Prompt: The Little Mermaid, Eunsook x Junghee

When Eunsook first saw her, she was crouched under the rock, taking shield from the drizzle, head resting on her knees, long auburn hair the only thing that covered her skin. She was playing with the low tide that splashed upon her toes aperiodically, drawing in the sand and watching it vanish with the next wave.

Eunsook had stopped short at her sight, partially because it was a rarity for a young girl to be out in the open entirely bare. She forgot that fact the moment their eyes had met. She was odd-eyed- one eye a deep blue, like the sea, the other a russet brown, almost the shade of her hair. Her eyes were turbulent like the skies, and staring into them sent a shiver down her spine. Yet, Eunsook found those eyes calm a few moments later, found the girl avert her gaze, her little movement making her auburn locks shift to fall upon her eyes.

Eunsook blinked, tearing her gaze away, and she stripped herself off her cloak whilst she took a couple more steps to reach her side. She put it on the girl’s body and crouched by her side, uncaring that the hem of her gown would be drenched in the next wave.

The girl had been taken aback at Eunsook’s gesture yet she spoke nothing at all. She fiddled with the cloth with one arm, her eyes gaining curiosity. When she had satiated herself by examining the fabric, she snuggled into the cloak, returning to drawing in the sand.

Eunsook watched her fingers move, drawing something crude. She kept drawing a mermaid and kept watching the waves take that drawing away into the sea, to where the mermaid actually belonged.

Eunsook smiled at her drawings and began to draw with her as well.

She could not keep track of time, watching the waves take the two mermaids back away into the sea.

Eunsook had brought the girl with her to the castle- the castle of the man she was to wed. He was a prince with many a wife, but he was young, he was rich, he was indulgent. All he needed was support of nobility so he could be crowned heir. On the other hand, Eunsook’s father was old but powerful in court. He needed wealth and hence she became the excuse, the veil that concealed the illegitimate exchange between her father and the prince.

She had no objections, no reluctance of entering this marriage. She had been groomed such from when she was young, that she had to pay the debt of her upbringing by marrying whomever her father wished her to. She was strong-minded and would not have tolerated being forced to have given up her life like this if it had not been for the love she held for her father. She truly did care for her father, hence she rode with him to this castle, to maintain his pride, to aide his efforts, whatever they may be.

The prince had arranged her welcome properly despite being absent, filled her chamber with silks and jewels she cared not much about...not until she had brought the girl from the shore, helped her wash up, clothed and adorned her with her own hands. Her hair, so russet, so thick, the strands having the same smooth wave as the sea, brought out her sharp beauty and complemented that golden peach shade of her skin. Eunsook chose a deep blue gown for her, that matched her eyes well. She adorned her in pearls, outlined her unique eyes with kohl, colored her lips. She had never groomed herself this much, but somehow, she wanted to groom her well, to prove to herself that there was indeed beauty in her, the beauty that she had grasped at first glance, the beauty no one else could grasp if not elevated by these useless adornments.

She was quiet throughout, she just watched Eunsook, unafraid. Her eyes followed Eunsook’s every gesture with curiosity, but she did not move, did not react, did not satiate her curiosity, having understood that it was of importance if she remained patient.

When Eunsook shifted away from her view, her eyes settled on her reflection, making her eyes wide, making her gasp. She looked to Eunsook the next moment, her eyes soft, tears forming and threatening to fall.

Eunsook shook her head, told her to not cry, but she sobbed a little, soundlessly, the kohl running down her cheeks along with the tears.

She looked back to her reflection, only to flinch, her brows tensing as she touched the little black stream on her cheek. She turned to Eunsook, scared yet curious and Eunsook chuckled, gently wiping it off. “This is why you should not cry.”

Eunsook did not care from where the girl had come from because the girl herself could not convey that information. The story Eunsook was reciting to everyone to explain her presence was that she was the victim of a shipwreck, had survived and drifted to this shore, had suffered injuries that made her unable to speak and remember anything. Because of Eunsook’s serious and calm demeanor, everyone believed it in a heartbeat, showering the girl with sympathy.

Eunsook’s father had allowed her to be tutored and Eunsook sat by her side, watching her trying to learn how to speak again.

A few days passed and not a word had come out of . The tutors were making a scene and it angered Eunsook, seeing the girl flinch at their volume, sometimes unable to even understand what they were implying. She interfered and excused the tutors, facing the girl with tensed eyes. Thoughts were swimming in her head, and to prove them she pinched the girl’s arm, making sure it was only painful enough to incite a sound.

The girl’s mouth opened, she gasped, she shuddered in pain, tears began to brim her eyes.

Eunsook’s suspicions lay proven in that moment.

The girl had no voice.

Eunsook rubbed that painful spot gently and embraced her, her own eyes filling with pain, “I am sorry, I am sorry.” She whispered, “I am sorry for everything.”

The girl hugged her back, nuzzling into Eunsook, nodding, accepting her apology.

It had not taken long before Eunsook realized that the girl could understand everything, every word, unlike her previous misconception that there was a language barrier separating the two. It had never crossed Eunsook’s mind that maybe, the confusion, the reluctance, the unnatural curiosity in her came from a different perspective, from a constant “why?” she was probably asking herself, and not because she could not understand the language. Maybe, this way of living greatly differed from the one she was accustomed to, maybe she was being cautious for her own good, staying aloof, not involving in things she could not understand or trust. She only followed Eunsook and slowly after that embrace, she began to avidly react to Eunsook’s words. She would remain aloof and ignore others despite being able to understand them.

Eunsook let her be and did not ask her to extend her courtesies. She did not want the girl to lose her comfort, nor wanted to share this rapport with anyone else. Her friends were more a friend to her wealth than her person and it felt nice, having the undivided, selfless attention of someone. It felt nice, giving someone the same attention, watching them appreciate and need you. Eunsook felt a stronger urge to requit the girl’s attention and care, enough to alter her own lifestyle, her schedule, her thought process. She made sure the girl felt cared for and was attentive when speaking to her, asking her only questions that she could easily answer.

She began with her name, speaking sounds, noting down the ones that she nodded to. They often sat on the rocks at the shore doing the guesswork, feet only a couple of inches above the sand, waving in the air.  It took a few days but Eunsook had finally weaved together the correct sounds into her name.

Junghee.

“Junghee,” Eunsook whispered, liking how the soft breeze made the sounds of her name melodic. Junghee nodded excitedly hearing her name spoken and Eunsook turned to her, “It is pretty.”

Junghee’s excitement sobered into a shy smile, and she bowed her head slightly like she had seen Eunsook do, to respond to a compliment.

Bemused by her little smile, Eunsook poked Junghee’s cheek in fondness, smiling to herself playfully on seeing Junghee’s confused expression at her gesture. She slid down the rock and began walking, Junghee following her in confusion, expecting an explanation. Her frantic steps made her collide into Eunsook, but Eunsook chuckled and linked their arms, making her step to her side, making her match her gentle stride, making her enjoy the sea breeze.

Junghee’s curiosity calmed in that moment and she shifted closer to Eunsook. She looked down at their feet and smiled, watching how their feet left impressions in the sand harmoniously.

Eunsook’s wedding preparations had begun, and observing how Junghee was blending in, Eunsook’s father brought up the topic of getting Junghee married when they had met for tea.  Eunsook was taken aback- she had not thought that Junghee deserved that kind of life too- she could probably even hold a desire for it. Yet, her heart fell at the thought of her leaving, at the thought that Junghee’s attention no longer would be hers. She began to force herself to not think that way, to think of Junghee’s good, but before she could think any further, her father spoke a few words that riled her up immediately.

“She has no lineage or wealth, but her uncommon beauty does spark a desire in many eyes. A duke has promised me a good price for her hand.”

The cup Eunsook held cracked under her furious grip and she stood up, seething, “You have no right to sell her, to set a price on her. You have no right to use her for your gain. She is her own person, not like me, and I will make sure she will remain so.”

And she stormed away, feeling the sentiments she held for her father crack, her bleeding hand dripping a trail behind her.

Eunsook thought and thought, quietly watching Junghee’s fearful expression turn into worry instead upon witnessing a handmaiden clean and tie up her wound. She thought and she thought- her head was a mess- but there was one thing evident in both her mind and heart. She had disliked the way she felt, realizing that Junghee would leave her one day, realizing that it was not necessary for Junghee to give her the same interest that she did now. Junghee was lost, she was dependent, she was wading through untrusted waters, but she was slowly growing stronger. There will come a day when she would choose to let go, choose someone over her.

She wanted all that for Junghee, yet clearly did not want to lose her.

In that moment, Eunsook made a selfish decision. She convinced herself that it was for Junghee’s protection but it was truly for her own. She labeled Junghee, so that no one would touch her, no one would care she existed. She labeled Junghee so she had to be by her side, no matter what.

“My father is trying to get rid of you,” Eunsook spoke to her when the handmaiden had gone, “He sees you as an accessory, he wants to marry you off to an unknown man for riches, for power.” She paused, “If you become my handmaiden, no nobleman would want to associate with you...and you can stay close to me-”

Junghee frantically nodded and Eunsook bit her lip in guilt, looking away. Junghee smiled sadly, noticing Eunsook’s troubled eyes. When Eunsook finally found the courage to meet Junghee’s gaze, Junghee placed her finger on her lips gently, halting the words Eunsook was going to say. Eunsook swallowed her words, obeying her gesture. Junghee removed her finger and instead leaned ahead and pecked her lips. She returned to her position, smiling shyly, holding Eunsook’s uninjured hand, tracing her fingers around her knuckles.

Eunsook felt her entire existence rattle at that gesture, yet she was certain of one thing.

The emotion in her heart in this very moment- she did not dislike that at all.

Eunsook’s decision sent Junghee from a lavish chamber to servant quarters. Junghee had to wake before dawn, assist in chores before she could resume her actual duty. There were a few who bullied her, gave her a hard time, misdirected her, exposing her to chiding, all because they were jealous that she had Eunsook’s favor.

Eunsook spotted her calloused palms, little angry burns on her arms, her less excited stride, her haggard face, hazy eyes. Yet, she smiled brightly around Eunsook, and it ached her too much, watching someone so close to her heart, treated with even the slightest unjust.

When the prince, Eunsook’s fiance, finally graced the castle with his presence, the air was no longer relaxed. Maids scurried everywhere, everything had to be at the prince’s pace, everything had to be according to the prince’s preferences, everything had to be done within the time stated by him. There was a tensed pressure upon the staff, a nervous fear in their miens. Eunsook’s worry for Junghee increased, and she prayed that never she would catch the prince’s eye. He was known to be cruel, disrespectful, and imposing. She had accepted her fate to be linked with his, to suffer his flaws was her destiny and it would break her if Junghee ever came to suffer by his hands.

He met her a couple of days later for tea and Junghee stood behind her. She excused her, to not let her catch his eye, but she stood still, head raised, eyes fixated on him, a turbulence in them. Eunsook watched his eyes drift towards Junghee in interest and she panicked, her tone turning furious as she repeated her request to Junghee.

Junghee flinched, her eyes confounded and Eunsook realized she may have broken her resolution of always treating her an equal. As she walked away quietly, Eunsook felt suffocated, guilty, having trapped Junghee in a burdened life that was not even her’s in the first place.

In the night, before Junghee returned to her quarters, Eunsook halted her, approached her. Her head remained lowered, there was caution in her mien, a caution she had never worn around her. It broke Eunsook’s heart and she engulfed her in her arms, crying as she whispered the only words she could, regretful that those were the only words she could. “I am sorry.”

Her wedding day arrived. Eunsook held a burdened heart that day, that ached more so because it was Junghee who was grooming and adorning her for the ceremony. She was to come with her, be part of her new life, a life that she was prepared for, yet afraid of. She knew it was a mere exchange, the vows, the ceremony