~~~~~~~~~~
You smiled and sat on your knees in front of the sacred flames. with your eyes closed. "Can I look now?" You said.
"Not yet~" Kaname said in a sing-song tone. You heard some shuffling, and a loud crash.
"What's happening?"
"One more second~ Okay, now!"
You opened your eyes and looked around. Kaname held a small box out to you. You smiled. "What's this?"
"A present," he said.
"A present? You've never given me one before," you said in a confused tone.
"I know, but now I am. Open it."
You took the box from his hands and opened it.
"Happy birthday, Areum," he said as you stared at your present. It was a silver ring (the picture at the beginning of the chapter) with a starfish on it, and a blue topaz gem in the center.
"It's beautiful," you muttered as you stared at it. Every year, you got gifts from the villagers for your birthday. You had dozens of rings, necklaces, and other things, but they didn't mean anything to you. Of course you were grateful, but, for the past few years, people just gave you gifts, like they were giving offerings to some sort of god, and they didn't hold any real sentimental value.
But this, this was special. The first present you've ever gotten from Kaname.
"So, you like it, then?" Kaname said. "
"I love it." You smiled and slipped the ring on your left middle finger. "Thank you."
"We match," he said as he showed his own ring, that was a simple silver band with a matching stone.
You smiled. "This means so much to me. I'll never take it off."
Kaname nodded. "Now you'll always have a part of the sea with you. I even had someone make the pendant over the sacred fire. It's been blessed by the sea god himself. "
"Why? You've never given me a present before."
"This year is special. You have the scent of a woman now," He said while sniffing your neck.
"Ew!" you exclaimed while pushing him away. He chuckled and sat in front of you on the futon. "Awh, c'mon ____~ You're 20 and you've never had a boyfriend before~"
"So," you pouted. "This is a weird topic."
Kaname chuckled again. "Have you met a guy yet~"
"I made two friends on the surface. Sangwoo and Yoonbum."
"Ah ah ah, ___ you know the rules-"
"Yeah. People from the sea aren't meant to be with people from the land. If they have a baby, it could be born without ena, and they'll be banished."
"Not to mention the cultural differences." Kaname shook his head.
"But, I'm the daughter of the sea god. If I were to be with a land human, why would it matter? I'll still be the ruler of all the oceans and seas."
"The people may not like that, though," he said with a hum. "Best to be careful of that."
"Oh," you muttered before you stood up. "I see. Well, that won't happen. I want us all to live in peace. The hate we have for land humans is stupid."
"It stems from decades of mistreatment and discrimination."
"I understand. Maybe things will be different, when I rule the seas."
~~~~~~~~
The next day, you were awoken by a fish rubbing against your cheek. You slowly woke up and giggled.
"Hello fishy," You said before giving it a kiss on the head and sitting up.
You stretched and sighed happily before climbing out of bed and walking over to your drawers. After a few minutes of digging through clothes, you decided to wear a black dress, that does down just above your knees and modestly hugs your curves, black vans, and your new ring, of course. You put your hair up into a neat bun, and left the house.
"And where do you think you're going," Rin teased.
"To hang out with a friend. His name is Sangwoo."
"Oh," Rin said. "I know him. Some say, he only dates the hottest girls. That explains why he's going out with you."
You giggled. "Oh, Rinny. Don't worry. We're just friends."
"Right," he said. "Well, you be careful, okay? I hear that the last girl he dated went missing, or killed herself, or something? I ain't entirely sure, but you should watch yourself."
"Awh," you said sadly. "Maybe she was depressed. I wish I got to be her friend, maybe I could've helped."
Rin chuckled. "You're too kind, Areum."
You smiled at him before you swam to the surface.
"Boo!" You exclaimed. scaring Sangwoo. He jumped and looked at you. "Oh, haha. Very funny."
You grinned and dove back into the water, and swam to the steps. Then you walked up them and smiled. "Am I late?"
"Nope, right on time." Sangwoo smiled at you. "You look beautiful," he paused. His gaze raked over your form. Your wet clothes clung tightly to your body. "and wet."
You chuckled. "My ena will absorb all of the water in a minute or two."
"How cool," Sangwoo said. He held out his hand. "Shall we."
You grabbed his hand and smiled. "Lead the way." After about a minute of walking, you were completely dry.
"That's really cool," Sangwoo said.
"Have you never met anyone from the sea?" You said.
"Can't say I have," he said. "I live kinda far from the shore. You don't really see any around my way, but if I did, I definitely don't remember."
"Ah, interesting."
"So, what's it like down there?"
"In the sea? Well," you paused. "It's beautiful. Schools of fish swim through the city, sometimes they come into your room and wake you up, its so cute. The people are nice, usually, and it's fun exploring outside of the city. The coral reefs are gorgeous. If you could go down there, I would take you."
"Maybe I'll get some scuba gear and come with," he said with a chuckle.
"That would actually be awesome!" Your eyes seemed to light up.
Sangwoo smiled. "Then maybe I'll make that happen one day."
"Amazing," you said with a smile. "I love the sea more than anything, but I wouldn't mind spending time here on the surface as well."
"Really?" Sangwoo said. He was shocked, but also... excited.
"Yeah, it's beautiful up here. What's it like living on land, though?"
"Well, no friendly fish are there to wake you up in the morning," Sangwoo said with a chuckle.
A large amusement part showed up in the distance. Your eyes seemed to brighten up when you saw it. Sangwoo noticed this, and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. "That's where we're going. I can see you're already excited," he said smoothly.
"Really?!" You exclaimed excitedly.
He nodded and smiled at you as you squealed in excitement.
"I've heard about amusement parks, but I've never actually been to one!" You exclaimed.
"I figured." Sangwoo chuckled.
"Well c'mon!" You exclaimed before grabbing Sangwoo's hand and pulling him to the entrance. He paid for your tickets, and then you both went inside.
"Ooooo lets go there!" You exclaimed while pointing to a ride. "No there!" You exclaimed while pointing to something different.
Sangwoo chuckled. "We'll get a chance to get on everything."
"Well, let's get started!" You exclaimed happily. Sangwoo smiled at you and slightly tightened his grip on your hand.
(Time skip, a few hours)
Sangwoo smiled as you tried a fried oreo for the first time. Your eyes lit up, and you let out a small moan as powdered sugar stuck to the corner of your lips because of your lipgloss.
'God, she's so hot,' Sangwoo thought as he watched you.
"Sangwoo, these are amazing!" You exclaimed happily as you looked at him. "Is something wrong? You're staring."
Sangwoo chuckled and leaned close to you. You tilted your head to the size in confusion, completely oblivious to the obvious sexual tension he was radiating off of him.
"Is there something on my face?" You said while staring into his eyes.
He looked into your blue orbs and smiled. "Yeah, you have something on your face."
Sangwoo stared intensely at your plump lips as you ran your tongue over them. "Did I get it?" Sangwoo couldn't look away. How would those juicy lips look wrapped around his d-
"Sangwoo?" He was snapped out of his train of thought.
"Oh, uh," he said. "I'll get it." He gently ran his thumb over of the corner of your lips. "Got it."
You smiled. "Thank you."
Sangwoo smiled. "So, what do you wanna do next?"
"I think I should get going, actually."
"Why?"
You set your legs on the bench and slid up your dress, showing your thick thighs. "See? My ena is starting to dry up."
"Luckily, I came prepared." Sangwoo dug in his book bag and pulled out a large water bottle. "I filled it up with water from the ocean just before you arrived."
You smiled. "Oh, you're so thoughtful, Sangwoo."
"Want me to pour it on you?"
"Please." You pulled your hair out of its bun, your long, curly hair falling past your shoulders.
Sangwoo unscrewed the cap and poured the water on your head, then poured some on your arms and legs.
"Put some on my thighs too," you said. You pulled your dress up further, showing where the cracking was the worse. Sangwoo gulped and tried to calm the tightness that grew in his pants as he stared at your thick, succulent tight.
"Uh, alright." He poured the water on your thighs, then poured the rest of the bottle on your head. "Better?"
You smiled and nodded. "Much better. Thank you, Sangwoo."
Sangwoo's eyes trailed over your thighs. Everything in him was screaming at him to push your dress up and- no no. It's only the first date, Sangwoo.
"You're welcome," He said before tossing the empty bottle into the trash can. "I have a few more just in case."
"How considerate."
You and Sangwoo sat on the bench and watched the sun start to set. Your large, blue eyes sparkled and reflected the sunset beautifully.
"It's so beautiful," You genty breathed out as you watched the sky change colors and the sun disappears behind the horizon.
Sangwoo stared at you, his eyes trailed from your eyes to your lips, down to your chest before trailing his eyes down your body, and back to your eyes. The wind blew, gently blowing your hair away from your face, and your eyes seemed to glow from the reflection of the sunset.
"There's a place with an even better view," he said.
"I'd love to see it." You looked at him and smiled. Something on him swelled. At this point, he couldn't even fucking tell it it was his heart or his dick. Sangwoo stood up and held his hand out. You gently grabbed it and stood up. Your dress slid down to cover your legs once again as you started walking to the final ride.
The Ferris wheel.
You both waited in line, and by the time you both got on, the sun had already disappeared from the shy and the moon illuminated the dark sky. You both stepped into the cart and sat inside. Slowly, you both raised up into the sky. Your eyes widened as you stared down at the sight. The lights from the city, the way the sea looked so dark, so vast from this distance. It was all so breathtaking.
Sangwoo wrapped an arm around your shoulder and leaned in closely.
"Look up."
You nodded and looked up at the night sky. You let out a small gasp as you stared at the stars that sparkled in the dark of the night, and the moon seemed to shine in comparison. It's strange. You've never really taken the time to look up at the sky. Your head was always in the water, but, in that moment, it truly dawned on you that there is so much more beyond the sea.
"It's gorgeous," you muttered softly.
Sangwoo couldn't help but stare at you. It was as if your wide, blue orbs reflected the vast galaxy, and somehow, all the beauty in the universe. For a moment, Sangwoo felt as though he was lost in a sea of pure blue. It was serene.
"Your eyes are so beautiful," he said smoothly. He gently rubbed your hand with his thumb. "They're so blue, like the sea. It's like I get a, overwhelming feeling of tranquility whenever I look at you."
You smiled at him. "That's so sweet. Everyone in the sea has either blue or black eyes, so, I'm not used to people complimenting me on my eye color."
"Well, trust me when I say, your eyes are gorgeous."
After the ferris wheel ride, Sangwoo walked you home. Well, he walked you back to the shore. The walk was silent. All you could do was stare at the beautiful night sky.
"We should hang out again, sometime," Sangwoo said.
You smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It's fun hanging out with out."
Sangwoo leaned down and gave you a small kiss on the cheek before he walked away. You didn't think much of it, honestly. You just shrugged it off as a friendly gesture.
Sangwoo glanced back at you as you walked into the water, then disappeared behind the waves.
Now, he was confused, maybe even a little pissed off. Most girls are shocked when he does that, or they blush, or hell, the bold ones would go back for another kiss, or just say something. Why didn't you? Do you not find him attractive? You practically blew off every attempt he made at flirting with you. Were you just a stuck up bitch, or just fucking naive?