I've spilled some of Jiyongs thoughts into it, for change, hope you like it :) It'll not get riddance off all of the confusion, but let me say, thats intended, my dear readers ;)

“If you swim effortlessly in the deep oceans, ride the waves to and from the shore, if you can breathe under water and dine on the deep treasures of the seas; mark my words, those who dwell on the rocks carrying nets will try to reel you into their catch. The last thing they want is for you to thrive in your habitat because they stand in their atmosphere where they beg and gasp for some air.” - C. JoyBell C.

Jiyong knew he was being delusional.

A love like theirs could never work out.

It’d never end well, or in a way you’d fancy…

He had observed them…

Humans…

His nest mother had always told him, humans meant trouble. They couldn’t even keep stable relationships, within their own range of race. How could you expect them to succeed with beings of other nature?

Humans were easily scared.

They feared not being in control.

They feared the unknown.

And fear…

Fear was an evil thing…

It made humans do nasty things,

Gruesome things…

Jiyong had witnessed them doing cruel things, out of anger and fear alike.

What a pathetic life to lead, Jiyong thought.

They didn’t know anything.

Humans feared the fire, because they couldn’t control it. They needed it, to keep them warm, to light the way. But they feared it nonetheless, because the gift it brought, came with a price. Entire villages were erased, families destroyed, once the heated devil was unleashed.

Playing with fire.

Humans feared the ocean, because it masked its own, true nature, its hidden inhabitants. They feared the water that kept them alive, because it could drown them, just as easily. Water was unpredictable, calm, one second, raging, spurred on by the howling wind, the next.

Neck deep.

They needed to breathe air, said humans. And they loved to feel the wind messing with their hair. They loved how it pulled them on, across the seas, until they could set foot on unknown lands. They feared how, easily, it was able to take away the safe roofs over their heads, though.

Head in the clouds.

Earth. There wasn’t really anything bad they had to say about this one, Jiyong observed. They needed it to build their houses, they needed it to sow the plants that’d bear their food.

Humans were selfish. They’d only ever think about their own needs. About their own thoughts. About their own feelings.

What did they care, that creatures like Jiyong, wouldn’t make it far, on lands.

Down to Earth.

Jiyong scoffed.

Humans were weird creatures.

Always scared of what gave them life to begin with.

Gossips and rumors reigned over the small village, ever since word had gotten ‘round town that one of its most well liked and handsome lads had been attacked by a siren.

Seunghyun had gotten aware of that, 2 weeks later.

He was helping the fishermen to carry some of their goods, when he was approached by a heavily decorated gentleman in his mid-thirties.

“Are you Seunghyun Choi?” He said, wearing a mask of indifference. His facial features looked like they were set in stone.

“Umm… err… yeah?” Seunghyun said, slightly overstrained with the situation at hand.

“Can we talk?”

“Like… Right now?” Seunghyun wasn’t sure he’d heard it right. He couldn’t fathom what an obviously very well-situated man, like that, could want from a guy like him.

“My shift is over in half an hour. I could meet you in Olyebarns. That’s the pub down the street.” Seunghyun offered.

The man nodded curtly and turned around, leaving the port without any further confirmations and the like.

***

Seunghyun stepped into the bar, forty minutes later, his eyes roaming to find the mysterious stranger.

“There you are. I want to offer you a helping hand.”

Seunghyun flinched, the growled whisper way too close to his sensitive ears.

“With what?” Seunghyun replied calmly.

“With what, he says!” The gentleman said, incredulously, a mocking tone to his voice.

“LISTEN TO THAT MY DEAR FOLKS.” He laughed heartily, easily catching the attention of every single one of the bar patrons.

Seunghyun furrowed his brows, displeased by the audience they’d gotten now.

Seunghyun wasn’t a fan of social interaction, much less, one with an audience, on top of that.

“Dear boy… with your siren problem. What else?”

“There is no siren problem.” Seunghyun denied, his eyes almost overflowing with distaste over his unpleasant companion for the evening.

“Being under the spell of a devilish siren and he calls it nothing. That Boy’s got quite the nerves. Dear Lord.” The mysterious man whiped imaginary tears off, his eyes.

The crowd erupted with laughter.

Seunghyun threw them some deathly glares, immediately shutting them up.

 “I am not under anyone’s spell! Jiyong is my friend!” Seunghyun felt anger bubbling in his chest. How dare they judge Jiyong without ever having met him!

“Your friend?!” Dongwook, all the while silently doing his job behind the counter, dropped the mug he was holding, in shock, the fragile pottery easily shattering, as it met with the solid ground.

“Are you crazy Seunghyun?! I thought those were only rumors!” Shoving his way through the crowd, Seunghyuns oldest friend gripped his arms tightly, frantically searching for the lies, he was hoping to find, in his friends eyes.

Only…

He didn’t find them.

There was only the glaring, mocking truth, staring back at him.

“Can we take it off him? Can we reverse this spell? Is there any cure?” The frantic Dongwook asked, turning towards the brooding stranger.

“Is there anything I can do? I’d do anything for Seunghyun, Mr… Mr…” The upset bartender cried out.

“Arlington is the name, Robert Arlington.” He smiled cunningly.

“The only way, as I see it is…” He paused and wrung his hands in distress, giving the audience the dramatic show them, silently, asked for.

“For the Siren to die. Only then, will its victims rise to freedom.” He smiled wistfully. Almost sadly, if it wasn’t for the glint in his eyes.

“WHAT THE HELL! NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU DO ANYTHING TO JI!” Calling Seunghyun outraged would be misleading. Furious. Mad. All of them were of better fit.

The stranger ignored Seunghyuns outbreak. Belittling him and calling him a sad mental case, due to the spell he was under.

“People of Nanwick! Do you want for that horrible, horrible creature to get to your loved ones? You see what happened to your friend, Seunghyun, here! Do you want it to torment you on and on and on, do you want to watch your husbands, wife’s, sisters and brothers, your grandkids and nephews, your daughters and sons, getting pulled under? Do you want them, struggling for air, to serve as a feast for those devilish sea witches?”

The stranger, Arlington, turned around, pointing at Seunghyun, he shouted:

“DO YOU WANT THE SAME, HAPPENING TO THEM, AS WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS POOR, LOST SOUL?”

Seunghyun backed away, the feeling of being cornered almost of suffocating nature now. He barely made one of the blurred faces out, to be the one of his much beloved brother, Dongwook.

“Seunghyun… It’s for your own best. We are only doing this for you…”

The last thing Seunghyun saw, was his best friends tear stained face, the brunette slowly, sadly shaking his head, as if he had lost all hope for his friend.

And then, he took off.

He ran and ran and ran and ran, the uneven path down to the shore, making him stumble and tumble and fall and twist and knock and turn.

Jiyong.

He had to warn Jiyong…

His head broke through the calm surface of the ocean, with a splatter.

It was a clear night, the shining full moon above his head and the sparkly, accompanying stars, brightly illuminating water and earth, alike.

Sitting on his and Seunghyuns rock, he didn’t have to wait for very long, an aghast and ashen looking Seunghyun appearing by his side, seconds later.

Jiyong was barely able to catch the shaken up male into his cold, wet embrace.

And the merman was thankful for once, that his skin was as cool and icy as it was, because he was sure that Seunghyun had a fever.

“Jiyong… Jiyong… I… Jiyong…” Seunghyun cried out, tightly clutching onto the others bare shoulders, helplessly sobbing into the sirens neck.

“They want to get you…” Seunghyun sobbed weakly.

“They are doing evil they are doing injustice… oh god… oh god… they are calling you a monster. They are calling you the devil. They are lying, spreading evil! Evil!” He continued.

“Well… do you believe them?” Jiyong kept calm, he was used to the hate and anger. Sirens were never welcomed by anyone.

“No! Of course not!”  The disheveled guy halted in his whaling, his shocked eyes meeting the calm ones of the beautiful siren.

“Then… all is good, Seunghyun…” Jiyong smiled, softly the hair of his unsettled friend.

“They are envious, of what we share. They are envious that we dare to challenge the waves, whereas they are prisoners to their own minds, their self-made fears. They dream of playing in the depths, they dream of letting go and taking their enemies down with them. They dream and long to feel the same freedom, we feel every single day, in our lives. That’s why they are so angry, Seung. They are angry that we are brave enough to take chances, to risk something, they are angry that we’re drowning, without feeling fear, for what is about to come, they are angry that we are met by warmth, where there should be cold.

They are angry that we are brave enough to live, when they are not.”

“B-But… Ji…” Seunghyun whispered.

 “Shhhh… I’m here… It’s all good.” Jiyong the male’s hair.

“No… Jiyong… nothing is good… nothing is good…” The worn out boy started mumbling, a feverish, stutterish mess, leaving his lips.

Not knowing what to do, Jiyong started singing.

That was what he was best at.

And humans weren’t able to resist his sweet, luring voice, almost immediately succumbing into a trance like calm.

“Hush and listen

Dear my boy

I’m always with you,

My life,

My joy.

It’ll all be good

And over soon

The stars are watchin,

So’s the moon.

Me and them

Will keep you save

We’ll lull you good,

To swaying waves

The sea,

It loves you

So do I

A gentle whisper,

Strangled cry…

Close your eyes,

Sweet dreams,

My dear…

Forget,

For now,

What happens,

Here.”

The exhausted boy fell asleep, quickly.

Embraced by only the icy arms of death, keeping him warm, the fleeting touches leading him to some place better, to some place safe.

Jiyong looked down at the sleeping man in his arms, cradling his face softly with long, gracious fingers.

Humans said, Sirens couldn’t love.

Sirens said, Sirens couldn’t love.

Sirens said, Humans couldn’t love.

Humans said, Humans could love.

Then what was this?

Jiyong was confused..

He always thought, Sirens were more honest with themselves than any other species.

He’d never lied about not being able to feel.

To love.

He longed for the heat of another body.

He longed to feel another creatures beating heart.

He craved it.

However, Jiyong wasn’t dumb, nor did he fancy self-deceiving.

Jiyong knew that it wasn’t the same as, the thing called, love.

But then again, it could possibly be, that humans made up the word, love, for them to feel more worthy and above the rest of all creatures.

Who knew if they, Sirens and Humans, didn’t feel the same, after all?

Who knew if love wasn’t a thing made up by humans, entirely? Nothing but a mere word?

Meaningless.

And yet, Jiyong could swear that he felt his dead, cold heart, beating weakly inside his chest, the moment the other man embraced him.

It felt like home.

It felt like nothing Jiyong had ever experienced before.

Love…

Love?

He told Seunghyun he loved him. Yes. He told them all the same. Men. Doomed and helpless. Delusional and lost.

He had said them countless times, before.

Those words which were like magic to humans.

But why did they feel so very different, so very strange this time?

Sirens couldn’t feel love.

And yet it felt different to be with Seunghyun.

A Sirens heart was cold and dead.

It wasn't beating, it wasn't alive. It was lifeless. Dead. Just dead.

But why did the thought of losing Seunghyun make his heart ache?

A Siren didn’t fear anything.

They didn’t fear drowning, or cruel words, or losing people. They didn’t fear death, loneliness or hell and damnation.

And yet Jiyong found himself fearing for Seunghyuns life, found himself fearing losing that one being, who made him fall in love and his dead heart beat.

A Siren couldn’t.

And yet, Jiyong did.

***