pairing: Jihyo x Sana

summary: Jihyo loves the sea more than her own life.

 

 

 

Jihyo pushes her boat off the shore and jumps into it with ease. The small boat glides for a moment until she breaks the surface of the water with two heavy oars.

 

Both the oars and the boat have seen better days, but she tars them meticulously - just like her father taught her.

 

Sun is gentle on the sky and the horizon clear and even. It is a lovely day, but perhaps not the best for fishing. However, as long as she could get out of the house - the low ceiling, and the murky walls - it wouldn't matter.

 

Her mother would probably be sleeping better without her making noise with cupboard doors and relentless sweeping.

 

The tan on her arms is striking this time of year, muscles working under bronze skin. The daughters of wealthy men wouldn't look like her, but she likes the way sun has kissed her during the long days on the boat, or in the garden. When the winter comes and the sun is faint and miserable, hovering just above the horizon, she will remember how it once warmed her from the fainting glow on her skin.

 

Jihyo rows until she comes to a small sea mark that she has made herself. She lifts it up to reveal a fishnet that hides underneath - it is almost empty, with only few small fish that wouldn't even fill a soup for two. She takes them anyway, in hopes that she will get more later on.

 

She lets the net fall back into the blue.

 

Jihyo changes her course to the left and rows in line with the coast. Once a cape hides her small home from view she rows closer to the distant shore. When she nears a rugged bank she stops rowing and lets the boat drift a little further before it comes to a full stop.

 

Here is her sanctuary - away from the mundane sorrows of daily day life.

 

She takes a moment to herself and closes her eyes. The sea murmurs to her like a sleepy lover and a seagull cries out in everlasting annoyance. For a moment she is almost happy.

 

Coming back to her senses she grabs a pole from the bottom of her small boat and casts the fishing line over the edge, in an elegant arc.

 

Then she waits.

 

The sun moves slowly on the sky while she lets her mind drift freely. She thinks of nothing in particular and tries to forget everything that bothers her on the shore. Despite her best efforts, her mother’s face looms in the dark corners of her mind - grey and exhausted, sweat on her brow.

 

The fish seem to sense her sad thoughts and they steer away from the hook of her fishing line. Hour passes and then another. Nothing happens.

 

After three hours of perfect stillness she draws the line back and lifts the pole back into the boat. She would have to make a dinner out of something else.

 

On her way back she feels her heart growing heavy again and decides to sing a little to ease her mind.

 

There are two sources of comfort in her life: the sea and the singing. Without them she would be an empty shell without any discernible individuality. Except maybe for her eyes.

 

She begins a song about a woman who is longing for a better life. First lines are unsure and careful, but soon she is singing clearly and surely, her stage the whole sea and all who live there.

 

She is so immersed in the story of the song that she doesn't realize that someone is listening.

 

However, when the song comes to a stop she realizes that something isn't quite right.

 

Jihyo stops rowing and listens, her heart racing for an unknown reason. She lets her gaze sweep past the sea around her, but doesn't see anything unusual.

 

Not until she glances over her shoulder and sees a pair of eyes staring back at her.

 

The boat almost tips over as she leaps up in terror, only sitting back down after her instinct as a sailor take over – she mustn’t tip the boat.

 

Yet the eyes are gone from the surface of the water in a flash and as Jihyo starts rowing she cannot feel the presence anymore.

 

Once she is closer to the shore she dares a look back, but there is nothing there - just water.

 

 

-

 

 

It takes several days before she manages to gather her bravery and go back to the sea. Besides, her mother had needed her help. She had gone to the town to buy flour and sugar with the little money they have left, and took care of their chickens and two goats.

 

Her mother is sleeping more and more these days, but as the doctor comes to his weekly visit, he doesn't tell Jihyo anything that she doesn't already know. Her mother could get better, or she might not. Only time would tell.

 

She doesn't trust time, however. Time and waiting never brought back her father either.

 

It's a rainy morning when she finally leaves her mother to sleep after breakfast. The boat under her is as eager as ever and the weather looks a lot more suitable for fishing.

 

She rows slowly, hiding from the rain under her raincoat. Luckily, the rain is really nothing but a drizzle, yet that somehow makes it even wetter. The water is under her clothes and in her hair, moist threatening to replace the blood in her veins.

 

By the time she gets to her usual place she is soaking wet, but she doesn't mind. The air is warm and the years spent by the sea have made her accustomed to such things.

 

This time the fish are eager to eat the worms on her fishhook and she pulls several out of the water before she has even had time to really begin. After her bucket is almost overflowing, she turns back, leaving the lonesome bank to its own devices.

 

Far away on the horizon she can see a large ship moving quietly over the mass of water. She watches its white sails that are hardly swollen from the gentle wind. She has always been fond of ships, and wondered where they are coming from and how the world would be like outside her home and village.

 

If her father still lived, she might have gone with him-

 

Suddenly she feels the boat hitting something and it sets her flying into the air and into the water. She is so shocked that at first she doesn't even manage to pull herself to the surface.

 

Her dress gets heavy from the water and even as she can swim, it's a struggle to stop sinking.

 

When she finally does, her lungs are screaming for air and she manages to swallow water in the chaos.

 

Once she is above water again, she takes a look at her surroundings. The sea is like it was before, as if it didn't care about her at all, which of course it didn't. It never would.

 

The boat rests innocently on the water, like a horse that has just thrown its owner off the saddle and is now eating grass as if nothing had happened.

 

Luckily, the boat had not overturned or she would be in trouble. Getting it back up would require more strength than she imagines ever having.

 

With a few strides she makes back to the boat and grabs the edge with both hands. To her amazement the bucket is still in the boat, as if it hasn't flown out of the boat with her, but how could that be? Surely something so light would fly even further than herself?

 

It is almost as if someone had picked it up and put it back.

 

These thoughts don't bother her for very long as she realizes that she has to pull herself back to the boat somehow, without turning the boat over or filling it with water.

 

She hasn't been in the water for long, but the swimming in a heavy dress and the shock have made her tired.

 

She braces herself and breathes in before the knuckles on her hands turn white from effort.

 

A strange thing happens as she pushes herself up, it is as if she gets a shove from underneath and almost flies back to the boat. She knows she couldn't do that with just her own muscle power.

 

But as she starts rowing back home, noting the rock that her boat has crashed into, she tries to dismiss those thoughts even as her mind tries to show her an image of a pair of eyes, just above water.

 

 

-

 

 

The next day Jihyo is in the vegetable garden, hands dark from the moist soil and sweat on her forehead. Weeds have been left unattended for too long and now they stand strong and proud, putting up a fight as she tries to clear space for carrots and potatoes.

 

She is so concentrated on her work that she doesn't hear a horse approaching until it is almost passing the house. She glances up and sees a large, brown mare in front of their small gate and a rider dressed in fine clothing.

 

She gets up immediately and bows deep.

 

"It is a fine day for gardening," the rider says, his eyes travelling over the length of her dress.

 

"Yes, my lord," she says, polite yet detached. They have met many times before, quite like today. He rides past the house and exchanges a few words. He is a son of a noble man - well-educated and even better dressed, always riding a horse whose life is more valuable than that of hers.

 

She doesn't quite understand why he insists on talking to her. Their worlds couldn't be further apart.

 

"I hope your mother is well," he says, knowing fully well that she isn't.

 

"As well as she can be," she says, trying to hide her resentment, but not sure whether she succeeds in it or not.

 

"Mm.” He looks at the house, a slight disapproving tingle in his dark eyes. Oh, he is handsome, but the corners of his mouth look like they are made of steel. Jihyo wonders if anything could ever melt him and doubts it.

 

"My father has been urging me to find a wife for myself," he says suddenly. Jihyo shuffles uncomfortably, but he doesn't notice.

 

"There must be many fine ladies in the town," she says, trying to sound interested.

 

"It is true," he answers, steely smile on his lips.

 

Jihyo swallows.

 

"However, they are not quite what I have been thinking about," he says and looks her in the eye. She wants to look away, but wills herself to stay as she is.

 

"I was wondering if you could ever consider yourself a wife of an earl?" he asks, making sure she understands what he is getting at.

 

He has always gotten what he has wanted and he believes that this time won't be any different.

 

Jihyo is so shocked that for a moment all she can do is stare. After she recovers from the shock, she bows again.

 

"I-i-", she tries, but he cuts her short.

 

"I suggest you think about it," he says, looking as if he is very impressed by his own nobility. "I will inquire again and you may answer me then."

 

"Thank you, my lord," she manages.

 

"There is no hurry." He bows his head slightly.

 

"Goodbye," he says and turns his horse around, trotting away.

 

"Goodbye."

 

 

-

 

 

When Jihyo tells her mother what has happened, the old woman's face lights up for the first time in days.

 

"Oh, how wonderful! You can become a fine lady and leave this wretched place," she says before she is cut short by a cough that rises from her chest like a storm.

 

Jihyo helps her to sit up and rubs her mother’s back soothingly. When the cough subsides, her mother seems to have lost most of her energy and Jihyo helps her to lay down again.

 

"Now my worries about your future are gone," her mother whispers before she falls back into slumber.

 

Jihyo goes to the porch and watches the long, grey clouds on the horizon, eyes full of tears.

 

 

-

 

 

She goes to the sea again, hoping to forget the offer that has been made. She can't see herself as a wife of a noble man, at least not as his wife. There is something about him that makes her skin crawl and she would rather never see him again. However, she is very aware of her limited selection of options.

 

The sea is as indifferent as ever and she begins singing, founding comfort from her own voice that she cannot raise anywhere else. She lets the boat drift on its own accord and just sings.

 

She gets to the end of the song, and then another.

 

Eyes closed, with a vibration in her chest she is almost free.

 

Almost.

 

The bad thoughts drift back to her head and a song dies on her lips. The moment has passed.

 

She is about to pick up the oars and turn around when the blood in her veins freezes. Behind her, on the left side of the boat, is a young woman.

 

A woman holding on to the side of the boat with her arms, the rest of her body under water.

 

Jihyo screams, but not a sound comes out of . She is too terrified to even move.

 

She stares at the woman, a thing, a creature - whatever it is, and it stares right back. Unblinking, curious.

 

"Do not be afraid," it says finally, with an accent that sounds unlike anything Jihyo has ever heard. It is almost as if the woman is using a language that it has almost forgotten.

 

Jihyo closes that has fallen open. Her hands fumble on the oars. She will swing the creature with it, if she needs to.

 

"You have a beautiful voice," it says and Jihyo wonders why she isn't moving, why she isn't doing anything. She should go back home, faster than an afterthought.

 

Now that the fear is taken over by an unnatural curiosity Jihyo eyes the creature in front of her. She is very beautiful, undoubtedly. Most likely the most beautiful thing that Jihyo has ever seen. Her hair is a greyish color, but not the type of grey that old women have - no, it is more like silver, very shiny and vibrant. She - it - has a heart-shaped face that is child-like and feminine at the same time.

 

Now that she has started staring, it seems that she cannot stop.

 

The creature takes her stillness as sign of encouragement and comes closer, pulling herself closer to where Jihyo is.

 

Jihyo can see the whole creature now, lean arms and body curving next to the side of the boat. She is half under water and Jihyo could swear that she sees a large silver fishtail in the water - swishing back and forth.

 

"Who are you?" Jihyo manages, the words sliding from her lips almost unnoticed.

 

"Sana," the creature says and smiles, in a way that makes her eyes curve and nose crinkle.

 

"I mean-" she continues, the tips of the oars laying jobless on her hands.

 

"What are you?"

 

The creature, Sana, her head to one side, but a faint smile decorates her lips and corners of her eyes.

 

"We have many names," she says, voice like small bells in a wind. Jihyo almost looks around at the word 'we', but cannot turn her head and break the eye contact.

 

"But humans call us mermaids, I believe," Sana says, clearly interested in the reaction that her words will have on the human.

 

Jihyo remembers a picture from one of the books she used to have. A grim drawing of a half-woman, half-fish, pulling a man from his boat, mouth full of sharp teeth.

 

She shivers.

 

Sana seems to have read her mind, as she grows serious.

 

"I will not hurt you," she says, lifting one hand from the side of the boat and letting it fall to Jihyo's arm. Jihyo feels herself jump slightly, but remains where she is. Maybe she is under a spell of some sort and cannot get away.

 

Yet she cannot bring herself to fear the mermaid in front of her. Her face is too innocent, the look in her eyes too warm. Besides, her teeth look like any human's teeth would – maybe just a little whiter.

 

"I believe you," she hears herself saying, as the mermaid's face has grown worried from her silence. Once she speaks Sana smiles again.

 

She has a very lovely smile.

 

Time seems to stop and Jihyo is completely unaware of it passing. The mermaid looks at her like she is the most interesting one here, when it is completely the other way around.

 

After what could have been seconds, or an hour the mermaid lifts herself up, enough to reveal the seashell covering her chest. Jihyo feels a flush rising to her cheeks, but then there are a pair of wet lips on her own and she forgets every thought she has ever had.

 

The kiss is short, but powerful and when Sana pulls away, half-stunned, half-grinning, Jihyo cannot feel her own body besides her lips which are throbbing almost painfully.

 

The mermaid flashes one last smile and then disappears into the sea.

 

Jihyo stares at the surface of the water long after the last glitter of silver tail vanishes into the big blue.

 

 

-

 

 

That night Jihyo cannot sleep. She listens to the heavy breathing of her mother and the wind that rattles the walls of their small house.

 

Her whole life seems to have changed all the sudden. It is true that her problems haven't disappeared magically, but now she has other things to think about, as well.

 

The thing that bothers her sleep the most is the smile. A first genuine, bright smile she has seen for so long. A smile that seems to have been meant to her, like a gift. Not a smile of habit, or a smile of hidden meanings, but a smile just for her.

 

She holds the image close to her heart and feels warmer.

 

She will go back tomorrow, she thinks and finally falls asleep.

 

 

-

 

 

The morning is crystal clear and bright blue when she is finally finished with her breakfast. Her mother sleeps again, looking smaller than the day before. Jihyo tries not to think about what it means.

 

Trying to hide her purpose, she rows to her regular fishing place and even pretends to fish. Yet, she couldn't care less about whether she would get anything or not, she just wants to see Sana again. It is the only thing in her mind.

 

Long time she waits and even catches a small fish. Her eyes are restless and constantly dart around, trying to find the smallest glint of silver underwater, just below the surface.

 

Just as she is about to give up, feeling acutely disappointed but trying to ignore it, the mermaid comes.

 

This time when Sana pulls herself up from the water Jihyo smiles at her.

 

"Hello," she says, feeling shy.

 

"Hello," the mermaid answers, trying to mimic the intonation Jihyo uses. She is wearing another brilliant smile and Jihyo wants to kiss her again.

 

"I brought you something," the mermaid adds, letting her other hand drop, going underwater. Once it rises back again, there is a large seashell in it, as white as Sana's teeth.

 

"For me?" Jihyo asks, utterly stunned, feeling a rush of emotions inside of her.

 

"The owner had moved to another dwelling," Sana explains, looking like an excited child.

 

As Jihyo takes the shell into her hands, she brushes fingers against Sana's. The mermaid lets the touch linger just a moment longer than necessary.

 

"Thank you," Jihyo whispers, feeling tears in the corners of her eyes. How long has it been since someone had brought her a gift? And a gift as beautiful as this?

 

She would always treasure it, no matter what would happen.

 

Then she realizes that she has nothing to give back and her mood drops.

 

"I have nothing to give you," she says regretfully, eyes dropping to look at the beautiful shell in her hands.

 

"Sing for me," the mermaid says, looking eager.

 

"Sing?"

 

"Something beautiful," Sana expands, her head resting on her arms, as if she has never been more entertained in her whole life.

 

Jihyo feels unsure. She is not used to an audience.

 

Yet, after a moment of consideration she begins a song about a princess and twelve sparrows. Her voice is shaky at first, but as Sana's eyes close from pleasure, Jihyo grows confident.

 

It is a completely new feeling, warmth like flowers, blooming in her chest.

 

When the song ends, Sana opens her eyes - they are twinkling.

 

"Are you a princess?" she asks, regarding Jihyo thoughtfully.

 

Jihyo can't help but laugh a little, so earnest is the question.

 

"I am nobody important," she says, feeling rather self-conscious suddenly. Her dress is old and dowdy. Her hair over-grown and unkempt. She looks as poor as she feels.

 

"But you are beautiful," the mermaid says, without a hint of mockery.

 

Jihyo cannot do anything but gape.

 

This creature is calling her beautiful, when she herself is the most beautiful thing ever lived. Maybe the whole thing is a joke after all, she thinks bitterly.

 

"I am not a princess, and certainly not beautiful," Jihyo says and begins to ready herself for a journey back home.

 

A hand on her arm stops her.

 

"You are as beautiful as your voice," Sana says, looking so deeply into her eyes that Jihyo feels like she can see all the way into her childhood.

 

And on a second day in a row Jihyo finds herself kissing this strange creature, tasting saltwater on her lips.

 

 

-

 

 

A daily routine begins. Jihyo can hardly keep herself from going to the sea every free moment she gets, and even when she is on the shore doing her chores, she constantly glances back, knowing that somewhere there Sana swims, as easily as a seal.

 

They always meet at Jihyo’s regular place. If the fish are reluctant to come up, Sana catches them for her always picking the ones that 'are ready to go' whatever that means. In exchange Jihyo sings for the mermaid, never failing to make an impression.

 

And every day as Jihyo leaves to go back home, they share a kiss as a goodbye.

 

 

-

 

 

One evening Jihyo is in the kitchen, preparing a meal for the next day as she realizes that her dress is missing a button. The one on the very top has vanished and she cannot remember where it could have happened. She knows it has been sewn well and it shouldn't have been able to drop just like that. Tear, yes, but that she should have noticed.

 

Absentmindedly she searches the many layers of fabric on her chest, in hopes of the button falling into her cleavage.

 

She doesn't find a button, but she does find a small seashell, the color of pink roses.

 

She holds it between her fingers, letting the dim light caress its surface.

 

She has a hunch of where the button might be.

 

 

-

 

 

Two days after that, Jihyo's mother dies.

 

Jihyo wakes up in the early hours of the morning and feels certainly that something is wrong. The house has gone quiet, too quiet.

 

She gets up and goes to her mother's side, but as she gets there her mother is already gone.

 

Gone with a large part of Jihyo’s heart.

 

 

-

 

 

The funeral is small and miserable. There is nobody else but Jihyo and the old priest to see her mother to a new life.

 

The wind is heavy and cold, but Jihyo doesn't feel it. She is numb, staring at the colorful flower arrangement that has been sent as a condolence.

 

Only an earl's son could afford a thing like that.

 

 

-

 

 

Once Jihyo gets home she takes her faithful boat and rows out to the sea. The tears she hasn't cried are hiding somewhere between her chest and her eyes.

 

She doesn't get very far when Sana's head already pops out of the waves. She glides closer to the boat, eyes fixed on Jihyo's face.

 

Sana knows that something is wrong even without her saying anything, yet somehow she would like to explain.

 

"My mother-" Jihyo starts, but the incoming sob in stops her violently. Sana's features soften and she squeezes Jihyo's arm.

 

"Follow me," she says, and swims to the bow of the boat.

 

 

-

 

 

Jihyo doesn't know how long they go on like that and when Sana starts pulling the boat with her, but it must be awhile.

 

They pass the place where Jihyo usually stops and go further to the right, following the line of the coast. After passing a deserted bay, Sana changes their course so that they are heading directly to the bank.

 

Jihyo cannot see anything but sharp rock rising into the sky, but doesn't say anything. She is too tired from shaking to even care.

 

As they are almost touching the bank, Jihyo's curiosity awakens. Just below the waterline, on the hard rock wall is a small crack, just wide enough for the boat to pass.

 

Jihyo has to lay down on the boat so that she won't hit her head on the rocks. She watches as the ceiling starts to further away from her slowly and by the time she can hardly see it above her, she sits up.

 

They are in a cave.

 

It isn't as dark as it first appears, as there are several openings on the ceiling. At the end of the cave, the water ends and they stop at a rock platform that is as smooth as a dance floor. Sana pulls herself up from the water and Jihyo sees her tail for the first time in its full glory.

 

It is larger than she thought and more beautiful than she could have imagined. Watching Sana pull herself on the rock floor rather clumsily is so amazing to her that she forgets her own grief for a moment.

 

The mermaid ties the boat to the cave wall and turns around, indicating with her hand that Jihyo should follow.

 

With hasty steps Jihyo jumps off the boat and walks to where Sana is laying. The spot is smooth and it looks like it has been used before. There is a soft blanket-like thing on the ground, but Jihyo can't tell what the material is.

 

Sana makes a spot for Jihyo next to her and when Jihyo lays down the mermaid covers her with the odd blanket that smells like the sea, but not in an unpleasant way.

 

For a moment they lay still without talking, but as Sana wraps her arm tentatively around Jihyo's body, the blocked sorrows spill over.

 

Jihyo cries until she cannot cry anymore, and finally falls asleep in the mermaid's arms, subconsciously recognizing the button that is dangling from a chain on Sana's neck.

 

 

-

 

 

They stay in the cave for two days. Sana goes out to the sea to get Jihyo some food and fresh water and Jihyo is surprised how she manages to bring it all with her, without getting it mixed with seawater.

 

The mermaid isn't very good with words so she tries make Jihyo feel better with her lips. There are kisses to last a lifetime, kisses all over Jihyo's body.

 

On the last night a storm rages and they listen to the wind roar, pressed close to each other. Jihyo's hands caress the mermaid's arms and the touch seems to have the same effect as Jihyo's singing.

 

Yet Jihyo cannot stay in the cave forever and the morning after the storm she is rowing back home, feeling well enough to meet the empty house.

 

 

-

 

 

In the afternoon, Jihyo hears approaching riders as she cleans the house, trying to get rid of all the signs of her mother’s illness.

 

She goes to the window and sees two men by the gate. One of them is the earl's son, and the other is another young man, someone she hasn't seen before.

 

With some reluctance she goes to open the door and steps outside.

 

"I am sorry for your loss," he says the moment their eyes meet.

 

Jihyo bows and thanks him, feeling for certain that he isn't sorry at all. Even as his act is most believable.

 

He doesn't waste any time before he moves to his main subject.

 

"Now that your mother has passed away, I was wondering if you might feel a little more inclined to answer my proposal," he says and the other young man behind him smiles.

 

"I visited last week, but you weren't home at the time," he continues and she thanks the sea and Sana for protecting her from that visit.

 

But this time she wouldn't be able to escape.

 

"So I would like to ask you now," he says and opens the gate as if it is his right to do so. He comes so close that he cloud touch her if he wanted.

 

He kneels.

 

"Park Jihyo, would you like to marry me?"

 

His eyes are sure as a stone and she feels them pulling her down with magical powers. She could say no and suffer for the rest of her life in this wretched hut, or she could say yes and spend the rest of her life dressed in beautiful gowns, in rooms that are warm all around the year.

 

She could choose freedom, or she could choose security.

 

"Yes," she answers, before she knows whether it is the right answer or not. His eyes light up, but the light is more egoistic than amiable.

 

He jumps to his feet and takes her hands to his own. His are smooth and pale, hers are rugged from work and tanned from the sun. She knows instantly that they can never understand each other.

 

"I will send for you tomorrow, so that you can prepare yourself for the move," he says, already full of the mechanics of it all.

 

"We shall have the wedding later this month," he says and kisses her on the cheek. She tries to smile, but feels it falter.

 

"I shall look forward to it," she says and let's go of his hands.

 

"Until tomorrow," he says and bows a little, turning around and walking out of the small garden.

 

Jihyo rushes inside, not staying to wave him goodbye. She fears the tears that are threatening to fall again.

 

She goes to her bedroom and lays down on her narrow bed, feeling large gates in her heart slamming shut.

 

The window is open and she hears as the young men ride away.

 

"Do you think her hips are wide enough for childbearing?" the earl's son asks, laughter in his voice.

 

"Certainly," the other man answers. They are almost out of earshot, but not so much that Jihyo can't hear him add:

 

"And for other things."

 

 

-

 

 

That night Jihyo makes her decision. She goes to her mother's closet and takes out her wedding dress. It is old-fashioned, but the finest piece of garment in the house. Jihyo lets her fingers caress the embroidery and wonders what her mother must have looked like when she was young, happy and healthy.

 

She tries to picture her father's face as her mother walks down the aisle, but she cannot remember what he looked like, and certainly what he looked like when he was happy.

 

She can't remember her mother's happy face either. Those things are too far away.

 

She changes into the dress and is surprised just how well it fits. She doubts even the earl's son could buy her a better fitting dress.

 

After she is fully dressed, she combs her hair with the sort of care that she hasn't executed in years. Once it is smooth and shiny, she braids it, making sure that not a strand of hair leaps out of it, causing disarray.

 

From the garden she finds three white roses and those she uses as decorations for her hair. As a necklace she has a small pink seashell, dangling from an old chain. On her waist is a pouch, hiding another, much larger seashell.

 

After she has made sure that everything inside the house is where it should be and clean, she closes the door and locks it. She leaves the key under a mat, so that they can easily find it when they come.

 

She doesn't worry about the animals. She knows someone will take care of them.

 

With a last look she walks out of the garden and closes the gate, and heads to her boat.

 

 

-

 

 

She doesn't have to go very far when Sana approaches.

 

They stare at each other for a while, neither of them saying anything. Sana doesn't make any comments about the way Jihyo is dressed, or how her hair looks different from all the other days.

 

Finally Jihyo leans closer.

 

"Take me with you."

 

Sana regards her thoughtfully, not at all surprised.

 

"You will never come back," she says, her eyes wistful.

 

"That is my intention," Jihyo whispers and refuses to look at the shore, even as she knows she won't see it again. At least not the way she is used to.

 

Another moment of silence passes until Sana moves closer and wraps her hands around Jihyo's shoulders.

 

"Hold on tightly," she says, and kisses her, pulling her into the water.

 

After a splash, the sea goes quiet again, holding secrets better than anyone else.

 

The only signs left are the empty boat, and a white rose, both drifting aimlessly on the waves.

 

Years later there will be stories of a young woman who married the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: I almost jumped off a cliff while writing this. Ugh. I wasn't even going to post this, but I worried for my own mental health if I didn't ha.