The Value of Tears (En- JayWon) ✔

IX

Jungwon

I'm scared.

That's the only thing I'm feeling right now. I don't know how and why am I in this situation where I'm tied on a bed with something over my lips. I can't move my hands and I don't even know what my fault is.

But one thing is for sure, that gorgeous human is treating me badly. I mean, I just entered his tent and then he began screaming at me and it seriously frightened me to the bones. I don't even know how to respond to him or react to what he said and he just got angry at me. I don't understand him.

I can feel my tears falling as fear coursed through my veins. I shivered at the thought of dying here on land and the fact that I cannot move makes it harder for me to even think of positive things.

I closed my eyes and without anything in mind, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I saw the human on the floor as he picked up some pearls on the ground and I just laid there, observing him. He frantically searched for pearls around my bed and he ended up with less than ten blue pearls. He held them in his hands as if they're the most valuable treasures in the world, I mean what's so special with it?

They're just my tears that fall on the bed and rolled on the floor. I realized that I must really felt scared a while ago as the pearls are so blue.

He took the pearls and walk towards the other room.

"I found some blue ones . . . "

He sounded so happy but his face remained stoic. Does he know other facial expression? His face showed no emotions at all.

I bet Maeum and Eumi can make emotions with their small faces better than him.

It still bothers me how my tears are like treasure to him.

The thing is, we merpeople are built unusual. For one, we can match the color of our tails with our hairs. And our tears turn to pearls the moment it lost contact with our skin. In our kingdom, you will know when a mermaid gave birth to a baby if there are golden pearls everywhere. The parents are crying happy tears and the babies are as well. Our tears also change color depending on the reason for the tears. If we're sad, it is black. If we're scared, it is blue. If we're in pain, it is pink. And if we're angry, it is red. Although we rarely see a red pearl, there are still some and red pearls are seen most often during and after a war.

We're also fascinated as we can determine why a merperson is crying from the color of the pearls. That's the special thing about our tears but apart from that, there's nothing else.

Why is this human so worked up in searching for our tears?

I was pulled out of my thoughts when he suddenly entered the room and hovered above me before he held my face.

"Where did you get those pearls? I left the room without any sign of them but now, they're here .  .  .and who are you?"

His gaze is so terrifying, probably the most fear I felt my whole life is now. If gaze can kill, I'd be dead long ago. Because the way he glared at me is so scary. Too scary that my eyes began to water in fear. I closed my eyes and my tears vegan to fall from my eyes and not long after, I heard them falling on the floor.

The human immediately left where he was a while ago and watched in shock as the pearls rolled on the floor. He picked them up and just like a while ago, I saw no emotions.

His lips slowly curved up but his smile is also terrifying as if he just thought of something good but evil at the same time.

"Did those pearls come from you?"