Published: September 9, 2020
Rewritten: May 20, 2023
Word count: 4,014
DO NOT read or interact if you're under 14
You found yourself swimming in the ocean, unsure of how you had gotten there. You could breathe just fine and see clearly, no foggy film obscuring your vision. It was strange. You weren't freaking out. In fact, you felt so at peace, swimming languidly through the water without a care or worry in the world. With your eyes focused on what was front of you, you took notice of a small, dark blur in the distance. The closer it got, the more you started to notice a shape—it was a man. He had dark hair that flowed with the current as he swam through the deep cerulean water. A large tail flicked back and forth behind him, pushing him forward.
You blinked a few times as he got closer, stopping just a couple feet away. He stared at you, tilting his head to the side as he watched you, observing you.
"Who are you?" You asked, voice coming out clearly despite being underwater.
He only smiled, not giving an answer.
You watched as he reached his hand out, bringing it up to your face. His fingertips gently caressed your cheek, tracing down your jawline sending a shockwave through your body.
You shot up in bed breathing heavily, the all-too-familiar dream still on your mind. You'd had the same recurring dream every night for a week straight. The same merman. The same ocean. The same question.
Who are you?
Pushing yourself out of bed you pulled your sketchbook out, a rough draft scribbled on the paper from a previous attempt at drawing the mysterious merman. You took a seat at the desk and started sketching more detailed features you recalled from the dream. You remembered his eyes and sharp brows perfectly as if looking at a reference photo. Everything else, however, was a little blurry and more difficult to remember. Nevertheless, you roughly sketched his nose, lips, and other features, changing it a few times until you felt it looked like him, or as close as possible. Maybe tomorrow night you'd be able to make some alterations and finish it accurately.
You pushed yourself out of your desk chair and laid back down in bed, giving a brief glance at the digital clock on the nightstand. 5:27 AM.
Pulling the covers up over yourself, you closed your eyes, hoping to return to your dream. The fleeting glimpse you got of the man every night seemed to fade away the longer you were awake, so you thought it best to get back to sleep as quickly as possible.
To your disappointment, you never returned to that dream. The remainder of your night was filled with dreams completely unrelated to the man in your sketchbook.
You stared at your ceiling letting out a sigh, frustrated that you couldn't get one, last look at the mystery merman. Why did you even keep having this dream? Does it mean something? The curiosity was gnawing at you, plaguing your mind.
Am I supposed to find him or something? You wondered.
Actually laughing out loud, you shook your head, amused at the absurdity of the thought. There's no way you were going into the ocean to find a man who probably—no, scratch that—definitely, doesn't exist.
You changed out of your pajamas and into some regular clothes, freshening up a little before slipping on your sandals and stepping onto the sandy, wooden steps of your house. You loved living at the beach, but the ground was mostly sand so you were constantly tracking it onto your porch and into your home which was bothersome. However, it was a small price to pay for living in paradise.
You slid on your sunglasses, shielding your eyes from the sun's harsh rays before crossing the street. There was a sidewalk lining the edge of the beach that you liked to walk along some days, feeling the sea breeze brushing past you and the sun warming your body.
As you walked along the concrete, you noticed a man sitting on a wooden crate, a beach towel laid out in front of him with various objects spread across it. You took a few steps closer, freezing when you realized the man looked vaguely familiar. An image of the strange merman from your dream flashed in your mind. You slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle the gasp that left your lips.
No way. There's no way.
You had to be dreaming, right? Surely you were dreaming. Reaching over, you gave yourself a harsh pinch on the arm.
Ouch.
No. This is definitely real.
But how?
He looked exactly like the man from your dream.
It's a coincidence. You told yourself.
He has legs, so of course it's not the same guy from your dream... but what if he can shift? No. Mermaids aren't even real.
But what if they are? A tiny voice in your head questioned.
You were far too engrossed in your own insane thoughts that you almost didn't realize you had caught the man's attention.
Great.
You quickly composed yourself as best as you could before calmly approaching the man, your eyes scanning over the array of items spread about the sandy beach towel, noticing quite a few sizable, unique-looking seashells and a few large sand dollars, not broken ones you would find walking on the beach, but full sand dollars.
"These seashells are gorgeous." You commented. "Where do you get them?"
The dark-haired male looked up at you, his eyes going wide and mouth slightly agape. He blinked a few times, visibly gathering himself before speaking.
"I dive for them every morning. I'm trying to sell them."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhm." He nodded.
"What's that?" You questioned, pointing to a small, pale-colored object.
"Oh! This is a really unique seashell I found on my walk up the beach. I've never seen anything like it."
You reached down and picked the object up off the towel, turning it around between your fingers.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but this is a pistachio shell."
"Pistachio?" He asked, his head tilting to the side like a confused puppy.
"It's a type of nut."
"Ah! Of course. I know what that is." He tittered awkwardly, his eyebrows knit together worriedly as he forced a painful smile.
Okay. There's definitely something off about this guy.
You tossed the pistachio shell aside and started observing the actual shells he had lined on the towel, your eyes glancing up at him, cursing yourself when you find that he was staring right at you.
He didn't seem like someone who would be set up on the sidewalk selling shells and sand dollars. His black hair was neatly swept to the side, his white button down shirt tucked neatly into a pair of jean shorts.
"Excuse me." He spoke up shyly.
"Yes?" You looked up at him, noticing his somewhat nervous demeanor, his fingers pulling at the end of his shirt sleeve.
"Would you maybe be interested in helping me sort through my finds of the day? You know, only pick out the good stuff and throw away the trash?"
You sucked in a deep breath, mulling over his request for a moment. It was an odd thing to ask, but it would be a good opportunity to observe him and see if he had any strange mannerisms that would give away his true identity, if he even is a merman, that is.
"Sure."
"Really? You'll do it?"
"Why not?" You shrugged.
"Thank you so much. I'm Seonghwa, by the way." He smiled warmly.
"I'm Y/n."
"A pretty name for a pretty girl." He commented.
You felt some warmth rush to your cheeks. It was hard not to be flattered. After all, it's not every day a stunningly handsome man compliments you.
"So, how long have you been set up here?"
"One week." He answered.
"Have you sold anything?"
"Actually I have. Though I don't think I'll sell enough to buy a house, but it's a start."
"You don't have a house?" You questioned.
"No. Not here at least."
Not here. Is he from out of town?
Or perhaps, he's not from land.
"So, you're not from here." You stated.
He nodded.
"How far do you live from here?"
"Not too far."
You hummed in response. "I assume you've been sitting out here for a while."
"I have."
"Have you eaten anything?"
He shook his head.
"How about I treat you to lunch." You offered.
His eyes widened, brown irises glimmering with happiness. "Okay. If you insist."
He got up and started pulling the beach towel up at the corners, making a pouch of some sort. He then flipped over the crate he was sitting on, a small tin box in the sand underneath. He dropped the towel filled with shells and such into the crate and put the tin box on top.
"I'll be back. I have to go hide this stuff." He lifted the wooden crate and started down the beach.
"Hey, wait." You called out to him before he could take another step. "I live across the street, you can set it inside my house until we get back from eating."
"Will it be safe there?"
"Of course. If anything, it's safer than you hiding it behind some rocks."
"Alright then. Thank you."
"Sure. Is that where you keep your money?" You gestured to the tin box sitting on top of the wadded beach towel.
He nodded.
"That's smart that you put it underneath the crate and then sit on it. That way no one can sneak up behind you and steal it."
"Thank you." He beamed at your praises. "I thought it was a smart idea too."
You allowed Seonghwa to set the crate on the entryway floor just inside your house before the both of you made your way to a nearby restaurant and one you liked to frequent.
"Hm." Seonghwa hummed as he glanced at the menu, his full lips set into a pout.
"Need help?"
"Yes. I've never eaten here before."
"This is really good. I order it every time I come here." You pointed to one of the items on the menu.
"Ah. That looks good."
"Or maybe you'd like this." You pointed to a different menu item. "It's up to you."
"I think I'll have the first one."
Minutes later, your waitress came to take your orders and retrieve the menus. She walked off, leaving you and Seonghwa alone.
"Thank you for offering to take me for lunch. That's very kind of you."
"No problem. I just wanted to do something nice." You smiled.
His eyes moved around the area, checking out the interior of the restaurant. A mural was painted on the back wall of the establishment, the artwork depicting a beach accompanied by a beautiful sunset, the vibrant yellow and orange paints blended together seamlessly. Hung along the ceiling were fishing nets with seashells and starfish attached to them. A shark's skeletonized jaw bone hung on the wall along with various fish which was quite unsettling to Seonghwa.
"Are those... real?" He asked you meekly.
"The fish? No they're plastic."
"And the shark jaw?"
"Real."
"Ah." He nodded.
When your food arrived, Seonghwa's face lit up, his wide eyes looking down at his plate with anticipation.
"Looks good, right?" You asked, reaching for your fork.
He nodded.
"Go on. Dig in."
He grabbed his utensils, fumbling with them for a moment before taking a bite, his already round eyes becoming rounder as he let out a hum of satisfaction.
•
Over the next couple weeks, you met Seonghwa at the same spot where he set up every day, helping him sort through the trash and bottle caps before he laid out his little treasures. You kept him company throughout the day, leaving briefly to bring the both of you something to drink or eat. You hadn't noticed anything too strange about him, other than the fact that he didn't know too much about certain objects and he was a little confused about your cell phone. After you explained what it was, he acted as if he already knew that, which you noticed he did a lot. Besides that, you hadn't gotten any compelling evidence that he was a merman. For all you know, he could just be a dull person.
"I don't know how you sit out here all day. It's really hot." You mentioned, fanning yourself with your hand.
"It's not so bad. I try not to think about it. Plus, if I get hot I can just take a dip in the ocean."
"Ah. Right." You nodded.
Not many people that stopped to peruse Seonghwa's items bought anything from him which made you feel bad. If he really wanted to buy a house, this wasn't going to cut it.
"Why don't we take a break? I've got some lemonade at my place. It'll cool us down a little."
"I guess I could take a break." He stood up and gathered his things, before the two of you walked across the street to your house.
Seonghwa walked in behind you, placing his box of items on the floor. You moved about the kitchen, taking two glasses from the cabinet and pouring the both of you some cold lemonade, handing one to Seonghwa, watching him take a sip. His face scrunched up in the cutest way.
"It's sour." He commented. "But sweet."
"Mhm." You hummed.
"I haven't had lemonade before."
"It's refreshing, right?"
He nodded, a small smile on his face.
"I'm gonna go freshen up a little. I'm kinda sweaty from sitting outside. Just make yourself at home." You excused yourself and disappeared down the hallway, slipping into the bathroom.
Looking at your reflection, you smoothed out your barely damp hair and straightened out the wrinkles in your clothes in an attempt to appear more presentable. You then started digging under the sink in your makeup bag and retrieved your deodorant, reapplying it along with your lip tint to bring a bit of color to your face. You always found yourself trying to look nice when you spent time with Seonghwa. It's more than likely because you've started to develop a small crush on him. Of course, you knew he was handsome from the moment you laid eyes on him, however, the more time you spent with him, the more you became attracted to him, your feelings growing every day.
Unfortunately, you couldn't tell if he was interested in you.
You scurried out of the bathroom, thinking you had spent too long in there and went back to the kitchen only to find that Seonghwa wasn't there. You called out his name, making your way down the hall coming to an abrupt halt when you saw him standing in your room.
He had your sketchbook in his hands, his half empty glass of lemonade abandoned and sitting idly on the desk. You felt your heart drop like a bowling ball in your chest.
Did he see the sketch of him? You thought fretfully.
If he did, does he know it's him? No. It's a crappy drawing. He wouldn't be able to tell.
"Is this... me?" He asked, showing you the sketch you prayed he wouldn't lay eyes on.
You opened your mouth to speak only to clamp it shut, your sentence dying in your throat.
"It's okay. You can tell me. I won't be angry."
"Yes." You dropped your head, too embarrassed to look his way.
"Do you..." He trailed off, hesitant to speak his next words. "Do you have dreams?"
You knew he wasn't just asking if you had dreams, he was asking if you had dreams about him.
"Yes." You admitted, nodding in confirmation.
"I do too. It's the same dream every night. I would always ask who you were, but you wouldn't answer."
"Yes." You nodded. "I did the same."
This was crazy. You were both having the same dream.
"In your dream, did I reach out and... touch your face?" You asked embarrassedly.
"Yes, but only for a second. I always wake up at the same part. It's almost like I'm—"
"Shocked awake?" You finished.
He nodded. "Exactly that."
"I really hope I don't embarrass myself when I ask this, but are you..." You couldn't even finish the sentence.
"A merman? Yes."
A short breath left your parted lips. Though you suspected it from day one, having it confirmed made it real.
"Why do you think we kept dreaming about each other?" You questioned.
"Maybe we were supposed to meet." Seonghwa's eyes met yours, his words making your heart thump in your chest.
"Maybe we were." You agreed. "Why did you come here anyway?"
"My dream is to live on land. I have some friends who are more educated on humans and they told me I'd need a way to get money if I wanted to start a life outside the water. So I found an old crate, a tin box, and a beach towel and decided I could sell shells and other things I found while swimming in the ocean. My goal was to earn enough to buy a house." He explained. "My plan was to live on land, but I didn't expect to meet you along the way. That was just a bonus." He smiled a little.
That last part made your heart skip a beat.
"Seonghwa?"
"Yes?"
"Why don't you live with me?"
"What?" He blinked a few times, his sharp brows furrowing in confusion. Did he hear you correctly?
"Save what money you earned. You can live with me. If you still want to buy a house later I'll help you out, but you're more than welcome stay here with me."
Seonghwa's eyes seemed to sparkle at your generous offer.
"You mean that?"
You gave a nod of affirmation.
"If I'm being honest, I'd rather live with you than buy a house to live in alone." He admitted.
"Then it's settled." You gave an amicable smile. "Welcome home, roomie."
He grinned brightly, liking the way that sounded.
"Oh, one more thing." You spoke up.
"What is it?"
"I'm curious to see what you look like in your merman form." You admitted, getting shy making such an odd request.
He let out a short chuckle before answering.
"I can show you."
"Seriously?" You squeaked, speaking a little too loudly, your excitement getting to you.
"Absolutely. Let's go." He grabbed you hand, making your heart jump.
"We're going now?"
"Of course."
"Hold on." You stopped him. "I need to put on a swimsuit first."
"Oh, right. That's a good idea."
After changing into a bathing suit as quickly as possible, you rejoined Seonghwa, linking hands with you once again as you set off, allowing Seonghwa to pull you across the street and onto the warm, sandy beach.
"We can go over here." He pointed to a cluster of rocks near the shore. "This is where I usually come up on land. It's fairly secluded so I don't have to worry much about being spotted by anyone."
You followed behind him until he stopped at the edge of the water.
"Is this one of those situations where you turn into a merman as soon as you get wet or can you walk so far into the water and then you turn?" You questioned.
"The latter." He answered. "So don't worry."
He gradually brought you out into the water until it got near your waists. That's when he let go of your hand and dove into the water, resurfacing moments later a couple feet away from you.
"C'mon." He motioned for you to swim out to him.
Sinking down into the water, you made your way to him, grabbing onto his upper arm once you got to where your feet didn't reach the bottom anymore.
"Where are your clothes?" You asked, noticing his shirt had disappeared completely, leaving his (very beautiful) chest and collarbones on display, the heavenly sight taking all your attention.
"They kind of just go away when I shift into my true form."
"Do they reappear when you get out of the water or..." You trailed off.
"Yes they do reappear. Thank goodness." He chuckled.
At that moment, you felt Seonghwa's tail brush against your leg, causing you to look down into the water below, watching in both awe and disbelief as a large, midnight blue tail swished back and forth in the water.
"Is that your tail?" You asked, as if it wasn't obvious.
"That it is."
"It's so pretty." You marveled.
He chuckled a little, a faint pink hue painting his cheeks.
"I don't know about that. I think you're much prettier."
"You do?"
"Yeah." His eyes locked with yours, bringing his hand up to cup your cheek in the most gentle manner. "From the moment I saw you I thought you were absolutely stunning. Every time I would see you in my dream I hoped that fate would one day bring us together—and it did. Getting to see you in person and spend time around you has made my fondness for you grow."
You blinked a few times, heart beating so fast you could practically feel your body shake with each thump.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked softly, the request for consent making you melt.
You nodded as soon as the question left his mouth, not wanting to waste any time.
He closed the remaining space between your faces and attached his lips to yours, wrapping them in his warmth. The kiss started off slow, both of you feeling bashful. Though unhurried, it still made your head spin, the leisurely pace of the kiss allowing you to feel every dip, curve, and crevice of Seonghwa's pillowy lips.
Eventually, he got a little brave, wrapping one of his arms around your waist to hold your body flush against his as he leaned in a bit more and added some force to the kiss. With this closer position, you could feel every little movement and flex of his abdomen muscles against your stomach, fueling the intense fire that burned inside, the heat accompanied by a fluttering swarm of butterflies.
You wanted so badly to let your hands roam his upper body and feel the dips and curves of his muscles, but you arms stayed securely wrapped around his shoulders, not really paying attention to the fact that you were kissing a literal merman... in the ocean. That realization was completely tossed out the window, as you were far too busy indulging in this moment. Seonghwa's hand slid around to the back of your neck, the feeling of his fingertips at your nape sending a shiver down your spine as he tilted his head, forcing your mouths even closer together. The new angle made your head spin, fingers unconsciously digging into his shoulders in response, your action causing a low groan from Seonghwa that vibrated against your lips.
The need for air began to creep up the back of your throat, lungs aching for oxygen and as much you didn't want to, you had to pull away from the kiss. When you did, both you and Seonghwa were winded, his chest heaving up and down while he gazed at you with half-lidded eyes, licking his lips as he let the last few moments sink in.
"I've wanted to do that ever since I met you." Seonghwa admitted breathlessly, his thumb stroking your cheek.
"Me too." You admitted, huffing out a laugh.
Your head dropped to rest on your arm that was still secured around his shoulders, taking a few moments to catch your breath.
"We're fairly close to land." Seonghwa mentioned. "Do you want to go home, or do you wanna go for a swim with me?"
The question made you lift your head.
"I could use a little swim." You flashed a small closed-mouth grin, giving Seonghwa a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm not ready for our time out here to end just yet."
"Alright then. Hang on tight."
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