#siren jeongguk

[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

[wannaghostbts]

Another fic that I don't think will ever get completed but still won my heart!~

drown for you | series masterlist

there was something in that enormous tank, hidden in the murky water. all you knew was that you weren’t allowed inside the room and that it used to hold something dangerous.

pairing: siren!jk x f reader

genre: sci-fi, merman/siren au, fluff, angst, smut

main masterlist

jjk masterlist

fic tag

art

illustrations

originally posted: february 2020>

rewritten: january 2021>

this fic is currently being re-written, but it’s low on my list of priorities so it’s going to take a while. the old version is available on my patreon as a pdf, but the fic will be updated here as well in the future

—

01 

02 

03

04 

05 

06 

07 

07.5

08 

09 

10 

11 

12 

[hellbornsworld]

JUNGKOOK FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS(13)࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ࿐

𐙚 Late Night Encounters | underground boxer!jk x volleyballplayer!reader | Series | @cherrygukkie

𐙚 Drown for You | siren!jk x f reader | Series | @jeonstudios

𐙚 My baby girl | Jungkook X Reader | One-Shot | @rkivepetals

𐙚 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 | Neighbor!Jungkook x Fem!reader | One-Shot | @cravetive

𐙚 A cheating way | Jungkook x f!reader | One-Shot | @bangytell

𐙚 Valentine Vixen | Stripper! Reader x Rich! Jungkook | One-Shot | @bunnyhugs77

𐙚 lonely hearts club | JK X Reader | One-Shot | @dovechim

𐙚 Woman on Top | JK X Reader | series | @heartbeatan

𐙚 Man Eater Hunting | Idol! Jungkook x "Man Eater”! Reader | One-Shot | @httpjungkookcom

𐙚 oxygen | Mafia!Jungkook x f!Reader | One-Shot | @gimmethatagustd

𐙚 Empty Space | Police Officer Jungkook X Reader | Two-Shot | @ahundredtimesover

𐙚 Trapped Hearts | Jungkook x Fem!Reader | @kxxkiecxre

𐙚 sanguis | vampire!jungkook x vampire!reader | Two-Shot | @7deadlysinsfics

𐙚 LOVE WAGER! | jungkook x fem!reader | Series | @2hightocare

𐙚 sate | Vampire!Jk X Reader | One-Shot | @adonis-koo

𐙚 the curious lifespan of migrating monarchs | streamer!jk x international student!female oc | One-Shot | @alphabetboyluvr

𐙚  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 | jungkook x reader | One-Shot | @solecize

𐙚 bottle up old love | Jungkook x Reader | One-Shot | @wintaerbaer

𐙚 new beginnings | ceo!jungkook x figureskater!oc | One-Shot | @nochukoo97

𐙚 the philosophy of good luck | tattooartist!jungkook x reader | One-Shot | @kidguk

𐙚 Colors | Jeongguk x Reader | Series | @inkjam-moon

𐙚 The Prince with the Ugly Heart | Prince!JK X Reader | Series | @daydreamindollie

𐙚 Son Of Dracula | vampire|jungkook x human|reader | Series | @katobobato

𐙚 THE YOUNG WOLF |  jungkook/reader | game of thrones au | One-Shot | @junqkook

𐙚 Babe 🎀 | Husband!koo X reader | One-Shot | @rkivepetals

𐙚 lifetime. | yan!jjk x reader | Two-Shot | @blackswan446

[bangtanloverboys]

as promised, the reamining outlines for deep waters.

18+ content/mature themes

--------------

Despite their earnest attempts to try and help Jeongguk find and return back to his pod, it was proven to be quite difficult. They asked him a multitude of questions; from migration patterns, to hunting grounds, anything they could think of to help them find where his family might’ve gone. But considering Jeongguk was unfamiliar with maps and human directions, he had very vague answers. “Follow the warm waters. Away from the deep darkness.” Whatever that meant.

Standing in the shower, you let the hot water roll down your body as you thought over and over again of Jeongguk’s words. They were so simple and clear, yet you couldn’t think straight about what in the world they meant! Closing your eyes, you splashed some water in your face, you needed to stop stressing about it. At least for right now.

So deep in your thoughts, you didn’t hear the shower curtain be pulled open. A gentle hand on your shoulder partially startled you until you saw it was Yoongi behind you, just as naked as you were. 

“You okay there, pretty?” His voice was soft as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Yeah, just. . . feeling like I’m losing my mind,” you huffed as you leaned back into his embrace.

“Well then.” Yoongi dragged his lips over the shell of your ear. “Why don’t you let me help you lose it a bit more?”

You let out a snort as you turned in his arms. “You’re ridiculous”

“And you love me for it,” he teased as his hands rested on your hips, slowly backing you up against the wall. Already you could feel his hard-on pressing up against your thigh.

“Unfortunately so.”

He chuckled as he brought his lips to yours. You snaked your arms around his shoulders in a poor attempt to bring him closer as he pressed you up against the tile. Yoongi abandoned your mouth to kiss down your jawline, a soft moan escaped your lips as your eyes fluttered shut.

One of Yoongi’s large hands splayed over your thigh, pulling your leg to hook around his waist, opening you up for him. You could feel his cock sliding over your folds, giving you the tiniest bit of friction. 

“Yoongi, please,” you whined as your fist knotted in his hair, eliciting a groan from him.

“Patience, pretty. Patience.” You could feel his smirk as he continued kissing and biting down your neck. Any and all thoughts that didn’t revolve around Yoongi were suddenly thrown out the window, all you cared about in that moment was him. How you needed him inside you.

You opened your eyes wanting to look at Yoongi but your breath caught in your throat as your gaze was met by Jeongguk’s dark eyes, standing in the middle of the bathroom as he peered into the open shower. He didn’t say or do anything, simply watched the two of your curiously, his head slightly cocked to the side. 

For a moment, one split moment, you debated on whether or not to tell Yoongi that Jeongguk was behind him, watching. You couldn't deny how your body grew even hotter at the mere concept, but you couldn’t do that. No.

Snapping yourself out of it, you smacked Yoongi’s shoulder. “Jeongguk,” hissing out the siren’s name to your boyfriend. Quickly, he pushed you behind him, obscuring your naked body out of sight with his own. You had no idea when or where Yoongi had suddenly become comfortable being unabashedly nude in front of others, but you decided not to question it any further, still reeling at your own thoughts.

“Jeongguk, the door was closed. Privacy, please?” He asked the younger one, slightly exasperated.

“Privacy,” he repeated.

“Alone, undisturbed,” Yoongi defined, “We’ll be out in a sec, just- just go. Please.” He pointed out the door. Jeongguk seemingly understood as you watched from behind Yoongi’s shoulder as he turned on his heel and walked back out the door of the bathroom, shutting it.

Yoongi’s shoulders sagged once he was out, relieved. “I honestly forgot he was here for a moment.”

You chuckled nervously in response as you turned to face the shower stream, trying to calm your wildly beating heart. Never before have you ever been interested in being watched. Sure, you and Yoongi were adventurous from time to time, but it was always just the two of you. If you were ever interrupted, you would stop. So for you to suddenly be okay with Jeongguk watching, you threw yourself for a loop.

By the time the two of you were out of the shower and dressed, you found Jeongguk sitting at the foot of your bed, watching yet another movie on the television. Before you were confused as to why he watched so many TV shows and movies, then repeating the lines to you and Yoongi. But after learning what exactly he was, it clicked. He was learning, trying to figure out how to communicate. It was fascinating how fast he was able to catch on, despite still struggling in some areas.

“Alright, so do you wanna head into work today or should I?” Yoongi asked as he poured his coffee into a mug. 

“Work?” Jeongguk called from over on the bed, his head cocked to the side.

“Uh, work? It’s uhh. . . It’s what we do when we leave the house. We study fish,” you explained. 

“Can I go work?”

“I. . .uh. . . I guess? He can come with us, right?” You looked over to Yoongi, trying to see if he had any input. 

“As long as we keep him from the expensive equipment, I think we’ll be good.” He gave a shrug as he took a sip of his coffee. “Maybe he could help us a bit with finding his pod too?”

That was also a good point, with the help of some of the lab equipment you could try and narrow down possible locations of where the pod might be. It was worth a shot. “Alright, that settles it. Jeongguk, let’s get you changed. You’re coming to work with us.”

“Work!”

----- that's all that was written for part 7 -----

Yoongi and reader take turns going to work and watching jeongguk until they’re like, okay he needs us both, he comes to work and they search more for his pod. Tells them hunting stuff etc etc

They’re really fascinated by it and against bring up conflict of scientific discovery vs they ruin this species way of life

(overhear reports of fishing boats sinking)(look into fishermen disappearing more)

Go back home and then the sleep thing. Normally jeongguk sleeps on the couch but lately they’ve noticed that he kinda stares at them over their bed, so he joins them, sleeping in the middle of it (copies their nightly routine and kisses them goodnight)

PART 8

Starts being more noticeable that jeongguk is getting more irritable and more touchy with both of them

He even starts mimicking things they do to each other (calling them nicknames “pretty” “love” “babe”), kissing them, it surprises them both

But then it starts to get more sensual. Reader and yoongi are like “im okay with this are you okay with this?” kinda talk

Turns out he’s going into a rut and he’s like, “i don’t know what to do”

They try to leave him to do his own thing but eventually he’s like begging and pleading like “please, i need- i need it” and they fuck

You at first just look to yoongi because it’s his call and he’s like “come here baby”

Soft sex featuring sub koo, dom yoongi, switch reader 

Yoongi tells reader to kiss jeongguk and she does, while yoongi is feeling a lot of emotions of seeing her kiss someone else

Yoongi then tells koo to kiss him and reader peppers his neck with kisses and he whines about it; while yoongi’s hand travels lower on koo and starts stroking him

Whiney jk that pouts as he’s being played with

reader coos at him asking what he wants “mouth, pretty’s mouth” and she sucks him off, yoongi whispering dirty things in his ear. He cums in her mouth 

He has stamina bc he’s fucking strong; up again in no time

Yoongi then has reader and jk suck him off, basically making out over his cock

Before he cums, he has them stop and tells koo to enter yn

While he does so, he fingers jk’s ass; prepping him 

Then he starts fucking jk’s ass, all of his pounding gets transferred to reader too

Jk cums in her and gets overstimulated; yoongi comes in jk’s ass

(mating marks happen idk yet)

Jeongguk is exhausted and reader’s a bit worn out and don’t leave him yet, yoongi goes to get towels to clean them both up

Aftercare good night

PART 9

Overheard on the news that a fisherman’s entire crew was attacked by “crazy wild fish people” and jungkook perks up and is like “them! Them!”

They found the pod 

They run into a storm on the way there and apparently jeongguk has been missed by his pod as when they get into those waters, the ship starts to get attacked by sirens 

His pod assumes they took him and experimented on him, so they go to kill them

Jeongguk is like “no im here! It’s okay look! I want to go home!” but its too late, reader ends up getting stabbed by one of their spears and jeongguk freaks out bc he’s mated with her and yoongi and now he’s being forcefully separated

Yoongi manages to call the coast guard and gets her to the hospital in time, says there was an accident or something idk 

She lives and yoongi is happy and they’re both kinda sad that jeongguk is gone

PART 10

They manage to go one with their own lives for a few months and they can’t help but feel empty at the loss of jeongguk

Till there’s a knock at the door and it’s jeongguk again, who is badly beaten and hurt

Turns out because he mated to humans, he was banished (can’t mate with humans)

But anyways he wants to stay with reader and yoongi and they’re just concerned “what if you dry out and what if someone sees you”

It becomes complicated and they sleep on it but they’re happy jeongguk is back with them

Happy ending idk

[taekookreading]

These Dark Endeavours (103k) by study_a_latte

Summary:

As a Sentinel, Jeongguk knows well the tidal wave of zones or the ice that blankets him when he forces the sense-stealing pills down his throat. But that is the cost of freedom when security comes at the price of submitting to the Law of Conscription. It was by chance that he runs into the infamous Guide who’s heart song promises all Sentinels safety from their own senses. Kim Taehyung: the Siren. Taehyung is a flame. And Jeongguk burns.

// Please, read the tags. //

[cakejerry]

the way jimin has gone from this alluring sexy siren-like party animal social butterfly persona to a complete loser who rots in his bed with no friends no pussy in complete isolation looking at his space projector all day (spoilers) is so damn funny 😭 like wow sometimes celebrities are really just like us

person at fault: jeon jeongguk.

[red-pandaaaaaaart]

[a-detraque-barista]

Marigolds and Sea Water

Yandere Siren Jimin x Reader, a little bit of Yandere Siren Jungkook x Reader

Warnings: yandere themes, possessive Jungkook, graphic killing, character death, mention of 

Word Count: 3.1k

“Come on, come on! Wake up!” your voice was frantic as you held the half fish-man in your arms. You brought him underwater again and back up.

    You had found him washed up on the shore. He was barely breathing so you tried to keep him alive by bringing him back into the water. So far nothing was helping. He still had a pulse but it was faint. You went deeper into the ocean so you were just barely touching the ground. Taking in a deep breath you went underwater and swam as far as you could. You didn’t want to let him go but you also couldn’t hold your breath forever. You could feel your eyelids drooping and your lungs burning. Seeing the man’s eyes flutter, you smile.

Everything went black after that.

When your eyes fluttered open you looked around to see plain white walls and the consistent beeping of the monitor next to you. Confusion took over your whole mind. You couldn’t piece together where you were or how you got there. It didn’t help how you began to feel nauseous. You felt a sharp pain in your chest. What was going on? 

“Y/n please calm down, you’re in the hospital,” a nurse came rushing in after getting notified of your escalating heart rate. She took your hands and tried to get you to calm down, “Breathe, in and out.”

Eventually, you were able to calm down enough for her to explain how you ended up in the hospital. Someone had used your phone to call an ambulance but they were gone before EMS arrived. The nurse had also explained that you have gotten pneumonia from the water being in your lungs. To fight the infection you have to take antibiotics every day, twice.

You suspected the aquatic man had saved your life, even knowing enough about society to call an ambulance to help you. Staring up at the ceiling you were thinking about what to tell your boss when you went back to work in a few days. She didn't take lightly to excuses for not coming into work. As long as you had a doctor’s note, your punishment wouldn't be too harsh. 

The doctor came in and said you would be able to go home within a few hours but you had to stop for your medication before going home.

You lived in a small town so it didn't take you long to walk to the pharmacy and home. The sun was setting and the wind was getting stronger. It felt nice but you just wanted to get home and sleep in your own bed. 

    The next day you took a walk along the shore as you silently hoped to see the mysterious sea creature that you met the other day. With no such luck, you went home to spend the rest of the day lounging on your couch while catching up on your favorite show you haven’t been able to get to in a while.

    You kept going back to where you found the man ashore, every day. However, every day, there was no sign of him.

✤✤✤

    Three weeks later you were laying in your bed. You had just woken up, looking over to your alarm clock, the big red numbers read 3:58 AM. Groaning, you reluctantly sat up and dug your palms into your eye sockets. Why did you have to wake up so early on your day off? It was a tragedy nobody should have to suffer. 

    You decided to go for a swim since it was warm enough and you needed something to do for another two hours until your favorite coffee shop opened up.

    Choosing a random spot to set your towel and bag, you took off your coverup and walked into the water. You dove into the water once you were in decent depth. Most people would have been traumatized and wouldn’t go near the water ever again. But you didn’t really care, you loved the ocean and you weren’t going to let that one moment ruin it. You broke the surface and slicked your hair back as you stared up at the moon. It was full and bright while there were no clouds in sight. You began to float on your back as you daydreamed while gazing at the stars. 

    Dreaming of what could be and what could’ve been when you felt something wrap around your stomach and pulled you under the water. You struggled as much as you could but whatever grabbed you wrapped its arms around yours. You stopped kicking and tried to look behind you but it stopped you by digging his face in your neck. Your air supply was running low, noticing this, he brought both of you up to the surface. Taking in a deep breath you were able to level out your breathing.

    “I forget you can’t breathe underwater sometimes,” his voice was smooth and light. The airy chuckle he let out was endearing. “I tried to stay away from you for weeks. But I just couldn’t do it.” His arms tightened around your middle. “I needed to see you again. And hold you again. Even only for a little while.”

    He unwrapped his right arm from around you to grab your wrist. You felt your skin tingling the more he held your wrist. When he let go of it, he took your forearm and bent it upwards so you could see the marking he left. It looked like a bracelet that held charms, a moon crescent, stars, and waves were now embedded into your skin like a tattoo. Hugging you one last time he whispered, “I’ll be back for you.”

    With that, he sunk back into the water and swam off before you could even process what had happened. You swam back to shore and quickly dried off and grabbed your things. The sun was already beginning to rise so you had to quickly take a shower and get dressed before the morning rush hit the coffee shop. 

    Once you saw your favorite barista working through the glass door you practically skipped up to the counter. He laughed the whole time as he watched the way you were walking. You loved being able to make him laugh, he was usually a very shy person.

    “Gooooood morning, Jeongguk,” you rested your arm on the display case full of baked goods right next to the register.

    “Good morning, Y/n. Your usual?” Jeongguk tried to hide his smile as he typed in your order.

    “Yessssss, could you add a muffin? They are calling out to me.”

    “Are you sure that’s not just your other personality?”

    “I would say something if that weren’t true,” you both laughed as you talked while waiting for your drink.

    Jeongguk suddenly stopped talking as he noticed your wrist. His eyes became dark as his coworker handed you your drink. You put both the bag and the drink in your left hand before looking to Jeongguk with your eyebrow raised. You reached out to poke his face but he quickly grabbed your wrist. He stared at the marking intensely before asking, “Who gave you this?”

    You had never seen this side of Jeongguk. He was usually all smiles and witty comments. You were concerned about how fast his mood changed from seeing a marking from a mysterious seaman. Not knowing what to tell him you began to stutter, “I-I um, well, it’s kind of hard to-to explain Jeongguk.”

    He said nothing for a while before he finally let go of your wrist, “ I’ll be over at your house to talk after my shift. Don’t go near the ocean. Got it?” His eyes were dark as he looked at you from under his eyelashes. You were too confused to respond causing Jeongguk to grab your wrist again and say, “Got it?”

    He let go of your wrist after you nodded quickly. Exiting the shop, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Today was becoming too much for your heart to handle.

    You drank your beverage and ate your muffin at your coffee table while watching cartoons that played early in the morning. You had almost forgotten about Jeongguk coming over as you lost track of time.

    Your concentration on the cartoon was broken when you heard knocking at your door. You slowly set down your drink and stood up to open the door. There he was. In his all-black outfit and parted hair. You’ve had a tiny crush on Jeongguk for a while now. How could you not when he was so attractive, made you laugh, and was always kind to you? But you’ve never seen him like this before, angry and seething.

    Without asking, he walked in while pulling you with him. He kicked the door closed and brought you to stand in front of him.

"What are you doing?" your voice was shaky as you watched him bring your wrist up to his mouth. His dark eyes stared into yours. You felt him smirk against your skin before he let out a humorless chuckle.

“You have no idea what this is, do you?” watching your head shake, he sighed before explaining, “It’s a mark that sirens leave on their mates to keep any unwanted creatures away. But I’ve waited and waited till the day I could finally mark you as my mate. I won’t let some wild beast take you away.”

After he said that, he bit into your wrist. Hard enough to break the skin and cause you to bleed. Jeongguk pushed you back until you hit the wall so he could pin your other arm and both legs so you wouldn’t be able to struggle. You couldn’t move or get a word to come out. It’s like you were practically frozen. You didn’t understand what was going on. Your brain going into overdrive to try and process everything that’s happening. Jeongguk was biting into your wrist after practically telling you that he was a siren just like the man you had saved from the beach. And saying that you were his while confessing he had been waiting to mark you. What the hell was going on?

He didn’t pull his teeth back until he was satisfied with the fading of the mark. If the mark was taking this much to get rid of then the siren that had given it to you must be incredibly strong. 

As an apology, Jeongguk began to lick the blood and your wound. He never wanted to hurt you but it was a small price to pay to get the stench of another siren off of his beloved. He made sure the wound had stopped bleeding before he pulled away to look into your eyes. Surprisingly, you had kept quiet the entire time with the occasional whimper. He thought you would scream and curse at him but you did nothing as stared as if in a daze. Maybe you really did love him as much as he loved you. He smiled as he took you in his arms and held you tightly.

He brought you over to your couch and had you lay down so he could lay on top of you. Jeongguk rubbed his face against your chest and wrapped his arms under you. He had dreamed of this for so many months. Ever since he met you when you first moved to town from your big city life. How could he let someone, that hadn’t even known you for as long as he did, take you from him?

Jeongguk had practically fallen asleep right away. While you were left staring at the ceiling. So much has happened within several hours that you were exhausted but your mind was running too fast for you to fall asleep quickly. Over time, as the sun was hidden behind the clouds, you finally fell asleep.

Your eyes slowly opened as your pupils adjusted to the dim lighting. There was barely any light, only the light reflecting off of the water. Your legs were in the small pool and the rest of your body laid on the hard rocky surface. Your eyes were still unfocused as you examined what looks to be a cave. Trying to sit up you felt an arm bring you back down.

Looking over, you saw the man you had saved from the shore. He didn’t say a word. Just staring at you as you tried to get the strength back in your arms and legs. From where you were laying it seemed there was no other exit except the pool your feet were in. There may be one behind you but you can’t see it from there. You felt the arm around your middle tighten.

“There’s no point. I’m the only way you can get out of here.”

You made eye contact with the man who you assumed saved you before you drowned. His eyes were gold, they reminded you of the marigold flowers that grew around your house. 

“Why did you save me?” he whispered while he gazed into your eyes like he was looking for something.

“I couldn’t just leave you there. You were gonna die. Or worse, someone else found you that would…” you didn’t know how to finish your sentence. Whatever this man was, he wouldn’t be saved from the bottom of their heart. He would be saved to be experimented on or worse. 

All of these or worses made you want to crawl deeper into this cave. Humans were disgusting, even if you were one.

“I could ask the same thing,” you said quietly as you stared up at the ceiling of the cave.

“You saved my life, I had to save yours,” he rested his head on your shoulder before growling. 

He sat up to sink deeper into the water. He could only stay above the surface for so long. This finally gave you the chance to sit up yourself. You were a little sore but nothing too serious. From here you could really see him. His light blonde hair was slicked back with a few stray hairs falling into his face. Which brought your eyes to the bluish scales adorning his cheeks, down his neck, arms, and to his tail. His hands that reached out for your legs were webbed as there were short sharp nails at his fingertips.

“It’s time to rehydrate, my love.”

“Rehydrate?”

He grabbed you by your calves and pulled you into the water with him. He held you by your waist, “We can’t stay out of the water too long or we’ll die.”

“Um, I’m human. I should be out of the water most of the time,” it was obvious you weren’t like him.

    The man didn’t say anything, all he did was examine your features. You could see the color of his eyes more clearly from here. Not only were they an abnormal color but the pupils were also different. They were eight-pointed stars. You had never seen anything like them. Being this close to him also made you realize he was still a stranger, “I don’t even know who you are.”

    He finally blinks and thinks for a moment. “My name’s Jimin. But you can call me anything you want,” his voice was soft and smooth. It almost put you into a daze. “And what’s your name, my love?”

    “Y/n,” Why was his voice so soothing? To any other stranger you would reluctantly give your name, most of the time a fake one or none at all. Why did you give it up so easily? And why was he looking at you with such intensity?

    “What a wonderful name,” he breathed, his face was already so close to yours. He began to hum an unfamiliar melody as he slowly twirled the two of you in the water. 

    Wait...how did you get here? The last thing you remembered was laying down with Jeongguk on your couch. Nothing was adding up. “Hey Jimin?”

    “Yes?” he stopped humming to listen to what you were going to say.

    “What happened to Jeongguk? And how did I get here?” you tried not to overwhelm him with too many questions so you could get the answers you needed to the more important first two.

    “Well, Jeongguk and I made an agreement. Long story short, I’m the winner that gets to win your heart,” he sung with a sing-song voice. 

    Of course, Jimin didn’t want you to know that he murdered your dear friend. Jeongguk had idiotically explained how the two of you have been friends and how he has been trying to make you his mate for months. This only caused Jimin to fill with rage and kill Jeongguk. Jimin ate his heart as all sirens did when challenged and came out victorious. Leaving the rest of the scraps to the sharks. This underwater world was dangerous and feral which is why Jimin must protect you from all harm. Even from the surface world. 

    He sang as loud as he could towards your house, hoping it would be loud enough for you to hear through your walls. Luckily, it was just enough to seep through your open window and into your ears. You were still half asleep by the time you stood up but you made it out of your house and to the beach rather easily. As soon as you were waist-deep in the water, Jimin pulled you down and slipped something similar to kelp into your mouth and had you swallow it. Holding your face, he waited until he saw you breathe to make sure it had worked before grabbing your hand and swimming off.

    Now here you were, dancing in the water with the siren that had taken you unknowingly. He began to sing as he sunk further and further down with you still in his arms. You tried to push away from him but his grip became tighter and his voice got louder. Even as you sunk deeper into the water you could hear his voice. Everything was becoming darker and darker the further you went. You looked to Jimin worriedly but all he did was give you a charming smile before you finally succumbed to his voice and let all of your worries swim away. 

    Sirens can live for thousands of years while humans could barely live for one hundred. That’s why Jimin needs to make you into a siren just like him. The only way to do that is to mate with you. And he very well can’t do that on the surface or near it where others can see your beauty, right? He’ll break you from his spell but not until he’s got you completely within his grasp, in his home, at the bottom of the abyss.

[arminty7]

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘦

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Mermaid!Jungkook x Reader [Part 1]

Trapped in this life of expensive wine and judgemental eyes Y/N met an unusual lady who offered her a job at an aquarium a few towns away. Despite being hesitant and uncertain for the future she decided to take the offer as it was her only way out, not knowing that many dangers might come her way. 

Jungkook swam his way through the small tunnel in wonder. He didn’t realise what he was ‘walking’ into as he took the entire night to explore a tunnel. He thought it might lead to you, how naive. It is only when he heard the piercing sound of drilling from the small tunnel entrance did he know what was happening, he was trapped. With that, his instincts took over.

Chapter: #1 Swimming in Wine

Words: 2719

Warnings: Mild Swearing // Fluff // Eventual Smut? Idk maybe depends // Spelling might be off because I am not from America so the spelling is not Americanised, sorry - I might edit it later so it is. 

Characters Mentioned:

Main: Y/N // Julie (Otherwise known as “Lady”

Background: // Trudy (Aunt) // Victor (Old man) // Mother

Key: Y/M/N = Your Mothers Name // P/N = Place Name

© arminty7 2020 - All rights reserved

This work shall not be copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission. In a case where this might happen, legal action will be taken as it would be a criminal act under the law and breaching these terms. Upon reading my work you are acknowledging that this work is mine and that you know the consequences if this work is copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission.

Authors Note: 

Hi! So this is my first fanfic. Chapter 1 is pretty boring but I promise more will happen in Chapter 2. I just kinda wanted to get some background of the character a bit more before introducing the story. I hope you guys like it. Also, It is my first time really using Tumblr properly so If you have tips on like little things like how to create a masterlist and anything else you think I might need to know please tell me! I’m a baby at this. 

Also this is in first person but the later chapters will be in second person using “You” and “your” instead of “I” 

Sorry for the confusion, I’ll fix it up soon. Trust me the chapters after this are much better

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Have you ever been to one of those fancy dinner parties where everyone appears to be over the age of 40 years old, yet you swore your parents told you that there would be people the same age as you? No? Lucky, because that's the life I live nearly every week and it fucking sucks. 

"Y/N, just this once come for dinner? We need to celebrate Aunt Trudy's promotion! Come on, she would be heartbroken if you didn't come." I remember her pleading eyes as if it's her dinner party we're going too. Even though she was probably there just to get the new latest gossip on, well, whoever she could really. 

"Just this once" I replied with a neutral look on my face. 

Man, curse those three words that came out of my mouth, I was ready to ditch this place as soon as I entered the door. The air smelled of lit candles and expensive wine, truly if I'm being honest, it smelled like rich old people and I did not like it one bit. I sat in the corner of the room holding a full wine glass, trying to avoid anyone and everyone, especially that one old rich business man Victor. It's not like he was doing anything to me but in the first hour being here I'd seen him chat up three ladies and drink enough wine classes to know that he was on the verge of being drunk. 

"Y/N!" My mother grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling me up from the small seat in the corner of the room.

Damnit.

"Yes? Everything okay?" I spoke sweetly, despite me wanting to show her that I had no interest in what she was saying.  

She dragged me out of the dining room and into the lounge. I look over to see my Aunty Trudy and two other ladies who smiled and laughed before looking over to me and my mother. 

"Oh hey... Y/M/N daughter, right?" she paused, looking me up and down at my black pants and hoodie. "What was your name again?" I raised my eyebrows, although I can't blame her for not remembering my name.

I look over at my mother, "she would be heartbroken if you didn't come" I remember the words vividly. 

She doesn't even know me.

"My name is Y/N. Congratulations on your promotion!" I look over to her, smiling. She smiles brightly, her hand on her chest as If I just told her she's the most beautiful woman I've seen. Which by the way, would be the biggest lie as her appearance reminds me that of a dried shrimp. 

"Oh really?! Thank you, you're too kind." I just smile at her, mentally rolling my eyes. Her eyes then lift. "I have an idea... How about I make a toast? This is just such a good memory to not say a few words to, don't you think Y/N?" I looked at her frowning, then quickly changing to a small smile and a nod. If there was anything I've learned over the past years is to not show how you really feel at this type of dinner party, it can cause a lot of trouble.

Ding, ding, ding.

I watch as she taps a small spoon provided by a waiter onto her wine glass. It took a minute before everyone looked over towards her but once they did, she started to speak. By then my mind was wandering aimlessly around the room, eager to distract myself from this tragic dinner party. I come across the television behind me that had the sound all the way down. I become intrigued as it showed blurry clips of what seemed to be something in the distance in the water, resembling a human although it swam away after a quick 2 seconds of filming it. The title on the screen read "MERMAID FOUND! MAN FOUND AND FILMED MERMAID JUST OFF THE COAST OF P/N" I roll my eyes. The media are stupid sometimes. A mermaid? Really? What a load of crap. The video was probably fake. 

I feel a nudge on my arm as I look over to my mother who is clapping happily with the rest of the guests. She looks at me warningly as Trudy comes over and laughs. "Did you like my speech Y/N?" she says holding her now a full glass of wine. Probably a wine too many if I'm being honest.

I look over at her and smile, "It was ah... meaningful. I can see you put a lot of thought in it" I stare at her and cocked my head as I see the waiter coming in the corner of my eyes. I give him my drink as I really didn't feel like drinking tonight, especially here. 

She cocks her head as well as if to challenge me. 

Ah, finally, she realised that I really don't give a shit 

She smiles walking off to another group as this one seemed to be too boring, not that I'm complaining though. One of the ladies who was standing with us looks over at me. "So, Y/N, what are you planning to do in the future?" I'm hesitant to speak but was interrupted by my mother, "Oh my dear Y/N, well at the moment you wanted to do something with marine animals am I correct?" she smiles at me, her arm over my shoulder. I look over at her frowning slightly but smile as I look back at the lady as she actually seemed to be interested, or perhaps she was just really good at faking it.

"Ah yes. I have a job at the moment at the aquarium nearby although it's a very small place, I haven't really got to experience anything grand yet" I take a look at my watch. "Uh actually speaking of work I'm gonna have to go soon, don't want to wake up too tired." That was a lie, I don't have work tomorrow.  

The lady looked at me as if she knew right through my lie. "Oh, that's a pity, I was going to see if you'd be interested in a job offer. Coincidently, I know someone who was looking to hire a young woman like yourself, interested in working in an aquarium with marine animals." She smiles as if she knew how much I wanted this. 

"I'm sorry what? Really?" I say, completely forgetting about how terrible tonight is, maybe it wasn't all for nothing. She smiled, "Yes you heard correctly. My friend is the owner of this brand new huge upcoming aquarium that apparently is opening pretty soon actually. Any interest?" 

I look at her smiling, "Oh wow... yes! Definitely." I felt my hands ball into fists as I was a little child accepting a lollypop for the first time in forever. I suddenly stop, looking down coming to a realisation, "But... there's only one Aquarium in P/N". she sighs, then shrugs before saying. "It's a few towns away from here and near the coast but I assure you, you won't find another job like this one." I squint my eyes at her a little, trying to figure out why she'd want to help me. "I'll have to think about it..." I say quietly. 

She nods, agreeing. "Well don't take too long, it's opening pretty soon. Get your mother to contact me by Friday with a decision" She then smiles, "I'll let you get home now, we wouldn't want you to miss work, now would we?" she winks.

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I get home, barely making it through the door as I start to go upstairs shoving my jacket and shoes off before I make it to my room. I lay on my bed, somewhat uncomfortable in my jeans and hoodie as I start to think about the job proposal.  

"Did she really mean it?" 

"Was she just messing with me?"

See, in this world of silverware, wine glasses and private affairs, it's extremely hard to know If someone has your best interests or not. My father left when I was 12 and now I'm 18, as soon as he left I told my mother I didn't want her money or her help anymore as I felt it was cheating and it was the reason dad left. I can't possibly think that I should take this job offer right? It goes against everything I have ever believed in, everything he believed in. 

Although... he once said to me, "take every opportunity you can get, you never know what could happen unless you leap forward and see for yourself". 

With that thought in mind, I quickly changed into my bunny pyjamas and jumped onto my bed, ready for sleep to drag me away from my problems. 

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5 Days Later

The sun rose up shining violently through my window across my bed as I slowly opened my eyes, ready to be blinded. I groaned as I grabbed onto a pillow on my left and shove it onto my face, mentally facepalming for not closing my curtains last night. It was now Friday and I was already thinking about that job offer. I couldn't help it. It has been on my mind for the past few days now and last night I quit my job before officially decided I am going to do it. 

I rolled on my right side and slid out of bed facing the wall, making sure the light didn't blind me. I went over to the window and closed the curtains, the room now becoming dark. I looked over to my bed, it looked inviting enough to go back to sleep for another few hours although I knew I had to get up. I couldn't be bothered to turn the light on, so I dragged myself around towards my closet and grabbed some jeans and a hoodie that was two sizes too big. I sighed and slowly walked outside my room towards the bathroom to get ready. 

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I walked out of the bathroom, feeling somewhat more refreshed but in desperate need of a coffee. I walked downstairs, hearing my mother in the dining room eating her breakfast. I passed her not saying a word as I went into the kitchen. 

"Ah Miss Y/N, good morning! How are you? Did you sleep well? Want some breakfast?" Marina bombarded me with questions like she always did every morning, but I didn't mind. She's the house cook and a good one, in fact. She greets me with a smile every day and tries to protect me when she sees any of mother’s friends trying to harass me when trying to find out mother’s secrets. It just occurred to me now that I haven't told her I'm leaving yet.

"No, I'm okay Marina. I just wanted to grab a piece of fruit or something." I smile at her, a real smile. She playfully smacks me with her tea-towel that was sitting on her shoulder. 

"Ah no, you’re not! Here have some sweets I made, fresh out of the oven!" She stuffed a doughy substance in my mouth, only for it to be revealed as a doughnut.

I smiled happily eating the doughnut.

To think just last night, I declared that from today that I was going to eat healthier. 

Oh well. 

I sat on the kitchen bench and finished my doughnut, looking at Marina. "So... I know you have always been good to me and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner but-" Marina smiled and cut me off, "you're leaving". 

I stumbled with my words a little, a little shocked. "Y/N, I have known you since you were in diapers, don't act so surprised. Also, I'll be fine here, don't you worry." She gave me a heart-warming smile, but I still was shocked she guessed that I was leaving. She turned around to the fridge and grabbed some banana milk, putting it in my hand.

"I heard your mother talking about the possibility of you leaving Y/N, I may be smart but I'm not that smart." She chuckled and then looked over at one of the cooks. 

"Come on! Hurry up, stop dawdling" she yells and then looks at me. "And you missy, should go and get things sorted. You have your whole life ahead of you." She smacked me with the towel again as I hopped off the counter, my banana milk in hand. 

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"Mother! What was that lady's phone number? The one who offered me the job?" I leaned on the outside door frame as I looked over at her sunbaking. 

"Oh, I don't know Y/N. Just call her off my phone." she reached her hand over to mine as she didn't move from her spot. I rolled my eyes and took the phone, heading back towards the lounge room. I sat down and took a long breath as I pressed the call button. It rang for a while and for a second, I didn't think she'd answer.

"Hello?" she answered. 

"Uh hi, it's Y/N." My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to. 

"I know. Did you think about my offer?" 

"Yes, and I thought about it and figured I should give it a try," I said, feeling more confident about my decision. 

"That's good to hear. I talked to the guy who owns the aquarium and he said he'd be happy to take in new workers. Although you need to leave as soon as possible" Her voice sounded somewhat stern.

"Wait, by "as soon as possible" what do you mean?" 

"I'll pick you up tomorrow Y/N"

"Wait! Wait-" Oh great, she hung up. 

I still had way more questions, but I don't think they'd be answered until tomorrow. I sighed and got up putting the phone onto the coffee table and heading for my room. It was 4pm and I really needed to pack. 

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I had to get up early tomorrow as the lady who I just recently found out her name is actually Julie was coming here really early. I was in my room, sitting on my bed with my huge ass suitcase getting my things ready before I heard a knock on my door. 

"Miss Y/N" I smiled knowingly. "Yes, Marina?" she popped her head in and looked at me. 

"I made some sweets for you, for the drive" she smiled with a couple of containers in her hand. 

"Oh Marina, I'm going to miss your cooking. And you of course." I grabbed the containers and put them next to my suitcase. 

"Y/N" My mother yelled from downstairs, "Your ride is here. Hurry up". I rolled my eyes before looking at Marina. I sighed as I saw her teary eyes, I could tell she was trying to hide it. 

"I'm gonna miss you, you know Y/N" She sniffles and looks over at the containers of food. "Who else is gonna love my cooking more than you?" 

I smile softly before reaching over to hug her, "Don't worry, I'll come back to visit". She sniffles and hugs me back, "Your very much like your father you know?" I stood back a little in confusion. 

"Because I'm leaving?" I ask. She shakes her head, "no, no, no. Not like that. He was always travelling and going places, always wanted to see if there was another better place... He believed in some absurd things at times, but he was always on the move. Ready for the next adventure..." she tucked your hair behind your ear. 

"Y/N!!" Your mother yelled again before Marina smacked you playfully with her tea-towel, "come on girl! Get a move on." I laughed and hugged her again before grabbing my awfully big suitcase and going downstairs. I looked over at my mother, "Don't go falling for some boy while you’re gone Y/N" I looked at her, raising my eyebrows. I guess that's her way of saying 'Be safe". 

"I won't," I told her as I walked out of the house heading toward the car. The house that will no longer feel familiar to me in a couple of months. Not that I had a profound connection with it, but it was my only home. Despite this, I felt ready. Ready to explore the rest of this vast ocean and see what mysteries will lie ahead once I leap forward.

Authors Note: 

I know it’s short. I’ll update soon! Hope you liked it. You’ll see more of JK next. 

[bubmyg]

why can I not stop listening to the savage love remix

[inkjam-moon]

Red Sky (M) - Part Two

Summary: Jeongguk finally decides to let you help him search for a cure, but could it create more trouble than it's worth?

Pairing: Siren!Jeongguk x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Word Count: 14.5k (I STILL have nothing to say...)

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

.

.

.

The next morning when you wake up, you faintly remember Jeongguk carrying you to bed last night, and touch your cheek again as you think of it, smiling. You get up and change into clean clothes before heading out. As you open the door to your room, you smell… something? You look up to see Jeongguk standing in the kitchen and walk over to find out what he’s doing; surprised to find him cooking.

“Morning noona.” He greets without looking up. 

“Morning. You’re cooking?” It’s more an observation than a question.

He nods. “Hyung taught me how to make a few things, it’s not much, but I figured rice and eggs would be okay?” He finally looks up at you and your stomach flutters for some reason at his smile. You beat the feeling down inside you before returning the smile. 

“Sounds great.” You walk back over to the living room, wanting to pick up where you left off last night as you sit on the couch and pick up a few loose papers. 

After a few minutes, Jeongguk walks over and places a plate full of food in front of you before sitting on the floor next to you. He watches you carefully for a few minutes as he eats before speaking. 

“So, have you found anything yet?”

“Um, well, there’s about a million mentions of this cave? Someplace called… ‘Antrum Ventis’. Have you heard of it?”

“The Cave of the Wind? Of course.”

“Right, there’s supposed to be all kinds of things in there that might be able to help. We could start there?”

“I’ve already checked there.”

You purse your lips. “Well, maybe you didn’t know what to look for. We should try anyway.”

“There’s just one problem.”

“What now?” You sigh, thinking Jeongguk is being intentionally difficult. 

“It’s at the bottom of a cave system, the entrance is in the ocean, and last time I checked, you can’t breathe underwater.”

“No, I can’t…” You admit, but perk up when you remember something. “But maybe I can.”

Jeongguk tilts his head in confusion. “How?”

.

Two hours later, you pull back up in front of the house where Jeongguk is waiting for you. The sun peeks rays through the cloud cover as you open the tailgate of the truck to show Jeongguk what you’ve got. 

“Ta da!” You pull the equipment toward you.

“What… What is this?” He asks, reaching out to touch the tubes attached to the backpack. 

“Scuba gear!” You explain. “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It hooks up to these oxygen tanks,” You tap the tanks, “and it’ll let me breathe underwater for a few hours.”

“Really?” His eyes go wide and you nod enthusiastically. “Okay, let’s go.”

.

After you change into your bathing suit, Jeongguk helps you lug the equipment down past the lighthouse to a narrow staircase that heads down the cliffside. It leads you to a dock where a small boat with an electric motor is tied. Jeongguk loads your equipment into the boat before jumping in and making himself comfortable next to the motor. You climb in with him, sitting down on the seat in front of him. When you’re situated, Jeongguk starts the motor.

“Are you ready?” He asks. You nod and Jeongguk unties the boat from the dock before you both begin to zip away into the water. 

As Jeongguk drives the boat to the cave entrance, you busy yourself with readying the equipment you borrowed from Donghyun. You slide on the scuba jacket that you borrowed from Saki before setting up your tanks and checking your regulator.  When everything is ready to go, you finally look up to see the island sinking away into the distance.

“How far out is it?” You turn and ask as the wind whips your hair around your face.

“About two miles. You’ll see the marker when we get closer.” Jeongguk states, his eyes focused on the horizon as he navigates without any equipment.

“How do you know where you’re going?” 

Jeongguk smiles at this and points upwards. “The same way the sailors used to. The sky.” You look up at the cloud cover, your eyes drawn to the few rays that poke through, beaming down into the deep blue waves.

After a few more minutes, you start to see a shape sticking out of the sea in the distance, and as you get closer, you see it’s a large outcropping of rock. You point at it in question and Jeongguk nods. He was right; he knew exactly where he was going.

You pull up next to the outcropping, and Jeongguk anchors the boat before tying it to a hook jutting out from the rocks to secure it. Small waves lap at the boat as Jeongguk helps you into your scuba gear, clicking all the buckles shut and tightening them before securing your goggles on your forehead and testing your regulator to make sure the oxygen is flowing. 

“Okay, everything’s good.” You state.

“Are you ready?” Jeongguk asks.

“Let’s go.” You nod. 

Jeongguk stands and whips his shirt off over his head, dropping it into the boat. Your eyes go wide as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts.

“Wait!” You exclaim, causing him to stop and look up at you before he can pull them down. “A-are you going to pop a tail or something?”

He smirks at this. “Are you afraid?”

“No.” You roll your eyes. “I just want to be prepared.”

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” With that, he turns away from you, exposing his ass to you as he slides down his shorts before diving head first into the water, splashing you lightly. 

“Jeongguk?” You lean over the side of the boat, searching the water for him until he pops up right in front of your face, nearly scaring you half to death as you fall back into the boat. “Fuck!”

Jeongguk giggles, resting his arms on the side of the boat. “Are you coming?”

You smack him in the head with one of your flippers before perching yourself on the edge of the boat, pulling your goggles down over your eyes and sticking your regulator into your mouth before allowing yourself to fall backwards into the water. 

It takes a second for you to orient yourself, pushing away from the boat as you look around. It’s pretty shallow here, maybe only 12 or so feet. You feel a hand on your arm and turn to see Jeongguk next to you. His hair floats in the water around him, his smile bright. Your eyes trail down his toned chest out of curiosity, and sure enough when you get to his waist, you see the beginning of it; Jeongguk’s tail. It looks to be a dark shimmery copper color with highlights of deep gold and amber fading into a dark brown and black towards the rather large tailfin. His tail looks absurdly strong, pure muscle rippling in the light of the waters.

“Is everything okay?” He questions, trying to get your intense gaze on his face instead of his body. 

You nod, giving him the okay sign with your fingers. He motions for you to swim with him and you follow along past a large school of fish and over to a large gaping hole in the ocean floor.

“This is the entrance.” He holds out his hand to you. “It gets dark, and the current can be pretty strong. I’ll be able to see, but I don’t want you to get separated from me.” 

You take his hand, nodding your readiness. 

“Stay close, noona.”

You squeeze his hand in assurance, taking out your flashlight with the other and flicking it on as Jeongguk leads you into the darkness. 

Jeongguk was right, the cave system is dark, and if Jeongguk wasn’t holding your hand, swimming against the strong currents, you would never be able to make it down here. You keep going deeper and deeper, turning several corners, you’re having a hard time getting your bearings, and you’re not sure how Jeongguk knows where he’s going as you start to feel a little claustrophobic, but he assures you that if it was easy to get to, it wouldn’t have what you need. You keep an eye on your air level, trying to calm yourself, knowing that if you start to panic you’ll use up your air a lot faster and you only brought two tanks. You’re already at only 50 bar; you’re going to have to surface, or change tanks soon.

How long have you been swimming? As you go to check your watch, your flashlight goes out. You squeeze Jeongguk’s hand twice, signaling a problem and he stops, you feel him grab your shoulders.

“What is it?”

You wave the flashlight in front of his face. 

He smiles, “Close your eyes.” You give him the hand signal for Why? “Just trust me.” You do as he says quickly, not having much time to waste, and close your eyes. After a few moments he speaks again. “Okay, open.”

You open your eyes and realize there’s some sort of dim light illuminating the cave around you. It takes you a moment before you notice, it’s coming from Jeongguk. He’s… He’s glowing? His tail has some sort of bioluminescence that lights up the water around you. It’s so… beautiful, like the soft glow of fireflies at dusk. You float there, temporarily awestruck by him; amazed at the moment you’re in; the two of you swimming in a cave underground, practically chest to chest as Jeongguk lights up the area around you. “Come on, we’re almost there.” He grabs your hand again, wrenching you out of the moment as he pulls you further in.

Suddenly as you swim, you’re moving up, and up, the area around you growing lighter and wider. The walls of the cave are a dark grey now, and small fish flit about the corals that grow here, everything suddenly bright and colorful, strikingly beautiful the farther up you go until suddenly you pop up out of a hole and into what looks like a picturesque fish bowl, aquatic plants waving gently in some invisible current, sunlight streaming down through the water and shining on colored fish as they dash between plants. Jeongguk points up and you follow him, swimming upwards and finally breaking through the surface.

You spit out your regulator and breathe in the fresh air, taking off your goggles as Jeongguk’s head erupts from the water, his hair slicked back off his face. 

“Welcome to Antrum Ventis.” Jeongguk smiles at you.

“Wow,” You gasp, looking around. There are several holes in the roof of the cave where sunlight shines in. The water leads to a small rocky shore, and on that shore, filling the cave from wall to wall, are piles and piles of treasures. It looks straight out of a pirate movie. Gold, silver, books, chests, furniture, paintings; anything you can imagine sits in front of you. 

Jeongguk swims over to the shore and sits himself on the rocky edge, his tail dangling into the water below as small waves lap at him. You swim over, taking off your gear and handing it to him before hoisting yourself up on the ledge next to him, looking around the cave. 

“What is this place?” You ask as you stand up.

“It’s sort of a… special place for Ineo.” Jeongguk explains. “It’s where they hide their treasure; old relics, things from the ships they sink, things they find.” You walk up to an old mirror and run your hands over the jewels hanging from it, listening to the way they clink against the glass. 

“What if someone finds us here?”

“Impossible.” Jeongguk shakes his head, his tail flicking in the water.

“What do you mean impossible, if this place is so special-”

“I’m kind of the only one who knows where it is…” Jeongguk admits.

You turn and stare at him, blinking in confusion. “What?”

He sighs. “When Yeongsu went on his rampage, it wasn’t just humans he killed. He killed Ineo first. When he ran out of Ineo, that’s when he turned to humans. Aside from the elders, who are protected and never leave their thrones, I was the only one that was spared. New Ineo aren’t told where this cave is for at least twenty years, and those who lose their humanity forget about it, so I’m the only one who knows where it is.”

“Right… Well, are you going to come help me look?”

“You want me to get out of the water? I didn’t bring any clothes…”

Your face flushes hot at the thought of having to keep Jeongguk’s naked form out of view. You look around, finding a cloth tapestry and tossing it at him. “Use this, come on.”

You turn away, listening to Jeongguk get out of the water and waiting for him to wrap the tapestry around himself so you aren’t tempted to look as you begin searching for something that might help cure him. 

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Jeongguk asks, strolling past you to dig through some chests. “Some sort of magical item?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You wave him off. “One of the books said that there are written records. Records from the beginnings of the Ineo. They could have a cure in them.”

“So a magic book?” Jeongguk teases. You offer him only the most scalding side-eye you can muster before continuing to search the pile of books in front of you.

The two of you search for what feels like hours, but you’re unsure how much time actually passes. You dig through chests, trunks, piles of books, behind furniture, under piles of jewels, inside vases, and behind paintings. After a while, you sit down in a huff, worried that you won't find anything, and Jeongguk might be stuck like this, but as you push your hair out of your face and look up, you notice a hole in the wall, just above your standing eyeline, and if you tilt your head just right, you think you can see something inside it. 

“Jeongguk,”

“Hm?” He pops up from behind a pile of gold coins. He watches as you stand and make your way over to the wall. 

“Grab me something to stand on.”

Jeongguk grabs one of the now empty chests and drags it over to you. “What is it?”

“There’s something in there.” You point at the hole before climbing up on the trunk.

You stretch and stretch, but it’s still out of your reach. Jeongguk jumps up next to you and tries as well, but he can’t get to it either. 

“Let me lift you.” He says, holding his arms out to you.

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Do you want to see what it is or not? Don’t you trust me?”

“Fine.” You spin toward the wall and Jeongguk grabs your hips, lifting you into the air with ease. You reach your arms up again. “Just a little higher…” He puts you down again, this time wrapping his arms around your legs and then lifting you higher than before. Your fingers are just able to graze what’s inside, quickly dragging everything you can to the edge of the hole and grabbing hold of it all. “Got it!”

Jeongguk carefully lowers you until your feet are on the trunk with him again, and then you both jump down onto the floor. You take everything over to the table and spread it out; two scrolls, a hand mirror, and a book. Jeongguk opens the scrolls to find both are paintings, and you blow the dust of the book to reveal an old, handwritten title; Ineo:  Oceani Immortalitate. 

“The Ocean’s Immortality. Jeongguk,” You look up at him. “This is it.” You walk over to one of the beams of sunlight and sit on the ground, cracking the book open as Jeongguk looks over your shoulder. You skim through page after page, telling tales of the Ineo’s beginnings and why the ocean created them, until about halfway through the book you get to the section you’re looking for titled Oceanum Maledictionem. The Ocean’s Curse. There’s only half a page of scrawled handwriting beneath the title and you take a deep breath, hoping it will tell you something useful. 

Though the ocean’s curse is strong, there is a way to defy her gift. One must find that which we Ineo do not naturally come by. Though the allure of our voices is irresistible, in order to return from whence we came, an Ineo must find someone to redeem them of their sins; someone that wants them beyond their enchanting voice. That is to say, an Ineo could fully regain their humanity, if a human were to truly love them, but aside from the fact that human fraternization is forbidden by the elders, no matter how we’ve tried, no one can see beyond our voices. It is a useless venture for any Ineo to take upon themselves. It will only end in the despair we are so used to…

“What does it say?”

“It says… love.”

“What?”

You read him the words. “An Ineo could fully regain their humanity if a human were to truly love them.” You point to it and Jeongguk takes the book from you, reading over the paragraph for himself. 

“It says it doesn’t work.”

“We don’t know that-”

“It says it right here! It will only end in despair!” Jeongguk slams the book shut and stands up. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try.” You point out.

He scoffs. “Who? Hm? Who on this fucking island is going to love me, huh? Name one person who doesn’t already hate me for being what I am!”

“Well, maybe we can go to the mainland and-”

“I can’t leave the island. It’s part of the curse, I can’t leave the water for that long I’ll die.”

“But we can try and find another way. W-we could always-”

“Just face it, Y/N.” Jeongguk stops you, standing on the edge of the rock. “I’m stuck like this.” And with that he jumps into the water, the tapestry floating up to the surface where he dove in. You stand and walk over to the edge, searching for him. As you retrieve the tapestry.

“Come on,” He pops his head back up above the surface. “We should head back.”

“Jeongguk-”

“Please.” Jeongguk says softly. “Let’s just go home.”

You nod. “Okay…”

You grab your waterproof bag and stuff the book, the mirror, and a few other things into it before sealing it back up. Jeongguk floats in the water, staring up at the holes in the roof as you switch out your oxygen tanks. When you’re done, you slip the tanks on and jump back into the water, tightening the buckles before sliding on your goggles and checking your regulator. You take one last look at the cave for your memories and then signal to Jeongguk. “Let’s go.”

Jeongguk takes your hand and you head back down into the entrance to the labyrinth below. Jeongguk’s bioluminescence is dim this time, making it much harder for you to see, so you allow Jeongguk to just tug you along with him as he navigates the tunnels. Your mind is preoccupied anyway, thinking of ways you could break Jeongguk’s curse. 

It isn’t until your oxygen meter beeps at you, signaling that you’re low on air, that you’re pulled out of your thoughts. You must be traveling a lot slower than you were on the way in. You squeeze Jeongguk’s hand twice and he stops. You show him you’re already at 30 bar and signal to him; that’s less than ten minutes of air.

Jeongguk’s eyes go wide, seeing the panic on your face, he grabs you with both arms, wrapping them around you as his tail whips behind you, sending the two of you off faster than you’ve seen him swim before. He holds you tightly as he navigates the tight corners of the tunnels, hurrying to get you to the surface. You can only sit, your face tucked into Jeongguk’s shoulder as you watch your oxygen meter slowly decrease. 

25… 

20… 

15… 

10… 

Soon the readout just says ‘low’; you take short, measured breaths, trying to conserve your oxygen. You take your last breath before you run out of air, squeezing Jeongguk tightly.

“Noona! Hold on!” Jeongguk swims as fast as he can, the tunnel growing lighter as things start to go fuzzy.

Suddenly Jeongguk erupts from the entrance to the caves, rushing to the surface as you start to go limp in his arms, your regulator floating beside you. He bursts up through the water, holding you against him as you gasp, inhaling deeply and filling your lungs with sweet, sweet oxygen. 

“Are you alright?” you nod, slipping out of Jeongguk’s grip and sinking back below the waves for a moment until he catches you and holds you out of the water again. He carries you over to the boat as you splutter, helping you into it. You close your eyes as you lay in between the seats, trying to calm your breathing as you hear Jeongguk climb in beside you. “Noona, I’m sorry.” You open your eyes to see Jeongguk leaning over you, tugging his shirt on. “I wasn’t paying attention to the time.”

“It’s okay.” You wave him off as you sit up.

“No, it’s not. I was careless, you could’ve died!”

“Hey, I’m right here.” You put your hands on his shoulders to help calm him down. “It’s alright.” You unbuckle your tanks and let them fall into the boat before unzipping your scuba jacket. “But let’s not do that again.” You add.

Jeongguk nods as he moves back towards the motor. You twirl the medallion of your necklace in your fingers as Jeongguk pulls up the anchor and unties you from the rocks, starting the boat and steering you back towards shore.

.

You’re exhausted as you walk back up the steps of the cliff, trudging your way back to the house. Jeongguk leaves your gear on the front porch as you unlock the front door. You grab the waterproof bag with your new items in it and are just about to cross the threshold when you hear something.

It’s that voice again. The melodious song fills your ears and Jeongguk’s eyes go wide as you look at him. 

“You hear it too?”

“Get inside.” Jeongguk shoves you over the threshold and slams the door shut behind you.

“Hey, what the hell?” You rub your shoulder where he pushed you. He doesn’t respond. He’s too busy turning on the tv and increasing the volume to drown out the singing. “Jeongguk, what is that?”

“It’s bad news.”

“Wait, is that another Ineo?” You ask as you kick off your shoes.

“Don’t listen to it!” He exclaims, dragging you away from the front door. 

“I don’t think-”

“Just go to the bathroom. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.” He starts pushing you toward the bathroom.

“But I already-” You turn to face him, forcing him to stop pushing you. 

“Y/N- you can’t ever listen to it. You can’t ever speak to them. They’ll kill you.”

“Will you listen to me for a second?” You smack his shoulder. “I’m trying to tell you I've already heard this.”

He’s listening now. “When?”

“Yesterday, I was down at the docks getting gas and-”

“You were alone??”

You roll your eyes. “Yes, and look, nothing happened.”

“Wait,” He pauses, looking you over. “You remember it?”

“Um, yes?”

 “Noona,” He leans closer to you, now looking very obviously at your chest.

“Um-”

“Where did you get this?”  His hand reaches out and he grabs the necklace nestled between your décolletage, rubbing the medallion between his fingers. 

“Hogeun sent it to me.” You explain. “A few weeks before he died. He told me he found it when he was fishing one day.”

“I gave this to him.” Jeongguk states, his thumb twirling the gold metal. 

“You did?”

“It was my mother’s. It’s from the Cave of the Wind too; it’s like an Ineo relic. ” Jeongguk lets it go. 

“Really?”

“Were you wearing this yesterday?”

“Of course.” You nod. “I always have it on.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” He whispers, dropping the necklace as he thinks out loud. “Then you shouldn’t have…”

“I shouldn’t have what?”

He looks back up at you. “The other night, when you walked in on me in the shower, were you wearing it then?”

“Hm? Oh, um…” You think back. “No, I took it off and it fell on the floor. I remember picking it up before I went to bed.”

“So it really does work.”

“Will you tell me what’s going on?”

Jeongguk sighs. “That singing you heard just now, and yesterday, that’s an Ineo. They were trying to lure you into the water.”

“W-why didn’t it work?”

Jeongguk points at your chest. “The necklace. It’s meant for protection. It’s supposed to make it so the wearer isn’t affected by an Ineo’s song.”

Your hand moves to grab the necklace automatically. “I-it is?”

“If it didn’t work and you really did hear that yesterday, you… You would be dead right now.”

You swallow hard. You hadn’t realized how much danger you were in already. “Wait, so that night in the shower?”

Jeongguk hangs his head. “I didn’t think you could hear me. I thought I was being quiet enough.”

“What would have happened…?”

“Nothing!” Jeongguk moves to reassure you. “I wouldn't have done anything, I promise.”

You eye him with caution, but you see the sincerity in his gaze, and above all else, after today; you really do trust him. You place the waterproof bag in his hands. “I’m going to take a shower, add this stuff to our collection and see if you can find anything else out of that book.”

“Right.”

“I’ll make dinner when I get out.” You call over your shoulder before shutting the bathroom door behind you. 

You take a second to rest back against the door, letting out a long sigh before you start up the shower. As the water heats up, you look at yourself in the mirror; hair waved from the combination of salt and wind, skin slightly tanned from being out in the sun; necklace dangling from your neck. You lift the necklace and study it, knowing now the origins of such a beautiful piece. It’s a gold chain, a golden medallion with the imprint of a mermaid, or you suppose an Ineo, hangs from it, and a single large pearl dangles from the medallion. It belongs with the rest of the jewelry inside that cave and yet here it rests in your hands.

You leave it on, stripping out of your swimsuit before stepping into the tub and under the warm water of the shower. He said it belonged to his mother. You wonder what she was like. If she meant to bring a child into such a harsh world, if she knew what would happen to her mate. Would she like you? Would she agree with what Jeongguk was trying to do in finding a cure?  What would she think? You can only imagine what your own mother would think if she found out everything your uncle talked about was real. You know exactly how she would react to Jeongguk, and what she would say if she found out you had been living alone with a strange man since you arrived here. 

You find your mind wandering to Jeongguk today; how he trusted you enough to show you his true form, tail and all. He was even more graceful and beautiful in the water than you could’ve imagined. Your mind flashes to the image of him jumping out of the boat, his bare ass facing you, and you giggle. Even like that, he was gorgeous. 

You’re torn. You know you’re going to have to leave the island eventually and go back to your real life, no matter how much you don’t want to, but even then, Jeongguk can’t leave the waters around this island for very long. What will he do once you leave? Will he be able to find another cure? Will he be able to survive out here on his own? On land? Will the islanders be kind to him? You can’t help but think of the night of your uncle’s memorial, how cruel that man was to Jeongguk. Even Donghyun and Saki, while they’re kind to him, you can tell they don’t really know what to do about him.

And honesty, neither do you…

When you’re finished you turn off the water, stepping out of the tub and drying yourself off. You dry your hair quickly before wrapping a towel tightly around you and leaving the bathroom. You see Jeongguk on the couch as you walk to your room; shutting the door and changing into some comfortable clothes before heading back out. You hang the towel up in the bathroom before padding into the kitchen, trying to decide what you want to eat, but you notice the stove is hot, and something smells like cooked food.

“Jeongguk did you-” You stop short when you look over at him to see he has two warm bowls of stew set on the table in front of the tv as he waits for you. “What- You cooked again?”

He nods. “I used one of hyung’s old recipes. He taught me how to make it.”

“Really?” You ask, taking your seat next to him on the couch to see what looks like kimchi stew in the bowls. 

“I wanted to apologize again, for being so careless today.”

“Jeongguk please-”

“I really am sorry.” He takes your hands in his. “I was just so upset about what we found.”

“I know, Jeongguk. But thanks to you, I’m still here.” You point out. He smiles softly in acknowledgment before picking up his bowl. 

The two of you eat, silent except for the sounds of the tv in front of you. When you’re finished, you place your bowl back on the table and notice the book and the hand mirror laid out next to your bowl.

“Did you find anything else in the book?” You ask, grabbing it off the table and cracking it open in your lap.

“Not much, just some stuff about this mirror.”

“Oh? Is it special?”

He nods. “It’s supposed to show you your future, but I think it’s broken.” He picks the mirror up. “I can’t get it to work.”

“Wait, it shows you the future?”

“No, just specifically tailored to you. Here,” He puts the mirror back down before taking the book from you. He flips through several pages until he finds what he’s looking for. He points to the paragraph and reads, “The Mirror of Sinjike is intended to show the user that which they cannot see. The mirror is enabled to describe the near or far future pertaining specifically to the lifeline of the user, they need only ask the right question.”

“What’s the question?”

“I’m not sure… It doesn’t say anything else about it.”

“Huh…” You pick the mirror up and turn it over in your hands. It looks like an ordinary mirror to you. “Well, we can look at it more tomorrow. I’m exhausted.” You stand up, grabbing your bowl and taking it over to the sink and Jeongguk follows. You rinse it out before heading back towards your room.

“Goodnight, noona.”

You turn and smile as you move to close your door. “Sweet dreams Kook. Thank you for saving me today.” And before he can apologize again, you shut the door.

.

You went to bed super early last night, so it's no surprise that you wake up before the sun rises. You sigh, knowing you won’t be able to fall back asleep with how wide awake you feel, and sit up, checking your phone to see a text from your mother, asking when you’ll be returning home. You don’t open it, not wanting her to know you’ve seen it, or she’ll just keep bothering you. Instead, you put your phone face down on the nightstand and climb out of bed, slipping into some clothes and heading out to the living room.

You don’t feel like watching tv… or anything really. You spot the book where you left it last night and walk over to grab it and the mirror, deciding to go for a walk. 

You stuff both items into your bag and slip on some shoes, grabbing a flashlight and a sweatshirt before walking outside. It’s dark as you shut the door behind you, the dawn still a ways off. Just below the cloud cover, between that and the horizon, you can see a layer of stars shining brightly. You slide the sweatshirt over your head as you begin to walk towards the lighthouse, taking your time and enjoying the early morning sounds of crickets and birds just waking up. 

You walk along the cliffs for a bit, following the path down through the forest, listening to the waves crash below you as you wander. You should’ve brought your phone so you could take pictures, but you didn’t think about it. You feel the weight of the book in your bag and take it out, flipping aimlessly through the pages. You circle back to the lighthouse just as dawn begins to break over the sea, casting a bright orange glow over the grass as it rises. You climb the lighthouse stairs to the very top, seating yourself on the observation deck as you take out the mirror.

It’s a simple round mirror, laid in silver filigree that traces over the backside and then down along the handle. You study it closely in the dim light of the rising sun; searching for any sort of word or clue as to how it’s supposed to work, but nothing catches your eye. 

You open the book once more, searching for the page Jeongguk showed you last night. You finally find it and delicately flatten the frail page with your palm. It shows a detailed drawing of the mirror at the top, with the name printed in a script different from that of the curse page, showing that this was added by a different person. Unfortunately, the words Jeongguk read to you are the only other thing on the page.

“they need only ask the right question…” You mumble to yourself. It’s supposed to show you the future, right? It can’t be that simple, can it? You pick up the mirror and hold it in front of you, to look inside it. “Can you show me the future?”

Nothing. Figures. You try all kinds of questions, changing the vernacular around to try and get it to work. “Will you show me the future? What does my future look like? Can I see my future?” Nothing seems to be working. You reread the passage over and over, searching for some sort of clue in the wording as the sun finally begins to peek over the horizon. 

The Mirror of Sinjike is intended to show the user that which they cannot see.

Wait a second. Hmm… You wonder. 

You hold the mirror up again, taking a deep breath. “Sinjike, will you show me that which I cannot see?”

Suddenly, your reflection changes in the glass, turning into fog that swirls around in a circle, as if it’s waiting for you to say something else. You read the passage again.

The mirror is enabled to describe the near or far future pertaining specifically to the lifeline of the user, they need only ask the right question.

“Near.” You say to the mirror. 

The fog vanishes, and it’s replaced by an image.

It shows you, sitting in the lighthouse where you are now, but it zooms out, showing someone else climbing the stairs to the observation deck to join you as the sun fully crests the horizon; Jeongguk. And then the image fades away, and you’re staring at your reflection again.

You’re ecstatic. You finally got it to work. You want to try it again, to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke, but you don’t know if there’s a limit to how many times per person, or per day, that it works. That’s when you hear the soft crunch of bare feet on grass. You look to the horizon to see the sun cresting over the sea, bathing the sky in bloody shades of red. Your heart thunks in your chest, you know that a red sky has an ominous, foreboding meaning behind it. Those who live on the sea have always agreed that skies that turn red in the morning hours are sure signs of impending troubles. 

You hear Jeongguk behind you and turn to greet him, but his eyes are also trained on the warning signs of the sky. 

“Red sky…” He comments, turning to look at you. “Storm’s coming.”

You nod, “I have good news though.”

“Oh?” He sits down next to you, observing the things in your hands and perks up. “Wait, did you figure out the mirror?”

“Mhm! Here,” You hand it to him. “You have to ask to be shown what you can’t see, and then you have to choose the near or far future.”

“What did you see?”

You chuckle. “I chose near, and it showed me you just now walking up here to find me. You should try now!”

“Right, right okay.” He holds the mirror up in front of him, taking a deep breath much like you did  before. “Show me what I cannot see, far.”

The mirror swirls again, fading quickly this time into an image of Jeongguk what looks to be a few years from now; out on a boat with someone. He’s smiling and laughing. He jumps in the water without taking his clothes off, and a few moments later, he pops up, floating in water, swimsuit still intact, no tail in sight. 

“Oh my god…” He whispers. “I-I’m cured?”

“It looks like it.” You agree. The image stays on him playing in the water for a few moments before it swirls away and shows his reflection again. “See, I told you we’d find a cure.”

Jeongguk smiles before suddenly wrapping you in his arms, squeezing you tightly. “I can’t believe I’m going to be normal; finally. Thank you, noona.”

“Of course.”

“Did you look at your far future?” He asks, pulling back.

“No, not yet.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

You do, but you’re also afraid. Afraid it will show you working under your father for the rest of your life.

“I won’t watch if it makes you feel better.”

Might as well know now. “Thanks.” Jeongguk hands you the mirror, and then looks away as you repeat the phrase. “Show me what I cannot see. Far.”

The mirror swirls before showing a picturesque scene on top of a hill. It shows you running, laughing in the light of a summer sunset as you hold up your camera to face what’s coming after you, then in the corner of the frame it shows a familiar frame chasing after you with bare feet.

Jeongguk.

You gasp, watching intently as he catches up to you, the lighthouse you’re sitting on appearing in the frame as he wraps you in his arms, picking you up and swinging you around as you squeal in delight. He places you back on the ground, and leans down, capturing your lips with his when suddenly a child appears in the image, walking up to both of you, arms open wide. Jeongguk picks her up, and you both place a kiss on her cheeks as you walk back toward the house. The child, a spitting image of Jeongguk. 

And then your reflection is staring back at you, a tear running down your cheek. You quickly move to wipe the evidence of tears away as you put the mirror down. 

“Well?” Jeongguk waits impatiently for you to tell him what you saw, but you can’t look at him, staring out at the sky as it fades from red to oranges and pinks. “Noona? Is everything alright?”

You nod. “Of course, just something I wasn’t expecting.”

“A happy ending at least?”

“Very happy.”

“Good. I’m glad we both get what we want.” He smiles at you and your heart flutters. “Are you hungry?”

.

The two of you make your way back to the house and Jeongguk makes you a quick breakfast while the images from the mirror shine in the forefront of your mind. Was the mirror trying to tell you something? Do you need to actually admit the feelings that have been growing that you’ve been repressing for several days now? Are you… the one that can free Jeongguk of his curse? But how? Do you really end up together?

So many questions run through your mind that when Jeongguk places a plate in front of you on the table, it makes you jump. He eyes you suspiciously, but doesn’t say anything, choosing to simply sit down and eat instead. 

After breakfast, Jeongguk sits himself down in front of the tv. You try doing the same, picking up the book to read through it again, but you can’t sit still, too much on your mind. You decide to busy yourself with sorting, but that doesn’t do anything to soothe you either. You decide you need to get out of the house. You tell Jeongguk you have to run out for a bit, and he offers to come, but you tell him he should stay this time. He seems hurt, but listens, waving as you walk out the door and asking you to pick up more sweet cakes if you go to the store. 

Dark clouds are gathering out over the ocean, still a ways off as you haul your borrowed scuba gear into the truck before climbing in the driver's seat and starting it. Might as well bring this stuff back while you have the chance. 

You pull up in front of Donghyun and Saki’s house, putting the truck in park before grabbing the gear out the back. The rain is looming closer as you walk up to the door and knock, but no one seems to be home. You leave the gear on the porch and start to walk back to the truck when someone calls after you. 

“Evening missy!”

You look across the street to see a figure walking toward you. Oh god, not the crazy guy from the bar. “Hello.” You wave politely as you open the door to your truck, trying to get away from him as quickly as you can. 

“How the fish boy treatin’ ya?”

Wait a minute. He might not actually be crazy. You wonder if he could know anything helpful. “You’re, Hajoon, right?” You ask, turning toward him. 

“Aye, that’s me.” He nods as he walks up, leaning against the bed of the truck. “You heard stories ‘bout how crazy I be yet?”

You rub the back of your neck, light shame dusting your cheeks pink. “Something like that…”

He chuckles. “It’s alright missy, ain’t nothing I ain’t already heard.”

“My name’s Y/N.”

“Oh I know. Hogeun used to talk ‘bout ‘cha all the time.”

“Did you know my uncle well?”

“Of course. I was the first one to hire him. Worked on my boat fer five years.”

This is news to you. “Did you guys ever talk about… uh, well…” It’s still strange for you to say it outloud. 

“The merfolk? Who do ya think gave him all them books?”

“How do you know so much about them?”

Hajoon takes off his hat and holds it over his heart, smiling fondly at some sort of memory. “I fell in love with one once, a long time ago.”

“Really?”

He nods. “She meant the worl’ to me.”

“What happened?”

His eyes go dark. “Her people found out she was seein’ me, they took things into their own hands, an’ had ‘er killed fer meetin’ a human.”

“I’m so sorry.” You bow your head, your mind immediately moving to Jeongguk; what if he’s next?

“You best hold that boy tight missy.” He puts a hand on your shoulder. “Don’t let ‘em take him from ya.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I read something the other day that said ‘an Ineo could fully regain their humanity, if a human were to truly love them’. Do you know how to do that? To… to make him human? Did you ever try it?”

He smiles bittersweetly. “I do, but ya don’t want the answer.”

“Please, I do. I want to help him.”

He looks down at the ground before looking off into the distance, avoiding your gaze. “I’ll give ya a hint. The ultimate show of love for one of ‘em… Is a sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice? What-”

“Think of what you would give up to be with him. That’s your answer.” He starts to walk away. “Better spend as much time with him as ya can, missy. I seen ‘em around the docks; they’ll be after ya’s soon enough.” 

It’s silent as you mull over his words, wondering what exactly he means as you watch him turn the corner and head to the bar. You climb into your truck, sitting for a moment before his last words hit you like a brick to the face. They already know. It’s only a matter of time before they try to take him away. 

It’s time to admit your feelings to Jeongguk.

It’s just started to rain as you start the truck up, driving a little bit faster than you probably should as you head back to the house, working up the courage and thinking of what you’re going to say as you drive. The tires skid as you pull up and park, the rain falling in sheets as you yank the keys out, rushing out of the truck to get to the front door, the downpour soaking you in the short walk to the house. 

“Jeongguk!” You call out as you open the door and kick off your shoes, searching for the only person you want to see as you shut the door behind you. 

He emerges from his room, his eyes widening at your soaked state. “Noona, you’re back already?”

You forget every single word you thought about in the car as you hurry over to him. You gaze up into his warm brown eyes, as wide as the sea is vast, before you lean forward, wrapping your arms around his neck as you press your lips against his for the first time.

He’s unsure how to react for a solid minute until he relaxes into your hold, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer to him as he finally returns the kiss. You’re greedy, hands finding his hair and tugging gently, eliciting the most delicious sounds from the back of his throat. You push him backwards, guiding him into his room until his knees hit the bed and he falls back. You waste no time climbing on top of him, pulling your sweatshirt off over your head and tossing it to the side as you straddle his waist.

Jeongguk sits up, pulling you back to his mouth, he tilts his head this time, deepening the kiss as you flick your tongue against his bottom lip, begging for access, which he grants, surprised by how eager you are as your tongue finds its way into his mouth, flicking against his own as he groans softly against you. 

His hands slide along your back up under your shirt, caressing your skin gently as you pull him closer to you, loving the way his lips feel on yours, your body growing hotter by the second. You slide your hands under his shirt, tugging on it until he helps you slide it off of his body and onto the floor. Before he can return to your lips, you yank your own shirt off with haste, wanting to feel his bare skin against yours as soon as possible. You pull him back to you, your lips latching onto his neck before tracing their way up to his jaw, pressing light kisses against him as you find your way back to his mouth. 

Jeongguk’s kiss is more aggressive now; he pulls your hips down against him as his tongue slips past your defenses, making your body shiver with pleasure as you feel the beginnings of his erection against you. You press your torso against his, feeling the unusual coolness of his skin against your feverish, desperate warmth. 

His hands follow the curve of your spine up to the clasp of your bra, fumbling with it for a moment until it comes undone, he moves his mouth to follow the strap down your shoulder, leaving hot kisses in his wake as he tugs the garment off of your body. He deposits it on the floor, your bodies still pressed together as he looks up at you, his hands squeezing your waist again. 

“Noona, I-”

“Shhh…” You quiet him with another simple kiss before mumbling against his lips. “You don’t have to say anything.”

His mouth returns to yours as he flips you underneath him, and then it begins to wander, across to your jaw, down your neck and shoulder, before sliding down your chest to your breasts. Jeongguk’s hands move up to cup them, rubbing his thumbs over them gently and then leaning down, flicking his tongue across each nipple, gauging your reaction as you moan softly in response to his touch. His kisses continue south, across your abdomen until he comes to the waistband of your jeans. You watch him, breathless as he pops open the button and then tugs the zipper down.

He grabs your jeans and underwear, slowly tugging them both down your legs, kissing them all the way down, before dropping the clothing on the floor with the rest. His mouth traces back up your legs, just barely brushing the insides of your thighs as he slides one of his hands up and around the backs of them, squeezing your ass tightly as he gently spreads your legs with the other, situating himself between them as he climbs back up your body, kiss by kiss, touch by touch, until he finds your lips again, connecting to them with a sort of urgency. 

You’re already a mess, you can feel yourself dripping onto the sheets beneath you as you wait. His teeth graze the spot beneath your ear, and your hips buck up into his waiting hand. He cups you gently, his long, slender fingers sliding between your folds in an exploration, wanting to know what spots have you coming undone the fastest. Your hands grab onto his shoulders as he circles your clit clumsily, constantly rubbing across it when his fingers slip in your wetness with inexperience, causing you to whimper into his hair. 

Finally, finally you feel his fingers wander lower, searching for more spots. He traces over your entrance, collecting your juices before the tips of his two fingers slide into you. He quickly pulls them out when you moan, checking to make sure he didn’t hurt you, but when he sees the flush adorning your face, he quickly understands, finding your entrance again and purposely slipping his index and middle fingers back inside you, as deep as they will go, following the curve of your core. 

“Fuck…” You whine, gripping his arm and trying to move it. “L-like this.”

He learns quickly, but moves slowly, pumping his fingers in and out of you at an agonizing pace, but even so, it feels so good, too good. He watches your face twist with pleasure, relishing in the sounds you make as he presses his hips against your side, searching for relief of his own. You slide a hand down his body, brushing against his hard length to locate it and then squeezing the tip.

The sound that leaves Jeongguk’s mouth has you tightening around his fingers as he buries his face in your neck. You can feel the desperation in his movements as he thrusts faster inside you, but it’s not enough. Your body aches to feel him fill you. 

“J-Jeongguk~” You whine, pawing at his sweatpants, silently begging him to take them off. He sits up in question, his hand stilling between your legs. You smile up at him, grabbing his arm and pulling his fingers out of you, bringing them up to your face and sucking them into your mouth so you can clean up your mess. 

He can’t resist, leaning down and kissing you, fingers and all, both of your tongues flicking out to grab a taste of you. You tug at his pants again, and he seems to get the message, using his now clean fingers to remove his sweats. You’re surprised to see he has no boxers on, watching his cock spring free as soon as his sweats drop to his knees. Your mouth waters at the sight of his pleasant thickness. 

When his pants hit the ground, he looks back up at you, suddenly shy as his hands move to cover his indecency. You smile warmly, guiding him back between your legs and pulling him down for a soft kiss as you reach a hand between your bodies. Your fingers brush against him, making him gasp softly in your ear as you hold his dripping tip, lining it up with your entrance.

“N-noona-”

“Just push your hips forward.” You guide him.

You feel his heat press against you and use your free hand to press his lower back, urging him forward until he slowly slips inside you, the most delectable moan falling from his lips as he inches further in, wanting nothing more than to feel your warmth fully envelop him. He’s a stretch, that’s for sure, but your body doesn’t show it, greedily pulling Jeongguk in, begging for more.

He keeps pushing until he realizes he can’t go any further, pulling his face out of your shoulder to look down at your flushed cheeks, the way your lips part as soft pants leave them. Very tentatively, he pulls back, groaning at the feeling of your walls squeezing him before he pushes back in. 

“Y-yes~” You whimper. “Just like that~”

Jeongguk huffs, repeating the motion over and over, setting a slow rhythm. The pulse of your walls is steady around him. He feels so good, but you need more. 

“Faster…” You mumble in his ear, wrapping your legs around his waist and encouraging him to go deeper. Jeongguk grunts in agreement, thankful for the permission as his hips increase their pace, thrust by thrust, the new angle allowing him to fill you entirely, his hips slapping against you with a satisfying smack.

“Oh god~” Jeogguk whines. “I- Fuck…” His eyes are fixed on your face, watching it closely as pleasure fills your body in waves, your chest burning red with embarrassment. You pull him down and lock your lips with his, anything to get away from the intensity of his gaze. Jeongguk pants heavily against your mouth as he thrusts into you harder, your head spinning from the pleasure, but he’s still lacking experience, and his increase in pace causes him to slip out.

The second time it happens, you kiss him again before pushing him away. As he begins to protest, you silence him by flipping him onto his back and crawling on top of him, straddling his waist once more. He watches, enraptured by you as you slide back down onto his length, letting him fill you to the hilt and holding yourself there for a moment to adjust, satiating the burning need between your legs. When you’re ready, you brace one hand on his abdomen before slowly lifting your hips and then dropping back down onto his length. 

Jeongguk groans, his head falling back against the pillows, but his eyes once again stay focused on you as you bounce yourself in his lap, setting a quick, but heavy pace, allowing him to fill you completely each time before lifting your hips again and again. When he grabs your hips, you lean forward, bracing both of your hands on his chest as you move faster, the feeling of your high bubbling up inside you more easily than you thought it would. You can tell he’s getting close too; the way his eyes seem a bit unfocused, the way his chest heaves beneath your touch, and the way his hips have started to chase  after yours. 

You’re so close you can practically taste it, you just need that final push. You take one of Jeongguk’s hands off your hips and bring his fingers to your mouth, wetting them for him before guiding his hand between your legs. He looks up at you, intrigued by your movements.

“Touch me~ Like this…” You move your fingers against his in the way that you desperately need him to, showing him how to take you over the edge. He follows your instructions to the tee, deftly circling your clit again before squeezing the bud between his knuckles and dragging the pads of his fingers across it in turn. 

“Ah~ Yes!” You throw your head back, your high rapidly rising to the surface. Jeongguk’s fingers slide along your folds in sync with his thrusts, and before you know it, your walls clamp down on him, earning a strangled moan from his throat as you fall off the edge and into bliss. “Jeongguk~!” You cry out his name as your core contracts wildly around him, seeing stars burst behind your eyelids as the sensation overflows into your every nerve ending, pulsing with satisfaction, unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

Jeongguk doesn’t fare much better, the spasming of your center too much for him to handle as he buries himself as deep inside you as he can, milking the feeling of his own high as long as he can. He whimpers beneath you, his eyes squeezed shut with ecstasy as he fills you with spurts of his hot release. 

Your body gives out and you collapse against his chest, your breathing coming in shallow pants, his cock still inside you as your skin sticks to his with sweat. The two of you lay entwined together for a bit, neither of you wanting to disturb the moment you’ve created.

You press soft kisses all over Jeongguk’s face, watching as he smiles before you get off of him, grabbing tissues off of his nightstand to clean the both of you up. When you’re finished you lay back down with him, slipping under the blankets as you lay your head on his chest, listening to the sounds of rain and distant rolling thunder coming from his open window, enjoying the occasional breeze blowing through the room. Jeongguk holds you close, not seeming to want to let you go now that he has you. 

And boy, does he have you. 

Jeongguk takes the chance to admire you up close, watching your fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes across his skin while you hum to yourself. He brushes your hair out of your face, enraptured by the way you look, the way you smell, the way you taste. He didn’t know it was possible to feel like this, but looking at you here, now, in this moment, he’s captured by you. He is nothing but a terrified creature, tangled in your nets as you smile up at him in a way that makes his chest flutter with excitement and agony and desire all at the same time. 

“Is this what you saw?” He breaks the serene silence, his curiosity getting the best of him. “In the mirror?”

You giggle, sending vibrations through his body as goosebumps erupt on his arms. “Not exactly.” Your eyes flash up to meet his before you look away, a light blush adorning your cheeks as you think of the future that played out on that mirror. God you hope that mirror was right. “But something like that. It encouraged me to finally tell you.”

“Tell me what?” He cups your cheek, rubbing his thumb across it gently, as if afraid he’s going to break you. 

You scoot up his body, pressing your lips to his in the softest kiss, resting your forehead against his for a moment before answering. “How I feel about you, silly.”

“How do you feel?” He tilts his head, waiting expectantly.

He’s going to make you say it out loud. He can’t just read between the lines? You take a deep breath, steadying the nerves rolling in the pit of your stomach. “Jeongguk I-I really like you. And I think I might… I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Jeongguk’s eyes light up and he breaks into a wide smile, his nose crinkling up. “Is that what this feeling is? Is it love?”

“It’s different for everyone, but it could be.”

“I like you so much; I think I love you too, noona.”

Your heart swells at his words as he wraps his arms around you, pulling you close. He seals your exchange with a peck on your forehead, and the two of you lay together in Jeongguk’s bed, tangled in each other’s limbs, exchanging soft kisses and caresses until you drift off, safe in his embrace.

.

The next day you wake up to the sound of Jeongguk snoring softly in your ear. You smile to yourself, shifting back into his arms. You think back to yesterday; after the two of you woke up, you made dinner and then quickly jumped back into bed, too wrapped up in each other to keep your hands off of the other’s body for longer than a few minutes. Jeongguk is eager to learn how to pleasure you, and you have no problem teaching him exactly how to do just that.

You turn over in his hold, reaching a hand up to run your fingers along his cheek, enjoying how serene he looks when he sleeps. Your touch must disturb him, because it isn’t long before you feel his hand squeeze your waist, his eyes fluttering open as he stirs. 

“Noona…?” He gazes at you in awe, still half asleep. “You’re still here.” He smiles at the observation. 

“Of course I’m still here.” You giggle. “Where else would I be?”

He presses his lips to yours as his hand wanders down lower, finding your ass and grabbing it roughly. He pulls your body flush against his as he buries his face in your neck, inhaling deeply. 

You both crawl out of bed; Jeongguk throws on some sweatpants and you slip into your discarded underwear and shirt before heading out to the kitchen to make breakfast together. Jeongguk is practically attached to your hip the entire time, his hands never really leaving your waist unless it’s to reach over and help you hold something; his face in the crook of your neck and shoulder, pressing light kisses to your skin. 

After you eat, you both settle down on the couch in each other’s arms, turning on something mindless as you enjoy just being together. Thunder rolls long and loud outside, carrying a warm spring breeze through the house as rain falls in spurts. You lay with your back against Jeongguk’s chest, settled comfortably between his legs as his hands trace over your exposed skin.

After a few hours, Jeongguk gives your waist a squeeze. “Noona?” 

“Hm?” You look back at him over your shoulder. 

“Does this mean… Are you going to stay here?”

“Stay?”

“With me?”

“Oh, um, I haven’t really thought about it.” You admit. It’s true, the only thing you’ve thought about was telling Jeongguk, not what would happen after you did.

“Do you want to?” The hope in his eyes has your heart stuttering.

“W-well, I do, but-”

“But?”

You think about your life back in Busan; your friends, your family, your job, all the things you would be leaving behind. “It’s complicated.”

“How? We want to be together, so we should be together.”

“I know, but my entire life is back in Busan. I can’t just drop everything because of how I feel.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” You sigh. “The human world is… things are harder. I can’t just disappear.”

“It can’t be that hard.”

“Jeongguk,” You sit up in his lap, turning your body to face him. “I’d have to quit my job, and leave my family and friends behind. I’d need to quit school, get out of my apartment lease and move all of my stuff here. Not to mention finding a job here, or all the paperwork I’d have to do if I wanted to move. Plus my father’s business… He’s counting on me to take over for him.”

“Noona, you know I can’t leave this island, right? Not as long as I’m still this. Besides, you told me you didn’t want any of that.”

“I know, but just because I’d rather be here doesn't mean I can just uproot my life. That’s not how things work.”

“But you’d be with me.” He offers. “Isn’t that enough?”

You know what he wants to hear, he wants this to be a fairytale, and so do you, but you don’t know how to explain to him that real life isn’t like that. Yes, every fiber of your being wants to stay on this island for the rest of your life and spend every waking moment you have with Jeongguk, just like the mirror told you that you would, but is it really that simple? “I…” You hesitate, and he takes your hesitation the wrong way. You know he does. You can see the shift in his eyes the moment it takes you too long to respond. 

He chuckles; for a moment you think he’s going to brush it all off, but he stares at you with a dark gaze, hurt evident on his beautiful features; not exactly the reaction you were hoping for. “I see.” He lets go of you and stands, walking over to look out the window in the kitchen. 

“Jeongguk, please.” You follow close behind. “I love you. I want to be here with you, it’s just-”

He shakes his head. “Y/N, I-” He sighs. “I want to believe you, but how do I know you aren’t just saying that because it’s supposed to be the cure.”

“What?” You haven’t shown him any reason to doubt your feelings until now, and the distrust stings. “Jeongguk, I've never lied to you.”

He takes a deep breath before turning to face you. “If you hadn’t learned what the cure was, would we even be here? Would you have said you liked me?”

“Of course!”

“Really?”

You scoff. “Eventually.”

“Right.” He just shakes his head, walking away from you toward the bathroom. “How am I supposed to know you really love me?”

“Until last night you didn’t even know what love was!” You point out, trailing him. “And I’m supposed to believe that you love me? How do I even know you’re capable of love?”

“Capable?” He whips around, his eyes ablaze with fury at your words. “Because monsters like me couldn’t possibly have feelings. That’s all I am to you, right? A horror story?”

“You’re everything to me! Can’t you see that?” You raise your voice, you don’t want to but it’s all bubbling up over the sides, erupting out of you with force. “Why do you think I’ve stayed here as long as I have?”

“And now you want to throw all of that away!”

“I didn’t say that! I said it’s going to be complicated! We can’t all just run away from our lives when things get hard!”

“You know exactly why I left… And now I’m supposed to believe you?

“I’ve never given you a reason not to trust me! I’m not the one who lied about who I am!”

“I lied because I knew this would happen!” He finally yells back. The house is silent for a moment before he takes a deep breath. “I knew this was too good to be true. It always is.”

“I don’t know how to make you believe me…” You whisper, trying to force back the tears that have started streaming down your face. 

There’s a long pause. “I don’t know if I can…”

You look up at him, meeting the gaze you had fallen so hard for, before turning and walking away, crossing the threshold to your room in a huff.

“Y/N…” He calls after you, but you ignore him, tugging on some jeans before slipping right past him to the front door, sliding into your shoes and raincoat before grabbing your keys. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here.” You hiss, opening the front door and stepping out into the rain. 

“Noona, don’t leave!” He runs after you, grabbing your arm, but you shake him off, hopping into the truck and starting it, giving him one last look before backing out.

“Fine, now who’s the one running away!” He calls after you as you begin to drive away.

You manage to make it all the way to town before you shatter, having to pull over into an empty parking lot, not able to see the road through your tears. This is so dumb; a stupid thing to fight over, and yet here you are.

Alone.

After a solid half hour, your tears begin to subside. You feel as though your heart has been rubbed raw inside of you as you try to figure out what to do next. You look up to see the bar and decide it’s better than sitting alone in your truck. You drive the short distance and park in front of the bar, hopping out and striding up to the door. 

The bell jingles a familiar ding as you open the door and you look around to see there’s no one in here, which isn’t surprising seeing as it’s only about two in the afternoon. Even the bar counter is empty as you walk up and plop yourself in a chair, desolation obvious on your face as you lay your head down on the counter. You hear the shuffling of feet, and then something heavy is placed on the counter next to you before you hear a familiar voice.

“Y/N?”

You barely lift your head to look up, seeing Saki standing in front of you, a crate of beer next to her on the counter. “Hi Saki.” You mumble, laying your head back down.

“Thought that was you.” Her lilting accent soothes you immediately. “What’s brought you in here honey? Are you alright?”

You sigh, forcing yourself to sit up and make eye contact. “I’ve been better.”

“Hm, I know that look.” She takes a clean glass out from under the counter and pours a generous amount of brown liquid in it before placing it in front of you. “Relationship problems?”

You take the glass, happily swigging the drink, your face twisting from the strong burn of the alcohol. “How could you tell?” You grumble, placing the empty glass back on the counter. She shrugs, refilling your glass. You sigh, quickly downing the second drink before pushing the glass away from you. “Saki, what would you do if you knew you had the power to change someone’s life. Like, permanently.”

“It depends.” She takes your glass and puts it in the sink before handing you a small bag of chips to even out the liquor now swirling in your stomach. “What does this person mean to you?”

“Everything…”

She watches you as you crunch down on a handful of chips. “Then I think I'd do anything I could to help them.”

You mull over her words. You know you would do anything to help Jeongguk, you just don’t know what the ‘anything’ is that he needs. “How much do you know… about Jeongguk?”

She shoots you a knowing glance and you raise your eyebrows in surprise. “So it’s the local fish giving you trouble, then?” 

“You know?”

“I know a lot of things.”

“He doesn’t want to be… well, that anymore.”

“Your uncle used to come in here all the time, talking about that with Donghyun after a few drinks.” She nods, looking around as if to assure you both the bar is still empty and you can speak freely, yet leans on the counter to get closer to you anyway, whispering. “Have you found anything out?”

You run your hands through your hair, frustrated. “The only cure we found is ‘love’.”

“Love?” 

“It said he could fully regain his humanity, if a human were to truly love him.”

“And you…?”

You nod. “I confessed.”

“And nothing happened?”

“Nothing.” You confirm. “And we got into this huge fight this morning about it. He said he doesn’t believe me, that I just said it to try and lift the curse.” She smiles softly at you, placing a hand over yours in comfort as you shake your head. “If I don't love him, then why does this hurt so much?”

“I’m not the one you have to convince.” She reminds you. 

“He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Aw honey. If only you could see how much he loves you.”

You sniffle, looking up at her. “What do you mean?”

“The way he looked at you the other night at the memorial? Anyone could see the way he felt.”

You were so focused on everything else that night, you didn’t stop to focus on Jeongguk. “Saki, when did you know you were in love with Donghyun?”

“Hmm…” She pauses to think. “The first night he took me fishing.”

“What?” You snort, that wasn’t the answer you were expecting.

She laughs with you. “I fell out of the boat that night. He jumped in after me, sacrificing his life for mine. It was the first time he saw me as I truly was, and seeing me like that… It didn’t change how he felt.”

You think over her words before you realize something. “Wait, Saki are you…?”

She only smiles. “Go find Jeongguk before it’s too late. You’ll figure it out, honey.”

You nod, standing up and saying goodbye before heading back out to your truck. You make the drive back, parking the truck and running toward the house. 

“Jeongguk!” You call out as you open the door, but the house is dark. Is he gone? You search every room, but there’s no sign of him. You head back outside, and are about to walk to the lighthouse when you hear that low melodious sound ringing in your ears once more. It’s coming from the cliffs. Could it be him trying to get your attention?

You walk over to the edge of the cliffs, rain pelting your face as you look out into the ocean and see a face. It’s familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time, like something you’ve seen in a dream you can’t quite remember. Suddenly there’s a voice right in your ear.

“You want to save him…” It’s like a whisper in the wind. You look around to see that there’s no one around you before looking back down at the face to see it’s moved closer, now in the water directly underneath your feet. You watch their lips move as they repeat. “You want to save him?” It’s a question this time. 

You think back to Jeongguk’s words of warning; You can’t ever speak to them. They’ll kill you. Though every nerve ending in your body is screaming at you to run away, you can’t bring yourself to listen. What if they know something you don’t?

“Yes.” You reply. “I want to save him.”

“Even if you will lose everything?” The voice is grating and beautiful at the same time, as if two people are speaking.

You nod, getting down on your knees and leaning over the cliff to look at them. “What do I have to do?”

“Love requires sacrifice.” The Ineo hisses in your ear.

“What’s the cost?”

“One human life for another.”

“One life…” Your eyes widen in understanding. “I have to-” You swallow hard, staring down at the swirling waters below. The same waters that took the life of your uncle. “But the mirror-”

“The mirror of Sinjike’s predictions can differ if the future is altered. You only have one choice left: his life, or your own.”

“I…” You stop, sitting back on your heels. Could this really be the only way? Can you give up the beautiful life you would have with Jeongguk just to give him his humanity back? You can’t imagine a life without him, and you need him to know how much you love him. You need him to believe you. He should be coming back from the lighthouse any minute now…

“His.” You whisper. “I choose his.”

“Take off the necklace when you are ready. You won’t feel a thing under the trance of my song.”

The Ineo begins to sing again, their voice filling the air, loudly and clearly as you stand up, looking once more at the ocean below you. You think of the life you’ve had; your mother and father waiting back home for you in Busan. How they’ll react when they receive the news. The way that they’ll have to compartmentalize your life into boxes after all, going through all of your things, and thinking of everything you could’ve been, everything you tried so hard to be.

You think of your friends back home, of Donghyun and Saki here, how kind they were to you, of them holding another memorial in their bar, this time for you. Who would show up?

You think of your uncle, how he stood here in this same spot, contemplating the same things you are now before he made that final leap of the edge, seeing the world one last time before he stopped breathing. Was it painless? Did he regret it as he jumped? Did he know, somehow, that you would be right here with him, committing the same act purposefully. 

Mostly you think of Jeongguk. You think of how much you love him, how full your heart feels when you’re with him. No matter what, at the end of every road, he was good to you. You’ve always been afraid of growing old, of being alone, you've been worried for your soul, where it would end up; but Jeongguk, he puts all those fears to rest. You’re closing every door you’ve ever opened, sick of always wanting something more, something different. He’ll understand, right? He’ll know that you’re sorry. That you did this for him, so he could live the life he’s always wanted. You feel so scattered, not wanting to leave Jeongguk on such a sour note, but even an apology can’t save you now. You can only hope he’ll get to you in time…

Thunder cracks above your head, rain falling harder as you faintly hear your name being called from behind you. You turn to see Jeongguk emerging from the treeline by the lighthouse. You see it on his face, the exact moment he hears the song echoing through the air around you, as though the ocean herself is calling to you. 

“Y/N, what are you doing?” He starts to run towards you.

Your heart aches as you look at him, but all the same, you reach up and unclasp the necklace from around your neck, letting it drop to the ground as you make peace with your  decision; tonight you’ll make your bed at the bottom of the sea. Your senses are immediately taken over by the Ineo’s song, your vision going black as you’re filled with a desperate need, your body turning toward the cliffs.

Jeongguk sprints with all his might, desperate to reach your side in time as he watches you step closer and closer to the edge of the cliffs like it’s happening in slow motion. He’s so close, he can smell your perfume on the wind, his legs carrying him as fast as they can in his panic induced rush. Not again. He can’t lose you; not here, not now, not ever. He’s loved you since day one; you are everything to him, and he’ll be damned if he lets another Ineo take that away from him. Your toes dangle over the edge as you pick up your right foot, taking one final step and not finding anything to catch your body as you begin to drop through the air. Jeongguk lunges, using everything in him to push his body forward as he leaps, grabbing for you. 

“No!” He screams, feeling your shirt slip through his fingers.

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By a breadth of skin, he manages to grab your wrist, landing harshly on his stomach as he grips you tightly, the momentum of your body falling yanks him forward through the dirt, but he digs his feet in, using his other hand to grip the edge of the cliff as he attempts to support you. 

“Jeongguk, let me go.” He hears your voice, but he knows it isn’t really your voice. He looks down at you to see your eyes have gone black. “It’s okay.”

“No!” He yells again. Sensing Jeongguk’s stubbornness, the Ineo makes you wriggle in his grasp, the song filling your head telling you to do everything you can to plunge yourself into the dark water below where a clash of teeth awaits you. Jeongguk struggles against you, but manages to ignore the scratches you dig into his skin with your free hand as he tugs you up over the ledge. He pulls you back with him, away from the edge as he pushes you face down into the dirt, ignoring your cries and pleas as he grabs your arms together with one hand, reaching for your necklace with the other. 

Jeongguk takes the chain, holding the ends together, and drapes it over your head, letting it sit on your neck as he prays to whoever is listening, begging them to bring you back to him.

After a few moments, you stop struggling. He remains on top of you, holding his breath as he waits,

“J-Jeongguk…?” You mumble, face still half in the dirt. 

“Noona?” You lift your head and he tilts your chin toward him, seeing your beautiful, familiar soft eyes once more. He lets your arms go, taking a second to fasten the necklace around your neck before he crawls off you, allowing you to sit up.

“What… What happened?” You rub your head, looking around to see you’re sitting on the edge of the cliff. “You saved me?”

“Y/N!” Jeongguk tackles you back to the ground, wrapping his arms tightly around you as he begins to sob softly. “I thought I was going to lose you! Noona, why? Why would you do that?”

“Love requires sacrifice.” You repeat the words the Ineo told you. “And I love you, Jeongguk.”

“I-” Before Jeongguk can say anything, a ray of sunlight suddenly breaks through the clouds, shining down through the rain and landing directly on where the two of you sit.

A rainbow reflects from the raindrops and you watch as the rays seem to pierce Jeongguk directly as he clutches his chest. His body emits a faint glow as the rain and clouds suddenly disperse all together, leaving just that single ray of light, shining brighter than the rest. You watch closely as Jeongguk’s breathing slows, his body shining in the light as all the raindrops evaporate from his skin and clothes, his body warming from the inside out. 

When it’s done, the light recedes with the rapidly moving clouds, leaving you and Jeongguk sitting on the cliff, staring after it. 

“What the-”

“Jeongguk,” You reach out a hand to test your theory, placing it on his arm to feel his normally cold skin is replaced by a warmth you can only describe as being distinctly human. “You’re warm…”

“I am?” He looks down and touches his chest, feeling the warmth of blood circulating through his body. “I am.” His hands shoot up to his face, feeling himself with ecstatic anticipation of what this means.

“You’re human.”

He looks up at you, his eyes wide with wonder. “Y/N… You did it. You- You cured me. You saved my life.”

“And you saved mine.” You stand, pulling him up with you. “Like I knew you would.”

“Noona… Don’t ever do that again.” He scolds. He wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a sweet, warm kiss. “I don’t know what I'd do without you.”

“I love you, Jeongguk.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

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“Hey! Wait up!”

You hold your camera up, snapping a quick picture of him as he chases after you, wanting to capture the beauty of the setting sun reflecting off his features. He reaches you just as you pass the lighthouse, quickly wrapping his arms around you, picking you up and spinning you around as you squeal with delight. He puts you back on the ground and pulls you close, leaning down to place a soft kiss against your lips. 

“I told you to wait for us.” He chides. 

“You were going too slow!” You point out playfully as you start to get lost in his eyes. “Can’t take pictures of the sunset if the sun has already set.” You hold your camera up, snapping shots of the sun bouncing off the windows of the lighthouse.

“Appa!” Yumi’s voice rings out, her arms open wide as she toddles into your husband’s arms. 

“There’s my girl.” Jeongguk smiles, and you both lean in, planting kisses on her cheeks, making her giggle before he turns to you. “Are we still going to Donghyun and Saki’s tonight for dinner?”

“Oh! That’s right I almost forgot!” You nod as you both begin walking back toward the house. “We should probably get going soon.”

Jeongguk puts Yumi down when you reach the front steps. “Go get dressed sweetie!” He encourages, watching her toddle off to her room. “God, I can’t believe she’s four already.” He sighs, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind.

“Time’s moving fast now that you’re not immortal, huh?” You tease.

He spins you around in his embrace. “Time always stands still when I’m with you, my love.” He smiles before leaning down, pressing the sweetest of kisses to your lips.

“You know,” You whisper, leaning back against the door frame. “This is it.”

He tilts his head in confusion. “This is what?”

“This,” You point towards the lighthouse and the sun as it sets the sky on fire in shades of red. “This is what I saw in the mirror that day.”

“This?” He repeats. “You… You saw Yumi?”

You nod. “I saw all of us. That’s how I knew you’d save me in time.”

Jeongguk smiles brightly, pressing another kiss to your forehead. “I’m so glad you did.”

“Me too.”

“I love you, noona.”

“I love you too, Jeongguk.”

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Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2025

[crystalstar8]

Shots from the set of “Siren’s Curse”, Aunt Lena’s house, including the upstairs room.

You can read the story here.

[crystalstar8]

Teaser for "Siren's Curse" (1948)

Captain Yoongi

˶￣Ɛ￣˵

[bangtanloverboys]

deep waters masterlist // myg & jjk

summary - legends of mermaids and other mythical sea creatures were always just that to you: legends and myths. but your entire world view shifts when your boyfriend claims he saw one for himself

pairing - marine biologist!yoongi x female!reader x siren!jeongguk 

genre - sci-fi, drama, fluff, eventual smut; siren au

author’s note - this was inspired by freeform’s siren (damn another cancelled show). but this has been in my head for well over a year so i decided to finally write it!!

as of 11/15/23, this work has been discontinued. outlines for final chapters have been posted so there is closure for those who are curious enough to read through

chapter i

chapter ii

chapter iii

chapter iv

chapter v

chapter vi

chapter vii

chapter viii

chapter ix

chapter x

outline for chapters 7-10

[festive]

ehehe sorry i was late w/ the bts recs. i had to transfer from my phone to pc </3

okay so this one is about you n jimin being time travelers and the way they do it is soooooo cool n refreshing. i loved this back in high school. 

https://at.tumblr.com/inktae/the-blue-notebooks/o2jlaja63sov

magic!au n a jeongguk fic that i plan on reading! 

https://at.tumblr.com/venusjeon/chased-by-a-drunk-man-one-night-you-find-shelter/t7pajwq7r8le

another jeongguk fic. he’s a siren

https://at.tumblr.com/venusjeon/youve-spent-years-sailing-the-mediterranean/co4cxvtnyymj

jhope fic bc you said you were browsing his tags 🫣

https://at.tumblr.com/junghelioseok/ignite/uwib1t0wgvf3

sngdhshhshs okay this one is long but the summary sounds sooooooooooo good

https://at.tumblr.com/junghelioseok/renegade/td7pv2rzfl8n

another jhope fic but it’s time travelers!!!

https://at.tumblr.com/junghelioseok/polaris/36serykcv1jc

The way I’m about to eat all these up, sumi you are the real mvp and you deserve the best head ever from Mitsuya and Draken!

[lilprincegoo]

today i sing again by JlNKOOKER

taehyung/jungkook

Siren Jeon Jungkook, Witch Kim Taehyung | V, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Memory Loss, Hurt/Comfort, Strangers to Lovers, Coming of Age, Witch, Curses, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic

33.8k words

rating: T

Jeongguk squeezes his hand comfortingly. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m all ears. I’ve been told I’m a pretty great listener.” It’s dumb, the way Taehyung’s heart flips when he looks at Jeongguk beaming up at him. “You’re a good friend Jeongguk-ah.” “You are too, hyung. Thanks for being my friend.” ☆ (or: the coming of age story of a cursed siren and depressed witch who help each other and in turn, help themselves. and maybe they fall in love on the way.)