Lorelei [1/3]
Title: Lorelei
Pairing: Jonghyun x Jieun (IU)
Rating: PG
Summary: Jonghyun is tossed overboard and is saved by something sailors thought to only be a myth. Now he spends every waking moment searching for her but there are those who would not have them together. Even if it meant to kill.
Author Note: Based off the edit by loverholix.
The sensation of falling was always the scariest thing to Jonghyun. Feeling his body weightless in the air as gravity took over and sent him crashing down towards whatever lay beneath him. Just the thought of it made him queasy, feeling the air curling around his body as if it wanted to carry him back up towards the ship he’d fallen off of. The impact of the icy water against his skin knocked the air from his lungs, feeling the bitter sting as the ocean rushed to take over its space. Down. Down. Down. He slowly sunk like a stone, body thrashing as he tried to swim back to the surface but his muscles felt like lead. His vision was growing dark as the shimmering moon fell farther and farther from his sight. He would die here, in this dark abyss called the sea. His body would never be found. His soul would never be able to truly rest. He’d walk the shores for eternity.
A sob tried to force its way from his lips as he saw something dark swim across his vision. Great, now he was probably going to be eaten by a damn shark. He’d rather drown to death than feel the agony of something chewing him to death. Hands grabbed his shirt and started to pull him upwards towards the surface. This isn’t right, his brain said, I should be going farther down not up. He shifted his head, blurry eyes making out a safe face and the sparkle of green eyes before the blackness finally took over. At least he’d get to see something pretty before he died.
-
Jieun let out a soft groan as she pulled the human towards the surface. They were always so heavy, dead weight and they never even tried to kick their legs to help her out. She could only do so much by herself after all. It had been by luck that she’d even been here in the first place, her father always yelling at her for going so far off from home. Humans were dangerous, he said, they would capture her and kill her. She never believed him, though, and this one was so handsome. She couldn’t let him drown, so she saved him instead. Her head broke free of the ocean and she looked around, the ship far off into the distance. They hadn’t even noticed he’d fallen over. They never did. There were so many of them in the world, what was one less to them.
She took a deep breath and pulled him up more, tail beating against the current as she headed for the small island the ship had set off from. Someone there would help this poor sailor for sure. She smiled to herself, knowing the summer heat would keep most of the humans inside. She had almost gotten caught once before and her father had been beyond furious with her. She was his only daughter and he would raise the oceans in anger if anything had ever happened to her. She chuckled softly, knowing how much of a softie he was at heart but his distaste for humans could make him think to do something so rash. She slowly dragged herself and the human onto the shore, laying him out and pressing her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was faint but stubbornly fighting. She parted his lips slowly, blowing air into his mouth to try and force the water to rise up.
After the third try, water bubbled up as the human turned and spilled the oceans contents onto the beach. She shifted over some, curious eyes watching him as he slumped back onto the sand. Brown eyes met aquamarine and for a moment the world seemed to stop spinning. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she gave a shy smile, the show of emotions going over his face interesting to watch. Shock. Curiosity. Disbelief. Fear. Gratitude. She turned her head away and shifted to slip back into the ocean when she felt a hand close around her wrist. Her head snapped back around as she stared at the human, watching him sit up and shift closer to her.
“What’s your name…Lorelei?” His voice was rough from the salt water but his eyes shone brightly as he stared at her. She shifted her arm in his hold, watching him back up slightly and release her. They always asked for her name, this was nothing new, but there was something in his voice that made her want to answer. She licked her lips, slowly letting her body slide back into the water’s embrace as she gave a small shy.
“Jieun.”
The way his face lit up pulled a soft giggle from her lips, watching him crawl across the sand as she let the soft tug of the ocean bring her farther away from him. He seemed sad to watch her go, but many of them were. No one ever believed their tales, mermaids were myth and that alone. She felt a tug in her heart, his features embedded forever in her memory as she turned and dove under the waves to return home. It was getting late and her father would begin to wonder if she didn’t return to his watchful gaze before the sun set. Besides there was never any need to dwell on humans, she never saw them again and if she did they always had families, happy sailors who wrote off their encounter with her as a dream or delusion of inhaling too much salt water.
Though for once, she wished this one would remember her. The one with the sweet eyes.
-
Jonghyun could never forget that face. He turned and walked back towards the port, feeling like his muscles had turned to jelly and every breath left like his lungs were on fire. He could only remember stumbling into a tavern and passing out on the floor. Later, one of the barmaids told him of how he caught a fever and slept for three days straight. It was a month before a ship heading back to his homeland appeared and even longer than that before his own ship made dock and he could explain himself to the captain. They were glad he was alive and gave him his cut from the profits. He had almost died after all.
The months stretched on as he worked and saved, buying enough to finally purchase a small ship of his own. It’d been two years since he’d met her and she was the only thing he could think about now. His friends thought he was going crazy and tried to get him to think of other things but he was set on his mission, the sky streaked with the first rays of the morning sun as his ship began to sail. He’d find her again. Even if it took eternity, in this life of the next he would find his angel of the sea and hold her in his arms.
He would find Jieun.
Pairing: Jonghyun x Jieun (IU)
Rating: PG
Summary: Jonghyun is tossed overboard and is saved by something sailors thought to only be a myth. Now he spends every waking moment searching for her but there are those who would not have them together. Even if it meant to kill.
Author Note: Based off the edit by loverholix.
The sensation of falling was always the scariest thing to Jonghyun. Feeling his body weightless in the air as gravity took over and sent him crashing down towards whatever lay beneath him. Just the thought of it made him queasy, feeling the air curling around his body as if it wanted to carry him back up towards the ship he’d fallen off of. The impact of the icy water against his skin knocked the air from his lungs, feeling the bitter sting as the ocean rushed to take over its space. Down. Down. Down. He slowly sunk like a stone, body thrashing as he tried to swim back to the surface but his muscles felt like lead. His vision was growing dark as the shimmering moon fell farther and farther from his sight. He would die here, in this dark abyss called the sea. His body would never be found. His soul would never be able to truly rest. He’d walk the shores for eternity.
A sob tried to force its way from his lips as he saw something dark swim across his vision. Great, now he was probably going to be eaten by a damn shark. He’d rather drown to death than feel the agony of something chewing him to death. Hands grabbed his shirt and started to pull him upwards towards the surface. This isn’t right, his brain said, I should be going farther down not up. He shifted his head, blurry eyes making out a safe face and the sparkle of green eyes before the blackness finally took over. At least he’d get to see something pretty before he died.
-
Jieun let out a soft groan as she pulled the human towards the surface. They were always so heavy, dead weight and they never even tried to kick their legs to help her out. She could only do so much by herself after all. It had been by luck that she’d even been here in the first place, her father always yelling at her for going so far off from home. Humans were dangerous, he said, they would capture her and kill her. She never believed him, though, and this one was so handsome. She couldn’t let him drown, so she saved him instead. Her head broke free of the ocean and she looked around, the ship far off into the distance. They hadn’t even noticed he’d fallen over. They never did. There were so many of them in the world, what was one less to them.
She took a deep breath and pulled him up more, tail beating against the current as she headed for the small island the ship had set off from. Someone there would help this poor sailor for sure. She smiled to herself, knowing the summer heat would keep most of the humans inside. She had almost gotten caught once before and her father had been beyond furious with her. She was his only daughter and he would raise the oceans in anger if anything had ever happened to her. She chuckled softly, knowing how much of a softie he was at heart but his distaste for humans could make him think to do something so rash. She slowly dragged herself and the human onto the shore, laying him out and pressing her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was faint but stubbornly fighting. She parted his lips slowly, blowing air into his mouth to try and force the water to rise up.
After the third try, water bubbled up as the human turned and spilled the oceans contents onto the beach. She shifted over some, curious eyes watching him as he slumped back onto the sand. Brown eyes met aquamarine and for a moment the world seemed to stop spinning. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she gave a shy smile, the show of emotions going over his face interesting to watch. Shock. Curiosity. Disbelief. Fear. Gratitude. She turned her head away and shifted to slip back into the ocean when she felt a hand close around her wrist. Her head snapped back around as she stared at the human, watching him sit up and shift closer to her.
“What’s your name…Lorelei?” His voice was rough from the salt water but his eyes shone brightly as he stared at her. She shifted her arm in his hold, watching him back up slightly and release her. They always asked for her name, this was nothing new, but there was something in his voice that made her want to answer. She licked her lips, slowly letting her body slide back into the water’s embrace as she gave a small shy.
“Jieun.”
The way his face lit up pulled a soft giggle from her lips, watching him crawl across the sand as she let the soft tug of the ocean bring her farther away from him. He seemed sad to watch her go, but many of them were. No one ever believed their tales, mermaids were myth and that alone. She felt a tug in her heart, his features embedded forever in her memory as she turned and dove under the waves to return home. It was getting late and her father would begin to wonder if she didn’t return to his watchful gaze before the sun set. Besides there was never any need to dwell on humans, she never saw them again and if she did they always had families, happy sailors who wrote off their encounter with her as a dream or delusion of inhaling too much salt water.
Though for once, she wished this one would remember her. The one with the sweet eyes.
-
Jonghyun could never forget that face. He turned and walked back towards the port, feeling like his muscles had turned to jelly and every breath left like his lungs were on fire. He could only remember stumbling into a tavern and passing out on the floor. Later, one of the barmaids told him of how he caught a fever and slept for three days straight. It was a month before a ship heading back to his homeland appeared and even longer than that before his own ship made dock and he could explain himself to the captain. They were glad he was alive and gave him his cut from the profits. He had almost died after all.
The months stretched on as he worked and saved, buying enough to finally purchase a small ship of his own. It’d been two years since he’d met her and she was the only thing he could think about now. His friends thought he was going crazy and tried to get him to think of other things but he was set on his mission, the sky streaked with the first rays of the morning sun as his ship began to sail. He’d find her again. Even if it took eternity, in this life of the next he would find his angel of the sea and hold her in his arms.
He would find Jieun.