Oh Sehun is a fisher. His profession had been passed down through the family for generations, fathers teaching sons the art of catching fish in the icy waters of Měirényú where only the brave would venture. That being said, many were brave, many left their homes during the winter month of December, the last week before New Year, to witness the phenomenon that became known to the locals as the ‘prize catch’. Every first of January, their nets would be full of fish, but nobody could recall what had happened the week they spent on the boat. But who cared when the prize of fish called, enough to bring in sufficient funds to last them till the next December, or at least half of that time. However, all but the Ohs failed. Even when they tried bringing along others to help with the huge haul, they found themselves lifting empty nets, memories still intact. So the men of Oh did the tasks yearly, usually a pair of father and son, or maybe a group if the family had been blessed with more than one son.

Time went on, Sehun born to be the youngest male of the newest generation of the Oh family. At the young age of seven, he was brought along on these expeditions, taught the ways of surviving on the boat. It was always just him and his father, since he was an only child. At the age of sixteen though, he left for his journeys alone, his father passing away in his sleep one day. His mother followed soon after, and Sehun became reclusive. Alone, he ventured the seas yearly, only making his appearance when it was time to sell or trade his goods. Other than that, he kept to himself, locked inside his small hut. He never found the need for a companion, the burden of his annual task the only thing on his mind. He used to wonder what happened to his memories, how the phenomenon occurred, why it was his family that were tied to the special task. But now, he was past caring, in it for only the prize catch.

Now, Sehun was at the age of twenty-one and it was that time of year again, preparing his gear and stuffing a small duffel bag with clothes that’ll last him for the next week. He had long stopped taking along the map, the route ingrained into his brain by the repetitiveness of the journey. He never took a different way, always stopping at the exact same location before setting up his nets. Be it calm, be it stormy, he never found the need to change locations. It was as if there was an attraction to that one particular place that kept him there; but of course, Sehun always shrugged it off, not one to believe in things like that.

Once he had made sure that everything he needed was ready, Sehun took a long last look around his small and humble home. Not that he was sentimental or anything, since he made the journey every year and came back safe and sound. But there was something, something in his gut that was telling him that maybe, just maybe he wouldn’t be back again for a while. He didn’t know what it was, but his shoulders felt heavier, and his chest was straining at the simple act of breathing in and out.

‘I’m not going to go that easily. Stop feeling so emotional, Sehun’ he chided himself, shaking his head clear of all the negative thoughts. And with a last, albeit confused glance around his home, he walked out of the door, locking it with a resounding click that echoed in the wintery silence.

With every step he took, the pure white ice was stained slightly by the dirt of his boots, crunching as he stepped left, right, left, crunch, crunch. And just like the years previous, he could feel the curious stares of the rest of the town as he made his way to the pier. He kept his head down, trying to ignore the hushed whispers of the married women gossiping, the hard glares of the other fishermen boring holes in his back, the excited giggles of the girls sending googly eyes his way. He had to try his hardest not to puke at the sight, and as well as that, he almost shivered at the jealousy in the other men’s eyes.

‘Why do I live at the very opposite end of the pier? The walk to the boat is worse than whatever I have to face at sea,’ he thought grumpily, sighing in relief when he spotted his boat moored by the edge of the walk at the pier.

The boat was nothing special, since it had to be large enough to hold the fish, but small enough for Sehun to handle all by himself. Having said that, it was still his pride and treasure, the only thing that he ever found worth his time. With a content smile, he boarded, dumping his things in the small cabin below deck. When that was done, he re-emerged, taking in a deep breath of ocean air, untying the rope keeping him tied to the pier. With a last glance at the town being left behind, he departed, his mood increasing exponentially with the disappearing land.

Truly, Oh Sehun is a man of the ocean. He could feel his heart welling with excitement (not that he would admit it) as he drunk in the sunlight reflecting off of the glimmering water. As much as he considered the journey a burden, he loved being out on the endless expanse of the dark blue oceans, with nothing but the occasional breeze for company. It usually took him about a day to reach the usual spot, so he never understood why they had to go a week early if the prize catch happened on the last day of the year. But he did it anyways, tradition flowing in his blood. And every time he tried to delay his trip, he felt guilty and obliged to go, ending up on the boat just the same as always. Then again, he never knew what he did during that one week, and the thought had puzzled him for the first year he went alone. Before that, he had just assumed he spent it with his father, but alone? What does one do alone for a whole week? But just like the other puzzling things, he had learnt to let go, just going with the flow.

The seas were calm today, although a paler blue than usual. The breeze was in his favour, gently coaxing the boat in the right direction, Sehun reaching before the sun had even set. Shrugging off the sense of foreboding creeping up his spine despite the uplifting weather, Sehun dropped the anchor, busying himself with the necessary tasks to make sure nothing unexpected would happen. But he should have known, even being in a place as mystical as the Měirényú seas would guarantee anyone a little adventure. Good or bad, you’d never be able to guess.

As Sehun was distracted by his usual settling down routine, the mundane tasks memorized by his limbs as they unconsciously worked away, he suddenly spotted a flash of pale body lying on a piece of ice floating by. With a sharp intake of breath, he whipped his head to the source, gasping when he realized that it wasn’t just a trick of the eye. He even rubbed his eyes, hard, as he gawked at the body curled up, shivering in the cold air. Sehun wouldn’t say that it was freezing per se, but then again, he was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, no comparison with the bare body on ice.

He is hesitant, unsure of whether or not he should help the person stranded.

‘For all I know, this could be a trap… But I can’t just leave him. I’d probably live in a world of nightmares, knowing that I did nothing.’ So it was with a heavy heart that Sehun pulled back his anchor, directing the boat in the direction of the floating ice. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person was still alive, his chest rising and falling steadily, albeit weakly, showing sign of life. And the person was in fact a man, Sehun found out, as he gingerly lifted the stranger up. ‘He’s so light.’ And Sehun, being the awkward recluse, found relief in the fact that the stranger was unconscious, not because of any malicious intent, but because of the light pink that dusted his cheeks. Sehun gulps as he takes in the porcelain skin that was paler than his own, shimmering slightly under the evening sun. His eyes trace the delicate contours of the other’s body, although he was careful to avoid looking at the more intimate areas. Subconsciously, his fingers brushed away the snowy white bangs covering the stranger’s face, revealing a cute button nose and rosy lips. Sehun found himself wondering what the other’s eyes would look like, would they be just as blue as the seas, as icy as the rest of him. Everything about him emanated a feeling of ice, cold and delicate like a snowflake floating down from up above. ‘This guy could be dangerous. This is the first time you’ve met him, don’t have any weird thoughts now, Sehun!’ Little does he know, it’s not really the first time he’s met the man that is currently in his arms.