Taemin clutched the small bag of coins in the pockets of his breeches as he wormed his way through the crowd. He stood on his tippy toes and craned his neck over the sea of heads, searching for the herbalist’s stall and trying not to be swept away by the bodies moving past him. He let out a hiss of pain when a man stepped on his cloth shoes. He didn’t expect an apology, and he didn’t get one.

“Fresh trout! Live crab! Get your cod here!”

“Powdered mermaid bones—crushed just this morning! Men, the perfect gift for your women!”

Taemin ignored the merchants pushing scarves and wicker baskets into his face; he walked past stalls selling candied fruits and freshly baked pastries with great difficulty. Market days were torturous like that: he could only imagine himself buying a new pair of shoes or could only part his mouth in an effort to taste smoked meat on his tongue.

He let out a little scream of surprise when he felt grimy fingers wrapping around his wrist. He yanked hard, but the fingers held him in an iron-tight grip and he found himself face-to-face with sallow cheeks and cracked lips.

“You look like you could use a bit more muscle,” the man said, eyeing him up and down. “I have just the thing for you. Mermaid fins, the real deal. Good for vitality and fertility too.”

Taemin prised the man’s fingers from his wrists and wiped his hands on his shirt. The oil still lingered on his skin.

“Insulting me isn’t going to make me buy your goods.” Even as he said those words, Taemin’s eyes found mermaid fins laid out on boxes filled with crushed ice. He glanced over the mermaid parts in various states of decomposition: scales to heal shallow wounds, blood to ensure bountiful harvests, hearts to cure even the most fatal of ailments.

Taemin shook his head to clear his thoughts. As much as he liked the idea of merfolk fins providing a quick fix to his lack of muscle tone, he didn’t have the money to spare. Without another word, he pushed his way through the masses.

He ignored the man calling out to him, “No self-respecting woman wants a twiggy boy.”

“Shut up,” Taemin grumbled under his breath. “I hear it enough. I don’t need you telling me that too.”

He finally came upon the herbalist stall, reluctantly parting with his hard-earned coins in exchange for a tiny jar of pastel green cream.

As he made his way home, he couldn’t help but wonder if he made the right decision, if he was just setting himself up to be yelled at. It seemed as though many, if not all, of his efforts to be a caring son were wasted. The feeling of anxiety only increased with every step he took towards his home.

He closed the wooden door to his house behind him and padded softly upstairs to his mother’s room. He knocked once, then meekly poked his head inside.

“What is it now?” his mother asked, voice cold and detached. She did not look up from her spinning wheel. Taemin felt himself wilt beneath her indifference. His mother was not in a good mood today. He was tempted to just say ‘nothing’ and leave, but he knew it would only make his mother more angry.

“I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday,” Taemin said, pushing the door open and stepping into her room. He stopped at her side, the smooth glass of the cream.

His mother stopped working. She looked up at him and blinked, and Taemin realised that she had forgotten. He cleared his throat and held out the small jar towards her.

“I bought you a soothing cream for your sores,” he said. “I know you’re always talking about them and how they don’t heal because you’re sitting all the time, so I thought—”

“How much was this?”

“Only 21 fons,” Taemin mumbled, eyes dropping to the floor. He wondered why he thought it would be a good idea to get his mother a gift.

“Only 21 fons?” his mother repeated sharply. “Do you have any idea how long it takes me to make 21 fons? It takes three days of work!”

“I know, but I thought it would be worth it since you’re always in so much pain,” Taemin tried to reason.

“And why do you think that is?” his mother demanded. When Taemin said nothing, she continued, “Because you waste whatever money I earn on useless things like this!”

His mother clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned back to her work. “You would have been better off spending the money on rice. Use your brain for once.” She fell silent after that, and Taemin took it as a sign to leave.

Taemin dragged his feet out of the house, fists clenched at his side. Of course his mother wouldn’t appreciate anything he did for her. She complained about the lesions on her backside and legs—a result of sitting for hours weaving—every night without fail, but should he or his brother Taesun try to remedy it, she would yell at them for wasting money or time that could be spent working.

* * *

Taemin entered the tavern through a heavy wooden door. Taemin wrinkled his nose as the smell of fish, sweat, and unbathed bodies invaded his nostrils. He sighed, knowing that he would be expected to work past his usual hours without recompense. The tavern was packed full with fishermen and merchants. Strangers and friends alike crowded around long tables, sharing ale and stories of voyages at sea and the riches witnessed. All the stools at the bar were occupied and there were demands for more ale, but the barman managed to flash Taemin a welcoming grin all the same.

“Taemin! Good thing you’re here—the washrooms need to be cleaned!” the tavern’s owner yelled from behind him.

“It’s not my job to clean the washrooms!” Taemin yelled back, slipping his head through his apron as he made his way to the back of the kitchen.

“It is now if you want to keep working here,” his boss said. “Now hurry up, or I’ll dock your pay.”

Taemin bit down on his tongue, but that didn’t stop him from glaring at his boss as he turned away from the kitchens and made a beeline for the cleaning materials. He grabbed a bucket and a toilet brush and stomped his way to the back of the tavern.

“Watch your attitude, kid,” the owner warned, narrowing his eyes.

He was on edge from talking with his mom earlier, and now to make the day even worse, he was stuck wiping away stains. He would have loved to quit—god, what he would give to throw a bucket full of waste at his boss—but his family needed the money and work at the tavern was already irregular at best. There were times when he came home with leftover food rather than coins as pay.

Taemin scrubbed half-heartedly knowing that the toilets would be dirty again soon enough and that he would be asked to clean them once more. He didn’t bother washing his hands before returning to work. The entire tavern could get sick for all he cared; it served his boss right. If they didn’t have so many customers, then the amount of work Taemin had to do would finally be worth his wage.

“Hey, Taemin! That one’s for table three.” The cook nodded towards the plate of steamed mussels before turning back to the stove.

“Alright, thanks,” Taemin said. Picking up the plate in one hand and a trio of beer mugs in the other, Taemin weaved through the tables, light on his toes and careful to avoid chair legs and protruding elbows. He made his way towards the table where a lean man and his stockier companion were seated.

“—I told him not to look, but the boy was too curious for his own good.” The man briefly nodded in thanks when Taemin set his order down on the table. Taemin lingered behind them, curiosity piqued. One of his favourite things about working in the tavern was hearing stories about pirates and sea monsters and treasures beyond value.

“He thought he would be immune to the sea witch’s voice, but no man can resist their call,” the man scoffed, throwing back half of his beer in one swig. “He jumped overboard. We caught him in our fishing nets a few days later, or we thought it was him anyways. Hard to tell, because the devils had stripped off all his skin.”

The man sitting across from him nodded, prising open a mussel shell and slurping up the meat with a smack. “The seabeasts have been more actively lately.”

Taemin shuddered at how common the occurrence of sailors abandoning ship because of merfolk must have been in order for the men to talk about it so conversationally.

“It’s been getting harder and harder to recruit. Not too many folks are willing to put themselves in that sort of danger. Increasing wages doesn’t seem to do much.”

Taemin perked up when he heard the man mention the need for new crew members. “Um, excuse me, sir. I couldn’t help but overhear you were recruiting…”

The lean man turned towards him with a raised brow. “What of it?”

“I was wondering if you would consider hiring me.”

Both Taemin and the man ignored the stockier male’s snort of amusement. Still, the man ran his eyes over Taemin’s body, looking none too impressed. “You’re a bit scrawny. We expect each crew member to be able to carry his own weight.”

Taemin scowled. “I’m stronger than I look.”

The man shrugged. “If you say so,” he said, sounding rather unconvinced and Taemin bristled. “Got any experience sailing on open waters or fishing?”

“No, but I can cook and clean and I’m a hard worker,” Taemin said, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. He felt terribly inadequate, but he didn’t have much to offer in terms of experience.

“I don’t doubt it, but it ain’t easy work.”

“I don’t expect it to be,” Taemin said without missing a beat.

“Look, I’ll put in a word for you with our captain—”

Taemin brightened immediately. “Oh, thank you, sir!” He gave a small bow. Any job would pay more than his current one, and at the very least, his mother and Taesun would have to worry about one less mouth to feed.

“Don’t go around acting like you’ve got the position already,” the man huffed. “I’m only doing this because we’re short handed, but whatever you’re imagining, it’s going to be a hell of a lot worse. You could die.”

“Taemin!” the owner bellowed and the chattering died away to silence. “Get back to work! I’m not paying you to stand around and breathe.”

“Okay!” Taemin yelled over his shoulder before turning back to the man. “Where can I find you?”

“Will you be working here tomorrow?”

“I hope so.”

“I’ll drop by around sunset,” the man said. “Name’s Jinki, by the way.” Jinki held out his hand and Taemin took it, pumping it up and down in a firm handshake.

Jinki snorted in amusement. “No need to squeeze so hard. It’s not a competition,” he said and Taemin flushed. When the tavern’s owner called out ‘Taemin’ again, he said, “You better get back to work. You wouldn’t want to lose your job. I can’t guarantee you a position.”

* * *

Taemin arrived home as night was beginning to fall, a small sack of potatoes growing sprouts slung over his shoulder and a few coins jingling in his pockets.

He made his way to the kitchen, finding his mother and brother already eating supper. They sat on opposing ends of a red oak table with intricate designs etched into the wood—a constant reminder of their past lives that looked terribly out of place in their moulding kitchen.

Taemin threw the potatoes in the pantry before ladling watered down bone broth into a bowl.

“How was work?” Taesun asked in between mouthfuls of bread.

Taemin slid into the seat at Taesun’s side. “The usual. I finally got paid. It was about damn time.” Taemin took a dinner roll off Taesun’s plate and dipped it into his soup. “I met this guy who needed new crew members for his fishing boat—”

“No,” Taesun cut him off. “It’s too dangerous.”

“You didn’t even let me finish yet.”

“I know what you’re going to say, Taemin, and the answer is no,” Taesun said firmly,

“The pay is good though,” Taemin reasoned. “He said he was increasing wages.”

“How good are we talking?”

Taemin shrugged him off. “Decent enough. More than what I’m making now, probably.”

Taesun sighed, pushing his bowl aside and crossing his arms on the table. “Whatever the pay is, it’s not worth your life, Taemin. You know how dangerous it is, especially around these parts.” Taesun turned to his mother. “Tell him, Mom,” he said, jabbing a spoon at Taemin.

Their mother only looked at Taemin thoughtfully. “It’s not such a bad idea—”

“I can’t believe you’re actually entertaining the idea of letting Taemin do this!” Taesun cried out.

Taemin could hardly believe that his mother was taking his side for once. He pushed away the voice in the head that told him his mother was only agreeing with him because of money.

“I just have to ignore the seabeasts’ singing, right? Come on, Taesun, how hard can it be? You said yourself that I never listen.” Taemin noticed the way Taesun’s shoulders had tightened and he kept his tone light in an effort to ease Taesun’s nerves. His brother only rounded on him.

“It’s not just that, Taemin! What about storms? Rickets? Pirates?” Taesun waved his hand around in frustration, trying to think of other scenarios that could befall Taemin. “Seabeasts are dangerous. It’s not just their voices that can kill you.”

Taemin stirred his broth with his spoon. “You make it sound like I’m going to be hunting. It’s a fishing boat, Taesun.”

“Why are you being so difficult?” Taesun growled. “You know what they’re like! Did you learn nothing from Dad?”

“I’m not being difficult!” Taemin snapped. “I’m being realistic. We’re not making enough money, okay? We miss another round of taxes and rent and we’re out of here. Where will we go then?”

“I don’t know! I don’t give a damn as long as we can all stay together.” Taesun groaned, running his fingers through his hair and giving it a shake.

Taemin softened. “Hey…” He nudged Taesun’s thigh with his knee. Taesun remained stuff, refusing to nudge Taemin back the way he usually did. “I know you’re worried, but I’m old enough now. We can’t keep relying on you—”

“Yes, you can,” Taesun said. “I’m the head of the household now. It’s my job.”

“You’re working yourself to death. Please, just let me help you,” Taemin urged. Taesun opened his mouth, eyebrows furrowed and looking like he was about to protest. Taemin cut him off: “Look, I might not even get the position. The guy didn’t promise me anything, so let’s not fight over it right now.”

Taesun sighed and nodded. He finally nudged Taemin back and Taemin cracked a smile. Taemin pushed himself away from the table and stood up, gathering everyone’s soup bowls and heading over to the sink. After exchanging goodnight’s with his family, Taemin retired to his room. The walls of the house were thin and Taemin overheard his mother trying to talk sense into Taesun as soon as he left the room.

He couldn’t sleep that night, tossing and turning in his bed and imagining a life at sea. Suddenly, he was no longer a mere fisherman, but a pirate, and then even better—a seabeast hunter. He thought about how no one would be able to taunt him for his slight figure, how proud Taesun and his mother would be if he brought home a mermaid carcass, and how nice it would be to not worry about where their next meal would come from.

* * *

At sunset the next day, Taemin stood on the docks with Jinki at his side. Taemin fidgeted nervously in the shadow of The Heron, a fishing boat that seemed to loom over him, and yet was considered small by Jinki’s standards. The man had told him they had to downsize given the shrinking crew.

“There’s the captain.” Jinki nodded towards a figure walking bowlegged towards them.

The captain strode up to them, face split in a grin. “The name’s Youngshik. You must be Taemin. Jinki told me about you,” the man said, shaking hands with Taemin. After Taemin withdrew his hand, he resisted the urge to wipe his hand on his shirt.

Youngshik was a short man—almost a head shorter than Taemin—but Taemin didn’t doubt the strength in the bulging arms. A ratty cap was pulled low over his forehead, flattening greasy black curls and casting shadows over his face. Even then, Taemin saw that part of the man’s nose was missing.

The captain noticed Taemin’s staring and grinned even wider. “Those damned seabirds got me. Bit my nose clean off while I was sleeping on deck. Always gotta be on your toes when you’re at sea, my boy.”

Taemin gave the man a weak smile and Youngshik threw his head back in a booming laughter that made Taemin’s knees wobble. He glanced at Jinki, wondering if Youngshik was playing a trick on him, but Jinki’s face was impassive.

“Jinki told me that you were looking for work on the ship,” Youngshik said. “We’re leaving bright and early tomorrow if you’re coming along.”

Taemin started in surprise. That was it? No questions about his experience, no tour of the ship or explanations of working conditions? Taemin his dry lips. Last night he was eager to take the job, but now that he was actually given the opportunity to do so, he was starting to doubt himself. Life may have been repetitive and difficult, but it was also familiar, and there was comfort in that. He would hardly have the time to say goodbye to his family.

Taemin forced himself to speak when he saw Youngshik looking at him expectantly: “Y—yeah, that sounds good.”

“Good man!” Youngshik clapped him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of Taemin. Taemin wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

“Be here at dawn tomorrow, hmm? Bring a few belongings and food, if you can spare it.”

He nodded as Youngshik spoke. Dread settled in his stomach—he really would be leaving.

When Taemin returned home that night with the news, Taesun’s smile slipped right off his face. His brother had tried to talk him out of leaving, but as much as Taemin wanted to stay, his pride and their financial situation had him saying some variation of ‘No’ every time Taesun brought it up.

The two brothers spent the rest of the night visiting their usual haunts—the abandoned stables where they had played together as children and an outcropping of rock in an isolated part of the beach. Taemin said his goodbyes to their neighbours and his friends from childhood, who all wished him luck.

Taemin became increasingly agitated as the day drew to a close. After forcing him to swallow down soup, Taesun ushered him to bed, telling him to get some rest for the morning. Despite his protests, Taemin found sleep overtaking him within minutes.

A/N: I think this gif is an accurate representation of my feelings when I saw the subscriber count before I had even posted the first chapter:

Anyways, I am considering tweaking the update schedule a bit. I outlined most of the story, and at one update a week, this fic would take close to six months to finish. I think that’s a bit long, but then again, it also took me three years to write a fic with only eight chapters lol…