Enlightenment - I Want to See the Sea

The shadow of the person speaking next to her was reflected in the moonlight. The female protagonist's gaze, seeing the unusually long shadow, naturally followed it to the water in the pool.

The face reflected in the gently swaying waves was Kim Min-gyu. He had a bewildered expression on his face, his entire body soaked in liquid that was either cold sweat or wetness.

배여주

"Are you Kim Min..."

Finally, realizing he'd been caught, he quickly interrupted and made a concise request. But even that was caught by the female protagonist.

The heroine felt a pang of pity for him, so she looked away. What on earth could be the reason? Why was he practicing alone at night?

김민규

“Don’t try to look at me anymore… please.”

Seeing Min-gyu's heartbreaking reaction, Yeo-ju was convinced that what she had seen was true. However, having already seen his expression, Yeo-ju felt like she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone that she had seen him.

The female protagonist, who had been staring blankly at his appearance as if she was already captivated by him, regained her composure and spoke to Min-gyu. It was the answer after a long silence.

배여주

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone… Just leave quickly.”

김민규

"Oh, okay... thank you. Really, thank you."

His relieved sigh was clearly audible to Yeoju. Yeoju was proud that she had made the right choice. Whatever the reason, he must have his own circumstances.

Min-gyu repeated his thanks to the female protagonist twice and even hid his protruding fin. It seemed that in his haste, some of his scales had flipped over.

I checked to see if any scales were visible in the mirror on the wall, then glanced at the corner of the wall where the heroine was for a moment. Judging by the shadow that had appeared, it seemed like she was still standing there.

Her curiosity grew and she ran out into the backyard to make sure she was there before it became too late.

Min-gyu thought to himself, "Thank you so much," and then climbed over the fence and left the school. His eyes and wet hair were shaking wildly.

He ran hard to the port and slowly calmed his breathing as he listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the breakwater. It was a leisurely feeling that somehow made him wonder if he would feel better after today.

The female protagonist, who remained there, tried to forget the scene from earlier. For some reason, she couldn't quite forget it, and the memory, which she didn't want to forget, seemed to be tormenting her for no reason.

But she decided to forget everything for him and skipped school too. It felt like Moonlight was praising her for doing a good job.

But one question occurred to Yeo-ju: Min-gyu could finswim. I thought he was a track and field athlete, but how could he do it without even taking off his gear?

Soon, only one sentence remained in the heroine's mind: he was like a 'mermaid prince'.

09:15 AM

The female protagonist, who finally arrived home, sat at her desk, listened to music, and vaguely recalled the scene she had seen earlier.

It felt as if something beautiful had appeared from the depths of the ocean, though I couldn't pinpoint it. But was it really Min-gyu? All sorts of speculations ran wild.

After that, it was strange that even the swimming pool where he had been felt new. The female protagonist, who was thinking while rolling her pen around, muttered softly.

배여주

"Even once..."

Before I knew it, the sunlight streaming through the window was shining brightly on the female protagonist who was sleeping face down on the desk.

08:35 AM

여주 엄마

"Hey Katsuna! Are you late again today?"

배여주

"Huh...?"

After checking her watch, Yeoju jumped up from her desk. She couldn't be late today, so she quickly washed up and headed out.

08:44 AM

전원우

"Lee Yeo-ju, you're late."

배여주

"Ah... just once?"

Absolutely not. He firmly refused and called the female protagonist over. He scolded her, saying that this was more than her first or second offense. The female protagonist, however, let it slide, recalling yesterday's events.

체육쌤

"Have you caught all the latecomers?"

전원우

"There is only one woman named Bae Yeo-ju."

When the gym teacher looked at Yeoju at the mention of Yeoju, he gave her the most pitiful look possible. Then, he looked back and forth between Wonwoo and Yeoju, as if he was worried, and then said,

체육쌤

"I'll take care of this one, so you guys go back to your classes now."

The PE teacher, who said he understood and then let Yeo-ju go as the leader disappeared, smiled brightly and gave her a big heart, and the corners of his mouth went up as he pretended to scold her and told her to hurry up and go back.

The heroine quietly enters the class, afraid that she will be caught by the leader again.

김민규

"Hey, where is the delivery person?"

이석민

“You didn’t do anything special today?”

배주현

"I hope he doesn't get in trouble for being late."

Seokmin was jumping for joy when he heard that Yeoju was being scolded for being late. Then he fell over when he saw Yeoju opening the classroom door and coming in.

Yeoju came in as if nothing had happened, sat down on a chair, and answered Joohyun's question of when she had arrived.

배여주

"Hey, if Lady Bae gets caught, it's ridiculous..."

Then, Yeo-ju's eyes met with Min-gyu's, who had been staring at her. She froze in a strange sense of desperation. After a few minutes, Ju-hyun, sensing the mood, asked Seok-min.

11:20 AM

배주현

"Hey, don't you think those two are up to something? They've been sitting quietly for a while now and not saying anything."

이석민

"Hey, Kim Min-gyu doesn't have no eyes either, right?"

Still, something feels off. When Joohyun tells Seokmin, Seokmin decides to quietly leave, saying, "Just in case." But Seokmin stares at her, saying that's impossible.

The dazed Yeo-ju suddenly realizes that Joo-hyun and Seok-min have disappeared. With only Min-gyu nearby, goosebumps run down Yeo-ju's body, replacing her own feelings.

Since I had more than one question, I gathered my courage and asked Min-gyu to overcome the awkwardness.

배여주

"Oh, something happened yesterday..."

김민규

"Don't worry. Whatever you see is the truth."

I tried to answer as casually as possible, but it was already too late, and there was nothing I could do. I had to clean up after myself.

배여주

"I guess I... thought it was strange."

As Yeoju uttered a meaningful statement, Min-gyu pushed aside the desk, stood up, and grabbed Yeoju's hand. Embarrassed, Yeoju was dragged away, unable to resist.

Joohyun and Seokmin, who had been watching this, looked at each other and nodded. There's definitely something going on with them.

김민규

"What did you think of me when you saw me yesterday?"

Min-gyu slowly cornered Yeo-ju against the wall where they had met yesterday, trapping her with both arms. Now unable to even gamble, Yeo-ju trembled in fear.

As Yeoju trembled, unable to speak, Min-gyu pulled his arm away and apologized. Yeoju couldn't understand why he was asking such questions. Was yesterday's events even important?

The female protagonist looked up at Min-gyu and said.

배여주

"Back then, you were... like a real mermaid prince. You were so cool. That's why I can't forget you."

Min-gyu's heart sank. At the heroine's honest words, Min-gyu spoke with a determined expression. His eyes and voice trembled.

김민규

"...you're wrong. I,"

The female protagonist looked at Min-gyu with a bewildered expression at the unexpected words.

...There was a seriousness in his expression, as if he was about to cry at any moment.

김민규

"It was left here in a miserable state."

The tears that had been pooling in his eyes flowed down Min-gyu's cheeks. They were from a painful wound he had never spoken of. Yeo-ju was taken aback, but soon understood the meaning and gave him a gentle hug.

Min-gyu felt annoyed by the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. But he buried his face in Yeo-ju's shoulder, feeling relieved and saying he didn't care what happened.

The heroine seemed a little flustered, then slowly stroked Min-gyu's head, trying to comfort him. She recognized her own younger self in Min-gyu and spoke.