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Even though Hongjoong lived in the deep sea, she still got to experience sunshine every day. To her, that light was her best friend, Seonghwa. The other mermaid brought her a joy that she didn’t even know was possible. Whether it was them going into the city to watch all of the people live their lives or exploring new parts of their kingdom, Seonghwa never failed to make everything exciting. She was everything. It was clear Hongjoong was not the only person to think this seeing as Seonghwa was asked for her hand hundreds of times. The alluring woman would just politely decline and thank them. It was clear it affected whoever it was more than a typical rejection. Seonghwa was the most sought after mermaid in their kingdom and the next. She was coveted more than the princess herself. It not only had to do with her physical beauty, but her heart as well.
Seonghwa was kindness. She never raised her voice or became outwardly irritable when something was bothering her. She was patient with everyone, even the stupid royal court who pestered her everyday to become a concubine of the queen. When Hongjoong had first heard this, he was livid. In their culture, being a concubine was degrading. Yes, they were some of the most beautiful women in all of the kingdom, but they had no brains. They were just another pretty face to look at. Hongjoong would spit on the grave the queen would lie in if she could. That woman cared for no one but herself. She even offered to marry her own daughter off to another queen she knew would only hurt and abuse her just to gain some gold. All of this under her belt, yet somehow she was still seen as kind and loving. As if. Seonghwa, on the other hand, would just laugh that annoyingly beautiful laugh at Hongjoong tirades. She held her friend’s face ever-so-gently in her hands and reassured her that she was never going to be a concubine.
Hongjoong could go on and on about just how heavenly Seonghwa was. Her face was perfectly shaped, accompanied by a piercing pair of eyes that could coax the truth out of anyone no matter how trivial. Her nose was adorable. Hongjoong would poke it every chance she got just to see it scrunch up. Seonghwa always asked her why she did that, but Hongjoong just waved her off mumbling something about her being adorable. Her lips were full and pink. She had never ever needed anything to cover any part of her to make herself seem more beautiful. Seonghwa was picture perfect. If it was up to Hongjoong, there would be paintings and murals of her everywhere instead of the useless queen. If she ever spoke of her next thoughts out loud, she most certainly be laughed at. As mermaids, there was no reason for them to cover themselves. They were deep enough to where humans would never find them, and there were no men in their kingdom. Only when they had visitors did they have slight decency. Seonghwa’s breasts were round and perky despite their slightly larger size. Hongjoong would catch himself staring for a second too long, but Seonghwa luckily never noticed. Overall, her best friend was the peak of beauty. No one was better.
Their tails were a completely different rant. Each mermaid’s tail was completely different. The only similarities were between those who were in the same bloodline, and that was only by color. Seonghwa’s tail was beyond compare. Her family had no nobility in their blood, but their tails rivaled with the royal family in vibrance. Seonghwa’s tail in particular was a flurry of blues, pinks, gold, and a bit of black. She had more tail fins than the average mermaid as well. Two right below where her tail started, two on the lower part of her two, and two on the bottom of her trailing fin. Her tail was stripped, similar to Hongjoongs, but it would draw you in. Many of the younger mermaids would compliment her to which she’d become extremely giddy. Seonghwa was always a sucker for compliments. Lastly, Seonghwa’s hair flowed as if it didn’t have a care in the world. Spotting her with messy hair had never happened and Hongjoong has spent many nights with her.
The day Hongjoong knew that she had fallen in love with Seonghwa was a devastating day. She was fully aware that her feelings would never be reciprocated, so she kept them buried deep in her heart. Seonghwa had come swimming directly into her, knocking them both off balance. After a quick laugh, she began to explain that she met someone. Confusion was written all over Hongjoong’s face. She wasn’t really surprised. They met new people every day, but what was so special about this person? Seonghwa went on to explain that it wasn’t another mermaid, it was a man. That snapped something inside Hongjoong. Seonghwa wore a smile that she had only worn once before. The last time it had been a pretty mermaid in their teenage years. It didn’t work out, but they were still friends with the golden tailed Yunho. Hongjoong’s heart beat rapidly as Seonghwa went on and on about some handsome sailor she managed to save. This wasn’t right. They weren’t supposed to be up there. Hongjoong warned her that humans were dangerous creatures, but Seonghwa always wrote her off as being a worrywart. There was really no concrete evidence that they were harmful other than the stories they grew up with.
The second Seonghwa began speaking of leave to look for him, Hongjoong found herself to be speechless. That’s when she realized her love. She couldn’t let Seonghwa go. She had to say something… but… She couldn’t… No thing would come out. Her mind screamed at her.
I love you! I love you! I need you! Don’t leave! Be mine! I love you! I need you more than anything! Say it! Say it, Hongjoong!
She couldn’t. Hongjoong could only sit there and watch her friend pace and rave about some guy. Some guy that had stolen her heart. Some guy that she just met. Some guy that probably wouldn’t recognize her. Angry threatened to bubble up, but it was impossible for Hongjoong to ever truly get angry at Seonghwa. She only realized the other mermaid stopped pacing when fingers snapped in front of her face. Hongjoong swallowed the huge ball of emotions that swelled in her throat and smiled half-heartedly. Seonghwa smiled back at her and held her face gently. She apologized and sat down, slowing her words. Hongjoong could only focus on the gentle touch of her friend’s hands. When really got her attention was when Seonghwa announced that she was leaving to go look for him. Hongjoong immediately voiced her concerns. How was she going to get there? She’s never walked? How would she even get legs? What if he didn’t remember? How would she adapt? Very few mermaids spoke the human language. It was deemed useless because they never interacted with humans anyways. Seonghwa, being the curious girl she is, studied it anyways. She knew it all. That worried Hongjoong even more. Seonghwa gasped and placed a quick kiss on Hongjoong’s forehead in the middle of her explanation. Hongjoong began to cry. How could she just leave like this?
Seonghwa frowned and tilted her head up so they made eye contact. She said that they had spent their whole lives together. She asked if Hongjoong had ever thought of finding her own way? Hongjoong couldn’t deny it. They had always talked about leaving together, but the keyword was together. Now Seonghwa was talking about leaving in her own. She was leaving. Hongjoong knew better than anyone that there was no convincing her. She just sniffled and kept quiet once again, shimmying out of Seonghwa’s grip. Her eyes trained on the ground, not finding the strength to look the other mermaid in the eye anymore. Seonghwa sensed that there was no convincing her. She didn’t want to give up, but she truly did have to go. Hongjoong spent that night crying in the dark.
The next day, Hongjoong knew that she wasn’t going to see Seonghwa, but it twisted his stomach into bigger knots seeing that her room was near empty. She didn’t want to stay in her home, knowing that it was only filled with gifts her friend got her. Well, everything reminded her of Seonghwa. It didn’t help when she read the long note the other mermaid left for her to read. Seonghwa promised that she was going to come back. She wasn’t abandoning Hongjoong and it was the hardest decision she’s ever made. She explained that even if there was a sliver of hope for her to find love, she was going to go find it. Hongjoong only placed the note on her vanity as she could t bring herself to finish it.
Every single day for the next ten years, Hongjoong waited for her to return. To anyone else that would be a long time, but to her it was only days. There was one day in particular where the world fell apart for her. A young mermaid swam to Hongjoong’s home, explaining that she had received word from Seonghwa. Hongjoong’s heartbeat picked up, taking the glass bottle and thanking the other girl. She was hesitant to open it. This was the first thing in five years that Hongjoong had gotten from her old friend. They used to write at least once a week, but over time Seonghwa’s replies had gotten shorter and shorter until there weren’t any replies. Hongjoong found herself becoming too impatient and took the cork out, pulling a small piece of paper and what seemed to be a picture. There Seonghwa’s was in all of her glory, only she looked different. There were streaks of grey in her what was once pearly black hair. She was smiling that dazzling smile that Hongjoong fell in love with. She had learned that the above world humans aged much more rapidly than mermaids. Seonghwa’s stomach stuck out ever so slightly. There was a man smiling next to her just as brightly, but he seemed to not have aged as much. Maybe Seonghwa had shared their remedies with him. The bot read:
My beloved Hongjoong,
I apologize deeply for not writing these past years. Things have gotten very busy. I am now with child! Isn’t that exciting? Humans have a different way of mating than we do. At first, it was odd but it became pleasurable fairly quickly. Anyways, enough about that. How are you, my love? I miss you terribly. Unfortunately, I can’t come see you while I am with child. It’s half human. They’re such fragile things. I hope you are doing well. I learn the baby is a girl. I will name her after you, my dearest. She only deserves the best just as you do. There is no amount of apologies that could make up for my leaving. I hope you understand. I love you, and I can’t wait to see you again. I will tell you everything. Sannie is more than happy to meet you. He thinks our endeavors are amusing. One day, we will be able to hold each other again.
Your heart,
Seonghwa
Hongjoong knew she was crying. She didn’t even have to reach up and touch her face to know. For some reason, she always held on to the hope that Seonghwa would return to her and confess her love. Now she was with child. Just like her mood, the sky’s clouded above. The sun disappeared almost completely, leaving her in darkness yet again. Despite Seonghwa’s promises to come back, Hongjoong knew that was never going to happen. She was no longer a key factor in the old mermaids life. Did Seonghwa not hear the sea calling out to her? Did she not long to be back in the place that was truly her home? The storm above was going more violent. Hongjoong’s emotions grew along side it. There was so much going on in her head, she didn’t even realize that there were screams coming from her door. She looked down only to see a cloud of red coming from her stomach, a beautiful dagger poking out, fading in and out of her sight. It was all too much for her to take. She was being abandoned. Seonghwa was abandoning her. She was alone. She didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to be selfish.
On land Seonghwa stood at the jagged rocks, rubbing her belly gently as the storm brewed. There was a certain sadness in her eyes as she knew why it was coming. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, missing the scent of Hongjoong next to her. She had half a mind to jump, joining her love forever, but she had the baby to think about. She was trapped in a loveless marriage. She should have listened to everyone. In all of her thoughts, Seonghwa didn’t register the spot of red forming on her dress until a sharp pain rang through her body. With an echoing scream, she collapsed. Her bond with Hongjoong was fading. Hongjoong was fading. She couldn’t feel her, and then she could. Something wasn’t right. Seonghwa peered out into the sea, searching and scanning for any sign of an answer. Nothing.
Nothing..
Nothing…
She felt nothing…
Hongjoong…
She was gone. There was no one there. Seonghwa dreamed once more before fainting, her body going limp. She didn’t feel herself free falling towards the water. She didn’t feel herself become broken apart by the rocks either. There was only emptiness. At least now, there was no more pain. No more pain for either of them.