CHINGUX 2014: part of that world (1/2) for shouldshy
Title: Part of that world
Author: kyulyn
Recipient: shouldshy
Pairing/Focus: BaekSoo, ChenBaek, friends!ChanSoo
Rating: PG13
Length: 12825 words
Summary: two friends enter an antique shop with a rather grumpy sales assistant and end up with a surprise
Unlike most fellow high school students, Oh Sehun absolutely detests summer.
Maybe he wouldn't be this hateful if his best friend Jongin did not flaunt his beautiful, sun-kissed skin from the southern beaches on Instagram as if to mock him, or if Zitao did not send him sappy "Miss u" and "Wish u were here :(" from his hometown Qingdao, where Sehun would be hanging around now if he hadn't come down with a flu just a few days before boarding the plane. He is now looking after his uncle's antique shop instead, not for free of course, but the pay is not enough to compensate for his boredom. Not to mention, sometimes Sehun has to deal with extremely clumsy, ungraceful customers, like one of the two young lads who are stopping by his shop at the moment.
"Watch your back please!" Sehun hisses from his seat behind the cashier counter, for the fifth time at least since the two set foot in the shop, as the tall one with honey colored hair almost hits the shelf of ceramic displays. The smaller one with dark hair sends him a glare, so clumsy tall guy turns to Sehun and smiles sheepishly, scratching his nape in embarrassment "Sorry."
"Just be careful," Sehun replies grumpily. As his customers continue to wander around, Sehun takes a glance at the bags they left on the counter and notices a huge book peeking through. "Andersen's stories? They still read fairy tales at this age?" he mumbles.
"So what?" Smaller guy is now standing in front of him coolly, staring at Sehun with startling wide eyes. "What about us reading fairy tales? They are for all ages."
Before the surprised Sehun can articulate an answer, a loud yelp is heard from behind the rack on the left side, followed by horrifying loud clanking sound of metal hitting on the ground: the other guy must have dropped something. Groaning, Sehun immediately rushes to the scene, the small guy just one step behind him.
"What are you doing?!" Sehun yells as he sees the tall guy kneeling on the floor, holding a vintage bronze handheld mirror with a broken handle. He looks up at Sehun apologetically with puppy eyes. "I'm so sorry"
"I'm sorry but an apology will not make up for the broken item. That would be 50,000 won."
"Fifty thousand?" Small guy, who's now right beside the clumsy one, frowns deeply. "This piece of brass and glass cannot cost so much! That's absurd!"
Sehun shrugs. "It's vintage. What do you even know about antiques?"
Tall guy pleads pitifully with that puppy look again. "Can't you lower the price a bit? It was an accident... I didn't mean to, I swear!" He turns to the other guy. "Kyungsoo, please help me?"
Small guy, Kyungsoo, glares at him then at Sehun. "He is not paying more than twenty-five thousand for that."
"Forty five, I'm only doing this because he keeps looking at me like a pitiful puppy."
"Rude, my cousin is not your dog." Kyungsoo slaps the other guy on his right arm as he stands up, the broken mirror still in his hand. "Say something, Chanyeol! It's your fault, don't let me fight this alone!"
Chanyeol holds up three of his fingers. "Can we settle for thirty, please?"
"Forty, no less."
"Thirty five, it's a deal." Kyungsoo says firmly. He is pretty intimidating for a man of his size, and thirty five is enough for Sehun to have some benefit, so he pretends to sigh in defeat. "My uncle's gonna scold me for selling a vintage item at that price, but okay, this is partly my fault for not watching him too."
After the money has been paid, Chanyeol put the carefully wrapped mirror in the same bag which has the fairy tale book Sehun saw earlier, and the shop assistant gets curious again. "Do you guys like fairy tales? No offense, I'm just kinda surprised someone at your age still carries this kind of book around, I'm pretty sure you are older than me."
Chanyeol grins as he pats on the cover of the huge book. "I'm a literature major, I love all kind of stories! And this book is special because it's been passed on to us by our late grandmother. We came across it while clearing out our old house today, so it's a treasure to us."
Sehun feels a little bit guilty for tricking Chanyeol into paying so much for the mirror when he sounds so earnest. "So, Andersen huh? What's your favorite in his collection?"
"It's The Little Mermaid! Your fave too right, Kyungsoo?"
"Doesn't matter, we'd better go now, or else we'll be late for dinner. Your mom's not gonna like it." Kyungsoo nods as a silent goodbye to Sehun, and Chanyeol waves animatedly at him before they exit the shop.
Perhaps Sehun's afternoon is not so bad after all: he met interesting people and sold something at a profitable price, can't ask for more than that.
*****
After a long day of tidying their grandparents' old house and a huge feast prepared by his uncle and aunt, Kyungsoo wants nothing but a good night's sleep. But of course, even such a simple wish cannot be satisfied thanks to his beloved cousin, who is now waving the handheld mirror he was forced to buy rather excitedly as soon as he sees Kyungsoo emerging from the bathroom.
"Hey look, I've fixed the mirror!"
"Do I look like I care, Chanyeol? I just want to sleep."
Chanyeol pouts. "It's so pretty though. I think that kid boasted about the price but I really like it, so I don't really mind.”
"Yeah, he sold you an overpriced piece of brass-and-glass, he said you looked like a pup and he mocked at your taste of literature, but you barely showed any disapproval. I don't know if you're too nice or you're stupid, Chanyeol."
"He was just surprised! He even asked me what my fave story was!"
"Well I guess I've got the answer to my question."
Chanyeol sighs. "I'm not stupid. By the way, you don't seem to be interested in The Little Mermaid like you used to be, why is that, Kyungsoo?"
"I'm not a literature major like you, Chanyeol, I know we used to cry over it when we were little, but I'm too old to care about fairy tales now. Plus, I dislike the prince in that story a lot, so ungrateful."
"In his defense, he wasn't aware the mermaid was his savior."
"It's so unfair for the mermaid though, she sacrificed her everything for him, and in return, he crushed her poor heart. She deserves so much better."
Chanyeol chuckles as he sets the mirror on the nightstand next to his bed. "I'm sure you would have been a greater prince, Kyungsoo. Now I need to take a shower too, go sleep if you want to."
Kyungsoo buries his face in the puffy pillow. "I don't know why I’m even talking to you when I'm beyond exhausted. Go do whatever you want, and remember not to disturb my slumber or you'll regret it."
"Fine, fine. Good night, I hope you dream of your little mermaid."
*****
Kyungsoo isn't sure when he fell asleep, but it can't have been long before he's woken up by the loud thumping sound of someone banging on a wooden surface. "Wake up, everyone!!! The storm is coming!!!"
Storm?
Kyungsoo slowly opens his bleary eyes, arm reaching out for Chanyeol's body on his bed. There's nothing. "Hey Chanyeol, are you watching a movie or something? Turn the volume down, I told you not to disturb my sleep!"
Instead of Chanyeol's deep, rich voice, all Kyungsoo hears is people yelling and hurried footsteps from outside. He tries to sit up on his bed, only to be thrown off balance and land on the wooden floor, which seems to be swaying back and forth rather violently. A sudden tilt of the ground almost sends Kyungsoo sliding to the other side of the room before he quickly got a grip of the bed, which, to his surprise, is a single one, unlike Chanyeol's.
This is definitely not Chanyeol's room. Now that Kyungsoo is fully awake, he realizes that the clothes he's wearing aren't what he was wearing to sleep either: his baggy shirt and boxers are now replaced by a billowed sleeve white shirt coupled with a pair of black slacks. Baffled, he tries to regain his balance and stands up, staggering towards the wooden door to unlock it.
Kyungsoo cannot believe his own eyes when he saw people running past him along a narrow corridor. A tall, built man with dark hair in a sailor's outfit stops right in front of Kyungsoo, grabs his left arm and tries to pull him along. "What are you doing? Quickly come to the deck, the storm is getting worse."
Unsure of what to do, Kyungsoo decides to run after him. It was only after they have reached a junction and the sailor tells him to turn left that Kyungsoo realizes he is not speaking Korean. The language sounds foreign and he's pretty sure he has never heard it before, but somehow Kyungsoo can understand it.
What kind of dream am I having?
"Where am I?" Kyungsoo blurts out without thinking, surprised as the words that come out of his mouth are also in that strange language. The sailor turns his head around to send him a disbelieving look. "Are you still not awake, young fellow? You're on a ship called Tranquility. But now we're caught in a storm, the irony."
A ship?
What the hell?
His mind doesn't fully process the information until Kyungsoo gets on the boat deck, with much struggle since the ground he runs on keeps tilting: he is definitely standing on a ship, in the middle of a severe storm no less. The waves rise extremely high, the rain pours down heavily with occasional dreadful lighting, the ship dives between waves like a swan, and then rises again on their lofty, foaming crests. People around Kyungsoo are screaming their lungs out, either in fear or to order others around, but he is too shocked to utter a word. If this was a dream, then it's the realest dream he has ever had.
The rain feels icy cold on his skin and the uneasy lurch inside his stomach cannot be ignored, Kyungsoo kind of wishes he has never followed that sailor. Suddenly, the vessel gives a violent lurch and Kyungsoo falls down before he sees a mountain high waves overtopping the mast, hears the ship groaning and creaking and people panicking, feels the thick planks give way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck and the ship turns over on its side.
The last thing Kyungsoo sees is a flash of lightning before he slides off the boat deck into the darkness of the rough sea.
*****
When Kyungsoo wakes up again, it is to a cool breeze that smells salty and the sound of waves splashing on rocks.
As he slowly sits up, Kyungsoo takes a quick glance around the room he is in. It's small and decorated in minimalist style, the only pieces of furniture are the bed he's on, a tiny table next to it and a mahogany wardrobe in the corner. The walls are painted pale blue and the door and windows white, which gives the room a feeling of tranquility and freshness. The greatest thing, Kyungsoo soon realizes, is that the room overlooks a beautiful stretch of sand and the blue sea that is glittering in brilliant sunlight.
Kyungsoo was about to get off the bed to take a better look at the beautiful landscape when the white door creaks open to reveal a young girl in maid's outfits carrying a tray of what looks like a light meal. Upon seeing Kyungsoo, the girl bows down slightly. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked. I didn't know you are awake, young master."
To his surprise, the language in which the maid speaks is the same as what he heard on the ship. What kind of fantasy am I living in? Kyungsoo stands up immediately and bows back at her. "It's alright, please don't bow. Can you kindly tell me who you are and where this place is? And why I am here too, if you happen to know."
The girl lifts her head and looks at Kyungsoo with large, pretty eyes. "My name is Ayu, and this is the palace of the Reveria kingdom. You, young master, drifted to our coastline during the storm two days ago and was saved by our princess."
Kyungsoo's eyes widen. "Two days ago? I've been unconscious for that long?"
"Yes, young master. Our princess and her maids found you on the beach yesterday morning, and had the healer treat you right away. You've been sleeping ever since."
"Thank you for informing me. By the way, please don't call me young master. My name is Do Kyungsoo, you can call me Kyungsoo."
"Certainly, master Kyungsoo. Here's your lunch, I will inform the princess and the queen about your recovery and come back later. Should you need anything, there are two guards at your door, they will attend to your needs."
As soon as the maid leaves the room, Kyungsoo's stomach starts to growl; he hasn't eaten anything for more than a day after all. Plopping back down on the bed while munching on a delicious piece of bread, he tries to recall everything that has happened: first the cleaning duty at his grandparents' house, the incident at the antique shop, the huge feast and the silly conversations with Chanyeol before bedtime, then he woke up on a ship in the middle of a storm, and now he's in a palace after being saved by a princess? This has got to be a dream.
His mind drifts back to the memory of the stormy night. Kyungsoo definitely remembers falling into the cold, extremely dark water and being tossed back and forth by the waves. He's by no means a bad swimmer, but it was hard enough to try to keep himself from sinking, much less swimming in the stormy sea. Soon his body showed signs of exhaustion, his limbs started to fail him and Kyungsoo panicked at the thought of being drowned at a place unknown.
That was when he saw a figure approaching him between waves.
Too bad Kyungsoo's head was suddenly hit, probably by a plank, and everything after that point was a blur to him. He vaguely recalls being held and swum through the rough sea; whoever saved him must have been one hell of a swimmer to be able to navigate in such a condition, because to Kyungsoo it didn't seem humanly possible.
Human?
Something rings a bell in his mind. A ship. A storm. A princess. A castle by the sea. Not human.
This can't possibly be that story, can it?
*****
The similarities of Kyungsoo's current situation and the setting in "The Little Mermaid" freaks him out. Suddenly, Kyungsoo is reminded of what Chanyeol told him before he slept, dream of your little mermaid. He has yet to see a mermaid, but it won't be a surprise if he encounters one. And does that mean he's going to marry a princess?
Kyungsoo doesn't have time to dwell on the thought, however, as Ayu comes in and tells him to get ready to meet his saviors. After having a bath and changing into a new set of clothes, he's led by Ayu to the dining room where the queen and the princess are waiting for him. As they pass through wide corridors with dark blue marble floors and white walls decorated with expensive looking paintings, the maid briefly informs him about the people he’s going to see. The late king has passed away a long time ago, making the queen the ruler of the kingdom. Her only child, the princess, is seventeen and the sole heir to the throne. Ayu also teaches him some palace etiquette before guiding Kyungsoo into the room.
Sitting in a golden chair at the far end of the dining table, the queen looks absolutely stunning and intimidating in a purple, sophisticated embroidered dress; her sharp eyes gaze at Kyungsoo, making him a bit uncomfortable. Next to her, the princess looks just as pretty but gives off a completely different aura - the white dress and sweet smile that she is wearing makes her seem rather angelic to Kyungsoo.
“Good morning, your majesty and your highness. It is my honor to meet you, and I would like to express my gratitude towards your saving me yesterday.”
“You are a man of great manner, mister. Please, take a seat, you are our guest of honor today. I am Queen Miri and this is my daughter, Princess Yoobi. We are pleased to welcome you to our kingdom.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
“As we wait for our dinner to be served, we would like to know more about you, mister. What is your name and where are you from?”
“My name is Do Kyungsoo, and I’m from…” Kyungsoo pauses. This is a world totally different from his, and for god’s sake he has never even heard of the name of this kingdom. These people are complete strangers to him and for all he knows there could be a hidden threat behind a seemingly casual question. What if they’re suspicious of him? He should really be careful in such a foreign place.
“… Actually, your majesty, I think the shipwreck two days ago has negatively affected my memory. I’ve been trying all morning but my name is the only thing I can recall.”
“What a pity, it would have been great if we could hear more from you.” The queen doesn’t seem convinced, but she lets it pass, much to Kyungsoo’s relief. The princess, on the other hand, shows genuine concern. “You’ve lost your memories? That’s terrible, I hope you’ll remember soon!”
“Thank you, your highness, I hope so too.”
Dinner passes slowly with occasional formal conversations between the queen and Kyungsoo. The princess doesn't say much, but Kyungsoo can feel her eyes on him the whole time. Whenever he glances back though, she immediately looks away and her cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink. So shy and cute, he thinks. She's really pretty too.
Too bad he's not into girls.
*****
The meeting with the queen is pretty nerve-wrecking, and only when Kyungsoo comes back to the guest room does he remember his fairy tale theory again. "Can I ask you something, Ayu?"
"It's my honor, sir."
"You're being too formal again", Kyungsoo grimaces. "Anyway, have you ever heard of... mermaids?"
Ayu is startled for a second, but composes herself right away. "Only in legends, sir. I've heard that they are beautiful, long-haired women who possess a fish tail in place of legs. Their voices are enchanting and they often sing to lure the clueless sailors into water."
"You mean, they do not exist... around here?"
"Not that I know of, sir. Why are you asking about mermaids though? And how would you know about them?"
Now it's Kyungsoo's turn to be caught off guard. "I... suddenly remember something I was told before. I'm... kind of worried for the people on the ship."
There's a short pause. "I'm really sorry to say that it seems none of them survived, sir. You were the only one we found on the beach. The storm was too severe."
"May they rest in peace. Thanks for your information, Ayu."
"You are welcome, sir. Now I'll excuse myself and let you rest. Good night, sir, see you tomorrow."
"Good night to you too."
When he's finally alone, Kyungsoo plops down on the bed, trying to recall the details of The Little Mermaid - his once favorite fairy tale. He used to think it was a beautiful story despite the lack of a happy ending, until he experienced unrequited love himself. Seeing the one who once swore to love him link arms with another is far from pleasant, and Kyungsoo has more than once imagined himself as the mermaid, stabbing the betraying prince to return to the life under the sea.
But that's not the point. He needs to remember the part where the mermaid comes to see the prince but the bastard never figures out. Ayu's answer earlier intrigues him, she didn't flat out deny the existence of mer people, and Kyungsoo does not want to be an ignorant "prince", if there is really a mermaid. He will find her, and tell her nicely to just go back to the sea and enjoy her life because, well, Kyungsoo is absolutely sure about his orientation, and he does not swing that way. It’s not a Disney type of happy ending, but at least poor little girl doesn't have to die because of unrequited love.
Stupid, miserable unrequited love.
The night draws in, but Kyungsoo doesn't feel like sleeping. He's made up his mind to wander along the sandy beach in order to find any sight of high rocks that rose out of the water, narrow channel or green rushes, places the little mermaid frequents in Andersen's story. The moon tonight is not full yet, but it's bright enough for Kyungsoo to navigate without a lamp. In the silver moonlight, the scenery is magnificent; so even if Kyungsoo cannot find his mermaid tonight, the walk itself is rewarding.
It's when Kyungsoo reaches a rather rocky area that he hears water splashing rather loudly and a voice mumbling quietly. Crept out but intrigued, Kyungsoo takes a few steps closer while trying to calm his accelerating heart.
"... ungrateful human bastard, I shouldn't have saved you!"
"Uhm... hello?"
There's a loud yelp, followed by the sound of someone jumping into water.
It seems Kyungsoo has found his little mermaid.
*****
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Kyungsoo's greeting is met with silence, but there's no way he's going to give up like that. "I heard you, you know? I'm not someone with ill intention, I just want to talk."
The sea swooshes in response, but no voices can be heard.
"If you're the one who saved me the other night, please let me see you and thank you properly. I owe you my life." Kyungsoo pauses. Still no reactions. "Well I guess I don't have such luck with you, my lady. I wish I could..."
"Who says I'm a girl?!"
The voice startles Kyungsoo a bit, it's clear but rather low and raspy and definitely not a girl's. Rising out of the sea and basking in the mellow moonlight is a young man around Kyungsoo's age with short dark hair, fair skin and a pair of mesmerizing eyes, which are staring straight into Kyungsoo's right now. "Do I look like a girl to you? Such blasphemy!"
His bare chest is as flat as a board so no, he's not. "I'm sorry, I just..."
"Anyway I shouldn't have shown myself. Jongdae's gonna kill me." The merman turns his back towards Kyungsoo. "This is just a dream for you alright, you never met me, we never talked, bye forever, human."
"Wait!" Kyungsoo calls out but the merman ignores him and stretches his body to dive into water. Frustrated, the man quickly pulled out one of his shoes and throws at him. The object hits the other's arm then sinks underwater. "Don't go yet!"
There's a short pause before the merman submerges and reemerges just a few second later with Kyungsoo's shoe in his hand before it's sent flying to Kyungsoo's direction. If he were just a little bit slower in dodging, it would have probably landed square on his face. "What the heck do you want?"
"I only wish to talk civilly! My name is Do Kyungsoo, and I want to thank you for saving me during the storm!"
"If I had known you'd behave like this, I would have let you drown..." The merman stops mid-sentence. "There's something abnormal here, why aren't you freaked out by me? Aren't you supposed to be surprised to see someone who's constantly underwater?"
"You mean... your being a mermaid? Or merman, I should say."
"How did you even know??? I didn't flaunt my tail at you or anything!"
"It's a long story. And actually the silver scales on your tail reflect the moonlight, I saw it earlier." The merman looks stunned. "Can I at least have your name though? It's only fair as I've told you mine."
"You did that on your own, I never asked."
"This is not getting anywhere - "
"It's Baekhyun."
"- if you are... what? can you say it again please, I'm sorry I didn't catch it."
"Baekhyun. Why am I even talking to you?"
*****
"Baekhyun, right? Thank you for saving me. I hope the storm didn't cause you too much trouble."
It's weird that this human is talking to him as if they're of the same species, Baekhyun thinks. He has always wanted to approach humans and learn about life out of the sea, but the stories he's been constantly told about mermaids killed brutally by humans scare him away from the shore. They seem afraid of Baekhyun's species, too. Sometimes, as he chills out at his favorite hiding spot, a water cave on the north side of the sea, Baekhyun hears older fishermen passing by warn the young ones about mer people. The feeling is mutual.
And yet deep down inside, Baekhyun still feels a strange attachment to the land. This human is not the first that Baekhyun has saved, many lives have been rescued by him before. It's risky, Jongdae had said, and banned him from doing so in fear of Baekhyun being caught, so Baekhyun promised him to only save people if it's really necessary.
He is the first that Baekhyun has ever talked to, though, so he has to be wary. "A lot of troubles, indeed. At one point I thought the waves would throw me at a rock and I would break." The sea was seriously rough that night. "But you don't have to thank me, I only saved you because I don't want a corpse in my haven, that's all."
The human, Kyungsoo , raises an eyebrow. He looks so attractive, more so than any men Baekhyun has met. His eyes are large and round, his eyebrows thick and defined, and those full, luscious lips are inviting. Admittedly, when Baekhyun managed to drag Kyungsoo to his cave since it was impossible to navigate through the stormy sea, the first thing he noticed was how handsome the man was. The thought of keeping him under the sea crossed Baekhyun's mind for a brief moment, but he instantly remembered that no human can survive without fresh air. If he lived, then Baekhyun might be able to see him from time to time.
"Well whatever your reason is, I owe you. If I had anything to offer, I would, but right now even my clothes are borrowed. I am not even aware of where I am now and where I am supposed to have come from." Kyungsoo sighs. "Anyway, just want to express my gratitude. I think I have to head back to the palace, it's really late now. Very nice to meet you, Baekhyun."
Looking at him, Baekhyun's suddenly reminded of himself a few years back, who was also clueless and disoriented. Without Jongdae, he wouldn't have made it until today. "Uhm, you're welcome, I guess. In return, I only ask you a favor, don't tell anyone about our meeting today. It may be dangerous for me."
"You don't have to worry about that." Kyungsoo smiles lightly, and Baekhyun thinks his heart skips a beat; he has such an endearing smile. He pretends to zip his mouth before waving Baekhyun goodbye and strolling away.
This is the first time Baekhyun talks to a human, but somehow he feels strongly that he can trust Kyungsoo. Maybe it's the way he looks straight into Baekhyun's eyes when he talks, maybe it's his reassuring smile. Jongdae will scold him if he knows, but to hell with it, he wants to meet Kyungsoo again. And be nicer to him.
When Baekhyun finally dives into water, the tip of the orange morning sun has already emerged from the east.
A new day has come.
*****
Baekhyun spends the whole journey back home contemplating whether or not he should tell Jongdae about his encounter with Kyungsoo the human.
Except for the water cave, Baekhyun has never kept anything from his best friend. And Jongdae is far more than just a best friend for him. When Baekhyun first came to this area three years ago, he suffered from fatigue after days and days of floating around aimlessly in the ocean. He did not remember a thing about his identity, nor did he have any memory of his family and friends. It felt as if he was a newly born creature in the form of a grown-up merman. Jongdae's father found Baekhyun while patrolling, but it was Jongdae that really saved him, not only physically but mentally as well. He tried to get Baekhyun to talk, made him go to places and familiarized him with everyone else. Baekhyun did not have a past before Jongdae, and all of the memories he's got so far are thanks to him. Jongdae is the greatest friend, and he always says Baekhyun knows him best, but the latter never understands his disapproval of Baekhyun's attachment to the land. The threats are real, but after a few secret expeditions on his own, Baekhyun's realized that there's a lot of exaggeration in his best friend's stories. For some reason, he wants to keep Baekhyun from life out of the sea, which is odd because where else but in water can a mer person live? It's not like Baekhyun could escape if he ever wanted to.
Perhaps it's for the best that Jongdae doesn't know about his little rendezvous with the human after all. When Baekhyun reaches his coral house under the sea, Jongdae is waiting for him by the door with a scowl on his face. "Where have you been all night, Baek? I tried searching for you but you were no where to be found."
Baekhyun yawns tiredly. "What for? I thought you're busy taking care of your new friend? What's his name, Chanchan?"
"His name is Chanyeol, but no he's not a new friend, I'm just helping him because he got lost!"
"You make friends so I can make friends too, Jongdae. Don't be selfish. Now let me sleep, I have cleaning duty tomorrow... or later today?" Baekhyun runs his fingers through his hair and ruffles it - his hair feels kind of weird underwater. "By the way, didn't we become friends because I was lost too? It can be like that too for you and Chanyeol."
As Baekhyun unfastens the door to his home, Jongdae grabs his wrist and pulls him in a hug. Baekhyun's chin is rested on his shoulder so he can't see Jongdae's face, but for some reason he sounds sad and insecure. "No it's never gonna be the same, Baekhyun. You're my only best friend, I would never trade you for anyone. You too, right?"
"Come on Jongdae, I was just joking. Aren't we supposed to be the jokester duo? You've been a little weird recently... did that Chanyeol do anything that displeased you?"
"He's fine, Baek. I'm just... never mind, go have some sleep." Jongdae releases him and lightly pushes him towards his door. "I'll do the cleaning, so no need for you to wake up early."
"You are the best! I love you!" Baekhyun holds his friend's face and pecks him on both cheeks. "Remind me to return the favor later!"
Jongdae smiles at him with adoration shining in his eyes. "Yeah yeah, just sleep."
Baekhyun never knows that the moment he turns around, that smile immediately drops.
Don't go.
→ PART 2
Author: kyulyn
Recipient: shouldshy
Pairing/Focus: BaekSoo, ChenBaek, friends!ChanSoo
Rating: PG13
Length: 12825 words
Summary: two friends enter an antique shop with a rather grumpy sales assistant and end up with a surprise
Unlike most fellow high school students, Oh Sehun absolutely detests summer.
Maybe he wouldn't be this hateful if his best friend Jongin did not flaunt his beautiful, sun-kissed skin from the southern beaches on Instagram as if to mock him, or if Zitao did not send him sappy "Miss u" and "Wish u were here :(" from his hometown Qingdao, where Sehun would be hanging around now if he hadn't come down with a flu just a few days before boarding the plane. He is now looking after his uncle's antique shop instead, not for free of course, but the pay is not enough to compensate for his boredom. Not to mention, sometimes Sehun has to deal with extremely clumsy, ungraceful customers, like one of the two young lads who are stopping by his shop at the moment.
"Watch your back please!" Sehun hisses from his seat behind the cashier counter, for the fifth time at least since the two set foot in the shop, as the tall one with honey colored hair almost hits the shelf of ceramic displays. The smaller one with dark hair sends him a glare, so clumsy tall guy turns to Sehun and smiles sheepishly, scratching his nape in embarrassment "Sorry."
"Just be careful," Sehun replies grumpily. As his customers continue to wander around, Sehun takes a glance at the bags they left on the counter and notices a huge book peeking through. "Andersen's stories? They still read fairy tales at this age?" he mumbles.
"So what?" Smaller guy is now standing in front of him coolly, staring at Sehun with startling wide eyes. "What about us reading fairy tales? They are for all ages."
Before the surprised Sehun can articulate an answer, a loud yelp is heard from behind the rack on the left side, followed by horrifying loud clanking sound of metal hitting on the ground: the other guy must have dropped something. Groaning, Sehun immediately rushes to the scene, the small guy just one step behind him.
"What are you doing?!" Sehun yells as he sees the tall guy kneeling on the floor, holding a vintage bronze handheld mirror with a broken handle. He looks up at Sehun apologetically with puppy eyes. "I'm so sorry"
"I'm sorry but an apology will not make up for the broken item. That would be 50,000 won."
"Fifty thousand?" Small guy, who's now right beside the clumsy one, frowns deeply. "This piece of brass and glass cannot cost so much! That's absurd!"
Sehun shrugs. "It's vintage. What do you even know about antiques?"
Tall guy pleads pitifully with that puppy look again. "Can't you lower the price a bit? It was an accident... I didn't mean to, I swear!" He turns to the other guy. "Kyungsoo, please help me?"
Small guy, Kyungsoo, glares at him then at Sehun. "He is not paying more than twenty-five thousand for that."
"Forty five, I'm only doing this because he keeps looking at me like a pitiful puppy."
"Rude, my cousin is not your dog." Kyungsoo slaps the other guy on his right arm as he stands up, the broken mirror still in his hand. "Say something, Chanyeol! It's your fault, don't let me fight this alone!"
Chanyeol holds up three of his fingers. "Can we settle for thirty, please?"
"Forty, no less."
"Thirty five, it's a deal." Kyungsoo says firmly. He is pretty intimidating for a man of his size, and thirty five is enough for Sehun to have some benefit, so he pretends to sigh in defeat. "My uncle's gonna scold me for selling a vintage item at that price, but okay, this is partly my fault for not watching him too."
After the money has been paid, Chanyeol put the carefully wrapped mirror in the same bag which has the fairy tale book Sehun saw earlier, and the shop assistant gets curious again. "Do you guys like fairy tales? No offense, I'm just kinda surprised someone at your age still carries this kind of book around, I'm pretty sure you are older than me."
Chanyeol grins as he pats on the cover of the huge book. "I'm a literature major, I love all kind of stories! And this book is special because it's been passed on to us by our late grandmother. We came across it while clearing out our old house today, so it's a treasure to us."
Sehun feels a little bit guilty for tricking Chanyeol into paying so much for the mirror when he sounds so earnest. "So, Andersen huh? What's your favorite in his collection?"
"It's The Little Mermaid! Your fave too right, Kyungsoo?"
"Doesn't matter, we'd better go now, or else we'll be late for dinner. Your mom's not gonna like it." Kyungsoo nods as a silent goodbye to Sehun, and Chanyeol waves animatedly at him before they exit the shop.
Perhaps Sehun's afternoon is not so bad after all: he met interesting people and sold something at a profitable price, can't ask for more than that.
*****
After a long day of tidying their grandparents' old house and a huge feast prepared by his uncle and aunt, Kyungsoo wants nothing but a good night's sleep. But of course, even such a simple wish cannot be satisfied thanks to his beloved cousin, who is now waving the handheld mirror he was forced to buy rather excitedly as soon as he sees Kyungsoo emerging from the bathroom.
"Hey look, I've fixed the mirror!"
"Do I look like I care, Chanyeol? I just want to sleep."
Chanyeol pouts. "It's so pretty though. I think that kid boasted about the price but I really like it, so I don't really mind.”
"Yeah, he sold you an overpriced piece of brass-and-glass, he said you looked like a pup and he mocked at your taste of literature, but you barely showed any disapproval. I don't know if you're too nice or you're stupid, Chanyeol."
"He was just surprised! He even asked me what my fave story was!"
"Well I guess I've got the answer to my question."
Chanyeol sighs. "I'm not stupid. By the way, you don't seem to be interested in The Little Mermaid like you used to be, why is that, Kyungsoo?"
"I'm not a literature major like you, Chanyeol, I know we used to cry over it when we were little, but I'm too old to care about fairy tales now. Plus, I dislike the prince in that story a lot, so ungrateful."
"In his defense, he wasn't aware the mermaid was his savior."
"It's so unfair for the mermaid though, she sacrificed her everything for him, and in return, he crushed her poor heart. She deserves so much better."
Chanyeol chuckles as he sets the mirror on the nightstand next to his bed. "I'm sure you would have been a greater prince, Kyungsoo. Now I need to take a shower too, go sleep if you want to."
Kyungsoo buries his face in the puffy pillow. "I don't know why I’m even talking to you when I'm beyond exhausted. Go do whatever you want, and remember not to disturb my slumber or you'll regret it."
"Fine, fine. Good night, I hope you dream of your little mermaid."
*****
Kyungsoo isn't sure when he fell asleep, but it can't have been long before he's woken up by the loud thumping sound of someone banging on a wooden surface. "Wake up, everyone!!! The storm is coming!!!"
Storm?
Kyungsoo slowly opens his bleary eyes, arm reaching out for Chanyeol's body on his bed. There's nothing. "Hey Chanyeol, are you watching a movie or something? Turn the volume down, I told you not to disturb my sleep!"
Instead of Chanyeol's deep, rich voice, all Kyungsoo hears is people yelling and hurried footsteps from outside. He tries to sit up on his bed, only to be thrown off balance and land on the wooden floor, which seems to be swaying back and forth rather violently. A sudden tilt of the ground almost sends Kyungsoo sliding to the other side of the room before he quickly got a grip of the bed, which, to his surprise, is a single one, unlike Chanyeol's.
This is definitely not Chanyeol's room. Now that Kyungsoo is fully awake, he realizes that the clothes he's wearing aren't what he was wearing to sleep either: his baggy shirt and boxers are now replaced by a billowed sleeve white shirt coupled with a pair of black slacks. Baffled, he tries to regain his balance and stands up, staggering towards the wooden door to unlock it.
Kyungsoo cannot believe his own eyes when he saw people running past him along a narrow corridor. A tall, built man with dark hair in a sailor's outfit stops right in front of Kyungsoo, grabs his left arm and tries to pull him along. "What are you doing? Quickly come to the deck, the storm is getting worse."
Unsure of what to do, Kyungsoo decides to run after him. It was only after they have reached a junction and the sailor tells him to turn left that Kyungsoo realizes he is not speaking Korean. The language sounds foreign and he's pretty sure he has never heard it before, but somehow Kyungsoo can understand it.
What kind of dream am I having?
"Where am I?" Kyungsoo blurts out without thinking, surprised as the words that come out of his mouth are also in that strange language. The sailor turns his head around to send him a disbelieving look. "Are you still not awake, young fellow? You're on a ship called Tranquility. But now we're caught in a storm, the irony."
A ship?
What the hell?
His mind doesn't fully process the information until Kyungsoo gets on the boat deck, with much struggle since the ground he runs on keeps tilting: he is definitely standing on a ship, in the middle of a severe storm no less. The waves rise extremely high, the rain pours down heavily with occasional dreadful lighting, the ship dives between waves like a swan, and then rises again on their lofty, foaming crests. People around Kyungsoo are screaming their lungs out, either in fear or to order others around, but he is too shocked to utter a word. If this was a dream, then it's the realest dream he has ever had.
The rain feels icy cold on his skin and the uneasy lurch inside his stomach cannot be ignored, Kyungsoo kind of wishes he has never followed that sailor. Suddenly, the vessel gives a violent lurch and Kyungsoo falls down before he sees a mountain high waves overtopping the mast, hears the ship groaning and creaking and people panicking, feels the thick planks give way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck and the ship turns over on its side.
The last thing Kyungsoo sees is a flash of lightning before he slides off the boat deck into the darkness of the rough sea.
*****
When Kyungsoo wakes up again, it is to a cool breeze that smells salty and the sound of waves splashing on rocks.
As he slowly sits up, Kyungsoo takes a quick glance around the room he is in. It's small and decorated in minimalist style, the only pieces of furniture are the bed he's on, a tiny table next to it and a mahogany wardrobe in the corner. The walls are painted pale blue and the door and windows white, which gives the room a feeling of tranquility and freshness. The greatest thing, Kyungsoo soon realizes, is that the room overlooks a beautiful stretch of sand and the blue sea that is glittering in brilliant sunlight.
Kyungsoo was about to get off the bed to take a better look at the beautiful landscape when the white door creaks open to reveal a young girl in maid's outfits carrying a tray of what looks like a light meal. Upon seeing Kyungsoo, the girl bows down slightly. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked. I didn't know you are awake, young master."
To his surprise, the language in which the maid speaks is the same as what he heard on the ship. What kind of fantasy am I living in? Kyungsoo stands up immediately and bows back at her. "It's alright, please don't bow. Can you kindly tell me who you are and where this place is? And why I am here too, if you happen to know."
The girl lifts her head and looks at Kyungsoo with large, pretty eyes. "My name is Ayu, and this is the palace of the Reveria kingdom. You, young master, drifted to our coastline during the storm two days ago and was saved by our princess."
Kyungsoo's eyes widen. "Two days ago? I've been unconscious for that long?"
"Yes, young master. Our princess and her maids found you on the beach yesterday morning, and had the healer treat you right away. You've been sleeping ever since."
"Thank you for informing me. By the way, please don't call me young master. My name is Do Kyungsoo, you can call me Kyungsoo."
"Certainly, master Kyungsoo. Here's your lunch, I will inform the princess and the queen about your recovery and come back later. Should you need anything, there are two guards at your door, they will attend to your needs."
As soon as the maid leaves the room, Kyungsoo's stomach starts to growl; he hasn't eaten anything for more than a day after all. Plopping back down on the bed while munching on a delicious piece of bread, he tries to recall everything that has happened: first the cleaning duty at his grandparents' house, the incident at the antique shop, the huge feast and the silly conversations with Chanyeol before bedtime, then he woke up on a ship in the middle of a storm, and now he's in a palace after being saved by a princess? This has got to be a dream.
His mind drifts back to the memory of the stormy night. Kyungsoo definitely remembers falling into the cold, extremely dark water and being tossed back and forth by the waves. He's by no means a bad swimmer, but it was hard enough to try to keep himself from sinking, much less swimming in the stormy sea. Soon his body showed signs of exhaustion, his limbs started to fail him and Kyungsoo panicked at the thought of being drowned at a place unknown.
That was when he saw a figure approaching him between waves.
Too bad Kyungsoo's head was suddenly hit, probably by a plank, and everything after that point was a blur to him. He vaguely recalls being held and swum through the rough sea; whoever saved him must have been one hell of a swimmer to be able to navigate in such a condition, because to Kyungsoo it didn't seem humanly possible.
Human?
Something rings a bell in his mind. A ship. A storm. A princess. A castle by the sea. Not human.
This can't possibly be that story, can it?
*****
The similarities of Kyungsoo's current situation and the setting in "The Little Mermaid" freaks him out. Suddenly, Kyungsoo is reminded of what Chanyeol told him before he slept, dream of your little mermaid. He has yet to see a mermaid, but it won't be a surprise if he encounters one. And does that mean he's going to marry a princess?
Kyungsoo doesn't have time to dwell on the thought, however, as Ayu comes in and tells him to get ready to meet his saviors. After having a bath and changing into a new set of clothes, he's led by Ayu to the dining room where the queen and the princess are waiting for him. As they pass through wide corridors with dark blue marble floors and white walls decorated with expensive looking paintings, the maid briefly informs him about the people he’s going to see. The late king has passed away a long time ago, making the queen the ruler of the kingdom. Her only child, the princess, is seventeen and the sole heir to the throne. Ayu also teaches him some palace etiquette before guiding Kyungsoo into the room.
Sitting in a golden chair at the far end of the dining table, the queen looks absolutely stunning and intimidating in a purple, sophisticated embroidered dress; her sharp eyes gaze at Kyungsoo, making him a bit uncomfortable. Next to her, the princess looks just as pretty but gives off a completely different aura - the white dress and sweet smile that she is wearing makes her seem rather angelic to Kyungsoo.
“Good morning, your majesty and your highness. It is my honor to meet you, and I would like to express my gratitude towards your saving me yesterday.”
“You are a man of great manner, mister. Please, take a seat, you are our guest of honor today. I am Queen Miri and this is my daughter, Princess Yoobi. We are pleased to welcome you to our kingdom.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
“As we wait for our dinner to be served, we would like to know more about you, mister. What is your name and where are you from?”
“My name is Do Kyungsoo, and I’m from…” Kyungsoo pauses. This is a world totally different from his, and for god’s sake he has never even heard of the name of this kingdom. These people are complete strangers to him and for all he knows there could be a hidden threat behind a seemingly casual question. What if they’re suspicious of him? He should really be careful in such a foreign place.
“… Actually, your majesty, I think the shipwreck two days ago has negatively affected my memory. I’ve been trying all morning but my name is the only thing I can recall.”
“What a pity, it would have been great if we could hear more from you.” The queen doesn’t seem convinced, but she lets it pass, much to Kyungsoo’s relief. The princess, on the other hand, shows genuine concern. “You’ve lost your memories? That’s terrible, I hope you’ll remember soon!”
“Thank you, your highness, I hope so too.”
Dinner passes slowly with occasional formal conversations between the queen and Kyungsoo. The princess doesn't say much, but Kyungsoo can feel her eyes on him the whole time. Whenever he glances back though, she immediately looks away and her cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink. So shy and cute, he thinks. She's really pretty too.
Too bad he's not into girls.
*****
The meeting with the queen is pretty nerve-wrecking, and only when Kyungsoo comes back to the guest room does he remember his fairy tale theory again. "Can I ask you something, Ayu?"
"It's my honor, sir."
"You're being too formal again", Kyungsoo grimaces. "Anyway, have you ever heard of... mermaids?"
Ayu is startled for a second, but composes herself right away. "Only in legends, sir. I've heard that they are beautiful, long-haired women who possess a fish tail in place of legs. Their voices are enchanting and they often sing to lure the clueless sailors into water."
"You mean, they do not exist... around here?"
"Not that I know of, sir. Why are you asking about mermaids though? And how would you know about them?"
Now it's Kyungsoo's turn to be caught off guard. "I... suddenly remember something I was told before. I'm... kind of worried for the people on the ship."
There's a short pause. "I'm really sorry to say that it seems none of them survived, sir. You were the only one we found on the beach. The storm was too severe."
"May they rest in peace. Thanks for your information, Ayu."
"You are welcome, sir. Now I'll excuse myself and let you rest. Good night, sir, see you tomorrow."
"Good night to you too."
When he's finally alone, Kyungsoo plops down on the bed, trying to recall the details of The Little Mermaid - his once favorite fairy tale. He used to think it was a beautiful story despite the lack of a happy ending, until he experienced unrequited love himself. Seeing the one who once swore to love him link arms with another is far from pleasant, and Kyungsoo has more than once imagined himself as the mermaid, stabbing the betraying prince to return to the life under the sea.
But that's not the point. He needs to remember the part where the mermaid comes to see the prince but the bastard never figures out. Ayu's answer earlier intrigues him, she didn't flat out deny the existence of mer people, and Kyungsoo does not want to be an ignorant "prince", if there is really a mermaid. He will find her, and tell her nicely to just go back to the sea and enjoy her life because, well, Kyungsoo is absolutely sure about his orientation, and he does not swing that way. It’s not a Disney type of happy ending, but at least poor little girl doesn't have to die because of unrequited love.
Stupid, miserable unrequited love.
The night draws in, but Kyungsoo doesn't feel like sleeping. He's made up his mind to wander along the sandy beach in order to find any sight of high rocks that rose out of the water, narrow channel or green rushes, places the little mermaid frequents in Andersen's story. The moon tonight is not full yet, but it's bright enough for Kyungsoo to navigate without a lamp. In the silver moonlight, the scenery is magnificent; so even if Kyungsoo cannot find his mermaid tonight, the walk itself is rewarding.
It's when Kyungsoo reaches a rather rocky area that he hears water splashing rather loudly and a voice mumbling quietly. Crept out but intrigued, Kyungsoo takes a few steps closer while trying to calm his accelerating heart.
"... ungrateful human bastard, I shouldn't have saved you!"
"Uhm... hello?"
There's a loud yelp, followed by the sound of someone jumping into water.
It seems Kyungsoo has found his little mermaid.
*****
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Kyungsoo's greeting is met with silence, but there's no way he's going to give up like that. "I heard you, you know? I'm not someone with ill intention, I just want to talk."
The sea swooshes in response, but no voices can be heard.
"If you're the one who saved me the other night, please let me see you and thank you properly. I owe you my life." Kyungsoo pauses. Still no reactions. "Well I guess I don't have such luck with you, my lady. I wish I could..."
"Who says I'm a girl?!"
The voice startles Kyungsoo a bit, it's clear but rather low and raspy and definitely not a girl's. Rising out of the sea and basking in the mellow moonlight is a young man around Kyungsoo's age with short dark hair, fair skin and a pair of mesmerizing eyes, which are staring straight into Kyungsoo's right now. "Do I look like a girl to you? Such blasphemy!"
His bare chest is as flat as a board so no, he's not. "I'm sorry, I just..."
"Anyway I shouldn't have shown myself. Jongdae's gonna kill me." The merman turns his back towards Kyungsoo. "This is just a dream for you alright, you never met me, we never talked, bye forever, human."
"Wait!" Kyungsoo calls out but the merman ignores him and stretches his body to dive into water. Frustrated, the man quickly pulled out one of his shoes and throws at him. The object hits the other's arm then sinks underwater. "Don't go yet!"
There's a short pause before the merman submerges and reemerges just a few second later with Kyungsoo's shoe in his hand before it's sent flying to Kyungsoo's direction. If he were just a little bit slower in dodging, it would have probably landed square on his face. "What the heck do you want?"
"I only wish to talk civilly! My name is Do Kyungsoo, and I want to thank you for saving me during the storm!"
"If I had known you'd behave like this, I would have let you drown..." The merman stops mid-sentence. "There's something abnormal here, why aren't you freaked out by me? Aren't you supposed to be surprised to see someone who's constantly underwater?"
"You mean... your being a mermaid? Or merman, I should say."
"How did you even know??? I didn't flaunt my tail at you or anything!"
"It's a long story. And actually the silver scales on your tail reflect the moonlight, I saw it earlier." The merman looks stunned. "Can I at least have your name though? It's only fair as I've told you mine."
"You did that on your own, I never asked."
"This is not getting anywhere - "
"It's Baekhyun."
"- if you are... what? can you say it again please, I'm sorry I didn't catch it."
"Baekhyun. Why am I even talking to you?"
*****
"Baekhyun, right? Thank you for saving me. I hope the storm didn't cause you too much trouble."
It's weird that this human is talking to him as if they're of the same species, Baekhyun thinks. He has always wanted to approach humans and learn about life out of the sea, but the stories he's been constantly told about mermaids killed brutally by humans scare him away from the shore. They seem afraid of Baekhyun's species, too. Sometimes, as he chills out at his favorite hiding spot, a water cave on the north side of the sea, Baekhyun hears older fishermen passing by warn the young ones about mer people. The feeling is mutual.
And yet deep down inside, Baekhyun still feels a strange attachment to the land. This human is not the first that Baekhyun has saved, many lives have been rescued by him before. It's risky, Jongdae had said, and banned him from doing so in fear of Baekhyun being caught, so Baekhyun promised him to only save people if it's really necessary.
He is the first that Baekhyun has ever talked to, though, so he has to be wary. "A lot of troubles, indeed. At one point I thought the waves would throw me at a rock and I would break." The sea was seriously rough that night. "But you don't have to thank me, I only saved you because I don't want a corpse in my haven, that's all."
The human, Kyungsoo , raises an eyebrow. He looks so attractive, more so than any men Baekhyun has met. His eyes are large and round, his eyebrows thick and defined, and those full, luscious lips are inviting. Admittedly, when Baekhyun managed to drag Kyungsoo to his cave since it was impossible to navigate through the stormy sea, the first thing he noticed was how handsome the man was. The thought of keeping him under the sea crossed Baekhyun's mind for a brief moment, but he instantly remembered that no human can survive without fresh air. If he lived, then Baekhyun might be able to see him from time to time.
"Well whatever your reason is, I owe you. If I had anything to offer, I would, but right now even my clothes are borrowed. I am not even aware of where I am now and where I am supposed to have come from." Kyungsoo sighs. "Anyway, just want to express my gratitude. I think I have to head back to the palace, it's really late now. Very nice to meet you, Baekhyun."
Looking at him, Baekhyun's suddenly reminded of himself a few years back, who was also clueless and disoriented. Without Jongdae, he wouldn't have made it until today. "Uhm, you're welcome, I guess. In return, I only ask you a favor, don't tell anyone about our meeting today. It may be dangerous for me."
"You don't have to worry about that." Kyungsoo smiles lightly, and Baekhyun thinks his heart skips a beat; he has such an endearing smile. He pretends to zip his mouth before waving Baekhyun goodbye and strolling away.
This is the first time Baekhyun talks to a human, but somehow he feels strongly that he can trust Kyungsoo. Maybe it's the way he looks straight into Baekhyun's eyes when he talks, maybe it's his reassuring smile. Jongdae will scold him if he knows, but to hell with it, he wants to meet Kyungsoo again. And be nicer to him.
When Baekhyun finally dives into water, the tip of the orange morning sun has already emerged from the east.
A new day has come.
*****
Baekhyun spends the whole journey back home contemplating whether or not he should tell Jongdae about his encounter with Kyungsoo the human.
Except for the water cave, Baekhyun has never kept anything from his best friend. And Jongdae is far more than just a best friend for him. When Baekhyun first came to this area three years ago, he suffered from fatigue after days and days of floating around aimlessly in the ocean. He did not remember a thing about his identity, nor did he have any memory of his family and friends. It felt as if he was a newly born creature in the form of a grown-up merman. Jongdae's father found Baekhyun while patrolling, but it was Jongdae that really saved him, not only physically but mentally as well. He tried to get Baekhyun to talk, made him go to places and familiarized him with everyone else. Baekhyun did not have a past before Jongdae, and all of the memories he's got so far are thanks to him. Jongdae is the greatest friend, and he always says Baekhyun knows him best, but the latter never understands his disapproval of Baekhyun's attachment to the land. The threats are real, but after a few secret expeditions on his own, Baekhyun's realized that there's a lot of exaggeration in his best friend's stories. For some reason, he wants to keep Baekhyun from life out of the sea, which is odd because where else but in water can a mer person live? It's not like Baekhyun could escape if he ever wanted to.
Perhaps it's for the best that Jongdae doesn't know about his little rendezvous with the human after all. When Baekhyun reaches his coral house under the sea, Jongdae is waiting for him by the door with a scowl on his face. "Where have you been all night, Baek? I tried searching for you but you were no where to be found."
Baekhyun yawns tiredly. "What for? I thought you're busy taking care of your new friend? What's his name, Chanchan?"
"His name is Chanyeol, but no he's not a new friend, I'm just helping him because he got lost!"
"You make friends so I can make friends too, Jongdae. Don't be selfish. Now let me sleep, I have cleaning duty tomorrow... or later today?" Baekhyun runs his fingers through his hair and ruffles it - his hair feels kind of weird underwater. "By the way, didn't we become friends because I was lost too? It can be like that too for you and Chanyeol."
As Baekhyun unfastens the door to his home, Jongdae grabs his wrist and pulls him in a hug. Baekhyun's chin is rested on his shoulder so he can't see Jongdae's face, but for some reason he sounds sad and insecure. "No it's never gonna be the same, Baekhyun. You're my only best friend, I would never trade you for anyone. You too, right?"
"Come on Jongdae, I was just joking. Aren't we supposed to be the jokester duo? You've been a little weird recently... did that Chanyeol do anything that displeased you?"
"He's fine, Baek. I'm just... never mind, go have some sleep." Jongdae releases him and lightly pushes him towards his door. "I'll do the cleaning, so no need for you to wake up early."
"You are the best! I love you!" Baekhyun holds his friend's face and pecks him on both cheeks. "Remind me to return the favor later!"
Jongdae smiles at him with adoration shining in his eyes. "Yeah yeah, just sleep."
Baekhyun never knows that the moment he turns around, that smile immediately drops.
Don't go.
→ PART 2