SH 2015: I Need To Be (A Part of Your World) (for EVERYONE)
For: All the Suhomies
From: ANONYMOUS until May 22, 2015
Title: I Need To Be (A Part of Your World)
Rating: PG
Pairing(s)/Focus: fem!Suho/Kai
Length: 6,617 words
Summary: The first human that Joonmi meets is good looking and currently drowning.
Notes: Thank you so much RJ, you're my savior. And for my recipient, I hope you like it.
Deep under the sea on the ocean floor lays the aquatic kingdom of Atlantica that is ruled by the sea king, King Changmin. Atlantica is a place for every aquatic creature to live and is deemed as the most beautiful aquatic kingdom in the sea.
King Changmin has two children, a son and a daughter. The eldest child of King Changmin, named Minseok and his younger sister, Joonmi, are Atlantica’s most beloved residents. Joonmi is a bright and adventurous mermaid of long light brown hair and an aquamarine fin who often drags her brother throughout Atlantica on little adventures, inevitably always leading to them to becoming lost.
Right now Joonmi is ecstatic. For years she's been waiting for her 18th birthday and finally the day has come.
It’s normal for every mermaid or merman that hits their adulthood age, (which is 18 for their standard), that they may explore the Upperland, a place above the surface. By 'explore' it means just poking your head out of the water and looking, (sometimes in awe), at the land above the sea, because the King forbids any form of actual contact with the Upperland.
Unfortunately, much to the king’s dismay, his beloved daughter is always eager to hear every story about the Upperland and its inhabitants, those that are called humans. Joonmi always asks every mermaid or merman who has visited the Upperland and the stories vary from, "the world above is beautiful, humans are interesting" too, "there's nothing interesting, humans are boring" and a sometimes, "HUMANS ARE SCUM! WHAT DO THEY THINK THE SEA IS, A TRASH DUMP?!" which is more complaining rather than storytelling.
Last year Minseok went to the Upperland and his only comment was, “It was okay,” and nothing more. Whatever the story is, may it be a positive story or a negative story or in between (as long as it is not vague like Minseok’s), Joonmi always ends up more curious about the Upperland.
For a free-spirited person, being a King's daughter has more cons then pros, especially if your father happens to be a little protective. Joonmi is listening to her father telling her what to do when she goes to the Upperland, a massive don't do that, don't do this, and don't do it. Joonmi listens only for the first few hours because she starts to daydream about the Upperland and all the things she will explore. It is two hours later when the king decides to end his lecture.
"...and that was the last rules. Do you understand now my dear daughter?” The king is looking expectantly at his daughter who is now looking very eager to start her very first journey to the Upperland.
"I understand," Joonmi says with a smile. "I'm sooo excited!" Joonmi throws her arms wide while spinning around in a circle. "Yoo-hoo!"
The king only sighs at the sight of his daughter’s actions. He is happy to have a lively and curious daughter who loves to increase her knowledge, but he is not happy at the subject of her curiosity. As much as the king wants his daughter to stay under the sea, he can’t help but to feel warm every time Joonmi is happy. Besides she may change her mind if the Upperland doesn’t meet her expectations.
Finally, after a lot of “I’ll be fine dad,” and “Yes I promise,” the king reluctantly bids her goodbye.
Joonmi is swimming happily; it’s been her dream ever since she was a child to see the world above. For as long as she can remember, she’s been collecting things from the Upperland and keeping everything she finds in her secret cave. Her favorite things are two metal sticks that apparently came as a pair, one stick has an oval shape at the end and the other one has a shape like her father’s trident. Joonmi doesn’t know what kind of use these two sticks have, but it makes a nice sound when she hits them together.
The journey to the nearest land at the Upperland is quite long. Two hours has gone by and Joonmi is starting to get tired.
"So sleepy... now that I remember, I haven't slept since yesterday.” Joonmi lets out a big yawn as she remembers how excited she was for this journey and that she hardly slept the night before. “Silly me... I guess a nap won't hurt..." After making sure the ocean currents are in the same direction as her location, she closes her eyes and let sleep take over.
Joonmi dreams of the Upperland where she no longer has a fin but a pair of legs. She walks across a green field, wonder written all over her face. She can hear playful music playing when all of sudden she is in the middle of a town plaza where people are dancing and singing. The festive mood makes Joonmi want to dance too. Unexpectedly, a man comes over to her, offers his hand, and asks, “Would you like to dance with me?”
“Yes!” Joonmi answers while holding the man’s hand. “I would love too!”
They walk to the middle of the plaza holding hands, ready to dance when suddenly something hard hits her head.
Joonmi wakes up from her nap with a pain on her head. She keeps rubbing her head when she realizes that she has accidently hit a boat’s hull, a small wooden boat to be exact.
By the look of the sea, Joonmi thinks she has slept for roughly one hour. This means the the Upperland is more or less still far away. Joonmi is about to leave when she hears someone talking in the boat above. Being the curious mermaid that she is, combined with the excitement of meeting a human for the first time makes her slowly rise to the surface.
“I’m screwed.”
“What should I do?”
“Oh God!”
Now that Joonmi can hear much clearer, she realizes that there’s only one person in the boat and he is a man. Carefully swimming closer to the boat, Joonmi tries to catch a glimpse of the human. From her position at the stern of the boat, she can only see his hand trying to reach something in the water. The sunshine makes it hard for Joonmi to see without hurting her eyes. When Joonmi looks at the thing he is trying to reach, she realizes it is a paddle that is already floating further away.
The human in the boat mumbles some words that Joonmi can’t quite hear, but he sounds like he is in distress. Joonmi wants to help, she really does, but she doesn’t want to break the rules. While Joonmi is busy thinking about whether she should help the human or not, a sudden big wave comes and makes the human lose his balance.
The human is trying to stay afloat on the surface, but another big wave is coming and makes the boat knock him over. The next thing that happens is that the human starts to drown. Without thinking much Joonmi immediately starts swimming towards the male.
Now that the mermaid can see the human more clearly, he is kind of… good looking? Well it’s kind of inappropriate to think this when the human is drowning, so Joonmi decides to help. She quickly catches the human and brings him to the surface. She is relieved when she feels the human still breathing, but he seems unconscious.
Joonmi tries to put the human back into the boat, but she doesn’t have the strength to do it. Then she tries to wake him up, but to no avail, the human continues to sleep like a log. The only choice now is to bring the human to the shore that is a long ways off, even if the human is heavy. Joonmi thinks she can survive this, hopefully.
Mermaids or mermen are the fastest sea creatures, but they aren’t created to swim on the surface, let alone while carrying something or in this case someone, who is bigger than themselves. So when Joonmi finally reaches the shore, she praises Poseidon and all other sea gods. After what feels like forever, Joonmi manages to drop the boy on the shore, finally able to recover her breath.
After a few minutes of rest, Joonmi now takes a proper look at the unconscious human in front of her. The first thing that comes to her mind is how handsome he is. This human has sun-kissed skin, brown hair, and a lean muscular body, (not as muscular as her brother, but quite close). When the human begins to whimper in his sleep, Joonmi feels panic. She doesn’t know what to do. Is he cold? Is he hurt? Joonmi tries not to think too much and starts to do the only thing she is good at, she begins to sing.
Joonmi sings a lullaby that her mother often sang when she was little and it works. The human stops his whimpering and he looks peaceful in his sleep. Joonmi can’t help but to gaze at the human until she feels tired; helping the human really made her exhausted. Joonmi closes her eyes and lets sleep take over.
The sound of splashing waves is the first thing that Jongin hears when he regains his consciousness. Still feeling groggy, Jongin tries to open his eyes, only to be greeted by a beautiful sky full of reds and oranges. Jongin gazes at the sky blankly trying to remember what has happened. Well for sure he remembers taking a nap in the small wooden boat at the dock near the palace and then waking up in the middle of the sea. Jongin tries to remember what happened next, but the sudden pain in his head makes him groan loudly. Turning his head to the left Jongin comes face to face with a sleeping beauty, or so he thinks because she looks so beautiful and serene in her sleep.
And naked.
With the speed of sound, Jongin jolts from his sleeping position and groans loudly when another sharp pain shoots through his head. While massaging his temple, Jongin hears a soft moan and looks at the sleeping figure that starts to move. The girl opens her eyes and Jongin is mesmerized by the colors of her eyes, a shade of blue sapphire. They gaze at each other for god knows how long until Jongin remembers that the girl is still very much naked. He turns his gaze elsewhere when he sees it.
A fin of aquamarine scales covers the girl’s lower body. Yes, a fin covered in scales that glisten in the rays of the sunset.
She is a mermaid!
Jongin is dumbstruck.
The mermaid starts fidgeting because the stare that the human gives to her begins to make her nervous. Actually she is really nervous. Why did she have to fall asleep? If only she had just left the human and went on exploring the Upperland then she wouldn’t be in this situation. Then again she was tired… and quite curious about the human, so…
“He-hello,” Joonmi says while cracking a smile. The human snaps from his dumbstruck state, and suddenly sits in a seiza position. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Y-yes, just a headache, but I’m fine… I guess.” Jongin tilts his head down, face flushing.
“What’s wrong? Your face is red, are you really alright?” Joonmi asks worriedly. The human did spend quite some time in the sea. Joonmi remembers how one mermaid told her that humans can’t stay wet for a long time because they will get sick and sometimes their skin can get really wrinkly. The human’s skin did get quite wrinkly, especially his fingers.
“I-I’m fine really,” Jongin answers, flushing a deeper shade of red and still not looking up. “It’s just… c-can you uhh… you know…”
“Hmm?”
“Cover your chest.”
Oh
Well, Joonmi was told that humans wear something called clothes to cover their body. The reason is unknown, but it must be something that relates to climate change and dignity. While mermaids and merman doesn’t necessarily need to cover their upper body, some of them like to cover up or wear something with pearls, sea shells, starfish, seaweeds or others things from the sea for fashion.
Fortunately for both of them, there’s a piece of fabric lying nearby. It looks like an old picnic blanket. Joonmi points her finger at the blanket and says, “Can you please bring that to me?”
Jongin turns his head in the direction of her hand and makes an ‘oh’ sound. Getting up quickly, Jongin immediately retrieves the blanket and hands it to the mermaid. Joonmi wraps the blanket around her, but it looks silly because the blanket is too big and it covers her entire body. So Joonmi begins to pull herself back into the ocean and shouts out, “Please wait a moment!” before diving under the water.
The situation confounds Jongin and he just stands there unsure of what to do before deciding to sit down to wait for the mermaid’s return.
After a few minutes, the mermaid emerges from the water with a loud splash, chest now covered. It looks like she has managed to tear the blanket and wrap it around her chest like a bandage. She pulls herself back to the shore where Jongin is sitting and smiles at him.
Jongin thinks her smile is the most beautiful thing in the world.
“Nice to meet you human, my name is Joonmi. What’s your name?” Joonmi asks with her lovely smile.
“I-I’m Jongin, nice to meet you too,” Jongin says while bowing his head slightly. Joonmi bows her head in return.
“You know, you’re the first human I have ever met!”
“Well, you’re the first mermaid I have ever met,” Jongin says while scratching his head.
“Is your head really okay?” Joonmi asks worriedly.
“Huh?”
“A boat did knock into your head,” Joonmi says while tilting his head to side. “Are you really alright?”
Oh, no wonder Jongin woke up with massive headache that rivals the worst hangover. That also explains why he is in this situation. Jongin supposes he fell from the boat, got knocked over by the boat, and was saved by the mermaid in front of him.
“I’m alright, really.” Joonmi looks at him in doubt. “Just a little headache… I think. Anyway, I’m thankful for your help,” Jongin says while bowing his head again. “I would be gone if it weren’t for you”.
“I’m glad I could be of help. I just happen to be passing by.”
“If there’s anything that you wish, please by any means say it. I can’t thank you enough for helping me.”
“I don’t think I-,” the mermaid starts to reply before an idea flashes through her mind. “Yes, there’s something that I wish.”
“What is it that you wish?”
“I wish to know more about your world.”
“Excuse me?”
“The human world, I wish to know more about it!” Joonmi’s eyes are glittering with excitement.
“I would love too but,” Jongin pauses to think for another moment before continuing. Suddenly a strong breeze comes and it makes Jongin shiver. He forgot that his clothes are still soaked and his body is getting cold. The sun is already gone and with his current condition, the night winds will definitely make him sick. “I need to go home first.”
“Why?” Joonmi feels a slight disappointment. There is a lot of things she wants to ask.
“With my current condition I don’t think it will do me any good if I stay out late at night. I’m still soaked and it’s getting late.” Jongin tries to ignore the pang in his heart when he sees the disappointment on Joonmi’s face. “Tomorrow, lets meet up again tomorrow after sunset in this same place.”
Joonmi’s face lights up. “Yes! I’ll be waiting”.
Even though his body is shivering, Jongin feels warm inside as he bids Joonmi goodbye.
Jongin tries to sneak into the palace carefully. So far he manages to avoid the guards and maids. All he needs is to make it around the corner, go into his room and take a nice bath. When he opens his bedroom door he’s greeted by his personal assistant, Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo stands in the middle of Jongin’s room, arms crossed and throwing a deadly glare at Jongin.
Jongin can only cringe.
After a short scolding from Kyungsoo and a nice warm bath, Jongin flops down onto his bed. Kyungsoo is kind enough to let Jongin away (for now). After snuggling down in his bed, Jongin starts to feel exhausted. What happened today is beyond unreal. Jongin closes his eyes and dreams of a mermaid with beautiful aquamarine scales.
“You look happy, your highness.”
Jongin turns to see Kyungsoo dressed in his usual black butler outfit. Jongin has just finished his bath and is wearing his clothes when Kyungsoo comes knocking on his door.
“I’m always happy,” Jongin says with a frown. “And I told you to call me Jongin if it’s just the two of us.”
“I’m well aware of that, yo- Jongin,” Kyungsoo lets out a sigh. “It’s just you’re not a morning person, so every morning you will get moody, but today you look far from it today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… did something happen yesterday?”
“Not really. I did tell you I took a nap in the small wooden boat at the dock, woke up in the middle of the sea, and rowed back to land, losing the paddle half way, and swimming back to the shore.”
Kyungsoo looks at Jongin in disbelief, but just shrugs it off. “You know, the only reason you’re happy in the morning is because you are expecting something exciting, like when it’s your birthday.”
Jongin stops his movements for a moment before remembering his promise to Joonmi. Well, he does have something exciting that he’s really looking forward to today.
It’s an hour after sunset and the sky is getting darker and the stars have begun to shine brightly. Jongin is walking down the path to the beach where he has promised Joonmi to meet up. As he gets closer to the beach, Jongin hears someone singing in a voice that is soothing and peaceful. Jongin keeps walking and sees Joonmi leaning on the rocks near to the shore. She is singing with her eyes closed and with the moonlight illuminating her, the scene looks even more stunning. Jongin decides to wait for her to finish the song before he greets her.
When Joonmi finishes singing she opens her eyes and sees Jongin clapping his hands. Joonmi just blushes and smiles softly at Jongin, who is now walking towards her.
Jongin sits carefully on the rock near Joonmi. He tries adjusting his position a few times because the rock is quite slippery. Jongin then smiles at Joonmi, saying a shy “Hey” in greeting.
“Hi,” Joonmi smiles back.
“So what kind of things do you want to know?”
“A lot!” Joonmi says while grinning cheerfully.
‘This is going to be a long night,’ Jongin thinks, but when he sees how happy the mermaid is, he feels something fluttering in his chest. Besides, Jongin doesn’t mind spending the time with her.
It starts to become a routine. Jongin and Joonmi meet after sunset and they talk until midnight. Jongin will answer every question that Joonmi asks and sometimes they talk about each other’s world. Jogin is also curious about mermaids and merman and Joonmi is more than happy to talk about them.
“What do humans eat?”
“Hmm… a lot of things actually, there’s fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish,” Jongin doesn’t finish his sentence when he sees Joonmi looking at him horror. “What’s wrong?”
“You eat fish,” Joonmi says still looking mildly horrified by the answer. “Why would you eat fish? Fish are friends.”
Jongin furrows his eyebrow and asks, “What do you guys eat then?”
“We eat seaweed and algae.”
Jongin spends the next hour trying to convince Joonmi that he rarely eats fish because he really likes chicken more.
Sometimes, Joonmi will sing for Jongin until the latter falls asleep and then she will splash a lot of water to wake him up. Sometimes, Jongin will perform a dance, his moves fluid and graceful, and Joonmi hurts her hands from clapping too much.
It’s been three weeks and Jongin and Joonmi are getting closer. They talk about their childhood memories, likes and dislikes, passions, and their dreams. Jongin also realizes that he is starting to fall for the mermaid. Everything about Joonmi is lovely, even when she asks the most ridiculous questions with a serious face.
Jongin doesn’t tell Joonmi that he’s the prince that lives in the palace near the cliff, and that the beach that is their rendezvous spot is a private beach that Jongin’s family owns.
Jongin and Joonmi are chatting happily when suddenly Jongin stops talking.
“What’s wrong?” Joonmi asks worriedly.
“There’s something that I have to tell you.” Jongin lets out a sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be able to see you for a while.”
“Why?” Joonmi can’t help but to feel disappointment. Meeting with Jongin is something that she looks forward to the most.
“There’s something that I have to attend.” Jongin is feeling the same as Joonmi. He doesn’t want to leave, but he has already promised his parents that he will attend. “I don’t know how long it will take; it could be a few days”
“I see…”
“Don’t be sad… I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Jongin cups Joonmi’s face, caressing her cheek with his thumb lightly. “Besides, the thing that I have to attend is in the palace, so I won’t be far.”
Joonmi can only nod and she tries to hide her blush, and the pounding in her heart isn’t helping at all. It’s only a few days, what could go wrong?
One week later and Jongin is still nowhere to be seen.
Joonmi is swimming back to Atlantica. She is worried about Jongin, but with her current state she is unable to do anything but wait, and she hates it.
Upon arriving at Atlantica she goes straight to her father’s palace.
“Joonmi!”
Joonmi stops swimming and turns her head to see her brother, Minseok, swimming towards her. When he catches up, he hugs her tightly.
“Brother!” Joonmi returns the hug and lets her brother rock her back and forth.
“How was your journey in the Upperland? I’m guessing it was great since you went away for one month. Dad almost sent out a search party if you didn’t return in the next week. Minseok releases the hug and pats Joonmi on her head.
“Actually I just stayed in one place all along.”
“Really? What happened?"
“Yes, I’ll tell you, but alongside father. I really need his help.”
When Joonmi and Minseok enter the throne room, King Changmin immediately hugs his daughter.
“My dearest daughter, I missed you so much!”
“Father, I was just away for a month,” Joonmi chuckles while patting her father’s back. “Father, there’s something that I wish to do.”
“What is it my dear?”
Joonmi bites her lips. She knows her father is not fond of humans, but he is the only one who can grant her this wish. Joonmi takes a deep breath and tells them everything that has happened.
“You’re lucky dad doesn’t lock you away,” Minseok says as he pats his crying sister, “considering you broke most of his rules.”
“I-I only want to meet him, just to know if he’s alright.”
“I know you’re worried, but asking for a pair of legs is quite… you know, impossible. Dad hates humans and you’re his most precious daughter; he reluctantly let you go to the Upperland. There is no way he’ll let walk on it.”
Joonmi wipes her eyes. “If father won’t help me then I don’t have a choice but to go to her!”
Minseok widens his eyes. “You don’t mean?”
“I’m going to see the sea witch.”
Rumors say that the infamous Sea Witch, Jongda, can grant any wish, but for the ultimate price. Some say she will own the wisher’s soul, turning him or her into her slave, or using them as a guinea pig after the wish is fulfilled. Joonmi knows better than to believe to such rumors though.
The sea witch lives on the outskirts of Atlantica, near the deep sea. The water is cold; Joonmi can’t stop shivering while swimming. Minseok is holding Joonmi close, hoping to lessen the cold.
“Looks who’s here.”
The siblings stop swimming and turn to see Jongda carrying a pouch. Her black scales are glistening even in such a dark place as this. She is smiling like a Cheshire cat.
“Jongda!” Joonmi immediately swims toward the witch. “I need your help.”
“Well, hello to you too Joonmi… and Minseok. It’s rare to see both of you here.”
Minseok only shrugs at the witch. “I’m a responsible brother and leaving you two alone is bound for disaster.”
“”We aren’t!”” Joonmi and Jongda simultaneously protest.
They go inside the witch’s cave and sit in a room full of potions. Joonmi tells her what has happened and Jongda listens carefully.
“So… you helped a human?”
Joonmi nods.
“And both of you became friends?”
Joonmi nods.
“And suddenly he doesn’t visit anymore?”
Joonmi nods again.
“And you love him?”
Joonmi is half way nodding, before catching herself and immediately shakes her head while blushing. “W-we’re just friends.”
“Yeah, right,” Jongda says as she rolls her eyes, “but you have feeling for him.”
Joonmi only flushes more and tilts her head down.
“I adore you, but I don’t know if I can help.”
“Please, you are the only one I can rely on!”
Jongda furrows her eyebrows and she seems to think really hard. “Well… I can try, there’s a recipe for a potion that gives a mermaid or merman legs temporarily. The ingredients are super rare and you’re lucky I happen to have them.”
Joonmi is looking at her hopefully.
“Don’t get your hope too high,” Jongda makes a scowl on her face. “Do you want to? I can’t guarantee you the result, but if you are willing-”
Jongda doesn’t finish her speech because Joonmi is already nodding furiously at her.
The gentle breeze is the first thing that Joonmi feels when she gets out of the water. She can’t help smiling when she feels sand slip up around her feet. Her movements are wobbly, but after a few attempts at walking, Joonmi is able to run and jump a little.
Joonmi is wearing the cloak that Jongda had given her. The cloak makes her look shady, but she remembers how Jongin reacted when she was topless. She thinks it is probably better to be covered rather than walking around naked.
“Careful there.”
Joonmi turns to look at Minseok and waves her hand while mouthing a, ‘Thank you’.
The path to the palace is quite long. Joonmi is thankful because there’s a road that leads the way to the castle so she won’t get lost. Several minutes later Joonmi sees a fancy looking gate and fence. There’s a beautiful big garden behind the fence. When Joonmi tries to open the gate, she discovers it is unlocked. Jongin must be keeping it open.
By the look of palace Joonmi assumes she is currently located at the back side. There are no people here, much to Joonmi’s relief, but it also makes her more curious. Wandering around the garden, Joonmi sees a red door. She turns the knob and finds it is unlocked too. Peeking slowly inside Joonmi sees no people, so she decides to enter the palace.
Joonmi wishes she knew what Jongin does in the palace because she has no idea where to find him. While walking down the hallway, Joonmi hears voices of people chattering. She immediately opens the door nearby and enters the room. Closing the door, Joonmi turns around and looks at the row of beds. Her eyes land on a black dress and white apron that lays across one of the beds.
It is a maid’s dress.
Joonmi remembers that Jongin once told her about the people who keep the palace clean and beautiful. They are called maids for women and butlers for men. If Joonmi wears the maid dress then she can walk freely in the palace. What a great idea!
The maid dress is a little big, but it fits well enough. While walking around the place, Joonmi still hasn’t met any other people. Then she arrives in a big hall that is filled with tables and chairs. Joonmi takes the time to observe things. She doesn’t realize that someone was walking toward her.
“What are you doing here?” the man asks. “Aren’t you supposed to be working in the main house?”
Joonmi is surprised; she doesn’t know what to do. She tries to speak but no words come out. The man in front of her is tapping his foot while waiting for the answer. Joonmi then makes a gesture, pointing to her throat and then crossing her hands.
The man seems to get what she means. “Your throat hurts?”
Joonmi shakes her head.
“Are you mute?”
Joonmi nods.
“Ah, I see…” The man seems to think this over. “Are you new here?”
Joonmi nods.
“Baekhyun did say there are new maids and a butler today. You must be one of them”
Joonmi nods again.
“My name is Kyungsoo; I’m the prince’s personal assistant.” Kyungsoo then takes out his pocket watch and his eyes widen slightly. “There is no time for chit chat, come with me, I need your help.”
Joonmi sees Kyungsoo walk towards one of the tables with silver plates stacked nicely on top of it.
“Help me bring these things to ballroom.”
Joonmi can only nod.
The silver plates are heavy and Kyungsoo is kind enough to let Joonmi carry less, but they are still heavy.
“Has Baekhyun already told you your tasks?”
Joonmi shakes her head negatively.
“Tch, I’ll scold that man later.”
Joonmi mentally apologizes to Baekhyun.
“We’re preparing for the prince’s wedding.”
Kyungsoo then tells Joonmi about the wedding preparations. As Joonmi listens to Kyungsoo’s explanation, she hears music.
“We’re close; those big white doors over there are the ballroom’s door.” Kyungsoo pants a little. “These silver plates are really heavy. It looks like they aren’t done yet.”
When Kyungsoo and Joonmi arrive at the ballroom, Joonmi is in awe. The ballroom is large, wide, and beautiful. There’s several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The decorations on the walls and ceiling are amazing. Then Joonmi sees that someone is dancing in the middle of ballroom.
“That’s prince Jongin and Lady Liyin.”
Jongin?
Then Joonmi sees it, she sees Jongin waltzing around the ballroom with lady Liyin. She sees how Jongin looks tenderly at her. Then everything starts to click in Joonmi’s head.
The prince’s wedding.
Jongin is a prince.
Jongin is getting married.
Joonmi can feel her heart breaking. Her eyes cloud with tears while her hands and knees suddenly go weak. Without realizing it, Joonmi drops the silver plates.
A loud clang is echoing through the ballroom, surprising everyone in the room and even Joonmi herself. Jongin and Liyin stop dancing to look at the source of the sound. Jongin widens his eyes.
“Joonmi?”
Upon hearing her name, Joonmi suddenly runs away.
“JOONMI!”
Joonmi runs and runs. She needs to get away from everything. Tears are running down her cheeks as she manages to get out of the palace. She immediately runs straight to the beach, tripping a few times in process.
Arriving at the beach, Joonmi starts to slow down and stops at the shore. Joonmi can’t stop panting and she feels tired. Taking a deep breath she wipes the tears in her eyes away while walking slowly to the sea.
“JOONMI!”
Before Joonmi can turn around, she hears a splash of water and feels a pair of arms hugging her from behind.
“Please don’t run,” Jongin is panting and tightens the hug. “I don’t know what I did, but please don’t run away like that!”
Joonmi can hear her own heartbeat thumping loudly. The feeling of Jongin’s breath on her neck isn’t helping either. Seeing her reflection in the water, Joonmi doesn’t think her face can get much redder.
“Please say something!” The hug is getting tighter. “Joonmi I-”
“Woah, nice catch Joonmi, he’s hot!”
Not expecting that there’ll be another person here, Jongin immediately releases his hug. He sees two figures floating not far away, a merman and a mermaid.
“I’m sorry, did we just interrupt something?” Jongda’s grin is wide. She definitely doesn’t sound guilty.
Minseok then hits Jongda’s head. “Read the situation you idiot!”
Joonmi shakes her head violently. Her face just goes redder. She turns her head to see Jongin standing straight with a flush on his face. Oh god this is embarrassing.
After a minute of silence, Jongin steps closer and holds Joonmi’s hand. “You haven’t answered me. Why did you run?”
Joonmi looks up at Jongin, eyes still teary. Then she lowers her head and slightly shakes her head.
“Joonmi-”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you a second time, but Joonmi can’t speak right now,” Jongda says while raising her hand.
“What!?” Jongin turns his head at Jongda then back to Joonmi. “Why…?” Jongin then looks down at Joonmi’s feet. “Don’t tell me… did you exchange your voice for a pair of legs?”
Joonmi widens her eyes she shakes her head again.
“Joonmi-”
“I’m sorry again to interrupt you for the third time, but Joonmi didn’t exchange her voice for a pair of legs,” Jongda says, earning a nudge from Minseok.
“Then why?”
“It’s all Minseok’s fault.” Jongda points her finger at the merman beside her.
“Hey!” Minseok nudges Jongda in protest. “It’s your fault too. If only you gave me more specific details of the ingredients then I wouldn’t have mistook it for the other one!”
“I told you to bring me megalodon blood, but you give me white shark’s blood instead!” Jongda turns her head to glare at Minseok.
“What’s the difference? Isn’t white shark just a mini version of a megalodon?” Minseok furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t see the difference”
“You’re hopeless,” Jongda rolls her eyes and turns her head back to Jongin. “Long story short, rather than creating a miracle potion, we created a curse potion. The effect is superb honestly; a high fever, a cough that does not cease, unable to move for days, and a loss of voice.”
Jongin turns his head and looks at Joonmi worriedly.
“The king was horrified when he discovered what his daughter did, so he promised to grant his daughter’s wish if she didn’t do anything reckless again. Joonmi is recovering fast because of my potion, but she still can’t speak at the moment. The effect is only temporary so she will be able to speak again, but Joonmi was keen to meet you. After her fever and cough disappeared and she was able to move, she immediately asked for the king’s promise.”
“So the king, I mean your father is granting you a pair of legs?” Jongin asks and Joonmi nods in reply. Jongin now embraces Joonmi warmly. “Thank goodness, if you had exchanged your voice for a pair of legs just to see me I will regret it forever. I know how much you love singing.”
They stay embracing each for a minute before Jongin pulls away and holds Joonmi’s shoulder. “That still doesn’t explain why you ran away before. You wanted to meet me right?”
Joonmi looks at Jongin before she goes to the beach and picks up a stick. She returns to the shore and kneels down to write something.
Jongin follows Joonmi’s movements and kneels down near her to read what she writes. Looking at the words Joonmi writes Jongin bites his lips. “Joonmi I…” Jongin looks unsure. “I can’t read this.”
Oh, right. They may be speaking the same language, but they use different letters to write with.
“Allow me to read that for you,” Jongda says as she pulls herself to the shore along with Minseok. “You’re getting married period. Wow!”
Jongin is surprised. “W-why do you think that!?”
A wave comes and wipes away the words. Joonmi then begins to write again.
“Kyu-Kyungsoo? It’s that a name?” Jongda reads again and Joonmi nods. “Kyungsoo told me about the prince’s marriage and he called you the prince period. Isn’t your bride the one who was dancing with you earlier question mark.”
Ah.
“I think you misunderstood a few things.” Jongin grabs Joonmi’s hand and holds it close. “The one who’s getting married is my brother and the woman who I danced with earlier is his fiancée.”
Joonmi mouths an ‘o’ sound at the same time as Jongda and Minseok does.
“That’s also the reason why I haven’t been able to meet you.” Jongin tightens his grip on Joonmi’s hand. “It’s a custom in our country that the married couple will dance a waltz in the closing for their wedding. Lady Liyin is not used to dancing the waltz, so I was asked to teach her while my brother supervises the marriage preparation. Lady Liyin is quite a perfectionist so we have been training from morning until night”
After hearing Jongin’s explanation, Joonmi is relieved and embarrassed at the same time. She’s relieved that Jongin is not the one who’s getting married and she’s embarrassed that she made quite scene at the palace.
Jongda is grinning while looking at Jongin and Joonmi. “Now that there is no misunderstanding, I will leave you two love fish alone!”
Jongda retreats back into the ocean, dragging a reluctant Minseok along.
Jongin and Joonmi are now standing alone. Joonmi keeps her head down, still feeling embarrassed with what happened earlier. They’re still holding hands.
“You look cute in a maid uniform.”
Joonmi flushes more and she tries to get away, but the hold on her hand is tight.
“I won’t let you go.” Jongin’s dark eyes bore deep into Joonmi’s blue ones. “Not when you are standing this close to me.”
They gaze into each other’s eyes until Jongin closes the distance between them. Jongin’s hand cups her cheek and tilts her face upward. His thumb caresses Joonmi lips before he leans in and-
“By the way I forgot to-” Jongda suddenly appears with a loud splash. “Oh did I interrupt something again?”
Jongin and Joonmi immediately pull away.
“Ehehehe, I didn’t mean to interrupt this time, but I really forgot to mention it before,” Jongda says while scratching her head a little.
Suddenly Minseok appears with a loud splash too. “Joonmi only has a week before she turns back into a mermaid. Dad is still not convinced enough to let Joonmi live in the Upperland so she promised she will be a human for only a week and then return back to a mermaid again for another week and vice versa.”
“Think of this as a trial period. Maybe if your love is strong enough the king will let you live in the Upperland for good!” Jongda then makes a kissy pose. “Until then, see you later Joonmi!”
They then went back underwater with a loud splash.
Jongin just stands there dumbfounded before he turns to where Joonmi is standing.
“So this is only temporary?”
Joonmi nods.
“But you will be back again right?”
Joonmi nods with a smile.
“Then what do we do now?”
Joonmi smiles brightly before she twirls around with her dress.
Jongin chuckles lightly and offers her his hand.
“Would you like to dance with me?”
From: ANONYMOUS until May 22, 2015
Title: I Need To Be (A Part of Your World)
Rating: PG
Pairing(s)/Focus: fem!Suho/Kai
Length: 6,617 words
Summary: The first human that Joonmi meets is good looking and currently drowning.
Notes: Thank you so much RJ, you're my savior. And for my recipient, I hope you like it.
Deep under the sea on the ocean floor lays the aquatic kingdom of Atlantica that is ruled by the sea king, King Changmin. Atlantica is a place for every aquatic creature to live and is deemed as the most beautiful aquatic kingdom in the sea.
King Changmin has two children, a son and a daughter. The eldest child of King Changmin, named Minseok and his younger sister, Joonmi, are Atlantica’s most beloved residents. Joonmi is a bright and adventurous mermaid of long light brown hair and an aquamarine fin who often drags her brother throughout Atlantica on little adventures, inevitably always leading to them to becoming lost.
Right now Joonmi is ecstatic. For years she's been waiting for her 18th birthday and finally the day has come.
It’s normal for every mermaid or merman that hits their adulthood age, (which is 18 for their standard), that they may explore the Upperland, a place above the surface. By 'explore' it means just poking your head out of the water and looking, (sometimes in awe), at the land above the sea, because the King forbids any form of actual contact with the Upperland.
Unfortunately, much to the king’s dismay, his beloved daughter is always eager to hear every story about the Upperland and its inhabitants, those that are called humans. Joonmi always asks every mermaid or merman who has visited the Upperland and the stories vary from, "the world above is beautiful, humans are interesting" too, "there's nothing interesting, humans are boring" and a sometimes, "HUMANS ARE SCUM! WHAT DO THEY THINK THE SEA IS, A TRASH DUMP?!" which is more complaining rather than storytelling.
Last year Minseok went to the Upperland and his only comment was, “It was okay,” and nothing more. Whatever the story is, may it be a positive story or a negative story or in between (as long as it is not vague like Minseok’s), Joonmi always ends up more curious about the Upperland.
For a free-spirited person, being a King's daughter has more cons then pros, especially if your father happens to be a little protective. Joonmi is listening to her father telling her what to do when she goes to the Upperland, a massive don't do that, don't do this, and don't do it. Joonmi listens only for the first few hours because she starts to daydream about the Upperland and all the things she will explore. It is two hours later when the king decides to end his lecture.
"...and that was the last rules. Do you understand now my dear daughter?” The king is looking expectantly at his daughter who is now looking very eager to start her very first journey to the Upperland.
"I understand," Joonmi says with a smile. "I'm sooo excited!" Joonmi throws her arms wide while spinning around in a circle. "Yoo-hoo!"
The king only sighs at the sight of his daughter’s actions. He is happy to have a lively and curious daughter who loves to increase her knowledge, but he is not happy at the subject of her curiosity. As much as the king wants his daughter to stay under the sea, he can’t help but to feel warm every time Joonmi is happy. Besides she may change her mind if the Upperland doesn’t meet her expectations.
Finally, after a lot of “I’ll be fine dad,” and “Yes I promise,” the king reluctantly bids her goodbye.
Joonmi is swimming happily; it’s been her dream ever since she was a child to see the world above. For as long as she can remember, she’s been collecting things from the Upperland and keeping everything she finds in her secret cave. Her favorite things are two metal sticks that apparently came as a pair, one stick has an oval shape at the end and the other one has a shape like her father’s trident. Joonmi doesn’t know what kind of use these two sticks have, but it makes a nice sound when she hits them together.
The journey to the nearest land at the Upperland is quite long. Two hours has gone by and Joonmi is starting to get tired.
"So sleepy... now that I remember, I haven't slept since yesterday.” Joonmi lets out a big yawn as she remembers how excited she was for this journey and that she hardly slept the night before. “Silly me... I guess a nap won't hurt..." After making sure the ocean currents are in the same direction as her location, she closes her eyes and let sleep take over.
Joonmi dreams of the Upperland where she no longer has a fin but a pair of legs. She walks across a green field, wonder written all over her face. She can hear playful music playing when all of sudden she is in the middle of a town plaza where people are dancing and singing. The festive mood makes Joonmi want to dance too. Unexpectedly, a man comes over to her, offers his hand, and asks, “Would you like to dance with me?”
“Yes!” Joonmi answers while holding the man’s hand. “I would love too!”
They walk to the middle of the plaza holding hands, ready to dance when suddenly something hard hits her head.
Joonmi wakes up from her nap with a pain on her head. She keeps rubbing her head when she realizes that she has accidently hit a boat’s hull, a small wooden boat to be exact.
By the look of the sea, Joonmi thinks she has slept for roughly one hour. This means the the Upperland is more or less still far away. Joonmi is about to leave when she hears someone talking in the boat above. Being the curious mermaid that she is, combined with the excitement of meeting a human for the first time makes her slowly rise to the surface.
“I’m screwed.”
“What should I do?”
“Oh God!”
Now that Joonmi can hear much clearer, she realizes that there’s only one person in the boat and he is a man. Carefully swimming closer to the boat, Joonmi tries to catch a glimpse of the human. From her position at the stern of the boat, she can only see his hand trying to reach something in the water. The sunshine makes it hard for Joonmi to see without hurting her eyes. When Joonmi looks at the thing he is trying to reach, she realizes it is a paddle that is already floating further away.
The human in the boat mumbles some words that Joonmi can’t quite hear, but he sounds like he is in distress. Joonmi wants to help, she really does, but she doesn’t want to break the rules. While Joonmi is busy thinking about whether she should help the human or not, a sudden big wave comes and makes the human lose his balance.
The human is trying to stay afloat on the surface, but another big wave is coming and makes the boat knock him over. The next thing that happens is that the human starts to drown. Without thinking much Joonmi immediately starts swimming towards the male.
Now that the mermaid can see the human more clearly, he is kind of… good looking? Well it’s kind of inappropriate to think this when the human is drowning, so Joonmi decides to help. She quickly catches the human and brings him to the surface. She is relieved when she feels the human still breathing, but he seems unconscious.
Joonmi tries to put the human back into the boat, but she doesn’t have the strength to do it. Then she tries to wake him up, but to no avail, the human continues to sleep like a log. The only choice now is to bring the human to the shore that is a long ways off, even if the human is heavy. Joonmi thinks she can survive this, hopefully.
Mermaids or mermen are the fastest sea creatures, but they aren’t created to swim on the surface, let alone while carrying something or in this case someone, who is bigger than themselves. So when Joonmi finally reaches the shore, she praises Poseidon and all other sea gods. After what feels like forever, Joonmi manages to drop the boy on the shore, finally able to recover her breath.
After a few minutes of rest, Joonmi now takes a proper look at the unconscious human in front of her. The first thing that comes to her mind is how handsome he is. This human has sun-kissed skin, brown hair, and a lean muscular body, (not as muscular as her brother, but quite close). When the human begins to whimper in his sleep, Joonmi feels panic. She doesn’t know what to do. Is he cold? Is he hurt? Joonmi tries not to think too much and starts to do the only thing she is good at, she begins to sing.
Joonmi sings a lullaby that her mother often sang when she was little and it works. The human stops his whimpering and he looks peaceful in his sleep. Joonmi can’t help but to gaze at the human until she feels tired; helping the human really made her exhausted. Joonmi closes her eyes and lets sleep take over.
The sound of splashing waves is the first thing that Jongin hears when he regains his consciousness. Still feeling groggy, Jongin tries to open his eyes, only to be greeted by a beautiful sky full of reds and oranges. Jongin gazes at the sky blankly trying to remember what has happened. Well for sure he remembers taking a nap in the small wooden boat at the dock near the palace and then waking up in the middle of the sea. Jongin tries to remember what happened next, but the sudden pain in his head makes him groan loudly. Turning his head to the left Jongin comes face to face with a sleeping beauty, or so he thinks because she looks so beautiful and serene in her sleep.
And naked.
With the speed of sound, Jongin jolts from his sleeping position and groans loudly when another sharp pain shoots through his head. While massaging his temple, Jongin hears a soft moan and looks at the sleeping figure that starts to move. The girl opens her eyes and Jongin is mesmerized by the colors of her eyes, a shade of blue sapphire. They gaze at each other for god knows how long until Jongin remembers that the girl is still very much naked. He turns his gaze elsewhere when he sees it.
A fin of aquamarine scales covers the girl’s lower body. Yes, a fin covered in scales that glisten in the rays of the sunset.
She is a mermaid!
Jongin is dumbstruck.
The mermaid starts fidgeting because the stare that the human gives to her begins to make her nervous. Actually she is really nervous. Why did she have to fall asleep? If only she had just left the human and went on exploring the Upperland then she wouldn’t be in this situation. Then again she was tired… and quite curious about the human, so…
“He-hello,” Joonmi says while cracking a smile. The human snaps from his dumbstruck state, and suddenly sits in a seiza position. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Y-yes, just a headache, but I’m fine… I guess.” Jongin tilts his head down, face flushing.
“What’s wrong? Your face is red, are you really alright?” Joonmi asks worriedly. The human did spend quite some time in the sea. Joonmi remembers how one mermaid told her that humans can’t stay wet for a long time because they will get sick and sometimes their skin can get really wrinkly. The human’s skin did get quite wrinkly, especially his fingers.
“I-I’m fine really,” Jongin answers, flushing a deeper shade of red and still not looking up. “It’s just… c-can you uhh… you know…”
“Hmm?”
“Cover your chest.”
Oh
Well, Joonmi was told that humans wear something called clothes to cover their body. The reason is unknown, but it must be something that relates to climate change and dignity. While mermaids and merman doesn’t necessarily need to cover their upper body, some of them like to cover up or wear something with pearls, sea shells, starfish, seaweeds or others things from the sea for fashion.
Fortunately for both of them, there’s a piece of fabric lying nearby. It looks like an old picnic blanket. Joonmi points her finger at the blanket and says, “Can you please bring that to me?”
Jongin turns his head in the direction of her hand and makes an ‘oh’ sound. Getting up quickly, Jongin immediately retrieves the blanket and hands it to the mermaid. Joonmi wraps the blanket around her, but it looks silly because the blanket is too big and it covers her entire body. So Joonmi begins to pull herself back into the ocean and shouts out, “Please wait a moment!” before diving under the water.
The situation confounds Jongin and he just stands there unsure of what to do before deciding to sit down to wait for the mermaid’s return.
After a few minutes, the mermaid emerges from the water with a loud splash, chest now covered. It looks like she has managed to tear the blanket and wrap it around her chest like a bandage. She pulls herself back to the shore where Jongin is sitting and smiles at him.
Jongin thinks her smile is the most beautiful thing in the world.
“Nice to meet you human, my name is Joonmi. What’s your name?” Joonmi asks with her lovely smile.
“I-I’m Jongin, nice to meet you too,” Jongin says while bowing his head slightly. Joonmi bows her head in return.
“You know, you’re the first human I have ever met!”
“Well, you’re the first mermaid I have ever met,” Jongin says while scratching his head.
“Is your head really okay?” Joonmi asks worriedly.
“Huh?”
“A boat did knock into your head,” Joonmi says while tilting his head to side. “Are you really alright?”
Oh, no wonder Jongin woke up with massive headache that rivals the worst hangover. That also explains why he is in this situation. Jongin supposes he fell from the boat, got knocked over by the boat, and was saved by the mermaid in front of him.
“I’m alright, really.” Joonmi looks at him in doubt. “Just a little headache… I think. Anyway, I’m thankful for your help,” Jongin says while bowing his head again. “I would be gone if it weren’t for you”.
“I’m glad I could be of help. I just happen to be passing by.”
“If there’s anything that you wish, please by any means say it. I can’t thank you enough for helping me.”
“I don’t think I-,” the mermaid starts to reply before an idea flashes through her mind. “Yes, there’s something that I wish.”
“What is it that you wish?”
“I wish to know more about your world.”
“Excuse me?”
“The human world, I wish to know more about it!” Joonmi’s eyes are glittering with excitement.
“I would love too but,” Jongin pauses to think for another moment before continuing. Suddenly a strong breeze comes and it makes Jongin shiver. He forgot that his clothes are still soaked and his body is getting cold. The sun is already gone and with his current condition, the night winds will definitely make him sick. “I need to go home first.”
“Why?” Joonmi feels a slight disappointment. There is a lot of things she wants to ask.
“With my current condition I don’t think it will do me any good if I stay out late at night. I’m still soaked and it’s getting late.” Jongin tries to ignore the pang in his heart when he sees the disappointment on Joonmi’s face. “Tomorrow, lets meet up again tomorrow after sunset in this same place.”
Joonmi’s face lights up. “Yes! I’ll be waiting”.
Even though his body is shivering, Jongin feels warm inside as he bids Joonmi goodbye.
Jongin tries to sneak into the palace carefully. So far he manages to avoid the guards and maids. All he needs is to make it around the corner, go into his room and take a nice bath. When he opens his bedroom door he’s greeted by his personal assistant, Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo stands in the middle of Jongin’s room, arms crossed and throwing a deadly glare at Jongin.
Jongin can only cringe.
After a short scolding from Kyungsoo and a nice warm bath, Jongin flops down onto his bed. Kyungsoo is kind enough to let Jongin away (for now). After snuggling down in his bed, Jongin starts to feel exhausted. What happened today is beyond unreal. Jongin closes his eyes and dreams of a mermaid with beautiful aquamarine scales.
“You look happy, your highness.”
Jongin turns to see Kyungsoo dressed in his usual black butler outfit. Jongin has just finished his bath and is wearing his clothes when Kyungsoo comes knocking on his door.
“I’m always happy,” Jongin says with a frown. “And I told you to call me Jongin if it’s just the two of us.”
“I’m well aware of that, yo- Jongin,” Kyungsoo lets out a sigh. “It’s just you’re not a morning person, so every morning you will get moody, but today you look far from it today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… did something happen yesterday?”
“Not really. I did tell you I took a nap in the small wooden boat at the dock, woke up in the middle of the sea, and rowed back to land, losing the paddle half way, and swimming back to the shore.”
Kyungsoo looks at Jongin in disbelief, but just shrugs it off. “You know, the only reason you’re happy in the morning is because you are expecting something exciting, like when it’s your birthday.”
Jongin stops his movements for a moment before remembering his promise to Joonmi. Well, he does have something exciting that he’s really looking forward to today.
It’s an hour after sunset and the sky is getting darker and the stars have begun to shine brightly. Jongin is walking down the path to the beach where he has promised Joonmi to meet up. As he gets closer to the beach, Jongin hears someone singing in a voice that is soothing and peaceful. Jongin keeps walking and sees Joonmi leaning on the rocks near to the shore. She is singing with her eyes closed and with the moonlight illuminating her, the scene looks even more stunning. Jongin decides to wait for her to finish the song before he greets her.
When Joonmi finishes singing she opens her eyes and sees Jongin clapping his hands. Joonmi just blushes and smiles softly at Jongin, who is now walking towards her.
Jongin sits carefully on the rock near Joonmi. He tries adjusting his position a few times because the rock is quite slippery. Jongin then smiles at Joonmi, saying a shy “Hey” in greeting.
“Hi,” Joonmi smiles back.
“So what kind of things do you want to know?”
“A lot!” Joonmi says while grinning cheerfully.
‘This is going to be a long night,’ Jongin thinks, but when he sees how happy the mermaid is, he feels something fluttering in his chest. Besides, Jongin doesn’t mind spending the time with her.
It starts to become a routine. Jongin and Joonmi meet after sunset and they talk until midnight. Jongin will answer every question that Joonmi asks and sometimes they talk about each other’s world. Jogin is also curious about mermaids and merman and Joonmi is more than happy to talk about them.
“What do humans eat?”
“Hmm… a lot of things actually, there’s fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish,” Jongin doesn’t finish his sentence when he sees Joonmi looking at him horror. “What’s wrong?”
“You eat fish,” Joonmi says still looking mildly horrified by the answer. “Why would you eat fish? Fish are friends.”
Jongin furrows his eyebrow and asks, “What do you guys eat then?”
“We eat seaweed and algae.”
Jongin spends the next hour trying to convince Joonmi that he rarely eats fish because he really likes chicken more.
Sometimes, Joonmi will sing for Jongin until the latter falls asleep and then she will splash a lot of water to wake him up. Sometimes, Jongin will perform a dance, his moves fluid and graceful, and Joonmi hurts her hands from clapping too much.
It’s been three weeks and Jongin and Joonmi are getting closer. They talk about their childhood memories, likes and dislikes, passions, and their dreams. Jongin also realizes that he is starting to fall for the mermaid. Everything about Joonmi is lovely, even when she asks the most ridiculous questions with a serious face.
Jongin doesn’t tell Joonmi that he’s the prince that lives in the palace near the cliff, and that the beach that is their rendezvous spot is a private beach that Jongin’s family owns.
Jongin and Joonmi are chatting happily when suddenly Jongin stops talking.
“What’s wrong?” Joonmi asks worriedly.
“There’s something that I have to tell you.” Jongin lets out a sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be able to see you for a while.”
“Why?” Joonmi can’t help but to feel disappointment. Meeting with Jongin is something that she looks forward to the most.
“There’s something that I have to attend.” Jongin is feeling the same as Joonmi. He doesn’t want to leave, but he has already promised his parents that he will attend. “I don’t know how long it will take; it could be a few days”
“I see…”
“Don’t be sad… I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Jongin cups Joonmi’s face, caressing her cheek with his thumb lightly. “Besides, the thing that I have to attend is in the palace, so I won’t be far.”
Joonmi can only nod and she tries to hide her blush, and the pounding in her heart isn’t helping at all. It’s only a few days, what could go wrong?
One week later and Jongin is still nowhere to be seen.
Joonmi is swimming back to Atlantica. She is worried about Jongin, but with her current state she is unable to do anything but wait, and she hates it.
Upon arriving at Atlantica she goes straight to her father’s palace.
“Joonmi!”
Joonmi stops swimming and turns her head to see her brother, Minseok, swimming towards her. When he catches up, he hugs her tightly.
“Brother!” Joonmi returns the hug and lets her brother rock her back and forth.
“How was your journey in the Upperland? I’m guessing it was great since you went away for one month. Dad almost sent out a search party if you didn’t return in the next week. Minseok releases the hug and pats Joonmi on her head.
“Actually I just stayed in one place all along.”
“Really? What happened?"
“Yes, I’ll tell you, but alongside father. I really need his help.”
When Joonmi and Minseok enter the throne room, King Changmin immediately hugs his daughter.
“My dearest daughter, I missed you so much!”
“Father, I was just away for a month,” Joonmi chuckles while patting her father’s back. “Father, there’s something that I wish to do.”
“What is it my dear?”
Joonmi bites her lips. She knows her father is not fond of humans, but he is the only one who can grant her this wish. Joonmi takes a deep breath and tells them everything that has happened.
“You’re lucky dad doesn’t lock you away,” Minseok says as he pats his crying sister, “considering you broke most of his rules.”
“I-I only want to meet him, just to know if he’s alright.”
“I know you’re worried, but asking for a pair of legs is quite… you know, impossible. Dad hates humans and you’re his most precious daughter; he reluctantly let you go to the Upperland. There is no way he’ll let walk on it.”
Joonmi wipes her eyes. “If father won’t help me then I don’t have a choice but to go to her!”
Minseok widens his eyes. “You don’t mean?”
“I’m going to see the sea witch.”
Rumors say that the infamous Sea Witch, Jongda, can grant any wish, but for the ultimate price. Some say she will own the wisher’s soul, turning him or her into her slave, or using them as a guinea pig after the wish is fulfilled. Joonmi knows better than to believe to such rumors though.
The sea witch lives on the outskirts of Atlantica, near the deep sea. The water is cold; Joonmi can’t stop shivering while swimming. Minseok is holding Joonmi close, hoping to lessen the cold.
“Looks who’s here.”
The siblings stop swimming and turn to see Jongda carrying a pouch. Her black scales are glistening even in such a dark place as this. She is smiling like a Cheshire cat.
“Jongda!” Joonmi immediately swims toward the witch. “I need your help.”
“Well, hello to you too Joonmi… and Minseok. It’s rare to see both of you here.”
Minseok only shrugs at the witch. “I’m a responsible brother and leaving you two alone is bound for disaster.”
“”We aren’t!”” Joonmi and Jongda simultaneously protest.
They go inside the witch’s cave and sit in a room full of potions. Joonmi tells her what has happened and Jongda listens carefully.
“So… you helped a human?”
Joonmi nods.
“And both of you became friends?”
Joonmi nods.
“And suddenly he doesn’t visit anymore?”
Joonmi nods again.
“And you love him?”
Joonmi is half way nodding, before catching herself and immediately shakes her head while blushing. “W-we’re just friends.”
“Yeah, right,” Jongda says as she rolls her eyes, “but you have feeling for him.”
Joonmi only flushes more and tilts her head down.
“I adore you, but I don’t know if I can help.”
“Please, you are the only one I can rely on!”
Jongda furrows her eyebrows and she seems to think really hard. “Well… I can try, there’s a recipe for a potion that gives a mermaid or merman legs temporarily. The ingredients are super rare and you’re lucky I happen to have them.”
Joonmi is looking at her hopefully.
“Don’t get your hope too high,” Jongda makes a scowl on her face. “Do you want to? I can’t guarantee you the result, but if you are willing-”
Jongda doesn’t finish her speech because Joonmi is already nodding furiously at her.
The gentle breeze is the first thing that Joonmi feels when she gets out of the water. She can’t help smiling when she feels sand slip up around her feet. Her movements are wobbly, but after a few attempts at walking, Joonmi is able to run and jump a little.
Joonmi is wearing the cloak that Jongda had given her. The cloak makes her look shady, but she remembers how Jongin reacted when she was topless. She thinks it is probably better to be covered rather than walking around naked.
“Careful there.”
Joonmi turns to look at Minseok and waves her hand while mouthing a, ‘Thank you’.
The path to the palace is quite long. Joonmi is thankful because there’s a road that leads the way to the castle so she won’t get lost. Several minutes later Joonmi sees a fancy looking gate and fence. There’s a beautiful big garden behind the fence. When Joonmi tries to open the gate, she discovers it is unlocked. Jongin must be keeping it open.
By the look of palace Joonmi assumes she is currently located at the back side. There are no people here, much to Joonmi’s relief, but it also makes her more curious. Wandering around the garden, Joonmi sees a red door. She turns the knob and finds it is unlocked too. Peeking slowly inside Joonmi sees no people, so she decides to enter the palace.
Joonmi wishes she knew what Jongin does in the palace because she has no idea where to find him. While walking down the hallway, Joonmi hears voices of people chattering. She immediately opens the door nearby and enters the room. Closing the door, Joonmi turns around and looks at the row of beds. Her eyes land on a black dress and white apron that lays across one of the beds.
It is a maid’s dress.
Joonmi remembers that Jongin once told her about the people who keep the palace clean and beautiful. They are called maids for women and butlers for men. If Joonmi wears the maid dress then she can walk freely in the palace. What a great idea!
The maid dress is a little big, but it fits well enough. While walking around the place, Joonmi still hasn’t met any other people. Then she arrives in a big hall that is filled with tables and chairs. Joonmi takes the time to observe things. She doesn’t realize that someone was walking toward her.
“What are you doing here?” the man asks. “Aren’t you supposed to be working in the main house?”
Joonmi is surprised; she doesn’t know what to do. She tries to speak but no words come out. The man in front of her is tapping his foot while waiting for the answer. Joonmi then makes a gesture, pointing to her throat and then crossing her hands.
The man seems to get what she means. “Your throat hurts?”
Joonmi shakes her head.
“Are you mute?”
Joonmi nods.
“Ah, I see…” The man seems to think this over. “Are you new here?”
Joonmi nods.
“Baekhyun did say there are new maids and a butler today. You must be one of them”
Joonmi nods again.
“My name is Kyungsoo; I’m the prince’s personal assistant.” Kyungsoo then takes out his pocket watch and his eyes widen slightly. “There is no time for chit chat, come with me, I need your help.”
Joonmi sees Kyungsoo walk towards one of the tables with silver plates stacked nicely on top of it.
“Help me bring these things to ballroom.”
Joonmi can only nod.
The silver plates are heavy and Kyungsoo is kind enough to let Joonmi carry less, but they are still heavy.
“Has Baekhyun already told you your tasks?”
Joonmi shakes her head negatively.
“Tch, I’ll scold that man later.”
Joonmi mentally apologizes to Baekhyun.
“We’re preparing for the prince’s wedding.”
Kyungsoo then tells Joonmi about the wedding preparations. As Joonmi listens to Kyungsoo’s explanation, she hears music.
“We’re close; those big white doors over there are the ballroom’s door.” Kyungsoo pants a little. “These silver plates are really heavy. It looks like they aren’t done yet.”
When Kyungsoo and Joonmi arrive at the ballroom, Joonmi is in awe. The ballroom is large, wide, and beautiful. There’s several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The decorations on the walls and ceiling are amazing. Then Joonmi sees that someone is dancing in the middle of ballroom.
“That’s prince Jongin and Lady Liyin.”
Jongin?
Then Joonmi sees it, she sees Jongin waltzing around the ballroom with lady Liyin. She sees how Jongin looks tenderly at her. Then everything starts to click in Joonmi’s head.
The prince’s wedding.
Jongin is a prince.
Jongin is getting married.
Joonmi can feel her heart breaking. Her eyes cloud with tears while her hands and knees suddenly go weak. Without realizing it, Joonmi drops the silver plates.
A loud clang is echoing through the ballroom, surprising everyone in the room and even Joonmi herself. Jongin and Liyin stop dancing to look at the source of the sound. Jongin widens his eyes.
“Joonmi?”
Upon hearing her name, Joonmi suddenly runs away.
“JOONMI!”
Joonmi runs and runs. She needs to get away from everything. Tears are running down her cheeks as she manages to get out of the palace. She immediately runs straight to the beach, tripping a few times in process.
Arriving at the beach, Joonmi starts to slow down and stops at the shore. Joonmi can’t stop panting and she feels tired. Taking a deep breath she wipes the tears in her eyes away while walking slowly to the sea.
“JOONMI!”
Before Joonmi can turn around, she hears a splash of water and feels a pair of arms hugging her from behind.
“Please don’t run,” Jongin is panting and tightens the hug. “I don’t know what I did, but please don’t run away like that!”
Joonmi can hear her own heartbeat thumping loudly. The feeling of Jongin’s breath on her neck isn’t helping either. Seeing her reflection in the water, Joonmi doesn’t think her face can get much redder.
“Please say something!” The hug is getting tighter. “Joonmi I-”
“Woah, nice catch Joonmi, he’s hot!”
Not expecting that there’ll be another person here, Jongin immediately releases his hug. He sees two figures floating not far away, a merman and a mermaid.
“I’m sorry, did we just interrupt something?” Jongda’s grin is wide. She definitely doesn’t sound guilty.
Minseok then hits Jongda’s head. “Read the situation you idiot!”
Joonmi shakes her head violently. Her face just goes redder. She turns her head to see Jongin standing straight with a flush on his face. Oh god this is embarrassing.
After a minute of silence, Jongin steps closer and holds Joonmi’s hand. “You haven’t answered me. Why did you run?”
Joonmi looks up at Jongin, eyes still teary. Then she lowers her head and slightly shakes her head.
“Joonmi-”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you a second time, but Joonmi can’t speak right now,” Jongda says while raising her hand.
“What!?” Jongin turns his head at Jongda then back to Joonmi. “Why…?” Jongin then looks down at Joonmi’s feet. “Don’t tell me… did you exchange your voice for a pair of legs?”
Joonmi widens her eyes she shakes her head again.
“Joonmi-”
“I’m sorry again to interrupt you for the third time, but Joonmi didn’t exchange her voice for a pair of legs,” Jongda says, earning a nudge from Minseok.
“Then why?”
“It’s all Minseok’s fault.” Jongda points her finger at the merman beside her.
“Hey!” Minseok nudges Jongda in protest. “It’s your fault too. If only you gave me more specific details of the ingredients then I wouldn’t have mistook it for the other one!”
“I told you to bring me megalodon blood, but you give me white shark’s blood instead!” Jongda turns her head to glare at Minseok.
“What’s the difference? Isn’t white shark just a mini version of a megalodon?” Minseok furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t see the difference”
“You’re hopeless,” Jongda rolls her eyes and turns her head back to Jongin. “Long story short, rather than creating a miracle potion, we created a curse potion. The effect is superb honestly; a high fever, a cough that does not cease, unable to move for days, and a loss of voice.”
Jongin turns his head and looks at Joonmi worriedly.
“The king was horrified when he discovered what his daughter did, so he promised to grant his daughter’s wish if she didn’t do anything reckless again. Joonmi is recovering fast because of my potion, but she still can’t speak at the moment. The effect is only temporary so she will be able to speak again, but Joonmi was keen to meet you. After her fever and cough disappeared and she was able to move, she immediately asked for the king’s promise.”
“So the king, I mean your father is granting you a pair of legs?” Jongin asks and Joonmi nods in reply. Jongin now embraces Joonmi warmly. “Thank goodness, if you had exchanged your voice for a pair of legs just to see me I will regret it forever. I know how much you love singing.”
They stay embracing each for a minute before Jongin pulls away and holds Joonmi’s shoulder. “That still doesn’t explain why you ran away before. You wanted to meet me right?”
Joonmi looks at Jongin before she goes to the beach and picks up a stick. She returns to the shore and kneels down to write something.
Jongin follows Joonmi’s movements and kneels down near her to read what she writes. Looking at the words Joonmi writes Jongin bites his lips. “Joonmi I…” Jongin looks unsure. “I can’t read this.”
Oh, right. They may be speaking the same language, but they use different letters to write with.
“Allow me to read that for you,” Jongda says as she pulls herself to the shore along with Minseok. “You’re getting married period. Wow!”
Jongin is surprised. “W-why do you think that!?”
A wave comes and wipes away the words. Joonmi then begins to write again.
“Kyu-Kyungsoo? It’s that a name?” Jongda reads again and Joonmi nods. “Kyungsoo told me about the prince’s marriage and he called you the prince period. Isn’t your bride the one who was dancing with you earlier question mark.”
Ah.
“I think you misunderstood a few things.” Jongin grabs Joonmi’s hand and holds it close. “The one who’s getting married is my brother and the woman who I danced with earlier is his fiancée.”
Joonmi mouths an ‘o’ sound at the same time as Jongda and Minseok does.
“That’s also the reason why I haven’t been able to meet you.” Jongin tightens his grip on Joonmi’s hand. “It’s a custom in our country that the married couple will dance a waltz in the closing for their wedding. Lady Liyin is not used to dancing the waltz, so I was asked to teach her while my brother supervises the marriage preparation. Lady Liyin is quite a perfectionist so we have been training from morning until night”
After hearing Jongin’s explanation, Joonmi is relieved and embarrassed at the same time. She’s relieved that Jongin is not the one who’s getting married and she’s embarrassed that she made quite scene at the palace.
Jongda is grinning while looking at Jongin and Joonmi. “Now that there is no misunderstanding, I will leave you two love fish alone!”
Jongda retreats back into the ocean, dragging a reluctant Minseok along.
Jongin and Joonmi are now standing alone. Joonmi keeps her head down, still feeling embarrassed with what happened earlier. They’re still holding hands.
“You look cute in a maid uniform.”
Joonmi flushes more and she tries to get away, but the hold on her hand is tight.
“I won’t let you go.” Jongin’s dark eyes bore deep into Joonmi’s blue ones. “Not when you are standing this close to me.”
They gaze into each other’s eyes until Jongin closes the distance between them. Jongin’s hand cups her cheek and tilts her face upward. His thumb caresses Joonmi lips before he leans in and-
“By the way I forgot to-” Jongda suddenly appears with a loud splash. “Oh did I interrupt something again?”
Jongin and Joonmi immediately pull away.
“Ehehehe, I didn’t mean to interrupt this time, but I really forgot to mention it before,” Jongda says while scratching her head a little.
Suddenly Minseok appears with a loud splash too. “Joonmi only has a week before she turns back into a mermaid. Dad is still not convinced enough to let Joonmi live in the Upperland so she promised she will be a human for only a week and then return back to a mermaid again for another week and vice versa.”
“Think of this as a trial period. Maybe if your love is strong enough the king will let you live in the Upperland for good!” Jongda then makes a kissy pose. “Until then, see you later Joonmi!”
They then went back underwater with a loud splash.
Jongin just stands there dumbfounded before he turns to where Joonmi is standing.
“So this is only temporary?”
Joonmi nods.
“But you will be back again right?”
Joonmi nods with a smile.
“Then what do we do now?”
Joonmi smiles brightly before she twirls around with her dress.
Jongin chuckles lightly and offers her his hand.
“Would you like to dance with me?”