ꜱᴏɴ ᴀᴍᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀʀɪɴ ✧seongjoong✧

Chapter 9

He was gone, Seonghwa was gone

Hongjoong awoke to find Mingi at the helm, steering the ship through the tranquil waters as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he glanced around the captain's quarters, his gaze instinctively searching for Seonghwa. The bed, usually a place where they shared stolen moments of intimacy and quiet companionship, lay empty and neatly made.

A pang of unease tightened Hongjoong's chest as he sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair. Memories of the previous night flooded back—Seonghwa's soft breaths against his chest, the tenderness in their shared moments as sleep claimed them both. But now, there was no trace of his beloved mermaid.

Rising swiftly from the bed, Hongjoong moved with a sense of urgency, his mind racing through possibilities. Had Seonghwa returned to the ocean without saying goodbye? Was he in some corner of the ship, lost in thought or caught in some unforeseen trouble?

"Mingi," Hongjoong called out as he approached the helm, his voice laced with concern. "Have you seen Seonghwa?"

"Yunho told me he has gone back, Captain," Mingi replied somberly, his gaze sympathetic but resolute. "He was going to be declared king today."

The words hit Hongjoong like a physical blow, leaving him momentarily speechless. A whirlwind of emotions swept through him—confusion, disbelief, and a deep, throbbing ache of loss. He had hoped against hope that Seonghwa would stay, that they could find a way to bridge the vast divide between their worlds.

"Back..." Hongjoong murmured, the word heavy on his tongue as he struggled to process Mingi's revelation. "He's gone..."

Mingi nodded gravely, his expression reflecting the weight of the moment. "It seems so, Captain," he confirmed softly, his voice a whisper against the backdrop of the sea's gentle lapping against the hull.

Hongjoong clenched his fists, a surge of frustration and helplessness coursing through him. He had known, deep down, that Seonghwa's duty to his people and his own desires would inevitably clash. But the reality of Seonghwa's departure—the suddenness of it—left him reeling.

"I should have..." Hongjoong's voice wavered, filled with regret as he turned away from Mingi, his gaze lost in the expanse of the open sea. The weight of Seonghwa's departure pressed heavily on his heart, and he felt tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. Swallowing hard, he raised his hand to his mouth and bit softly on his wrist—a nervous habit that surfaced in moments of deep emotion and stress.

The taste of salt and iron filled his mouth, grounding him momentarily as he fought to compose himself. The sea breeze whipped around him, carrying with it the echoes of their shared moments—moments of laughter, stolen glances, of whispered confessions. He had never imagined how deeply Seonghwa would come to mean to him, how his absence now carved a hollow ache within. 

It had been barely a month since he met Seonghwa, yet the love he felt for the mermaid was unlike any other, the lover the universe had carved out for him, now with Seonghwa gone, each memory felt like a bittersweet anchor pulling at Hongjoong's heart. The ache of their parting gnawed at him, a constant companion amidst the vast expanse of the sea. He had never dared to imagine that someone like Seonghwa could enter his life so unexpectedly, weaving himself into the fabric of Hongjoong's existence with such ease and grace.

Yet, the depth of his feelings for Seonghwa had caught him off guard, unraveling the layers of self-imposed restraint and revealing a vulnerability he had long kept hidden. Hongjoong had always prided himself on his resilience, on his ability to navigate the treacherous waters of piracy and leadership with a steady hand. But Seonghwa had touched a part of him that no amount of bravado could shield.