jongn
in
kaisoommer
(for moon_things) Jolly Sailor Bold
For: moon_things
Title: Jolly Sailor Bold
Pairings: Jongin/Kyungsoo
Rating: PG 13+
Word Count: ~3.3K
Warnings: character death/s
Summary: "My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold..."
Author’s Note: I think I ended up making it really weird... so sorry! The prompt was really refreshing and I had fun with it! I hope you enjoy (with what I've managed OTL) (´；Д；｀)
The wind howled, black clouds covering the sky, thunder cracking and lightning flashing. The sea churned, waves as high as buildings crashed and tossed ships like they were tiny toys. In the midst of the storm was a tanker, the ship heavy with load and the crew praying to the gods that they would make it back alive to their families. Suddenly there was a boom and the ship shook, the alarms blared, signalling that they had hit a reef but at the coordinates where they were located there was no indication of any reefs. Then the ship started moving almost smoothly almost like it was floating through the storm. The crew was bewildered, not sure what was happening as they were almost carried through the whole ordeal, soon there was a bright light like the end of a tunnel where the sun shone down on bright blue waters, the calmest they had seen for days.
At the edge of the dark clouds, the ship was smoothly slipped back into the water and the captain ran out onto the deck, peering over the edge. There was a collective gasp from the crew as they stared at the large shape in the water. It was a whale, one of the largest, that had carried them to safety and swimming beside it was what looked like a pod of dolphins. That is, until they broke the surface of the water. Mermaids and mermen, all of different sizes and ethnicities, floating in the water and watching the human crew silently. One of the men on board reached out, staring at them with wide eyes. With a cry, he flung himself into the water, desperately swimming towards the pod of mer-people. In a flash, their faces lit up in a smile, lips parting as they sang in unison, a melody that was sweet like honey.
"My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold..."
Slowly, one by one, the crew started jump into the calm waters, swimming towards the serene mer-people in an attempt to join them. When they swam close enough, the singing stopped and they slipped under the surface of the water coaxing the sailors to dive after them. The people swam closer, slipping under the water in order to see the beautiful people. Light glinted off smooth scales, tail flicking smoothly in the water as they floated in front of the sailors. The captain swam up to a young boy; black hair waving in the water as his tail swept through the water effortlessly to keep him upright, his torso was tanned and well defined, sleepy eyes watching the human man as his thick lips parted slightly as if to say something. The captain reached out a hand to touch him and as soon as his fingertips brushed against cold skin, the boy smirked and bared his sharp teeth, hissing and grabbing the man, dragging him down into the depths of the ocean. The other sailors started to panic, flailing in the water as they tried to swim back to the ship. One after another, each of them were pulled underwater, disappearing into the murky blackness without a trace. The ship was found the next day, cargo still intact but there was no crew, every single person was missing and the only evidence they could find was a clip of security camera where they all jumped into the sea, everything else was a mystery. Many people say it was an alien abduction, some people said they were all swept off board during the storm and a few minorities, ones who have had the encounter before had claimed it was mer-people. They were dismissed as crazy and extremist as the world tried to find the answer to what happened.
***
Little penguins trilled as they were freed from the plastic traps that was once the loops that held six packs of drink cans. Their wings stuck out as they waddled towards the water, beak held up as they flung themselves into the waves. A young man, looking more like a boy, stood up and dusted the sand off his jeans. His wide curious eyes were framed by thick eyebrows and thick smears of sun block, a little button nose sat in the middle of his round face and his heart shaped smile would send both men and women cooing over him. Do Kyungsoo was a marine biologist, young but determined, spending more time with sea creatures rather than socializing with people. His best friend Jongdae had once told him that "if you spend any more time with the dolphins, you'll turn into one" before dragging Kyungsoo to a club without taking a no for an answer.
That day, Kyungsoo was volunteering to help rescue some animals that had been caught in litter and the tide in the night had pushed them to shore, stranded and dehydrating. While the main group was trying to lift the whale back into the water, they had give him the job of helping the smaller animals as they seemed to have a better affinity and cooperated more in his hands. His friends and family had told him to avoid the sea lately, for fear he would go missing like all the other sailors and swimmers. After the first incident, there just more and more people disappearing from ships and beaches until there was a warning for approaching the water. Many people think it was sharks or the likes while people in his hometown had whispered about mer-people and sirens, Kyungsoo just rolling his eyes whenever the talk started and opted to leave, he'd rather believe in cold hard science facts than myths and legends.
He was just about to head back to the main beach when he heard scuffling sounds past the rocks, splashing sounds and some grunting as if someone was fighting. Kyungsoo looked around and saw no one else in his area so he slowly approached the direction of the sounds, peering over the rocks when he couldn't believe his eyes. In a rock pool a bit in from the crashing waves, laid a boy, no older than Kyungsoo. He had black hair, encrusted with salt from the evaporated sea water, tired-looking eyes marred with frustration as toned arms tried to untangle a toned body from a cluster of fishing nets that encircled his torso. What had Kyungsoo in shock was the bottom half of the boy's body, it was half submerged in the water and where the legs are supposed to be, laid a fish's tail. The smooth tanned skin of his stomach was attached seamlessly to the scaly tail that thrashed about in the net. A sudden jolt on his finger sent Kyungsoo stumbling over the rocks, clutching his hand and flinging a crab off. He froze, eyes meeting the merman's and they locked into an intense battle to see who would give in first, the merman breaking contact first in order to continue freeing himself. Kyungsoo looked at the tangled mess, frowning and reaching for a pocket knife, flicking out the blade and the merman hissed, looking at him warily and thinking he was going to harm him. Raising his hands up, Kyungsoo stepped closer and spoke with a shaking voice.
"I-It's okay. It's okay. I'm going to help you. See? I'm just going to cut you free."
He blade ripped mercilessly through the ropes, slowly but surely cutting the merman free. The boy stayed silent, his now-alert eyes watching Kyungsoo closely as the restrictive feeling of the ropes fell away from his tail, sighing in relief when he was finally free. Kyungsoo sat back, pocketing his knife and stared at how the boy flexed his tail, aching from spending hours trying to free himself since the tide last night. The merman looked up, watching him as well, silent until he opened his mouth and barely whispering the two words that made Kyungsoo smile.
"Thank you."
Pocketing his knife once again, Kyungsoo took a step back, his smile still on his lips but he wanted to see if the boy would swim into the ocean, just like a mermaid, instead of getting up and shouting something like “You been punk’d!”. However, the boy just looked up at him with eyes like pools of melted chocolate, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. His tail flopped lightly in the rock pool, not making any attempt of getting away. Kyungsoo blinked, tilting his head to stare at the merman with fascination. Suddenly there was a scuffle and a shout, the merman caught in another net but this time there was a group of men hauling him in it. Turning around in a huff, Kyungsoo was met with the smirking face of his boss at the marine park.
“Well, well. It looks like you’re got yourself a catch Mister Do. Perhaps having a runt like you is worth it after all.”
Park Youngmin was a wealthy man, the owner of restaurants, hotels and the very successful marine park. He had been harbouring quite a few marine animals in his park, choosing to ignore Kyungsoo’s job application at first but when one of his penguins fell sick, there was no biologist around to diagnose the poor animal, so reluctantly, the man had called in Kyungsoo. The penguin, now named Peanut, made a complete recovery despite his close call with Death. It was then that the round-bellied, grey-haired man with the evil glint in his eyes decided to hire Kyungsoo to keep track of his animal’s health and help him track down new ‘attractions’. Over the years, they had gathered a wide range of animals ranging from seals to polar bears and even a killer whale, but those were getting old and the boss had been looking for something new and rare to showcase to the tourists. Kyungsoo didn’t want to stand by the actions of the money-driven man but his job was on the line as well as his family’s main source of income and the town’s reputation as a tourist attraction would die down.
“Please don’t hurt him Mister Park. He can feel pain as much as we can-“
“PUT HIM IN THE TANK. COVER IT SO NO ONE CAN SEE! The park will be world-famous now! The only creature in captivity.”
“HE IS NOT A CREATURE. HE HAS A NAME-“
The blow came out of nowhere, a throbbing punch to the cheek had him yelling in pain whilst the other men laughed.
“Then what is it?”
Kyungsoo clenched his hands into fists, tears stinging his eyes as he hung his head and glared at the ground. He could feel the radiating gaze of the merman on his skin and perhaps the boy thought Kyungsoo was a bad guy now, he wouldn’t blame him.
“His name….is Kai.”
Youngmin only laughed, throwing his head back and laughing like it was the funniest joke he had ever heard, shaking his head and waving an arm to call the men, the merman was placed in a water tank and a black tarp was draped over it and secured, the trip back was glum for Kyungsoo, who sat surrounded by raucous laughter and dreams of what they would do with the money.
***
Water sloshed against the sides of a glass box, the moonlight peeping in from a distant window provided the only source of light that illuminated some of the surroundings. Kai drifted in the water with a saddened look in his eyes, he had disobeyed his mother again and finally he was going to pay. She had told him to stay close, follow the school and don’t wander too close to land. Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he had found himself entangled in a mesh swirl of ropes, drifting closer and closer to the shore. He thought he would have been baked in the hot sun while trying to free himself until the human boy with the most beautiful round eyes he had ever seen appeared and cut him free. The boy had even given him a name, Kai, he mouthed it and smiled to himself. A part of him blamed the boy for leading the men to him, but another part of him said that it was not the boy’s intention, he had even witnessed the boy being struck by the evil fat man. But even so, he was now trapped, he had spent most of the night trying to break out of the glass cage but he realized that the water would drain and he would just be flopping around like a fish out of water. He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a click of a door, far away down a hallway to his left but it left him interested in what it was, it was not the other sea animals there, he could hear them all sleeping. There was another click, and another, gentle footsteps and another click before the door to the glass room was opened and shut quickly.
The silhouette of a small figure was outlined against the reflective surface of the metal door. Kai popped his head out of the surface of the water and stared at the person with almost-bored eyes. There was a quick motion, a ‘sh’ sound before the figure ran over to collect things, a trolley with a glass tub on it, filled to the brim with water before he beckoned Kai over. The merman was curious, all these human things seemed to pique his interest and soon, he was face to face with the human boy with the big round eyes. Kyungsoo tried to lift Kai out of the water, only pulling half of him up and Kyungsoo was already completely drenched. It took a few more attempts at heaving the merman into the tub but with some help, Kyungsoo managed to fit Kai into the water bath. But the ruckus had caught attention, flashlights and muffled shouts echoed and Kyungsoo made a run for it, pushing the trolley and pumping his legs as fast as he could. Kai turned around to look at the other in confusion.
“Why?”
“Beautiful natural beings should stay where Mother nature created them,” Kyungsoo smiled as he panted, making him look like he was grimacing. “There is a stream leading to the sea just outside, if I can get you there, you can be free.”
Kai had nothing to say, he was speechless. The human boy had barely known him for a day yet he was willing to sacrifice himself to save him. Kai knew that whatever outcome their escapade ended with, Kai was going to remember the human boy with good memories. Thundering footsteps got louder, yelling and the sound of weapons being readied scared Kyungsoo to bits but he stood firm with his beliefs. He had barely slept that night, thinking over and over about how Kai would understand and despise humans more than the other animals in captivity, the other animals were indeed just animals but the merpeople, they were mythical creatures born in the wild where they belong and can think and live for themselves. Kyungsoo had believed that all sea animals should be returned, only tracked but never held behind glass for the sake of human entertainment, he was finally able to do something about it now.
The stream was just ahead, it was so close, so close! There was a cry and a jolt, a security guard managing to whack Kyungsoo across the back with his baton but the small man kept running, the pain in his back not registering. There was a bump in the cement, similar to a car hitting a pothole, and the tub went flying, smashing into the ground just a few feet away from the roaring stream. Kai looked over to the stream, his freedom was so close but he could see the human boy sprawled near him, bleeding and yelling for him to go. The evil fat man came closer, the guards raising their guns and aiming, and in the blink of an eye, Kai was gone. His chest squeezed as he dived into the water, leaving behind the boy to the mercy of the man.
On land, Youngmin was fuming, his eyes only registering a flash of red and he raised his gun, pointing it at the boy’s back as he got up on his knees. The gunshot resounded in the area and the guards stared in shock as the small figure crumpled onto the ground, a dark pool spreading across the rough cement.
***
Park Youngmin was charged with murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kyungsoo’s family mourned for their son, knowing he had died at the hands of the man that he worked for all those years. They knew there was a reason, and they heard it through hushed whispers of the park guards that Kyungsoo had died to save a merman. They didn’t believe it at first but their brief glimpses into the security footage had confirmed it. Three days after Kyungsoo’s death, his family brought his cremated ashes to the beach in a decorated jar. His mother cried as she recited the way leading from the temple to their home, his room untouched and clean, just as the day he left it, before going down to the beach where he had spent most of his time. His brother stood by with downcast eyes as his mother waded into the water, calling out the name of the merman Kyungsoo had given his life for.
“Kai. Kai, please. Kai, please say goodbye.”
She started to cast the ashes into the water, just like tradition, watching as the current swept away the dust slowly. Then there was movement, the ashes swirled and a figure appeared in the water, just abit out from Kyungsoo’s mother. A few more figures followed and they approached slowly, the ashes swirling around them like a mist. In the lead was Kai, his eyes raking over the beach many times to look for the familiar figure of the wide-eyed boy but he wasn’t there, was he sick? Kai raised a hand to his family and swam over to the shocked mother.
“Where is the boy?”
There was no answer, the woman just shook and with unsteady hands, she held out the jar. Kai rose up, using his tail to push on the water, only to find dust in the jar. Was the woman toying with him? It was when he touched the jar that he recoiled, eyes wide as he was filled with the memories of the human woman, the boy’s mother. The pain, the sadness she had felt when she had found out her son had died, shot dead for saving Kai. The merman, shook his head, unwanted tears filling his eyes as he whimpered. His own mother swam forward to comfort him, humming soothingly but Kai only cried harder, his body shaking as he felt the thousands of needles stabbing him through the heart as he hugged the jar of ashes close to his chest. The anguished cries echoed along the beach, long after his merpeople family had left him to calm down and the boy’s family had returned home. Kai cried all night and when dawn came, he lifted the jar into his arms and poured the ashes onto himself, his body dissolving into foam when the light hit his skin. Merpeople were never seen again, never heard of and soon history was rewritten so that they were just the myths that they originally were, no one believed the old tales, save for the few who were alive to witness it.
Title: Jolly Sailor Bold
Pairings: Jongin/Kyungsoo
Rating: PG 13+
Word Count: ~3.3K
Warnings: character death/s
Summary: "My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold..."
Author’s Note: I think I ended up making it really weird... so sorry! The prompt was really refreshing and I had fun with it! I hope you enjoy (with what I've managed OTL) (´；Д；｀)
The wind howled, black clouds covering the sky, thunder cracking and lightning flashing. The sea churned, waves as high as buildings crashed and tossed ships like they were tiny toys. In the midst of the storm was a tanker, the ship heavy with load and the crew praying to the gods that they would make it back alive to their families. Suddenly there was a boom and the ship shook, the alarms blared, signalling that they had hit a reef but at the coordinates where they were located there was no indication of any reefs. Then the ship started moving almost smoothly almost like it was floating through the storm. The crew was bewildered, not sure what was happening as they were almost carried through the whole ordeal, soon there was a bright light like the end of a tunnel where the sun shone down on bright blue waters, the calmest they had seen for days.
At the edge of the dark clouds, the ship was smoothly slipped back into the water and the captain ran out onto the deck, peering over the edge. There was a collective gasp from the crew as they stared at the large shape in the water. It was a whale, one of the largest, that had carried them to safety and swimming beside it was what looked like a pod of dolphins. That is, until they broke the surface of the water. Mermaids and mermen, all of different sizes and ethnicities, floating in the water and watching the human crew silently. One of the men on board reached out, staring at them with wide eyes. With a cry, he flung himself into the water, desperately swimming towards the pod of mer-people. In a flash, their faces lit up in a smile, lips parting as they sang in unison, a melody that was sweet like honey.
"My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold..."
Slowly, one by one, the crew started jump into the calm waters, swimming towards the serene mer-people in an attempt to join them. When they swam close enough, the singing stopped and they slipped under the surface of the water coaxing the sailors to dive after them. The people swam closer, slipping under the water in order to see the beautiful people. Light glinted off smooth scales, tail flicking smoothly in the water as they floated in front of the sailors. The captain swam up to a young boy; black hair waving in the water as his tail swept through the water effortlessly to keep him upright, his torso was tanned and well defined, sleepy eyes watching the human man as his thick lips parted slightly as if to say something. The captain reached out a hand to touch him and as soon as his fingertips brushed against cold skin, the boy smirked and bared his sharp teeth, hissing and grabbing the man, dragging him down into the depths of the ocean. The other sailors started to panic, flailing in the water as they tried to swim back to the ship. One after another, each of them were pulled underwater, disappearing into the murky blackness without a trace. The ship was found the next day, cargo still intact but there was no crew, every single person was missing and the only evidence they could find was a clip of security camera where they all jumped into the sea, everything else was a mystery. Many people say it was an alien abduction, some people said they were all swept off board during the storm and a few minorities, ones who have had the encounter before had claimed it was mer-people. They were dismissed as crazy and extremist as the world tried to find the answer to what happened.
***
Little penguins trilled as they were freed from the plastic traps that was once the loops that held six packs of drink cans. Their wings stuck out as they waddled towards the water, beak held up as they flung themselves into the waves. A young man, looking more like a boy, stood up and dusted the sand off his jeans. His wide curious eyes were framed by thick eyebrows and thick smears of sun block, a little button nose sat in the middle of his round face and his heart shaped smile would send both men and women cooing over him. Do Kyungsoo was a marine biologist, young but determined, spending more time with sea creatures rather than socializing with people. His best friend Jongdae had once told him that "if you spend any more time with the dolphins, you'll turn into one" before dragging Kyungsoo to a club without taking a no for an answer.
That day, Kyungsoo was volunteering to help rescue some animals that had been caught in litter and the tide in the night had pushed them to shore, stranded and dehydrating. While the main group was trying to lift the whale back into the water, they had give him the job of helping the smaller animals as they seemed to have a better affinity and cooperated more in his hands. His friends and family had told him to avoid the sea lately, for fear he would go missing like all the other sailors and swimmers. After the first incident, there just more and more people disappearing from ships and beaches until there was a warning for approaching the water. Many people think it was sharks or the likes while people in his hometown had whispered about mer-people and sirens, Kyungsoo just rolling his eyes whenever the talk started and opted to leave, he'd rather believe in cold hard science facts than myths and legends.
He was just about to head back to the main beach when he heard scuffling sounds past the rocks, splashing sounds and some grunting as if someone was fighting. Kyungsoo looked around and saw no one else in his area so he slowly approached the direction of the sounds, peering over the rocks when he couldn't believe his eyes. In a rock pool a bit in from the crashing waves, laid a boy, no older than Kyungsoo. He had black hair, encrusted with salt from the evaporated sea water, tired-looking eyes marred with frustration as toned arms tried to untangle a toned body from a cluster of fishing nets that encircled his torso. What had Kyungsoo in shock was the bottom half of the boy's body, it was half submerged in the water and where the legs are supposed to be, laid a fish's tail. The smooth tanned skin of his stomach was attached seamlessly to the scaly tail that thrashed about in the net. A sudden jolt on his finger sent Kyungsoo stumbling over the rocks, clutching his hand and flinging a crab off. He froze, eyes meeting the merman's and they locked into an intense battle to see who would give in first, the merman breaking contact first in order to continue freeing himself. Kyungsoo looked at the tangled mess, frowning and reaching for a pocket knife, flicking out the blade and the merman hissed, looking at him warily and thinking he was going to harm him. Raising his hands up, Kyungsoo stepped closer and spoke with a shaking voice.
"I-It's okay. It's okay. I'm going to help you. See? I'm just going to cut you free."
He blade ripped mercilessly through the ropes, slowly but surely cutting the merman free. The boy stayed silent, his now-alert eyes watching Kyungsoo closely as the restrictive feeling of the ropes fell away from his tail, sighing in relief when he was finally free. Kyungsoo sat back, pocketing his knife and stared at how the boy flexed his tail, aching from spending hours trying to free himself since the tide last night. The merman looked up, watching him as well, silent until he opened his mouth and barely whispering the two words that made Kyungsoo smile.
"Thank you."
Pocketing his knife once again, Kyungsoo took a step back, his smile still on his lips but he wanted to see if the boy would swim into the ocean, just like a mermaid, instead of getting up and shouting something like “You been punk’d!”. However, the boy just looked up at him with eyes like pools of melted chocolate, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. His tail flopped lightly in the rock pool, not making any attempt of getting away. Kyungsoo blinked, tilting his head to stare at the merman with fascination. Suddenly there was a scuffle and a shout, the merman caught in another net but this time there was a group of men hauling him in it. Turning around in a huff, Kyungsoo was met with the smirking face of his boss at the marine park.
“Well, well. It looks like you’re got yourself a catch Mister Do. Perhaps having a runt like you is worth it after all.”
Park Youngmin was a wealthy man, the owner of restaurants, hotels and the very successful marine park. He had been harbouring quite a few marine animals in his park, choosing to ignore Kyungsoo’s job application at first but when one of his penguins fell sick, there was no biologist around to diagnose the poor animal, so reluctantly, the man had called in Kyungsoo. The penguin, now named Peanut, made a complete recovery despite his close call with Death. It was then that the round-bellied, grey-haired man with the evil glint in his eyes decided to hire Kyungsoo to keep track of his animal’s health and help him track down new ‘attractions’. Over the years, they had gathered a wide range of animals ranging from seals to polar bears and even a killer whale, but those were getting old and the boss had been looking for something new and rare to showcase to the tourists. Kyungsoo didn’t want to stand by the actions of the money-driven man but his job was on the line as well as his family’s main source of income and the town’s reputation as a tourist attraction would die down.
“Please don’t hurt him Mister Park. He can feel pain as much as we can-“
“PUT HIM IN THE TANK. COVER IT SO NO ONE CAN SEE! The park will be world-famous now! The only creature in captivity.”
“HE IS NOT A CREATURE. HE HAS A NAME-“
The blow came out of nowhere, a throbbing punch to the cheek had him yelling in pain whilst the other men laughed.
“Then what is it?”
Kyungsoo clenched his hands into fists, tears stinging his eyes as he hung his head and glared at the ground. He could feel the radiating gaze of the merman on his skin and perhaps the boy thought Kyungsoo was a bad guy now, he wouldn’t blame him.
“His name….is Kai.”
Youngmin only laughed, throwing his head back and laughing like it was the funniest joke he had ever heard, shaking his head and waving an arm to call the men, the merman was placed in a water tank and a black tarp was draped over it and secured, the trip back was glum for Kyungsoo, who sat surrounded by raucous laughter and dreams of what they would do with the money.
***
Water sloshed against the sides of a glass box, the moonlight peeping in from a distant window provided the only source of light that illuminated some of the surroundings. Kai drifted in the water with a saddened look in his eyes, he had disobeyed his mother again and finally he was going to pay. She had told him to stay close, follow the school and don’t wander too close to land. Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he had found himself entangled in a mesh swirl of ropes, drifting closer and closer to the shore. He thought he would have been baked in the hot sun while trying to free himself until the human boy with the most beautiful round eyes he had ever seen appeared and cut him free. The boy had even given him a name, Kai, he mouthed it and smiled to himself. A part of him blamed the boy for leading the men to him, but another part of him said that it was not the boy’s intention, he had even witnessed the boy being struck by the evil fat man. But even so, he was now trapped, he had spent most of the night trying to break out of the glass cage but he realized that the water would drain and he would just be flopping around like a fish out of water. He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a click of a door, far away down a hallway to his left but it left him interested in what it was, it was not the other sea animals there, he could hear them all sleeping. There was another click, and another, gentle footsteps and another click before the door to the glass room was opened and shut quickly.
The silhouette of a small figure was outlined against the reflective surface of the metal door. Kai popped his head out of the surface of the water and stared at the person with almost-bored eyes. There was a quick motion, a ‘sh’ sound before the figure ran over to collect things, a trolley with a glass tub on it, filled to the brim with water before he beckoned Kai over. The merman was curious, all these human things seemed to pique his interest and soon, he was face to face with the human boy with the big round eyes. Kyungsoo tried to lift Kai out of the water, only pulling half of him up and Kyungsoo was already completely drenched. It took a few more attempts at heaving the merman into the tub but with some help, Kyungsoo managed to fit Kai into the water bath. But the ruckus had caught attention, flashlights and muffled shouts echoed and Kyungsoo made a run for it, pushing the trolley and pumping his legs as fast as he could. Kai turned around to look at the other in confusion.
“Why?”
“Beautiful natural beings should stay where Mother nature created them,” Kyungsoo smiled as he panted, making him look like he was grimacing. “There is a stream leading to the sea just outside, if I can get you there, you can be free.”
Kai had nothing to say, he was speechless. The human boy had barely known him for a day yet he was willing to sacrifice himself to save him. Kai knew that whatever outcome their escapade ended with, Kai was going to remember the human boy with good memories. Thundering footsteps got louder, yelling and the sound of weapons being readied scared Kyungsoo to bits but he stood firm with his beliefs. He had barely slept that night, thinking over and over about how Kai would understand and despise humans more than the other animals in captivity, the other animals were indeed just animals but the merpeople, they were mythical creatures born in the wild where they belong and can think and live for themselves. Kyungsoo had believed that all sea animals should be returned, only tracked but never held behind glass for the sake of human entertainment, he was finally able to do something about it now.
The stream was just ahead, it was so close, so close! There was a cry and a jolt, a security guard managing to whack Kyungsoo across the back with his baton but the small man kept running, the pain in his back not registering. There was a bump in the cement, similar to a car hitting a pothole, and the tub went flying, smashing into the ground just a few feet away from the roaring stream. Kai looked over to the stream, his freedom was so close but he could see the human boy sprawled near him, bleeding and yelling for him to go. The evil fat man came closer, the guards raising their guns and aiming, and in the blink of an eye, Kai was gone. His chest squeezed as he dived into the water, leaving behind the boy to the mercy of the man.
On land, Youngmin was fuming, his eyes only registering a flash of red and he raised his gun, pointing it at the boy’s back as he got up on his knees. The gunshot resounded in the area and the guards stared in shock as the small figure crumpled onto the ground, a dark pool spreading across the rough cement.
***
Park Youngmin was charged with murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kyungsoo’s family mourned for their son, knowing he had died at the hands of the man that he worked for all those years. They knew there was a reason, and they heard it through hushed whispers of the park guards that Kyungsoo had died to save a merman. They didn’t believe it at first but their brief glimpses into the security footage had confirmed it. Three days after Kyungsoo’s death, his family brought his cremated ashes to the beach in a decorated jar. His mother cried as she recited the way leading from the temple to their home, his room untouched and clean, just as the day he left it, before going down to the beach where he had spent most of his time. His brother stood by with downcast eyes as his mother waded into the water, calling out the name of the merman Kyungsoo had given his life for.
“Kai. Kai, please. Kai, please say goodbye.”
She started to cast the ashes into the water, just like tradition, watching as the current swept away the dust slowly. Then there was movement, the ashes swirled and a figure appeared in the water, just abit out from Kyungsoo’s mother. A few more figures followed and they approached slowly, the ashes swirling around them like a mist. In the lead was Kai, his eyes raking over the beach many times to look for the familiar figure of the wide-eyed boy but he wasn’t there, was he sick? Kai raised a hand to his family and swam over to the shocked mother.
“Where is the boy?”
There was no answer, the woman just shook and with unsteady hands, she held out the jar. Kai rose up, using his tail to push on the water, only to find dust in the jar. Was the woman toying with him? It was when he touched the jar that he recoiled, eyes wide as he was filled with the memories of the human woman, the boy’s mother. The pain, the sadness she had felt when she had found out her son had died, shot dead for saving Kai. The merman, shook his head, unwanted tears filling his eyes as he whimpered. His own mother swam forward to comfort him, humming soothingly but Kai only cried harder, his body shaking as he felt the thousands of needles stabbing him through the heart as he hugged the jar of ashes close to his chest. The anguished cries echoed along the beach, long after his merpeople family had left him to calm down and the boy’s family had returned home. Kai cried all night and when dawn came, he lifted the jar into his arms and poured the ashes onto himself, his body dissolving into foam when the light hit his skin. Merpeople were never seen again, never heard of and soon history was rewritten so that they were just the myths that they originally were, no one believed the old tales, save for the few who were alive to witness it.