There are no stars blanketing the earth. Solely, the moon lit the sky. It was cold. And it has been long since he visited his sanctuary; the cave just beneath the shore with raging waves hitting its hard big rocks. He knew something is not right. His eyes flickered. They are here. Two of them. But what are they doing here? He asked himself. Then he saw another being, a human. He held his breath upon seeing its face. The moon reflected her beauty. Her lips, her fine nose and tantalizing eyes. He looked some more and hid himself when the lady looked his way. What caught his eyes made him excited and enraged. The person’s earring. He was so sure. It was his black pearl. So she became a human. He thought darkly.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Il Woo.” Yeon Hee said relieved that nothing weird happened to her friend. She looked at him some more. She inspected if something is missing and when she was sure that there is nothing wrong with him, she hugged him tightly.

“I’m okay.” Il Woo soothed her. “Dara?” he asked.

“At the cave.”

They swam together to meet Dara. She was already waiting at the cave. Her beauty was very mesmerizing and Il Woo can’t help but to admire her. Yeon Hee looked away to keep herself from another pain.

Dara waved when she spotted them. They hugged each other making Dara somehow wet. But she liked the smell of the sea so she giggled feeling the specks of salt water from her dress.

“I got it princess.” Il Woo said proud of himself.

Dara smiled. She then caressed his face. Inside her mind, she was thinking of things that Il Woo might have given up making the witch fulfil his wish. Il Woo stopped her hands and held it for sometime before announcing, “I am fine. I am a brave and great warrior, am I not?”

Dara smiled and pinched his cheeks. She was then taken aback when Il Woo hugged her. She hugged him back. When they let go, Il Woo traced her face as if memorizing or remembering her every contour. Her eyes. Her nose. Her cheeks. Dara looked at Il Woo intently as much as Yeon Hee is doing. He seemed weird.

“What is wrong?” it was Yeon Hee.

“Nothing.” Il Woo choked and opened his eyes. “I just thought we might miss the princess after this night.”

Yeon Hee nodded. They might not meet Dara anymore, they have been forbidden to go meters away from the palace because the king has known Dara’s quest. And he was very disappointed and hurt.

Il Woo handed her the bottle of potion. It was gruesome. With some dark things floating.

Dara’s face turned dark. She felt her stomach sour. As if the things she have eaten might go spilling from without her permission. She looked away.

“It’s awful.” Yeon Hee too felt nauseated.

“Girls.” Il Woo commented. “Princess.” he urged her.

Dara closed her eyes tightly and swiftly drank the potion wetting .  

As she did, the sea became turbulent. The waves hitting the rocks became raging than ever. Yeon Hee hugged herself and found a shelter near a stable rock that was not as rough and barbed as the others.   

“Eww~” Dara bit her lips.

Yeon Hee’s eyes turned saucer hearing Dara’s voice again and hugged her bestfriend. “We made it!” she rejoiced.   

The raging sea calmed down and turned back to normal. Dara turned to find Il Woo to thank him, but he was nowhere to be found. Just then Yeon Hee screamed. “JUNG IL WOO!!!!”

Her eyes went big as the saucer as she saw the bloody Il Woo, his tail torn by the unforgiving rocks, his shoulders bruised from the raging waves. And from his head, gush of blood flowed ceaselessly.

Yeon Hee was about to hurt herself when Dara sternly stopped her. “Let me do it.” she commanded.

“But...” Yeon Hee cried.

“I have feet but I can still do it, I just made it with Lee Joon.”

Yeon Hee nodded helplessly.

Dara bit her finger and let her blood drop to where Il Woo has acquired his injuries. Slowly, the injuries healed on its own. He started to stir and opened his eyes. Dara cried at the sight. She slapped him so hard that it tired her. Yeon Hee too cried, yet silently. Il Woo smiled helplessly. He let Dara slap him. He know as much as it is painful for him, it also hurt her. But it is the only way he knows.

“Why?” she asked limping on his side. Yeon Hee also waited for his answer but she knew the real answer. Yet she wanted to hear whatever he has to say.

“To help you.” he weakly said.   

“No.” she wept.  

Dara wiped her tears and dabbed the wet thing on Il Woo’s eyes. “It’s okay.” he mumbled.  

“No.” she said calmly. His eyes slowly regained it spark, but the life has not come back. The once fearless eyes. It was gone.

Dara tried again and again and again. But it just won’t do. She can’t lift the curse. She cried and bit her finger but was stopped midway by Il Woo. “Just do me a favour, make him fall inlove with you, or everything will be in vain princess.”

Dara calmed down. She held his face and kissed him on his eyes. “I promise.”