A/N: A Mermaid Joohyun AU that happens thanks to my friend Nat's wonderful idea. It will be split into two parts. Enjoy the first one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

January, 1812

Cold.

It was the only word that could describe her life as she swam through endless dark sea for what seemed like centuries. And yet, as the haunting silence of the ocean continued to swallow her in its body, the sole word felt never enough to express what she truly felt.

She forgot the last time warmth touched at her horribly pale skin, forgot the last time she saw the gold of her own tail because the sunlight never pierced where she lived anymore.

It was too deep, where she hid now, and for centuries, it had been only black that filled her vision no matter how enhanced it was. The ocean was thick, blind darkness and at times, she forgot that it wasn’t made of black oil but the blue water everyone seemed to claim from above.

She felt numb, sometimes she wanted to stop hiding.

She longed to see the light again more than anything, and she wished to feel the warmth of the upper world even if it was only for a while, hearing sounds from above that wasn’t all the lonely ocean crying out to its forgotten, bottom monsters.

She missed feeling alive again.

She missed having something in her life other than her lonely ocean.

If only that nightmare didn’t fall upon her kind and wiped out almost all of them when she was barely taking her first swim, maybe she wouldn’t be so afraid about going upward again.

She missed the sun and the warmth, yes, but at the same time she had learned to avoid them. Because with them, on the surface, came the two-legged monsters crueler than anything she had ever witnessed.

The heartless killers called humankind.

-------------------------------------------------------

There was a change in the water and Irene could sense it even before the whirlwind happened.

The bottom current of the ocean was more turbulent than usual, and even the other sealives bigger than her -- those that were less intelligent than her -- had long since swum away from what she could tell as upcoming great storm.

She swam to the opposite direction from them just because this was what she had been waiting for, her chance to swim up to the surface because there would be no living being -- nothing at all -- to witness her should she jump out from the water and breathe in the open air.

The storm never once bothered her and the lightning, though accompanied by the booming thunders way too loud for her liking, was a great momentary exchange for the darkness and silence she was so terribly fed up of.

She swam closer to the surface with her heart leaping in her chest, cutting nervously through thinning water with bubbling anticipation.

She could almost see the lightning, flashing brightly across the black, clouded sky.

Her enhanced sight rejoiced at the slightest hint of light, but before she could leap out from the water with her reckless impatience, a strange noise stopped her dead in her track.

A man-made ship, a big ship apparently as reckless as her for thinking it could sail amidst this kind of weather, moved towards her direction from distance away.

Blood drained from her face immediately and she whipped around faster than a bolt of lightning, ready to dive back into the ocean when her ears, the same ears that stopped her moments ago, caught the sound of a humming? A - a singing, flowing faintly from the incoming big ship.

It was so low it was almost inaudible, but to her ears, which hadn’t heard anything quite as pleasant for hundreds of years now, it sounded so clear like heaven’s call.

It was beautiful and inviting.

Unconsciously, against her better judgment and internal warning, she swam closer to the ship like a moth drawn to flame, enthralled to find the source of the voice.

When she found it, she saw a girl standing on the open deck with her white blouse and knee-length dark skirt billowing against cold wind.

A human girl probably not older than twenty years old.

She was standing near the elbow-height rails, almond-shaped eyes staring blankly into the sea below as the absent-minded melody continued to flow from her lips. Irene wondered briefly if they wouldn’t get frozen because of the cold, vicious wind.

Her question was answered by a different, rough voice.

“Kang Seulgi! Get inside the cabin now! There’s a storm coming up and you are going to freeze out there!”

She spotted a gray-haired man walking towards the beautiful young girl, who was now completely defiant as she turned around to face him. Blank face morphed into solid determination.

“I’m not going inside until you tell me the whole wedding plan is just a joke, father.”

The man in suit growled, flashing her a displeased look. “You are not in the position to say anything about this, Seulgi. His father has agreed, and I, as yours, has rightfully said so.”

The girl's fists balled and she looked so close to burst with furious tears. “How can you say that I have no say in this? It’s my wedding, it’s my life and I’m supposed to be the one deciding!”

The man’s displeased look now bordered on threatening anger and he made no effort to hide it. “I’m your father, Seulgi. I decide what I deem appropriate for you. Now get in the cabin before the storm comes and my patience runs thin.”

Irene watched the girl’s jaw stiffen and her voice came out pained. “I’m not going in until you stop making me one of your business deal with your filthy, rich colleague.”

The last retort might have hit too close to the truth, and the old man snapped. “Fine. Do whatever you want. Stay here all night if you think you can.”

He stormed away and retreated into the cabins, leaving the girl -- Seulgi -- alone on the freezing deck.

Seulgi turned to face the ocean again furiously, but as the rain began to pour on her, Irene noticed that her tears were also falling, anger washing into silent heartbreak.

For a moment, she felt something tug at her heart, something that felt like sympathy, until came the violent voice in her head that reminded her of reality.

She had to go.

She had nothing to do with any of this.

But then the sky started to rumble heavily when she turned to go, and she found herself wondering half-heartedly if this young girl -- Kang Seulgi -- would really stay on the deck all night long.

She wouldn’t really do it, would she? No human would.

Forced by her nagging curiosity and her strange hint of worry for this particular human girl, Irene coaxed herself into believing that this would only last for a moment.

She would watch the girl from afar and hide in darkness, where the thick rain would make it impossible for any two-legged creature to see her in any way.

She ducked under the water and swam alongside the swaying ship, watching the girl above wipe off another stream of tears as she gripped tighter on the iron rails, body shivering against the heartless cold.

Another song flowed faintly from her quivering blue lips, and Irene was stunned to find her answer.

She was serious about not going inside.

------------------------------------------

The ocean was enraged.

It churned wildly like a giant dam being stirred by invisible whisk, and in this kind of rampage even the most magnificent man-made craft would struggle to go on.

The big ship swayed feebly like a little wooden toy against the slamming high waves, and eventhough it didn’t bother Irene because this kind of weather was nothing for her, she was certain that it bothered any of the landlife creatures.

So why...?

Why does the young human girl strive so hard to stay outside?

Does she not care about her life anymore?

“Kang Seulgi!” The man from earlier came out again, struggling to walk on the slippery deck as he gripped the rails tightly to avoid getting launched into the ocean by the raging waves. “Get inside now! You are going to freeze!”

“N-no!” The girl shouted back, frozen lips starting to struggle to utter words but headstrong all the same. Her hands were growing bluish and clutching shakily at the doused iron rails. “Not...until you say...you will cancel the wedding!”

The man muttered something under his breath and then yelled back hoarsely. “Fine! Get in your cabin now before you die!”

The ship creaked loudly like a rusty, broken toy, and the girl finally shifted slowly under the heavy rain like a little child who had just learned how to walk.

Just when Irene thought everything was going to be okay, the wind howled up ferociously and blew a massive wave of water to smack furiously against the side of the ship, nearly flipping it all over.

The human girl shrieked, and with the failure of her frozen limbs and her weakened grip on the slippery rails, thrown into the sea like a rock to the bottom.

The man screamed, but it was all too late.

Seulgi was gone from the sight.

“Seulgi!!!”

Irene could hear his horrified yell from above and before she could think of anything, she had plummeted deep into the water with fins cutting sharply through strong current.

With inhumane speed she spotted Seulgi drowning in the darkened depth of the water, no longer conscious and looking extremely pale.

She looped her arm around the girl’s waist and hooked her limply arm around her neck, swimming upward to the surface as fast as she could.

For a moment, she forgot her rules.

For a moment, she forgot that she was holding a person.

A human she wanted so desperately to avoid.

Wait! She wanted to scream to the blown-away ship, but eventhough she understood the language of humankind perfectly well, her tongue was never made to speak it out loudly.

Her breath caught futilely in and no word rolled out from .

She looked frantically at the girl in her arms, still unconscious and cold and with breaths that were no longer detected.

She pressed her ear to the girl’s chest and was grateful to find that her heart was still beating under her soaked clothes.

She could be saved.

She only needed warmth and something to get out the water from her airpipes.

Looking around frantically, Irene tried to remember the closest island she had ever encountered, and then tightened her hold around the girl’s waist before swimming forward with full speed.

She could be saved.

She could be saved if Irene could be fast.

------------------------------------------------

The nearest island was only minutes away but it was minuscule and tragically empty.

Irene looked for the largest rock and deposited the girl on it safely, swimming around frantically as she thought of a way to save her.

Her golden, shiny tail splashed on the shallow water repeatedly as her mind tried to work.

No one was around, she thought before pushing herself upward and sitting beside the girl on the rock to check her.

She pressed her ear to the girl’s chest and listened again, the beating of her heart was still audible eventhough much weaker.

Airpipes. There was water clogging her airpipes.

She hit the girl’s chest where the sound congested, before deciding that pressing it hard with both hands would probably do better.

Ten pumps. Twenty pumps. And the girl was still not breathing.

Irene pressed down harder, pushed the rigid chest bone faster, and after nearly losing her hope on her nth try, the girl finally choked up and spat out some water.

Thank goodness.

She pulled the girl up to sit and hit her back with measurable power, prompting her to cough out more water and clear out her airway.

When she was sure that most of the water had been spat and the girl could breathe normally again, she let out an inaudible sigh and breathe.

She saved her.

She saved the girl and now she could leave her alone.

She laid the girl back on the rock and slid into the water, ready to swim far from the place when something bothersome tugged at her too soft heartstrings.

No.

Pity and kindness were the reasons why her kind got slaughtered to near extinction centuries ago. Humankind didn’t do as good as they appeared to be.

They liked to force their ways on other creatures and it would be best to stay away from them.

She needed to go now.

One turn into the water and the girl on the rock coughed again. This time, a faint sort of mutter came out from along with the sound of her chattering teeth.

“Cold....cold....it’s...so...cold...”

Despite herself, Irene found her limbs stopped moving, feeling more conflicted than she had ever been and hating herself for it.

Frowning at herself for having no tough heart, she swam back to the girl and stared at her shivering form to consider what to do.

She can’t be harmful, right? She’s alone and she’s weakened.

She climbed up the rock and pulled the human girl to sit, curling her wide tail around the girl’s body to provide her some kind of warmth. Her bare front pressed against the girl’s back as she circled her arms around her waist, wrapping her tentatively in some kind of secure embrace.

The girl leaned back against her unconsciously, and Irene placed her ear on the side her face to listen to her breathing.

Her breathing sounded clear and stable.

She sighed and held her closer, promising herself that she would go just before the sun rose and before the girl even had the chance to see her.

Everything would be just fine, she told herself.

-------------------------------------------

Of course it wouldn’t.

The first thing she heard when she opened her eyes was the terrified scream of the human girl.

She pushed herself up and was greeted by a dagger pointed at her face, the owner’s eyes wide and panicked as she yelled at her.

“W-who are you?!” Seulgi stammered out poorly, fear and shock lacing on every fiber of her being. Her brown eyes swept frantically over Irene’s long, shimmering tail. “Oh god, w-what are you?”

Irene frowned at the obvious change of subject, as if she was a thing and not a living being simply because she had seen her with a tail.

Oh, wait...

She whipped her head around quickly, noticing dreadfully that the night sky had turned into dull grey.

For the life of water spirits... She had fallen asleep until dawn.

She, the creature of the sea who need not sleep, had fallen to slumber on the rock with this human girl because she was stupid enough not to remember that the lack of water around her body throughout the night would certainly weaken her senses.

Her mind rose in alarm, and for a moment she was so, so terrified that she was going to die in the hand of this human she had previously saved.

She would go down in the mermaids’ history as the most pathetic ever.

“M-mermaid... My goodness...” The girl stuttered her own answer, hands shaking greatly and feet nearly tripping off the rock in graceless fall. “Y-you guys can’t be real. Y-you guys are only folklores...”

Irene considered taking her moment of hesitance to jump back into the water and escape, but at the same time the girl actually fell off the rock and hit the sand below her with funny shriek, cheeks reddening brightly as she rubbed on her injured .

Irene paused, looking sincerely concerned.

Is she okay...?

“D-don’t move!” The girl scrambled back to her feet, picking up her dagger from the sand and pointing it at her again with little to no menace. Her whole body was shaking.

Irene tilted her head to the side, wondering if she was just being dramatic for thinking this kind of person...dangerous.

She looked about as threatening as a baby sea lion.

“I...I...Where am I?” The girl whipped around quickly, welcomed by nothing but vast ocean and empty, cold island. “H-how did I get here? I was on the ship last night! I was standing on the deck and then --”

Her flustered mind seemed to click together, and suddenly all her confused words slid back to . Her eyes widened with slow recollection.

“I fell...” She mumbled to herself, hand lowering the dagger in some sort of daze. “And I-I couldn’t swim. I would have drowned to death unless --”

She met Irene’s eyes for the first time, and finally her voice crept out weaker. “You saved me...?”

Irene nodded slowly, feeling partially relieved that maybe, this human girl wouldn’t do anything to harm her now.

“My god...” The girl slumped across the sand, holding her own face in her hands as if she had just discovered that her whole life was a lie. “I must be crazy. Please tell me that I hit my head somewhere and now I’m having visions.”

She pinched her own cheeks firmly, a little too firmly that she yelped at the startling pain. A kind of noise threatened to escape from Irene’s lips at the silly display.

The girl looked up to her almost immediately and that was when Irene noticed that she was almost laughing.

“You are laughing, my god. I have a mermaid sitting on top of a rock in the middle of nowhere laughing at me right now. I must be crazy. I must be really, really crazy.”

The threatening chuckle finally broke out as small smile from Irene, and it surprised herself at how pleasant it felt across her face.

When was the last time she smiled?

“Don’t laugh at me.” The human girl’s brows srunched up together in some sort of adorable frown.

The girl rose up to her feet and finally seemed to gather her sense. “I’m sorry then for pointing my knife at you. I didn’t know that you saved me. I was terrifed thinking that you had dragged me here to eat m -- ”

Irene’s smile subdued, and she guessed she had a very sharp -- very dejected? -- look forming on her face now, because the human girl flustered. “No, no, no, that’s not what I mean! I mean I was just scared because you are a -- never mind, I mean --“ She stopped trying, groaning and finally giving up. “Alright fine, I’m sorry. I’m just one mind-boggled human being still trying to comprehend. Forgive me.”

She inched closer to the rock and shifted from foot to foot nervously, sliding the dagger back to its sheath on her belt. “I’m sorry, okay? My apology and uh, thank you for saving my life. Even when you didn’t have to. It’s very kind of you and I’m very, very thankful and oh, please stop giving me that look, now I feel bad. I didn’t mean to offend you after everything.”

Irene’s eyes must have softened slightly, and she whipped her tail as a sign of her acknowledgement much to the human girl’s relief.

“Thank God. So, um, I’m Kang Seulgi by the way. Seulgi. And uh, you are...?”

She waited for her answer, but Irene could not speak and she didn’t know how to say her name with simply a hand gesture. So she shook her head instead.

“Oh, I thought you guys have names.” Seulgi mumbled, looking at her with some sort of daze and nervousness. “Oh, and can you speak our language? You seem to understand me perfectly well.”

Irene made a cross sign with her fingers in front of and shook her head to imply that she couldn’t.

“Oh, so you can understand but you can’t speak it, I see.” Seulgi digested everything slowly, nodding and scratching the back of her head. Her human eyes, quite naturally, went to the scales of Irene’s long, golden tail.

“It’s very beautiful, by the way. Your tail.” She stammered, looking very much in awe now that she was no longer panicking and standing in close distance. The golden shimmer of her scales, Irene knew, was very fancy for humankind. She had heard.

“It’s much better than the ones they used to draw for us in the story books. I still can’t believe this. I’m not having a concussion, am I? You are real, right?”

A small smile formed on Irene’s lips, and s