After seeing Jeonghan, I ran straight to school. The school was a bit far from the beach, so I'd be late and probably get scolded again when I got home, but I was in a good mood. It was a good start to the day.
As soon as the bell rang, Kwon Soon-young came to my seat. She crouched down in front of me, rested her chin on my desk, and asked why I was late. I didn't answer, just patted her head. The day was off to a wonderful start.
Kwon Soon-young was startled by my actions and returned to her seat. Then, the bell rang. Normally, I would have focused on the class, but today, I couldn't. So, I lay face down on my desk and closed my eyes. The teacher's voice became my lullaby and I fell asleep.
"You're snoring now."
It was lunchtime, and Kim Min-gyu came into our class and whispered in my ear as I was sleeping. Goosebumps struck me in the eye, and I accidentally hit him on the head with my palm. But I didn't apologize. After all, it was Kim Min-gyu who had tampered with me first.
Kim Min-gyu looked at me with a tearful face. Kwon Soon-young, who was standing next to him, found his expression disgusting and covered his face with both hands so I wouldn't see it. I burst out laughing, got up from my seat, and headed to the cafeteria. Kim Min-gyu and Kwon Soon-young followed behind, muttering.
***
"It seems like you don't go straight home after school these days."
"What is it? What kind of man is he?? Tell me a little about it."
When it was time to leave school, Kwon Soon-young approached me, carrying her bag, and whispered to me. I lifted my heel and whispered in her ear, "Get out of here." Kwon Soon-young made a disgusted expression and truly vanished from my presence. Although I was taken aback by her actions, I ignored her and left school.
***
The beach, this is where I've been coming every day since I met Jeonghan. Without missing a single day. It's already been a month since I met Jeonghan. That month seemed to fly by so quickly. And today is Sunday, and I'm still playing with Jeonghan among the large rocks on the beach.
I was gazing out at the ocean, telling Jeonghan everything that had happened over the past month. Jeonghan was staring intently at me, listening intently. I felt my face flush, but I tried my best not to look at him, fearing he'd think I was strange if I covered it.
"Humans really do have fun lives."
"Every day is just the same for us."
"Still, you'll see a lot of interesting things. Will you see dolphins too?"
"Do you see it every day??? Is it pretty?? "
"Are you curious? Do you want to see it?? "
"Yeah, yeah!!"
"But if you go into the ocean in this weather, Dawon will catch a cold, so... I'll take you when I get better!"
"Really? Don't forget!"
"Why would I forget that?"
"But Jeonghan, don't you have any questions?? I'll answer them all!"
"There it is, there it is!"
"Isn't your only friend Sunyoung?? "
"Yeah, I'm not that socially savvy."
"Three years is a pretty short time, but I spent all three years with Kwon Soon-young, so it's kind of special. She's my only friend."
"Are you a boy?"
"Uh, yeah. A boy."
"Our mermaids don't have girlfriends or boyfriends."
" huh? "
"Men and women can't be friends."
"You don't like that girl named Sunyoung?"
"What does that mean?"
"I'm just friends with him."
"Nothing more, nothing less..."
"I guess so?"
"I wish I had legs too."
"I want to be a human."
"They say there are mermaids who live like humans."
"Doesn't that mean you can be human? You can't?"
"Should I give it a try..."
***
After that, I went to the beach to see Jeonghan for a week, but I didn't see him a single day. Worried, my mother told me to study, but I didn't, and a week went by without me even concentrating in class.
I half-gave up, thinking I'd never see him again, and went out to the beach. I saw Jeonghan's head far out in the ocean. Startled, I threw the workbook I was holding onto the ground and ran between the rocks.
***
When I saw Jeonghan again after a week, he was startlingly different. The gills in his ears were gone, and his mermaid tail had been chewed off, leaving him with human legs. And he was wearing clothes that looked like they had just been thrown away.
Startled, I quickly took off the hooded sweatshirt I was wearing and put it on Jeonghan. (I usually wear clothes that are really big, so even though Jeonghan was wearing them, they were a little too big.) Jeonghan, who was wearing my clothes, tilted his head for a while before looking at me and smiling.
"Are we only a week away?? "
"No...what happened?? Just, just sleep...Jeonghan. Explain to me."
"Huh? What kind?"
"Oh, legs?"
"I'll explain later! I want to go to your house!!"
Fortunately, since Mom wasn't home this month, I was able to bring Jeonghan home with me with peace of mind. I was completely dumbfounded, but I figured I'd start with clothes, so I grabbed some from Kim Min-gyu's room. (Kim Min-gyu wasn't home yet.) Jeonghan, who had just changed in my room, continued to complain.
"How can a human wear such uncomfortable things every single day without fail?"
"Why, it's pretty."
"Can you explain it to me, Jeonghan?"
"I told you before. It's magic."
I couldn't understand Jeonghan, who only talked nonsense. No, more than that, Jeonghan had been living underwater, eating, sleeping, and had no home, so why would he appear in human form? But if I could somehow convince Kim Min-gyu, he could live with us for a month or so. (Thanks to my mom's trip abroad with friends.)
Unlike me, who was wrapped up in my thoughts, Jeonghan looked around the house, touching each item with a curious look in his eyes. He touched the TV remote, then saw it turn on. He knelt before it, exclaiming in wonder. He looked like a five-year-old, so I decided to save that for later. I picked Jeonghan up and sat him down on the sofa. I sat down next to him.
***
While Jeonghan and I were watching TV, having a lot of fun (Jeonghan was trying to put his soul into the TV), Kim Minkyu opened the front door and came inside. When he came in, Kim Minkyu was surprised to see a stranger watching TV in the house, so he stuttered. Jeonghan jumped up from the sofa, ran to Kim Minkyu, grabbed his hand, and introduced himself, saying it was nice to meet you.
"Hi! Are you Min-gyu?? I've heard a lot about you! I'm Yoon-jung!"
"Uh, uh, uh,... who.., who..?"
Wow,... why is the story like this,...
Why is the story like this..??
Please forgive me if there are any typos๐ฅบ๐ฅบ