"Normal" - Jimin's language
"Mermen" - merman's language
"Sign language" - both understand
~*~
Author POV
Namjoon had spent almost the entire day learning the language of Korea. Apparently that was his human mate's mother tounge, though Namjoon had no idea how the elderly man knew that.
He had only smiled wearily, like he was haunted by something, though a fondness lingered in his eyes as if he were viewing memories, but had placed a tinted shade of sadness over the top.
By the end of the day Namjoon knew the basics of how to introduce himself. He was going to teach the others tonight and watch the face of his human light up when they greeted him in his tounge.
Though he had to admit the language was hard, when one has been communicating with clicks and whistles and high pitches sonar all their life. Human languages were certainly different and Namjoon found he loved it.
"If you don't mind me asking" Namjoon blurted out.
"You can ask me anything, I admire a man with curiosity" the elderly mer, leant back against the floating coral seats.
"How do you know so much about the human language. We have no books on them" Namjoon inquired.
"Ah, I thought you may ask that. You are a sharp man Namjoon" the old mer, sighed but it was full of amusement none the less.
The old mer gestured him over, Namjoon rounded the stone table to take a seat on the corals beside Hyun.
"I used to be one" Hyun stated.
"Be one?" Namjoon's mind was going a mile a minute to unravel those 5 words.
"But how?" Is what he eventually managed to get out.
"I was a human, I fell in love with a beautiful mer, she still makes me smile. She persuaded the council to allow me to become a mer alongside her." Hyun revealed.
"But how, how did you become a mer?" Namjoon couldn't comprehend the change.
"The members of the council possess magic as you know, they have a potion that allows the permanent changing of a human to a mer. It was discovered many years ago when the mer prince fell in love with a human girl." Hyun divulged.
"So my mate, he could-" Namjoon spoke allowed.
"Jimin wouldn't" Hyun spoke.
"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