Water Heart | P.Sh

| 56 |

I held my head low as I stumbled behind Jungwon across the deck as he excitedly skipped every once in a while. A habit I was sure he had picked up from Jiyeon. All the while I kept my head low, not wanting the crew to see me as a crying mess. I was sure that if they saw then they wouldn't give way for me anymore like they used to.

"Okay," Jungwon excitedly spoke as he stopped in his tracks and pulled me up beside him, "now look," he excitedly patted my shoulder as I kept on looking down at my feet, which still was just clad in my socks and no boots, "dammit Soomin look up, pull yourself together."

"I don't want them to see me cry," I admitted and Jungwon sighed before walking over behind me.

I felt him grab each side of my head before forcing it to lift. I sighed as he lifted my head and all I was met with was Jiyeon happily chatting with some crew member in a white shirt up by the front of the ship.

"So Jiyeon is happy," I sighed and looked over at Jungwon, "you're really trying to rub this into my face?"

"Open your eyes!" he urged as his patience was slowly running thin, forcing my face back to look towards Jiyeon as the crewmember turned to her and gave her a wide grin before ruffling her hair.

The moment I saw the side profile I knew. I could recognize that nose anywhere. Even from a mile away. Immediately I stiffened up before setting into a quick run towards the front of the ship.

"Sunghoon!" Jungwon called out from behind me and made the older boy turn around in confusion as Jiyeon happily skipped away and down towards Jungwon with possibly the biggest grin planted onto her face.

Once Sunghoon finally noticed me I was a few steps away from him and he only grinned before opening his arms widely. Quickly I had thrown myself at him and he almost had to catch me for me to fit into his embrace - causing a small laugh to escape his mouth.

"What? Does it delight you to see me in a white shirt?" Sunghoon laughed as I grabbed tightly onto the back of his shirt as I hugged him tightly and pressed my eyes close, "Soomin?" he carefully questioned when I didn't answer, "Soo?"

"You can't just have me believe you died overnight and have that be the first thing you say to me!" I complained and pulled away from him, smacking his shoulder harshly, "how the hell are you even alive?"

"I think you work wonders," he shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "isn't that what you do?"

"But you aren't... you were supposed to die," I whispered and he shook his head quietly.

"Not as far as I recall," he excused in a murmur, "you're crying..."

"Funny, you're not the first to tell me," I commented and dried my cheeks again, "oh my god."

"Well... I'm glad to see you too...?" he trailed off as he gave me an awkward smile, "Are you... alright?"

"No, I'm not," I shook my head and sent him a small glare, "I thought you would be dead by now, of course I'm not okay."

"But I thought you were awake when I lifted you over in your hammock," he remarked and I frowned at him as I kept drying away the tears that continuously rolled down over my cheeks, "when I woke up you were sitting on the floor and sleeping, so I helped you to your hammock. You kept telling me to keep my dirty hands off of you while I helped you out of your clothes and up into your hammock. Gave you my necklace even... and you thanked me."

"I was only supposed to get the necklace when you fell in love with me," I remarked and he nodded at me with a small smile.

"And I was supposed to be dead by now if I didn't," he corrected and slowly it hit me.

Sunghoon chuckled in amusement as my eyes widened and my knees buckled, having to have him catch me before I fell down onto the deck under me. 

"Hey... don't go fainting on me now," Sunghoon warned as I gaped up at him, moving my lips as if I was trying to say something, but nothing came out of it, "what?"

"You... you..." I trailed off, bringing my hands up to my mouth, lightly touching my lips with my fingertips, and he hummed in amusement.

"I love you, is that it?" he questioned and I slowly nodded at him, "of course I love you."

"But... how? Since when?" I slowly frowned at him.

"At least a week I suppose... Everything felt different since last week, I thought it was because I was falling in love with you at first, but I guess the curse was trying to trick me," he slowly explained, "made to make me think I actually wasn't in love, maybe to get me to fall out of love and actually die."

"But you didn't fall out of love," I remarked and he shook his head before slowly smiling.

"I guess I just really wanted to fall in love with you," he pointed out and I nodded quietly.

"And it is safe for you to wear white shirts again?" I questioned and softly tugged at the fabric of his shirt, which had quite a low V-cut in the neck.

"I feel quite warm, actually," he admitted with a small laugh and my hands immediately went to feel over his, that laid softly on my back, they were warmer than I ever recalled them being, "and Jiyeon already checked my blood, not completely blood yet, but quite red if I had to say so myself," he excused with a small laugh, eventuall noticing how I wasn't laughing along with him, "why? What's wrong? No smile..."

"I really thought you were dead," I whispered and he hummed before carefully bringing me into a tight hug, "I really thought you were gone."

"Not yet," he murmured, "you'll have to kill me yourself then."

"Yeah no... that's not going to happen," I murmured and shook my head quietly as I only held him tighter and lifted me up on my toes to burry my face into the crook of his neck, "thank you... for falling in love."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he murmured in return, making a small smile slowly grow on my face as I made sure to hold him tight.