This is the story of a young man who fell in love with a beautiful girl, but she wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. She was graceful, kind, and loving, the perfect woman who came from the seashore…

(Kyuhyun’s P.O.V)

The cold sea runs over my feet as I walk along the shore line, the sun resting upon the waters reflection

*dance music playing*

“Hm, what could that be?” I ask myself curiously and follow the music to a large cave at the top of the cliff

Inside shadows of women danced about the flames of a large fire, at the entrance I find grey animal skins

I couldn’t help but try it on and I was surprised to find how soft and warm it was. Thinking no one would miss it, I roll it up and take it home and lock it in the wooden trunk with all of my winter clothes with the key and put it back around my neck

Chuckling to myself for a moment, I felt guilty about taking the skin away from its owner, so I decided to go back to the cave and see if it was missed

Approaching the cave entrance, I hear the whimpers of a young woman crying, as I walked inside I saw she was completely but her hair covered her s and lower waist

“Are you alright miss?” I approach her delicately

“Oh it’s just terrible and I know you’ll never believe me, but I am not really as I seem. I’m really a fur seal, and once a year all of my clan meet at this cave for a festival of dancing and singing. We shed our skins at the entrance, but when we returned mine was gone. We searched everywhere but we could not find it. Someone must have stolen it and without it I can never return to the sea. Oh, what should I do?” She weeped heavily into her hands

“Here, this should keep you warm.” I take of my coat and wrap it around her

“Oh, thank you.” We start walking out of the cave

I felt awful about taking her skin, and I fully intended to return it to return it to her, but just as I was about to tell her I realized that she would return to the sea and I would never see her again

You see, I had never met anyone as beautiful and kind as this young girl and I had already fallen in love with her

We were soon married and our lives could not have been happier. She was a wonderful wife and I found it hard to believe my good fortune and as the days passed the seal skin had been all but forgotten

Soon we received the wonderful news that we were going to have a baby, and when our son was born we held a party that all of our friends and family were invited to

Life could not have been better for our family…

Time passed and my guilt about having stolen the seal skin were forgotten , certainly the happiness we found together meant more than the harm I caused my wife by not letting her return to the sea

“It’s time for him to go to bed now.” She cradled our infant son

Several years passed until one day my wife walked along the shore with our son

It was true that she loved our family dearly but still she could not put the seal skin and her home at sea completely out of her mind

So often she led our son to the shore to teach him about the sea

“If you put you ear to this shell you can hear the sea.”

“Yes, I can hear it!” A seal called to her from sea and she was drawn to the call

“It’s my family..” She started walking into the water hypnotized by the calls of her kin

‘Mother stop!” Our son called but she continued to walk towards the seals

“Mother where are you going? Owww..” He fell into the water and she snapped out of it and rushed to hold him

“I’m sorry. Oh, there there I won’t leave you. Don’t worry.” The seals began to swim away still calling out to her  

Even with all the love she had for us she could not help wanting one day to return to the sea but without the seal skin that would be impossible. And even if she knew where it was hidden she could not open the trunk because I always kept the key around my neck even while I slept

“Goodbye papa, come home soon!” They waved to me as I went off to work on my album

She began mopping the floors and found my key

“Oh, why what’s this? It looks like my husbands key, he must’ve dropped it when he dressed. I wonder what it’s to….Oh..” She had always wondered what was in that old trunk, as far as she knew it had never been opened. Maybe this was it’s key, so she put it in the lock and turned

“Oh! The seal skin...That means my husband was the thief and he’s kept it hidden from me all these years. But what can I do now? I’ve grown to love him and I can’t leave my son...Still it’s not right for me to remain here, my home is the sea.” She pulls the covers over our sleeping child

“It’s not fair for me to have to make such a choice…” Tears ran down her cheeks

Yes, it was not fair for her to have to choose between our family and her true self but it was a decision she would have to make

As her husband, I had been a foolish youngster the day I stole her skin but since our marriage I had grown to be a good father and I loved my son and she was sure our son would be taken care of even if she did return to the sea

Never to see our son again that was almost too much to ask, but the sound of the sea grew louder by the minute and she could not resist its call forever. She would have to put on the skin and return...

“I’m sorry my son, please forgive me..” She says in sorrow as she returned to her true home

It was later that day, and I come home to find my son running to me in tears yelling in panic

“Mommy is gone! Oh father, where’s mommy? Where did she go?! Oh no!..” I drop everything and run inside to find the trunk open and the seal skin was gone

“No…”

“Mother where are you?!” Our son called

“Can you hear us?! Hello?! Where are you?!” I shout looking back and forth rapidly

We searched up and down the beach until we could not call out any longer but still we could find no sign of her

“I always knew the day would come, it’s all my fault..” It was just as I had feared, she had returned to the sea and her true home

My son and I went home hoping against hope that she would return to us

In time I had no choice but to go back to work on my album because I had to work harder to support my son. One day soon thereafter while swimming in the ocean a dark shadow passes below and before I knew it a seal was in front of me. Though we could not speak in words I knew the seal had to be my wife returned looking for even a glance at her family she left behind

Every day our son would walk along the sea and remember his mother by listening to the seashells

“I can hear her!” He says in fondess of her memory and every day she would come as close as she dare to watch her son

Our son did not know that the seal was really his beloved mother and he was startled to see the seal watching him and it almost seemed like it was crying his name

She tried so hard to make him understand that she had not forgotten him, but alas her cries could not be understood

“I just know she’ll come back. Mother I’ll always remember you! Mother!” He shouts while she watched him call out to her, she knew he would never forget her and that he would always be there waiting for her to return

“Where are you?!” He shouts again and she swims away

“Wait don’t go! Maybe you can help me find my mother! Wait!” And so it was that the young boy kept his vigil waiting for the day when his mother would return