The sea that embraces you
4. Where the sun shines
Whoa— Whoa—
The sunlight tapped my eyelids.
I slowly opened my eyes. I looked around the unfamiliar space.
다해
"Where is this…?"
The moment I was about to get up, I hesitated.
다해
"Why are my legs..."
Because the legs have been transformed back into fins.
Strangely enough, the fins shining in the sunlight looked beautiful.
I flicked my fin slightly, and the sand scraped against me.
That feeling was strangely good too.
Swish - Swish -
I heard the sound of waves. It felt like they were calling me.
I looked out at the sea and, without hesitation, threw myself into it.
with a plop.
The sea felt warm, unlike the aquarium water.
I tried moving the fins little by little.
It was a thrilling feeling to cut through the water after a long time.
At that moment, a black shadow passed behind me.
I sped up and ran as fast as I could, but the shadow was quickly approaching.
I felt like my ears were blocked, as if I was trapped by something.
As I cowered in fear, something thudded against my shoulder.
다해
“Orca…?”
A huge killer whale was looking at me.
I reached out cautiously.
Then the killer whale tilted its head and touched it against my hand.
The slippery sensation somehow tickled my heart.
We swam together and came up to the surface.
I straightened my wet hair.
The killer whale seemed to follow suit, spewing water from its blowhole.
다해
"Ugh! It's cold lol"
The playful orca somehow appeared smaller than it did underwater.
다해
(( 'It seems smaller than before...? '))
The sense of oppression I'd felt earlier felt like a lie.
The killer whale suddenly slammed its fin into the water.
다해
"Phuha...!"
I barely managed to open my eyes, blocking the splashing water droplets.
The setting sun caught my eye through the falling water droplets.
The sunset over the sea was really pretty.
The once blue water slowly turned orange.
While petting a killer whale, I watched the sunset.
It felt like something was tapping the fin.
Until then, I thought the killer whale was just playing.
But, the interval gradually became shorter
Chin-
Someone pulled my fin down hard.
So I was sucked into the sea.
The sea, once orange because of the sunset, continued to descend until it turned black.
다해
“Haa… ha… ah..”
I woke up taking a deep breath.
다해
“Huh… what… what is it…”
I looked around in this unfamiliar space again.
다해
“This is…”
The familiar ceiling, the vanity I saw yesterday, I realized only then that I had been dreaming.
I slowly got up and sat down on the edge of the bed.
I took a deep breath and calmed my elevated heart rate.
dripping-
밤구
"Miss Yeonhwa, I'm here to serve you some grilled Haeseung chestnuts."
At the sound of a knock, I quickly wiped away the cold sweat and opened the door.
다해
(( ' Bambi...? ' ))
다해
(( 'Bambi's name here is Bambi'))
The man standing in front of the door looked at me and bowed his head politely.
밤구
“It’s breakfast time, so I’ve come to pick you up.”
다해
(( ‘Breakfast…? Morning? Is it the same thing? ’ ))
밤구
“You will lose your memory and not know the way.”
밤구
“I will explain as we go.”
At those words, I paused for a moment.
다해
(( ‘Let’s not forget that we lost our memories’))
다해
(( 'I'm Yeonhwa here…! ’))
I said with a smile as if nothing had happened.
다해
"Yes, please!"
It was the first time I'd ever left my room since arriving at the Dragon Palace.
Let's go outside. The sunlight pouring down was blinding.
The first thing I saw was a giant pearl column.
다해
" wow… "
Behind the rows of pearl columns, buildings decorated with seashells and moss were visible.
The stilts that flew like eagles were also amazing.
I was constantly amazed with every step I took.
밤구
“ …Miss ”
다해
" yes…? "
Bamgu suddenly turned around and said.
밤구
“You may not remember, Miss…,”
밤구
“When you first came to the Dragon Palace, you were also amazed like this.”
For some reason, Bamgu's expression seemed a little sad.
다해
" ah… "
From his expression, I could tell how long he had been with Yeonhwa.
용왕
“Yeonhwa”
As soon as the Dragon King saw me, he came to me without hesitation and hugged me.
용왕
“Did you sleep well?”
I was surprised by the sudden embrace, but the Dragon King's embrace felt familiar.
The feeling was rather awkward, and my body froze.
다해
(( ‘What is the relationship between the Dragon King and Yeonhwa? ’))
다해
(( ‘Should I hug you every time I see you…? ’))
용왕
“But why is it so late?”
밤구
“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”
밤구
“While explaining various places to Miss Yeonhwa”
밤구
“It’s a little late…”
At Bamgu's words, the Dragon King seemed to have a hard time, and looked at me with deep eyes.
용왕
“I’m sorry…”
용왕
“I can’t believe you lost your memory.”
용왕
“I… I…”
The Dragon King paused mid-sentence. But I thought I knew what he was thinking.
다해
(( ‘I feel really sorry for Yeonhwa…? ’))
다해
(( ‘What kind of being was Yeonhwa? ’ ))
The Dragon King took my hand and led me to the restaurant.
다해
“Hehe!!”
My eyes widened at the sight of the food laid out on the enormous table.
Seahorses in chef's uniforms carried food tirelessly.
It was a bit strange, but when I sat down and looked closely at the food, I saw that most of it was raw fish.
다해
(( ‘How do I eat this…? ’))
I usually like seafood and raw fish,
In contrast, the sight of the real thing itself made me feel sick.
용왕
“Come on in, Yeonhwa.”
The Dragon King stared at me intently, hoping I would eat quickly.
다해
" haha… "
Embarrassed, I took a bite of the seaweed salad in front of me.
다해
“Mmm~ wow, it’s delicious…!!”
용왕
“Yeonhwa, I prepared only the things you like.”
용왕
“Eat a lot”
Only then did the Dragon King smile brightly and eat.
The seaweed salad was absolutely tasteless. The smell of the sea mixed with the fishy flavor, making it completely inedible.
다해
(( ‘I want to eat kimchi stew…’))
While the Dragon King and Bamgu were away for a while, working, I explored the Dragon Palace.
Perhaps because it was the king's residence, it was extremely spacious and grand.
다해
“What is that?”
I sensed a strong light from somewhere. I followed the light and climbed the spiral-shaped stone steps.
When I reached the top, I found a large tree, bathed in sunlight, in a vast space.
Curious about the light I couldn't see underwater, I approached closer.
The transparent curtain rippling at the entrance seemed to protect the tree.
I touched the barrier lightly with my hand.
It popped like a soap bubble and then quickly formed again.
The strange sight drew me back to the curtain. In the gap where the curtain had disappeared, a red apple fell from the tree and caught my eye.
다해
“Huh? It’s… an apple.”
Having barely eaten, I started rumbling as soon as I saw the apple.
I carefully inserted my arm into the thin membrane.
The curtain burst and water sprayed down over my head.
다해
"Oh, the car...!"
As I stepped inside, I felt like I was breathing fresh air, unlike before.
다해
“Hmm~ The smell of grass!”
The floor here was grass, not seaweed.
I took a deep breath, feeling the soft grass between my toes.
Then he ran down the tree and picked up an apple.
When I roughly wiped it off with my clothes and tried to take a bite,
Whoosh-
다해
“Eww!!!”
An arrow flew, pierced the apple, and then stuck in the ground.
다해
(( ‘Did you get hit by an arrow…? ’ ))
I was so surprised that my hands were shaking.
???
“Miss Yeonhwa?”
I raise my head to the shadows cast
What I saw before my eyes was
다해
"Nin... Ninja Turtles...?"
It was a turtle with an arrow tied to its side.
.
..
...
왓치미쀼뀨
Hello! It's been a while!
왓치미쀼뀨
Did you have a good Lunar New Year holiday?
왓치미쀼뀨
I would like to tell you about the serialization cycle going forward.
왓치미쀼뀨
The exam I've been preparing for is scheduled to continue until the first half of this year.
왓치미쀼뀨
We plan to publish serially once every two weeks at the earliest, and once a month at the latest.
왓치미쀼뀨
Happy New Year, and I hope you have a safe and prosperous year.
왓치미쀼뀨
Thank you for reading today. Your comments and support are love♥️🫶
※ Please note that some background images and portraits used in the episode were created using AI. ※