I Want to See the Sea
Prologue: The Little Mermaid Story
여주 아빠
"Mother of the heroine, please save the heroine quickly! This is really urgent!"
Even when her father calls out in anguish, the female protagonist's mother pretends not to hear and simply silences him.
As if this wasn't the first or second time this had happened, the female protagonist's mother put the flippers back on her feet and jumped into the sea.
The female protagonist's father couldn't sit still as if he was anxious about something, and then he ran into the house.
Mom quickly cut through the water, gradually moving closer behind Yeoju, who was busy digging for clams. Yeoju seemed so focused that she didn't even notice the presence of anyone.
A tap on the shoulder startled the female protagonist, who flailed the shovel she was digging for clams in the water. When the movement subsided, her mother urged her upward with a finger.
Yeoju said she understood, making a circle with her finger in the water before looking up. Air bubbles were slowly rising between their goggles.
The mother and daughter climbed up together and took a deep breath. The female diver handed the clam basket she was holding to the female diver and swam quickly back to shore. The female divers who had been digging clams together looked at the female diver across the horizon before reentering the water and continuing their work.
At an age when people would have complained about being young, the youngest, who had already discovered the delights of the sea, was so young yet so remarkable that they silently watched over him. The haenyeo (female divers) were quick to express their envy for the mother of such a child.
여주 아빠
"When will the contribution come..."
Without even fully changing out of her diving suit, she simply took off her flippers and went inside. Sitting in the living room was her father, who seemed unusually unfamiliar. Yeoju, making it clear she was there for a visit, rushed into the house and spoke.
어릴 적 여주
"Father, why did you call me?"
The female protagonist suddenly remembered the promise she made with her father to take off her haenyeo suit inside the house, but she had a feeling she wouldn't get in trouble, so she boldly went in.
여주 아빠
"You really want to be a haenyeo? Is that your dream?"
The father raised his eyes and asked the female protagonist. The female protagonist confidently took hold of the two hands that were tightly holding the female protagonist's shoulders and answered.
어릴 적 여주
"Hey, why are you doing that when it's obvious? What would I do if I wasn't a haenyeo?"
When Yeoju asked back as if it were obvious, her father looked around and showed her a newspaper on the floor, his hand shaking. On the newspaper, in letters as large as a door, was written the words, "ㅇㅇ Fishing Village New Town Development Project Confirmed."
The father asked the female protagonist as if forcing her to say no.
여주 아빠
"This is definitely... a lie? Is that so?"
As the female protagonist read the text, her eyes shook and she said softly, “Father…?” Then, her vision began to blur and eventually, even the shape disappeared.
The female protagonist reached out to grab her disappearing family, but it was not enough to catch something that had disappeared far away.
어릴 적 여주
"...Father!"
thud-.
A loud noise filled the house as the female protagonist struggled on the bed and fell to the floor. However, despite the commotion, the house remained quiet.
The heroine got up, looked around the room, and muttered to herself. She had a blank expression on her face, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet.
배여주
"...I had another nightmare."
He shook his head vigorously, saying that he was fine with it, and left the room, heading to the bathroom as he always did.
Waking up early in the morning and starting the day by relaxing in the bathhouse was a habit Yeoju developed from the moment she arrived in the city.
When I lived near the sea, I could see the sea everywhere I looked, but even the sea I always looked at when I grew up has long since disappeared, covered in dirt.
Perhaps that's why Yeoju proudly declared that she wanted to become a haenyeo. It was because she wanted someone other than her family to recognize her.
The female protagonist, who arrived at the women's bathhouse, jumped into the water without even taking off the clothes she was wearing.
with a plop-.
A few air bubbles rose from where the female protagonist entered, and then the strong waves subsided. She came out to breathe and then went back in, repeatedly holding her breath, and began to dive.
A promising young national team member. That's the nickname she got when she came to the city. As expected from a promising female diver in her hometown, her swimming skills were better than other female divers, so she entered a sports high school as a special talent on the advice of those around her.
The main events were fin swimming, where you swim with flippers like mermaids, and underwater swimming, which you practice from the morning.
It is no lie that such a heroine is called the Little Mermaid among her friends.
After swimming for a while, she emerged from the bathroom. The female protagonist draped a towel around her shoulders, hanging proudly outside the door.
Now, as if satisfied, she took one last drink out of the fridge and drank it with a straw, wandering around the kitchen. Her mother, who was just coming up, frowned at the sight of Yeoju.
The mother started nagging her daughter in the morning when she confidently waved her hand and said hello.
여주 엄마
“Katsuna, is there chaos today? Hurry up and eat and go to school.”
배여주
"You're telling your only daughter to get lost? That's shit."
여주 엄마
"I've been digging around since this morning."
08:35 AM
When I put my rubber-gloved hand to her neck, the female protagonist, as if she was bored, quickly changed into her gym clothes and ran to school without even taking her bag.
08:40 AM
Arriving at the school gate, the leader was standing there, but Yeoju paid no attention and headed for the fence as usual. She casually jumped over the wall and looked around as if she were a pickpocket.
배여주
"You succeeded today too. As expected, we need to recognize Bae Yeo-ju's athletic ability."
The moment I shook off my hands that had been on the ground when I landed and was about to leisurely enter the school, someone blocked my way and said.
이석민
"Hey, if you do this, what will the other kids see and learn?"
As the female protagonist climbed over the fence, a boy came down from a tree at the height of the fence and approached her sarcastically. When the female protagonist looked at him with a disgusted expression, the boy raised his middle finger in response.
배여주
"What's your problem? I don't want to get caught, so can you just get out of here, you good fool?"
이석민
"You call that a favor? I don't want to."
When Seok-min appeared in front of Yeo-ju, instead of granting her request, he started to nag her loudly. The leader, who saw this from afar, ran towards Yeo-ju like crazy.
As the female protagonist, feeling a sense of crisis, hurriedly ran to the swimming pool, Seok-min just watched quietly, as if he found it funny.
이석민
"Hey, I did a good job with Bae Yeo-ju today."
As the heroine disappeared from sight, Seokmin climbed up the tree and sat down next to Chan, who was sitting on a thick branch, and with a playful expression pointed to the place where the heroine had disappeared.
이찬
"......"