February 5th, 2014

“See you tomorrow, Kim Seonsaeng!”

Joonmyun grinned and waved at a group of male students who was on their way to exit the classroom, followed by a smaller group of female students. He also smiled and waved at the second group but the gesture was only replied by a brief polite nod. The young teacher could only chuckle—ever since he announced his plan of getting married, he noticed that most of his female students (and some of his female colleagues) had distanced themselves from him. It was pretty understandable, though, because probably more than half the female population in the school had crush on him. Some of his students even sent him love letter during his first two months working and sometimes Joohyun still brought it up to .

Speaking of their engagement, both of them had agreed to have a summer wedding thus they would be getting married most probably in June. They already started planning everything since last week. Joonmyun’s study at Seoul National University would be starting next month so he still had plenty of time to adapt to his new schedule and prepare for the wedding at the same time.

Miyoung was pretty much ecstatic and excited to hear about their engagement while the same thing couldn’t be said about her husband. From Siwon’s facial expression after they broke the news to him, Joonmyun was almost sure the taller man was ready to punch him. But on the next second he found the older man hugging him really tight and even sobbing in his shoulder, mumbling something about taking good care of his baby cousin.

His family members were also more than happy to hear the news, especially his cousins who decided to show their support and excitement in a rather painful way. Jongin immediately tackled him and engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug while Jongdae screamed loudly near his ears, “I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU GOT THE BALLS TO PROPOSE. CONGRATULATIONS, JOONMYUNNIE HYUNG.”

However, although he was deeply touched by the supports he got, it was almost nothing compared to his grandfather’s early wedding gift.

The memory of his grandfather and his overwhelming gift instantly filled his chest with a surge of affection and warm feelings towards the old man. For quite some time he couldn’t wait to tell—or rather show—the said gift to Joohyun, knowing very well that his soon-to-be wife would be more than thrilled even just to know about it. But they had been busy for the past week and Joonmyun still had to find a better time to tell her and—

His thought was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Joonmyun looked up and he nearly couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the girl he was currently thinking of was now standing in the doorway, looking refreshingly beautiful in her winter coat and bright smile.

“Joohyun!” he immediately stood up and walked over to her. “Why—why are you here?”

“Surprise!” she giggled and gave him a peck on his cheek. “A group of students near the front gate told me I could find you here so here I am. From the way they looked at me it seems like the whole school already know who I am, huh? Aigoo, as expected from the popular Kim Seonsaengnim.”

Joonmyun was still in a dazed state that he couldn’t even find a word to reply her teasing remark. It was definitely a pleasant surprise to have her here, standing before him in his class room, especially when he was already thinking about arrange a meeting with her soon. “You—you’re really here! Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

Joohyun smiled and her cheeks turned pink. “I … missed you. And I thought it was a good idea to give you an impromptu visit. I hope you don’t mind—”

“Not at all! I just—uh, I just need to tidy up my stuffs before going home.”

“Nothing important you have to work overtime for?”

“No no no, don’t worry,” Joonmyun gulped, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. “And ... I also want to tell—show you something.”

“Great!” Joohyun beamed and lightly pinched his nose. “I’ll be waiting in the hallway, okay? Don’t make me wait too long, Kim Seonsaengnim.”

It took less than five minutes for Joonmyun to settle his belongings before they left the school, holding hands. They didn’t talk much on their way, only chatted about how their day was, and Joonmyun noticed that something seemed to be bothering his girlfriend. She tried to conceal it but he could tell that she seemed a bit restless.

“Is everything okay?” he finally asked.

Joohyun was contemplating for a while. “I—actually have something to tell you as well.”

“I’m all ears then. What is it?”

“I will tell you later at dinner,” she quickly replied. “By the way where are we going?”

They both had arrived at the bus stop and they intentionally missed the bus he usually took after work and boarded another one instead.

He grinned. “You’ll know when we get there.”

“Are we going to your uncle’s restaurant?” she asked when they got off at a familiar bus stop. But then they walked into a nearby residential area instead of the usual path to the restaurant. “No? Where are you taking me?”

Joonmyun didn’t answer immediately. While his eyes were busily watching houses and street boards they passed, his feet gradually brought them closer and closer to their destination. “Joohyun, what do you think about this neighborhood?”

“This area?” she looked around. “I’ve never been here before but this area seems convenient since it’s not far from the police station and subway. The houses also look nice. Oh, and there is a nice playground and park over there! I don’t know why but playgrounds and parks always give me good feelings.”

“I understand,” he replied. “I grew up here.”

“Really? So your grandparents used to live here?”

“Nope.” He stopped in front of a familiar house and the faint memories of his childhood came to him. “This was my parents’ house.”

The two-story house was located near the playground mentioned earlier. It wasn’t huge—its wall was painted white and the bronze colored roof looked bright under the scarlet sunset. Surrounded by small but neat garden, the house totally looked beautiful and homey.

“It’s such a beautiful house,” Joohyun sighed. “It must be really nice to live here.”

“I can’t believe it still looks almost exactly the same as the day I left it after my parents’ funeral,” Joonmyun said. He then pointed at one of the windows on the upper floor. “That used to be my room! I remember I asked Appa to paint the walls blue and red because I was kinda obsessed to Superman at the time. And we also had a small library upstairs near my room, pretty sure the current occupants are using the room for another purpose—”

Joohyun spent the next minutes listening to her boyfriend reminiscing his childhood in the house and neighborhood. It seemed like he had so many beautiful memories with his deceased parents in this house and she was thankful for it.

“Too bad the current occupants are still here so we can’t go in and look around now,” said Joonmyun. “But Harabeoji said their contract will expire later this month and they will move out soon. Let’s come here again and maybe we can start planning everything like the color of the walls and how we are going to decorate the master bedroom and the kitchen and—”

“Wait, what did you just say?” she quickly interrupted, eyes widening. “Are you saying that we are going to live here after we got married?”

Joonmyun smiled and tightened his grip on Joohyun’s hand. He was silent for a moment before answering her question, eyes still on his childhood home. “After my parents passed away and I moved out to live with my grandparents, I thought Harabeoji had sold this house to his close friend or relative. But turned out I was wrong.

For years he rented out this house. Some people had offered to buy it for a high price but Harabeoji always turned them down. He said he couldn’t sell this house because he never owned the house thus he could only put it on lease.”

He paused before proceeding, “Two days after I told my family about our wedding plan, Harabeoji brought me here and—” he pulled out something that looked like savings book from his bag and handed it to Joohyun, “—he gave me this. This is the money he earned from renting the house for years. He never used it because he had been saving it for my future, he said. And now that I’m getting married he thought it was the right time to give it to me—to us—along with the house.” His voice choked with emotion at the end.

Tears also welled up in Joohyun’s eyes. “Oh, Joonmyun.”

“Anyway,” he chuckled awkwardly, “this means we don’t have to look for an apartment anymore. Well, unless you still want to look for other options.”

“Of course no,” Joohyun hugged him tightly and sniffed into his shirt. “I’m in love with this house already. I really, really do. This is definitely the best wedding gift I could ever dream of. I—I don’t even know what to say. Let’s arrange a dinner with Harabeoji and Halmeoni so I can thank them properly. Oh, I don’t even know if I can thank them enough for this wonderful gift.”

“Well, for a start you can thank them by giving their grandson a kiss,” Joonmyun playfully leaned forward only to earn a smack on his arm. “Ouch! Someone is being not so generous today.”

“Merong,” his girlfriend stuck out her tongue. But then her expression turned serious. “Joonmyun, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Joohyun inhaled slowly. “I’ve been thinking to quit my job soon.”

It didn’t really surprise him since he had long known that working in her father’s huge company wasn’t her long-term plan. “Why the sudden?”

“You know I occasionally sent my short story to be published in children magazines, right? The responses I received were always nice thus I already feel satisfied with this. I mean I guess I could go on like this: working at the company during the day and writing stories in my spare time to be sent to magazines. But then a couple of days ago I got this ... phone call.”

She was silent for a while and Joonmyun found himself feeling a bit excited and worried at the same time. “And?”

“It was one of the editors from Donghwa Publisher, Kim Ryeowook. Turned out he was Siwon oppa’s old acquaintance from college and that was how he reached me,” she continued. “He is one of my frequent readers—his nephew apparently is a fan of my stories—and he said he had been wanting to contact me for a while. He ... wanted to offer me something.

“He and his colleagues are having this project for the next Children’s Day. They want to publish a book of contemporary fairy tales written by selected authors and they—”

“They want you to be one of the authors,” Joonmyun finished her sentences, excitement and joy welled up in his chest. “Please don’t tell me you turned the offer down.”

“I did not!” she cried out, laughing. “How could I? I told him I would consider it and give him a call tomorrow. I’m sure I’m going to accept it, Joonmyun, it’s just—”

She looked a bit troubled so Joonmyun squeezed her hand gently. “You’re not sure if you can handle working and writing at the same time?”

“Yes,” she answered. “Ryeowook-ssi said they already decided the concept and illustrators and everything, and I had to submit my story before April. I really want to focus more on this project since this could be my chance—my first step to become a professional author. You understand, right?”

“Of course I do,” Joonmyun brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “But please promise me you won’t tire yourself. We still have a wedding and new house to prepare. I will always help you with everything but just promise me to take care of your health.”

The smile she gave him afterwards was faltered a bit but she sounded very much relieved and steady when she said, “I promise.”

He smiled and caressed her cheek. “I have your words, then. Now, are you hungry? You love Japanese food, right? There’s a small but very nice restaurant near here. Or do you want to eat at my uncle’s?”

“Anything is fine,” Joohyun smiled. But she still didn’t move even when her boyfriend started pulling her away. “Joonmyun, actually … there is still one more thing.”

“What is it?”

She bit her lips. “My father wants to meet you this weekend.”

And Joonmyun could feel his stomach sank to a bottomless hole.

***

February 8th, 2014

Joonmyun had always known he was a charmer ever since he was little. His grandparents always said that he had the special gift of making people like him. He was definitely good-looking. He was always polite and thoughtful to others, especially the older ones. He also knew how to deliver his words very well. That was why almost all people around him could be effortlessly charmed by him.

But today he wasn’t sure of that anymore.

He was currently sitting in a private dining room inside one of the fanciest traditional Korean restaurants in the area. A neatly dressed man in his middle 40s was sitting right across him. The man had been nothing but calm and fairly friendly towards him throughout the lunch but Joonmyun noticed that the he also had been closely watching his replies and behavior since the beginning. It was very intimidating.

He was Seo Jungwoo, Joohyun’s father.

As Joohyun had mentioned before, the man was the one who proposed this meeting. It’s about time anyway, Joonmyun thought. He had mentioned to Joohyun months before how he’d like to meet her father but the said man was always too busy to meet him.

Or maybe he thought Kim Joonmyun wasn’t that worth his time. Not before he proposed to his daughter, at least.

The lunch went really well until suddenly Joohyun’s father announced that he had asked Miyoung to come to the restaurant and accompany Joohyun for a while, while he chatted further with Joonmyun. Of course they both knew it was his not-so-subtle way to shoo his daughter so that he could speak alone with his future son-in-law. And of course Joonmyun couldn’t do anything about it while Joohyun shot him an apologetic and encouraging look before leaving the restaurant with her cousin-in-law.

“So,” Joohyun’s father cleared his throat, “I guess since we’ve done with the introductions and meals we can start a ... more serious talk. In fact this is the main reason why I invited you here today.”

“I’m aware of that, Sir,” Joonmyun politely replied, silently preparing his whole being for whatever he would be facing after this.

“I’m a quite straightforward person, Kim Joonmyun-ssi, so please forgive me for directly asking this,” he looked at the young man straight in the eyes. “What is your real intention in marrying my daughter?”

Joonmyun had expected something worse nevertheless the question still stung. Trying to be as calm as possible, he replied, “I love your daughter dearly, Sir, and I have no other intention than to make her, and also myself, happy with this marriage.”

“How can you be so sure about that? If I’m not mistaken, you just started seeing each other only a couple of months ago.”

“I acknowledge we haven’t known each other for too long but it doesn’t make me love her—or want to marry her—any less. This may sounds cliche, Sir, but I need her in my life and I don’t want anyone other than her to be my wife.”

“What’s with the rush, then? I know my daughter pretty well to know that this isn’t a shotgun wedding but I don’t get why she has to get married this soon.” His tone started to rise a bit but it didn’t go unnoticed by Joonmyun.

“Both of us had agreed not to wait any longer because we felt there was no point in putting off something that is bound to happen.”

Joohyun’s father was silent for a moment. “I’ve tried to find information about you, Joonmyun-ssi. I can tell that you’re a bright young man from a decent family and I sincerely congratulate you for your master’s scholarship at SNU. Your family must be very proud of you.”

Joonmyun smiled out of politeness. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Yesterday,” the older man continued, “Joohyun told me she would submit her resignation letter on Monday. She explained to me that she wants to pursue her dream as a writer. I’ll be honest with you, even though I know she writes very well I still can’t fully understand that particular dream of hers. But we had argued a lot regarding this matter years ago and I don’t want to have another argument with her so I have no choice than just let her be.

“Forgive me, Joonmyun-ssi, I have no intention to offend you, much less degrade you, but please allow me to ask this. Are you confident that you can support both of you with your current earnings, considering she is quitting her job soon?”

Joohyun never actually told him but Joonmyun knew who her father was. Seo Jungwoo owned the third largest retail company in South Korea and it made him a quite renowned millionaire in business world. Of course such person would be concerned about his only daughter’s welfare after marriage, especially if the suitor wasn’t someone from the same social status.

“My salary as high school teacher won’t allow us to live a glamorous life but we have saved quite a lot and I’m sure you are already aware that Joohyun is far from being extravagant—”

“Yes, of course I’m aware of that and no, that’s not my main concern,” he interrupted, looking slightly upset. He then sipped his tea slowly and stayed silent for a while, clearly trying to regain his composure. “My Joohyun, she has a rather … unique physical condition.”

Oh.

Joohyun’s father put down his cup with a subtle clink that sounded a bit too loud for Joonmyun. He took a deep breath before continued, “I’m sure you must have known about her heart condition so I don’t have to explain it further. I’m not really worrying about her medical expenses—we got it covered by insurance.”

He paused. “She ... she is the only one I have after I lost her mother years ago, Joonmyun-ssi, and even though you seem nice, I can’t just entrust my fragile daughter to a stranger who she has known for only a couple of months. Forgive me.”

“I understand, Sir,” said Joonmyun slowly.

“I’m not going to forbid this relationship or marriage, if that is what you’re worried about. But I’m not fully support it either for the reason I’ve mentioned. I hope you understand.”

“Yes, I do,” Joonmyun replied. “But I will still tell you this, Sir, that I will do anything within my power to take care of and make your daughter happy.”

“You better,” the older man answered briefly. He glanced at his cell phone. “Miyoung and Joohyun are already on their way back here. Someone must’ve been worrying her boyfriend.” He chuckled slightly but there was no humor in it. A while later he told Joonmyun that he had another important thing to attend so he couldn’t wait until her daughter arrived. After wishing the younger man a good day and paying for the meal he quickly exited the restaurant.

Joonmyun thought this might be the first obstacle in marrying Joohyun.

***

March 14th, 2014

It was after he finished his evening class at the university when he checked his phone and saw numbers of missed calls and unread messages. He had just started his master’s classes last week and now he was currently having a busy time in balancing his activities that he barely had time to check his phone.

Thank God it’s Friday, he thought before checking the missed calls. All of them were from Siwon and Miyoung—

—and he nearly dropped his phone after he read the messages.

Joohyun fainted and she was admitted to SNU Hospital. Call me after you read this message.

Where are you? Why aren’t you answering?

Joonmyun-ah, this is Miyoung. Are you still in class? Call me or Siwon after you’re done, okay?

He stopped reading and started running. He barely remembered how he got himself a taxi but less than half an hour later he found himself frantically walking down the hospital hallway towards a worried-looking Siwon.

“How—how is she? What happened?” Stay calm, Joonmyun, stay calm.

“She hasn’t been feeling well since morning, thus she suddenly fainted in the afternoon,” replied Siwon. “Doctor said it was probably due to fatigue and they need to examine her condition further to … decide whether she should undergo a surgery or not.”

Joonmyun’s knees went weak. “Can I—can I see her?”

“Sure, her father and Miyoung are inside with Dr. Lee. She is already awake,” replied Siwon. He must had been able to read Joonmyun’s mind because he later gave him a pat on his back and said, “Don’t be too harsh on yourself, this is not anyone’s fault. Just stay by her side, she needs you.”

Joonmyun’s throat tightened at the supportive words. He could only nod at Siwon before opening the door to Joohyun’s treatment room. His heart ached when he saw her lying on the white bed, looking pale and fragile.

Her face broke into a bright, wide smile when she saw him. “Joonmyun, you’re here!”

He managed to crack a weak smile and nodded politely at Miyoung, who was sitting next to the bed, and also at Joohyun’s father who was standing near the window with a man in white coat who must had been the doctor. He tried to shake off the bitter feeling he felt when Seo Jungwoo didn’t seem to acknowledge his presence. Shortly after, the older man bid goodbye to everyone in the room—him excluded—saying something about attending a meeting in an hour and kissed his daughter’s forehead before leaving.

Joonmyun reached the bed and sat on the chair next to it. He gently took Joohyun’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” she replied, still smiling widely.

Miyoung cleared . “Now that the prince has finally arrived, I shall leave the two of you alone.” She then left the room with the doctor, winking at Joonmyun in the process.

Silence enveloped the two after the door closed. He didn’t know what to say since there were too many things in his head and chest so he stayed quiet instead. His thumb absent-mindedly caressed the back of her hand.

“Hey,” Joohyun nudged him. “Say something.”

He looked at her pale face and his chest tightened at how her smile still looked beautiful as ever. “I’m sorry.”

“Why—”

“I should’ve taken better care of you dan helped you more for our wedding preparations.”

“No, Joonmyun—”

“I’ve promised your father that I will take care of you but I’ve failed and—and we’re not even married yet.”

“Joonmyun!” Joohyun abruptly interrupted, holding his hand tightly. “This isn’t your fault, okay? It’s mostly mine, I—I slept really late for the past weeks regardless I had to go to several places on the next day. You did your best in reminding me not to but I didn’t heed it. So please,” she nearly whispered, “don’t—don’t blame yourself.”

Joonmyun slowly placed his hand on her cheek and caressed it. “But I can only blame myself, Princess. I can’t help but thinking what if—what if this happens again in the future and I can’t even protect you—”

He trailed his sentence and both of them fell silent. For a full minute the only sounds that could be heard inside the room were their own breathing and the clock ticking. Joonmyun didn’t even dare to look at her.

It was her who finally broke the silence. “I was born with a—a different heart. No matter how hard they tried to fix it with surgeries, mine would still be different and I have to live with that. And sadly, so does people around me,” her voice was slightly trembling but she didn’t cry. “I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into this situation but no one can fully guarantee that it won’t happen again in the future, Joonmyun, and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s—it’s not too late if you want to back out—”

Her words stung him hard that he immediately rose from his seat and hugged her tightly. “No! Oh my gosh, Joohyun, I’m not—it’s not—you’ve misunderstood. I’m never backing out from you, from us. It never even crossed my mind so please don’t ever think like that.”

“So you’re not regretting your decision to stick around me for a longer time?” she snuggled into his arms.

“I’m more than willing to stick around for the longest time,” he promised. “But I do think we need to postpone our wedding date, Princess. At least to give us more time for your recovery and the wedding preparation.”

“Do we really have to?” Joohyun pouted.

He laughed and pinched her nose fondly. “Yes, we do. And cut that aegyeo, it won’t work this time. You need to listen to me better and stop being stubborn, you hear me?”

“I guess I have no choice, then,” she sighed dramatically and lay back down on the pillow. “Anyway I have a good news for you!”

“Which is?”

“I’ve submitted my story to Ryeowook-ssi last night,” she beamed. “Means I got one less thing to take care of.”

“I don’t know if I should congratulate or scold you because the story was most likely the main cause of your lack of rest for the past weeks,” said Joonmyun. “But still, congratulation. People will surely love it.”

Joohyun scooted to her right and patted the empty side of her bed. “Here, lie here. I will tell you more about my story.”

He obeyed—hesitantly at first—and soon enough he got really comfortable with their new position: him sitting on the bed with her snuggling into his side sleepily while talking about her latest story. And he kept listening intently until her voice grew softer and softer and completely disappeared.

Smiling, he glanced at his future wife who was now fast asleep on his shoulder. He carefully fixed her sleeping position so that she lay down comfortably on the bed before kissing her forehead. He felt content now that he was finally able to be on her side and watch her sleeping peacefully, but then he recalled why she was lying here at first place and his heart ached again.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a long kiss onto the warm skin.

Please get well soon, Princess.

***

March 20th, 2014

True to her words—and much to everyone’s relief—Joohyun’s condition improved rapidly within a few days. Dr. Lee, her doctor, was pretty much impressed with this fact. After some examinations he finally announced that there was no surgery needed and Joohyun could go home on Sunday.

Joonmyun of course was ecstatic. It had been an exhausting week for him: teaching in the day, taking classes in the evening, and visiting the hospital at night (Joohyun had scolded him not to visit her every day), but it all paid off at the end of the week.

He had no class on Thursday so after completing his work at school he went straight to hospital. He had just arrived at the lobby when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turned out it was Dr. Lee, smiling warmly at him.

“Hello again, young man,” he greeted. “It is somewhat unusual to see you here at this hour. No class?”

Joonmyun bowed and smiled back. He had always liked the friendly man. “Yes, I don’t have class on Thursdays so here I am now.”

“Do you have a few minutes? I was actually heading to cafetaria to grab a cup of tea and I’d be happy if I could use your company.”

Sensing that the doctor probably had a word or two for him—most probably regarding Joohyun—he quickly agreed. Dr. Lee must had sense his uneasiness because he laughed, “What’s with the sudden gloominess? Don’t worry, I have no bad news or anything, I just want to have a little chat with you.”

Joonmyun was relieved and embarrassed at the same time so he just laughed with the older man before following him to the cafetaria. Accompanied by two cups of hot tea, they calmly sat on a table near the window.

“I want to thank you, actually,” the doctor told him. “Joohyun got better in no time and I believe it’s because of you.”

“Eh? What did I do? I should be the one thanking you.”

Dr. Lee sipped his tea. “Joohyun’s father and I have been friends since high school and I’ve been Joohyun’s doctor since the first time she came here. In short they are like family to me and I love her dearly like I’d do to my own niece. I know her so well, Joonmyun-ssi, and I think you are really good for her.”

He said it so earnestly that Joonmyun was somewhat flustered.

“I’ve known her since she was still a toddler and she has always been a bright, happy kid—yes, even with her illness—but she had never been this … glowing before. She is totally in love and happy with you, Joonmyun-ah, I can see that. And I just witnessed how this affects her physical condition. Not only as her doctor, but also as someone who cares and loves her like my own niece, I really want to thank you.”

Joonmyun was literally blushing now and he didn’t know how he should respond. “I—uh, I really didn’t—well, you’re welcome, Sir.”

Dr. Lee burst out laughing. “I can see that you’re equally in love with her. So please treat her well, will you?”

“Yes, Sir, I will.”

The doctor’s expression turned serious. “I also know about your wedding plan so I have to ask you this. With her heart conditions, there is always possibility for her not strong enough to bear a child. Will you still accept and love her even then?”

Joonmyun had to pause for a while to think about the answer. The possibility had crossed his mind once—he even asked for his Minseok samchon’s advices—but the thought of spending the rest of his life with only Joohyun surprisingly didn’t make him dither.

“To me she is enough. She is more than enough.”

His answer sounded full of confidence that it even surprised him. But at the same time he felt relieved. Admitting out loud that Seo Joohyun was the best thing that ever happened in his life somehow cleared the remaining doubts in his heart.

He really couldn’t wait for their future together.

***

It was past midnight when a dark figure quietly slipped out through the window of her room. The whole underwater kingdom was already asleep and the night watchmen were currently in the other wing but she still swam as careful as she could, just in case her father had assigned someone to watch her. He was still pretty much upset at her, after all.

Father would never understand, she thought sadly, no one would.

No one shared the same pain with her. They had no idea how suffocating, how painful it was to not being able to be with someone they loved. No one would understand her.

Because no one ever fell in love with a human before.

Her father was beyond furious when she told him yesterday. He immediately sent her to her room and forbade her out until she changed her mind and regretted her decision.

“But it’s not my decision to fall in love with him! How can I change my heart? How can I regret something that I didn’t do, something that is ... beautiful?” the young mermaid cried in silence.

She kept swimming in the shadows before she finally saw the gate. No guards in sight. Her freedom was near.

But suddenly—

“Princess?”

The mermaid snapped out from her hiding place and nearly hit the reef behind her. She was ready for the worst possibility she had to face before she could escape, probably involving the small blade hidden in her tail and—

“Wait, Princess, it’s me.”

She could recognize the other mermaid as one of her loyal maids. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw you from the window of the castle,” she replied. “Princess, don’t go.”

The said princess didn’t answer so the maid still urged, “I’m sure your father will understand if we try to explain to him or—”

“It’s not about my father. It’s—I need to go. I have to.”

The maid had known the princess for decades and she had never seen her this determined before. “Why?”

“Because when you fall in love, your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. It’s really suffocating inside here,” she put her palm on her chest, right above her beating heart. “It keeps telling me to go to him. To be with him. So please, please let me go.”

The older mermaid held the younger’s hands tightly. A single tear rolled down her cheeks. “Does this mean I can’t see you again?”

“Of course you can!” the princess hugged her maid. “After I found a way to become a human, I won’t live far from the sea. We can always meet at the bay before sunset. Okay?”

“I’m going to miss you, Princess.”

The princess was now crying as well. “Me too. I’m also going to miss everyone, especially my father, even when he will never understand my decision.”

“Promise me that you will live happily.”

“I promise,” she pulled the maid who was like her own sister for a hug one last time before swimming quickly through the gate, leaving everything behind her.

A/N: hello, guys! hopefully you still remember this fic, LOL. and I know it's kinda late but HAPPY NEW YEAR! :3