AUTHOR NOTES :

-The dates I use are real of this year. That’s why I’m using present tense 3rd p. even if at the moment the story stayed behind our current date. The italics are Kyungsoo’s thoughts, and sometimes there are past events narrated.

-In the story Ksoo enters the military training in March and enters the base first week of April, cause I wanted him to have the spring time and a certain time of relationship with the characters before THE ENCOUNTER.  

-The military system I made up for this story : 24 months military service for specialists, as ‘public service workers’ category, commissioned very poorly but they also receive the Private minimum compensation  (instead of the 36 months of the ‘expert researchers’ category ( no idea how that works in reality) 

- I will try to study more about these science aspects cause I feel like I still don't know a sht to write good  *cringing* 

-There are new characters . I like the surprise 😁 Unfortunately I can't find a way to tag every chapter. KIMS KEEP APPEARING.

-I thank you for the patience and I’m sorry but this is how things are working for me.  As I said before, the whole gross story is in my head and I write all chapters at once, as scenes and details come to my head, so that’s why it’s difficult to finish one chapter. Soon I will post more detailed info about this fic. You can ask too. Thanks!

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CH 3  

~~Monday June 10th~~

It’s 9:10 hrs  in the morning and Junmyeon is already at the base entrance, inside the back cargo of the Uni’s van, making sure every item is properly placed so there will be no damage. The whole squad, except Kyungsoo, is going back and forth bringing everything they need for this impromptu outing. Junmyeon said that he wants to see them work in the field personally, that way they can exchange notes and methods.

He’s startled at a gracious slender figure handling him a box, and realizes that the bearer is a new face. A figure he watches for a few seconds.

“Oh, you’re new in the squad?” 

“Yes, sir.”  The young trooper looks surprised that this important doctor is paying that much attention.

“Aigooo, I’m not that old. Not an officer either.”

“...But... you older than me, hyung. Then how should I call you?”

“Mmm... Kim hyung.”  The doctor stops his doings to bring his hand forward.

“Oh... Sehun. But hyung, I got a bunch of Kims hyungs here.”

“Oh! hahaha. That’s right. Then Junmyeon it’s. Nice to meet you.” The doctor smiles gently.

The youngster takes the hand bowing a bit awkwardly, starting to retreat.

“So did you already finish your degree, or are you still studying?”

“Ah,no. I’m not studying.” The youngster looks at his Corporal coming over.

“Is everything packed?”  Chanyeol interrupts. 

“Ah, I don’t know about Kyungsoo stuff.” The doctor eyes follow the boy leaving. “Is he not interested in coming?”

Chanyeol looks after Sehun, then to Junmyeon. “You only formally required for us four. He just arrived an hour ago, besides he’s another kind of genie.” The Corporal puffs a smile. Junmyeon raises a brow to him.

“He’s an IT handyman.”

“Oh.”

Kyungsoo finally appears, carrying a box, and also a druggy state.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Junmyeon goes to help with the box and the white traces on Kyungsoo’s arm don’t miss his eyes, being that the sleeves are rolled up. The doctor tries not to show his acknowledgement. 

“Hi. Sorry hyung, I didn’t sleep well.”

“You can relax today, finally.” Junmyeon pats him in the shoulder with a warm smile.

Minseok and Jongdae are already getting their seats in the van.

“Everything ready?” The Corporal comes behind them and Kyungsoo lifts his thumb up.

Junmyeon handles the van keys to Chanyeol. “We are in your hands now.”

Kyungsoo still finds very odd this confidence Junmyeon seems to have in his Corporal.

“Ok, let’s goooooooo.” 

The giant starts the engine with loud footsteps ‘vrooms’

Junmyeon takes the passenger seat and Jongdae and Minseok pat the middle seat between theirs at the back row of three.

“Come here honey.”  “We’ll protect you.”

Kyungsoo knows he should cheer up. After all he was aiming for this trip, which can actually turn out to be fun and productive.

“So. I’ve been dying to hear about that siberian musk deer adventure.” Junmyeon says out of the blue and Kyungsoo catches the mocking tone.

“And now is the perfect occasion.” Minseok follows.

“I’m all ears.”  Kyungsoo throw Jongdae’s chin away from his shoulder and glares long and hard at Chanyeol’s sorry look on the rearview mirror.

“I was actually going to talk about it with you later, hyung.” He says very seriously and the reactions are varied. 

“Okay.” Junmyeon says, intrigued.

Minseok just rolls his eyes and Jongdae pouts. “Waeeee?”

“I wanted to show you guys the Jaeundo island. Interesting things have been happening in the late years. The orography around the west shore presents some little changes. A deep sinking of the sea is getting deeper there, and tourists have been posting pictures of never seen before sea and birds species. Also the lichen has progressed allowing invertebrates into proliferation.”

“Hey Junmyeon, what exactly am I assigned to do today? Or did you just wanted a Thelma & Louise rendez vous today? Chanyeol smirks like only he does to Junmyeon.

Now Kyungsoo gets his chance to tease. “So. I’ve been dying to ask. What is your relationship?” He extends his seatbelt and leans forward between the two front seats.

“I’ve been curious too. Why don’t you call him hyung?” Minseok moves his head to the right, as Jongdae moves his to the left munching some chips. “I’m still all ears.”

A week after Kyungsoo’s arrival at the base, Chanyeol took him to visit the Mokpo Maritime Museum and he was presented to the research lab director Kim Junmyeon, a 30 years old molecular biology doctor, who’s also a professor in the Mokpo Maritime University, and with whom the base has a large history of cooperative projects. The doctor was very interested in Kyungsoo’s currículum and interests in the marine field. He became really fond of the yourger in few weeks, of his composed character, with a savage spill, and his accurate eye to see the gap no one else can. But the doctor and the Corporal seemed to know each other from a previous time. The familiarity Kyungsoo observes between the two is not from a few month of encounters.

“I’m from Seoul. The first time I came to Jeolla I was a kid. I went to the Mokpo Museum and the first thing I found was a crying little Chanyeol trying to feed peanuts to a stuffed fish that he thought was dying of starving.”

Kyungsoo turns his head to the side of the Corporal with a teasing “awww” expression.

That’s exactly what the others two beamed in unison.

“My father took a picture of the moment.”

“Yeah, the little nerd was already giving me a whole conference on stuffed animals.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

“His nose was red as a tomato. He’s still a cry baby.”

“I never cry now!”

“What about that Christmas at the restaurant after your break-up? And that day your uncle gifted you that expensive guitar? And the ..”

Chanyeol turns on the radio at maximum volume. A kpop song is playing and he shouts & dab with the hip-hop rhythm to his heart content.

Eventually the conversation dies out but Kyungsoo keeps smirking devilishly from time to time to the driver’s rear-view mirror.

Later, while Chanyeol is helping Minseok with his heavy equipment assembling, Jongdae is testing substances with Junmyeon’s high tech tools. Kyungsoo is left going by the west shore searching for certain samples.

He goes farther and bends over the shore boundary where the earth ends and the sea begins, an abrupt edge where the waters are darker, and concentrates himself in a sample gathering of water, moss, rock, and some wild seaweed that looks perfectly healthy to eat. Nearby are the famous seaweed farms, thus it’s only natural some spread floating around looking for places to adhere. Oh yeah, I’m putting some fresh in my soup tonight. He takes a plastic bag to save some for him.

He looks at the sky where the sun is perfect today, it’s clarity illuminating even the depths of the sea. June it’s sunny and the water temperature is perfectly refreshing. 

If only I could get in the water... 

He looks behind him to hurray his veggies at the faces of the gang but he already passed the curve of the shore where they can’t see each other. 

His arm is yanked supersonically, and a bunch of plants are tugged from his hand.

His heart jumps, as his entire body. 

He somehow knows.

He approaches at the shore again right after catch sight of the gleaming, and he sees those beautiful clear eyes staring at him under the water. The color is still as indefinable as in his dreams. It is the beautiful creature he has been dreaming of every night. The bluish satin of the skin as smooth and shiny as he remembers. The dark hair flows in the water, ghosting over its face. Kyungsoo reaches with his hand cautiously, but this time the creature lets him comb it back with no fluster. A smile grows on him seeing the merman’s cute seaweed munching.  The creature lifts its head out of the water and looks at the arm holding the food, where the marks of its attack are still visible, then rubs his hand over those spots. Kyungsoo doesn’t feel the pearly nails hurting this time, but a silky caress instead, before the creature rises its body to put his lips in it. 

Still entranced by having this real view again, he feels an unknown tingling when the marks disappear.

He stares at the effect for a long time, stunned, feeling. The creature smiles to him and it goes directly to his soul. It’s the most precious sight ever.

“Your wound?”  He tap his hip pointing at the other, and the creature shows him its hip. Nothing there.

The creature does some hand gestures pointing to the Songgong-ri village, that makes Kyungsoo suspect the creature went to ‘that spot’ again.

Oh, right. He said he would come back there a week after that fateful day. 

“I was punished.”

The creature looks at him with an intention. Kyungsoo is not sure what it’s trying to say, but it’s taking his hand again, its head directing to the ocean.

“I can’t.” He denies with his head. It hurts him just seeing the disappointed face, that he doesn’t see there’s another one behind.

“Kai!”

What?

The creature turns around quite surprised, and the most out of this world sing-songing exchange begins between the two. It Is like a computed mix of a whistle an a foghorn in different keys.

That other creature is very obvious of the same species but Kyungsoo’s mind is still resetting to the sound he heard before. 

That creature spoke. Like a human. But he’s not sure of the language. Japanese?

They seem to be discussing high and low and the creature -his creature- doesn’t let go of his hand.

“Hey do you think this herbs can be used for coo-hhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” 

Everybody turns their heads at the inhaling screech. 

Kyungsoo knows is human because his Corporal is laying fainted on the floor.

He does the attempt to come to aid, but his creature doesn’t want to let go of his hand yet when the new creature starts to pull it from the other arm.

He sees how the new creature says something else, threatening. And his creature lets him go.

“Meet me at the place I found you in seven days.”  Kyungsoo says furiously using his own sign language, pointing to the Songgong-ri little beach spot and shoving seven fingers to the sun.

“No, he won’t.”

Kyungsoo stays there, watching this stupid speaking creature takes his lovely one to the beyond, without knowing if he’s gonna see it ever again. 

When he can’t see any bluish stain in the water he goes to Chanyeol.

“I know you’re awake.”

The Corporal opens his eyes and taps them with his hands. “No,I don’t want to.”

“What are you guys doing?” Junmyeon appears from behind the curve of the shore, looking around.

I hope he has arrived just now.  Kyungsoo offers a hand to the tall guy to help him stand up.

“Oh nothing, just the hunger striking.”

Junmyeon huffs a laugh. “Come on troglodyte, I brought take away for everyone.”

They try walking a little behind Junmyeon to mumble.

“It’s not the end of the world. Just mermen.”

“ Just?!” Chanyeol’s eyebrows are aiming the sky. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Good. Exactly what I was going to ask you.” 

Traveling back to the base Kyungsoo recapitulates the day’s events and how little info he has gathered about this creature.

He knows it has to be a merman. That’s the most close depiction history has about what he has seen. 

Then he remembers the sample.

He was accurate that fateful Tuesday morning when, instead of waiting for Chanyeol outside the dorm to go to his personal scaffold, he ran to the little room they use as a lab. He saw that tiny piece of white between the cut, and quickly extracted it and save it, then cleaned it the best he could with the small ultrasonic device provided by the Mokpo lab. He also scraped a bit of his fingertips skin tissue and inner nail, knowing he touched that bleeding wound. Finally he decided to freeze all samples since he lacks for any other technical means to continue the process and obtain results.

The squad say their goodbyes after downloading their equipments.

“I promise to do my best to get you in the Uni ship so we can go to the south.” Junmyeon shake hands with each one.

Kyungsoo stays the last.

“Hyung, can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it?” 

“Wait, please, I have it in the lab.” He goes inside and brings out the little freezer functioning with a battery.

“Could I get a complete genetic trace test of this?”

“Is this from the siberian musk deer?”

Kyungsoo now remembers about his promised tell.

“Mmm, yeah it must be. I found some strange piece in my...body.” Kyungsoo is still wearing long sleeves so he thinks no one has noticed the marks. “I cleaned it the best I could but must have some of my blood still in it.” Junmyeon brings his eyes up to where the soldier is pointing, his former head wound, that is just a point by now. “Also I took some tissue from my fingers and nails. I think I touched its wound.” Kyungsoo tries to sound as mechanical as scientists sound explaining work stuff and not emotional excited as he’s been since the last couple of hours.

“Ok, consider it done. Hope to see you next week. Behave.” Junmyeon’s smirk is quite sweet, like fatherly, Kyungsoo thinks. 

He responds with a genuine smile and an “Always.” Then a military salute.

That night the now six member squad is at the mess hall table, busy with their phones.

The phone time system in this base is from 19:00 to 21:00 hrs. Sundays to Thursdays , and from 18:30 to 21:30 hrs. on Saturdays. The rest of the time phones remain dismantled in a plastic bag with a name tag in a locker for security reasons.

“Yaaaaah, you really fixed it! It’s been decades since I could enter that app. You are really a magician, kiddo. Thanks.” Minseok exclaims happily.

“It’s nothing hyung.” Sehun responds humbly and Kyungsoo notice for the first time the boy’s peculiar smiley eyes and the bit slur on his speech. This gu 

“I have my college pictures here. Check this party pic.” Minseok shows a blurred tipsy-face dancing youngster Jongdae with eyes like glass globes.

“Who is this, Rango?” Chanyeol makes the crowd laugh but the newbies are trying hard to hide it behind their hands. It’s their first day after all.

“Hyuuuuuuung.” the usual teaser Kim Jongdae is such a softie when it comes to Minseok. 

Meanwhile Kyungsoo is immersed in an internet quest he decided to begin:  finding anything about mermen. Usually legend says they are female, right?  Even around the towns he has seen paintings references, but not one about males, and he already saw two of them males. 

He’s seated at the corner of the table so nobody should lurk. 

Well, Chanyeol is at his right, thinking that Kyungsoo isn’t catching him ogling.

“Are you interested?”

The Corporal quickly denies with a mimic.

Later on his bed, he comes back to the book he left the night before.

The two younger newbies of the squad occupying two beds in front of Kyungsoo’s are Oh Sehun, 25 years old -this guy is from Seoul, apparently is tech-sick, his hands are suffering with the lack of phone in the dorms, always pouting & puffing for not being able to use it 24/7. How he ended up here, Kyungsoo don’t have a clue. And then there’s Yook Sungjae, 24 years old. This guy is always smiling. For no reason. He mentioned he’s a mechanic and lives in Muan. 

Books don’t seem to be their jam. 

“Oh! Mermaids?” Sungjae drops the question eyeing the cover of the book Kyungsoo is reading. 

The biologist just drives his sight to the left of the book that covers his face and smiles.  “It’s just fiction. Fantasy.”