Chapter 1.3: Sirène

Jeongyeon

I guess I underestimated Dahyun a bit – I thought she only has the brains and the inhuman strength of a mythic. However, when she began to sing for us, it was like we were watching a scene from an opera or a musical. I’ve heard mermaids sing before, but Dahyun’s singing was mild, soft, smooth, and heart-warming – as if I am hearing a mermaid singing for the first time.

     Dahyun stopped singing and we all clapped. She was shy but she managed to bow to everyone whilst giving her thanks.

     “She has a great talent,” I said to my sister.

     “She sure does,” Jihyo responded while still clapping.

     Chaeyoung yawned while stretching her whole body. “I’m sleepy…” she said.

     Jihyo wrapped her arms around Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. “The night isn’t getting any younger, shall we go home?” she pinched Chaeyoung’s cheeks before averting her attention to me. “Well, we’ll leave now! Good night, everyone!”

     We bid our goodbyes, and the three went out of the café. My sister and I don’t live in the same house, let alone in the same neighbourhood. We prefer that way – to avoid attention from the enemies.

     Now my current priority is Dahyun. I must teach her about the human world – the dos and don’ts, Seoul, how to protect yourself from humans without killing or hurting them, and the like.  

     “She must go to school as well,” I whispered to myself. I placed my index and thumb finger under my chin in a pensive gesture. “Paying for the tuition fee and her school essentials is easy but finding a school in the middle of the first semester might give me a slight struggle.”

     I’ll worry about this later. For now, I must go home. I saw Dahyun take a yawn. Dahyun must be tired already, and I haven’t had my rest ever since I got here.

     “Dahyun,” I called. Dahyun excused herself from the crowd and approached me. “Let’s go home.” I saw how Dahyun’s eyes gleamed with joy. I asked, confused as to why she made the expression, “Is something wrong?”

     She smiled faintly. “No one ever said that to me. I felt… happy.”

     I smiled, and added, “Well, someone will say that to you and you will say I’m home whenever you arrive at the house.”

     We went out of the café. The moon is shining bright – catching my eyes. The clear night sky revealed the stars in the sky and the bright moon. It makes me want to fly and touch it one last time, but I can’t. I still have urges to devour it – the resentment of the serpent still lingers in me, but I must suppress it.

     “We’re far away from my place and it seems there is traffic on five different roads (even shortcuts) so you might get bored.” I said, driving us back to my place.“I’ve been wondering, when you got on land, I’m sure you have no idea what is what and where is where so it left me wondering how did you survive for one month? Where did you stay?”

     Dahyun replied while looking outside the window, “Well, the person in my dream told me stories. Mostly about a place called Japan and Seoul. She told me stories like how to get to Seoul, where to see her in Seoul (which I forgot), and the stories of her childhood. So, when I arrive in a place called Busan, I grabbed the thing which humans call clothes from a place called a house, then I saw a huge moving thing with two circles on each side (which I later known as a tourist van) that gives a free ride to Seoul. The moment I arrive in Seoul I don’t know where to go or where to find her. I couldn’t even ask humans around since they don’t understand my language, so I was left alone until night in the streets. It was cold and I was hungry. Then a stranger went up to me and I immediately recognize her as a mermaid. She helped me and took me in for a while, but I left since I don’t want to give her danger (I heard some hunters can recognize us). She did teach me the basic stuff I must know about the human world, and the language. I stayed under bridges, or lakes to keep my heart beating for a month, and then I heard about a mythic group that could help me. That is when I met Jihyo.”

     I pressed on the brakes when I saw the stoplight turn red. I stared out of the window of the driver’s seat as I waited.

      “Jeongyeon,” Dahyun continued, “Jihyo told me about Kou. I sympathize with you. I am aware you had a human lover—read that you were with a human girl in the books but that was it. There were no further stories or explanations given. I wonder why none of it was mentioned in the stories.”

     The stoplight turned green, and the car once again moved.

     “Back in the past,” I began, “I despise humanity. They hurt each other, they kill each other—their hearts filled with greed and evil desires. They want more, and their thirst for power and greed cannot be clenched. They took advantage of the Almighty’s mercy and love and asked for more. They are easy to deceive, they are weak, and they manipulate each other. Until one day, the Almighty gave them a gift: the gift of light (the moons whom the moon goddess blessed). Seven moons illuminated the night. They were beautiful and bizarre that even other gods grew envious. I was completely owed with the Almighty’s gift. I live in a cold and dark abyss in the ocean with no light (which I do not complain about). However, my hatred grew, and I felt jealous. How can those filthy humans receive such a gift after committing disappointing sins? I was angry. Humans don’t deserve the moons—they don’t deserve the light.”

     “Then what happened?”

     “My hatred for humans did not disappear as time passed.” I continued. “I have no other intention but to serve the Almighty and be His aid. Happiness, festivals, and other irrelevant things did not matter or come to mind. I don’t find them entertaining or worthwhile. Until I met this girl…” As I continue, my lips curve into a smile.

     The first time I saw Kou was when I decided to visit the shrine my devotees made for me. I disguised myself as a bird. Just like the other gods, we used the forbidden area to keep our forms discreet. There, by the riverbank, I saw Kou and I was immediately captivated by her. I have met and known gods who have unexplainable beauty, but she was just different. If it wasn’t for her scent and energy, I would think she was a goddess. She was just different from any other human girl I’d ever seen. Her voice was even greater than sirens and all music combined, her beauty surpassed the beauty of the moons and stars, and she is smart and slightly sly. I sense no negative energy from her, I see no greed and evil desire within her heart; all I see are joy, faith, and hope – something I never expected nor imagined from a human.

     She’s the daughter of a well-known and powerful chief. In the Philippine tribes, they have a law that states that the daughter[s] of the chief is not allowed to touch the ground with her feet. Hence, why tribes carry the daughter[s] of their chief in a carriage (a Korean gama if we’re to describe it) and the chief tends to keep his daughter[s] inside their home. But her tribe was different from the others – a tribe that wasn’t written in the history of the Philippines because of me.

     “Their rules are different from the rest, hence, she can freely reveal herself, and touch the ground with her feet. Despite that, her tribe is no different from others—they want power and more riches.”

     I watched Kou silently from the heavens, the depths, and the riverbank – not planning to reveal myself to her, fearing that I might scare her. However, due to my recklessness, Kou discovered my secret when I change form. Instead of running away (like any normal human would), Kou instead smiled at me and welcomed me. She was surprised at first – after all, it was the first time she saw something magical happen right before her eyes – but she can tell I meant no harm. Only a fool would think that way, but Kou never doubted her intuition. After the meeting, she acted as if nothing happened at all.

     Embarrassed I was, I decided to not come up to shore and stay in my lair. I would usually remove the memories of the humans, but I wasn’t able to do so when it comes to Kou.

     Kou kept coming to the riverbank – hoping to see me again. There was no day nor time she stopped. The only time she did was when her father reprimanded her, and I was distraught by it. I thought I would be satisfied just by watching her from afar, but a feeling in my chest kept screaming for her.

     I add, “I don’t know where the bravery came from, but I went back up to the surface, and fortunately she was by the riverbank, and we met again. We became friends and our feelings grew. It was the first time I felt joy and felt affection. Kou… showed me (and taught me) a lot of things. She showed me the beauty of the