이 파도 소리에

난 떠내려가는 중인걸 Oh no

I am being swept away

By the sound of the waves, oh no

                           -White Noise(백색소음), EXO

The ocean was so frustratingly close. Yet all she could do was stare. Soo Eun glanced up at the sky which was aflame in vivid hues of orange, pink and purple. The glorious sunset cast an alluring effect on the sea. As if inviting her to take a dip.

Since young, Soo Eun had always been told to stay away from the sea. It’s dangerous. It’s not safe. Always hearing those same words got tiring.

Soo Eun’s longing for the sea grew with time, as did her insistent pleas to be allowed to go near the ocean (which she knew irked her father to no end) but she never had the courage to disobey her father. Not until that day.

“Dad, it’s my seventeenth birthday. I should be old enough to enter the sea now, shouldn’t I? Please let me, Dad.”

“No means no, Soo Eun. Like what I’ve said before, the sea is dangerous. It’s not safe.”

“Then how come all the other kids are able to play freely in the sea? Please, dad, just once-”

“ENOUGH, LEE SOO EUN! I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE. IF YOU DON’T WISH TO LISTEN TO ME, THEN BY ALL MEANS, GO AHEAD. I’M WASHING MY HANDS OFF OF YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!”

“Dad-”

“GET OUT! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF TRYING TO PROTECT YOU. ALL THOSE YEARS OF PINING FOR THE DAMN SEA!”

Soo Eun had bolted out of the little shack with tears running down her face. She ran and ran till her legs were burning and her lungs were aching with effort, to the only place she could think of.

It was at that moment that she made a decision. One dip won’t matter. My parents aren’t here to know. Heck, Dad doesn’t even care about me anymore. I bet all this was just some stupid lie he made up.

Slowly, she made her way to the water’s edge. She stuck her foot in gently. She didn’t know what to expect but it surely wasn't the sudden intense pain that struck her lower half. It felt like her legs were being sliced up by razors.

Soo Eun let out a scream of pain while her features contorted in agony. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she collapsed in an undignified heap on the ground. She clutched desperately at her feet, but was shocked to feel that the pain was ebbing slowly away, leaving a sort of numbness in its place.

That was when she felt the throbbing pain in her temples, slowly causing her to lose control of her surroundings. White noise filled her ears and she could feel herself slipping slowly away...

The ocean seemed to be pulling her into its waves. Red dots swam in front of her eyes and the white noise continued to ring mercilessly in her ears, accentuating the pain in her skull, right before she lost all consciousness.

The wind played with his hair, tenderly ruffling it. Twisting the small charm between his fingers, Sehun stared at the vast expans