MIDNIGHT SINGER ⋮ markhyuck

1̟

Mark has been hearing the voice two nights in a row, almost at the same time - midnight. The power the voice holds and the way Mark hears it even when he covers his ears tells him that there's a high chance he has met a siren. But how can this be? He thought that they only existed in mythology books.

The very first time Mark heard the melody was when he woke up in the middle of the night, soaked in sweat. His naked torso met with a summer breeze, sending thousands of shivers down his spine. He grabbed the first shirt he saw and wore it, slowly making his way to the window.

He looked outside but saw nothing more than the sea and a bunch of rocks below. Mark looked to other cabins just a few meters away but their lights were turned off and no one seemed to be outside.

Mark was sure that someone was singing. He didn't know if it was a girl or a boy as the voice had a high pitch but also a bit of hoarseness when notes went lower. He also wasn't sure where were they as echo in this place was the most confusing thing. Sometimes people heard things that happened in another land across the sea.

It was a simple melody someone hummed yet it sounded so... beautiful and mesmerizing that Mark wanted to listen for more and more. He closed his eyes and gave in, repeating it in his head.

"What are you doing, babe?" Mark felt his girlfriend's arms wrap around his waist.

"Do you hear it?" Mark whispered, trying so hard to not speak over the song.

"What?" Byeol pouted and followed where Mark was looking.

"The song..."

"I don't hear anything."

Mark thought she was joking, though, her facial expressions didn't expose her for lying. Then the boy thought that maybe his girlfriend was talking over the melody so she didn't have the opportunity to listen to it yet.

"Right now," Mark shushed her. "Do you hear it?" he listened to it a bit and then tried to repeat it but Byeol cut him off with a kiss.

"Stop joking around," she told and softly dragged Mark away from the window, "or else I would really believe that you hear them singing."

"Them?" Mark's ears perked up.

"Yeah. There's a legend that this island has sirens who sing for tourists," Byeol told when they both got into bed. "I hope you aren't hearing one."

"Nah, that's impossible," Mark laughed. "Sirens, ghosts, witches they all don't exist."

"Don't be so sure. There might be a ghost with us in this room."

"Go to sleep, already," Mark shut up his girlfriend with a kiss. "The more you speak, the worse my fears get. Stop reading articles on the internet."

They both laughed and soon cuddled to sleep. Byeol was the first one drifting off to the dreamland while Mark had difficulty closing his eyes. He still heard the song in his head and it was going on and on, although no one was singing it anymore.

He remembered it the next day too. It was so weird how he knew every note of the song although he had never heard it playing before. Was it a classical music piece or a very common pop song he always heard whenever he went?

"Are we going or not?" Byeol whined as Mark was spending too much time picking his clothes.

"Yes, of course," Mark nodded and took the shirt he threw away just a minute ago. "Wait for me outside, I'll be ready in a minute."