Water Heart | P.Sh

| 46 |

I let out a shaky breath as I felt the ice cold tip of the dagger sit against my bare skin. The shaky breath had only caused for Sunghoon told hold tighter onto my nape.

"Anything I want," the girl repeated once more.

"The curse only ever involved my death, no one else's," Sunghoon insisted, "it would be unfair to change it just now."

"But you are killing her," the girl spoke up and my eyes opened quietly, having leaned more into the dagger, and having it poke harshly into my skin, but not yet breaking it.

"No I'm not," Sunghoon sternly replied as I fixated my eyes on the locket around his neck, leaning more into the dagger once more.

It almost felt like a small pop when the tip of the dagger broke with my skin and I had to bite back a small whimper as I dropped my head further down and furrowed my eyebrows to convince myself to continue.

"Her blood is being shed," the girl continued, "in this very second."

Down across my stomach I could feel a small trickle of blood start rolling down across my skin and Sunghoon seemed to stir in front of me.

"Our agreement is set. You live for another week to fall in love, if not, your soul will have to do whatever I wish for it to do," the girl continued and Sunghoon hummed quietly, "that is, if she survives."

"She will," Sunghoon nodded and the girl giggled sickly once again before I could sense Sunghoon taking an abrupt step backwards and the dagger and his hands disappeared from my grip, "What have you done?" he immediately exclaimed before bending down slightly and wiping at the red spot on my chemise.

"You had to kill me," I whispered and Sunghoon's eyes darted back up at me in disbelief, "you should've killed me."

"So you started stabbing yourself?" he almost yelled as I just kept staring at him with sad eyes, "Soomin, I wouldn't have killed you and I won't have you stab yourself on my behalf. I got it fixed, didn't you hear?"

"Had you killed her the curse would've been lifted now," the girls voice taunted as I could hear her footsteps slowly disappear in the distance and Sunghoon's head snapped up once again.

"I am not gonna kill her!" he yelled back in return before quickly bending down to me once again, frowning at the small hole in my chemise.

"Why wouldn't you kill me?" I murmured quietly, and Sunghoon looked back at me with panicked eyes, as if I had just announced I had contracted a specific infectious disease.

"Because I need you to stay," he replied as if it was obvious, "and I need you to stay more than you think. Now we go back to the ship and check that little injury you've brought upon yourself."

"Jiyeon," I breathed out and he shook his head before grabbing my shoulders and guiding me back towards the ship.

"I'm more worried for you than I am for Jiyeon," he excused casually.

I was quiet as I walked beside Sunghoon, back onto the boat bridge. I kept staring ahead blankly, my mind completely empty but completely filled at the same time. Had he killed me back there the curse wouldn't be a problem to him anymore. The only thing that made me aware of Sunghoon's presence was his constant sighing and tight grip on my wrist as he tugged me along whenever he had deemed I walked too slow.

"What the hell were you thinking, Soomin?" he sighed and stopped walking in the middle of the boat bridge, "why would you try to stab yourself?"

"You'd live," I murmured quietly as I watched the black waves crash against the sides of the ship up ahead, "you'd live and that was what was important. Wasn't it?" I questioned, turning my head slightly towards him as my eyes stayed fixated on the water.

"Why the hell would you give your life for mine?" he sternly questioned and turned my face with a few of his fingers, "are you completely out of your mind?"

"I guess I am, but you wouldn't understand," I smiled slightly at him before continuing down to the ship and wandering up the ramp.

The moment I had stepped up on the deck all of the crew had just turned and stared at me in disbelief, someone even wandering as far away as he possibly could. Quietly I looked over at Jay, who seemed to be just as surpised to see me as anyone else was - his arms crossed over his chest.

"What?" I questioned calmly and he shrugged before chuckling slightly.

"You're absolutely insane," he pointed out as I could hear Sunghoon walk up behind me, "you know that?"

"Did Jiyeon come back?" I questioned and he nodded quietly before nodding over towards a corner of the ship, where Jungwon sat, quietly clinging onto Jiyeon's waist as she let her hands run through his hair, just staring at him in admiration.

"Almost the moment you two had gone off," Jay remarked and I nodded quietly before grabbing onto my elbows, trying to give myself some more warmth, "we need to sail out again. You and Jiyeon will have to sail the ship."

"We should stay here for some time," I excused and Jay looked at me in confusion, almost as if he hadn't understood what I said completely, "let Jungwon get back to his senses before we have to sail through those waters again. His mind is weak right now and the sirens will have easier access to it."

"What?" Jay frowned and I sighed at him.

"Get the crew ready to stay here for a few hours," I clarified and he slowly nodded before wandering off.

"Soomin we need to talk about this," Sunghoon insisted and grabbed my arm to turn me around.

"No, you need to let me be right now," I warned him and poked his chest.

"Soomin, you're bleeding," he reminded and I shrugged as I tightened my grip on my elbows, "you're bleeding and we need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" I sighed making him pull me with him down into the sleeping chamber, "talk about what?" I repeated once again as he marched inside the sleeping chamber and closed the door loudly behind us, "talk about wh-"

"What I felt when I kissed you," he sternly spoke as he finally turned to look at me through the dimly lit room, "because that wasn't just adoration."

"But it wasn't love either, Sunghoon," I reminded him, "that girl said it herself. You don't love me."

"No but I'm sure as hell close enough," he sternly spoke, "and I don't want you to just walk away from me right now, because this is not gonna work out if that is how we're gonna settle disagreements."

"It's not a disagreement, it's the fact that you're hurting me each time it is clear that you don't love me back," I complained and pulled my arm from his grip, "don't you see how it is different from what I am feeling and what you are feeling? I don't care what you felt when you kissed me! It is not love!" I exclaimed at him, my voice cracking in the midst of it as my cheeks had gotten moist.

"Are you crying?" Sunghoon carefully questioned as I noticed his stance getting more soft and careful through the dark, "Soomin... are you crying?"

"I am not weak," I shook my head sternly, trying to convince myself it hadn't been tears that had wetted my cheeks.

"I didn't say you were," he murmured softly as he carefully moved over and grabbed onto my arms, rubbing them softly, "you're ice cold too."

"I don't need your jacket," I insisted and he hummed lowly.

"I'm gonna give it to you anyway," he pointed out and I nodded quietly, knowing I couldn't say anything that would stop him from doing it, "Soomin you're crying."

"So what if I am? I'm human!" I reminded him loudly.

Sunghoon's hands abruptly moved from my arms and up to cup both of my cheeks as he abruptly pressed his lips against mine for a few seconds. Once he pulled away I noticed how my lips all of a sudden had gotten a salty taste to them, meanwhile Sunghoon just quietly dried my cheeks with his thumbs.

"I don't like knowing that it is hurting you," he admitted quietly, "and I want to love you so badly," he whispered once again.

"You're crying," I realized and he nodded quietly.

"I'm a weak human," he quietly pointed out.