𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔒𝔠𝔢𝔞𝔫 || 𝑯𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒌𝒊

Chapter 3 ༄

   This is how the next day, as soon as the sun rose, Niki patiently awaited the arrival of his mermaid.

Which didn't take long, because around the same time, Sunghoon's face came out of the water.

He approached the bank, resting his head on his forearms already on the still cold rock.

Niki was not far from him, sitting cross-legged looking at the merman.

The air was calm. They weren't really talking to each other, their voices still deep in their throats.

It was still early.

And the silence was enough for them.

They preferred communicating simply with their eyes, sometimes smiling at each other when the look in one's eyes became too teasing.

This tranquility felt also in the environment.

The atmosphere was gentle, the wind accompanied them in this calm moment.

We had the impression that the world had decided to grant this incongruous duo a bubble. That this atmospheric peace was dedicated to them.

The sea seemed to be whispering a sweet melody to them.

A song that the mermaid sometimes hummed, the pirate in turn tried to mime the barely heard notes.

They both responded softly, sometimes leaving long intervals of silence.

Silences filled only by the sound of their eyelashes beating, being in perfect synchronization with their heartbeats.

"You're sublime" That was one of the only words whispered on this beautiful morning.

The pink that had settled on the ashen cheeks had not escaped Niki's eyes.

He felt the effect he had on the merman, so he didn't hesitate to display such a proud smile. Sunghoon looked away, feigning interest in the landscape.

The sun had already risen, the stroke of eleven o'clock would ring soon.

Sunghoon noticed it, he had to hurry.

He reluctantly had to leave Niki alone on his island for the rest of the day.

"I have to go." Sunghoon declared, disappointed.

"Already ?" Niki was surprised, not really understanding why Sunghoon was leaving now.

The image of the saddened pirate pinched the merman's heart. He would quickly find a solution.

"I do not have a choice. I shouldn't be here." The merman admitted, a gentle look towards Niki conveying a form of apology.

"You can't be here, right ?"

Sunghoon shaked his head.

No, Sunghoon shouldn't be here.

He shouldn't spend time around a human.

Not by being so close, so vulnerable, not by being this weak.

He shouldn't be at the surface anyway.

"I have to get home before my family notices my absence," He justified himself. "In which case, we won't see each other ever again."

Niki nodded, fully understanding that Sunghoon doesn't talk about himself to the other mermaids. It was surely forgotten.

He suspected that the interviews they might have were not of the usual order. So it was logical to understand this was not trivial.

"Then, go." He nodded toward the ocean. "Not seeing you again would be annoying." Niki said in a rather playful tone, hiding his disappointment.