After properly shaking off the lingering scent of salty sea air that clung stubbornly to their clothes and hair, the two of them finally settled down on a weathered wooden bench.
It was a rustic, almost ancient-looking structure, positioned perfectly to face the vast, endless stretch of the ocean, a panorama of shifting blues and greens.
Hakyung’s excitement bubbled over like a child who had just been told a brand-new fairy tale, his whole body wiggling with anticipation as he carefully, almost reverently, opened the lunch bag he had brought along.
The simple act felt momentous, a small ritual before a feast.
“Ta-da!” he announced proudly, his voice ringing with a theatrical flourish, revealing the neatly packed meal inside.
The vibrant colors of the food contrasted beautifully with the subdued hues of the sea.
“Oh, wow, that looks delicious. I’m going to eat well,” Muheon said with a warm smile, his eyes narrowing into gentle crescents of happiness, reflecting the pleasure he derived from Hakyung’s thoughtfulness.
His gaze lingered on the meticulously prepared meal, a testament to Hakyung’s care.
Muheon reached out with his chopsticks, their smooth, polished wood contrasting with the rough texture of the bench, and picked up a piece of inari sushi.
Though he usually ate everything Hakyung made without so much as a complaint, always appreciative, today he seemed to be savoring the food with an extra layer of appreciation, as if the taste itself had become sweeter in this moment, imbued with the joy of their shared experience.
He chewed slowly, deliberately, his focus entirely on the delicate flavors.
Hakyung thought to himself, You really don’t know until you experience it — who would have thought I’d be eating lunch while getting gently battered by this salty sea breeze?
Just a year ago, no, even three months ago, this scenario would have been utterly unimaginable to him, a terrifying prospect.
The thought of being so close to the ocean, let alone enjoying a meal beside it, would have sent shivers of dread down his spine.
Now, however, the breeze felt refreshing, the salty air invigorating, and the sight of the waves comforting.
“How is it? Still feeling like it won’t digest well?” Muheon asked, raising an eyebrow teasingly, a hint of amusement in his voice.
He watched Hakyung’s face, enjoying the playful banter.
“No! I think it’ll digest perfectly this time! Being with you, boss, I’m not scared of the sea at all anymore!” Hakyung replied, his confidence suddenly soaring as if he were a dolphin perfectly at home in the water, effortlessly slicing through the waves.
His voice was bright, almost triumphant.
His newfound bravery felt so strong it seemed like he could jump straight into the sea without hesitation, dive headfirst into the churning expanse.
Of course, if anyone actually asked him to do that, he probably wouldn’t, the practical side of his brain still intact.
But the feeling was still thrilling, a powerful surge of liberation from his long-held phobia.
Anyway, Hakyung, who had been feeling down and uncertain about his fear for so long, constantly battling his inner demons, now felt as confident and free as a dolphin slicing through waves, embracing its natural habitat.
Just as he was about to dig into the next bite of sushi, his chopsticks poised over the colorful array, Muheon reached into his coat.
With a slow, deliberate movement, he took out a small box he had been carefully holding close to his chest all morning, its presence a subtle weight against his heart.
It was exactly the box that Sango had brought to him earlier, its understated elegance hinting at its significance.
The box’s appearance alone, simple yet refined, suggested that something precious and profoundly meaningful lay inside, something of immense value.
Hakyung’s eyes grew wide with curiosity, a mixture of anticipation and wonder flickering in their depths.
“What’s this?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady despite the flutter of excitement and nervousness swirling inside him, a maelstrom of emotion.
His heart began to beat a little faster, a soft thrumming against his ribs.
“You said you were curious about what Sango brought,” Muheon replied calmly, his voice a low, even tone, his gaze steady on Hakyung.
Hakyung felt a sudden twitch on his scalp, a strange sensation of surprise and realization, by the way Muheon so casually confirmed something so important, something he had almost forgotten.
Goodness, he thought, a wave of astonishment washing over him, boss already greeted my grandma and even prepared a ring?
The thought, though premature, sent a thrill of overwhelming possibility through him.
His heart pounded wildly, like a drum beating rapidly and irregularly in his chest, following the subtle opening of the box, each click a deafening boom.
He wanted to rush and open it immediately, to tear away the mystery, but he was no longer a kid jumping at every little exciting event, unable to control his impulses.
He was a mature dolphin now — or at least, he was trying his best to be, to exhibit a semblance of calm and patience.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, a dry, nervous sound, Hakyung extended his left hand.
Naturally, the back of his hand faced upward as if offering a delicate gift, a gesture of politeness ingrained from his upbringing.
Noticing the trembling at Hakyung’s fingertips, a barely perceptible tremor, Muheon’s eyebrow twitched with amusement.
Usually, he thought, when someone receives something important, the palm faces upward, not the back.
It was a small, endearing quirk of Hakyung’s.
Gently, with a touch that was both tender and guiding, Muheon turned Hakyung’s hand around so that the palm was facing upwards, then carefully placed the small, elegant box onto his open palm.
The weight of the box felt significant, heavy with unspoken meaning.
“Open it,” he said softly, his voice a gentle command that Hakyung found impossible to disobey.
“Uh… okay,” Hakyung answered, his curiosity now mixed with a palpable hesitation.
He wondered, briefly, if his initial assumption had been wrong.
Or perhaps, he mused, he was simply supposed to put the thing on himself, if it indeed turned out to be a ring.
Curious and cautious, with bated breath, Hakyung carefully lifted the lid of the box, making sure not to damage the stylish container.
Inside, resting on a small velvet cushion, nestled against the soft material, was a single round object that looked like a pearl.
However, it shimmered with a rather mysterious, iridescent color unlike any pearl he had seen before, catching the light in a kaleidoscope of hues.
“This is… um…?” Hakyung murmured, picking up the pearl-like object with a delicate touch, his fingers tracing its smooth, cool surface.
When he noticed that the ring he had so eagerly expected was not attached underneath or included inside, a faint feeling of disappointment crept in, a small wave of anti-climax.
He even half-suspected it wasn’t a pearl at all, but perhaps some kind of traditional medicine — like Uwhang Cheongsimhwan, a calming herbal pill he’d heard about, designed to soothe a heart that was shocked by the sea, a rather ironic thought given his current location.
Without even trying to hide his skeptical expression, his brows furrowed in confusion, Hakyung stared intently at Muheon, his gaze silently begging for some kind of explanation, for clarity.
“If you take this, you’ll have no problems living in the sea,” Muheon explained, his voice even, his eyes steady on Hakyung’s.
“Y-Yes…?” Hakyung said, still unsure, his voice wavering slightly.
The explanation seemed to deepen the mystery rather than clarify it.
“Sango searched the entire sea and brought this,” Muheon added with certainty, as if that fact alone should convince Hakyung of its potency and significance.
“Wait, wait a minute, boss! I don’t understand. What exactly is this?” Hakyung asked, feeling both amazed and deeply confused by the extraordinary claim.
His mind raced, trying to grasp the impossible.
“If you take it, you can breathe underwater.”
“No way! Is that really possible!?” Hakyung’s eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping slightly.
The statement was so audacious, so fantastical, that it defied all logic.
Startled by the sudden, unbelievable information, he threw the box back at Muheon as if it were a hot coal, an instinctive reaction of shock and fear, and pulled his hips back sharply, instinctively trying to put some distance between himself and the mysterious pearl.
But before he could fully escape, he was pulled close again by the firm grip of Muheon’s hand, a strong, unyielding embrace.
It was pointless to resist.
He was utterly, helplessly in Muheon’s grasp.
Still, Hakyung did not stop fidgeting and squirming, a restless energy radiating from him.
Is it really reasonable to tell someone who has just succeeded in dipping their feet into the sea, after years of debilitating fear, to live in it completely?
The thought was exasperating, almost insulting.
Seeing Hakyung’s clearly annoyed and frustrated face, his lips pursed in a stubborn pout, Muheon smiled awkwardly, a mixture of exasperation and deep amusement.
He knew he should calm down the angry dolphin, soothe his fears, but honestly, seeing him pout like a baby pufferfish, all puffed up and indignant, made Muheon want to quietly watch and see just how far this little fit of anger would go, enjoying the endearing display.
Suppressing a smile, forcing his lips into a neutral line, Muheon asked again in a softer tone, his voice gentle but insistent.
“Why don’t you understand? So, you planned to never go to the sea? Even when dating someone who’s from the sea?”
The question was a subtle challenge, a gentle push.
“Th-That’s not it!”
Hakyung protested, flustered, his cheeks coloring slightly.
He hated being put on the spot, especially when his actions seemed to contradict his feelings.
“So take it,” Muheon urged gently, his voice a soft persuasion.
Ha, seriously!
Hakyung let out a dry, exasperated laugh, devoid of humor.
He didn’t know the boss could be this stubborn, this unyielding in his desires.
Perhaps it looked a little cute because of the thick lens of his infatuation, the way he viewed everything about Muheon through a rose-tinted filter.
Anyway, the fear of actually taking this mysterious medicine — or whatever it was, its true nature still a perplexing enigma — was still bigger than his courage.
The idea of ingesting something that would fundamentally change his biology, that would allow him to breathe underwater, was simply too much to process right now.
So, with careful movements, Hakyung put the box gently into his pocket, tucking it away for later.
“Boss, I’ll take it once I’m ready. I’m definitely not refusing! And I’m not against going to the sea with you! You know that, right?” Hakyung’s voice was earnest, a desperate plea for understanding.
“Yeah. I know. Thanks for accepting it,” Muheon replied, a genuine relief washing over him.
He understood Hakyung’s apprehension, and his patience was boundless.
Deciding not to push any further for now, sensing Hakyung had reached his limit, Muheon placed Hakyung gently on his thigh, settling him comfortably, and showered him with soft kisses here and there – on his forehead, his temples, his cheeks, each one a tender gesture of affection.
Hakyung chuckled softly at the ticklish sensation, squirming slightly under the affectionate attention, but not pulling away.
While happily holding Hakyung in his arms, content in the quiet intimacy of the moment, Muheon noticed him yawn quietly, a small, endearing stretch.
“Boss, I’m sleepy. I think it’s because of extreme mental stress,” Hakyung mumbled, his voice already thick with drowsiness.
He closed his eyes, leaning into Muheon’s warmth.
“Are you mocking me now? Saying I brought you to the sea?”
Muheon teased, a soft smile playing on his lips, recognizing Hakyung’s characteristic sass even in his sleepy state.
“Good eye, boss,” Hakyung replied with a mischievous grin, his eyes still closed.
Rubbing his cheek against Muheon’s broad shoulder, Hakyung found the perfect pillow to rest his head on, a soft, comfortable space.
Watching Hakyung settle in to nap properly, his breathing evening out, Muheon gently patted his back, a steady, rhythmic motion.
Feeling the steady, comforting pats, Hakyung gradually slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep, drifting off with a sense of complete safety and contentment.
***
In a brief dream by the seaside, young Hakyung was held tightly by something large and black, a comforting, secure presence, roaming all over the endless sea.
Strangely, he wasn’t scared or anxious at all, the familiar terror absent.
Instead, it was so warm and comforting that he wanted to stay in the sea forever, a feeling of belonging he had never experienced before.
Later that day, back in the comforting familiarity of the dorm, Hakyung was currently kneeling on the floor of his cozy dorm room, his posture one of respectful attention, listening to his grandmother’s stern but loving nagging, a familiar melody of concern and wisdom.
The phone was pressed against his ear, her voice surprisingly clear despite the distance.
“G-Grandma, that’s not what I mean…” he began, trying to explain himself, to clarify his position, but her voice cut him off.
“Not what you mean? Then what’s it not? So you were just planning to do whatever you wanted? That’s like taking all the good parts and then ditching everything else! These days, your mom calls that ‘eating and running’!” she scolded sharply, her voice unwavering, a testament to her conviction.
“Eating and running? No, I’ve never ‘eaten and run’ on the boss! Really, that’s not true!”
Hakyung protested with a pleading tone, genuinely distressed by the accusation.
The thought of abandoning Muheon was unthinkable.
A few minutes earlier, Hakyung had called his grandmother for advice after spending the whole week worried over the strange medicine the boss had given him, which supposedly had some strange and magical effects, enabling him to breathe underwater.
Although Grandma was basically skeptical about the sea-dweller (merfolk) aspect of Muheon, she still showed some kindness toward the boss and didn’t strongly oppose their relationship, seeing the genuine affection between them.
So, Hakyung thought it would be okay to talk to her, to seek her wise counsel.
But as the conversation went on, it took a strange and unexpected turn.
Instead of blindly siding with her grandson, as he might have expected, Grandma scolded him instead, her words sharp but fair.
She said things like, “It’s natural for the boss to come to the countryside and help out here and there, using his unique abilities, but isn’t that natural for you too? To meet him halfway? No matter how young you are, a lover is an equal partner, so why are you the only one feeling uncomfortable and unwilling to do hard things?”
She hit him with nothing but the bitter truth, making him feel like his bones were crumbling inside, each word a direct hit to his lingering insecurities.
Kneeling there, absorbing every harsh but honest word from his grandmother, Hakyung finally muttered a repentant apology, his voice small and contrite.
“I’m sorry…”
— “What do you have to be sorry for, grandma? You should be the one saying sorry to the boss for being hurt!” she retorted, her voice softening slightly.
“All right, I’ll do that,” Grandma said firmly, a sense of resolution in her tone.
— “Good. It’s all these little things that pile up and fester. If you want to stay together with the boss for a long, beautiful time, you have to respect and understand each other’s differences.” Her words were pearls of wisdom, distilled from years of experience.
Maybe because it was advice from his grandmother who had lived many years and experienced so much, her words truly struck a chord deep inside Hakyung’s heart, resonating with a profound truth.
He truly wanted to have a long and happy relationship with the boss, a future filled with shared joy and understanding.
His love for the boss was definitely stronger than his fear of the sea, strong enough to conquer any obstacle.
The call ended with a one-sided barrage of scolding, yet instead of feeling heavy-hearted or burdened, Hakyung felt surprisingly light, a sense of clarity settling over him.
Maybe what he really wanted was for someone to tell him it was okay to take the medicine, that it was okay to trust the boss completely, and to go to the sea, to embrace that part of Muheon’s world?
His grandmother’s words had given him that permission, that push.
Realizing that he still had a long way to go before becoming a true sea-dweller, a fully integrated part of Muheon’s world, Hakyung gently closed his eyes and smiled softly, a quiet contentment settling over him.
And in that moment, the ocean breeze, though physically distant, seemed to whisper promises of many adventures still to come, a future intertwined with the vast, wondrous sea.