How dare he. How DARE he! She wasted two good years of her life on that man and he had the nerve the audacity to propose to another woman right in front of her eyes. Okay, maybe she was a bit prettier, but Yongsun had a shining personality! And a successful career in front of her, and a hot body, and a cute dog, and!

God, how depressing. Yongsun stares out into the ocean and fingers the 8.5 million won pearl necklace he had gotten for her on their first anniversary. Today was their second. She had driven all the way out to the seaside hotel where he was head chef to surprise him and instead the spineless bastard was one knee down in front of an (admittedly) extremely beautiful woman.

Honestly, she didn’t look that happy either, but when Yongsun started redirecting her anger at the woman her weasel of an ex pushed her, physically pushed her away and said “You’ll stress out the baby.”

A ing baby, he said. With the same ing mouth that just last night not 18 hours ago he had told Yongsun he loved her.

“That RAT BASTARD!” Yongsun felt all her rage well up inside her again and the hand that was gently caressing the pearls ripped the necklace over her head and flung it straight into the tide.

Wait.

“Oh my god. Oh my god oh mygodohmygod-“ Yongsun stared at waves swallowing up her 8.5 million won. She was too stunned to move, arm still outstretched as if maybe time would rewind and her fingers wouldn’t have let go.

No. No you know what? This is fine. This is just fine. The necklace has no meaning to her. He’s dead in her eyes so what does she care if she just tossed his expensive as hell gift into the ocean. Screw him and screw the necklace and screw that woman and no, not screw the baby, babies are innocent.

She didn’t care about it.

But if she really didn’t care, she would pawn the necklace off and get 8.5 million won and she could buy her happiness and her two years of wasted time back. A shopping spree would make her feel better. She could buy Jjing Jjing more sweaters.

Screw it, she’s getting that stupidly expensive necklace back.

Heels and jacket come flying off as Yongsun runs headlong into the October waves.

-

Byulyi sipped on her coffee and checked the view from the café. Nice, very nice. A prominent hotel reviewer, Moon Byulyi had come to this well managed establishment to give it the four stars it deserved. Only four, because the restaurant food was pretty overhyped. A shame, really. It was her last day there, so she’d decided to draft up a review in the café while soaking in the lovely sight of the ocean while she could.

Today, it seemed, had a lovelier view than yesterday. A woman was standing, staring wistfully at the shoreline. Even from afar Byulyi could tell she was beautiful. Her long brown hair was blown back by the ocean breeze and she had her hand clutched to her chest. How dramatic, Byulyi thought, but she couldn’t really blame her. The scenery looked like it could be used as a backdrop for some drama.

Byulyi looked back at her half-finished draft. She’d hope to get it done here while everything was still fresh in front of her, but it was creeping towards evening and the drive home was two hours if she was lucky. She wasn’t about to have dinner at the overpriced restaurant, where she’s pretty sure the only reason the chef was so reputable was because he’s handsome and young.

Well, one last look at the beautiful woman before she packs up and leaves. She looks out the window just in time to see the woman strip and run headlong into the waves.

Byulyi drops everything and bolts.

-

Yongsun’s neck deep in the blue and she’s just about had it. The salt from the ocean is mixing with the salt from her tears and it’s definitely because she’s just frustrated about losing 8.5 million won and definitely not because a man she thought she loved and loved her back dropped her like she wasn’t even worth 8.5 micro won.

“Agh, that !” She plunges back into the ocean again, if only to feel the crisp water against her face.

When she resurfaces, there wild splashing that’s definitely not coming from her and a voice that sounds like it’s trying to be reassuring. It’s not. Whoever is splashing in the water behind her sounds like they’re about to drown. She turns around to see maybe the dumbest mermaid in the world. Definitely a mermaid, with a pointed jaw and sharp eyes, and hair that shone a million shades of deep blue in the golden light of the sun. Definitely dumb, because she was about to drown herself in less than a meter and a half of water.

Yongsun had lost hope of finding the necklace quite a while ago, and really she was just in the water to calm down, but now she had to pull this fool out of the water. Just her day.

She swam over to the woman who was still wildly try to splash towards her, and once she was in arms reach she felt the lady wrap her arms tightly around her neck and cling on for dear life.

“You’re okay! You’re alright!” She shouted, frantic and hyperventilating in Yongsun’s ear.

“I’m fine!” She shouted back and dragged them both back to shore.

Once they had stumbled safely out of the reach of the waves, the strange woman collapsed on the bank, not caring about sand getting on her everywhere.

“Are you alright?” Yongsun peered down at her, only a little suspiciously, because she looked harmless enough but you couldn’t be normal to just jump in the ocean like that.

“I’m,” She sat up and coughed hard, “I’m alright.” She took a couple of deep breaths before looking up at Yongsun. “You can really swim.” She smiled in awe.

“And you really can’t.” She smiled back. Yongsun didn’t know what it was, but she was already liking this person. Maybe it was just nice to be treated kindly after the day she had. The thought reminds her of everything that did happen, and she turns to gaze out into the ocean again, thinking of the things she’d lost.

“It’s not worth it.” The woman next to her said softly.

“What?” What was she talking about? 8.5 million won was definitely worth it.

“Your life. Please don’t just throw it away like that.”

“My-What? No no, you’ve got it completely wrong. I…” She bit her lip. “I…lost something in there.”

The woman looks shocked at her explanation, and the suddenly bursts into laughter. “You run into ocean in the middle of October for some thing?”

Yongsun feels hot shame on her neck from being laughed at by a stranger. “Well what about you! Why are you chasing after people into the water when you can’t even swim!”

The woman halts her giggles but the laughter stays in her eyes and Yongsun has a second to think that she likes the way they twinkle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” She reaches out and takes Yongsun’s hand and looks her in the eyes and the intimacy of it all makes Yongsun blush. “Whatever thing you lost isn’t worth it either. Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t be running into cold oceans.”

Yongsun blinks at the compliment but the corners of tug down. “Not even 8.5 million won?”

The woman visibly cringes, mirroring Yongsun’s grimace. She fixes her expression though, and grips Yongsun’s hand tighter. “No, not anymore. 8.5 billion wouldn’t be worth it. You should forget about it, and you should forget about him too.”

Yongsun flinches at how she’d been seen right through. “That easy to tell?”

The woman smiles and tucks one of Yongsun’s seaweed-looking hair strands behind her ear. “I may have heard you yell ‘that ’ after I jumped in the water after you.”

Yongsun sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “This is embarrassing.”

“For you and me both, beautiful.” The other woman grins. She’s surprising easygoing for someone who just had their day dumped in cold water, literally. Yongsun coughs away the blush forming on her cheeks.

“I have a name, you know.”

“What a coincidence! I have one too.” She grins and uses both hands to hold Yongsun’s now. “Moon Byulyi, professional drowner, at your service.” She daintily shakes their hands.

Yongsun feels laughter bubbling up her chest and it lifts the weights off her shoulders. “Kim Yongsun, conveniently licensed lifeguard.”

“Wow! It’s like we were made for each other!” Byulyi grins teasingly. Yongsun normally hates cheesy remarks, but Byulyi is somehow so charming, she can’t be bothered.