Mermaid Tears
Cupid at Heart
It was an odd sight seeing Princess Biah seated at her throne as Hoya took the majestic seat beside her, occupying the king’s throne.
“My, how long have we been away?” Hyunmi couldn’t help but ask, expressing her surprise politely. After the cancellation of the engagement, she didn’t expect Hoya to be accepted by the Diamond royal family this soon.
“No longer than three days,” Biah answered, smiling kindly in oblivion to the true question.
“Three days is the amount of time it takes to dethrone a king, I suppose?” Myungsoo added, his tone kind and whimsical as always, but his words rather harsh.
Hoya’s face stiffened, seeming to blanch in color. He seemed uncomfortable being there, though one had to admit his suitability on the throne. Dressed in a robe usually reserved for the royal family, Hoya looked of royal bloodline himself. If only he showed greater confidence.
“Dethrone is too harsh of a word to be used,” Biah said, continuing to smile at them. “I introduced Sir Hoya as my lover to my parents, and they proceeded to educate him the proper conducts of a future ruler.”
Her reply was too surreal to comprehend, and they wondered whether such an ideal situation would truly be possible.
“You mean to say your parents accepted Sir Hoya and willingly tutor him to become the next King of Diamond?” Hyunmi repeated, trying to find flaw in the good news.
“Indeed. Ain’t it wonderful?” Biah chimed cheerfully, her face lifting with b joy. She turned to Hoya with a loving smile and grazed her hand upon his, calming him from his anxiety. As soon as their skin came in contact, all his worries disappeared.
“That’s impossible. It is too good to be true,” Seulyi even muttered. The stark contrast with Hyunmi’s situation was a desolate comparison between heaven and hell.
“Everyone has a chance to find their happy ending, and I found mine,” Biah said, giggling to herself. She exchanged looks with Hoya, seeing him completely settled in comfort.
“In that case, would you be willing to help me attain mine?” Hyunmi asked, not missing the chance to gain the princess’ favor.
“Oh! It would be an honor, of course, considering the great favor you have helped me with.” Biah clasped her hands together, staring at them with a twinkle in her eyes. “What may I assist you with?”
“I would like a portion of the mermaid tears,” Hyunmi said, her voice showing her refusal of rejection.
“Mermaid tears?” Biah frowned, remembering she had vaguely mentioned it before. “You mean the magical water from the well?”
“Indeed.”
The frown on Biah’s face grew deeper, and her euphoria morphed into sheer panic. Her good cheer to aid them turned into an effort to change one’s mind.
“I am afraid I can help you with anything but that,” she said.
“Oh? How so? What are you hiding?” Sungjong asked curiously.
“It isn’t because I am hiding something, but the mermaid tears could lead to death,” Biah warned them.
“I am quite experienced with matters of death,” Hyunmi said, having gone to the Underworld already.
“This is far worse, Princess Hyunmi. The mermaids will test you to weigh your selfishness against selflessness. If they judge you selfish, you may lose your life,” Biah continued, trying hard to gain their trust. They all knew she was speaking the truth, but the need for the mermaid tears exceeded every argument.
“I thank you for the warning, but that is a consequence I shall bear for myself,” Hyunmi insisted.
Hoya knew the princess’ character and her inability to stop midway. She had to complete a task once started, and finding cupid was no exception to her determination. Holding her back and obstructing her path would only worsen the situation.
“Do what she wants,” he told Biah. “Give her the mermaid tears. She is far more capable of things beyond our expectations.”
Biah couldn’t argue back with him, and agreed on the request. “I shall allow you to retrieve one litre, and no more.”
Hyunmi’s lips curved into a grateful smile, eagerly nodding her head like a child awaiting presents. Who knew Sir Hoya’s status as Princess Biah’s lover was the key to attaining the mermaid tears?
There they stood in front of the water fountain decorated with small winged cherubs. No one would’ve known its identity as the Well of the Mermaids if they hadn’t been told beforehand. It resembled an ordinary water fountain to its beholder.
Biah handed a large ceramic vase to Hyunmi to store the magical water in. “The mermaids may test you first. Be careful.”
“What kind of test?” Hyunmi asked, blinking her eyes at Biah, then turned her gaze at the innocent looking water fountain. One could hardly find harm in it.
“It is different for each person,” Biah said, lifting her lips to form a forced smile. “Please return safely.”
Hyunmi did not quite understand her words, and her other friends shrugged with equal confusion. She dipped the water jar into the clear water of the fountain, watching the liquid enter the vase with small bubbles dissolving next to it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, aside from the increasing weight of the jar extending beyond the ordinary, the shrill giggles appearing out of nowhere, and the fact her surrounding began to transform itself into a foreign setting. It was a small lake in the middle of the forest covered by trees. A calming waterfall cascaded gently into the deep blue lake. Yet, a sinister atmosphere lurked around her like a bad omen.
By the time Hyunmi absorbed her new environment, she nearly let go of the vase from her hand. The princess cradled it like an infant, feeling some water drops fall unto her dress and skin. The giggles became more prominent, and after she blinked again, she was no longer alone.
Mermaids, about twelve of them, were sitting and swimming in the lake. All of them stared at her with curious eyes, seemingly gleaming in the dark setting. Golden hair similar to a deity, made of different locks, extended all the way to cover up their barren s. Below their navel, their human skin dissolved into a beautiful gradient of either silver or gold, forming a fish fin instead of legs.
“Do you like it? You can have one of your own,” the one sitting at the bed of the lake spoke. She playfully whipped her tail into the water, splashing water against the other mermaids.
Hyunmi was more surprised at the fact they could speak the human language.
“We can speak any language of the world, dear,” another mermaid said, characterized by her slightly darker hair. Her smile, though beautiful and attractive, seemed to hide a malicious intention behind it.
They could also read her mind. None of her thoughts were safe. She was as transparent as a stripped off prisoner.
“Why of course, dear. We want to know why you need our tears,” another one said. She had a hibiscus flower in her hair and leaned against the shore closest to Hyunmi. Mermaids were straightforward creatures.
“I heard it can grant a wish,” Hyunmi answered, feeling the crack in her voice. Being outnumbered frightened her, despite her act to appear confident.
“You must also have heard it requires the exchange of one’s life,” the darker haired mermaid said, smirking so alluringly like a predator eyeing its prey.
Hyunmi swallowed her saliva and nodded her head. “Which depends on the selflessness of the wish itself, correct?”
The mermaids exchanged looks with each other and began to laugh. The sound was as melodiously enchanting as it was disturbing. Hyunmi tried hard not to shiver, quite certain they tried scaring her on purpose.
“Dear, no wish grants itself for free. If you are brave enough to retrieve our tear, you must be ready to die,” the first one said, her fin lying idle in the water by now. The stillness created an eerie anticipation for something darker. “Unless you choose to become one of us.”
“I do not quite understand your words. Princess Biah used the mermaid tear to be together with her loved one and survived. Why are you insisting on my death?” Hyunmi said, gripping the vase closer against her. There was something frightening about these mermaids and their neverending effort to reel her in. She wished to return as quick as possible.
“This is a matter between you and us,” the mermaid with the hibiscus flower said, hopping herself to sit on shore, bringing herself even closer to Hyunmi. “No wish is selfless in nature. To wish is to gain. To gain is for another to lose. You may want to gain your father’s health and cupid’s return, but would you be willing to lose your life for it?”
Hyunmi flinched at the absurdity of the question. What was the point of completing this mission and finding Woohyun if she had to part with him in the end?
“Enchanting. I haven’t met a mortal as selfish as you in a long time, dear. You belong right with us,” the first mermaid spoke, swaying her tail to create small ripples in the water. They appeared as quick as they disappeared.
“How is that selfish? Is it selfish to be with the man I love?” Hyunmi asked, frowning at the mermaids who were messing with her head.
“If it were selfless, wouldn’t you put his well-being above your own desires?”
Hyunmi froze, her thoughts completely emptied as she pondered on those words. The mermaids were correct all along. Once again, she only tended to her need to see him, disregarding his life she had so foolishly endangered. What should it matter whether she got to see him again when the true mission was for him to regain his strength?
“You see, no wish is selfless in nature. You can’t gain without losing. For you, dear princess, we require the price as valuable as your life,” the hibiscus mermaid spoke, reaching her hand towards the princess. What may seem as an ordinary human hand was in fact no different from a frog’s leg, containing a thin flap of slipper skin in between the fingers.
“Have I failed the test?” Hyunmi asked, wanting to move, but finding her entire body locked in place by an invisible force. She watched as the mermaids began to swim to her one by one, each hopping on land as they dragged their entire body to reach her. The land did not stop the creatures from pulling themselves over the unfamiliar terrain, creating wet trail over the grass.
“The exchange shall happen after our tears are used. Prepare yourself for judgement.” Instead of one mermaid, they were now chanting together in a low hummed tone. They crept closer to Hyunmi who began shaking in fear, unable to escape.
“You shall join us,” they continued chorusing, depleted from any sound of liveliness. The alluring quality of their voice turned into a sound of absolute terror.
Hyunmi could only scream helplessly when the mermaids circled around her, invading her like a demon preying on a mortal. She shut her eyes, afraid to see what would become of her. But seconds passed by, and she felt nothing.
Opening her eyes, she had returned in Diamond, standing in front of the well, surrounded by her friends. The ceramic vase was dipped inside the water, halfway filled to the top. Hyunmi gasped and took the entire vase out of the water in her own hand.
“Aren’t you going to fill it up?” Seulyi asked.
“N-no.” Hyunmi was still trembling at the image of the approaching mermaid, trying to lure her into becoming one of them. She had always thought of them as beautiful creatures, not ravenous beings preying on hopeful maidens. Above all, they lacked human empathy and easily failed her test.
“Oh! Did you meet the mermaids?” Biah suddenly asked, noticing the sudden change in Hyunmi’s earlier confidence.
“What? How is that possible? Hyunmi has been here the entire time,” Seulyi said.
“The mermaids appear to us in some sort of a vision or dream. They tell us what we need to know, and disappear afterwards,” Biah said.
Eventhough it was only a vision, everything felt real. Hyunmi broke down and fell to her knees in despair. Would she turn into a mermaid once they came to collect her soul? Would she steer clear from the Underworld? Would her father be healed? Would she be allowed to continue loving Woohyun?
“You have seen them,” Myungsoo confirmed, studying her odd reaction. None of her earlier courage remained, and all they saw was a terrified girl.
“What about the judgement?” Sungjong asked.
Hyunmi hugged the vase in her arms, leaning her cheek against the cold circular opening. “They shall judge me after I have used up the mermaid tears.”
“Have they spoken about your wish?” Biah asked, kneeling down beside the princess to get a better understanding.
Hyunmi nodded slowly, squeezing her eyes shut. “They declared it a selfish wish. We can’t gain without losing in return.”
The rest stared at her in disbelief, unable to accept the reality of the outcome. But none were prepared to hear the continuation if her speech.
“To gain my father’s health and ensure Woohyun’s safe return, I have to lose my life.”
It's difficult to define selfishness and selflessness when they are easily exchanged XD
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