they might need help, but when you look again, the shadow is gone. 

The sound of the gas nozzle clanking as it shuts off brings your attention back to your truck. You look out over the waves one more time, but there’s nothing there. You have a strange feeling in your gut as you walk back over and put the gas nozzle back in its place, screwing the gas cap back on the truck before climbing back into the cab. As you pull out of the gas  station and drive back up the road, you hear the sound again, but it fades into the distance as you drive away. 

.

Jeongguk comes home as you’re putting groceries away and you watch him out of the corner of your eye as he kicks his shoes off and walks over to you, smelling of salt. His eyes go wide when he sees the snack cakes, immediately ripping into the box and pulling one out, making you giggle at how excited he seems. He offers you one and you take it, observing him as you both munch on the cakes. You take in the sight of his strong jawline and soft eyes, wondering what he might look like underwater.

“So where’d you go today?”

He looks up at you as he unwraps another cake. “Nowhere, just around.”

“Jeongguk, you don’t have to lie to me anymore, remember?”

“I was just asking around about some stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Stuff.” He repeats.

Suddenly it clicks inside you, the final piece of the puzzle. “You’re looking into Hogeun’s death, aren’t you?”

He avoids your gaze, guilt on his features. “Noona, I told you, you shouldn’t get involved in this.”

“But-”

“Trust me, the less you know, the better.” He shoves the cake in his mouth and then turns away, walking toward the bathroom. 

“Hey,” You grab his arm, forcing him to turn back. “Listen, I know it’s risky, but-”

He shakes his head. “No, you really don’t know.”

“Jeongguk if you’re looking into my uncle’s death I want to help.”

“No.” His voice is firm as he shakes you off of him. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“But if you’re still looking for a cure-”

“Noona!” Jeongguk spins and pins you against the fridge, his hands on either side of your head as he stares at you. You’re caught in his gaze, unable to look away; he’s so close, too close; the smell of sweet cakes on his breath ghosting across your face. “Hyung said no. Please, just let it go.”

“I won’t.” You can’t stop the words before they’re out of your mouth. He drops one arm, moving back a bit in surprise at your stubbornness. “Jeongguk, he’s gone. And I could be next, but even if I am, you’re my friend. As long as you’re searching for a cure, I’m going to want to help you. No matter how dangerous it is.”

Jeongguk sighs, taking another step back as he rubs his hands over his face. “Noona-”

“You said you guys had research. At least let me look at what you have already.” You offer. “I might see something you didn’t.”

“Fine.” Jeongguk nods, starting to walk away again as he strips his shirt off over his head. “After dinner.” And with that he disappears into the bathroom.

.

Just as you finish cooking, Jeongguk emerges from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and heads to his room, coming back out a few minutes later in a change of clothes. You can feel his eyes on you as you put everything on the table. You sneak your own glances as you sit down and eat. His hair’s still wet, all of it pushed back off of his face, small droplets falling onto his shirt as he eats. God, you can’t stand how beautiful he is. Couldn’t he have been average looking? Once he glances up at you at the same time and you both panic, nearly choking as you immediately avert your gazes. You want to try to fix the awkward silence, but you can’t think of anything to say. 

After you eat, Jeongguk gets up and disappears into his room. You hear him rooting around in there while you put dishes in the sink, and as you finish packing away the leftovers, Jeongguk comes back out with a box. He places it on the table in front of the couch with a loud thunk and then turns to you. 

“Here you go.” He sits on the couch as you walk over to investigate. “This is everything we had.”

You look in the box to see papers with notes scribbled haphazardly on them on top. You begin pulling things out and sorting them, a stack of loose-leaf papers, several large books, and even more notebooks with notes and pictures all taped inside with no sense of order or organization in sight.

Jeongguk turns on the tv and you eye him closely. You run to your room and grab a spare notebook and a pen before heading back out to the living room and sitting down next to him, beginning to read through things. You take notes as you read, writing down what you think might be important, or things you want to come back to or look up later. 

You read into the early hours of the morning, quietly going over everything you can get your hands on, and Jeongguk sits beside you as you do. He watches you, mumbling to yourself, but you can feel his eyes on you as you turn page after page. 

At some point, you must fall asleep, because you wake up to the feeling of Jeongguk’s arms around you and you stir just enough to feel your bed underneath you as he sets you down on it, pulling the covers up over you. You relax back against the mattress when you feel him brush his fingers over your cheek. The touch is fleeting, and you’re not entirely sure it was real, but as quickly as it’s there, it’s gone. And then you hear your door shut. You touch your cheek where you felt his fingers only moments ago, humming pleasantly as you are pulled back into slumber.

.

.

Part 2 ->

Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2025

[ichiro-artosaki]

kees the feesh 🧜🏽‍♀️(siren au is consuming my brain!)

[gravegoer]

MORE SEVIKA X SIREN I BEG

I hear your call [P2] ⋅˚₊‧ ଳ

HALF OF MY INBOX IS SIREN READER !! dw, i got you guys. ( also i got a lot of love in my inbox. !! thank you so much for the support. youre so sweet , im looking at 🍃 anon ily ) summary: sevika saves your scales.

masterlist , part 1 2.1k words part 3

The night after you met Sevika, you followed her ship, even throughout the darkness. The celebratory crew could be heard on the deck, along with the clanking of glasses and music.

Although this wasn't what you were interested in, you were interested in a certain captain. You assumed she didn't bother with the celebration and got bored swimming alongside the ship.

Eventually, it had come to a stop in the late night, now sitting in the dock of a well-populated island. You eyed the people that stepped off, and your gaze landed on Sevika.

She was hard to miss, her large stature and intricate outfit stood out amongst the crew, ultimately declaring herself captain. There was a sort of swagger in her walk, perhaps from booze or maybe exaustion.

Whatever the case, you were interested.

You couldn't get too close to land, deciding to lurk around the harbor instead. You ducked under the water upon hearing any movement or voices. Being this close to population was no place for a siren, especially such as yourself.

Any fisherman or pirate alike would take take you up and pawn you for a pretty price. So you heeded in your movements. Luckily, you were a skilled enough swimmer that you made little to no sound whilst in the water, barely leaving behind a ripple.

The sun was just now rising, and you assumed Sevika would be looking for a place to stay the night. There was no way you could wait around that long for her to come back. But that doesn't mean you didn't want to.

To your delight, a group of men swarmed to talk on a dock near you, and their conversation was full of exactly what you wanted to hear.

Sevika.

They were pirates looking for a crew, and from the looks of them, quite experienced pirates.

"She's headed to Shank's motel. Shall we give her a visit?"

"This late at night, man. You've got to be spewin' some blige. She'd flog you just at sight."

"Aye. Migh' as well wait till' morn' "

You grew closer to their spot, itching to hear more. Your head nearly bumped against the old wood due to your closeness.

Suddenly, a hand was in your hair, but unlike Sevika's, it was clammy and gross.

You screeched at the intrusion, being pulled out of the water.

A fourth man.

How could you let your guard down so easily?

"Now, what's a stupid lass like you doin' so far out at bay."

You crained your head up to be met with a severely shredded bald man. You clawed at the hand on your scalp and thrashed. The sting threatened to bring tears to your eyes, and you opened your mouth for a song.

The knowing man slammed your face down onto the wood, stopping you in your tracks.

"Fuck. This one be a siren, but the harder the catch, the more the prize is what I say."

Another voice came from your left.

"Knock 'er out, and I'll grab a net."

A blunt thwack was heard before your vision went dark.

..

Sevika had tied her boat to a post before leaving her crew to find a place to eat, preferably not a bar where she knew the rest of her men were headed. Having enough to drink, she sat at a stand selling calaloo and threw a few dabloons on the counter silently, waiting for her meal.

Her mind wasn't on anything except for you. The ruler of the Seven Seas was enamored with a mer-person.

How fitting.

She thought about the way your eyes sparkled when she told you stories, looking at her like no other. How your cold hands were so gentle when you touched her. Your soft lips against hers.

I mean, how much deeper could she fall.

Having been so engrossed in thought, she barely noticed the whispers around her. Barely. She, of course, was the talk of the town.

She intimidated people just by taking a seat next to them, so casual yet making everyone at the stand turn to glance at her. It wasn't often that Sevika bothered with mundane tasks such as eating anywhere but a bar, and nobody really saw her face anywhere except for wanted posters.

Although it was a picaroon town, and there was no way anyone there would bother to turn her in or snitch, she still pushed her plate away and got up to fend off the prying eyes. (Picaroon means pirate)

Her buckled boots thudded against the dirt road, now on the way to the nearest inn. She was almost desperate for a nights sleep without rocking on the mad waters.

Upon entering, a large man stomped past her, eager to get somewhere, she was just about to grab him and slam him into the nearest counter before her attention was interrupted.

"Them chowder-headed fools caught themselves a real jem, aye?"

"Heard theys' puttin' 'er up for auction"

That was never a pretty thing to hear. It either meant low-life pirates snagged themselves an expensive treasure, or worse, a living treasure. But it wasn't rare that a fisher or pirate just so happened to find a large, human-like fish in their net and put her on the market, so Sevika paid it no mind.

She did linger on the fact that it might be the one person on her mind at the moment but quickly shook away those thoughts. You were smart, quick. Theres no way any man would have you that easily.

When she approached the counter for a key, the shop-keep laughed, "What? You want a room? I think you ought to pay the stands a visit, its the first auction in a week."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his words, her head dipping into her previous thoughts again.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to make sure.

So she drug her tired and heavy legs right back across town for the sliver of a chance that it might be you.

..

You awoke with a harsh throbbing in your head, feeling cold and dried up. Through blurry vision, you could make out the steel bars, closing you in. And a loud voice,

"Another bid for 300 dabloons !"

Fuck. It's what you've been dreading all your life. You got caught due to your lack of awareness and clumsiness. Inwardly cursing at yourself, you grabbed at the bars and shook violently.

"Look, she's awake. How do we feel about upping the price now that we can see her pretty eyes."

The man stuck his fingers in your enclosure and tilted your chin up. At that moment, you became aware of the metallic muzzle on your face, keeping your jaw in place. You glared up at him, knowing you'd bite him if you could.

He pulled away when you jerked your head forward, as if making the motion to bite him. He laughed loudly, and another bid came from the crowd.

"500!"

The men yelled and whooped at that. You thunked your head against the bars, the loudness ringing in your ears. You can't believe you got yourself in this mess for a pirate.

It was just hollering and laughing for a while before the man beside you spoke,

"500, Aye? Going once.. going twice.."

"A thousand."

A heavy female voice stood out amongst the rest, sounding angry and tired. Your eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice, but another shrill voice spoke up.

"1000? Is this woman kidding? 1500."

The men's laughs roared in again, smacking the mans back and slinging booze. A tall figure stepped out of the shadow, cigarillo in hand, and spoke, "Double it."

All went quiet as they eyed Sevika, her arm crossed over her chest as she brought a mechanical hand to her lips to take a drag. She blew the smoke from the side of her mouth, making a taller male cough.

Your eyes widened, and fingers gripped the bars steadier. When you made eyecontact, you could have sworn her eyes went soft for a moment before she looked to your captor.

"Well.. any final bids..?"

He spoke seemingly frightened and pleased with himself all in one moment.

Nobody spoke against Sevika, as a captian never had a bounty over their head for a reason. And her bounty was hefty.

There were no protests as she pushed her way through the crowd, seemingly more violent than usual. She put her cigar out on someone's forehead, the small tiss, standing out against silence.

Her boots clunked as she ascended the stairs and plopped three brown bags atop your cage. You looked up at her, but she wasn't looking back. Her metal hand was grabbing the key from the mans hand and pushing him backward in one motion.

He stumbled, but you looked away to eye Sevikas human hand swiftly unlocking the cage. She held her hand out to you, dark hair shadowed her eyes, and hid her expression from you.

She was who you were here for.

You hesitantly grabbed her calloused hand, and immediately, she lifted you into her arms. Now, looking into the crowd, her menacing expression was highlighted by the dim torches that surround the stands. Her cape was draped over your tail and bare torso, shielding you from the cold, and more importantly the people.

As she was stepping down the stairs, she saw your muzzled mouth, and her expression got a tinge darker. No words needed to be spoken as she balanced you with her human arm and knee, tearing the straps of the muzzle off with a sharp finger.

It was almost instinct to hum a siren song, but before your vocal chords could start, you saw her expression and buried your face in her sturdy torso. It was the look of warning, a warning that you obeyed.

Pirates gawked at the sight of her carrying you past the crowd of people. Nobody dared to reach out and touch you. Some people didn't even dare to look at you. You kept your gaze on Sevika's clenched jaw and torn expression. The angles of her face were more prominent at this angle, you would blush at the sight but your nervousness didn't allow it.

Her grip on your tail was firm, yet gentle, human arm cradling your torso without complaining about the coldness. You weren't one to be drawn to the warmth of a human, but found yourself pressed closer against her body. You now shut your eyes to rid of the feeling of stares and judgement.

As she carried you down the dirt road back to the inn, she spoke in a frustrated tone, "You are the stupidest fish ive ever met."

"And you're the sappiest pirate ive ever met."

..

When Sevika stepped into the inn with you in her arms the keep gawked at you. You were cradled like a baby, weightless in her hold. She kept a stern gaze as he passed her the keys with a room number attached "56".

The people that sat in the inn waiting room averted their eyes, shrinking under Sevika's cold grey eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed, making you want to reach up and rub the wrinkle between them.

She walked up old rickety stairs, almost bending under your combined weight and turned left down the hall to the room. It was surprisingly quiet, and you were able to hear the woman's ragged breaths. Sevika was obviously worn out and tired from her day, and still came to your rescue.

How heroic.

She effortlessly shifted you to one arm, making sure your head was steady against her shoulder and creaked open the wooden door. Your tail barely brushed against the ground, her height compensating for the length.

"I need—," you spoke, before she cut you off with a grunt.

"Water. I know."

Opening the door to the bathroom, she sighed at the size. It was almost too small to fit her large frame and your long tail.

Dropping you into the tub gently, she turned the knob for cold water. "Want me to sprinkle in salt?"

You genuinely couldn't tell if she was joking, "No, no it's okay," You laughed, humming at the feeling of water on your tail.

"Why did you let yourself get caught," Sevika said, more as a statement than a question.

"I wanted to find you.. and I succeeded.. mission accomplished?"

She shook her head and bent down to accommodate for the space between you. She put a warm hand to your cheek, eyes soft and almost concerned, "Don't go looking for me like that again, danger follows me closely."

You giggled at her seriousness, despite being roughed around and almost being sold as fish food (or worse) you felt somewhat at ease. The woman at your side brought you a strange feeling of comfort, comfort that the sea never brought you.

"I guess ill just have to follow you closer."

i already have ideas for part three.... hehehehehe

again, thank you for the asks they are sweet ! and comment if you want to be on the taglist for part 3 , i do have some other works in my drafts but im saving them for when i finish this series :) but asks are open !!!

@misswynters @haruko--bby @thesecondhandwoman @theirlaliengirl

[huanted-dennys]

Lil comic thingy and a wip of Jazz and prowl (Jazz was kinda a scribbly mess so i drew a lil jazz instead for now)

Wow scavenger that’s a big catch ya got there

[galacii-gallery]

“A treasure like you, down in the depths…”

A Merman who lures and collects, and one who’s been cursed with immortality after consuming the flesh of one.

I wasn’t able to muster up the courage to do a lot of Mermay stuff so have this instead… 👀 enjoy,,,

[pa1nrema1ns]

Two Intertwining Melodies || Sung Jin-woo (Part 2 of 3)

Siren!Jin-woo x Deaf!Omega!reader

A/N: Hello again everyone! Thank you so much for all of your interest and feedback on part one of this series. Due to the sheer enormity of the second chapter, I've decided to expand the siren au into a trilogy rather than a two-parter. My dear friend and beta reader @forbidden-sunlight has been an absolutely incredible source of support in the creation of this story. She also wrote the imagine that inspired this au. Links to the prologue and first chapter are posted below. Do be sure to read them first before continuing. And as always, heed the content warnings that are listed.

╰┈➤ Chapter Index

🦪 Prologue by @forbidden-sunlight 🧜‍♂️ Part 1: Master and Apprentice 🦈 Part 3: In a Sea of Fire

Content warnings: 18+MDNI, canon divergent, graphic descriptions of gore, death, and violence, afab!reader, reader is a makeup artist and hair stylist in the entertainment industry, a/b/o dynamics, heavy mentions of heat cycles, knotting, and breeding, threats of assault/non-con made by Kang Taeshik towards the reader (Jinchul intervenes and protects her), suggestive themes, some sexual descriptors, mythical creatures au, yandere!Jin-woo.

Word count - 9.6k

Summary - You find yourself returning to your childhood home of Jindo Island after receiving the offer of a lifetime. However, you can't shake the feeling that someone or something is watching you.

Dividers by @anitalenia and @firefly-graphics

[Skill: "Monarch’s Domain" Has Been Activated.]

“Come on out!”

A cacophony of deafening blasts, wails, and the clash of steel rings across the crimson-tinged horizon of the one hundredth floor of the Demon’s Castle; a perfect accompaniment to the Armageddon currently taking place. Infantrymen by the hundreds emerge from the shadows to skewer Baran’s forces while Iron, Igris, and Tank slaughter the larger and more formidable combatants with wanton brutality. Issuing a non-verbal command, Jin-woo orders Tusk to incinerate his enemies with ‘Song of Inferno,’ and a calamitous ball of flames bursts forth, eradicating most of the battalion.  

“Amazing… on all the top floors I’ve been with him, I’ve seen nothing quite like this,” Esil whispered in awe. Although she was a demon princess who grew up in this wasteland and had seen many spectacular sights, the power of commanding shadow soldiers was most certainly not one of them.

In contrast to his companion, Jin-woo calmly observes the cataclysmic destruction with a piercing gaze. Despite gaining the upper hand against his troops, Baran remained steadfast in his refusal to engage directly in the ensuing fight. This simply would not do. Jin-woo needed to secure his victory in this decisive battle, and fast.

Jinwoo’s opponent possessed the last ingredient required to craft the Holy Water of Life: The Purified Blood of the Demon Monarch. A fortnight of endless fighting had culminated to this moment, and he was on the precipice of triumph. But the Demon King was unlike any adversary he had ever faced before. Jin-woo could gauge just from the sheer murderous energy emanating from him that Baran was in a league of his own. And his power spoke for itself: endless demon hordes at his beck and call, a wyvern as a mount, and an insurmountable supply of mana that showed no signs of running out. Jin-woo would need to approach his foe strategically lest he lose this war of attrition.

At long last, as if he could sense the siren’s impatience, the Demon King makes his move. He bids his steed to fly at a lower altitude. Once within range, Baran unhinges his jaw and unleashes a massive beam of white lightning. Within seconds, thunder runs rampant throughout the land, devastating everything in its path. However, Jin-woo and his shadow army stand strong regardless of the imminent danger.  The siren even has the audacity to smirk. 

So Baran thought he could defeat him with electricity? Excellent. He really could not have asked for a better opponent. As luck would have it, Jin-woo’s oceanic nature gave him the edge in this situation. The surface of water, acting as a conductor of electricity, causes high voltages and amps to spread rapidly. With this in mind, Jin-woo launches a counterattack.

“Wreak havoc on all who dare to stand in my way, Charybdis!”

Powerful torrents of black seawater manifest from the shadows just before Baran’s attack could hit him. The rushing stream then runs across the land and coalesces into a violent maelstrom in the sky. The raging vortex absorbs most of the lightning in its maw before redirecting its flow towards the Demon King. Baran wills his steed to evade by canting to the left, but Tusk incapacitates him by striking the wyvern’s wing with a blast of fire magic. The Demon King leaps from his mount’s back before it’s forced into the whirlpool and electrocuted. He lands gracefully on his feet and shoots a sinister grin at Jin-woo.

“It was worth it to let Tusk have the sphere,” the siren remarks nonchalantly, as if it was just any other day and not a fight to the death. “I’m glad you’re finally on the ground. Constantly looking up was making me tired.”

With the Demon King grounded, Jin-woo no longer required the aquatic effects of Charybdis. The dark water above evaporates as it returns to the abyssal depths of the ocean, its job now complete. With this hindrance finally gone, Baran doesn’t hesitate to release another beam of white thunder, this one even greater than the last. Tusk attempts to lessen the impact with ‘Song of Protection’, but the force of taking a direct hit ends up obliterating him. Undeterred by his comrade’s demise, Iron bellows at Baran and slashes at his body with his axe. But he proves to be no match for the speed of the Demon King, who ruthlessly splits his head in half. Igris then valiantly joins the fray and swings his great sword at the demon. However, this too is a fruitless endeavor, as Baran swiftly catches his blade and wipes him out with a flick of his wrist.

Just as Igris’s body fades, Jin-woo emerges from the ashes in his true sirenic form, Knight Killer and Baruka’s dagger at the ready. “Scylla!” He snarls a second incantation that brings forth another wave of black water, this time in the shape of a six-headed beast. The aqueous leviathan slams into Baran, crushing his body under its weight and submerging the entire floor of the dungeon in water. The Demon King swiftly breaks free from the tides and springs onto the roof of one of the sole remaining towers. Soaking wet and surrounded by large bodies of water, Baran ends up on the defensive; if he were to use his lightning, he risked electrocuting himself. Jin-woo was also in an environment that favored him, and the Demon King could not pinpoint his whereabouts while he was swimming underwater.

Even with this advantage, the gap in power was still significant between the two. Knowing this, Jin-woo doesn’t allow him a moment of reprieve. He uses his tail to project his body from the currents and launches at the Demon King with his daggers. The demon responds in kind, countering his onslaught with a flurry of strikes from his own weapons. Jin-woo holds his own against the extraordinary speed of Baran’s slashes. But he was low on mana, and fatigue was rapidly building up. While oceanic magic was incredibly effective, it incurred a high cost of mana. This, coupled with an extended exposure to a dry, fiery atmosphere, was having a seriously detrimental effect on his endurance. It was time to end the battle after dragging it out for so long. Jin-woo just needed an opportunity to catch the demon off guard– 

Klang!

A loud noise reverberates in the dungeon as a lance ricochets off Baran’s head. The demon redirects his focus to the sheepish face of Esil. Huh? I thought I told her to head for higher ground. When did she…? Jin-woo ponders briefly before banishing the thought. He requested a distraction, and someone kindly provided him with one. He wasn’t about to squander his only chance.

Using Baran’s hesitation to his advantage, Jin-woo discards his short swords and sinks his fangs into the Demon King’s neck, crushing down on his windpipe. As Baran struggles to throw him off, Jin-woo unsheathes his claws and gouges out chunks of flesh. The demon howls in agony, his pained cries music to the siren’s ears. “How stupid of me,” Jin-woo sneers, his voice deepening in pitch as his actions became more monstrous, “I was fighting you like a man this entire time, when this is who I really am. Heh, I guess being disguised as a human for so long made me forget.”

Summoning all his strength, Jin-woo uses his muscular arms to tear Baran’s torso from his body. The vicious mauling completely eviscerates the demon, with only his entrails being left over in its wake. His victory now secured, Jin-woo exhaustedly slumps to the ground and reverts to his human appearance. The throes of battle destroyed most of his clothes, much to his chagrin. The only apparel that remained intact were his tattered jeans, and those only just spared his modesty. He scoffed in annoyance; he’d need to purchase a new wardrobe soon to make himself more presentable for you …

“Jin-woo, sir!” Esil dashes towards him with a worried look on her cute face. The siren smirks, satisfied despite the many setbacks he faced during this confrontation.

“Esil, tell your father the Radis clan is now the number one family.”

“Jin-woo sir,” the demon girl responds exasperatedly, “Our family name is Radir.”

6:00 AM, on the outskirts of Jindo Island…

Jin-woo deeply inhales the crisp morning air as he soars through the endless skies. Much had transpired in the short time between the conclusion of his showdown with Baran and now. He had gained the Purified Blood of the Demon Monarch, along with the World Tree Fragment, and Spring Water from Echo Forest. With these three components, he was at last able to craft the Holy Water of Life. Once finished, he cradled the precious vial in his palm, as if trying to ascertain proof of its existence. Afterwards, Jin-woo deposited it into his magical inventory for safekeeping.

Of course, the elixir was just one of the many spoils of war he had claimed. Kaisel, the wyvern who now served as his mount, was his for the taking after Baran’s death. The gift of flight had expedited the journey home, much to his joy. A rune stone had also provided him with the skill, ‘Shadow Exchange,' a means of trading places with any of his soldiers scattered throughout land and sea. Thanks to this new ability, he was able to leave that hellish landscape. After being gone for what felt like eons, Jin-woo was desperate to return. To his family. To Ashborn. To you.

He’s relieved when the familiar cityscape of Jindo-gun comes into view. He estimates it would take roughly 15 more minutes for them to arrive over the briny waters. However, before they can make it past the coastline, the spellbinding fragrance of bergamot and vanilla overwhelms Jin-woo’s senses. This could mean only one thing: you were nearby. The headiness of your musk had also gotten more potent in his absence, signifying your fertility.

“Fuck!” Jin-woo’s hisses as desire courses hot and heavy through his veins. He tries to resist the temptation of your pheromones, but you smelt so damn good; so ready and willing for him and his knot –

Jin-woo grunts as he bites down hard enough on his bottom lip to draw blood. The pain causes him to regain some mental clarity, and he wills himself to calm down. But it’s of no use. His thoughts were currently being clouded by lust and the instinctual drive to breed. Those two weeks he endured in the Demon’s Castle had significantly intensified his longing for you, and the pent-up sexual frustration was coming to a head. Jin-woo really had to nip this in the bud. His stamina was at its limit, and he was in no condition to be seen by you. The siren also desperately needed to go home and check in on his mother and Jin-ah. He was the only alpha and protector of their family after the disappearance of his father. He couldn’t afford to waste another—

The wind carries your scent as it blows past Jin-woo’s face a second time. It was as if you were beckoning him like some sort of enchantress. Unable to ignore your maddening aroma, Jin-woo at last gives in. He knew the decision he was about to make was foolish, reckless even. But he must heed the call of his omega.

He silently apologizes to his mother and Jin-ah and asks them to wait just a little longer. “I’ll only introduce myself… maybe I can even get her name,” he tries to reason with himself while slowly succumbing to delirium. His mind made up, Jin-woo commands Kaisel to deliver him to the area where your scent is the strongest. The wyvern then returns to the void shortly thereafter, leaving the worn out siren to his own devices.

Grainy sand molds against his bare feet as stumbles across the beach in search of you. “Shit. If this keeps up, I might not make it back to Mom and Jin-ah.” Jin-woo mumbles softly. He really was in poor form. Maybe it had been a mistake to depart immediately for Jindo island without taking a break in between. Damn. 

As black spots start to obscure his vision, Jin-woo’s gaze finally lands on you. His lips quirk into a tired smile. Even through blurry eyes, you looked absolutely stunning while standing in the sunlight. Like an earthly goddess.

With his consciousness ebbing further and further away, the siren musters up the last of his energy to stagger towards you. He makes it only two steps before his body gives out and he collapses. Rather than hitting the hard ground, a soft and warm embrace met Jin-woo. He blearily cracks open an eye, curious about what broke his fall. It was at that moment your lovely, albeit worried face greeted him. Pretty, he thinks, exhaustion finally taking its toll on him. The last thing Jin-woo remembers before the darkness overtakes him is the soothing smell of bergamot and vanilla.

Two weeks ago, someone or something had been watching you. It was during the first day of filming the mystery-thriller, ‘Murder on the Cerulean Sea’, a passion project by renowned producer, Go Gun-hee. The man had an incredible work ethic, with a career spanning over 40 years and numerous accolades to his name. He had recently come out of retirement, and the entertainment industry was buzzing with anticipation. Known as a cinematic miracle maker, every motion picture Go Gun-hee produced set box office records. Suffice to say, you had been over the moon after finding out you were amongst the few who made the cut for makeup artists hired to work on set. Although the instant you found out where the filming location was to take place, you immediately felt your enthusiasm dampen. Jindo-gun. At one point, this had been your home. Now, it was but a distant memory.

You had spent most of your childhood on the island of Jindo. Its scenic beaches, sprawling forests, and crystalline waters made it ideal for shooting a film based on a luxury yacht charter. There was one major caveat however: the sirens. Several pods of these unpredictable creatures resided off the coast of Jindo, and the alphas were infamous for their aggression, especially during the height of the mating season.

Growing up, your parents warned you time and time again not to walk alone along the shores at night. "Don’t ever go to the beach by yourself after dark," your mother had signed this to you almost every day. A constant reminder to stay safe and vigilant of your surroundings. Townsfolk also gossiped and shared sordid stories about the lost souls who fell victim to the sirens. But this wasn’t just word of mouth, a child’s fairytale, or mere superstition. These deadly apex predators were very much real, and a troublingly high number of homicides were committed by them each year. Unfortunately, this did little to dissuade foolhardy tourists and arrogant fishermen from pouring into the island during the hotter months of spring and summer.

Eager to escape the foreboding atmosphere, you had applied to and been accepted into a 2-year cosmetology program in Busan shortly after finishing high school. Makeup had always been a strong interest of yours and with the support of both your parents you flourished in your craft.

Although you had been nervous about the transition from quaint suburbia to the big city life, you found yourself quickly growing accustomed to the fast-paced environment. Your school had also been very accommodating, providing you with a sign language interpreter and captioning services for your classes. A kindhearted young woman by the name of Lee Joohee had been assigned as your interpreter during your time in Busan. You became fast friends and remained close even after graduation.

After receiving your license, you relocated to a small apartment in Seoul and began working as a hair and makeup artist in stage productions, commercials, and musicals. You greatly enjoyed the creativity and networking opportunities of your profession, often getting to bump shoulders with many well-known actors and actresses. Within a few years, your portfolio grew considerably. This enabled you to broaden your horizons by breaking into the film industry. ‘Murder on the Cerulean Sea,’ would be your first foray into this competitive market and you wanted to prove yourself as a newcomer to the scene. So, despite your reservations, you begrudgingly agreed to board the private jet headed for Jindo island.

If you recall correctly, the mating season for the sirens wouldn’t take place for another four months, so everything should proceed without a hitch… right?  

You began to feel a little more at ease when you found out Cha Hae-In and Yoo Jinho were cast in major roles in the movie. You had first met them when they were both burgeoning stage actors. Cha was surprisingly camera shy and preferred to keep a more subdued profile whereas Jinho was outgoing and incredibly humble despite his privileged background. The bubbly brunet was the youngest son of the chairman of Yoojin Construction Company, a major industrial conglomerate in South Korea.

Although you came from different walks of life, the three of you had hit it off right away, finding common ground in your passions for campy horror films. You even taught them a few signs, and this inspired Jinho to devote himself fully to learning sign language. Cha also practiced her signs with you whenever she had the chance, but her busy schedule often made it difficult for her to find spare time. Nevertheless, you were deeply touched by the efforts made by both of your friends.

While taking a break on set, you felt a pair of eyes boring into you as you were relaxing with Cha and Jinho. At first, you chalked it up to paranoia. It had been years since you visited the island, and you’d nearly forgotten how oppressive the ocean seemed at night. But it was the middle of May. The mating season for the sirens would not take place until September at the earliest. Regardless, the sensation of being watched still lingered even after the mysterious presence had left.

There was also the enthralling scent of lavender and sandalwood thickly permeating the air. It had a distinctly masculine undertone to it that had piqued your interest. It was far too strong to be from a couple spritzes of cologne or perfume, yet more subtle than the pungent smell emanating from many of the alphas who composed the cast and crew onboard the yacht. Their musk was overbearing at best, but this fragrance was entirely different. It was sweet. Delicate. Intoxicating…

You had to find the source of it. Making up an excuse about wanting to get more fresh air, you stay behind on the deck of the ship while your friends return to their accommodations to retire for the evening. As you lean over the railing to scope out the scent, an intense wave of heat suddenly ignites in your lower belly causing you to gasp and buckle at the knees. It briefly lingers in your abdomen before shooting directly to your core. You bite back a moan as your eyes flutter shut from the pleasure spreading throughout your body. Slowly but surely, you were entering into a primal state; one of pure unbridled arousal. You should be concerned. No, you should be horrified. You were so vulnerable, so out of sorts. And yet…

You had never felt so exhilarated. It was as if ecstasy became you. You were ascending higher and higher to parts unknown, all semblance of rationality long since abandoned. The coil in your gut was wound so tight, it was at its breaking point. If this continued, you would inevitably plummet over the edge and succumb to your baser instincts –  

The metallic odor of copper violently infiltrates the air, abruptly bringing you back to your senses. Your eyes bolt open, and you release a shaky breath. You’re surprised to find yourself on your knees. They must’ve given out on you at some point. However, your shock shifts to horror when you catch sight of an unruly mop of purple hair from the corner of your eye.

It could only belong to one individual: Kang Taeshik.

Shit. You’d been acquainted with the man just yesterday, but he terrified you. Taeshik was an up-and-coming actor on the scene; one who excelled in any role he played. In spite of this, the first impression he left on you was enough to make you keep your distance. Although Taeshik’s demeanor was docile, there was a cold and calculating look in his eyes that made you shudder. It reminded you of a predator eyeing its prey. The most off-putting aspect of the man, however, was his stomach-churning scent. He positively reeked of blood.

You could feel panic setting in as he began to saunter towards you, a lascivious smirk spread across his face like a dark promise. You’re unable to rise to your feet, still weakened and lightheaded from the erotic sensations affecting you earlier. Worse yet, you feel a lump in your throat, making it difficult to shout or scream for help should the need arise. You were essentially cornered, defenseless, and alone with a menacing alpha. And if the pungency of his musk was anything to go by, he was on the verge of a rut. You sink back into yourself in fear and begin to tremble uncontrollably.

You can see Taeshik’s mouth moving as he closes in on you. You’d become adept at lip reading over the years, although it was difficult to decipher everything he was saying in the darkness. The only words that you can make out are "little omega" and "whore." Your blood curdles. Someone, anyone, please help me! You silently plead, knowing it was futile. For a moment, you foolishly imagine the owner of that enticing scent coming to your rescue.

Thankfully, just before Taeshik can grab you, a large hand envelops his wrist in a vice grip.

The purple haired nightmare cants his gaze to the side and narrows his eyes. He’s greeted by the furious expression of none other than the film’s director, Woo Jinchul. Relief floods your chest at the sight of him. Thank God, you think.

Taeshik rips his arm away and leaps back, creating some distance between himself and the taller man. Jinchul quickly assumes a protective stance in front of you. His broad back prevented you from seeing your would-be assailant, something you were extremely grateful for. For a few tense moments, you can only sit and stare at Jinchul’s imposing figure as he confronts the other man.

Despite how scared you are, you wish you could partake in the conversation if only to defend yourself. Taeshik may try to manipulate the situation by implicating you as an instigator or seductress, something many male actors in the industry unfortunately got away with due to their connections or wealth. It was despicable and made you seethe with anger at the salacious lies and rumors spread by the press and social media.

After several minutes, Taeshik departs with nary but a shrug of indifference. Apparently Jinchul’s status and power as director did nothing to intimidate him. He waits until Taeshik’s figure disappears before turning to face you. There’s an uncharacteristic warmth in his usually hard gaze, and you’re able to catch a whiff of his natural scent: cardamom and cedarwood, a calming combination.

Jinchul gently offers his hand and effortlessly hoists you to your feet. Your legs are still somewhat stiff but functional now. He permits you to steady yourself by grasping onto his shoulders and it doesn’t escape you how oddly intimate these actions are. As if to further prove this, Jinchul, in a strange display of affection, tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Your breath hitches.

A beat passes before the realization of what he just did hits him. Jinchul’s eyes widen, and he quickly snatches his hand back as if he was scalded. And was it your imagination, or were his ears turning pink? He awkwardly clears his throat before opening his mouth. ‘Are you alright? Did Taeshik harm you in any way?’ You read his lips closely, appreciating the pauses and slow enunciation of his words. Jinchul was aware that you could lip read rather efficiently, and this made it easier to communicate with him since he would not have to always rely on an interpreter.

You shake your head and see him breathing a sigh of relief. ‘He won’t ever be allowed near you again; I will make sure of it.’ Jinchul is back to his usual no-nonsense demeanor it seems. But what had caused him to act so… tender towards you? And Taeshik? The man had always been creepy and taciturn, but he never went out of his way to torment you. If Jinchul hadn’t arrived at just the right time, you could have been assaulted. You feel bile rising to your throat at the thought. Why was this happening? You were always careful and made sure to take your heat suppressants every day. None of the alphas you worked with had ever tried to hurt you before, so why? Unless you were going into heat, but that shouldn’t be possible…

You suddenly break into a sob, overcome with emotion. Your distress causes Jinchul to spring into action. He promptly removes his blazer and drapes it over your shoulders to ward off the chill of the night. Jinchul then produces an embellished handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to you. He hesitates before placing a comforting hand on your shoulder and his lips move again. ‘I’m here for you,’ he mouths. You wipe away the tears with the handkerchief and stifle your cries into its soft fabric. All the while, Jinchul remains by your side and grants you as much time as you need to collect yourself. When the tears finally run their course, you lower the ruined cloth from your face and chance a timid glance at him.

Jinchul regards you with a pensive expression on his sharp features. He withdraws his hand from your shoulder and reaches back into his pocket to pull out his phone. He then begins typing away and once finished with his message, he hands the device over to you, displaying the contents of his notebook app.

"As director of this film, I want you to know that I will always prioritize the wellbeing of our cast and crew. With that being said, the actions I witnessed Kang Taeshik commit tonight were morally reprehensible. I won’t disclose the full details of the discussion I had with him, as I do not wish to cause you any further emotional distress. I will say that I can personally attest to the fact that Kang Taeshik sought to menace and harm you while you were in a vulnerable state of heat."

You feel your heart sink into the pit of your stomach as you skim over the last sentence. So Jinchul knew you had unexpectedly gone into heat? Of course he would; he was an alpha. How could you have been so stupid? The director was most certainly going to see you as a liability now… you may even end up losing your job.

You reluctantly force yourself to continue reading. If this to be the conclusion of your tenure, then at least you would see it through to the bitter end.

"Please do not blame yourself for what has happened. Your disposition as an omega has no bearing on your contract or employment, nor does it offer an excuse for an alpha, or anyone for that matter, to harass you. It is with impartial and sound judgment that I have made the executive decision to terminate Kang Taeshik and remove him from production effective immediately. This will cause some inevitable delays, but an impromptu casting call can be arranged in the meantime. I’m willing to run over schedule if it guarantees everyone’s safety."

You exhale and feel all the tension dissipate from your body. So, you weren’t the one being let go, Taeshik was. You hadn’t known much about Woo Jinchul beforehand, but you were thankful that he was a man of good character. This was becoming exceedingly rare in an industry composed of unscrupulous and morally bankrupt members of the upper echelons.

You type back a response before handing him his phone.

"I am so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I really don’t understand what happened. I’ve been taking suppressants for years, and an alpha has never tried to threaten me before. Thank you for stepping in to protect me. I really don’t know what he was planning to do."

You couldn’t help but apologize even though Jinchul had vindicated you. What leaves you reeling, however, is the reply he gives you when the mobile device is back in your hands.

"I should be the one to apologize, not you. My behavior towards you earlier was incredibly uncouth, and for that, I am deeply sorry. As director, I should be conducting myself in a manner that is more befitting. Instead, I allowed my instincts as an alpha to impair my judgement. I promise this shall not happen again."

Uncouth behavior? Did he mean when he was brushing your hair from your face? How could he be apologetic about something so innocuous?  The implications don’t fully register until you replay that last sentence: My instincts as an alpha. Instincts…alpha…!?!

He was reacting to your pheromones.

That evening, Jinchul insisted on having you treated at the on-site infirmary. Alas, with few medical staff and even less equipment it was difficult to determine what was causing your symptoms. Was it possible your medication was no longer working? Omega suppressants were highly effective, but that didn’t mean they were infallible. A missed dose or interaction with another drug could negate the effects. But you weren’t taking any other medications, and you never missed a dose.

Needing a second opinion, you were transported to the emergency room at a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Jinchul had opted to let Cha and Jinho drive you there after explaining your circumstances to them (minus the issue with Kang Taeshik; he was keeping it under wraps for now). Unlike him, they were both betas which made them immune to your pheromones.

You ended up being kept overnight for observation. After running a series of tests, including labs to assess your hormones and an ultrasound, you were found to be undergoing a pseudo estrus or ‘false heat’ as it’s more commonly referred to.

Unlike a regular heat, a false heat occurs only when a highly compatible alpha is within close vicinity of an omega. This in turn triggers a massive release of pheromones leading to an increase in libido, fever-like symptoms, cramping, and fatigue. Whoever this alpha was, their presence was so virile that your heat suppressants were fully canceled out by them.

You were questioned extensively about your experience by the healthcare team. "Do you have any partners? Are you sexually active? Is there anyone you work with who is an alpha? When did you first start experiencing the signs of your heat?" The list was never-ending. With the help of an interpreter, you answered everything to the best of your ability. And by the end of it all, you were still at a loss.

No one on that yacht had been emitting that scent, you were sure of it. It had to have been someone wholly unrelated. Perhaps a fisherman or a swimmer? But it was late and everyone who was local to the island knew better than to risk the waters at night. Everyone except you and the entourage on board the yacht, that is.

Frustrated, you eventually gave up on trying to figure out the identity of your potential mate. Your physician, a compassionate fellow omega by the name of Min Byung-Gu, strongly recommended an entire week of bed rest for you. This was to serve as a means of letting the heat cycle run its course. You were also provided with prescription medications to alleviate your symptoms.

Resting was crucial. Any physical stress or strain could worsen your condition, and omegas were particularly susceptible to injury or illness while at their sexual peak. In addition to this, your doctor recommended ceasing all contact with alphas, effectively barring you from returning to work. You were crestfallen at this, but you acquiesced knowing it was for the sake of your recovery.

To avoid any mishaps, Jinchul arranged for you to stay in a penthouse for the time being. The lavish suite was situated on the very top floor of a deluxe condominium, affording you all the personal comforts and privacy you would need. You couldn’t help but snort when you opened the door to your new living quarters. It was like you were a goddamn princess trapped in a tower.

As if that wasn’t enough, your boss had also hired two very intimidating bodyguards. Both were betas who had been tasked with protecting you during your heat. The first to be introduced was a hulking beast of a man called Thomas Andre. He was huge, with a herculean frame that looked to be made of steel rather than flesh and blood. A wild mane of blonde hair and intricate patterns of black ink also adorned his chest and arms, making him even more imposing.

The disarming smile he gives you is anything but, however. He’s also surprisingly gentle with you when he shakes your hand.

Your other bodyguard had a physicality that was far less egregious, but his razor-edged gaze, unnervingly calm composure, and the bulging muscles of his arms revealed a powerful aura that was not to be underestimated. This man had gone by the name of Liu Zhigang, a master swordsman of the highest caliber and one of the strongest individuals in China.

He too, had been unexpectedly friendly, even going so far as to ruffle your hair and calling you a “good girl,” in his native language. Your interpreter had been particularly scandalized while signing this to you after you were insistent on finding out what he said. You, on the other hand, thought it was rather cute, especially when juxtaposed with his tough guy image. There had also been no ill intent or malice in his words; he was being genuinely amiable to you, just as Thomas Andre had been.

Perhaps you could make do with this situation. But you could only imagine how hefty of a price tag these two highly skilled warriors could warrant. Jinchul was sparing absolutely no expense on you. He must have felt terribly guilty about your traumatic experience that night…

You make a vow with yourself not to take his generosity for granted.

And so, the next week passes by rather uneventfully. You ended up becoming stir crazy right from the beginning. You had been so accustomed to the fast-paced lifestyle of a makeup artist and hair stylist that the very concept of wasting the day away seemed foreign. Gone were the 12–14-hour shifts that had once encompassed your daily routine. It was maddening, this sudden lack of purpose.

Sleeping, reading, eating, and binge-watching dramas with closed captioning had been your main escape from the dullness of being confined to bed all day. No one, not even your parents, Jinho, or Cha had been permitted to visit you while on bedrest. Jinchul and Min Byung-Gu had advised you to limit all external stimulation while you were in heat. You understood the importance of this, but it did nothing to prepare you for the overwhelming loneliness that awaited you.

Sure, your bodyguards had been cordial to you, but they were preoccupied with keeping watch over the premises and warding off any intruders. Neither one had time to engage with you beyond a simple greeting or farewell. Even your interpreter kept her presence scarce, coming only twice per day to check in with you and to relay messages from your friends, family, and the director.

It was as if you were a bird in a gilded cage. Locked away, out of sight, and out of mind. You hated every second of it. You wanted to curse the cruel hand you were dealt, to resent the alpha who had caused you all this misery in the first place. But…

You couldn’t bring yourself to do it no matter how unbearable the isolation became.

Once those seven agonizingly slow days were over and done, you were given medical clearance to resume your job. You never thought you would be so happy to work again. Of course, you still had some restrictions in place. Jinchul wanted you to take it easy, so he requested that you work no more than 4-6 hours per day. At this point, you were willing to do anything if it kept you out of that forlorn penthouse.

In addition to this, you were prescribed a significantly higher dosage of oral heat suppressants. It was to be used as a prophylactic to ensure you would not enter a second heat. The side-effects had been merciful, with nothing more than the occasional bout of nausea and a loss of appetite to show for.

Jinho and Cha were ecstatic to see you again, although your other colleagues were far less enthusiastic. The attentiveness and apparent favoritism towards you by the director did not go unnoticed. You were predictably met with the cold shoulder by many of your peers upon your return. It didn’t help that Jinchul had kept the confrontation between him and Taeshik confidential. Only executive producer Go and your bodyguards were made aware. This was done to protect you and to prevent the besmirching of your character by the media. The rest of the cast and crew had simply been told that Taeshik had departed from the film due to ‘irreconcilable and creative differences.’ The purple haired man’s PR team, for their part, also appeared to be going with this story.

Frankly, you could care less about what your coworkers thought of you. You were just glad that you never had to be around a horrible psychopath like Taeshik ever again. Cha and Jinho, on the other hand, had taken it upon themselves to act as your newly appointed bodyguards in Thomas’s and Zhigang’s stead. Any nasty gossip or snide remarks were met with a frosty glare from the blonde woman and threats of litigation from the heir apparent of Yoojin Construction.

You couldn’t have asked for better friends or a more considerate boss, but you were starting to find the constant protection and coddling from them to be too much. You were a woman with her own autonomy after all. And yet you were being treated like a piece of glass, as if you would shatter with the slightest gust of wind. It was suffocating and your newly toxic work environment certainly wasn’t making matters any better.

To keep yourself grounded (and from going insane) you had taken to embarking on early morning walks along the beach. The peace and tranquility were a welcome solace from the tumultuous reality of your situation. You could spend hours getting lost in the beauty of the dawning sun.

You should have known this temporary serenity was not to last.

That Sunday had started out much like any other morning. You poured yourself a cup of coffee, changed into a pair of leggings with a matching sports bra, and slid on some comfortable running shoes. It was a little before dawn, and you were hoping to catch the breathtaking sight of the sunrise along the sandy marshes of the island. You weren’t scheduled to work, so you had all the time in the world to explore and enjoy nature. You planned to make the most of it.

You start off by walking to a well-known bakery to purchase some freshly made kkwabaegi. The crispiness of the fried dough complements your coffee perfectly. After eating your sweet treat, you continue your journey, heading southbound for a local beach. The area was usually a tourist trap in the summer, but it was much less populated at this time of day.

The moment your foot connects with the sand, you are instantly hit by the familiar smell of lavender and sandalwood. You begin to panic.

 Shit! It was that alpha from a few weeks ago!

You know the right thing to do, the reasonable thing to do, would be to turn back and run. You were all alone in a secluded area with someone who was potentially dangerous. The last time you were near them, you had been rendered completely helpless just from their pheromones alone. If you got too close to them, you could end up going into another heat.

The other possibilities were more nightmarish. You’d heard horror stories about depraved alphas who would kidnap omegas and force them into becoming their mates against their will. Dominance amongst alphas these days was often synonymous with entitlement, something many of them would use to justify their disgusting actions. If this person nearby was of the same barbaric mindset…

Despite the storm of conflicting emotions raging within you, you remain rooted to the spot. It was just no use; you couldn’t convince yourself to retreat. Curiosity and the need for closure far outweighed your fear and anxiety. You had to find out the identity of this individual, regardless of the risk.

You steel yourself before nervously trudging in the direction of the scent. For whatever reason, the strength of the alpha’s pheromones was nowhere near the same extent as it was on that night. It was soothing this time, like a hot shower at the end of an exhausting day. Had the increased dose of your heat suppressants been responsible for this? Well, no use in questioning it now.

As the aroma grows stronger, you find yourself heading closer towards the sea. The sun was starting to peak over the tussling waves, and you briefly turned your head to avoid receiving an eyeful of blinding light. It’s in the periphery of your vision that you finally see him: the alpha that had been evading you for so long.

Even from a several yards away, you can tell he’s quite tall; standing at a height of around 185 cm. He’s also naked from the waist up, with only a pair of shredded jeans on his figure. But what captivates you most is the feverishness and intensity of his gaze. No one had ever looked at you like this before. It was almost reverent. Like you were some kind of deity.

The man staggers towards you slowly. Had he been hurt? There didn’t appear to be a scratch on him, although his remaining clothes were a mess. You reason that he must be experiencing heat exhaustion. This would explain why he had taken off his shirt. Your hackles lowered, you decide to throw caution to the wind and approach the man.

His body gives out just as you begin to close the distance between the two of you. You immediately pick up the pace, turning your walk into a jog. You’re able to catch him right before he falls face first into the sand. That was a close one, you think, releasing a breath you weren’t even aware you were holding. You’re able to fully take in the man’s appearance now that he was close enough to hold.

He was unspeakably handsome. As a stylist in the entertainment industry, you’ve seen your fair share of gorgeous celebrities. But all of them paled in comparison to the robust beauty of the man before you. Unblemished olive skin that was smooth to the touch. Silken ebony tresses that you were tempted to run your fingers through. And a God-like physique that had your pulse quickening. What you’d give to caress the rippling muscles of his torso...

Just who in the world was this ethereal alpha? And how was he able to sleep so soundly in the arms of a virtual stranger? The man had even nuzzled his face in between the valley of your breasts as if it was the most natural thing on earth! Oddly enough, you weren’t put off by his actions. In fact, you found them to be endearing. Was this what it was like to form a predestined bond with someone?

You briefly consider texting your friends to get help for the man but decide against it once you start weighing your options. If he was transported to the hospital, there was a chance he would be forcibly separated from you. What’s more, if it was found out that he was the one who caused your false heat, there could be far reaching consequences. You were still being monitored on set, and Jinchul might deem this man to be a threat to you.

He didn’t look to be injured, at least not physically, so you rule out the hospital. You deliberate for a few more minutes before ultimately choosing to wait and bide your time until he regained consciousness.

The two of you remain entangled in this strange embrace as stunning shades of orange, red, and yellow paint the sky. The waves shine incandescently in the sunlight, and you find yourself facing the ocean, distracted by its splendor. After a few minutes, you feel something shifting in your arms.

You return your focus to the man. He’s finally started to stir, groggily raising his head from your chest.  You both lock eyes, your wide-eyed gaze contrasting with his half lidded one. You see his chapped lips open and close, mouthing only one word: 'Omega.'

You feel a shiver run down your spine. Alpha, your inner omega silently preens, instinct taking over.

The man attempts to talk to you again, but you hush him with the gentle press of your index finger to his lips. He obeys right away and makes no further efforts to speak. You had many questions that you wanted to ask, but that could wait for just a little longer. Your alph – no, this alpha, was in desperate need of some water. He looked awfully parched.

You unzip the tote bag you brought with you and sift through its contents before producing a canteen filled with water. You open it and push the lid to his mouth, motioning for him to drink. He follows your orders without a second thought, taking several generous gulps. Rivulets of excess water drip from the corner of his mouth, down his Adam’s apple, and you find yourself getting distracted by his body again. You internally curse as you feel yourself growing wet. You discreetly press your thighs together, hoping to dull the ache building between them.

You fail to notice the flare of the man’s nostrils or his blown-out pupils as he watches your actions from the corner of his eye.

When he’s finally had his fill, you cap your canteen and place it to the side. You then reach into your pocket and pull out your phone. The man shoots you an uneasy look when he sees it in your hand. Was he unfamiliar with mobile devices? You type a quick message in your notebook app and turn the screen towards him.

“I’m going to use my phone to communicate with you because I have a hearing impairment. Is that alright? I just want to make sure you aren’t hurt.”

The boyish look of surprise that crosses his face while he reads doesn’t escape you. He must not have been expecting you to be deaf. You anxiously await his response, unsure of what his reaction will be.

His expression morphs into something akin to barely concealed wonder, and he nods his head. You breathe deep and type away on your phone again. Your next message elaborates on your concerns.

"First, can you tell me if you’re in any pain or if you’re injured? If you are, I can get an ambulance for you. My name is Y/N, by the way.”

His eyes quickly flit over your words. In response, he dips one of his fingers into the wet sand. You’re curious at first, until you start to recognize the shapes that he’s drawing as letters. Why was he writing in the sand? Was he not comfortable with using your phone?

Once finished, his message reads:

“I’m unharmed. I do not need help. Thank you for the water.”

Great, so he wasn’t hurt. Now you can finally focus on getting some damn answers!

You start typing furiously, pouring all your heart into unspoken anger. As soon as you’re finished you nearly slam the mobile device into the man’s face. He blinks owlishly, looking adorably confused by your actions. You don’t know whether you want to slap or kiss him.

“Now that I know you’re okay, can you please answer a few questions for me? Tell me, were you sailing near a large yacht a few weeks ago? There was this scent that day, an alpha’s scent. It smelt incredible. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find this person. And then I came across you! You have the exact same smell as them! And you’re obviously an alpha yourself since you recognized me as an omega right away.  Please, just tell me who you are! I ended up going into heat because of that alpha, and I feel like I’ve been losing my mind over them!”

The man’s face flickers from shock to guilt as he reads your explosive words. You regret typing them almost immediately when you see the sadness in his steel gray eyes.

He tries to use your phone to write back, but he’s clumsy and ends up swiping his fingers over a bunch of random characters. He huffs and bites his lip, clearly embarrassed. Crap, now you were feeling even worse about unleashing your tirade on him. You’ve always had a temper on you, and it often led to you lashing out and hurting the people you cherished most. And now you had allowed your mounting frustration to get the better of you in front of this poor man. For all you knew, he could be an innocent bystander who was just trying to get some help after becoming overheated.

You had to set things right.

You gently take the phone from the man’s hands, place it in your lap, and cup his cheek. He nervously glances at you, afraid that you’ll still be mad at him. But he’s greeted by your warm smile instead. Reassured, his shoulders relax, and he leans into your touch. After a few moments, you withdraw your hand, eager to continue the conversation. You can’t help but mourn the loss of contact as you resume your typing, however. Your next message reads:

“I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have taken out all my anger on you, especially when you probably don’t have anything to do with this. Please, allow me to start all over again and explain everything to you. Just so I can confirm if you’re the same person I bumped into several days ago. And don’t worry about having to use my phone. I’ve got a pen and a notebook you can write on.”

His eyes take on a hopeful sheen, and you have to force yourself to part from him in order to get to your bag. He really was too charming for his own good, this strange alpha…

That reminds you, you still hadn’t gotten his name!

Once the writing utensils are given to him, he starts scribbling away. His chicken scratch is barely legible, but it was better than nothing. Your handwriting wasn’t necessarily the best either, if you were being honest. He wrote:

“Omega, you are not at fault for anything. I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most. My name is Sung Jin-woo, an alpha from Jindo-gun. I am the person who was exploring the area around that large boat several nights ago. I became worried when I smelt an omega’s scent. It was you; you were the omega I was seeking that day. I should have shown myself to you sooner. What happened to you after I left? Did any other alphas approach you?"

Sung Jin-woo, huh? It suited him. He had an oddly formal way of writing though, one that clashed with his youthful appearance. This time, you don’t miss the possessiveness in his eyes as he writes that last sentence.

‘Did any other alphas approach you?’

You gulp, reminiscing over the entire ordeal with Kang Taeshik. Should you even tell Jin-woo? By now the problem had been resolved and Taeshik was already fired. There was no reason for you to make Jin-woo feel even worse about causing your heat.

In the end, you choose not to mention Taeshik. He was out of the picture, and you didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

You resume typing in your notebook app, your response stating:

“No, not really. My boss found me on the verge of passing out, though. He’s an alpha so he could tell why I wasn’t feeling well. I was taken to a hospital by my friends since they’re both betas. I had to stay in bed for a week, but as you can already tell I’m alright now. I’m just glad I was finally able to meet you, Jin-woo 😊 You see, I work on that big ship. I’m a makeup artist and hair stylist, and the yacht is the set for a movie that’s being filmed…”

The next few hours pass in companiable silence as you communicate through pen strokes and text messages. Both you and Jin-woo had shared a considerable amount about one another over this time span.

You learn that Jin-woo had grown up on the island, much like you. He lived with his mother and little sister on the outskirts of town and served as the sole provider of the family after his father passed away. When you question what he did for a living, he paused before writing he was a fisherman. This would explain why he was out so early in the morning. The most ideal times to fish were sunset and sunrise. But how had his clothes gotten torn up like that? When you asked, he merely answered that he fell off his boat and had almost gotten swept up in the propellor. Apparently, his shirt and pants had been destroyed by the turning of the blades. You were incredulous at first, given just how dangerous that sounded, but Jin-woo had a way of selling you with his words. You eventually found yourself believing him despite your previous skepticism. He must have also been fishing that night two weeks ago.

Jin-woo had asked you many questions as well. He seemed particularly concerned about your heat cycle. When you disclosed the cause of it was your compatibility with him, his entire body tensed. Jin-woo’s hands then started to shake and you took one of them in your own to calm him. He glances at you, and you’re taken aback by the fire in his eyes. For the briefest of moments, you fear that you might’ve revealed something you shouldn’t have. Before you can compose an apology, Jin-woo releases your hand, picks up his pen, and starts writing again. Once finished, he gives you the notebook with an expression of apprehension on his face.

“Is this something you’re comfortable with? Now that we’ve met, I’m really interested in getting to know you more. But how do you feel about me? Do you want to continue this conversation? I understand if you’d want me to leave after everything you were forced to endure.”

How did you feel about him?

You mull over all that’s occurred since returning to your hometown. You had never expected to encounter so many trials and tribulations. By all accounts, you had every right to cease any further contact with Jin-woo. But you were undeniably intrigued by him. He had been nothing but respectful of your boundaries, and you found yourself being drawn in by his earnest personality. If nothing else came from this meeting between the two of you, then at least you could become friends.

You type an honest response and wait on bated breath as he reads it:

“I’m not sure how I feel about us right now. Honestly, I don’t believe in things like destiny or fate when it comes to finding a soulmate. But I do want to continue seeing you. I also would like to learn more about you as a person. Maybe we can take things slow and figure it out from there. What do you say, Jin-woo😉?”

All the anxiety seems to melt away from Jin-woo’s face. A cute grin tugs at his lips, lighting his darkened visage.

His answer is succinct:

“I’d really like that, Y/N.”

Your heart skips a beat. That was the first time he used your name.

A small part of you starts to wonder if the two of you really are fated to be together. Cheesy as it sounds, you were more than willing to take a chance on this budding relationship with Jin-woo.

Little did you know this meeting would set in motion a series of tragic events that would shatter countless lives and forever leave a stain on the island’s reputation.

🔱 To be continued...

Tag list 1:

🪼 @the-dumber-scaramouche @ghostdoodlen

@skylar896 @phisen @eliciana

Tag list 2:

🐬 @asylrd @mochinon-yah

[asirensrequiem]

📻🍎 "A Siren's Requiem" - A #Radioapple AU Chapter (3/14) - "Broadcast"

Previous | Next

[blixndbunny]

More scribbles of the siren/sailor kabumisu au the brainworms have taken over

Also mini comic for paneling practice, actual comic coming #never.

Maybe a fanfic, I need to sharpen my writing skills before AP english lit beats my ass🚬

[jube-art]

[leeleebug3]

This au is AHHHHH

Inspired by @ichiro-artosaki

[mihii-i]

tides.

Pairings: navia x fem!reader

CW: nsfw, female reader, siren au, pirate/sailor reader (whatever u want it to be lol), wlw, girls kissing obv, sesbian lex muahahaha, men can interact but uhm it might be awkward bc navia talks about how much she hates men (sorry :( ), officer the sex comes outta nowhere, who is this diva, no seriously I made navia extra sassy here, virgin reader, underwater sex idfk?, fingering, kinda vanilla, marking, breast play ig, written when I am VERY sleepy, not proofread.

A/N: I would no joke let navia- I mean who said that. this is part of @edgeray ‘s halloween event :3 🕯️

Splashes of ocean water ripped through the wavering currents in the cold dead of night, patterns of stars decorating the sky alongside the moon as the only faint light source in the clearing as she ship rocked from side to side. You stared down the ledge of the large ship, sail standing proud directly behind you as you inched closer to the edge to drown out the obnoxious hollers of your crewmates. The relentless voyage stretched out for an agonizingly extended period of time—months possibly. Before you, the endless stretch of the ocean consumed your sights altogether, becoming the only thing filling your sights as the consuming waves engulfed the previous body of water trailing behind you.

Your crewmates had never failed to remain a pain in the ass as well, constantly taunting you and disrupting your peace with an insolent remark hurled at you as their irritating laughter erupted throughout the ship. On top of the sloppy lifestyle the men on the ship had shared, it didn’t exactly help that you were one of the few women present on the ship. Or maybe you were the only one? You had lost track at this point.

Regardless, you always scoffed at the unkempt behaviors of your crewmates advancing toward you or spitting useless nonsense toward you in an attempt to mansplain something, disgust boiling up inside you. You merely attempted to drown out their presence as nothing more than white noise circling the clearing, cutting through the initially peaceful silence of the quiet waves and gentle air. Yet, it was still as if you had been cursed with remaining in a trashed wooden sail afloat in the middle of nowhere surrounded by people who would probably murder you if they had the chance to. That’s what they’d do to any crewmate who was the least bit civilized atleast.

Sighing, your eyes lowered shut, lashes briefly brushing onto your skin. You savored the cool air grazing your face, which out outstretched to gaze upward as if you had offered yourself to the unending void of a sky to come take you away. Sometimes, you pondered if it would be better for you to just escape your responsibility as a pirate. Leaving behind the life of plundering and theiving to carve a new path of what you wanted. Maybe then you atleast wouldn’t be awoken by the stinging smell of booze engulfing your room in the middle of your rest as some drunken crewmate would rummage through your belongings unprompted.

“(Name)! The hell you staring out for- for that long? You’re not tryna avoid us, yeah?”

You pursed your lips quietly, shoulders hunching up as you gripped the edge of the boat tightly, fingers dragging along the raw wood. His voice was nothing but a pestering vibration that rang in the air, only serving to gauge your annoyance further.

“Maybe I am? Leave me alone. I don’t want to join your cheap ship tavern with rum and puke.”

He rolled his eyes in response, clearing his throat as he brought a hand to his chest to surpress his own gulp of drinks bubbling up in his throat.

“Ugh. You’re no fun. But for once nah, we want everyone to come around since we saw something poking out of the water. Seemed like a huge catch for a fish maybe.”

Upon hearing his words, you couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow in mild skepticism. Perhaps those were the rushes of water thumping against the fervent currents, splashing a few pools of salty ocean water onto the edge of the ship occasionally. Curious, you made your way over to the large array of crewmates pinned up to the ledge, peering down at the ripples of water followed by strong currents grazing along the base of the ship.

A…fish? Had everyone drank too much? There weren’t much fish around this part of the sea visible to a sailor’s naked eye. They typically presided in the deep pressure of the ocean around here.

Maybe your crewmates never left behind their idiotic sense of fascination. That would be the most plausible answer as to why their eyes seemed to be tracing nothing. A disappointed groan left the crew members one by one as they detached themselves from the ledge, disappointed as they trudged back into their respective cabins at the lack of anything particularly eye catching. Morons.

“(Name)! Keep watch again for us, will you?”

You couldn’t do much to be fair, besides heave a disappointed groan and shoot your drunken crewmate a disdainful glare as he flashed you that shit eating grin, stumbling over to his room before slamming the door behind him. And so there you stood. Still in the middle of the rocking ship like an unmovable stone, weighing down on the creaking floorboards wavering beneath you as the violent thrusts of the ocean continued to slice through your ears.

It felt quite unnatural, as if something presiding in the growingly murky waters of the sea torrented the initially neutral water gently splashing along the sea. The moonlit sky reflected in the still clear ripples of the ocean, your eyes squinting as you caught the pale light shining along the edge of a curved obstacle protruding to the surface from below the naked eye. Furrowing your brows, you shielded the top of your eyes, focusing your vision on the intrusion abnormally poking out of the currents.

Mind clouded with confusion, the fog around the area only grew thicker as the clouds occasionally masked the darkened sky. Suddenly, your swirling thoughts began to subside as your tense muscles relaxed, grip on the wood ledge loosening as a serene melody hummed through the air, the effects it brought upon clearing your mind almost intoxicating. You breathed out calmly, hearing the beautiful voice of a woman float alongside the swishes of water as you felt yourself slowly leaning further and further along the ledge.

Her sweet voice only entranced you further and further, drawing you in as it grew more prominent. Longing to push past the ledge to take in her velvety voice closer to you. However you couldn’t help but feel the unnerving sting faltering your longing thoughts, trying to fight back with a drop of rationality while you pushed against the edge closer, face nearly coming into contact with the circling waves. Who could possibly singing this late? And who would there even be to sing in the middle of nowhere?

You saw the object curve out of the surface of the ocean past the clearing, now nearing your line of sight and making itself more clear in the dim moonlight rolling along the waters to illuminate the bare minimum in a close proximity. Now getting a clearer look, the object nearly resembled that of a fish’s tail, a pretty shade of light blue spanning along each subtle scale along it. What an odd color for a fish, perhaps that’s what your crewmates saw earlier, as it was the only fish that could see so far. In fact— it happened to be as big as you recalled from what the others pointed out.

Your tongue flattened against the roof of your mouth in anticipation, feeling an uneasiness churning in your stomach as the scaled ridge rippled closer and closer to the side of the boat. However instead of backing away, you found yourself peering over the ledge, hands tightened at the rim of the ship as the splintering wood grazed your calloused hands. Leaping over, you thudded down onto the boat with a soft ‘oof,’ your thoughts screaming at you internally to question if you were insane. You knew your curiosity outmatched your rationality, yet you couldn’t help but be drawn to the sea blue tail peeking out from the waves, and complimented by the moonlight.

What met your eyes next was quite a sight to behold, your jaw nearly dropping from the radiance that blinded your eye. A stunning woman arched above the surface of the water in one swift motion, head tilted back as her near cinematic entrance sent droplets of water seeming to float in the air around her in slow motion. Her starry blue eyes locked onto your form, bottom lip glistening a gorgeous tint of pink to compliment her honey blonde hair spilling down her shoulders.

Her gaze snapped up to you in less than a single second, heavy eyes opening up a bit as she raised her eyebrows in slight surprise to take in your seated form on the dock. You didn’t expect The gorgeous lady to hoist herself up from the sea, hands planted at either side of your waist as she rose herself to the edge of the ship where you sat, face dangerously close. Instinctively, you hunched your shoulders back, leaning your head back to harbor more space between your faces—yet, the woman closed the gap each time, the tip of her nose brushing against yours as you felt her soaked skin graze against yours.

Raising an eyebrow, she kept that unmoving indifferent expression, sinking herself down into the sea once more as she rested her arms along the wood. The end of her tail briefly peeked out of the ocean’s bristling surface, her cheek pressed against her resting hands as her head tilted to the side, gaze immediately snapping back to you as you swore that the corner of her lip slightly curved up in a smile.

“Huh. I expected something I could drag down again.” She finally spoke, her expression growing more and more amused upon observing your confusion. She leaned back with a sigh, pink tinted lips gleaming under the light as the reflections of the water silhouetted her form. “I surely didn’t think to encounter someone so…gorgeous. Fully expected some middle aged drunkard.”

Your eyes remained fixed on the oddly shaped fin structures in place of her ears, not even registering her words completely out of the initial shock that stung you just now. Had you just encountered a live mermaid? You thought they were just tales employed by a bunch of sailors for their own laughs.

Now looking at her upfront…the draconic fins, frail body, those deadpan eyes tracing you, all the characteristics fit that of a siren instead.

Noticing your blank gaze staring at possibly nothing, she rose her hand to hover over your cheek carefully, puffing out a quick sigh at your absentmindedness. Quickly, you rushed back to your senses, blinking to ground yourself back into reality for a moment.

“Don’t be like that, dear sailor. A pretty girl like you isn’t nameless, correct?” She hummed, a subtle smirk crossing her features as she tilted her head to come face to face with you. The way her head had angled as if it were to intersect your lips, sky blue eyes flickering to your quivering lower lip being nothing short of gesturing a kiss, her stance as her arms elevated her up to level with you being oddly…intimate.

“Are you..a siren?”

Her eye twitched, brows knitted together in mild frustration in less than the blink of an eye as her fingers dug into the wood to maintain her composure. You clasped a hand over your mouth defensively, seeming to realize far too late that perhaps you shouldn’t have asked such a question so- upfront when she was the one who inquired your name in a playful manner first.

She reached up her hand to her forehead, bridge of her nose situated between her thumb and forefinger in annoyance as she pushed out a breath to calm herself. God, the one sailor she took interest in, she wanted to fucking murder in this moment.

“Are you serious? I asked you a question, clearly interested, and that’s what you ask me?”

“Sorry..”

“Fuck it. It’s fine. Not like you’re someone trying to hunt me down only to be killed.”

She paused, eyes narrowing as she took note of the expectant look remaining on your face, clearly still wanting the answer to your abruptly dumb question earlier. Scoffing, she rolled her eyes, unamused by your clueless antics.

“Yes. I am. Happy? Name’s Navia, now if it isn’t so hard to tell me your name like I did to you?”

You flinched at her sudden aggression, tilting your head bashfully. Guess she really didn’t like the moment getting ruined.

“..(Name).”

Navia hummed softly in approval, velvety voice spurring against her throat in a gentle exhale of breath. Her hand dragged along yours, a spark flying through you upon feeling her soaked skin stick to yours so closely. Evidently so, you had piqued the sea creature’s interest quite a bit, your breathing shallowing out upon feeling a chill envelope your whole body, goosebumps blooming against your exposed skin along with the chilling winds.

“Gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. It suits someone as beautiful as you.”

You couldn’t help but allow the burning heat to creep up to your cheeks, blood rushing to your head as you felt your face grow hot from the faint red tint.

“So why aren’t you killing me, Navia?”

Tapping her chin thoughtfully for a moment, Navia flashed you a smile, pressing her chest to the edge of the dock to speak with you a bit closer.

“I dunno. Saw a sailor that wasn’t a drunk moron eating at anything that’s money, sailor happened to be a pretty girl, and everything happened from there I guess.” She answered in a lighthearted tone, nails digging into the wood of the ship to ground herself. Just so happened the sweet siren here had pretty sharp nails, pointed at the tips just at the right amount to cut open human flesh to the bone.

“So…I say..if you wanna live unlike what I think I wanna do to your crewmates..”

Her hands suddenly shifted over to your thighs draped over the edge, planting them down for support against you. By now, you had to choke back the rapid breaths catching in your throat, heart feeling it was going to beat right out of your chest as it thudded against your insides violently. Of course you couldn’t help it, you felt somewhat aroused by the sight of a gorgeous woman, who so happened to be an exotic sea creature looming over you with her palms planted onto your clothed thighs. You’d never let her outright know that though.

Navia’s cool breath suddenly fanned against your cheek, pretty pink lips alarmingly close as she grazed them along the shell of your ear. Still held up impressively by her mere arm strength pushing her up to come face to face with you. Her bare body brushed against the loose fabric of your shirt puffed out, draped over you as the neckline formed a V shape over the opening of your chest.

Her sharp fragrance of saltwater clawed at the back of your throat as you took in her scent as she leaned against you chest to chest now, the strong tonicity being substituted with a much more pleasantly mellow aroma presenting itself for you to breathe in. Your head spun as your pupils flickered in Navia’s wake, her nails still dug into your thighs temptingly as she had probably torn parts of the cloth and poked holes into your pants. Clicking her tongue, her breath hitting your ear only served to further heighten your lust blinded haze, flinching as her pointed teeth grazed along your ear as she spoke once more to complete her dangling thought.

“Come underwater with me. I promise I won’t kill you or anything. It’ll feel…nice.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I’m human, I can’t just dunk myself underwater and be expected to breathe the whole time.”

Navia merely grumbled at your naive response, biting the inside of her cheek. You only cocked your head to the side, puzzled by her random changes in demeanor in this moment.

“(Name). I get that you live with your braindead crewmates, but surely acting like some virgin will get you nowhere around me.”

“Ah..”

You pursed your lips at her remark, dozing your gaze off to the side in embarrassment. Sweat patterned along your back as the tides began to assault your ankles now, the water refreshingly warm in contrast to Navia’s hypothermic body temperature adhering droplets of water along every inch of your own. She feigned an expression of shock at your bashful hesitation, bringing her hand to her lips in a gesture that made you huddle in a bit from embarrassment.

“Don’t tell me…you haven’t-?”

You shook your head, clearing your throat to distract yourself—and her—from the fact that your face was a scorching scarlet hue from the fairly lewd topic at hand.

“Well then…if you come with me I can fix that..? What do you say, (Name)?”

Her teasing voice only spurred you further to dart your sights down to her hands now subtly parting your thighs, the beautiful gradient of her nails sharpened along her skin quickening your breathing as you choked back a whine from her evidently seductive motions. A single nod was all that was needed as her hands shot up from between your legs to snake around your neck, grasping on as she clawed at your nape all of a sudden. An involuntary gasp left you upon feeling the sting of her nails along the back of your neck, breath held between your cheeks the moment she fell back into the sea, dragging you along with her.

Sinking deeper into the rushing blue waters circling you, Navia’s arms remained locked around your neck, tail shielding your leg for additional support as you descended down into the depths of the ocean. The minute you hit a strange sort of dome in which you could breathe underwater, you in fact—couldn’t exactly breathe properly. Your legs pressed together as jolts of pleasure enveloped your body, a high rush overtaking you as you noticed Navia wasting absolutely no time as she held you down into the sand.

Rasped out mewls began to endlessly spill from your lips as your hips mindlessly bucked forward into Navia’s touch, her middle and ring finger knuckles deep in your cunt as she parted your walls to accommodate her fingers splitting you open. Ecstasy clouded your mind at her intoxicating touch, nails brushing up against that one spot within you as her freehand was clasped around your wrists to hold you down.

Every worry you had embedded in your mind, every issue that had haunted you on your journey had faded away under her touch, your lips parted as a string of noises followed through with each relentless thrust of her fingers curling your warm, velvety walls. Her movements remained somewhat gentle, yet fervent as heat clouded the two of you in the intense moment, teeth pressed against the exposed skin of your throat to muffle a moan fighting against her lips.

Perhaps her mind had also been relieved in this moment while she fucked you underwater. The constant unprovoked attacks from wandering sailors, sudden encounters with people who had never caught her eye in the moment, Navia just needed to get away from it all. And you were perfect for her. It’s as if the gods had bestowed upon her a sailor with lips as sweet as saccharine. And the minute she raised her head from your throat to glance over at your face twisted in lust, her lips found their way to crash against yours, tongue brushing along your bottom lip any chance she got in that hungry kiss she captured you with.

Sure enough, you tasted sweet just like she theorized.

Your intoxicating scent, the sweetness of your lips, your moans vibrating against her mouth while her fingers drove in and out at a steady, yet roughened pace to slam against your cunt…

It was all so fucking perfect.

Bright red hickeys bloomed in a trail of fire against your exposed skin, your gasps increasing in pitch and frequency as her thumb brushed along your exposed nipple. A near scream boiled in your throat as Navia’s own noises reverberated against your lips, your breaths growing quicker as a third finger entered the heavenly mix. You frantically reached a hand up to grip onto her bare back tightly, nails raking down her pale skin as she threw her head back to choke out a little whimper.

“N-Navi- please…m’gonna-“

—

Breathing heavily, you lay fully clothed. Back flush against the edge of the ship once more, staring at the sky aimlessly as your now soaked clothing pooled out drains of seawater onto the dock. You craned your neck over, glancing at the siren who hoisted you back up as you seemed to be completely out of breath. A smile stretched her lips at your exhausted form, innocently waving as she fluttered her fingers. Huh. Acting like she didn’t just fuck the life out of you with those.

Navia’s chin rested along the edge of the boat once more, leaning over to plant a sweet kiss against your cheek. You were too spent to move at all, yet you still smiled weakly as you lay like starfish outstretched in water on the boat. She chuckled, eyes briefly flickering to the visible marks on your neck not covered by your clothes.

“Will I be seeing you again in this part of the sea, (Name)?”

“Without a doubt. Just make sure I can move next time.”

“Not my fault you have no experience.”

“Oh come on..I promise I’ll be the one on top next time, ‘kay?”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

You rasped out a strained laugh, smiling at Navia as she lowered herself back into the water before flashing you a quick wink.

“I’ll see you around, my sweet sailor.”

And just like that, she disappeared into the depths of the water. Leaving you on your back, all soaked and marked up as your clothes stuck to you body in a transparent fashion.

Hell, maybe you’ll bring her something next time.

A/N: PLEASE DONF HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS THIS CAME OUT SO BAD IM SO SLEEPI LEAB ME ALONEEEE WAAAAAA

okay jk yall are awesome but IM SLEEPY. GOODNIGHT.

[ichiro-artosaki]

this is the type of romance novel shadowheart would read in her spare time (and the type of daydreams she'd have of lae'zel asldkf!!)

a;lsdkfj and the sketch/lines as a lil bonus

[gravegoer]

now that you mentioned pirate!sevika x siren!reader I NEED it omg

just thinking about it is making me go crazy

I hear your call ⋅˚₊‧ ଳ

THANK YOU !! ive been waiting for this one i also have a mermaid one, idk which I'm putting out first but ill link it when it here when it does come out but thank you for the asks! masterlist , part 2

part 3

You lured many crews to their deaths, men followed your alluring voice into the thrashing waves of the ocean. Willingly drowning themselves in the salt.

Once they heard your song, and saw your beautiful face their fate was already sealed. You were cunning and dangerous, not hesitating to go after any ship you saw.

This didn't change when you saw a wrecked ship on the shore of an island. The pirates were obviously disoriented, and fixing their ship to leave.

One tall, strong figure commanded them, voice booming and most definitely angry. When they walked off, you took this as your chance to strike, rising onto the shore, and from between your lips came a song.

The pirates in your vicinity turned their heads to admire you in awe, at that you smirked, beckoning them closer with a finger adorned in jewels.

Unexpectedly, a woman came out from behind the trees, you assumed she was the loud voice you heard earlier. Shit.

A woman being the captain of this crew was the last thing you expected.

She didn't hesitate to pull her gun from the holster and aim it in your direction. The bullet barely missed your side as you jumped away. The sharp sound made you stop your song immediately.

The men, previously in a trance, looked around. Their eyes eventually settled on you. You pushed away from the shore, but before you could swim, heavy hands grabbed you from under the arms.

The woman had managed to seize you in all your shock, and you thrashed and flailed in her strong hold. She pulled you from the water, metal arm clawing into your flesh, most definitely leaving red marks.

You could feel her warm chest against your back. It contrasted the cold that you usually felt on mens bodies when you pulled them overboard into the icy waves.

She held you up for the men to see, "We caught us a pretty one, aye?" A short, stout man spoke.

"She would sell for a lot, y'know."

"Nah, I think I wanna keep her. She's rather stunning."

"Are you serious she tried—"

"Enough."

The womans stern voice was loud enough to quiet the whole crew. You could feel the vibration of her chest when she spoke. It was a deep and gutteral hum.

"I want to be off this island by nightfall."

All the men scurried at her order, returning to their original positions. They spoke amongst themselves and murmured their complaints, now completely disregarding your presence.

She threw you into the sand, and you landed with a thump. You didn't skip a beat before you tried to claw your way back to shore, but were stopped short by her hand grabbing your tail.

"Now, what am I going to do with you." Her voice was surprisingly husky.

You let out a yelp and turned around to face her, holding yourself up on your elbows. You were now met with her smokey grey eyes and dark scarred skin that anyone would recognize.

Sevika.

She was a ruthless leader and led an even more unforgiving crew. Her reign was seemingly endless, ruling the seas for the better half of her life. Men and women that sailed the seas all respected her alike.

You parted your lips to start a song. But before you could even let out one note, she interrupted you, "That shit isn't going to work on me."

You knew that.

It was worth a try though.

She crouched over you, one knee digging into the sand beside you, and her other leg thrown over you, boot awfully close to your tail.

She reached out to your face with a warm hand, but you pulled back, baring your teeth to her in a snarl. Then she palmed your jaw more ferociously, smirking at your actions. She tilted your head from one side to another, eyes following the trail of scales down your neck.

Her lips were parted ever-so-slightly, and you could see the small gap between her teeth, showcased by her thick brown lips.

You had never been interested in humans, especially human men. Their sexual desire outruled any curiousity you had towards them. Men completely ruined the human race for you. In fact, they disgusted you. But you had never been this close to a human woman.

Usually, you targeted pirate ships, so coming across a woman was especially rare. At one point, you started to wonder if they even existed. But your doubts were disproven as the woman on top of you caused your breath to hitch in your throat.

"What are you going to do to me." You hissed.

"Oh, so she does speak," Sevika smirked before getting up and brushing sand off her pant leg, "I could chop you up and serve you to my men.. But that would be a waste. Plus, im not a fan of killing the local wildlife."

She was clearly amused by her joke, but you werent, you glared daggers at her, now crossing her arms as she towered above you. It was a clear display of her power and authority.

" 'M gonna have to keep you in my sight until we leave." She said, more in a teasing way than strict.

"I need water." You shot back at her, slightly grateful that she wasn't going to kill you, but the sun might just kill you itself if you didn't get back to the sea.

"Alright. I'll let you go to the shore. But if you even seem like you're going to swim away, I won't hesitate to shoot," She pulled her gun out of its holster again, flashing it to you as a warning.

At that, you turned to start clawing your way back to the rocks where you orignally resided. But you felt a large arm scoop you up instead. You were basically folded over Sevikas forearm, her hip balancing some of your weight as she walked you to your destination. You couldn't do anything but let your arms dangle over your head, fingertips brushing the ground. (maybe not if your short)

How embarassing.

When she plopped you into the water, you sighed deeply, feeling your gills thank the salt in the sea. The crew was now hidden from your view as the rocks were big enough to fill your vision. Sevika, on the other hand, was sitting atop one, eyeing her men.

You could take this perfect opportunity to swim away, but a part of you knew that she wasn't looking away because she trusted you to stay. She was looking away because she trusted herself to be able to shoot faster than your tail could hit the water.

So you opted to keep your place. You saw her shake her head at what you assumed to be the antics of the crew. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed a zippo and lit a cigarillo that was now between her fingers.

You rolled your eyes at her, gills retracting when she blew out hot smoke in your direction. You rested your chin on your arms, laying against a smaller rock.

"What? Not a fan of tobacco?" She mused.

"I am not a fan of any human trinkets." Your lip curled in disgust at the smell.

She eyed the sparkly jewerly that hung from your limbs, "Doesn't seem that way to me."

You got defensive, "Enough. I found it myself."

That wasn't a lie. You kept a lot of the treasures you found in mens pockets, jewerly, watches, and compasses.

You didn't exactly fancy small talk, but Sevika insisted that they would be there for several more hours until her ship was fixed. So you would tell her some stories and let her look at your treasures.

The sun started to set on the horizon, and eventually, you were sitting on the rock next to her, her large hand tracing your scales with intrigue. You didn't feel disgusted by her touch or bored with her presence. This feeling was forgin to you, and you wanted to let your guard down.

But you also wanted to wrap your cold fingers around her throat and strangle her until her warm breath left her body. Leaving her there to swim back into the ocean.

You disregarded that and leaned into her touch, watching the sunset. Some kind of ease has settled itself into your bones, knowing that you couldn't control her with song or seduce her with melody.

And maybe you were finding yourself too much in thought, but you might have her wrapped around your finger without help from the sea. And maybe she was allured by your fantastical stories and airy laugh.

Suddenly, your train of thought was interrupted by a scraggly voice, "Aye, cuddling up to the captian?"

You jumped into the water, away from Sevikas side. She grabbed the handle of her gun with wide eyes before stopping when she saw you, unmoving and clinging to a rock.

She wasn't lying when she said she would shoot you at any attempt to flee. But a pang shot through your chest anyway.

She cleared her throat and spoke, "What could you possibly want."

He tilted his head to the now finished ship. "Told ya we could do it, cap."

She sighed, standing up from the rock and sparing you one last glance before walking back to her ship.

I guess this was your queue to leave, but after the day you spent with her, a part of you couldn't leave. She had piqued a feeling that nobody ever had before.

So you watched her speak to her crew from a distance, bobbing in the dark waters. Your lips were curled down in a pouty frown.

She let everyone board before her, patting a heavy hand on the last man's back. Just before she stepped onto the ramp, she caught your gaze. Her eyes widened, and you dipped back under the water, out of sight.

She sighed and started to ascend the ramp to the deck, but not before hearing a splash from beside her. It was you, your fingers grasped at the wood, head balancing just above the ramp. Your torso was completely out of the water, and it dripped from your skin.

Her heart lurched at the sight, and she reached towards you, bending down into the water. You lowered yourself back into the sea as she closed the distance between you now. Her hat barely balanced itself on her head when she stroked a thick finger down your cheek.

You held her hand against your face and closed the gap between your lips completely. Sevikas lips were thick and warm and tasted roughtly of tobacco.

She was so unlike you, but you yearned for her deeply. Her form was rugged and large compared to your swift elegance and shiney scales. But when she pulled away and you looked into her eyes, you didn't seem to care whether she had legs or a tail.

Only that she was yours.

"I'll follow you wherever you go."

can you tell that i love pirates, and this is my favorite trope.. ALSO, tell me why i rewrote this 3 times because tumblr kept deleting it.. and not proof read pls correct me on anything! and reposts + feedback is always appreciated <33 thank you for reading !!

[cowboah-baby]

siren au baby!! (top image pose references from kibbitzer)

[alexsugi]

More of them ✨

[dclovesdanny]

Dead on Main x Merperson Au

Okay, this au is a mix of H2O and a bunch of fanfics I’ve read.

Those who get exposed to the pits develop certain traits that are activated by water, such as fangs and scales. However, the more exposed you are, the more features you get. Most of the League of Assassins only develops small features but the Al Ghuls (+ Talia’s adopted son Jason) become more like a harsher version of mermaids when submerged in water.

Also, in this au, Amity Park is right next to a lake where the Fentons set up their lab. The accident makes Danny similar to the people from H2O, and he constantly has to avoid water.

After a bad reveal, Danny and the other ghosts use a natural portal in the bottom of the lake to get to the ocean. They manage to set up a permanent portal for Danny to travel back and forth from, and he sets up a little underwater town.

After the confrontation where he revealed himself to the Joker and Batman, Jason escaped to the ocean, injured and fighting back grief and anger. He feels the blood loss, his head getting dizzy. As his vision swims,he sees the blurry figure of a white haired being with green eyes, and a tail just like his.