From the safety of his cave, tucked away in the darkness and hidden behind tall stalks of kelp, Kihyun peeks out to assess the situation. He was on his way to the shore when he noticed Changkyun with company—more sirens than just the one the boy mentioned before. He wanted to help his human friend but knew there was nothing he could do other than sacrifice himself to the sirens in place of Changkyun.

The sirens were familiar, sharing the same physical characteristics as the ones from many years ago, so Kihyun figures they must dwell nearby. He feels a hand on his shoulder and jumps slightly at the contact.

“Ki, what happened?” Minhyuk whispers, taking in the younger’s shaken up appearance.

Kihyun exhales a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Sirens. Three of them. Shore. Changkyun.”

The red-haired merman nods slowly, understanding what’s going on. “Is he in danger?”

“No, he told me to leave, warning me that I was about to be in danger,” he keeps his voice low, still scared that they’re looking for him. “They can’t come in here, right?”

Minhyuk chuckles. “They wouldn’t even bother. They don’t like to put in effort. That’s the whole point in their luring-in tactics.”

The younger merman agrees. “That makes sense. So we’re safe?”

“Yeah. We’re safe. Just don’t leave the cave tonight, and be careful when you do tomorrow. They could stick around,” Minhyuk advises.

Kihyun wishes he was stronger, less vulnerable to the sirens. Less afraid. He wishes he could somehow contact Changkyun—through one of those strange boxes the humans use and Changkyun calls a phone—and find out if he made it home safely. He wishes the siren curse would be lifted so that the ocean was slightly less dangerous and all those people, humans and merpeople, weren’t so sad.

He peers out again through the kelp and watches the surrounding water. His eyes catch a glimpse of red, then green and purple—thankfully nothing else. He watches the sirens dive deep into the darkness and far out of sight.

The merman knows he’d be safe to go to the shore in a few moments but returns to the comfort of his cave. He also knows that Changkyun would not be happy if Kihyun risks anything just to go to the shore tonight.

He sighs and turns his attention to Minhyuk, who is looking more tense than usual, staring out of their cave and into the deep ocean. “What’s wrong?”

Minhyuk seems to snap out of his daze and shakes his head. “No, it’s nothing. Just remembering something.” He pauses, eyes still focused ahead. He takes a little while to gather his thoughts before opening his mouth to speak. “Do you remember the night Hakyeon disappeared?"

Kihyun nods, knowing the older merman can’t see. “Yeah. When he wasn’t fast enough.”

“Do you know what he was being chased by?”

The younger one shakes his head, confused by the question. “I thought it was a shark.”

Minhyuk exhales as his head droops low. “He was taken by the sirens. He was turned by the sirens. The other day, when I swam off in a hurry, I thought I saw him. I followed him. Far and deep until I could barely see in front of me. Then they surrounded me,” he squeaks out, attempting to hold back his emotions. “They were taunting me, trying to coax me down with them, wanting to drag me into their shared misery.”

“But no one ever escapes,” Kihyun whispers.

“That’s it. That’s what I thought. I almost succumbed to their ways. I almost let them take me. But one of them,” he hesitates and turns to face Kihyun. “One of them didn’t let me. He let me go.”

Kihyun can’t believe it. His friend never held back with his stories, true or not, throughout the years, always vibrant and full of impossible ideas. Most of the time his stories were nearly accurate, with just a stretch of the truth to add dramatic effect