“Stay away from the underground lake I implore,

The Siren will see, you are heard of no more.”

― E.A. Bucchianeri, Phantom Phantasia: Poetry for the Phantom of the Opera Phan

Seunghyun was always tense and on alert after that night, the angry faces of the raging mob he had faced, never once leaving his unsettled mind.

He didn’t fear for his own life.

He feared for Jiyong’s.

Sighing, he heaved the last shipment of the day, onto the already bustling boat.

He worked in utter silence, diligently, the way he liked it.

People around town avoided him.

Every once in a while, Seunghyun would catch them whispering behind his back, either avoiding his gaze, as soon as he caught them, or shaking their heads in a sad manner.

Just like Dongwook had, that night.

His brother’s face haunted him in his dreams, the sad, lost expression on his dearest friends face, engraved into his restless mind.

The moment Seunghyun defended the siren and turned his back on his fellow people seemed to have sealed his fate, in their eyes.

He was no longer regarded as one of them.

He had chosen the stray path.

He took a wrong turn, leading him farther and farther away from god.

Leading him into a life full of sin and evil.

The heaven gates were closed for him, locked from the inside, his fellow towns people were peering at him, through the iron bars, their menacingly glances and condemning whispers keeping him out of heaven, just as much as the locked, heavy guarded gates.

He chose this path.

He chose to be an outcast.

He had chosen to succumb to corruption and sin.

There was only one place the path, he had chosen, would end at.

Hell and Damnation.

It’d lead him right into the devils arms.

Which, the citizens claimed, he was already in.

He was in Jiyong’s arms.

Arms as ice-cold and unforgiving as deaths arms.

The devils embrace.

Seunghyun deemed their talks ridiculous.

The Devil was the King of Hell.

His embrace was supposed to be scalding hot, wasn’t it?

Jiyong’s embrace, however, was cold.

Colder than the coldest of December nights.

Contradictions.

Jiyong’s arms might be the death of him, one day.

Only time will show.

But there was nothing devilish about those arms, wrapped around his torso, at all, Seunghyun thought.

“Sirens are sinister creatures. They don’t care about anyone, they don’t care about your heart, so carelessly given away. Or… No… Yes… They do. They want to lap at your bleeding, forlorn heart. Their greedy, empty souls want to possess and wolf it down. They want to digest it, like we, the people of god, are digesting our daily breakfast. They are evil. And yours is no different. It will tear you to shreds, ‘til nothing is left.”

What had he done.

Seunghyun left work in a hurry, running down the streets, full speed, dodging playing children and walking adults alike, he more than hastened to get to the shore. Never slowing down, he tried to escape his head for a short while.

He knew they’d ultimately catch up with him. He knew they’d come back, triple the force, making him squirm in displeasure and fright.

Tormenting him.

But for now, he wanted to escape…

Even if it was just for a while…

His breath was coming in short, ragged breaths, he was almost sprinting down the shore, eager to fall into his lovers awaiting embrace.

His harsh footsteps left no sound at all, if it wasn’t for the harsh breathing, cutting the silence of the, only just starting, night, no one would know that he was there. It was the only thing giving him away.

He slowed his steps and took his time to regain his breath, his lungs strained and aching, asking for release. It was hard to breathe and yet Seunghyun felt like he never breathed more freely.

He felt free.

“It’ll hold you down, its cold and clam fingers closing around your ankles, like unforgiving iron chains. Like an anchor hindering you to get back to the surface and break it.”

‘But I do feel so amazingly free…’

“It tricks you into awe, it tricks you into thinking you are in control, free to do as you please, but in love. And then it’ll hold you down and watch you drown, the last thing you’ll see, before the lethal amount of water is filling your lungs, will be the evil, rotten smirk of that monster.”

‘I do love him…’

Confusion.

‘Or don’t I…’

“That’s their greatest trap. They’ll make you believe that it’s love, they feel. And it’ll draw you in, make you feel special… Because… that creature, unable to feel anything, you made it feel not only something, you made it feel love. It’s a lie, I tell you…”

‘Who’s the one, lying?’

“A liar’s game,

Is scarcely played

With none to blame

Trust betrayed.

A liar’s game,

An honest one,

Is played as long

The truth stays gone.

A liar’s game,

You can’t escape

Hide your truths,

The lies,

They’ll fade.

A liar’s game,

Has barely truth

Lies or Verity

A soul to soothe.

A liar’s game,

Is won by no one

Giving truth

Wins everyone.

A liar’s game,

Of honesty

Is one of treasure

Land and sea,

A liar’s game,

Oh lover, keen

On Land and sea,

Is barely seen.”

Who knows? It might all be lies, after all, Seunghyun thought.

Sirens couldn’t.

They couldn’t.

Seunghyun wasn’t sure they were able to fake so much love. Seunghyun doubted Jiyong could will his own eyes to show so much emotion, dedication and love, only by the mere will of his own, cold heart.

And if he did…

What did it matter, in the end?

If the Siren felt those things or not, what did it mean to him?

Because Seunghyun, had felt it…

And that was enough for him.

Jiyong made him feel.

That was plenty, actually.

Seunghyun smiled and embraced the frail boy, from behind.

Death was, once, embracing him…

…It was time for Seunghyun to embrace death, as well.

He kissed the boys wet nape and tucked some stray strands of blond hair, behind the latter’s cute little ears.

Living a lie scared Seunghyun by far more, than dying for the truth.

It was the sixth time, only that week, Dongwook had tried talking sense into that thick skull of his friend and fell yet again on deaf ears.

“Dongwook.” Seunghyun growled, annoyed.

“I spare you the effort. I’ll pretend I’m following your advice and you can stop wasting your time. Win Win” Seunghyun didn’t even look up from the book he was reading.

“Seunghyun please! You can’t see that evil sea witch anymore! Please! I beg of you!” Dongwook, downright, begged.

“Jiyong is not evil nor is he a witch.” Seunghyun, annoyed, closed the book with a shallow thud, waking the old mariner Harrison, next to him, from his nap.

“I offered my help once, there’s nothing more I can do.” Robert Arlington appeared by Dongwooks side, almost materializing out of thin air.

“You! Again!” Seunghyun made a move on the, seemingly, innocent man, ready to grab the culprit by his collar.

“There, there, my dear friend… let’s not get down a road you’ll regret going… I only want to help. It seems that malicious creature had you brainwashed.” He shook his head, disapprovingly.

“Ever since you stepped foot into this town, you’ve brought nothing upon me than bad luck!” The upset man accused right back.

“Me?” The stranger replied, incredulously. “My dear boy, you’ve invited the misfortune to cross your threshold, you brought the tragedy upon your life, all by yourself. Not literally… but you did invite that monster to take your heart as its own and control your life. You might as well sell your soul to the devil right away. That would’ve spared you lots of pain.” Arlington laughed wickedly.

No one joined in his laughter.

The only thing seaport people feared more than the devil, were Sirens, indeed.

That was no matter to take lightly, in their simple minds.

“Him? You don’t know him at all!” Seunghyun screamed, angrily.

“Seunghyun, wake up! It’s not him. It is… well… IT!” Dongwook shook his friend angrily.

“What do you people know at all?! Except for gossips and rumors and ! I’d really wish that the myths were saying the truth! I’d really like to see them, clawing at your chest to peel your little, rotten heart out of your fleshy wrapping. I’d really like them to twist and turn your black hole, of a heart, painfully, before they are pulling it out for good. I’d really love to see Jiyong covered in deep, dark red. I bet he’d still look as beautiful as ever. I’m really eager to see those pearly whites cutting your skin, to hear your bones crushing under the sheer force of their teeth. If you want to believe Sirens are like that… Fine…” Seunghyun smirked, seeing the pale, greenish faces, surrounding him.

Robert Arlington, for the first time since he showed up on the port, was left rendered speechless, by fear.

“Yeah… I’d pay to see them make you suffer…” The tall, handsome male enjoyed every minute of freaking that bastard out. Every single minute.

“I… I-I…” Robert Arlington didn’t continue what he was going to say. He was a smart man. He knew when to shut the hell up.

Seunghyun fetched his book from the counter and made his way towards the door, the scared mob subconsciously backing away from the fuming man.

He turned around, one last time, when reaching the door and threw the dead silent crowd one last warning, almost threatening, gaze, that sent shivers down their spines.

Seunghyuns eyes looked even more glaringly intimidating than usual.

“Touch him and I’ll kill each and every one of you.”

His words of parting were silent, almost whispered, but they cut the air like a scalding hot butcher’s knife, a piece of butter.

He woke up at 4 AM.

Sweaty, heaving and trembling.

He looked into his mirror.

Dark circles gracing his pale face.

His cheeks sunken in.

Hollow eyes staring back at him.

Lifeless.

His mirror had seen better days.

His mirror was broken.

And so was he.

7 years bad luck.

***