Deep end

25

"What?" Namjoon asked in shock.

"Jimin wouldn't become a merman, he loves the world of the humans. He is almost like a prince to certain humans. He could not disappear like I could from the human realm, people would search for him. It could put the entire of the mer population at risk" Hyun spoke, his words were harsh. But the words rang true and somehow Namjoon was able to feel it.

"How do you know him?" Namjoon asked.

"Has he told you his last name?" Hyun asked.

"Last name?" Namjoon asked.

"Yes all humans possess a last name of sorts, like a family name. Mine is Park, well was Park before I came here" Hyun stated.

"No he has only said his name is Jimin" Namjoon responded.

"Well his last name is Park" Hyun replied.

"Like yours" Namjoon thought aloud.

"Yes, like mine. Like I said it is a family name. He is my grandson." Hyun rose from the coral chair and began to swim away.

"Your grandson" Namjoon looked the man up and down. He could see the resemblance in a way. It wasn't clearly evident, not with Hyun's features changing to that of a mer's, while Jimin's were human.

The old mer was almost out of the door.

"One more thing" Namjoon pleaded.

"Yes?" Hyun turned. Hovering with difficulty in the water.

"Are the, I cannot think of the word in our tounge" so Namjoon signed out the word 'cat' with his hand.

"I see Jimin found my note book then." The old mer smiled at that. It seemed brighter than all the rest of them.

"At the 'cats' dangerous?" Namjoon inquired.

Hyun would've laughed if Namjoon hadn't looked so serious with his question.

"They have claws and fangs, shouldn't that give you your answer?" Hyun neither confirmed nor denied Namjoon's statement.

But it solidified in Namjoon's mind, the cats were dangerous and clearly despite being under the water, Hyun was still afraid of them.

He watched as Hyun left, and immediately was swept up into the arms of an elderly mer, her face alight with joy. They pressed foreheads together a way mer showed affection to one another. In Namjoon's head all he could see was Jimin's grandmother and grandfather.

A mer and a human changed mer. And it was a hope, Hyun may know Jimin well, been there while he grew up. But he had not been around Jimin for a while, the smile he had shown in the Archives while talking about his grandson was no one of someone how had been to visit recently. But one who had had to depart.

He swam home with a new sense of determination in his chest.

~*~

Once home he shared all that he knew and all that he had learnt with his brothers friendship. They had been as delighted as Namjoon when they learned that Jimin could become a mer if he wanted to. He had to have mer blood in his veins too if his grandmother was a mer.

Namjoon had held a session, teaching the other mer what he had learnt about Jimin's human language. And they had absorbed it all with eager minds and determined hearts.

~*~

"Jimin we need you to come in" Jimin listened to his manager on the other end of the phone.

"Why?" Jimin asked, he was sitting on one of the chairs in the half renovated living room.

"The company is struggling, sales have dropped recently since your time off. We need you to come in, they are arranging a tour around Korea. I know it isn't ideal, but they are threatening to cut you off if you don't agree." His manager was practically pleading to him.

Jimin looked out the window, it over looked the sea. He sighed, it was deep, heavy and tired.

While he loved his mermen, he had a sense of duty to the people he had worked with for years. He couldn't risk their jobs to stay on a island.

"I'll be there tomorrow" was his response.

He hung up a feeling of dread building in his stomach.

~*~

So you guys were right, Hyun is Jimin's grandfather. And surprise his wife and Jimin's grandmother is still alive too, not that Jimin knows that.

I hope you liked the chapter.

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Bye,
Winter