Continued....

“Definitely.”

“Hmph. Seems to me like it would be annoying to those who wanted to do a transaction with the mechanism.”

“A transaction?” Jeongguk rolled his eyes. Jimin had much to learn about how humans viewed body parts. “No Jimin. The bigger the mechanism, the better.”

“Is your mechanism big?” Jimin blinked, his eyes fixed on Jeongguk’s crotch.

Jeongguk scratched the tip of his nose and cleared his throat, “So I’ve been told.” He laughed. The purple one was suspicious and could sense that Jimin was up to something. Why had he suddenly morphed in front of him? And if he was horny 24/7 in his merman form, what were his human hormones doing? “Jimin…why did you change back into your human form?”

“There is purple goo dripping down your forehead. Is your hair melting?”

“My…what?” Jeongguk jumped to his feet, eyes large, “Oh no, my hair. I came in for the shampoo to wash out the color,” he said as he grabbed the bottle from beneath the sink. “I hope I didn’t leave it on too long.”

“Wash it out? Please don’t. It’s very beautiful,” Jimin’s eyes wilted. He loved Jeongguk’s purple hair.

“No worries. It will still be purple,” Jeongguk winked. He ran to the sink to wash the color from his hair. Squeezing as much of his head under the running faucet as possible, he began to shampoo the excess color.

“Jeongguk?” Jimin called.

“Yea?” Jeongguk sang. He shook his bottom to music while he rinsed.

“Can we talk?”

“As long as talking means you’re going to stop stalling and answer my question.”

“Yes. That’s what it means.” The warm mist began to clear as the temperature of Jimin’s bathwater cooled. Jeongguk stared at him from his upside-down position of his head being stuck in the sink. Jimin looked down at his hands, “Do you remember what you did for me today? Making my mechanism stop aching?”

“How could I forget that? It was kind of a big deal.” Jeongguk grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his electric purple hair. He stared at himself in the mirror, “A little brighter than what I was going for, but it’ll do.” He turned to face Jimin. Once again, he was captivated by Jimin’s beauty. “I hope you don’t feel awkward around me now. It was just a business transaction. Nothing sexual,” he shrugged. 

“No. No. Nothing like that,” Jimin assured him. “It’s just…well where I come from, when a merman releases his seed, he creates a baby. It is a responsibility and it’s expected of us. And well, that was my first time…releasing a seed as a human….,”

“Uh, Jimin, what are you trying to say?”

“You’re pregnant.”

Jeongguk held his stomach, trying not to laugh. “You sure about that?”

“I’m sure. We’re going to be parents,” Jimin said seriously.

“How exactly did I get pregnant? Enlighten me.” Once again, he kneeled down next to the bathtub. Jimin’s nipples were getting hard which meant the human side of him was cold. Jeongguk pulled the stopper to release some of the water and then filled the tub again with more steaming hot water.

“I released my seed onto your body…and…we made a baby.”

“Jimin, that’s not how it works in the human world. I kind of feel like if we had explored the question of merpenis back on the fishing boat then maybe we could have avoided this confusion.” 

“Why do I feel as if you’re teasing me? This is a very serious matter. I didn’t expect to be a father so soon after my merrut started. But…I will say this with my full heart. If I had to pick a daddy for my children, I would pick you. You’re brave, fearless even. Honorable. Kind. Extremely attractive. Muscular. Intelligent. You have a big mechanism…,”

Jeongguk interrupted him, “...I’m not pregnant sweetheart. It just isn’t possible. But let’s bookmark this conversation because I want to hear all of the reasons you think I would be a good dad,” Jeongguk was moved by Jimin’s pronouncement. “For humans to get pregnant, they need to have certain body parts that are capable of carrying a baby for nine long months. I don’t have any of those body parts. So, no matter how potent your merman cum is, it can’t get me pregnant. We’re not going to be dads.”

“Are you sure?” Jimin was crestfallen, as if he’d lost his best friend. 

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Even though I gave you my seed?”

“Another thing, your seed can’t just marinate on my fingers. It has to be…,” Jeongguk tried to think of a non-complicated way to explain, “...it has to be delivered inside of a human body, through an opening or a portal that will allow it to enter the body. And that body must have the necessary body parts to carry a baby. Understand?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have kids when you return to the sea. We’re going to find your dad and we’re going to stop this curse. You’ll be able to go home soon. I promise,” Jeongguk tried to encourage him. He was staring into the golden eyes of a man who truly wanted to be a dad.

Jimin wasn’t done with his inquiry, “And…where inside of the body do I have to deliver the seed?”

“You seem pretty damn focused on trying to get me pregnant.”

“No, that’s not my intention at all.” Jimin laughed and bit his lip.

Jeongguk was pretty sure that he knew much, much more about the human anatomy and sex than he wanted to reveal. He could see the mischief in his eyes. 

“So…where should I deliver my seed? Maybe in the mouth? Is that a good portal?”

Jeongguk fell back laughing. “That’s a damn good portal. But no.” He took a moment to process that he was having a talk about the birds and bees with a merman. He rubbed his locket for courage and then dove into the conversation feet first. “Humans don’t have sex just out of responsibility. Yes, sex has a purpose and procreation is the main purpose. But Jimin, we also have sex just for fun. Pleasure. It feels really fucking good. Think about how good it felt when I jacked you off earlier. You wanted to faint, it felt so good.”

“Indeed. So, what we did was just for pleasure?” Jimin questioned.

“That, plus I was helping you with the pain. Not trying to make a baby.”

about to say is going to sound very complicated, but it isn’t. Do you remember telling me about your sexual fluidity and that you preferred men?”

“Yes. I prefer their bodies in both mer form and human form.”

“Well, so do I. I really, really, really like men and men only. That means that I only have sex for pleasure. Not for babies. I like the way that men feel. When I have sex with another man who doesn’t have baby-making parts, we do it for pleasure only and I empty my seed inside of them.”

“Where? Show me.”

“What do you mean show you? I can’t just show you. That’s not how that works!” Jeongguk said nervously. Jimin seemed to constantly be pushing the boundaries of their friendship and he couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or if he really was that obtuse. 

“Please Jeongguk. Please. How else will I learn? You’re the only person I can trust to teach me these things. I have to survive on shore as a human male and I don’t even know how my parts work.” Jimin hugged himself as he rocked back and forth in the bathtub. 

Jeongguk shook his head and then ran his fingers through his hair. “You make everything more difficult than it needs to be,” he sighed. “For me to teach you this, well it’s going to be awkward.”

“No, just another business transaction. Between buddies?” Jimin smiled mostly because he knew that Jeongguk couldn’t resist his diamond smile. 

“Oh, don’t you bat those damn dreamy merman eyelashes at me. I know what you’re up to.”

“Honestly. I’m just asking for help.”

“Ok. Ok. Fine. But this is going to require me to touch you in a very private place. It’s going to be pretty hard to keep this as just a business transaction. Do I have your permission to touch you very intimately?”

“More intimately than when you made my mechanism spew fluids?”

“Yes, even more intimate than that.”

“Let’s do it. I have to learn.”

Jeongguk played it out in his head. He wasn’t sure of the best approach and he certainly didn’t want to freak Jimin out. But at the same time, Jimin was right, he needed to know. If he was going to spend months and months in human form, as a gay human male, he needed to understand how his body worked - even for sex. 

Inducing pleasure was Jeongguk’s specialty. He knew how to be gentle with such a delicate creature. Still, he wondered how Jimin was going to react. And that’s when an idea came to him, one that he knew Jimin would appreciate.

“We’re going to start with a simple hug. I’m going to pull you out of the water and then, wrap both legs and both arms around me. You’ll have to trust me, even if it hurts a little.”

“Hurts? We agreed there would be no pain. You said pleasure. Pleasure. Pleasure,” Jimin quipped.

Jeongguk laughed again. Something about Jimin’s innocence was extremely charming. “If it hurts, tell me and I’ll stop. But give it a chance.”

Jimin jumped soaking wet from the bath and landed in Jeongguk’s arms. He wrapped both of his legs around Jeongguk’s waist and then looped his arms around his neck and held on for dear life. The heavy locket lay trapped between them as Jeongguk squeezed him tightly. Jimin laid his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder, completely relinquishing control while trusting him unconditionally.

Jeongguk found it very difficult not to kiss him. Part of the seduction of his prey was to always smother them with mouthwatering, dick hardening kisses. But Jimin was not his prey. He was technically his student and he wanted to keep their little sexual education sessions sterile, without emotion, but it was hard. He had feelings for his little merman but he kept telling himself it was just admiration, curiosity and companionship. Subconsciously he knew that just below the surface lie a sadistic attraction to Jimin’s innocence, which was just as sexually stimulating as his hot merman body. 

 

Jeongguk held him in his arms. He had purposely chosen the position to give Jimin a foundation of security. A hug was an innocent exchange that would make him feel comforted and supported, while he drilled his ass. It was also much easier to watch for signs of pain or discomfort during the act. 

With Jimin still clinging to him, he began by explaining his intentions, step by step, “There is a small opening in the middle of your butt. Do you know what I’m referring to?”

“Yes. I use it for excreting waste.”

“Mmmhmm, that too.”

“What do you mean that too? As in…also?” Jimin blinked.

“It’s very highly innervated and although its main purpose is for bodily functions, it can also be stimulated in a way that brings you extreme pleasure.”

“WHAT?” Jimin pulled back to peer into Jeongguk’s face. “That can feel good? Back there?”

“Very,” Jeongguk whispered. “Lay your head back down on my shoulder. Relax and remember, you asked for this.”

The music was not on any particular playlist and as a result, a hard bass thumping EDM song was playing. Jeongguk felt that he needed to soften the mood a little before shoving his fingers up Jimin’s ass. He called to Alexa to change the song and she immediately transitioned to something a little more seductive.

He had no idea what the inside of a merman’s ass was going to feel like. But he trusted that since the rest of his body was human, so too must have been his asshole. 

“Ok. Ready?”

“No. But let’s do it anyway,” Jimin responded. 

“I’m going to relax you first. Breathe in and out in rhythm with the music.” 

“Yea,” Jimin agreed.

With a single circular motion, he used his fingers to relax Jimin’s rim and the surrounding tissue. He bounced Jimin in his arms a few times to start loosening him up before the insertion. He started with his middle finger by dragging the padded tip around the slit. “You’re going to feel my finger in there.”

“Your finger?” Jimin said curiously but without fear. “Ok. I trust you.”

He continued to play around the entrance, prolonging the inevitable until he felt Jimin fully relax. The insertion was gradual, he had no intention of stuffing his entire finger up Jimin’s ass, but he did want to play with him a little to gauge his response. If Jimin could bounce on a few fingers, it meant he could just as easily bounce on a dick, even though Jeongguk had no intention of giving him any dick.

He pushed his middle finger up through the first knuckle and then flexed slightly to increase the pressure. Jimin gasped. Jeongguk could feel his arms tighten around his neck as his legs trembled from the sudden intrusion. His finger was halfway up there before he remembered that he hadn’t used any lube. He felt terrible, exposing Jimin to pain unnecessarily. 

“That must hurt. I forgot to lube you,” Jeongguk inquired.

“No. It doesn’t hurt.”

And that’s when Jeongguk noticed something peculiar. Despite not using any lube, he was able to glide easily past Jimin’s rim into the fleshy walls of his rectum. 

“Doesn’t that hurt?” He asked.

“No, but I do feel…full,” Jimin explained. 

“I didn’t use any lube. Most men would be screaming about now. But yet, you’re almost slippery in there. It’s like you’re self-lubricating.” Jeongguk’s cock surged inside of his pants. Jimin’s insides were unusually slick despite not using any lubricant.

“I’m a creature of the sea. Even in my human form, I have more water in my body than the average person. By self-lubricating, I assume you’re referring to my inner glaze, which is a combination of sea water and fish oil, both naturally occurring in my body.”

Jeongguk wasn’t listening. Once he positioned the first finger, he excitedly inserted another. Still Jimin didn’t make a sound, other than his sweet whimper - of pleasure.

“That doesn’t hurt, Jimin? Not at all?”

“No. You said no pain, just pleasure,” he repeated. “This is definitely pleasure.” He closed his eyes and continued to lay on Jeongguk’s shoulder. The wet tips of Jeongguk’s hair dripped purple water onto his cheek as he absorbed every centimeter of his roommate’s long digits.

“I’m going to massage you now, inside. Tell me if it hurts.” Jeongguk used the combination of his index finger and his middle finger to work in and out of the hole that seemed infinitely slick.

“Oh -oh- oh Thalassar’s moons!” Jimin moaned. His breathing increased as Jeongguk’s fingers more aggressively worked him. And then he suddenly began to pant, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

At first Jeongguk wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. That is, until he felt Jimin’s very substantial mechanism poke him in the stomach as he held him. 

“You poor thing. You really are in rut, aren’t you? It’s ok. Let me take care of you. I know how maddening it must be to be horny all of the time with no release. Take my fingers. Do you want more?”

Jimin could barely speak but he managed a small grunt, “Yea.” 

He had no sexual stamina and could barely hold his orgasm. If there was anything that Jeongguk needed to teach him, it was how to last longer and let his nut really build up. But as a beginner, Jeongguk urged him to let it go whenever he felt the need. 

“Cum for me. Do you remember what that means?”

“Ejac - ejac - ejac…,” he couldn’t get the words out. He tightened the cross of his ankles around Jeongguk’s body to give himself more leverage to bounce his hips up and down, gliding over the delicate fingers.

“Ejaculate,” Jeongguk said impishly. He used his tongue to lick the saltwater from Jimin’s left gill. And then he followed it with a flow of soft kisses. “Fuck this is turning me on” he spoke to himself.

“Can I…? I remember how,” Jimin stuttered through his emerging orgasm.

“Yes, baby, don’t hold it. Cum for me.” 

With each of his gyrations, he trapped Jeongguk tighter and tighter between his legs. He was so ravenous that Jeongguk had to plunge yet a third finger into his ass just to appease him. And it wasn’t just his imagination, Jimin was indeed self-lubricating, turning a mild instructional lesson into a full-fledged finger fucking session. 

Jeongguk’s arm flexed, muscles bulging as he worked his extended fingers in and out of Jimin. The little merman used the space between their stomachs like a tight cocoon to pull the skin of his cock up and down his shaft. As his whimpers grew louder his glowing eyes shut closed. Not sure how to absorb the feeling, he shuttered and trembled, muffling his screams within the flesh of Jeongguk’s shoulder.

“Good boy. You know how to let go. I’m impressed.”

Jimin continued to lay his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t control the erection. What you did inside of me, it felt so good. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

“See. I told you, that mechanism does a lot more than just aim your pee,” Jeongguk kissed him on the cheek again. “Are you ok?”

Jimin laughed. “I’ve never felt better. My sexual peak is different in human form. Better. But I’m afraid that I’ll become obsessed with the feeling. My merrut is translating into something different in my human body. In the absence of procreation, it seems to be craving…orgasms.”

“You won’t be the first one. Most men will die for a good orgasm.” Jeongguk hugged him. “Many men hit their sexual prime about this time. I’m thirty, two years younger than you, so I’m definitely horny all.of.the.time,” Jeongguk smirked as he stole another kiss from Jimin’s left gill.

As strange as it seemed, he was proud of Jimin. It took so much courage for Jimin to trust him with something so intimate. Jeongguk liked having control over him, making him feel pleasure. He loved the way his glowing eyes froze with the dead-pan stare as his orgasm peaked. Jimin was a fun experiment. For however long it lasted, he was honored to usher him into his sexual prime. But he had to be careful because those feelings that he managed to suppress were starting to surface.

***

 

From the bare branches of fall that silhouetted against the grey skies, to the pristine snow that dusted the ground, time slowed and nature slumbered. But beneath the foggy, grey chill, life continued. Warm lattes, knitted sweaters, leather gloves and more beanies, replaced the pumpkins, t-shirts and baseball hats of fall. February rolled around with Seollal landing on the 28th of the month. It was a new year, with new ideas, new leads and possibly, even new loves.

Jimin’s merrut only lasted for twelve months. It had started in October and he was already on month number five. By his thirty-third birthday, his rut would be over and his window for procreation would be closed. And October was fast approaching but he was no closer to breaking the curse. Jimin looked upon that day with both relief and sadness. As much as he wanted to have children, he couldn’t return to the sea until his father was found. Procreating while still under his curse would doom his children to the same fate. His mother had already tainted his life by her selfish acts. He was determined to never do that to another generation.

If he did have to return to sea while the rut endured, he vowed to restrict himself from entering the mating lanes along the corals, no matter how his instincts tried to lure him there.

 

Jimin rarely returned to his sailboat. There had been sightings of Malakar and Rocky near Haeundae beach and that was all the confirmation they needed that the kidnappers were still searching for Jimin and Vex. For reasons unknown, they were convinced that Vex had somehow brought Jimin back to Busan to sell him. It was possible that someone had tipped them off that Jimin had been seen in Busan. Scary and dangerous times were afoot.

Ironically, however, for almost half a year, Vex’s dead body had been entombed in the filthy holding tank right under Malakar’s nose on his own boat. And through ignorance or indolence, they never even noticed it. They wasted countless hours searching for a man who was already dead.

The police were still no closer to finding the crew, despite several brazen visits to Busan. The police just couldn’t catch them. In the meantime, three more yachts had been seized and all of the innocent kidnapped victims had been killed by Malakar’s crew because none of their victims could pay the ransom. Jeongguk once again realized just how lucky he was to still be alive. 

 

Jeongguk kept Jimin close. Over their time together he had developed a fondness for Jimin that was stronger than anything he’d felt in years. Their frequent, erotic and sometimes raunchy sexual experimentation only added to their complex feelings. Still, Jeongguk remained in control and no matter how much Jimin begged him, he never crossed the line by making love to him. He justified his constant fiddling of Jimin’s mechanism as a form of medical treatment to keep him from going mad from his merman rut, something Jimin called Merrut. 

There was no title given to what they were doing. Thinking about it too deeply created added pressure that they didn’t want or need. They were friends, working together to break Jimin’s curse. That was all they would ever admit to being, even though they both knew there was more to the kismet bond they shared. However unconventional their relationship was, it worked. 

 

To keep the peace with Dani, Jimin would stop by Milestone coffee once or twice a week to do some of his work there. The two of them would sit and talk and get caught up on Jimin’s latest findings. She would ask him on a date, he would say no, she would pout and then bring him another cup of coffee. Their cycle continued much as it had the many months prior. It was just their thing.

Knowing how Dani felt about Jimin, Jeongguk kept his distance. She was Jimin’s only friend besides him and he didn’t want to jeopardize their closeness. Jimin felt he owed her a great debt for something she had done for him, even though Jimin refused to tell Jeongguk what it was. She was important in Jimin’s life and Jeongguk respected that. 

 

Jimin’s mission was absolute. Every day he traveled to the dance studio with Jeongguk and everyday he locked himself in Jeongguk’s office to continue his research. Whenever Jeongguk had time, he helped. Dutifully he kept all of Jimin’s notes in digital form and did all of the internet searches for the military records. They had a solid routine, yet, they still hadn’t uncovered any information that could lead to the location of Jimin’s father. For six months, they continued the search. 

 

***

 

Happy? Jeongguk? No. Calling him happy was a stretch. No miracle had suddenly arrived to take away all of his grief and pain. But he was better. And he embraced those happy moments whenever they came. Somehow, in the dark of night, his depression had simply packed up and found another heart to torment, leaving him free to try to make sense of his life. He still missed his brother. He still kissed his locket every single day. He still grieved for him. He still had to live with a mystery that felt like a weight around his neck. 

But in the very literal sense of the word, Jimin had become his heart-mender; the person who made every single day better than the last. Seeing the world through Jimin’s eyes gave him a new perspective on his own life. Jimin took away the loneliness and rescued him from his own mind. Jeongguk credited him for much of his depression recovery.

Surviving a kidnapping affected him as well. Jeongguk’s therapist felt that the entire ordeal had made him more grateful for the life he lived, even though there was still trauma residue that he needed to clear.  

Business was going well and Black Smoke’s debut was a chart-topping success. He had five new groups debuting and he was busier than ever, but never too busy for the merman who had become his new roommate.

***

 

By the time April rolled around Jeon-2 Step was back in high demand again. His success with Black Smoke had solidified his position as the top trainer for new Idols. With Rei by his side, his business was booming, causing him to hire three new dance instructors to help with all of the new contracts.

 

Jeongguk’s golden locket bounced across his ample bosom as he pop-locked shirtless in the mirror. This was part of a newly inspired routine that he was creating for Bitter Peach, his new girl group. He had suggested the name to their manager after reading one of his favorite novels with the same title. She loved it and the rest was history; the new five-member group became known as Bitter Peach and they were set to debut in just over three months. Unlike Black Smoke, these girls could sing and dance. They were exciting to work with.

Just as he started the music again, Rei came in, “Hey. Got a minute?” She asked, even though she was going to take her minute, whether Jeongguk had one to spare or not.

“Not right now. I’m in the middle of something,” he said aloofly.

“Good, I have time too. Let’s talk,” she said, ignoring Jeongguk’s objections.

She sat on the wooden floor of the practice room and patted the ground next to her for him to come and sit. When Rei had something on her mind, it was typically something that Jeongguk very much needed to hear – even if he didn’t want to.

He laughed, “I love you…you’re annoying, but I love you,” he stopped the music and crawled on the floor to sit next to her.

“I noticed that Jimin isn’t here today,” she said.

“He’s at the coffee shop with his friend Dani. They like to hang out every now and again,” Jeongguk took a swig of water from his bottle. He was dripping with sweat from his dance routine.

“Good. Gives me time to talk to you alone.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“What’s going on with you two? He’s been here for months. Showed up out of nowhere and now he lives with you. Yet, you keep insisting that he’s just a friend and you’re just helping him out temporarily.”

“And that’s the truth.”

“And that is a lie. You’re lying. He’s lying. Dumbass, have you seen the way you two look at each other?”

Jeongguk suddenly felt exposed. Of all of the suppressed feelings he thought he had under control, this was one that he didn’t know existed. “Stare at each other?”

“Like two love sick puppies. Jeongguk,” she moved closer to whisper, “are you in love with him?”

“No. Absolutely not. We’re friends. Why can’t you just accept that?”

“Jeongguk, I’ve known you for years, since you were just starting your career as an Idol. You’re like family to me. No one knows you like I do. It’s not like you to be clingy or have someone live with you under the same roof. You’re very selective about the company you keep and nobody gets a free ride at your expense. Nobody but this guy. He’s very different from the guys you typically date. And I adore him. I think he may just be perfect for you. I see something special between you and I…just want to know the truth. From the outside looking in, it looks like you’re head over heels in love, but you won’t admit it and that makes me want to punch you in the face,” Rei said honestly.

Jeongguk embraced the silence. He needed time to think about everything she just spilled. He started by explaining the nuances of him and Jimin’s relationship.

“Rei, I’ve never told you the details about what happened to me because I didn’t want to scare you. But I almost died, several times. I told you that Jimin saved my life. There are no words to describe what he means to me. Do I love him? He’s special, in ways that I can’t even explain to you. Plus, he saved my life. Whatever those feelings are…I can’t put a title on it and I’m asking you not to do that either.”

“Ok smarty pants, I didn’t want to bring this up but since you refuse to see what is right in front of you, I’ll just say it. The other day I was walking by your office and heard…noises. Moaning and groaning and, well I won’t bore you with the details. One thing was for sure, you weren’t discussing newspaper articles. Are you two fucking?”

“Rei! Eavesdropping? I’m your boss. Have some respect,” Jeongguk fell to his side with laughter. Rei was truly one of his best friends, but she was a habitual over-stepper.

“Spill. Answer my damn question.”

“You completely misunderstood what you were hearing. Sometimes Jimin…ok well Jimin has…fuck…um…sometimes Jimin needs help with a uh medical condition. And it can get really bad and I have to help him get rid of it.”

“Like a cramp or something?” Rei suggested sarcastically.

“EXACTLY…like a cramp.” Jeongguk nodded. He was struggling to explain Jimin’s merrut ailments.

Rei wasn’t buying it. The sounds that she so often heard coming from Jeongguk’s office sounded like two people fucking, with Jimin being the loudest of the two. She made one final point.

“It’s been six months of you two living under the same roof, since November of last year. You’re not just roommates, besides he doesn’t even have a job to pay for his half of the rent. The way he watches you when you dance, the way his eyes flutter every time you touch him, the way he practically glows whenever you smile at him…you may not understand your feelings, but he sure does. He loves you. I’m not one to ever get involved in your love life…,”

“...fucking liar,” Jeongguk interrupted her with laughter.

“Ok, I may be one to occasionally get involved with your love life, but let me give you one piece of advice. Life is short. You’ve been sad for a very long time. It’s been over a year since Ji-yoon disappeared and you still have no closure. There was a time when I thought grief was going to kill you. But since Jimin has been around, he’s changed all of that. I don’t worry about you anymore. He brings something beautiful out in you. I don’t care if you never proclaim your love for him, just treat him right and don’t let him go,” she closed.

“You’re right. But it’s not just Jimin that I owe for my new outlook on life. It’s also you. If you and Hobeum hadn’t paid my ransom, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“Ransom? You keep saying that. I thought you were just suffering from some PTSD and your memory was confused. Yes, we paid the ransom but not with our money. We received a message from the captain of the Blue Nightingale saying that your kidnappers wanted $6million U.S. in Crypto. That’s over 8Billion KRW. We didn’t have it. Hobeum is rich, but not that kind of rich. We thought about liquidating our assets to come up with the money but that would have taken time. And then one day after receiving the ransom demand and the instructions to pay, the money showed up in Hobeum’s Coinbase account with a message to use it for your ransom.”

“And you thought the money came from me? How? I was tied up in the bottom of a ship with no phone or access to the outside world. How would I have deposited Crypto into an account?”

Rei shrugged, “We didn’t know. And after you came home, we honestly never wanted to talk about it again. It was too painful for you and for us. So, we never asked. We’re not the ones who paid your ransom, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk furrowed his brow with confusion, “Then who…did?”

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chapter five: The Purple Locket

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It was a rainy June; floods throughout the city, high winds and persistent overcast skies. Perfect weather for a merman who was missing his ocean. As they walked home quickly from the corner store, Jeongguk noticed something peculiar about Jimin’s skin. Despite the gloomy skies and dark surroundings, Jimin was - glowing. As they fell into the apartment and peeled off their wet clothes, Jeongguk observed Jimin’s skin more closely.

“What’s happening to you?” Jeongguk questioned as he ran his hand up and down Jimin’s arm.

“What is it?”

“You’re glowing like Edward Cullen.”

Jimin laughed. “I know who that is. I’ve read all of those books.” He looked down at his skin, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s my merrut. My scales glow very ornately as I get further and further into it. The purpose is to attract a mate so that I can procreate. I get prettier and prettier each day that I don’t actually make a baby,” Jimin explained. “Right now, the weather is very rainy. Seawater is evaporating into the clouds with a much higher concentration of sodium chloride than normal. In other words, getting drenched by salty rain triggers this glow because my body thinks I’m in the sea. Even though my mind knows that I’m here in human form on the dry shore.”

“Fascinating.” Jeongguk glared. It was true. Jimin was getting prettier and prettier every fucking day. His hair was longer, to the point where his gills were naturally hidden. The golden glow behind his eyes was more radiant than ever. His muscles were more defined and bigger, his teeth were brighter, and his newly awakened cock was exquisite. “Fuck, I want you,” Jeongguk whispered under his breath. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

“Hm? What’d you say?” Jimin said as he unpacked his bag and laid all of their library books on the table.

“Uhh, I said I can brew a pretty sexy cup of coffee. Want some?” Jeongguk covered. He was determined not to let his intrusive thoughts win. “I’m not Dani, but I can get you properly caffeinated. I also got a pack of those chocolate croissants from Milestone. We can share those while we work,” Jeongguk said happily. 

“I would love coffee…and a croissant. Do we have any more triangle tuna gimbap left?”

“Of course, we do. It’s your favorite snack. I have a drawer full of them. Let’s get to work. We have a long night ahead of us.”

“Yea. Suggesting these books was a great idea. You’re so smart. I remember what that symbol looks like. If we can just find it in these military classification books, it’ll tell us where to go from here,” Jimin sighed and stared down into his hands, “Thank you for all of this Jeongguk; giving me a place to stay, keeping me safe, covering my food expenses and buying me new clothes. I’ve been with you since November of last year and well, I hope I haven’t been a burden to you…,” Jimin searched for the right words. On several occasions he had tried to give Jeongguk a few coins to help with his expenses, but the younger always refused.

“Right now, you’re the joy of my life. None of this is a burden, rather, I feel privileged to be able to repay you in some small way for all of the happiness you have brought me. So, thank you, Jimin.” Jeongguk always took liberties with his cheek kisses. This time was no exception. He dropped a wet juicy kiss on Jimin’s cheek and made a loud obnoxious puckering sound. “Now that that’s settled, I need to ask you a question.”

Jimin felt his cheek. It was still wet with Jeongguk’s kissy spit. “Anything.” Jimin smiled.

Jeongguk melted, “If you still lived in the sea, what would happen with your merrut?”

“I’d be a dad by now.”

“What? How is that possible? I thought you only liked…male mermen,” Jeongguk said cautiously.

“I told you, we are very sexually fluid.”

“So, you could get another merman pregnant?”

“Our seed does not have one individual target. We procreate out of responsibility, not pleasure. Our purpose is to feed the next generation and resist extinction. As long as there are eggs, I can fertilize them. We don’t require a sexual act to do it. My beauty is to attract a female that is willing to allow me to fertilize her eggs. The more females that I can attract, the more eggs I can fertilize. That is how nature intended it to be. I can get a mermaid pregnant, but not a merman. Much like you humans, the males don’t have the ability to produce eggs.”

“Is the process pleasurable?”

“The process of excreting my seed is fine. If I were in the ocean, you would see nothing but a steady stream of ejaculation,” Jimin used the word correctly. “Because that is part of my merrut. I’m in a constant state of stimulation for the release of sperm. For an entire year, that’s all I will do. And I would fertilize as many eggs as possible. But after that year is over, my merrut ends and I won’t be able to produce any more children. That is why nature makes us as attractive as possible. We only get one chance at spreading our seed and one year to do so.”

“You only have one short year to become a dad?”

“That’s it. It’s why the merrut is so intense and why my glow and my attractiveness are at their peak. By the time my thirty-third birthday rolls around in October, my time will be over. I’ll still be pretty of course,” Jimin flirted, “but not for the

purpose of drawing a mate. Nature wants us to procreate, and it’s rather urgent because we only have twelve months to make it happen.”

“I think I understand. You fertilize female eggs but you don’t actually have sex with the females?”

“No. We don’t really have a concept known as sex. We have procreation, a biological function that is required of us. We meet eligible egg carriers in the mating lanes of the corals. An egg bearer chooses one of us, typically the one who is the prettiest, strongest, and most capable of bearing a sturdy tideling. She swims near, and that activates our merpenis to diffuse through the scale layer. We release the seed and the tidal current carries it over to her egg - and that’s the end. There is no bombastic orgasm that delivers the seed through our merpenis.”

“Let me get this straight, you hang out in this red-light district of loose eggs and let the current do all of the work? You don’t even touch or bust a nut?”

“That’s not…a thing. That’s why I am very much enjoying the human method of procreation, even though my seed is useless here. The concept of pleasurable sex just doesn’t exist.”

“I would riot.”

“Yes. I believe you would. That’s why God made you human.” Jimin didn’t mean to be funny but he made Jeongguk laugh. “Procreation between two merpeople does not necessarily commit one to another. Sometimes even the females have other females as mates. But in our world, only males can fertilize eggs and only females can produce eggs. But that has nothing to do with our life partners. Remember, procreation is a responsibility, not an optional fun time.”

“Wait a minute!” Jeongguk had a thought, “So, if I were your merhusband, you could wander off and fertilize eggs of another woman and have babies with her? And I would have to just sit there and take it? No sir. I am not sharing,” Jeongguk said through his very human lens.

Jimin laughed, “That is a very obscure scenario to be jealous about. If you were my Mer-man,” Jimin emphasized, “and I fertilized another egg, that would be our baby too. It’s how we become a family. The mother of my child would be more like a sister, extended family. But you would still be my mate and I would grant you the gift of being a father.”

“Our babies would have two dads?”

“Yep.”

“And in this complicated web of sister wives, step dads, non-sexual, fluid procreation…your mother went off and had sex with a human?”

“Now you see the dilemma.” Jimin laughed. “You have to understand, we can still fall in love. We can even fall in love with the person whose eggs we fertilize. If I preferred female mermaids, then I would likely fall in love and marry the woman whose eggs I fertilized. It happens all of the time. Throughout a merman’s merrut, he only has a year to fertilize as many eggs as possible, but even at his max, the standard is only three or four. Competition is fierce to win the egg of an ovulating mermaid. Now you see why it is so forbidden to procreate with humans. If mermaids and mermen were allowed to do that, we would quickly fall extinct. At some point, my human father was able to fertilize my mother’s egg. She gave it to him instead of one of the perfectly eligible mermen running around in their merrut. Do you know what that means?”

“It means your dad’s a freak who likes to get it on with fish.”

 Jimin didn’t object to Jeongguk calling his father a freak because he wasn’t quite familiar with the term. He continued, “I don’t think we’re following the same thought. So let me summarize. It means they were in love. Well, at least I like to think they were. Why else would they take such chances and risk so much?”

“Maybe your mother didn’t think that a human could fertilize her egg?”

“She knew very well. Back in ancient times, in the world of Thalassar the God, his daughter allowed a human to fertilize her egg.  That is how the first mermaid was born. It was a creation between a fish and a human. It is how our species was established. Soon after, our society decided that allowing this to continue would eradicate our unique species. So that is when the curse was released upon my people. Mother would have known that I would be cursed,” Jimin said sadly. 

“I don’t know your mother, but I can tell you, she would have never wanted harm to come to you. That’s just not how moms operate,” Jeongguk said encouragingly.

He could see the angst in Jimin’s face. This was something that Jimin had grappled with his entire life. Had his mother selfishly created him, knowing his fate?

“I can only hope so,” Jimin stared down into his hands. The pearl-like iridescent glow was beguiling underneath the low light of their kitchen table. 

“And…the merpenis. Are we going to talk about that or…,” Jeongguk changed the subject to something he knew would make Jimin laugh.

“You will not let that go.” Jimin rubbed his eyes. “My merpenis is more like a human tongue. It is not hearty and solid like my human penis. It doesn't grow or shrink or do anything special. It is not a fully functioning appendage like my human penis is. It only fills with my seed. It lies inside of my body and only comes to the surface of my skin when it’s time to spread my seed. Merpenis is not capable of bringing me any pleasure. It feels more like taking a much-needed pee and emptying my human bladder.”

“Ahhh, now I understand why we have to spend so much time treating your uh medical condition. You’re living your best life right now in that human body of yours.”

“You service me and my particular needs, very well. But I was wondering…,” Jimin’s voice trailed off.

“Wondering what?”

“How…or when will I be able to service…you? This can’t continue to be just one way. Gold Shallara for Gold Shallara?”

“I’m at a point where I can service myself. Sex feels good and I love it. But I don’t need it like I did when I was younger. I have fucked so many men that I’m shocked my dick hasn’t fallen off from exhaustion. It’s ok for me to take a break and just chill until the right man comes along. Plus, this is all so new for you Jimin. Going to that level when you’re already so confused and trying to fit in in a world where you don’t belong, it would just make everything worse if you had to deal with that responsibility. I know that I seem to be somewhat removed from the process of making you cum one hundred times a day. But it really does affect me. You turn me on and I’m attracted to you. For me, however, I feel the need to maintain a fine line. Not for your sake, but for mine,” Jeongguk explained.

“Why is this ‘fine line’ so important? What are you afraid of? And why is it ok for me to be pleasured, but you to be deprived? Especially considering that you’re attracted to me too.”

“You know why, Jimin. Once we find your father and break this stupid curse, you’re going to go back to your world. I’ll lose you and never see you again. Our long talks, walks along the shore, hand holding in the rain, researching together, and our

naughty little interludes late at night - will all disappear. You know how much pain I’m going through because of the loss of my brother. I’m not good at losing people, never have been. I have to protect my heart. I have to be ready to let you go. If I make love to you, I’ll never be able to let you go.”

Jimin was embarrassed by his tears. But once again, Jeongguk had said something that fundamentally changed him. He, himself had not given much thought to what their goodbye would look like or how it would affect them. Jeongguk was right. If they were successful with breaking the curse, Jimin would be free to return home. The thought stung like Merlin’s blade. 

“Ahhhhhhh!” Jeongguk suddenly screamed, “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” He looked down at the large mug of coffee that he had just taken a sip from. “Why does it taste like this?”

Jimin’s melancholy spell was immediately broken. “Ooops. I think you accidentally drank from my mug instead of yours,” he grimaced. 

“Ok, yea. But why does it taste like this? Is this…salt? Did you put salt in your coffee?” Jeongguk made a scene, spitting and rubbing his tongue. He flailed like a toddler and ran to the sink to wash the taste out of his mouth.

“Yes. Black coffee with extra salt. That’s my standing order at Milestone. Dani thinks it’s weird too. But I’m a creature of the sea. I like it extra salty,” Jimin winked. 

By the time Jeongguk returned to the table, he was laughing so hard that he could barely breathe. “You see! This is why you’re dangerous. I could very easily fall in love with you and your quirky antics. Salted coffee. Merlin’s beard,” Jeongguk slapped his hand against the table laughing.

Jeongguk laughing made Jimin laugh. Laughter was at the root of their most organic bond.  

“Drink your coffee and leave mine alone. I finally got it salted just right,” Jimin fussed.

 

In the midst of Jimin’s happiest moment, he felt himself grow hard. The emotional words from Jeongguk and hearing him talk about the dangers of falling in love with him, stimulated him mentally and physically.

There was no escape from his merrut, even in human form. His body needed to ejaculate at a rate that felt compulsive. This was not a good time because he really needed to focus and concentrate on the new books he’d found. There was no time to waste but he really needed a release. Being around Jeongguk and his long flowing purple hair, and his constant habit of walking around half nude, just drove Jimin’s human hormones crazy. It was mostly Jeongguk’s fault that his cock stayed rock hard all of the time.

Jeongguk had taught him well how to satisfy himself, but still it never felt the same as when Jeongguk did it. His skin flushed with color. Unbeknownst to him, Jeongguk was extremely adept at recognizing when Jimin needed ‘medical intervention’ as they had grown to call it. He sported a beast of an erection, one that he tried to hide by opening a book and placing it over his lap. He was truly starting to feel guilty about how often he called on Jeongguk to satisfy him.

 “Oh Jimin,” Jeongguk laughed again. “Stop trying to hide it. Remember the rules? You always have to be who you are. This is part of who you are and it’s a part that I really like.”

“You don’t mind? Again?” Jimin blinked.

“How do you want it this time? We’ve explored all of the different ways to make you cum. What’s your favorite? I’ll give it to you,” Jeongguk said seductively.

Jimin gave it some thought. There had been many magical moments gifted to him at the courtesy of Jeon Jeongguk. But there was one that stood out from the rest.

“Take me to the bed again and put your fingers inside of me. You make my heart flutter when you do that because it’s the time when I feel most complete, most bonded, like I belong to you.”

“I never knew you felt that way. You can’t belong to me Jimin. There’s a merman out there with your name on him, waiting to be the father of your kid with your sister-wife and step cousin,” Jeongguk teased. 

“That’s not funny.” He didn’t like the joke, but he knew that Jeongguk was trying to keep the moment light to mask his own feelings.

But just as Jeongguk was about to apologize, he found himself on the receiving end of a very sloppy but lustful kiss. Jimin was all over him and it was an anomaly because he had never been an aggressor before. He sat in Jeongguk’s lap and gave it his all. There was too much tongue, not enough lips, a few accidental bites and some accidental suffocation. It was quintessential Park Jimin. And of course, the quirky incorrectness of it all made Jeongguk’s dick hard.

“Slow down, slow down.” He pulled Jimin off him reluctantly. “This is new. What’s going on?”

“I want you to want me,” Jimin explained.

“I always do. Always. But this won’t change my mind. I’ll give you whatever you need to get off. But that’s where it stops.” Jeongguk stood to his feet, “Hop on you sexy humus mermanus. Let’s make you cum.”

Jimin jumped into Jeongguk’s arms as the latter carried him back to his bedroom. Since being in his bed meant so much to him, Jeongguk made a mental note to invite him back more often. He laid him down and then skimmed off his heavy, overly baggy denim jeans. Jimin preferred to be butt naked while being serviced, something that was always troublesome when they were in Jeongguk’s office. But being home in their own bed meant he could remove every article of clothing and allow Jimin the freedom to express himself as nakedly and loudly as he pleased.

As he pulled Jimin’s legs apart, a wicked thought crossed his mind. Although Jimin was self-lubricating while being finger fucked, he wondered if the same anomaly existed while being dicked down. Could he still self-lubricate with a dick up his ass? It was a curiously inappropriate thought that faded quickly.

Jimin was not naive - well not entirely anyway. For months he had been secretly reading everything he could find about human gay sex. And that included some not-so-educational porn. Not just because he wanted to attract Jeongguk, but also because he wanted to know everything possible about what was happening to his body. One thing was for sure, he knew that being self-lubricating was an oddity that would be much desired. He could tell by the starry-eyed look on Jeongguk’s face every time his insides wet his fingers. 

He lay there flat on his back, staring up at the purple haired God that draped over him. He could have assisted with removing his own clothes, but he loved for Jeongguk to do it. All of the touches, he wanted all of the touches. He saw a chance, a break in the action where he could go in for another kiss. So, he did. He placed his hand on the back of Jeongguk’s neck and pulled their faces together. Everything he’d read said

the tongue and the lips had to be balanced, but Jeongguk was sweating so without even realizing it, Jimin kept licking him. Human sweat was salty and tasted like the sea. Jimin couldn’t get enough of it. So, although he meant to deliver sultry kisses, he ended up mostly licking Jeongguk’s face which the younger found to be hilarious.

“Will you stop that? I’m trying to make you bust a nut here. But I can’t do it if you keep making me laugh.”

“You taste so good. It’s making me even hornier,” Jimin explained. He finally calmed down enough to give Jeongguk another lovely kiss. And in an unexpected reciprocal gesture, Jeongguk kissed him back. 

Jimin’s neck curved around his pillow as his head tilted back, reeling from the first touch of Jeongguk’s fingers. They rode the surface of his skin until they reached the thatch of hair just below Jimin’s belly button. Suddenly Jeongguk disappeared between his legs. The familiar sensation of warmth around his shaft sent chills down his spine. He was being sucked. It wasn’t his favorite, but it was damn near the top. The slow crawl of Jeongguk’s fingers was smooth, he didn’t waste time and he knew how to push all of the right buttons. His long perfect fingers pierced Jimin’s opening forcing him to moan heavily, eyes towards the ceiling. 

“Oh…please right there. Your fingers spark like the glint of a sunken galleon’s gold.” 

“Oh shit. Say more,” Jeongguk whispered as he kissed Jimin’s tight little hole.

To the average person, Jimin’s dirty talk may have left much to be desired. But to Jeongguk, it was one of the things he appreciated most about Jimin. He loved Jimin’s ancient merman lore version of profanity. Jimin had truly stumbled upon someone who matched his freak. 

“Let’s tangle our bodies like kelp in a warm current,” Jimin said again as Jeongguk fingered him, curling his fingers inside of his tunnel. “Oh my God.” 

Jimin wasn’t good at holding his orgasm. Over time he’d gotten better, but he was still a quick fuck. His breathing grew shallow, almost to the point of hyperventilation when he felt Jeongguk begin to suck him again while finger fucking him at the same time. The way his fingers slid inside of him. In and out with a steady pulse; two at a time and then three. He braced in anticipation of a fourth. His arms and legs shook as he stared down between his legs. The only thing he could see was a mass of beautiful purple hair and thin pink lips suctioning his cock like a vacuum cleaner. 

Jimin clenched his fist and pulled them to his face as he felt the orgasm build, “Bi-bi-big one,” he whimpered.

By this stage in their sexual exploration, Jeongguk could read him well. He knew by the way his body tensed when he was about to blow his load. He recognized the tone of his cries, when he was overcome with orgasmic stimulation. He knew how to work his rut, pulling as much pleasure as possibly from his little fish baby.

 Jeongguk drew in his cheeks, savoring the salted flavor from Jimin’s leaking cock as the fluid touched his tongue. His fingers traveled as far up Jimin’s ass as they could go, until his knuckles completely disappeared.

Jimin squealed, it was a hedonistic sound from the depths of the sea. His substantial cock that rested in the back of Jeongguk’s throat suddenly exploded, sending sparkling, clear, cum down Jeongguk’s esophagus. At the same time his ass convulsed, full of the purple one’s fingers. His voice went unusually quiet. The entire situation took less than ten minutes. He was so easy to please.

Jeongguk was back, kissing Jimin’s cheeks and tickling his gills. His heavy body rested over Jimin’s lighter one, muscles bulging, cock aching. He rested between Jimin’s legs. His erection was so hard that it crept over the waistband of his sweats. Jimin could see the naked tip peeking from behind the drawstring, just centimeters away from his wet virgin hole. Jimin lowered himself just slightly, with an angle that purposely pressed their flesh together. There Jeongguk’s tip rested, tickling the outer rim of Jimin’s glory. His glowing eyes stared into Jeongguk’s face. Wordlessly he begged him to do it; plunge into him, fuck him to his satisfaction.

But the words in his head never made it to his mouth. Instead, he played coy, “You’re…a bit excited, huh?” Jimin didn’t exactly know how to address the topic of Jeongguk’s raging orgasm.

“Oh that? I’m ok. Nothing to worry about. I’m used to it.” 

His words were nonchalant, dismissive of his own suffering. But inside his body shook with desire. He could feel the warmth of Jimin’s hole just beyond the tip of his leaky cock. Their skin touched there in that dark space between them; his dick against Jimin’s hole. He wanted it so badly. A selfish man would have popped his cherry with one mighty thrust, no regrets, no remorse. But Jeongguk wouldn’t allow his selfish desires to overtake the moment. Despite his tip begging to split Jimin open, he took one last sniff of his skin and rolled away.

“Did I do that to you? Please tell me I did,” Jimin’s vulnerability was showing.

“Of course you did. I love touching you. I love making you cum. It gives me pleasure just like it gives you. I just choose to back away before things go too far. But that doesn’t mean I’m not attracted to you. Quite the opposite.”

“Why won’t you just take care of yourself, or teach me how to do it?”

“I will. Later. I don’t love blue balls either. When I have some alone time, I’ll make it all go away.”

“Thank you…again.”

“Is it better?”

“Better.” Jimin couldn’t articulate just how good Jeongguk made him feel. He truly wondered how it would feel to have sex with him. “Jeongguk, what do you do with my seed? Every time it seems to disappear.”

“I. Swallow. It,” Jeongguk winked. 

Jimin’s eyes expanded the full size of his sockets, “You continue to tempt the fate of the shark’s fin.”

Jeongguk shrugged and casually placed his hands behind his head, “Sweetie, I don’t know what that means.”

“It means you’re going to fuck around and find out. I’m in a merrut, the most sexually stimulated state that a mammal can undergo. My seed is very potent yet you insist on ingesting it?”

“I promise you. I won’t get pregnant.”

“Says you! We should start shopping for human diapers right now,” Jimin laughed. 

He sat on the edge of the bed looking for his clothes. His cock was wet and glistening from Jeongguk’s mind numbing dick sucking. The fancy new underwear that he’d just purchased from the CK store, were hanging from one ankle. He found his pants nearby, but couldn’t figure out where Jeongguk had placed his shirt. 

Jimin moved quickly because it was time to get back to work. There was so much material that he needed to read through. He’d already wasted time getting his dick sucked

and ass played with. It was imperative that he refocus as quickly as possible. His mind was already on the article that he’d found listing all of the men who were potentially stationed in Jinhae with his father. And that’s when a voice echoed behind him.

“Don’t go.”

“What do you mean?” Jimin twisted around to find Jeongguk laying on his side staring at him.

“Stay in bed with me. It’s raining outside and I’m feeling…I don’t know…anxious? Sad? I don’t know. You say you want to make me feel good. Now is your chance. Can I just…have a few cuddles?”

Jimin pushed his pants back off and laid beside Jeongguk. He had never been asked to stay with him, not without some kind of sex play being involved. This felt different, like maybe Jeongguk needed him for a different reason.

“I like cuddles,” Jimin slid under Jeongguk’s body. 

He pressed his chiseled naked body against him and held him there in a purely platonic hug. Upon further reflection, he realized that Jeongguk had been off kilter all day and not his usual smiling self. Jimin immediately knew why. He berated himself for not acknowledging it sooner. “Do you want to talk? I’m a very good listener, even though I don’t always understand all of your references.”

“Yea, well I don’t always understand you either. Serpent of Thalasar’s gilded sword,” Jeongguk made up words to prove his point.

“Talk,” Jimin squeezed him tightly. He wanted to be a good cuddler since that was all that Jeongguk was offering.

“Today is Ji-yoon’s birthday.”

“It is? Jeongguk, why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m telling you now.” He curled his body further into Jimin. 

Jeongguk’s erection had finally settled down so it was safe to cozy up to him again. The heavy locket around his neck settled on Jimin’s chest as they laid together face to face. Jeongguk closed his eyes and sniffed. The smell of sea water was not as strong as usual. In fact, he could barely distinguish it. That worried him.

“It’s been over a year since he’s been gone. I used to have hope that we would find him. But last month the police informed me by letter that they were calling off the search. He’s been officially declared dead. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. But it still hurts.”

“Where are your parents? You never talk about them.”

“My father died when I was young. We weren’t that close but we had a decent relationship. My brother stepped in after his death to help raise me. That’s one of the reasons that I was so devastated when he disappeared. My mother, she was the light of my life. She died exactly one year before Ji-yoon’s accident. Thank God she didn’t live to see her oldest son go missing. It would have surely killed her.” Jeongguk ran his fingers along Jimin’s neck until he found his soft gills. “I have no more family. Maybe a few cousins here or there. But no one that I can call on a rainy day when I’m feeling alone. No one but you.” Jeongguk sighed. Calling Jimin his family wasn’t exactly an accurate interpolation of what they were. But he made his point.

“Ever since the night we first met, I’ve wanted to ask you. But I held off because I didn’t think it was right to force you to talk about something so painful, especially to a merman that you found in a holding tank.” Jimin told a joke. “But now that we’re much closer and you consider me like family, I think it’s time for you to purge. What happened to him?”

“Well Park Jimin. I think it’s time too.” Jeongguk rolled over to lay his head on Jimin’s chest. He needed to hear his heartbeat while he recounted the saddest story he’d ever had to tell. “My brother and I planned a fishing trip with a few of his friends. It was one of those guys’ trips where you rent a boat, get drunk and deep-sea fish for 500-pound Marlins. Debauchery at its best. Ji-yoon was much older than I was, ten years. So, when he invited me to come along, I truly felt that we had reached a new milestone in our lives. For the first time he saw me as an adult, one of the guys, a friend - not just a responsibility. The trip was an eight-hour excursion. Not even a full day. We were so excited. We shopped for new rods and new swim trunks and new bait. Everything. It was going to be the best day of our lives.” Jeongguk stopped. 

Jimin knew the importance of making him talk. If there was ever a time he needed to tell this story, it was on his brother’s birthday.

He gently prodded him to continue. “Ok. Sounds like you were really looking forward to spending the day together.”

“Yea.” 

Jimin could feel the wetness on his chest. No doubt it was from Jeongguk’s tears. “I’m a safe place. Remember.”

After some hesitation, Jeongguk continued, “The night before the trip, we had an emergency. One of the groups that I trained was due to perform at the MAMA awards. The lead dancer fell and broke his leg. They couldn’t perform on such a prestigious stage while missing a member. It would have really hurt their careers. There was no time to teach anyone else my choreo, so I agreed to stand in as a backup dancer to dance his part. Both me and my brother were heartbroken because it meant that I would miss the fishing trip with the guys. The trip meant more to him than it did to me. I just wanted to hang out with my big brother. So as long as he could still go, I was ok with missing it. In my naive head, I thought we had all the time in the world to make up for it.” Jeongguk sighed. “The rest of the story is just what I know from the Coast Guard and the other fishing boats in the area. A storm hit. A bad one. I think they knew some bad weather was moving in, but under no circumstances did they expect it to be powerful enough to take out a boat. But it was and it did. Witnesses say the boat capsized after being hit by a large wave. My brother, all of his friends and the captain were all thrown overboard. Several of the guys were able to cling to pieces of the boat and remain afloat. But Ji-yoon and two of his six friends were all pulled under. The wreckage of the boat was found within a week. The other bodies were found a few weeks later. They had all drowned. But my brother’s body was never recovered. He was the only one. For months we thought he was still alive, that maybe he had swum to a nearby island. He was a damn good swimmer. If anyone could have swum to safety, it was him. We waited and waited to hear something from the authorities. But no word ever came. Eventually, I formed my own search party. I paid over 2billion KRW, my entire savings, to travel to the nearby island and look for him. We searched for five days, covering the entire island. And then we moved on to the waters nearby. We went up and down the Korean strait into the Yellow Sea. We searched everywhere. Everywhere. We never found him or even a trace of him. A few weeks later, his swim trunks washed ashore. I identified them. They were the ones that he had purchased during our shopping spree. But Jimin, I never lost hope, you know? I always thought there was a chance. My brother was big and strong and powerful. He was a black belt in karate. He wasn’t afraid of anything. He was a successful businessman. He was beloved by everyone who knew him. At the same time, he was charming and funny and a father to me when my dad couldn’t be one. And he had an incredible girlfriend who was engaged to marry. She’s been living in hell just like me, wondering what happened to him. Ji-yoon’s life was perfect. He was perfect. How could a man like that simply disappear? If they had told me he was dead and given me a body or a piece of a body - something that I could have buried and held in my arms, then I would have grieved, healed and moved on. I would have carried him in my heart and remembered him with the glory and honor he deserved. But I have nothing. Nothing,” Jeongguk began to cry. “The not knowing is slowly killing me inside. I just want to know where he is. I can live with him being dead, I can. But I can’t live with the thought of him suffering or being alone somewhere and we can’t find him. I can’t live with that. I’ve prayed for some kind of fucking closure. But I’ll never get it because the police, the Coast Guard, everyone has ended their search. He’s gone forever. I miss him so much. Today he would have been forty-one years old.”

And then Jeongguk’s shot glass full of tears began to flow. For the very first time, Jimin felt needed; not just wanted, but needed. He held Jeongguk in his arms, giving him the freedom to release all of his pain. His purple Prince cried for hours, leaving his stained tears on Jimin’s chest. They remained there in bed together until they both quietly drifted off to sleep.

***

 

The following morning Jeongguk woke up significantly later than normal. He wasn’t sure if it was all of the crying that made him sleep so soundly, or if sleeping in Jimin’s arms was the culprit. Either way, he felt well rested and was ready to take on the day. It was Saturday so the studio was closed. The entire day was going to be dedicated to helping Jimin catch up on his research. 

He rolled over to tell Jimin good morning, but he wasn’t there. It wasn’t like Jimin to sleep late. He was an early riser - something about ‘rising with the tide at dawn’s first light because the sea’s secrets always sang to those who greeted the morning.’ Jeongguk wasn’t exactly sure how the phrase went, but he thought it was adorable. Jimin was likely in the kitchen, sorting through tuna options and putting more salt in his coffee. Jeongguk looked forward to seeing him, not just to play with his gills and give him cheek kisses, but to thank him for allowing him to purge all of his horrific, pent-up angst over his brother. 

On his way to the kitchen, he meandered past Jimin’s bedroom. He wasn't there. His bed was already made and the room was quiet. By the time he reached the kitchen, his Spidey senses were firing because Jimin wasn’t there either. In fact, Jimin was nowhere in the apartment. He was gone. 

It wasn’t unusual for him to run down to the corner store to score more tuna gimbap. He was literally obsessed with the things. But then again that didn’t make sense because Jeongguk had just purchased a pantry full of them. There was no need to buy more so soon. 

To be on the safe side, Jeongguk dressed in a hoodie and sweats and ran down to the corner store to greet him. It wasn’t safe for him to be wandering around the city alone, especially with the sightings of Rocky and Bones growing more frequent. 

He walked up and down the aisles of the convenience store looking for him. “Jimin? Jimin? Jimin, are you here?” There was no answer. He ran up to the store clerk who always rang up their purchases, “Hey, uh, listen. You know me, right? Me and my friend come in here all of the time to buy those tuna gimbaps,” Jeongguk smiled anxiously. “Have you seen him this morning?” Jeongguk searched through his phone. The number of pictures that he had of Jimin was not normal. Clearly, he’d developed a thing for this guy without realizing just how serious it was. He found one of Jimin

wearing his beanie and thick black rimmed glasses. That was likely how he would have been dressed for a visit to the convenience store. “Him. Have you seen him today?”

The clerk looked at the picture carefully. But he knew Jimin and of course he recognized Jeongguk from his distinctive purple hair. “He hasn’t come in today. The last time I saw him, he was with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure. I know this guy pretty well. I know both of you pretty well. I would know if he came in, especially alone, without you. He wasn’t here.” The clerk could tell that Jeongguk was about two seconds away from a complete meltdown. “Need me to call the cops?”

“Uh…no. Not yet,” Jeongguk’s eyes were wild as he racked his brain trying to figure out where Jimin could be. “I have one more place to check. He’s fine. I’m sure he’s fine. He just…should have told me he was leaving. That’s all,” Jeongguk tried to reassure himself. 

It was not like Jimin to go anywhere alone, especially after being beaten and kidnaped. He always traveled with Jeongguk or stuck close to Milestone. There was no in between.

Milestone coffee shop was a ten-minute walk from his house. He made it in five. He was so panic stricken that he ran the entire way. He swept through the door and found Dani there attending to one of her customers. 

“Dani. Dani, hi.”

“Hey,” she walked away and headed towards the counter to pick up an order.

Jeongguk shadowed her, following closely, “Hey, so uh, have you seen Jimin this morning?”

“Jimin?” She dropped the tray on the table and then turned to face Jeongguk. “What do you mean have I seen him? Has something happened to him? What did you fucking do? I knew you would hurt him. I knew you were just a playboy who didn’t give a shit about him. I tried to warn him to get away from you.”

“Whoa. What the fuck? You told Jimin to stay away from me?”

“Yea. I told him he could do better.”

“With who? YOU? An hourly employee who goes home smelling like coffee and Splenda every day. Stay the fuck out of our relationship.”

“Relationship? Is that what you’re calling it now? You don’t even know where the fuck he is. How can you say you have a relationship? I hope to God that he wisened up and finally left you for good.”

Jeongguk held his anger. It was not the time to go at Dani. Even if what she was saying was true and she told Jimin to leave him, then where did he go? He was definitely in danger roaming the streets alone. 

Jeongguk calmed down and tried to be civil, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Dani, Jimin is very special to me. He…he means everything to me. I would never hurt him. I would never abuse his friendship. I only want to protect him and right now I am failing because I don’t know where he is.” Tears began to fall as his voice choked, “P-p-please help me. Has he been here? Have you seen him at all?” Jeongguk fell on his sword and begged for her mercy. Finding Jimin was all that mattered. 

Dani could see the fear in Jeongguk’s eyes. She instantly felt remorse for how she reacted, “No. I haven’t seen him.” 

Before the words were completely out of her mouth, Jeongguk was out the door. He had to find Jimin. The situation had just intensified ten-fold. The only places left to look were the library and the sailboat. The library was safe, sensible. If Jimin was going to go out on his own, that is some place where he knew he could relax without a lot of curious eyes staring at him. He went there often and they knew him by first name. So Jeongguk checked there first. The librarian on duty swore that she hadn’t seen him. Then the building manager offered to pull the surveillance video. Jimin was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t visited the library at all that day. 

The only place left to check was Jimin’s sailboat. Jeongguk didn’t have a good feeling about any of it. His instincts told him to call the police.

“Detective Kieu please. It’s an emergency. Tell him it’s Jeon Jeongguk. He knows who I am.” Jeongguk paced as he waited for the Uber to pick him up and take him to the pier where Jimin’s sailboat was docked. The detective took forever to come to the phone. “Detective Kieu, it’s Jeongguk. I need help. Something has happened to my friend Jimin. Meet me at the pier where his sailboat is docked. I think he’s in danger.”  Jeongguk disconnected.

***

By the time Jeongguk arrived, the entire dock was surrounded by the flashing lights of police cars. Jeongguk’s heart sank. Something terrible had happened. He could feel it. He ran towards the dock where Jimin’s boat was but before he got there, he was stopped by Detective Kieu.

“Jeongguk, wait. We can’t let you go any further. This is officially…a crime scene. There’s been a report of a disturbance aboard Jimin’s boat. Some residents on the houseboat parked next to it said they heard a commotion and someone screaming. There were signs of a struggle, but the boat was gone. The witnesses say they saw flashing lights like gun shots before someone fell overboard. The anchor was pulled and the boat was set out to sea. One of the men matched the description of Malakar and the other matched the description of - Jimin.”

Jeongguk took several steps backwards as he shook his head, “No. This can’t be. No. How, how would they have gotten to him? He was with me. HE WAS SAFE IN MY ARMS!” Jeongguk screamed. I-I-I can’t believe this is happening. Not again. You have to find him. You have to tell me where he is.”

“We’re draining the pier and sending some divers down to look for - remains. We don’t have the full story of what happened here, but we’re on the case. The first thing we need to do is find his boat. I’m sure there are some clues on board that can help us determine who may have taken him.”

“TAKEN HIM! No, please God no. Please, please. I can’t lose him. Not him. Not him. Please bring him back, bring him back,” Jeongguk screamed. He broke free of the detective and ran through the crime scene tape. His sprint came to a sudden halt when he reached the spot where Jimin’s boat was supposed to be. It was gone. “Noooooo! Jimin please. Jimin, where are you? Baby please, please come back to me.” He leaned over the dock peering through the water, hoping to see his glowing tail coursing through the waves. But there was nothing. Nothing but blackness. His sweet merman wasn’t there. He fell to his knees and pleaded to the God Thalasar, “Bring him back. Bring him back to me. Don’t let Malakar win. Please, don’t let them hurt him.”

Detective Kieu tried to console Jeongguk by patting him on the back, “We’re doing everything we can. We’ve filed a missing person’s report, and a possible kidnapping. Every cop in Korea is looking for him. You’re a high-profile case. Everyone knows what you’ve been through with your brother, your own kidnapping, and now this. Every officer on the force is putting his best effort into this case. We’re going to find him, one way or

another.” Detective Kieu pulled a bag from his coat pocket. “I think I should give these to you. They were found at the crime scene, just over there near the edge of the dock.” He handed Jeongguk a dark blue beanie and a pair of black rimmed glasses. They were Jimin’s.”

*** 

A second missing persons case when he was still grieving from the first one; Jeongguk couldn’t believe his fucked-up luck. Why did the universe hate him? 

The morning had come and gone with no sign of Jimin. If there was one thing Jeongguk had learned from dealing with his brother’s missing person’s case, it was that waiting on the authorities was a waste of time. Jeongguk was determined to find Jimin so he organized his own search. He pulled in as many friends as possible, even some of his new Idol groups joined him. Dani swallowed her pride and joined him as well, walking hand and hand looking for any signs of where Malakar might have taken him. They weren’t even sure he was still alive, given the reports of gunshots and someone falling overboard. But Jeongguk refused to think that way. 

 

For two days straight, they did all that they could. Jimin had simply vanished into thin air. Jeongguk was exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. He hadn’t slept in over 48 hours since the moment he woke up to find Jimin gone. His hope was fading.  

No one knew Jimin. He was a ghost, therefore keeping the community committed to searching for him was difficult. He had no friends or family anywhere in Busan - other than his father who likely didn’t even know he existed. Jeongguk had called the media twice to get the story of his disappearance circulated, but none of them considered it a priority.

“Hey. You need some sleep. You’re no good to him if you can’t function.” Rei sat next to Jeongguk as he stared through the window. 

“I can’t sleep. Not until he comes home. Why is this happening again, Rei?” Jeongguk’s shoulders began to shake as the sobs of despair took hold of his soul.  

Rei hadn’t seen Jeongguk this despondent since Ji-yoon. “Fuck Jeongguk. You love him. You love him. You love him,” her tears matched his as the realization washed over her. “This isn’t just some sadness over a lost friend, this is the loss of a soulmate.” 

Jeongguk looked up, eyes puffy and swollen. His face was red as the tears dripped from his chin. The purple hair that glowed so brightly was pulled back into a bland ponytail. His entire body slumped over with sadness. Soulmate was such an interesting word because how could two creatures from such different worlds have intertwining souls? Yet that was exactly how he felt. It took Jimin’s absence to make him realize it.

“I just need him back,” Jeongguk sniffled.

“Look. I have to get back to the studio. Now that we’ve ended the search, I have to resume training for the groups. Take as much time as you need. I’ve got everything under control. We’ll find him, Jeongguk. We will.” Rei wasn’t sure if her words were truthful or not, but it was the only thing she could do to comfort him.

Another day passed and then another and then - another. Bringing the total number of days since Jimin’s disappearance to five. 

For more than eight months, Jimin had been an everyday fixture in Jeongguk’s life and now suddenly he was gone, as if he never existed. Only he did exist and Jeongguk had a kitchen table full of books, magazines, newspapers and triangle gimbap to prove it. 

Despite Jeongguk’s efforts to fight it, sleep finally overtook him. Every night he slept with Jimin’s beanie and glasses on the pillow next to him. Some nights he would be so distraught that he had to sleep holding them in his hands.

And his dreams were not peaceful. Over and over and over again the images of Jimin stuck in that filthy tank replayed in his unconscious mind. Several times throughout the night he woke up screaming. Each time he would run through the apartment searching for Jimin, only to be retraumatized by his disappearance all over again.

It was 4:00am when Jeongguk received a heavy knock on his door. He opened his eyes to a room full of flashing red lights reflecting off of his windows. The police were here. Could there be news of Jimin? He ran to the door partially clothed. There was no time for modesty, he needed to hear what they had to say. It had to be urgent if they were there so early in the morning.

Jeongguk swung the door open, “Detective Kieu, you found Jimin?”

“No. But we did find something else that we need to share with you. May I come in?” Detective Kieu had a somber look on his face. 

Jeongguk was terrified of what he was about to say. “Come in. Tell me. Is it about Jimin?”

“Not really. But it does add a wrinkle to his missing case. Jeongguk, we found Malakar - dead. His body was found in the ocean. Underwater cameras owned by the university spotted him during research on aquatic life along the shore. He was tied to a grounding post about 500 feet below the surface. Both his arms and legs were bound by sea kelp. Strangest shit I’ve ever seen. No sign of gunshot wounds or any wounds really. His cause of death appears to be plain old drowning. But the condition of his body tells us that someone else was involved. We also learned that there was a fireworks display over the pier the night that Jimin went missing. I’m going to go back and talk to the witnesses, but the sparks and gun fire they heard may have actually just been the fireworks show. Interesting twist. Anyway, the rest of Malakar’s crew is probably running scared without their leader. The Coast Guard has agreed to step in to hunt down his fishing boat. With your description and the hull identification number you provided, plus the information from the other kidnapping survivors, we think we have enough to find that boat and put them out of the ‘kidnapping for ransom’ business.” Detective Kieu was very upbeat for 4am. He continued, “Still no sign of Jimin, but at least we have that slime Malakar off the streets. We won’t be rushing to solve Malakar’s murder case anytime soon. There’s a missing kitten that came across my desk this morning. Think I’ll work that case first,” Detective Kieu laughed. He spoke directly into Jeongguk’s eyes, “Hey. Chin up. If Jimin and Malakar did mix it up, I think it’s safe to say that Jimin came out on the winning end. We’ll find him.”

“Yea. Thanks.” Jeongguk watched Detective Kieu walk back to the patrol car to speak with the other cops who had converged on his apartment. 

This was indeed interesting information. Not only did he have the satisfaction of knowing that Malakar was dead, but he had been given a slight glimmer of hope that Jimin may have been the one who killed him. Everything was coming full circle. But still he wondered, where was Jimin? 

***

On the heels of the news of Malakar’s death, Jeongguk returned to work. Jimin had been missing for a full seven days and there was still no trace of him. His therapist suggested work as a way to help him cope with the passing of time. Dancing and interacting with his students was exactly what he needed to keep his mind off of the

search. His spirit was settled because even though he still didn’t know where Jimin was, his gut told him that he was ok. 

It was a long day, twelve full hours of dancing and yelling and spot checking. Jeongguk’s body was wrecked but he was happy with what his teams had accomplished. He sat in front of the mirror, alone, chugging an ice-cold bottle of water. It was quiet, too quiet. He hated the quiet times because that was when Jimin’s absence hurt the most. He bowed his head to pray for him to come back. All he wanted was to see him again.

“I miss you Jimin,” he said quietly to himself.

“And I missed you too,” a low, rugged voice bounced off of the hardwood floors.

Jeongguk’s head snapped up to see the reflection of a soft glow behind him. It almost looked like a ghost but he knew it was no ghost because he recognized the svelte silhouette. He spun around and jumped to his feet. 

He rubbed his eyes and squinted even though the figure was only a few feet away from him. “Jimin?”

“Hey - It’s me.”

Jeongguk didn’t care if it was an illusion, a hallucination, a dream or a nightmare. He was overcome with joy as he bounded into Jimin’s arms. “Please be real. Please be real,” Jeongguk said as he scooped Jimin off of his feet and swung him around. 

“I’m real. I’m back.”

Over a week of frantic searches, missing posters, and sleepless nights ended here. Jimin was back.

“Where have you been? I’ve been so worried. I thought you were gone forever.”

“Please forgive me for leaving so suddenly. But I had an important issue to han…,” his voice was cut off.

Jimin’s words didn’t matter. Jeongguk muted them by suffocating him with a kiss. Earthy and raw; it was the kiss that he should have given him months ago. It was the kiss that etched his emotions onto Jimin’s heart. It didn’t matter if Jimin was real or a dream, he was not going to allow the moment to pass without giving his heart to him. 

And so he kissed him with the passion of a lover. Gripping the back of his head, he held him in place, and devoured him with the soft touch of his tongue and delicate curl of his lips. He wanted to be inside of him, he wanted to be a part of him, he wanted to possess him. He wanted there to be no boundaries between where his body ended and Jimin’s began. The need for him was so desperate that he wept his pain into Jimin’s mouth as he tried to reclaim him with a promise to never let him go again.

The kiss that could have continued for hours was finally interrupted by Jimin, “I have to talk to you. I have to explain.”

“Oh God. You’re back. And you look incredible.” Jeongguk held Jimin at arm’s length to make sure that he wasn’t injured or bleeding. 

Jimin’s clothes were soaking wet and his glow was pale instead of the typical teal color that usually vibrated around him. Once again his hair was short, but still thick and luscious. His gills were smaller and he seemed to rely less on them for his breathing. A few other physical characteristics had changed, but he was still the same Jimin he knew and - loved. Jeongguk understood his morphology well enough to know that only revisiting the sea could have caused the changes he was seeing.

“Please Jeongguk, I need to talk to you,” Jimin requested again, more forcefully this time.

“Yea. Yea of course. What is it? Oh God, I have so many questions. What happened to you? Your sailboat is missing. Was it Malakar? Did he attack you? How did he end up dead?”

“I’ll get to that. But we have a much more important matter to discuss first. Sit with me. Don’t talk. Just listen,” Jimin was firm. His face was solemn and there was not a trace of levity to his expression.

They sat on the wooden practice floor, close to the mirror. Jimin held both of Jeongguk’s hands tightly as he gazed into his eyes. He had so much to say and he had no idea how Jeongguk was going to process it all. 

He started from the beginning because it was the only way to fully explain why he left so suddenly. “It was not my intention to worry you. I thought that I could leave and return within a day or two. But this task proved much more difficult than I could have imagined.”

“What task? What are you talking about? What was so important that you had to leave without telling me?”

“Just listen, please.” Jimin bracketed Jeongguk’s face to calm him down and force him to listen. “I’ve known you for about eight months now. We’ve been living together and researching my father for that long. But before I ever met you, when I only knew Dani, I spent five long months alone doing the research myself. A few days before I decided to take the sailboat and sail into town, while I was still living amongst my people, there was an incident near the coral reef. Now, you have to understand. We merpeople do not get involved in human affairs. Over the centuries, we have seen many deaths, suicides, boat sinkings, wars, shark attacks, submarine explosions. We’ve watched your people destroy our oceans and litter the sea bed with debris and toxic chemicals. We have always maintained a neutral position. Your battles are not our battles. Nothing good can come from interacting with humans. Do you understand?”

“I do…but why are you telling me this?”

“As I said, there was an incident along the coral reef where most of the humans go for big game fishing. The incident went unnoticed by my people because it was just another sinking boat. Nothing that required our attention. A few days after that boat sank, I left my home and sailed here to Busan to begin my search for my father. The day that I docked, there was a very large search underway. So much commotion, so much activity. Police, fishermen, even the Coast Guard. I had never seen anything like it, nor have I seen anything that rivaled it since. They were definitely looking for someone important. That was the end of that episode and I never thought any more of it. Are you still with me?”

Jeongguk nodded. He was not as mouthy this time. He decided to let Jimin cook. “I’m listening.”

“Ok. Something you should know about the merpeople. Even though we keep to ourselves, we are a bit nosey - especially the elders. It’s a pretty common practice for the grey hairs to congregate in groups while snacking on kelp straws to watch humans get eaten by sharks. That generation really hates you guys. There isn’t much that goes on in the sea, big or small, that we don’t know about.” Jimin took a breath. He shook his head as he stared into Jeongguk’s big doe eyes. They were so beautiful. He twirled strands of Jeongguk’s purple hair around his fingers and then tucked them behind Jeongguk’s ear. “For this next part. I need you to come with me.”

“What? You mean leave?” Jeongguk asked.

“I need you to come with me.” Jimin refused to look at him. He just pulled him to his feet and gently guided him outside where an Uber was waiting.

“I hope you don’t mind, Dani helped me book an Uber,” Jimin explained. 

“Where are we going?” Jeongguk was a bit surprised that Jimin had called Dani first to let her know he was ok, but he tried not to dwell on it.

“Back to my sailboat. I have something that you need to…see.”

Jeongguk was very quiet for the entirety of the ten-minute ride. There was nothing he needed to ask because he trusted that Jimin was going to give him the answers to all of his questions. Once they arrived Jimin hurried Jeongguk down the dock straight to his boat. The presence of Jimin’s boat cleared up one outstanding question. The boat was not missing, Jimin had it all along. So technically there was no kidnapping at all. It was promising news, but Jeongguk was still uneasy about what Jimin wanted so badly to show him. 

He paused to give Jeongguk more of the story. “Even after knowing you for so long, you never fully opened up about your brother and what happened to him. I never asked because I wanted you to talk about it when you were ready. A week ago, that day finally came and you told me everything. But as I listened to your heartfelt story of guilt and grief, a memory was triggered. It was a memory of an incident inside the big game fishing channel - a boat sinking. The location where you described your brother’s boat sinking was the exact location of the incident that happened just before I came to shore. The reason that boat sinking stood out to me above others was because it was particularly tragic. One of the fishermen on the charter got tangled into the chains of the anchor. As the boat sank, he was separated from the rest of the wreckage and pulled another 1000 feet to the seabed below. Many of the elders witnessed it. There was talk about it. But Jeongguk, we keep to ourselves. That boat sinking was not our business, until it became my business. On the night that you explained what happened to your brother and how he was missing and how he had never been found, my mind went straight to that day where the elders witnessed a fishing boat sink in the storm. The timing was undeniable. It was my suspicion that your brother, Ji-yoon, was the man they saw dragged to the bottom by the sinking boat anchor. But before saying anything to you about it, I had to prove it. That’s why I didn’t tell you what I was up to. I didn’t want you to be traumatized all over again by me returning empty handed. I believe that the reason you never found your brother was because his body was much too deep for humans to be able to search for him or recover him. So…I grabbed my sailboat and sailed home. I reunited with my merpeople and asked them for help. The elders were very familiar with the boat sinking and they led me right to the location where it happened. Together…we found him.”

 

Jeongguk was speechless. Jimin’s story was too incredible to believe. In fact, he didn’t believe it at all. He was certain that Jimin was confused or mistaken. There was no way that he had found a man who had been missing for over a year. 

Jimin led him straight to the small cabin in the bottom of the boat. Jeongguk could smell a pungent flowery scent as they descended the stairs. It was odd. They reached the bed where Jimin had nursed Jeongguk back to health after rescuing him from the sea. And there lying in the supine position was some type of human figure. It was not immediately recognized as human until Jeongguk stepped closer. 

The outline of the body was that of a man. But it was wrapped in long strands of dark green kelp, much like a mummy would be wrapped for a burial. Every inch of the body was covered with the kelp twisted in beautifully elaborate patterns that criss-crossed his body. From his neck to his fingertips, the shiny green kelp clung to him like a second skin. A necklace made of colorful blooms was placed around his neck with matching chains around his wrists and ankles. But as meticulous as the mummified- style wrappings were around his body, one part of him was not covered - his face. His long black hair had been cleaned and pulled back into a ponytail that was also adorned with flowers. His skin was grey, not grotesque, just void of color and life. Someone had used a sewing technique to mend parts of his flesh that were decayed or missing. His lips were sealed and his eyes were closed, but there was no mistaking his identity. It was Ji-yoon, Jeongguk’s missing brother. And he was dead. Jimin had recovered his body and brought him back to Jeongguk.

Jimin knew the visualization was harrowing for Jeongguk. He watched as the blood drained from his skin. As quickly as possible he tried to bring some understanding to what was surely a preternatural situation in Jeongguk’s eyes.

“In my culture we have a practice of dressing our dead. What you see here is part of a very ancient ritual performed to show the highest respect to our loved ones. He’s been wrapped in strips of Macrocystis pyrifera or sea kelp as you humans call it. Even though he’s been in the sea for over a year, the creatures were gentle with him. Because of the freezing temperatures and low oxygen in the water, there was ample adipocere formation which preserved his skin. Other than the grey waxy film covering him, he still looks very much like the man he was. I found him Jeongguk, still attached to the anchor that dragged him down. I vowed to bring him back to you, but not like he was. I didn’t want to cause you any more trauma, so I took the time to dress him first. I received permission from the elders to perform our ancient burial practice on him. It took a few days, but I gave him all of the love and care that I could. I tried to bring him back to you as beautiful in death as he was in life. I can never return the vibrant man that you lost, but at least you can hold him one last time,” Jimin began to cry, “Closure should never be denied for a grieving heart. You deserve to heal.”

Jeongguk fell to his knees beside the body of his dead brother. His face twisted with grief and he released a loud painful wail as he finally accepted his brother’s death. The cry shattered the silence of the otherwise peaceful night. Raw, guttural screams clawed their way out of his chest as he shook his head back and forth, accepting but not wanting this to be the end. A torrent of sorrow unraveled his soul as he stared into the lifeless face of his dead brother.

 

Ji-yoon’s body was all that Jeongguk ever asked God to give him. And with Jimin’s help, his prayer was answered. He leaned into him. Ji-yoon smelled of sea water and sweet blooming orchids. Despite authorities telling him that sea creatures would claim all of his remains, the condition of his body was miraculous. 

Jeongguk’s hand shook uncontrollably as he raised it to touch Ji-yoon’s chest. His thin fingers landed on the bone of his ribs. The chest was still solid, held together by the tight wrapping around him. Ji-yoon facial features were all intact, even his nose which looked so much like Jeongguk’s. Jeongguk bowed his head and rested it on his big brother’s kelp wrapped arm. 

Jimin wiped his tears as he spoke one last time, “There are rules, laws about how human remains must be handled. I recovered him and did as much as I could to preserve him, but it won’t last long. I’ve made arrangements for a professional service to pick him up and hold him until you decide on a form of burial. They’ll be here any minute now, but I wanted you to have time to say goodbye.”

As Jeongguk silently wept at his brother’s side, Jimin stepped back. He felt it was a private moment for Ji-yoon and Jeongguk and he wanted to respect their last minutes

together. He was about to climb back up the stairs when he felt Jeongguk grab on to his wrist. The pain in Jeongguk’s face was too much for Jimin to bear. He knew that bringing Ji-yoon’s body back to him was the right thing to do, but he feared that he had done it at the expense of destroying all hope Jeongguk had of finding him alive. 

The younger one cried in shattered syllables, each word torn free between wet hiccups. He tried his best to express his gratitude.

“I-I-I-I th-th-thought he-he-he wa-wa-was g-g-g-gone forever. You sa-sa-saved he-he-him from spe-spe-spending eternity a-a-alone. A-a-all I-I-I ever w-w-w-wanted wa-wa-was his b-b-body so I c-c-could honor h-h-him th-th-the way he d-d-deserved.” Jeongguk’s face was beet red and his nose was swollen. His eyes were almost sealed shut with puffiness and tears. “I-I-I wi-wi-will ne-ne-never for-for-forget th-th-this. Th-thank you.” He struggled mightily to get the words out, but it was important not to let another moment pass without falling on his knees with gratitude for Jimin.

He engulfed Jimin’s body with a hug that was almost suffocating. They both cried loudly in each other’s arms as they swam through a torrent of emotions. There was no mistaking that the two had deep feelings for each other, but this moment seemed transformative for their bond. Safety, empathy, sacrifice, reciprocity, sexuality, trust, humor, attraction, symbiosis, serendipity; all of the elements of love were there. Even if they weren’t ready to say it, they definitely felt it. 

As they hugged, Jimin could feel Jeongguk’s locket press into his chest. Suddenly, Ji-yoon’s photo and the purple and gold home that secured it, had a completely different meaning. 

*** 

 

Within an hour, the morticians from Busan hospital arrived to claim Ji-yoon’s body. Jimin explained that he found him floating in the water while out fishing one day. He massaged the truth to preserve his own secrets, but it was enough to satisfy the authorities without them asking more questions.

Jeongguk stood behind him, watching quietly as they loaded Ji-yoon into the ambulance to take him back to the funeral home. No one questioned his mummified wrappings or how he got that way. Ji-yoon had been a missing person for over a year. It was much easier to just bury his body and close the case.

Detective Kieu arrived on the scene after Jeongguk told him that Jimin had been found. Jimin answered a few questions, dumping more lies onto the fire, and managed to thoroughly explain why he had been missing for seven full days. 

Even though the detective’s instincts told him something was off with Jimin’s story, it was good enough for Detective Kieu. He closed Jimin’s missing case and offered them a ride home.

***

 

Jeongguk was very quiet. It almost felt catatonic. He stared straight ahead and said no words. Jimin knew he would be fine eventually, once his traumatized mind was able to fully process what had happened. Jimin led him into the apartment and sat him on the couch. He removed his shoes and socks, and pulled his t-shirt over his head. There he allowed him to rest as he drew him a bath. 

The apartment had become Jimin’s home and he missed it during the time that he was away. He was at a point where he was just as comfortable on land as he was in the sea. No doubt a sign of the curse intensifying as he closed in on his thirty-third birthday. His room was just as he left it, immaculately neat and tidy. He stopped there to grab his robe before grabbing one from Jeongguk’s room as well. 

The large clawfoot tub had become Jimin’s private sanctuary. It reminded him of the sea and had plenty of space for him to stretch his tail. But tonight, he wanted to share it with his roommate, the man who had taken him and protected him. The man who adored him, spoiled him and never let him go a day without a mayo and tuna triangle gimbap. He turned the water to the hottest setting. Jeongguk always loved it hot. The rush of water filled the tub in large volumes like a waterfall. He left the tub to fill while he went to retrieve Jeongguk.

He was still sitting there, head down, hands folded. Jimin pulled him to his feet and walked behind him, step by step pushing him forward. By the time they returned to the tub, it was full. Steam rose from the water, fogging up the mirror and sprinkling mist on the bathroom surfaces. Jimin turned on the speaker. There were several playlists that Jeongguk had made for him, each was more beautiful than the last. He selected one without much thought because all of them were perfect. And just like clockwork, the most beautiful song flowed through the speakers.

 

Jimin was so concerned about Jeongguk’s mental state that he didn’t have time to fuss over his remaining clothes. With one seamless motion, he pushed Jeongguk’s pants and underwear to the floor and coaxed him away from them. Modesty be damned, he pushed him into the steaming hot bath and helped him settle into a comfortable position. 

The glow of his golden rays bore into the dark brown pools of Jeongguk’s baby doe’s. They stared at each other, both thinking the same thoughts, but neither feeling the need to speak them.

Jimin removed his oversized shirt and threw it to the ground with the rest of Jeongguk’s clothes. He shimmied from his pants and climbed into the tub with his sweet purple haired God. Just like old times, he filled the sponge with water and squeezed it over his head. The water hit his hair in a thick ribbon, plastering it flat against his forehead. He filled the sponge with soap and ran it up and down Jeongguk’s chest and legs, even the arches of his feet. Jeongguk still didn’t speak, other than to say a quiet, ‘thank you’ as Jimin lathered him up again. 

He crawled into the younger man’s lap and leaned against his body, reaching his hands over Jeongguk’s shoulders to wash his back. He sat elevated with his pelvis resting on top of Jeongguk’s thighs, his body slightly raised out of the water.  

His lips found Jeongguk’s forehead, and then his neck and then…his lips. Months of practice had turned Jimin’s kisses sublime. Their mouths met in a hush, barely more than a breath. Jimin’s lips were soft and warm, slightly parted like the inner curve of a rose petal. 

Jeongguk parted his lips just a fraction more to allow Jimin’s smooth tongue to glide into his mouth. At the same time, his large wet hands rose from the water, tracing across the knobs of Jimin’s spine. Their loving kiss continued until Jimin could taste Jeongguk’s salted tears dripping into the corners of his mouth. Jimin’s heart ached for him, but he continued to kiss healing into his body as he shared his pain.

Jimin could suddenly feel the pressure of Jeongguk’s dick growing beneath his scrotum. It slid under him like a serpent gliding through the water. He hissed, too afraid to move out of fear that Jeongguk would push him away. His heart rattled in his chest like a metronome. His mouth went dry and it was hard to swallow. Whatever magic Jeongguk possessed, it overwhelmed him. He wanted him so badly but not at the expense of

Jeongguk’s vulnerability. He tried to remain still but his body reacted. Soon his cock surged, prodding into Jeongguk’s stomach. He kept his arms looped around his neck as he held his position, sitting flat on top of Jeongguk’s thighs. They stared into each other’s eyes, watching their own lustful expressions through their reflections. Once again, they found themselves just centimeters from risking it all, surrendering to the fuck they both needed. But it wasn’t meant to be. Jeongguk had made that so clear, so many times. 

A small brave voice crossed Jimin’s lips, “I know we can’t. You don’t have to explain. I understand. But I’ll never stop wanting you.” Jimin raised out of the tub and pulled on his robe. His human cock was turgid as water dripped from the tip. But he ignored it completely, something that he’d never had the will to do before. Being so close to Jeongguk when he wanted him so badly, was like torture. He had to get out of there. “Your robe is here,” he said coldly. And then he left him.

 

Jimin felt dejected, Jeongguk could see in his posture. As he watched him walk away, his mind reeled. Constantly denying Jimin should have never been an option. In retrospect it seemed somewhat cruel and selfish, no matter how he justified it. 

But since Jimin’s disappearance, Jeongguk’s entire perspective had changed. So much reflection had gone into what he wanted and what they meant to each other. He wanted to explain that to him, but his words didn’t come fast enough before Jimin stormed out.

Jeongguk hated himself for waiting so long, especially considering how close he had come to never seeing him again. There was no reason to wait. The love that he feared would weaken him had already done so, even without making love to him. What else was there to fear? Nothing. The depths of his love for his little merman presented at that very moment.

In an instant he was out of the tub roaming down the hallway. He found Jimin in his room, resting on his side, wearing nothing but his robe. Words still escaped him because there was nothing he could say weighty enough to match the moment. So, he said nothing…

 

Jimin could hear his footsteps. The bed dented gently as Jeongguk crawled in. He turned to face him but was met with an intense glare. He didn’t know what was going through Jeongguk’s mind but the younger one had never looked at him that way, not ever. At first, he had no reason to believe that this was anything other than Jeongguk seeing that he was hard, and coming to service him. Even in Jeongguk’s grief, he was willing to pleasure Jimin and that sentiment felt very much like love. 

Body over body they rolled until Jeongguk was sprawled on top of him, resting between his thighs. Without saying a word, they fell into a kiss. And although there was sweet innocence on his lips, Jimin could feel Jeongguk pull back his robe and snake his fingers towards his entrance. Jimin savored his touch. It had been so long since they’d been together. 

A breathy hiccup escaped him as soon as he felt Jeongguk’s fingertips massage into him. He closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing Jeongguk to splay him open. Working his fingers in and out, reaching as far back as Jimin’s entrance would allow, he continued to kiss Jimin’s plump lips.

As the sensation grew, Jimin pulled away from their kiss. He grabbed a clump of Jeongguk’s hair and twisted his head so that he could whisper in his ear, “I love it…when you do this to me.”

Without warning Jeongguk disappeared between Jimin’s legs. Jimin didn’t know what he was doing down there, but he waited patiently to find out. And then he felt it - a wet tongue trailing his slit, licking around the inserted fingers, while intermittently pressing into his entrance. He pulled his large hands free and braced them against Jimin’s inner thighs. Pushing his thighs apart, he engaged his devilishly seductive tongue to lick him clean.

“Oh-oh-oh,” Jimin released a low hum, through a shaky exhale. This was definitely different, something that Jeongguk had never done before. 

With each sloppy lap of his tongue, he left behind small dollops of spit that dripped from Jimin’s tightly creased hole. But just as Jimin was beginning to feel an orgasm develop, Jeongguk unexpectedly stopped eating him. Jimin didn’t pout because that would have seemed ungrateful. But his eyebrows did crinkle with disappointment.

The purple Lothario found Jimin’s throbbing cock and stroked it fast as he sat upon his knees between Jimin’s legs. Jimin saw stars. His back arched slightly as he felt his seed start to bubble. He was ready to cum.

“I-I-I,” he stuttered.

“Hold it, baby. Not yet,” Jeongguk said sternly.

“B-b-but,” Jimin moaned again. Never before had Jeongguk denied his orgasm.

He leaned down to whisper against Jimin’s lips, “Look at me.”

“Ok, ok, ok,” Jimin nodded.

“Look at me. Don’t close your eyes. I need to watch you, while I fuck you.”

Jimin gasped, “Fu-fu-fuck me?” His glowing golden eyes bore into Jeongguk’s face, unsure if what he heard was real.

“Relax. A little pain, ok?”

“Yea.”  

Before Jimin could prepare himself, he felt the blunted edge of something hard and powerful against him. His breath hitched as the pressure began to build against his entrance. His hole was relaxed and already expanded from Jeongguk’s ass play and tongue licking. So, at first blush, the thickness of Jeongguk’s cock didn’t faze him. The tip was pushed through his rim until Jeongguk met some resistance. He withdrew. Jimin felt his hips being lifted to create a different angle. A pillow was placed in the arch of his back to keep his hips elevated. This was really happening. Jeongguk rammed him again.

“Fuck,” Jimin winced as he felt Jeongguk’s dick take the first bite out of his flesh. “This doesn’t feel right. I think it’s too big,” Jimin warned.

“Yes. It’s too big.”

He tried to squirm away but Jeongguk had a death grip on his waist. His fingers were so deeply embedded in his skin that it began to blister. Jimin tried to voice more concern, but his mouth was plugged with kisses as Jeongguk continued to push himself inside of him. His pain-filled moans swept against Jeongguk’s tongue as the pressure burned through the center of his body. 

He shivered in Jeongguk’s arms, absorbing the pain. There was no stopping the purple monster as he continued to push into him.

“We’re almost there,” Jeongguk whispered. “Keep looking at me baby. Don’t close your eyes.” At the point where he thought Jeongguk was being his most callous, he realized he was being the most loving. He watched every expression on Jimin’s face. He listened to his context clues, and followed the path of least resistance to get the entry over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. “I know it hurts. But concentrate, lubricate yourself. You can do it.”

Jimin took that as a message to relax and trust. He bit his lip. Nothing had ever been that deep inside of him before. Several rows of scales erupted across his back and down his arms. The painful fuck awakened his primal nature with an attempt to force him back into his merform as a protective mechanism. With a little concentration, he was able to suppress the metamorphosis but the pain was almost unbearable. He listened to Jeongguk’s words because it was the advice he needed. The more he relaxed, the more his body naturally lubricated.

Jeongguk gave one more thrust, before bottoming out. He tapped Jimin’s lips with his own. “I’m in. All of me. You’re no longer a virgin,” he smiled as if he’d just won the lottery.

“This doesn’t feel like I thought it would.”

“Give it a chance. This is the good part, where I fuck you.”

“I don’t know, Jeongguk…,”

“Don’t be scared. It’s just me. I’ll stop if you ask me to.”

Jimin stared up at him. His purple hair fell in curtains over his face. It was so long and pretty. The dimples of his cheeks flared and his eye smile was full of happiness. ‘I think I love you’, his inner voice chanted over and over again. Was he just like his mother, falling in love with a human? It seemed unreal but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to spend the remaining days of his life, making love to this man.

“I won’t ask you to stop,” he could feel his walls moistening. His mind, body and spirit were all in.

 

Jeongguk clenched. The muscles of his thighs and buttocks, arms and chest contracted as he sat upon his knees for leverage. Jimin watched his own legs swing through the air as Jeongguk pushed them upwards so that he could stare at his cock as it protruded from Jimin’s mer-ass.

“I can feel your wetness all around my dick. Fuck, this is exactly as good as I thought it would be.”

The slow grind of Jeongguk’s hips began. His stomach muscles folded over, revealing the bumpy ridges of his eight-pack. His thick dancer’s body worked rhythmically like a finely choreographed routine. 

The fullness of Jeongguk’s thick cock elevated Jimin’s human body. Every thrust kneaded his tunnel like bread, twisting and shaping him in all the right places. 

 

Jimin whimpered, “Fuck me like the spiny thorns of a puffer fish.”

“Aw, you like getting that mer-cherry popped, huh?” Jeongguk teased. His experience was evidenced by the level of calm control he had over his body.

Jimin felt the clink of the heavy locket against his chest. He found Jeongguk’s hand and held it tightly as warm pools of fluid began to swirl in his groin. His legs were still in the air with Jeongguk’s upper body working between them. He could hear the squishing from his hole as Jeongguk sped up the pace. He was wet and getting wetter with each inch of dick that the young one fed to him. He never knew a mechanism could feel so good. 

Their bodies clapped against each other, causing creaks in the mattress. He kept his eyes open, just as he’d promised, but Jeongguk’s eyes were closed. For the first time ever, Jimin could see Jeongguk’s pleasure. It was so beautiful, the way he choked out moans and gritted his teeth. He held Jeongguk’s arms as they began to shake. Was it possible that he was about to make his purple lover - cum?

It was all that he wanted so he voiced it to him, “I want to make you feel good. Please ejac…cum for me,” he corrected himself.

“Uhhhhhh-shit,” Jeongguk began to pant. His breaths came fast and hard as his thrusts became more forceful. He used Jimin’s body for his pleasure just like he wanted him to. 

Jimin felt his legs roughly pushed down as Jeongguk crawled over his body, resting chest to chest. His forearms braced on either side of Jimin’s head with his elbows bent, keeping the full weight of his body spread evenly across Jimin’s torso. His hips worked like mad, rotating and grinding, filling up every inch of Jimin’s space. 

Their breathing synced. Between them, the locket dangled, a main character in the story of their love. The clasp rested in the hollow base of Jimin’s throat as they began to climax individually and together.

He promised. He promised. He promised not to close his eyes, but Jimin couldn’t stop them from rolling closed as his back arched with pleasure. He could already feel the wet from Jeongguk’s orgasm flooding his insides. The purple beast had cum inside of him with nothing more than a filthy growl and chattered teeth. The glide between them was so slippery and satisfying as Jimin self-lubricated. 

Jimin couldn’t believe what was happening to him. This orgasm was not like the others. His nails dug into Jeongguk’s back as his moans erupted into a Siren’s song. 

“Cum for me. Show me you love it,” Jeongguk whispered beneath the rasp of Jimin’s orgasmic voice.

Jimin’s stomach coiled as his human dick contracted, releasing a stream of iridescent fluid onto Jeongguk’s abdomen and crotch. His fluid was thick, clinging to their pubic hairs and sweaty skin. His entire crotch took on a shiny glimmer as his cum soaked into his skin.

Jimin burst into tears.

Jeongguk’s eyes bulged. He was confused. How did such beautiful love-making result in this? “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?” He examined Jimin’s space to see if he was bleeding or bruised. He was neither.

Jimin tried to explain, but he was so overcome with emotion that it was hard to make it make sense, “You are the son of Atargatis. I knew it. Only a magical being could possess a creature of a different species so completely.” His eyes were big and round and he almost seemed frightened. He was spiraling into dick madness.

“My mother’s name was Jennie. She was an accountant at HYBE. I assure you I have no relation to Atargatis,” Jeongguk said simply. “Don’t cry. This was nothing to cry about.”

“Says you. You don’t understand…I’ve never ever experienced anything in my mer-life like that. I’ve been on this earth for thirty-two years. I thought I’d seen everything. But what just happened was majestic. It was not the actions of a regular human being.”

“It actually was. So, I need you to stop crying because you’re scaring me. I thought I hurt you or did something wrong.” Jeongguk wiped Jimin’s tears and then rolled on his back. He pulled Jimin into his arms, allowing him to rest his head on his chest. “Your reaction is very good for my ego. But I’m nothing special. I have experience with this, you don’t. So, it seems like something new and magical. But it’s just sex. I told you, human men use their mechanisms for way more stuff than just peeing.”

Both snot and tears puddled on Jeongguk’s chest as Jimin tried to pull himself together. He grabbed a tissue next to the bed and wiped Jeongguk’s chest clean. “I’m

sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to make a mess. I’m just overwhelmed right now. You fucked me really good,” he added.

Jeongguk laughed. Jimin’s random use of the words ‘fuck’ and ‘fuckers’ always made him laugh. “I think it’s cute. Please don’t apologize.”

“You always embrace my quirkiness. I used to think you were just patronizing me, but lately, I’m starting to think you mean it.”

“I love your quirkiness. It’s what makes you -you.”

 

Jimin sat up in bed. His bottom was sore, as if he’d backed into an angry sea urchin. That was not expected, but he kept his complaints to himself. He definitely wanted to be fucked again, so he was careful to only give rave reviews.

Jimin still had so many questions, “You said we couldn’t do this. You’ve told me no over and over for months. You’re grieving and dealing with the reality of your brother’s death. This is such a sensitive time for you. Why did you give in?”

“I didn’t give in. I stepped up. I stopped being a coward. When you disappeared, I thought I lost you forever. I cried myself to sleep every night, sometimes sleeping with your beanie and glasses against my chest. I vowed that if I ever got you back, I would show you how I felt about you and I would never deprive you again. All you’ve ever asked was for me to make love to you. I’m sorry for not giving it to you sooner. You’re a virgin…,”

“...was a virgin,” Jimin interrupted.

“...was a virgin, Jeongguk corrected. So, I thought you needed to save yourself for someone of your own species. I was worried about us growing too close. But that happened anyway, even without the sex. I was trying to protect you…us. Jimin, I don’t know what the fuck is happening in my life. You’re a fucking merman.” Jeongguk inhaled. The scent of fresh sea water filtered through the room. It was Jimin’s cum. “You’re not supposed to be real. Yet somehow, you’re the most real person I’ve ever met. There are days when I think I’m going to wake up on Malakar’s ship in the ocean only to realize that all of this was just a dream. But if it is a dream, I want to experience all of it, the best that it has to offer because I need you. I made this decision before I ever knew about you bringing home Ji-yoon’s body. But the fact that you did that, confirmed that what I feel about you is warranted. You truly are incredible.”

Jimin didn’t want to cry again. But there was no way he could sit there and hear such loving words without reacting. He could feel the tears start to sting again. Humans were too fucking emotional and they were dragging him along with it.

Jeongguk didn’t want him to cry either. So, he focused on something a little less emotional but just as important.

“I need the truth. What happened to Malakar?” Jeongguk asked out of the blue.

“He went for a swim,” Jimin quipped unabashedly.

“And…what does that mean?”

“Have I ever told you that merpeople hold grudges?”

“No. But I can believe it,” Jeongguk nodded.

“The day I left, I was determined to find Ji-yoon. But the only way to get safely out to sea was to take my sailboat. I felt that it was probably safe but because the sun hadn’t come up yet, it was still very dark. I decided to watch my boat for a while to make sure there was no one creeping around. And then out of nowhere, Malakar shows up. The balls on this guy. Every authority internationally and in Korea is looking for him and he still dares to show up here. He knows what I am, Jeongguk, and he knows that I could be worth alot of money. That’s the only reason he’s brave enough to keep coming back. Well, this time his luck ran out. I saw him sneaking around on my boat, so I dove into the water, deep towards the sea bed. I signaled for help and told them Malakar was here. Within a few minutes, help arrived in the form of fifty merpeople who knew all too well what Malakar had done to me. They waited in the shallows for me to feed him to them. I swam underneath my boat and waited for him to walk too close to the edge and that’s when I grabbed him and pulled him into the water. The last I saw of him, he was being pulled under by a gang of merpeople who wanted revenge. I couldn’t be worried about him though. I had to go.”

“There were witnesses who said they saw both of you on the boat,” Jeongguk explained. 

“They did. But not together. He was there and then once I threw him off, I boarded the boat and prepared to sail. 

“They said there was screaming and yelling.”

“There was. He was terrified and put up quite a fight. I suspect they toyed with him for a while, allowing him to swim to the surface and let off a few screams before dragging him back down. A bit sadistic, but like I said, my people hold grudges. Just as much as they adore you in my world, they absolutely hate him.” Jimin sat up on his stomach and kicked his feet back and forth. His ass was hurting too much to lay on his back. “In the commotion, I lost my glasses and my beanie. There was no time to look for them, so I headed out to sea and allowed my people to handle Malakar. Never fuck with merpeople because you just won’t win.” He shrugged.

“Do you think Rocky and Bones will ever come back to town?”

“I doubt it. I think they were just here on Malakar’s orders. The only one left in their crew was the captain of that piece of crap ship.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. The Coast Guard is going after that ship. So, if Rocky and Bones and the rest of them are there, then they will be caught.”

“What about, Jack? Do you think they…killed him?” Jimin asked.

“I don’t know. I like to think he escaped or something. He already suffered so much.” Jeongguk rolled over and laid on top of Jimin’s back, “Hungry?” He kissed him on the neck and tickled his gills with his nose. 

“I haven’t eaten in a few days. I could eat.”

***

“And five, six, seven, eight…bah-boop-bah-turn-turn and kick and kick and drop and bend and boom-boom-bah- drop!” Rei yelled out to the ladies of Bitter Peach. “Good. Good. One more time from the top. Music this time, yea?”

Jeongguk ran into the practice room. “Ladies, looking good. Rei, can I borrow you for a minute?”

“Nope.”

“Yep,” Jeongguk pulled her out of the room and into his office. 

He closed the door behind them and pushed her down into the chair. “Normally, I would never interrupt a class, but this is important.”

“I got your message. You found Jimin and the missing person’s case was closed. That’s good. So why are you still so rattled?”

“There was a reason that Jimin was gone.”

“Ok?”

“Rei. I can’t give you all of the details, but Jimin located Ji-Yoon's body. He brought him home.”

“Wait. There’s no fucking way. Even the Coast Guard couldn’t find him. We all assumed the worst that his remains had been taken by sea creatures and sharks. How was Jimin able to find him?”

“I can’t tell you specifically, but just know that he had help. I’m having a memorial service for Ji-yoon. Nothing big, just a chance for his friends to pay their respects. It’s tomorrow morning, around 10am. Will you come?”

“Will I come? Of course, Jeongguk. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. He was my friend too. I’ll be there but…,”

“But what?”

“I don’t understand this. The man has been missing for over a year and all of a sudden Jimin finds him in the vast ocean when he didn’t even know anything about the accident or how it happened?”

“He knew more about it than any of us. He witnessed it. Pure coincidence that he was out on the sea that day. He was able to go back and he had a hunch about where his body might be. He was right. Rei, let’s not dwell on how he did it. All that matters is that he brought my brother back to me and I’ll never be able to repay him.”

“I hear wedding bells.”

Jeongguk turned to glare at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You already had a serious thing for this guy. He saved you from being lost at sea, nursed you back to health, and now he’s found your brother and brought him home. There’s no way you can ever let this one go.”

Rei’s words stung like a thousand paper cuts. “Rei there’s something about Jimin…something that I’ve never told you.”

“Ok.”

“He’s not from our world. I mean…Busan. He’s not from Busan or Korea. I know we told you he was from Seoul, but he isn’t. He’s here for a very specific purpose and once he completes it, he’s leaving. I’ll never see him again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He feels the same way about you as you do about him. Love always works out. No matter what the circumstances, he’ll never leave you, not if there’s a chance of making it work.”

“He’s going to leave. He has no choice. He doesn’t…belong here,” Jeongguk danced around the truth as well as he could 

“Well then don’t let him go. Tell him how you feel. Make a plan. Offer to let him stay. Commit to the guy. The word love changes everything. Tell him you love him, Jeongguk. Stop being so scared of the consequences and just take that chance.” Rei gave Jeongguk a kiss on the forehead. “I better get back. I’ll be there at the service tomorrow, 10am sharp - to say goodbye.”

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Chapter Six: Filed Under Park Jimin

 

📕 18,279

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Jeongguk had known for months that Ji-yoon was probably dead. Still - seeing him lying there in the casket brought his painful journey to a definitive end. He was more relieved than anything. Jimin was right when he said he needed closure because being able to say a few last words and send him off properly, fundamentally changed him. He could feel the weight lifted off of his shoulders. It was a revelation that he couldn’t wait to tell his therapist about. 

The ceremony was short and sweet. Jeongguk said a few words as did Rei and a few others. The entire service was over in less than thirty minutes. But that’s what Ji-yoon would have wanted. His big brother was never big on pomp and circumstance. He was a simple man who loved his family and adored his little brother. Thankfully, he was done with this world. And he was free to join the afterlife, whatever that was. 

 

Jimin sat there in the front row, scratching his neck where the white collared shirt irritated his skin. The tie bothered him too as well as the form fitting slacks that Jeongguk had custom made. Mermen were not fond of three-piece suits. But he looked so handsome, like a groom on his wedding day. Jeongguk made a mental note to fuck him later. His thick black hair was long again. His hair grew quickly, just long enough to hide his gills. Thank goodness because his blue beanie would have been oddly out of place at a funeral. Jeongguk made a mental note to run his fingers through his hair while he fucked him later.

It was nice to see Ji-yoon’s friends again, and his girlfriend, Rose, who had suffered just as much as Jeongguk during the time that he was lost. They all stood around making small talk, relieved to close this final chapter of their lives. 

“Jeonggukie?” Rei called. “We’re going to go now.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming. This means a lot to me and Jimin.”

“You and Jimin?” She smirked. “Oh yea, there’s a wedding coming.”

“Who’s getting married?” Jimin appeared. He blinked several times as he looked at each of them.

“No one. Rei was just telling me about a new Fan Fic she was writing.”

“Which one?” Jimin’s eyes brightened. He very much liked Fan Fics, they had great smut. “I just finished one of Jeongguk’s novels on his bookshelf called, When the Leather Burns and boy was it…,” Jimin remembered his surroundings, “…informative.”

“Reading smut are we?” Rei laughed.

“Good bye Rei. I’ll see you on Monday.” Jeongguk playfully dismissed her with an evil eye.

 

Another one of Ji-yoon’s old friends walked up to give his condolences to Jeongguk. He was an older gentleman, maybe a few years older than Ji-yoon would have been. He was an active-duty sailor wearing a military uniform decorated with a variety of colorful medals. His name was Lieutenant Colonel Kim Namjoon. He was one of Ji-yoon’s best friends from his time serving in the military.

“Jeonggukie,” he smiled as he approached.

“Namjoon!” It’s been such a long time. Good to see you. Thank you for coming.” Jeongguk leaned forward and gave the man a hug. 

“Your brother…he was an incredible man. We served together for five years while he was on active duty. I know how hard it’s been on you since his disappearance. I’m just…well I’m just thankful that you found him,” Namjoon hugged Jeongguk again.

“I am too. I owe it all to this man who did his own private search after learning more about the accident. He’s the one who brought him home.” Jeongguk stared at Jimin as if he had hung the moon, or if he was the actual moon. There was love all over his face. He gave Jimin a side hug and pulled him close to his body. 

Only, Jimin’s attention was focused somewhere else. Kim Namjoon looked familiar, as did the symbol on the right shoulder of his uniform. He stared at it with eerie recognition. It was the exact same symbol that he’d seen in the newspaper on the night he was kidnapped by Malakar. The symbol that matched the patch of clothing passed on to him from his mother. The symbol that could lead him to his father.

“Excuse me!” Jimin spoke loudly, interrupting Namjoon and Jeongguk’s conversation. “Where did you get that symbol? The one on your shoulder. What does it mean?”

Namjoon was taken aback by Jimin’s sudden interest in his uniform. “This?” He pointed to a symbol which was a silhouette of a crossed anchor, a trident and a flintlock pistol.

“Yes. Yes. That!” Jimin spoke quickly from excitement.

“I’m a Navy Seal. This is the ROKN UDT/Seal badge. I serve in the Navy,” Namjoon explained.

“The Navy. I’ve read about that. You’re on ships and boats and things. You shoot missiles?” Jimin asked.

“Well, we don’t shoot them all willy-nilly, but yes. I serve aboard one of our KDX III Destroyer vessels,” Namjoon explained again.

“Have any of these ships, these…Destroyers…ever sank?” Jimin wanted more information and he wanted it fast.

“I’m sure they have. But…I couldn’t tell you…,”

“Who can? Who can tell me?” Jimin raised his voice.

Jeongguk leaned in, “Jimin, is this the symbol you saw in the newspaper? The one you were telling me about? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive. I’ve been searching for months trying to figure out what it meant. But if this is a Navy emblem, then it makes perfect sense. That’s probably how they met,” Jimin’s mind was spinning.

“How - who met?” Namjoon was lost. 

“My parents!” Jimin said out of frustration. 

“You’re looking for your parents?” Namjoon asked.

“My dad,” Jimin clarified. “I’ve never met my father. I’ve been searching for him for well over a year now. He is the only family I have left. The only possession that I have that belonged to him is a piece of his uniform with that symbol on it. I never knew what it was, until now. I remember seeing you in the newspaper for something months ago and you had this symbol on your t-shirt. But I never had a chance to find you, to ask you about it. And now, by the Gods of Hercules, I run into you here. This has to be a sign that I’m close. I’m so close to finding him,” Jimin said, holding back tears.

“Hercules?” Namjoon looked at Jeongguk who smiled awkwardly and shrugged. “I was in the paper because I received a special honor of valor. It was nothing really, but it may end up being a link to your dad,” Namjoon smiled.

“Do you know his name?” Jimin asked optimistically.

“No. I know nothing except that symbol belonged to him.”

“Not knowing a name makes this much more difficult. I have an idea. ROKN honors all of its sailors past and present in a Terms of Service Manifest. If your father served in ROKN and especially if he was a Navy Seal, his name will be in there. It tells you the year they served, the battalion, everything. Pictures probably aren’t published due to secret ops missions, but everything else is in there. It’s not available online, but they do keep a copy in the library,” Namjoon offered.

Jimin bowed to Namjoon. He shook his hand overly aggressively. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for this information. That’s a great place to start.” He turned to Jeongguk with desperate eyes, “Jeongguk, I have to go. I have to get to the library. This is the lead that I needed. I have so much more research to do.”

“No. You’re not going anywhere alone. Let me finish up here and then we’ll both go. I’ll help you Jimin. I’ll help you.”

***

 

For two weeks, they barely slept, as the calendar slipped from late June to early July. While Jeongguk did reverse-lookup internet searches on the UDT/Seal badge, Jimin searched through a manifest of thousands and thousands of names of sailors who served in ROKN between the year Jimin was born and the present. One thing that Jimin never considered was the possibility that his father might still be in the military. Although most men served their time and were discharged, Jimin’s father was a Navy Seal. He could have easily been a Commander or higher if he had chosen to make the military his career. It was a good lead, but without a name, the task still seemed insurmountable. 

***

 

It was nearly 1am, Sunday night. Jeongguk had to be at the studio early the following morning. He hated to shut it down, but both of them needed rest. They had made good progress over the weekend with narrowing down some of the names in the Manifest, but they still hadn’t found what they needed. 

 

Jimin laid his head down on the table. He was quiet. Jeongguk could see the sadness in his golden eyes. 

“Let’s take a break,” Jeongguk suggested.

“We can’t. We have to get through these names,” Jimin argued.

“Jimin, it’s going to take us weeks to get through all of these names. We can’t do it all in one weekend. Let’s just take our time and…,”

“I DON’T HAVE TIME!” Jimin yelled. “I HAVE TO BREAK THIS CURSE!”

Jeongguk was as calm as an ocean breeze, “I understand. And we are going to break this curse. But what good are you, if you’re too exhausted to keep working and you make mistakes that cost even more valuable time?”

Jimin stared down into his hands, “I’m sure you’ve noticed the changes within me. The curse is potent and it’s slowly taking over my body. My glow isn’t even the same.  My scent isn’t the same. Everything about me is changing,” he spoke with shame. 

“Alright. That’s enough for tonight. Come with me. We’re taking a bath,” Jeongguk refused to allow Jimin to fall into a panic attack over something he couldn’t control. So, he decided to distract him.

Jimin smiled. Despite his irritation, he did love baths. “I-I like baths.”

“I know you do. And if you want, you can flash that sexy tale of yours and I’ll wash your scales,” Jeongguk flirted.

“We don’t wash those,” Jimin advised.

“Well can I see your merdick? That would make me happy.”

“No. Only human dick for you. You weirdo,” Jimin teased.

“I’m just like your daddy, I like a spicy fish.”

“Shut up!” Jimin laughed an obnoxiously loud laugh. 

 

By the time they climbed into the steaming hot bath, the speaker was already blaring a song called Mermaid. The irony was rich. Jimin sat on the opposite side of the tub with his knees pulled into his chest. His hair was wet, his skin was pale and his eyes glowed like two magical orbs. He sat with his expression fixed while he stared at the man he loved.

On the other end of the large tub, Jeongguk gazed just as lovingly back at him. They sat in silence with nothing but the sultry sound of the erotic music playing behind them. Steam rose in seductive waves from the surface of the water all the way to the ceiling. The bathtub continued to fill around them, the temperature slowly increasing until it reddened Jeongguk’s skin. 

Jimin’s gaze was only broken when his eyes dropped to watch Jeongguk’s hard dick as it floated to the surface.  He licked his lips. He knew it was delicious and he wanted to taste it. 

“Come here,” Jeongguk said authoritatively. “Let me teach you how to ride me.”

Jimin released his legs and crawled slowly towards him. Steam hovered around his upper body, misting along the strands of his black hair. 

Jeongguk used the headband that was doubled around his wrist to pull his hair back. He needed it out of the way so he could go to work. No more games. No more popping cherries. No more virgins. It was time to fuck, like two grown sexually charged men. No mercy, no surrender. Just - love.

“That’s good. Now climb on top of me like you always do,” he instructed. 

Jimin was emboldened. Armed with a head full of porn, filthy smut novels and sexual anatomy books, he was ready to make Jeongguk proud. 

He sat with his pelvis flushed against Jeongguk’s thighs. He didn’t want to be fingered first. He didn’t want anything but his human dick. Jeongguk tried to stretch him open, to prepare him, but Jimin refused. 

“Don’t,” he said firmly. He made it clear that he wanted to be in control for once.

“You’re still inexperienced,” Jeongguk tried to reason with him.

Positioning himself higher, Jimin arched his back and raised his hips to give Jeongguk’s cock more room to thrust into him. He moved in one sensuous wave up and then down, plunging his ass over the blunted tip of Jeongguk’s cock. 

“Fuck,” he inadvertently called out. 

It was much more painful than he anticipated. He immediately regretted not allowing Jeongguk to prep him first. His legs trembled from the pain of trying to get all of Jeongguk’s mass inside of him. 

Jeongguk smirked. “I’m too big for that sweetheart. The goal is not to impale yourself with my Trident. You have to take your time with me or I’ll accidently split you open.” Jeongguk lifted Jimin’s hips so he could pull his cock completely out. “Slow down baby. Go slow. Start again…just the tip.”

The words were enough to drive Jimin mad. “Yes baby,” his lips trembled from the sheer eroticism.

Jimin started again, slower this time. He lowered himself just far enough to take the tip of Jeongguk’s erection. Jeongguk held on to his thick shaft, holding it in place as Jimin tried to work his ass down over it. He could feel the mushroom shaped tip pop through his rim. “God, this is fucking good.”

“We haven’t even started. I’m pulling out again, ok.”

Jimin didn’t want that, “Please don’t.”

“Shh. Trust me.” Jeongguk lifted Jimin’s hips again, pulling his cock out of him. 

Jimin rested his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder. He took several deep breaths. He could feel the water seeping into his hole. He was loose just that fast. Jeongguk knew exactly what he was doing. 

“Give me your dick Jeon Jeongguk and stop teasing me,” he said angrily. He yanked Jeongguk’s hair to let him know he was serious.

Jeongguk held his shaft steady with the tip pointing straight up. “Lower yourself over me again. This time a little faster and a little harder.”

Jimin looked down between his legs as he hovered his ass right over Jeongguk’s cock. He rotated his hips forward and then slowly lowered himself. This time, he didn’t stop until the dick was grounded inside of him. He was completely stuffed, the cock was so deep that it bulged in his stomach. 

“Oh, feel that? I’m all the way inside of you. Now sit upright, with your back straight. Use your strong sexy legs for leverage and ride me up and down. Find the pace that does it for you.”

“Like this?” Jimin asked as he awkwardly moved his body up and down.

“Just like that. Keep going,” Jeongguk encouraged him.

“Fuck, Jeongguk.” Jimin’s eyes wilted. 

“I know. I know, it’s so good isn’t it, baby? Take it. Use me.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. You’re magical,” Jimin chanted in a low raspy whisper.

“Yes sweetheart. Fuck me.” 

Jeongguk gripped Jimin’s ass to help control his pace. He tilted him forward just a bit so their lips could touch. And that’s when he kissed him. Their bodies collided with a wet slap. The water in the tub rocked gently left and right, spilling over the edge and flooding the floor. Jimin’s hips rose with slow deliberate undulations as his quivering thighs pushed him up and down. 

He threw both arms around Jeongguk’s neck and held on to him for dear life. With their breath mingling in the hot steam, their lips slipped past each other as they struggled to maintain their kiss through Jimin’s rhythmic bounces.

Jeongguk loved it when Jimin’s ass was wet, it made the fuck even better. Beneath the water he grabbed Jimin’s cock and began to stroke it. 

“Ah, ah, ah, ah,” Jimin chanted again, this time much louder.

“You’re working so hard. Let me make you cum. Ooooo it’s so good,” Jeongguk whispered against his ear.

“Uh God,” Jimin buried his face into Jeongguk’s shoulder. “Uh, uh, uh, uh. Oh GOD!” He finally screamed. 

“You did it. You rode me like a bull. That’s my baby,” Jeongguk whispered again.

Jimin shivered in his arms for several seconds before going limp. A stream of iridescent sparkling fluids floated to the water’s surface. His merbaby’s cum was so pretty. 

***

 

Jeongguk could only see darkness. His long purple hair covered his entire face including both eyes, his nose and his lips. Standing on his left leg with the right leg propped on the bed, he moved his hips round and around, pushing his tip in and out of Jimin’s mouth. 

The elder sat on his knees on the floor allowing his throat to be absolutely demolished by Jeongguk’s cock. But that was how Jimin wanted it. 

In none of their prior episodes had he ever had a chance to suck off his purple God. But since they had fucked three times already and Jeongguk had yet allowed himself to orgasm, Jimin figured this was the perfect time to learn to give him a blow job. 

His slurps were messy with spit dripping to the carpet. He grazed him repeatedly with his teeth while choking each time he tried to take it too deep. The mushroom-capped tip burrowed in his cheek, causing it to bulge like he was storing chestnuts. He was terrible at sucking dick and that was exactly what turned Jeongguk on. The more mistakes he made, the louder Jeongguk moaned. Jimin had definitely found the match to his freak. 

Jeongguk grabbed Jimin’s hair. He held his head steady and chose to work his hips, pushing his cock in as deeply as he wanted. But just before he came, he pulled out. “Come here, come here, come here. I want to cum inside of you.”

“Yea. Yea, ok,” Jimin grinned as he was pulled from his knees and flung through the air. Jeongguk bounced him around like a rag doll.

“You wet in there, baby? Are you wet?”

“Yea,” Jimin nodded as Jeongguk pushed him down to the bed, propping him on all fours.  

Jimin didn’t even have a chance to take a breath before he felt the cock inside of him. And his big human baby was not gentle. Their skin clapped loudly as Jeongguk rammed his cock into Jimin’s body. He was so turned on that it only took three strokes

for him to cum. He pushed himself all the way into the center of Jimin’s ass and held his cock there until it pulsed. 

“Shit, you feel good. Oh GOD DAMNIT!” Jeongguk yelled as he filled Jimin’s hole with his human seed. “Oh, oh shit…,” he fell to his side causing Jimin to topple over the top of him. His cock was still hard as the last remnants of his cum dripped onto the bed. 

Jimin was ecstatic. He crawled over Jeongguk’s body and kissed him all over his face and neck and forehead and ears. He even kissed his brother’s locket. Finally, after thirty-two years as an outcast and a freak, he had someone who truly cared for him. His human life was everything he wanted but couldn’t have as a merman; a beautiful man, sex whenever he wanted it, this new thing called orgasms, great music, perfectly salted coffee and a cabinet full of triangle gimbap. Even though he still had no news of his father, he was happy. If death came at that very moment, he would die a very happy man. And that thought made him…cry.

 

Jeongguk sat up. This was the third time in as many fucks that Jimin had cried afterwards. “You can’t cry every time, baby. It’s just sex.”

“But it’s not. It’s so much more than that. You just don’t understand.”

“No,” Jeongguk said lovingly. He used his thumb to wipe away Jimin’s tears, “I guess I don’t. Maybe one day, you’ll explain it to me?”

“Yea. One day.”

***

 

Their clothes clung to them like wet paper. The heat was so uncomfortable that even waiting for an Uber outside was exhausting. As August scorched the pavement, the air grew thick and humid, causing Jimin’s human form more and more discomfort.

Plain and simple, Jimin needed to go back to the sea. But with the curse coursing through his veins, he didn’t know if he could still adjust to the cloudy depths of the Korean strait, let alone make it all the way out to the Pacific. 

Adding to the mix, Jimin’s merrut was out of control. Even if he could survive in the sea in the late stages of the curse, there was no way he could trust himself to stay away from the mating lanes. The biological need to procreate was desperate and far beyond his control. Returning to the sea would no doubt, lead to him unintentionally fertilizing an egg, hence spreading his curse to yet another generation. The risk was too great, he had to remain on land.

 

The merrut wreaked havoc on his human form as well. He couldn’t think of anything except orgasms. His lack of procreation was compensated by his human sex drive. Even Jeongguk, a self-proclaimed fuckologist, struggled to satiate him. But he sure had fun trying.  

Jimin had more and more trouble concentrating. Between his sex drive, the curse, and his frustration with not finding his dad, he was not himself. His birthday was a little over sixty days away and he felt the pressure. There was little to no information available about the curse and Jimin didn’t know what other maladies would come with it. He feared that there was a lot more to the powerful conjuring than just being exiled from the sea.

***

 

 The manifest of sailors that Namjoon referred them to had given them the best chance yet at finding an actual name. Everyone who had served in ROKN was listed. It took them weeks, but by the end of August, they were finally able to narrow it down to only 1300 names. Cross reference searches helped them eliminate those who were deceased, female or never served in active duty. Jimin was almost certain that his dad had served at some point on a ship because that was the only way he could have met his mother. 

 

As they worked, Jeongguk poured more salt into Jimin’s coffee and fed him a warm chocolate croissant. He asked a few questions that had always perplexed him, “Jimin. How do you know so much about your father? Like…how did you get a piece of his clothing? How did you know he lived in Busan?”

Jimin frowned. He settled in for a long explanation, “Luck really. My mother was loved. So too were my grandparents. It’s because the elders of the community loved them so much that I was not killed. Mother had many friends within her pod, most of whom abandoned her when she became pregnant with me. No one wanted to be associated with a cursed child. But there was one friend who remained loyal, helping her until the day she died. Her name was Sirenael. She remained by my mother’s side when she needed her the most. She was the only one who understood how much my mother and father loved each other.” Jimin took a bite of his croissant and then moved to sit in Jeongguk’s lap. He wanted to feel the comfort of Jeongguk’s arms around him as he spoke about his mother whom he hardly remembered, “My mother had a collection of items belonging to my father that she held close to her heart. One of them was the patch that was torn from his uniform on the night she met him. I only know this because her dear friend Sirenael told me about it. Mother kept it hidden from my grandparents because she wanted to make sure it was passed along to me. She gave these items to Sirenael for safe keeping on the day of her execution. Sirenael freely offered as much information about my dad as possible, but she didn’t know much because my mother and my father kept their affair very hidden. She knew that he was human and possibly from the military. She knew that he lived in Busan and if he were alive, I would find him here. Sirenael’s information was critical.”

“Where is she now, can you talk to her and see if there is anything else she remembers?”

“I wish she was still here but she died a long time ago, when I was just a teen. She was caught in the propeller of a submarine and shredded to pieces. Life in the ocean is not kind and even members of our own community are struck with tragedies, and it is not just because of humans. We all mourned her greatly. But I remember her stories. She gave me so many clues and she always wanted to help. It was my mother’s dying wish for me and father to be reunited because my mother knew how much he loved me. Mother also knew that only my father could break my curse. These are facts my grandparents never told me. After my mother’s execution, it was Sirenael who found my father on the island and told him what had happened. Rumor has it that she also summoned boats to rescue him. But I’ll never know if that is really true.” Jimin smiled.

 

Jeongguk received an unexpected phone call. It was from Namjoon. He answered right away because his gut told him that the only reason Namjoon would be calling was if he found something. 

“Hello, Joonie, hi. Putting you on speaker so Jimin can hear too,” Jeongguk answered. 

“Hey Jeonggukie. Hi Jimin. I’ll make this quick because I don’t have much time. I’m sailing out today and I’ll be gone for about a month, but this information couldn’t wait. I had to call you before I left to tell you about a thought I just had. Have you or Jimin ever heard of something called the EMPRS or the Electronic Military Personnel Record System?”

“No. No we haven’t,” Jimin answered. 

Namjoon continued, “It’s a tool we use here in the Navy that allows us to scan our personal documents and convert them to digital form. We store everything in there; Wills, insurance papers, medical histories, legal forms, baby pictures, pictures of our spouses and girlfriends, contact information and anything else we think is important. And everything is stored in digital form with the paper copies given to the next of kin. If you truly believe that your dad served during the Gulf War, we can look up documents based on service date. That may bring you closer than that massive list you’re trying to reconcile.”

“That sounds great. It’s worth a try. When can we pull the records?”

“Civilians can’t access the system, but as a military officer, I can. The only downside is that you have to wait about four weeks. I’m sailing out today and I won’t be back until late September.”

Jimin looked faint. His skin drained of all color. A month of waiting would land him dangerously close to his birthday. But he had no choice. “Sure. We can wait. I’ll just continue working the manifest until you return,” he said with a faint smile.

“It’s worth the wait. This is a big fucking deal. This could be our big break,” Jeongguk said happily.

***

 

As the clocked ticked forward, Jeongguk realized that there was a very real possibility that the curse could take hold, forcing Jimin to become a land dweller for good. He didn’t want to believe it before, but their lack of progress with finding Jimin’s dad made it a reality.

Every time Jeongguk watched him curl up in his oversized sweater and shrink into a ball, his heart ached. There was so much fear of the unknown in his eyes. Despite being on land for well over a year, Jimin still wanted to go back home. And Jeongguk understood why.

Jimin’s experiences with humans had not been good. And if he eventually had to live amongst humans permanently, Jeongguk knew he would live in constant fear of running into more people like Malakar. 

 Jeongguk wanted him to see the beautiful part of the human existence, not just through sex, but by truly immersing him in the textures of life as seen through Jeongguk’s eyes. He wanted Jimin to know that if the worse did happen and he was forced to live there forever, that his life could still be happy and fulfilling. He could even be a father – if that was what he truly wanted. 

 

And so it began; a series of bona fide dates that took Jimin all over the country, even on airplanes. Jeongguk took Rei’s advice. If he wanted Jimin to willingly stay, he had to commit to him, show him that he was wanted, show him how life could be if they remained together.

From front row symphony tickets to bespoke cuisine at Kitchen Dongbaek, Jeongguk shared all of his favorite things, bringing Jimin into his life as a partner would. There were baseball games and soccer games, jerseys, flags and baseball hats. Amusement parks, banquets and charity balls, concerts, movies, mountain climbing, and even hot air ballooning were all part of their adventure. The list was exhaustive.

He was determined to prove to Jimin that life above the sea was worth living. And along the way, Jeongguk proved that to himself as well. He never once tried to convince Jimin that it would be better to stay. He remained just as focused on finding Jimin’s dad as he always was. But he prayed that he had done enough to prove to Jimin that they could live a very beautiful life together – if that was what he truly wanted.

 

And then there was the sex. In the soft moments between their heated passion, there were deeply complex feelings. So many nights were spent just holding each other and existing…

 

The playlist was a new one; full of the saddest songs that Jeongguk could find. Softly it played in the background, placing an exclamation point at the conclusion of their story of longing.

Despite the inky blackness of the night, Jimin’s body glowed like a ghostly figure floating through the forest. As too did the sheets that were covered with his iridescent cum.

Their breathing could be heard throughout the apartment while the crisp sheets rustled as their hips shifted across the mattress. They lay there in the safety of their cocoon just as they had for the previous three hours.

There was no such thing as “enough” because no matter how hard they orgasmed, how satiating their kisses, how bruised and red their skin, how swollen their lips, how labored their breaths, or how sore their cocks, they only wanted more. 

Their tongues touched once and then again and then again before settling into a languid glide of wetness and warmth. They savored the flavor of each other’s mouths with light hints of mint mingling with sweet vanilla. They remained locked in each other’s embrace, Jeongguk’s cock fully seated inside of Jimin’s body. They didn’t move. Their only desire was to become one, remain one. 

***

 

Jeongguk had seven new routines being installed amongst seven new groups. He was so busy that he had to float from room to room to visit each team. His assistants handled refining the pieces, but Jeongguk did the heavy lifting by laying down the original choreo. There was only one of him and a million more moves to be taught, but he had to go. He rushed the last set because he knew Jimin was in his office – waiting for him.

 

The door slammed hard behind him as soon as he stepped foot into the room. Jimin’s merrut gave him ungodly strength, allowing him to lift Jeongguk with one arm and throw him against the wall. The little horny merfucker started his dirty talk immediately.

“Remember, the better you fuck me, the wetter I’ll get,” Jimin teased. “If you really want my thick slippery glaze all over your nuts, then fuck me like your life depends on it,” Jimin said as he tore at Jeongguk’s shirt.

“Shit, where did this side of you come from?”

“I’m a Siren, it’s always been here,” Jimin kissed the gold knots of Jeongguk’s locket, working his way up his chin and to his lips. 

He pulled Jeongguk’s t-shirt over his head and threw it on the couch. The walls thumped from the loud music coming from the practice studio in the next room. He could hear Rei’s voice yelling at the kids of Black Smoke as they practiced for the filming of their new video.  

Jimin’s dick ached, another case of blue balls. But this wasn’t from denying himself, this situation was strictly caused by horniness. It had been days since they fucked and Jimin’s body was just over it. The waiting was too much.

Jeongguk was busy with back-to-back sessions. They only had ten free minutes, but they had often done more with less. It was Jimin who suggested a quickie on top of Jeongguk’s desk. Jeongguk already knew it was dangerous because Jimin was never able to keep his orgasmic Siren’s song quiet. Rei had interrupted them on several occasions to ask them to tone it down because students were in the building. 

Jimin loved to fuck. It was all he could think of ever since losing his virginity. And the more time he spent on land, the more he satiated his merrut with Jeongguk’s dick.

Jeongguk was covered in sweat from his latest dance session with Red Moon, the new boy band. And his sweat covered body only amplified Jimin’s horniness. He licked the sweat droplets as they fell down his face, even sucking it from Jeongguk’s soaking wet purple hair.

Jimin threw his black rimmed glasses across the office and then pushed his baggy jeans and underwear down to his ankles. He bent over the desk and opened his ass cheeks so Jeongguk could see how excited he was. He was so wet that sparkly liquid was oozing out of his ass. He was too ready to be fucked and he could hardly stand up straight. He could hear Jeongguk growl behind him as he approached him, stroking his own cock.

Jimin braced. He knew he was about to get his ass eaten. He stood as close to the desk as possible and laid flat on his stomach with his ass in the air; the side of his face landing on a messy stack of papers. The heat of Jeongguk’s lips caused him to shudder before they even touched him. Jimin curled his fingers around the edge of the desk as he felt the long serpent-like tongue enter him like a velvet flame. 

Jimin’s first wail of filthy satisfaction blended with the loud bass that rattled the walls. Rotating his hips around and around, his muscles clenched and then melted as he felt two additional fingers join the tongue that was already lapping up his fluids like juice.

Jeongguk spent so much time servicing Jimin’s ass with his tongue, that by the time he came up for air, he only had seconds to work before his dick exploded. He held is cock steady and rocked forward on his feet, mounting Jimin’s ass with one seamless thrust. Within a second, his hard dick popped through Jimin’s resistance. The warm wet plunge almost choked him. His cock was surrounded by tight flesh that contracted over his throbbing tip. He grabbed both of Jimin’s arms and pinned them behind his back as he fucked into him hard and fast. The room filled with the disgusting claps of flesh against flesh. They bumped nasties in public with hundreds of people in the building around them.

“Shit. I’m about to cum. Let’s temp fate and make little fish babies,” Jeongguk teased.

Jimin normally would have scolded him for playing in the face of the fertility Gods, but he was too busy taking cock. He twisted, rubbing his face against the desk of papers that rustled under his cheeks. He could feel his cock throbbing. His orgasm was turbulent. The tip of his hard cock bumped against the wooden side of the desk as he shot a stream of sparkling cum against the fine wood finish.

He screamed to Jeongguk, “Cu-cu-cumming. Fuck, I-I-I…,” his screams were loud. It was just their luck that at that very moment, the music stopped. Jimin’s orgasm hit hard. He screamed like a banshee, “Oh fuck me, harder baby, harder, harder, make me explode.” He hiccupped his filthy pleasure as his voice rang through the studio like a scarlet letter penetrating every room on the first floor.

Jeongguk removed his sweaty headband and shoved it into Jimin’s mouth, plugging his loud hole while he fucked the other one. Jimin continued to moan, but in a muted silence that sounded even filthier.

Hearing Jimin’s screams set him off. Jeongguk moved his hips in deep penetrating circles while his tip licked Jimin’s insides. He leaned over Jimin’s back, kissing the line of tattooed moons that littered his spine. His locket lay heavy on Jimin’s back, percolating across his skin in time with each of Jeongguk’s thrusts. 

He came. His nut was so hard that he too screamed filthy pleasures from his soul. He flooded Jimin’s hole, causing the overflow to drip down his leg onto the carpet. He stood there frozen for several seconds until his nuts emptied. 

Finally, he collapsed over Jimin’s back. Jimin was already crying.

“Baby. No. We have sex almost every day and you cry every time. Now stop it.”

“I can’t help it. It just feels so good,” Jimin sniffled.

 Jeongguk thought Jimin was the most adorable and quirky being he’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. His love for him grew stronger every day and it was absolute love. Floating in the afterglow, he almost said those very dangerous words. But before they slipped from his tongue, he quickly dressed.

“Gotta’ run, baby. My students are waiting for me.” He smiled. He didn’t want to leave Jimin, especially considering how clingy he was lately. But he truly did have to go.

“Ok, ok,” Jimin smiled too. He bounced several kisses off of Jeongguk’s lips, “Ok, go. Go. Get out of here.”

Jeongguk opened the door to a hallway of applause from his students.

***

 

It was September 13th, exactly one month from Jimin’s birthday. And like clockwork, the moment Namjoon returned to shore, he invited the guys to his office to do an assisted search of the EMPRS. As to be expected, the first five or six searches turned up absolutely nothing. Without a name, finding anything official just seemed hopeless. 

“Jimin,” Namjoon turned to him as Jimin sat crestfallen, “are you sure your father served in the Gulf War?”

“Not really, but it was the only war that made sense. I don’t know much about the history of global wars”

“What year were you born?” Namjoon asked.

“Let’s see. It’s 2027 in human time. I’m thirty-two years old so if we do the math, I was born in 1995.”

Jeongguk grimaced. He watched Namjoon’s expression to see if he picked up on Jimin’s peculiar method of answering his question using ‘human time’ as a reference. But to his pleasant surprise, it went unnoticed.

“Ah, Jimin, I think that may be one of our problems. The Gulf War ended in 1991. Any assignments would have been independent of that war and long after it ended. If that is indeed the time you think your father and your mother met?”

“Yes. It has to be around that time because my mother was killed shortly after I was born. So, if he wasn’t in the war, what else could he have been doing?”

“Logistics and medical support. There were many conflicts around the globe during that time. South Korean soldiers and South Korean Destroyers were deployed all around the eastern seaboard. He was very likely part of the Engineering and Logistics Unit or the Medical Unit. Let’s run the search again, but this time let’s remove all references to the Gulf War. Let’s just see what comes back during that time period and if there are any records.”

Namjoon ran the search again. Jeongguk could see the hope in Jimin’s eyes. If he had been searching for the wrong year all this time, this opened a new world of possibilities. He held Jimin’s hand as they watched the minutes tick by. 

“Hmm. Nothing here. Damnit. I wish we had a name. That would solve everything,” Namjoon rubbed his temples in frustration. “Tell me Jimin. What were the circumstances around how your parents were separated?”

“I don’t know,” Jimin answered.

“Were they ever married?” Namjoon asked.

“No. My grandparents would have never allowed that,” Jimin answered.

“Do you know the names of any of your dad’s relatives?”

“No.”  Jimin answered. Tears started to fall. He was running out of time and a lead that once seemed so hopeful was turning into a dead end.

Namjoon’s heart ached for him. He could see the desperation in his eyes. He decided to try something else. “What is your mother’s name?”

Jimin wasn’t sure why her name mattered but he gave it to him anyway, “Ganriella Park.”

“And did they have some kind of relationship since they weren’t married or were you more of a one-night-stand kind of a deal?” Namjoon smiled awkwardly.

“They were in love.” Jimin didn’t know that for sure, but it was what he chose to believe. Sirenael told him that too.

“Ok, so, it’s possible that maybe he had documents belonging to you. Like your birth certificate or insurance policies. Sometimes records can get misfiled, even when loaded digitally. Let’s see here…Ganriella Park,” Namjoon typed the name into his search. “Damnit. Still nothing. Ok, let’s try one last thing. What is your full name?”

“Jimin Park. But why would there be anything under my name?”

“If you were an ‘ooops’ baby, then your father may have wanted to protect your mother. Putting documents under your name, instead of his or hers would provide a bit of anonymity for you without tying you to both of them. Sounds crazy, but soldiers get their side-chicks pregnant all of the time.”

“My mother wasn’t a side chick. He loved her.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest that. What I mean is, sometimes soldiers will add their child’s documents under the child’s name to keep the wives from finding out. Or just to protect the child. It’s pretty slick but makes this shit much more difficult.” Namjoon stared at his computer and began to type, “Jimin Park.”

His screen lit up with one lone record. “Park Jimin born October 13, 1995. I do believe - that’s you.” Namjoon clapped his hands together and smiled. “Let’s pull this record, shall we?”

“YOU FOUND SOMETHING?” Both Jimin and Jeongguk jumped to their feet.

“I sure did. Only one record, but I’m sure it’s going to be helpful. It’s simply titled, ‘Letter From Mom’. Sounds promising.” Namjoon hit print on his laptop and his color printer sprang to life. 

Seven pages of what appeared to be handwritten Korean from a fountain pen began to materialize. Jimin recognized the shape of the scanned paper right away. It was parchment from something called an etching scroll. Whenever ancients needed to communicate with humans, they would write their messages on waxy scrolls made of kelp. They were waterproof and resistant to mold and bacteria. Properly cared for, they could last decades, even centuries. The image that was forming on the printer was definitely a scan of one of these scrolls. He wondered what next of kin still owned the original. That would be something for him to hunt down later. Most immediately, he was focused on getting his eyes on that letter from his mother.

As soon as the printer finished spitting out the pages, Namjoon bundled them in order and handed them to Jimin. “Here you go. I hope this helps.”

The warm edges from the printer burned in his hand as he stared down at the beautiful black ink of his mother’s writing. This was the closest he felt to her in all of his years. It was almost as if her words were speaking to him in her voice, which he had never heard. 

Before he lost himself, he remembered to bow to Namjoon with one grateful bow. “You have no idea how important this is. Thank you, Namjoon. Thank you.”

Jeongguk stood and gave Namjoon a hug, “Let’s have lunch.”

“Will do. Let me know how all of this turns out, will you?”

“We will.”

***

His mother’s handwriting. His mother’s own words. This was beyond anything that Jimin ever thought he would recover along his journey. Despite the Uber waiting for them outside of Namjoon’s office, he parked himself on the bench right outside of the building and began to read. Jeongguk sat close to him, reading over his shoulder. 

Without even processing her words, he marveled at her Korean. She had to translate from her native Mer to Korean which is the language that Jimin’s father spoke. The structure of her sentences, the broad use of terms and her beautiful writing itself, all of it dripped with regality. He was instantly saddened by the fact that he never had a chance to know her. He began to read:

By the end of his mother’s letter, Jimin was in tears. Never had he known the truth of his mother’s death. But learning that his own grandparents had killed her was enough to succumb to all of the terrible fates that lay ahead. His will was weakened. He questioned everything about his life and the things he had been told by his grandparents. They were not just liars, they were murderers. Suddenly he felt justified for all of the conflicted feelings he held towards them during his life.

“Who could kill their own child?” Jimin asked as he sobbed over his mother’s beautiful letter. He never hated the dreadful mercommunity more than he did at that moment. His precious mother was the innocent victim of her own parents.

He read the letter several more times, soaking up every word. There were so many answers, yet still so many mysteries. It was the greatest gift that anyone could have given him. Through this letter, he and his mother were bonded.  

Jimin knew the friend that his mother referenced in the letter was Sirenael because she was the only one who stood by her side. If the letter had been found and Sirenael was listed by name, it would have put her life in grave danger. Ganriella was both smart and loyal.

But even more miraculous than all of his mother’s words, the name of his father was buried in the text, spelled out clearly with a description and clues for finding him. Jimin, himself, was given an edict that implored him to find his father. Park, Hyun.

The way the letter was hidden so that only Jimin could find it was incredibly clever. His father knew that one day Jimin would come looking for him, so he left him a clue - one that came directly from his mother. Both of Jimin’s parents were brilliant, a trait they passed on to their very intelligent son.

There was no longer any doubt that his father loved him and wanted to reunite with him. The letter was proof.

***

 

Even with a name, finding Jimin’s father was not just a press of a button. The names still needed to be cross referenced and double checked against the records they had. By the time they found him, contacted him and then arranged a meeting, three additional weeks had gone by. It was now October 8th, only days away from Jimin’s birthday.

It was all planned. Park Hyun worked in an office building across town, not ten minutes away from Jeongguk’s apartment. He had agreed to meet with them, even though he didn’t understand the nature of their visit. He was kind enough, friendly enough and even his voice sounded exactly as Jimin thought it would. 

 

Jimin paced up and down the hallway. For the first time in almost a year, there were no piles of books on the table. No newspapers littering the floor. No computers full of notes and internet searches. The apartment was quiet, rich with possibilities of the future as the tasks of the past were laid to rest.

“Why so nervous?” Jeongguk sat on the corner of his dresser. He was barefoot, his large sturdy, dancing feet dangling freely over the edge.

“I just wish Hyun could have met with us today, you know. The clock is ticking.”

“It doesn’t matter, right? As long as he can meet with us. He’s busy and he agreed to see us as soon as he could. I know you’ve waited for this for a very long time, but it’s here now. Tomorrow, we meet your dad.”

“Thanks for agreeing to come with me. Do you think he’ll like me?”

“I know he will. He loves you, your mother said so. Besides, what father wouldn’t love a child like you? It’s all going to work out fine. You’ll break this nasty curse and then…,” Jeongguk fell onto the bed. Pain suddenly filled his chest. It wasn’t a heart attack although that probably would have been easier to accept. The sudden pain Jeongguk felt in his chest was the pain of realizing that Jimin was leaving him.

For months he had ignored it. The conversation that he and Rei had almost a year ago suddenly burned in his head. As soon as the curse was broken, Jimin was going to return to the sea and he would be out of Jeongguk’s life for good. He had done everything he could to change his mind, yet Jimin was still set on removing the curse. He had no plans to remain with Jeongguk and that hurt. Why did Jimin not love him? Why was he still so obsessed with returning to people who didn’t care about him? Why did he not feel that Jeongguk was good enough?

Talking to Jimin and trying to convince him to remain on land and live with him forever seemed selfish. Jimin belonged in the sea. It was where he was happiest. It was his home. Still, Jeongguk could feel the slow, gradual tumor of resentment begin to grow inside of him. Why wasn’t he Jimin’s choice?

Jeongguk wanted to kick himself for falling in love. He had done everything possible to avoid catching feelings, but in the end none of it mattered. He was deeply in love. But telling Jimin that he loved him now, at this late stage, was not the right thing to do. Despite Rei’s urging, he refused to tell Jimin how he felt. He didn’t want him to think that he was manipulating him or trying to keep him for sex. The window had closed and now he had to live with the consequences; the two of them were having their last few days together. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Jimin sat next to Jeongguk. He caressed his beautiful purple hair and nibbled on the parted skin in his cheek where his dimples rested.

Jeongguk’s nose flared as he took several breaths and pushed down his tears, “Nothing.”

***

 

October 9th: 6:00pm -

 

The Uber driver passed the address three times. Despite the twenty-story building sitting in the middle of the block, his GPS kept sending him in the wrong direction. Finally, out of frustration Jimin and Jeongguk decided to just walk.

Once again, Jeongguk had dressed Jimin in his three-piece black suit. The same one he wore to Ji-yoon’s funeral. Park Hyun was a wealthy businessman, Jeongguk wanted to make sure that Jimin made a good first impression when meeting his father for the first time. Per usual, Jimin scratched at the collar and yanked at the tie. Suits just weren’t his thing.

Jeongguk took the time to straighten Jimin’s tie once they got into the elevator headed for Hyun’s office on the twelfth floor.

“You look fantastic.”

“I’m nervous,” Jimin gulped.

“Don’t be. He’s your dad.”

“I’ve never met him before so technically, he’s a stranger who has to give me a drop of his blood to break the curse placed on me because he fucked my mermaid mom on an island. It seems like an aggressive introduction,” Jimin laughed nervously.

Jeongguk laughed heartily, throwing his head back to show his beautiful teeth, “Agreed. But he fucked the mermaid, not us. That’s on him to sort through his past decisions.”

“Agreed.”

The bell chimed for the twelfth floor and the elevator door opened. A rotund grey-haired gentleman was standing there waiting to greet them.

Jimin and Jeongguk stared at each other. This looked nothing like the thin man with jet black hair that was plastered all over his website and business cards. 

“I think we may have the wrong address.” Jimin looked at the business card again and checked to see if they were on the right floor. “We’re looking for Park Hyun.”

“That’s me.” His hands were chubby with short sausage like fingers. He was wrinkled, pale and walked with a pronounced limp. He really wasn’t giving, ‘father of a super-hot merman’ energy. He noticed the flyers and business cards that Jimin and Jeongguk had in their hands. “Oh, I don’t look like my picture. Yea, I know. My secretary had those made, she used AI. I think they look pretty damn good. Gets people in the door, that’s all I care about. Are you Park Jimin?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s me. And this is my uh, err, uh…,” Jimin had to think for a moment. He’d never given Jeongguk a title. Fuck buddy immediately came to mind. As did ass digger, cock sucker, ass whisperer, cum maker, ass philanthropist and a bevy of other names that described how well he fucked…but none of those seemed appropriate. Boyfriend was the word he really wanted to use, but this was not the time to start broadcasting his love publicly when he’d never proclaimed it privately. So, he settled on, “...Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk gave him a side eye. Somehow, he knew exactly what Jimin was thinking, but he chose to remain quiet. “How do you do? Nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” Hyun shook both of their hands and showed him into his office. 

The floor squeaked beneath him when he walked. He was rather heavy, not something that they expected at all. But Jimin didn’t care. He wanted to get to know the man inside, the man who never cared that he had a half breed baby who he vowed to love. That was the only thing that really mattered.

“Mr. Park. Do you know who I am?” Jimin asked immediately.

“Yes. Park Jimin. I thought we established that. I assume you’re interested in the property at Haeundae Penthouse over on Ro Haeundae Gu?”

“Uh, what?” Jeongguk scowled. How could the man not recognize his own son? He gave him the benefit of the doubt but it seemed like Mr. Park was playing games.

“No, no sir, not at all. Don’t you recognize my name? Jimin. Park Jimin. My mother said that you and her named me together.”

“Your mother? Who’s your mother?”

“She was someone who saved your life. You met her in the ocean on a dark stormy night when you were thrown from a ship during your military service.”

“Military service? Hey, who are you? Are you not here for a real estate appointment?”

“No…dad…it’s me,” Jimin said desperately. “Me…your son.”

Hyun jumped to his feet, “DAD! Who are you calling dad? I don’t have any children and I’ve never been thrown from a boat. Are you sure you have the right person?”

“You served in the military between 1991 and 2020, right?” Jimin asked desperately.

“Wrong! I was there for a couple of years just like everybody else, 1991-1993 and then I was out. I got the hell out of there. I don’t have any children. I’ve never been on a boat or an island. I’ve certainly never had sex with a woman or produced a child and I don’t know anyone named Park Jimin. I’m gay and my partner and I have been together for thirty years, probably longer than you’ve been alive. I will not tolerate you coming in here throwing around these baseless accusations. You have the wrong man!”

Jimin still wouldn’t give up, “Ganriella. You have to know that name. You have to.”

“I don’t,” Hyun snapped.

“Are you at least a Navy Seal?” Jimin tried again.

“NAVY SEAL! Hell no!” Hyun was getting agitated. 

Jimin’s eyes filled with tears, “You’re not my dad?”

Hyun could see the hurt in Jimin’s eyes. He immediately apologized, “Look young man, as I said, I have no kids. I’m truly sorry if you misunderstood something you found but I am not your father. But I really do hope you can find him. Now unless you

want to take a tour of the property I have for sale on Haeundae Beach, I think this meeting is over.”

Jimin rose to his feet. He bowed and then bowed again. “I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

Jimin rushed from the office and bounded towards the elevator. He moved so fast that Jeongguk had to run to catch up with him. The elevator closed and Jimin doubled over, face distraught, breaths short and sparse. He wailed, screaming into the ground, with his back hunched over and hands on his knees. 

“We checked and double checked. We cross referenced all of the names. He was the only one who fit. The only one. But we were wrong. That’s not him, Jeongguk. It’s not him. I felt it as soon as I stepped off of the elevator. That’s not my father. He’s telling the truth. But we’re out of time. We’re out of time!” Jimin continued to cry, large tears dropping from his face.

“Come here, come here,” Jeongguk stood him upright and then wrapped his arms around him in the most important embrace they had ever shared. He had to calm Jimin down. He had to comfort him and convince him that it was going to be ok. “We’re not out of time. Everything is going to be ok. We know his name. We just made a misstep somewhere. But tomorrow we start again. Park Hyun is out there, we just have to find the right one.”

The elevator opened and Jimin ripped himself from Jeongguk’s grip and ran out to the sidewalk. 

“IT’S NOT OK. IT’S NOT OK!” Jimin screamed.

“Don’t lose it on me, Jimin. You’re over reacting. We will find him!” Jeongguk yelled back.

Unaware of the drama playing out on the street, busy workers passed between them headed for the subway home. It was the end of the day for all, but the beginning of a new nightmare for the two of them.

Jimin’s eyes were wild, “My birthday is in a few days and I still have no idea where to find my father. Jeongguk…listen to me.” He ran up to Jeongguk and grabbed the lapels of his suit. His eyes were dark brown, the golden hue had faded within minutes of it being there before. “My mother mentions the curse by name. I don’t know how dangerous this curse really is. There is no way the elders would allow me to return to the sea while I’m still capable of procreating. There has to be more to it than this. What if this curse was never meant to be broken? What if I’m not just exiled, what if it’s something worse? Much worse? You read my mother’s letter, you read how dire her prediction was. I’m a product of sin, of a broken covenant that defiled our people and destroyed our family. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me Jeongguk.”

“What are you talking about? Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing,” Jeongguk insisted.

But was that really the truth? Neither of them knew how dangerous the curse could really be.

Jeongguk stood about ten feet away from him, trying to comprehend the words that he was saying. Screeching tires, buses and honking horns danced all around them as they stood there, staring at each other. Jimin was scared, very scared.

***

 

October 12th - Despite the disappointment of the previous dead ends, they worked together for another week, desperate to get answers before October 13th, the day they would face the unknown.

While Jeongguk continued to search for the right Park Hyun, Jimin found himself becoming obsessed with Krakan’s curse. He flipped through several books on mermaid lore to find specific information on how it worked. What really was going to happen to him on his birthday? Why had his mother called the curse by name? What clue was she trying to give him?

 

 Jimin was not himself. He was snippy, quiet and melancholy. Through Jeongguk’s eyes it seemed like returning to the sea was all Jimin could think about, even more important than finding his dad and certainly more important than him. 

Jeongguk lost himself in angry thoughts. They were thirteen hours away from Jimin’s birthday and this was not how he planned to celebrate Jimin’s thirty-third year on earth. 

For the following day Jeongguk had so much planned; a cute little merman cake, dinner, elaborate gifts, everything that a man could give to the person he loved. Yet none of it seemed to matter to Jimin. They were mired once again in books and newspapers and information that led them nowhere. 

Despite everything, Jimin still wanted to leave and flee land. He claimed to care deeply about Jeongguk but more and more Jeongguk felt as if Jimin were just using him to fulfill his lustful rut. Jeongguk’s resentment finally reached a boiling point. 

 

Jimin complained, “This isn’t the right book! Where’s the book on the Navy Seals? Where did you put it?” Jimin snapped. “Sometimes I think you’re trying to…,” he bit his lip to contain his angry words.

“Think I’m what, Jimin? Think I’m sabotaging you or hiding information? Say it. Fucking say it! You think I’m trying to force you to stay with me? Well, let me tell you something,” Jeongguk’s anger spiked like it never had before. He spoke through heartbreak disguised as harsh words, “I’ve given you everything. My time, my money my heart and in return, all you’ve cared about is your fucking father. What about me? What about me? I’ve been here, from the moment you swept into my life, I’ve been here. Why don’t you care as much about me?”

Jimin’s eyes wilted. He’d never seen Jeongguk so angry, so hurt. “Jeongguk, I didn’t mean…,” he reached out to touch him but Jeongguk yanked his arm away. He grabbed a baseball cap and stuffed it over his purple head before running out of the apartment, leaving Jimin in tears.  

 

Jimin waited around for a few hours for Jeongguk to return. He didn’t. Where once, many moon cycles ago, Jimin would have balled up timidly waiting for Jeongguk to make his way back; but the more independent, brave and self-sufficient Jimin took matters into his own hands. If Jeongguk wanted to be angry, then he let him. Jimin couldn’t understand what had set him off anyway. Of course, he cared about Jeongguk, of course he appreciated him, he owed his life to him. His quest to find his father was to break the curse so he could face a certain future. He no longer wanted to live as a marked merman. It was plain and simple and he didn’t understand Jeongguk’s tantrum. The curse felt like a disease growing in his body. How could he move on and live a happy life while

 

the darkness lived with him? He wanted to be healed. Why couldn’t the purple clown understand that?

In the meantime, Jimin wanted to talk to Dani. Maybe getting out of the apartment with a change of scenery would help clear his head. Jeongguk had set up several voice-activated digital systems that Jimin could use independently to call for Ubers, order food, and turn on the lights and television. And since it was all controlled by his voice, he could use them without frying their circuits. He called out to Alexa to send an Uber.

 

Like the genuine friend she was, Dani had his table ready. She had rudely kicked the previous customers out, forcing them to take their coffee to go so she could prepare the spot for Jimin. When he arrived, there was a hot cup of coffee, a few biscuits and a container of salt waiting for him. 

“Uh-oh. I know that face. What did that purple asshole do to you?” She referenced Jeongguk. 

Jimin laughed, Dani was always a bit over protective. “It’s not him, it’s me. I accused him of something unfairly and he didn’t take it well. We both just need some time to cool off. We’ll be fine,” Jimin reassured her.

He was careful not to give her any reason to believe that there was trouble between him and Jeongguk. 

“Good. Because I will soooo kick his ass if he hurts you.” Dani was a pit bull. 

“Sit down. I could use a friend.”

“Sure.” 

As soon as Dani sat, there was a thunderous rumble beneath them. It sounded as if something had crashed into the pier. Whatever it was, it shook every waterfront building north of the docks. A few customers screamed, with many more pointing towards the window. 

A small fishing boat had overrun the dock, rocking the foundation and denting the bow. The damage was minimal but the captain had to surely be drunk to cause such chaos. 

For the next ten minutes, Jimin and Dani continued to talk. She knew his birthday was just hours away so she dropped a large piece of rainbow-colored birthday cake at his table.

“I know that ‘Barney wanna’ be’ is going to have you all tied up tomorrow and refuse to share. So, I thought I’d give you your cake now,” she smiled. “I’m very lucky to know you Jimin. Your selflessness has changed my life in so many ways. Thanks for being my friend…I guess,” she laughed at her own casual reference to Jimin refusing to date her. 

Jimin grinned from ear to ear. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and blinked quickly to avoid tears. In his thirty-three years, no one had ever celebrated or even acknowledged his birthday, not even Sirenael or his grandparents. In his merworld, the date of his birth was a reason to mourn, a reminder of what he was and the curse that coursed through him. It was just another reason why he cherished his life as a human.

“Dani, you…,” 

Suddenly Jimin heard a cluster of belligerent screams. The police had arrived and they were pulling the drunk captain from his fishing boat. 

The man caused quite a commotion. “Ya’ have to kill me first. I’m not going. Ya’ not taking me to jail. I’m not going, ya’ evil sasquatches.”

Dani and Jimin ran to the window to catch the excitement. The man was large, about 6’ 7”. He had a thick bushy grey beard that was tucked into his shirt. His meaty hands were black with grime and his fingernails were full of soot. His leather vest sat over a withered shirt and his pants - well there were no pants. The entirety of his lower half was in free willy mode. As he fought with the six policemen who tried to tame him, his cock dangled haphazardly like it had fallen from a pack of sausage. His rear was pasty and pale and covered in thick grey hair. If anyone was a Sasquatch, it was him. 

And just when they pinned him down to the ground to cuff him, Jimin caught a glimpse of his face.

“HOLY SHIT!” Jimin screamed.

Dani frowned. Jimin never used that kind of language before meeting Jeongguk. “What is it?” She asked as Jimin’s eyes doubled in size. 

“JACK!” 

“Jack? Who’s Jack…,” before she could get the words free, Jimin was out the door. She saw him run past the window, headed straight for the melee with the naked man. “What the fuck Jimin?” She took off running after him. 

Jimin screamed at the police, “Stop. Stop. Don’t hurt him. Please he’s uh, he’s with me,” Jimin said quickly. “Whatever the damage is, I’ll pay for it. Just send me the bill.” Jimin intervened, forcing the police to release the handcuffs.

“Are you fucking insane?” Dani yelled. “Don’t touch that! You don’t know where it’s been!” She said angrily as she tried to pull Jimin away from Jack. She really needed a cigarette but she was trying to quit. 

“Jack, oh God Jack. I’m so happy to see you.” 

Jack was still fighting. He rolled around kicking and screaming with his free willy flopping around like a freshly caught fish. 

“Stop fighting Jack!” Jimin begged him. 

Jack’s eyes found Jimin’s kind face. He immediately stopped resisting. He didn’t know if he was hallucinating or just fuck ass drunk. He decided on both. “Blimey! Ariel? Ariel is that…you? Nooo, no it can’t be. You’re dead. I seen ya’ die myself. Can’t be you.”

“It’s me buddy. And I thought you were dead too so I guess that makes us even. Gold Shellara for Gold Shellara.”

Jack was one of the few who understood that phrase, “It can’t be!” Jack began to cry.

“No please don’t cry Jack. Now is not the time, you’re too naked for crying.” Jimin said truthfully.” He pled with the officers, “Please let me take him home to get some rest. I’ll make sure that he stays safe and doesn’t cause any more damage.”

Jack was still crying as the police released him and stood him to his feet. He took a good look at Jimin’s full human body and blurted out, “But…but where’s your tail?”

Jimin cleared his throat and tried to remain calm, “Tail? Don’t be silly, my friend, you’re just drunk. As you can see, I’m a land dweller. This is my perfectly normal body with legs. I enjoy whiskey and fine wine,” Jimin smiled awkwardly. “No tails here.” His voice was pitched unusually high as he tried to act normal. 

“Jimin, who is this fucking lunatic?” Dani objected whole-heartedly to Jimin’s association with the filthy stranger.

“Dani, he’s a friend. A man who means a great deal to me. Please let me help him.”

“If he makes a single fucking move out of line, I’m cutting his throat,” Dani was a bit aggressive. She contrasted well against Jimin’s calm demeanor. 

“Ya’ ain’t got no tail. What’d ya’ do with it?” Jack continued to blubber.

He smelled of whiskey, fish, beer, vodka, tacos, ass hair, vomit and Red Bull. Jimin and Dani both held their noses. 

“Listen big fella, I can get you out of this but you have to calm down and be quiet.” Jimin looked at the officer, “Can we go now? I’ll give all of my information to the clerk at the station. Just let me take him home.”

“Home?” The officer asked. “This big brute lives around here?” 

“I’m taking him home with me,” Jimin explained.

“Home? As in Jeongguk’s house?” Dani laughed so hard that she snorted. “Oh, I can’t wait for Jeongguk to see this little present.” 

“He won’t mind,” Jimin assured her. 

“You can go. But I better not see him back here until he’s sober,” The officer explained. 

Dani was already smoking a cigarette. 

 

Several Ubers arrived and then refused to allow Jack into their car, especially with his ass hairs blowing in the wind. 

Finally, as a last resort, Jimin ended up shuffling Jack home on the bus. His large, awkward, filthy and partially naked body took up three seats next to the tiny demure Jimin. His willy was no longer free as Jimin had placed several newspapers over his crotch. 

Jack continued to look for Jimin’s tail as the onlookers around them stared with disgust. The fifteen-minute ride back to Jeongguk’s apartment felt like six hours as Jimin had to contain everything from Jack’s loud singing, to him falling asleep on the shoulder of an elderly woman who screamed and sprayed him with Lysol.  

Jack was still drunk and wobbly on his feet as Jimin got him to the elevator. Just as Jimin turned the key, the door swung open and Jeongguk leaned out, “Where have you been, I was about to call the pol…,” Jeongguk screamed, “JACK! AND JACK’S DICK?” Jeongguk said in horror.

Jimin tried to wrestle the newspapers around his crotch again but he was honestly over it. He pushed him inside. Jeongguk took a whiff of him and gagged. “The fuck is that smell Jack?”

“We need to sober him up. He crashed a boat into the dock down at the pier. They were going to arrest him but I talked them out of it,” Jimin explained.

Jeongguk continued to dry heave, “Jack what are you doing in Korea? And how are you even alive?”

“Bath first. Explanations later,” Jimin pinched his nose. 

 

It took them two hours to get Jack bathed and sobered up. They poured coffee down his throat and forced him to drink about a gallon of water. He was still a mess but at least they could talk to him and get answers. They had nothing large enough to cover his naked body, so they ended up dropping him into a pair of Jeongguk’s baggiest sweats that looked like mini-leggings on his thick legs. Jimin found a bed sheet and angrily mumbled something about Plutarch and adopting togas from the Etruscans as he tied it over Jack’s body.

“Why. Are. You. Here?” Jimin asked slowly and loudly as if Jack was deaf.

“Where. Is. Your. Tail?” Jack retorted. 

“That’s the hot tea we all want to know,” Jeongguk teased. 

Jimin laughed and rolled to his side.

His smile stopped Jeongguk’s heart. The younger one reached over and tickled Jimin’s left gill as a modest and sincere apology for blowing up and storming out. 

All was forgiven. They glared into each other’s eyes with horniness. If Jack hadn’t been there, Jimin would have already been slammed against the wall, taking Jeongguk’s apology up the ass. 

“Jack, why are you in Korea?” Jimin asked again.

“To find Jeongguk. Word around the sea is that Malakar is dead. His entire crew has been jailed, thanks to ya’. They were hemmed up by the Coast Guard. We’re all free now. I had to come here to tell ya.”

Jeongguk glanced at Jimin, “We knew Malakar was dead. But I didn’t know that the rest of them were taken down too.”

“It’s a miracle. A miracle,” Jack remarked.

“How the hell did you find me? You didn’t even know my real name. How did you know where I lived?” Jeongguk asked a good question.

“It’s all over the papers. Jeon Jeongguk of Busan, the singer and dancer. You’re being credited with helping them find the crew. Malakar was a murderer, fifty people by their count. He was a killin’ and robbin’ machine. Many people all over the globe was lookin’ for him. They even linked some of the robberies back to politicians. It’s a big scandal. Ya’ not been paying attention?” Jack wondered.

Well, no, not really.” Jeongguk glanced at Jimin who wore a small smirk. The sexy merman took great pride in knowing that he had helped bring Malakar to “justice”. Jeongguk continued, “You came all the way to Korea, just to tell me this?”

“I was fishin’ in the area. I brung ya’ a bottle of whiskey to celebrate,” Jack explained.

“Where’s the whiskey?” Jimin asked.

“I drunk it…,” Jack said honestly.

“Oh, well it’s the thought that counts,” Jimin was very kind.

Jeongguk questioned him again. “Where did you go, Jack? After we released Jimin, you disappeared and I thought you had been killed”

“Sorry to leave ya’ like that buddy. I regret not having a chance to say goodbye and bring ya’ some bread. But I almost waskilled. Malakar accused me of helping Vex steal Jimin. I overheard his plans to chum the water and throw me to the sharks and watch them eat me alive. I wasn’t in agreement with that plan. So, I come up with a plan of my own. It was time to go anyway. The killins’ was so bad. They cared less and less about the people they kidnapped. They had no plans for feedin’ them or treating their wounds, some of them very severe. So many innocent men died in the hull of that ship. And what they done to the women…that was even worse.” Jack began to tear up. “I had to go. No matter the consequences. I had to go.”

“How did you escape?” Jeongguk asked. 

“About five days after we got Jimin out of there, they boarded another yacht and did another kidnapping. While they were pulling the victims from the yacht, I jumped overboard and swam from the fishing boat to the yacht. In the darkness with all of the chaos, they never even noticed. I snuck up a ladder on the bow and hid until it was all over. Just like your kidnapping, they left the captain alive to send the request for ransom. Once I saw Malakar’s boat cast off and leave, I revealed myself to the captain and told him my story. The police were very interested in talking to me because I had so many

details about the crimes. Malakar and his thugs held me for five years and I seen a lot,” Jack said somberly.

“Good for you. Good for you for getting away from them. We both owe you our lives. We would have died without you, Jack,” Jimin said lovingly.

“Anyway, I been in hidin’ for months. I was terrified that Malakar would find me or my family. I made it back home and moved them to a new country for safe keepin’. And then I bought a new boat and hit the seas again.” Jack started to sing.

Jeongguk laughed. “Hey, you must be starving. Can I get you something to eat? More than just bread and water,” Jeongguk joked.

“I could eat a whale,” Jack shrugged.

“Great. I’ll be right back.” Without thinking, Jeongguk kissed Jimin on the lips right in front of Jack.

“Blimey!” Jack gawked. “Ya’ making the beast with two backs with a mermaid?”

“I’m really not sure…,” Jeongguk decided to let Jimin deal with that. He quickly ran out of the apartment in search of food for Jack.

Jack rounded on Jimin, “Where is your tail? Does it have something to do with him? Did he cut it off or did ya’ have some kind of de-mermaiding surgery? How did you two even find each other again? We both thought ya’ were dead.”

“Jack that is a very long story that I don’t have time to explain. Suffice it to say, I’m in love with him. As for the rest of it, I’m a merman; you’re not wrong about that. But I’m a hybrid. When Malakar and his thugs beat me up and kidnapped me, I was in human form. I’m a very rare species of merman and I can transition between human and fish. My tail is not gone, it’s just not visible while I’m in my human body. Understand?”

“Yea, yea I get it. Ya’ rare. I’ve heard of people like you. Ya’ supposed to be cursed, how are you even still alive?” Jack roared with laughter. He slapped his legs and kicked up his large unmanicured feet.

“You know about the curse?”

“Ah I was kiddin’ Ariel.”

“Ok, then tell me what you know, even if you’re kidding.”

“Well, I know the ancient lore. I’m a man of the sea. I’ve lived on the water all my life. I’ve seen things. Heard things. Even about mermaids. Ya’ lot pretend you’re so disinterested in human affairs, but ya’ make ya’ selves known when ya’ want somethin’ from us,” Jack said eerily.

“Krakan’s curse. Do you know anything about it?”

“I-I-I’ve heard some things but Ariel, you have to understand it’s just an old fisherman’s tale. None of it should be taken as the truth, ya’ know.”

“Jack, listen to me. I need you to tell me everything you know about this curse, quickly before Jeongguk returns,” Jimin implored.

“I wish you had asked me this about twelve whiskeys ago. I’ll do my best.”

“Is it true that the curse will remove all of my sea dwelling capabilities?”

“Uh well…,” Jack gave it some thought. “From what I hear tell, the curse is meant to push half-breeds out of the sea. That part is true. But it’s much more dangerous than that. Krakan’s curse is meant to kill.”

“What?” Jimin fell back in his chair.

“Ya’ see, the merpeople hate us humans. There’s even tales of them killin’ us outta’ revenge for what we done to the oceans. They consider human blood to be tainted, like poison. They don’t want our blood in their species. So, the Krakan’s curse has four toll gates, different phases at which it is triggered. First, babies born as half-breeds are killed at birth by the mercommunity. That is what happens 99% of the time. But should those babies survive, the curse will drive them out of the ocean during their mating season to stop pro-creation. They will lose all ability to survive in the water. And if they still manage to produce a child, those babies will be cursed as well and also driven from the sea. And as a last resort, any person who manages to escape all of the toll gates, will die when they reach a certain age. Something about the number of years. It’s all intertwined. Legend says that the year thirty-three is when the curse will take the half-breeds. Humans have thirty-three vertebrae and without the spine, humans cannot live. The legend says that is why the number thirty-three was chosen. Krakan’s killing clause is activated at the age of thirty-three. But Ariel…I mean Jimin, it’s all just talk from old drunkards. These stories are tall tales, fibs. Shit that fishermen tell each other to keep themselves entertained. Ya’ not cursed, Jimin. Ya’ not,” Jack said.

Jimin had no time to react. Jeongguk burst through the door with ten bags of Korean Fried Chicken.

Jack didn’t have an opportunity to calm Jimin’s fears. He hoped that he had told him enough to make him realize that tales of mermaids were just that – tales with no facts. But based on Jimin’s reaction, he feared that he hadn’t.

“Excuse me a minute,” Jimin jumped up and ran to his bedroom.

“What’s wrong baby? If you want more tuna, I can get it,” Jeongguk called after him.

“What did you say to him?” Jeongguk asked Jack.

“I think I better go back to my ship,” Jack said suddenly.

“What do you mean go back? Somebody is going to eat all of this damn chicken!” Jeongguk said angrily.

“Thanks for the clothes,” Jack hopped to his feet and found his musty old shoes sitting by the front door. “Check on Ariel, will ya’?”

“Yea, sure. But why are you leaving so suddenly?” Jeongguk asked.

“I’ll be in touch. I just wanted to come and say thank you for helping me get my life back. Here’s the number to my cell. It was disconnected about six years ago, but at least now you have the number,” Jack gave Jeongguk a tight hug. He quickly ran towards the elevator, leaving Jeongguk standing there confused.

Something was up. Jeongguk didn’t like the way neither Jack nor Jimin were acting. He decided to run after Jack to get some answers.

***

 Jimin disappeared into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him as his hands began to shake. Just as he feared, the Krakan’s curse was much more diabolical than anyone ever told him. Not even his grandparents warned him about his fate. No one in his mercommunity stood up for him and tried to protect him from what was coming. It took a human to tell him the truth about his own ancestry.

Jimin rocked back and forth. There was no way he could tell Jeongguk this news. There was no way he could watch the pain in his eyes as he faced the fact that he was going to lose Jimin again.

He struggled with what to do. He had spent so much time with Jack that he lost track of the hour. They were less than two hours away from his thirty-third birthday, the moment when Kraken’s curse would fire its final toll gate.

Jimin grabbed his mother’s letter from the drawer. Finally, he understood why she had emphasized the name of the curse. It was her subtle warning to her son. A warning that no one else had bothered to give him. Only one thing came to mind; he had

to explain it all to Jeongguk in a letter. Jimin didn’t know how much time he had left. He didn’t even know the exact time he was born or what morphology would actually trigger the dark force within his body. But he knew he had to document his last words. There was no time to be afraid. 

As his mother did before her death, Jimin sat down at the desk to document his final moments. The time had passed for him to admit his love for Jeongguk because it would have only made things worse. So, he decided to confess his feelings in his letter. With tears streaming down his face, he began. He stepped into his mother’s scales with the decision to face death as bravely as she did.

***

 

It took time to coax the truth out of Jack. Jeongguk didn’t understand much about what Jack was saying but he knew one thing, Jack had led Jimin to believe that he was going to die on his thirty-third birthday. Jeongguk refused to believe that was true.

Despite thinking that Jack’s entire story was bullshit, he quickened his step as he paced back to the apartment. He and Jimin needed to talk, to work through this, to think of a plan. Making matters more intense, it was already 11:00pm. They had wasted so much time attending to Jack, that they lost track of time. They were only one hour away from Jimin’s birthday.

Even though they argued, Jeongguk never stopped working. When he stormed out, he simply moved to the library to give Jimin some space. His work led to a promising new lead, another Park Hyun who was just a few miles away. After aggregating all of the possible combinations of the name Park Hyun, Jeongguk was certain he’d found the real one. He would have shared the news with Jimin, had he not been greeted with Jack’s dick billowing in the wind. The time with Jack, although important, was a distraction at a time when they didn’t need it.

 

Jeongguk burst into the apartment, armed with the knowledge that Jimin was likely scared and confused.

“JIMIN!” Jeongguk screamed from the other room. Before Jimin could even get to his feet, Jeongguk was there pulling a sweatshirt over him and tucking a beanie over his head. “I found him. The right Park Hyun. I found him while I was working in the library today. That’s where I was. I only left because I felt we needed some space, but I never stopped. I found him. Let’s go. Let’s go. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to tell you earlier…because Jack…I was just…that doesn’t matter. We have to go now. It’s already late.”

Jimin hesitated, “But…but…but how? Where? How can we be sure its him this time?”

“He’s the right age. He’s a Navy Seal. He was a doctor in his former life while he was in the military. He lives right here in Busan and he’s been under our noses all this time. Come on. Hurry. We have to get there quickly.”

“Wait. Jeongguk there’s something I have to tell you.” Jimin tried to hand Jeongguk the scroll. He already felt faint and could tell there was something happening with his body. He truly didn’t know how much time he had left.

“It’s not true. I don’t care what the fuck Jack says. He’s a drunk. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Jeongguk could feel a sudden pull in his chest.

The universe was shifting, something was happening. He could feel it. He could absolutely feel it. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as he watched the fear spread across Jimin’s face. He pulled him hard towards the elevator with a rush to get downstairs. The Uber was already waiting.

As the stepped into the dead of night, they could barely see their hands in front of them while exiting Jeongguk’s apartment. The fog had rolled in. It was a terrible evening full of dark shadows and dread around every corner.

Jimin held Jeongguk’s hand as they jumped into their Uber. The entire time, Jeongguk refused to allow Jimin to speak. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to hear a repeat of Jack’s cryptic warnings. Instead, he told Jimin more about his lead, “This man is a much better fit than the other Park Hyun. I even found some of the family members mentioned in your mother’s scroll. It’s him Jimin. It’s him. Plus, he was a doctor, exactly as your mother described. Did I mention that part? That he was a doctor?” Jeongguk suddenly found himself crying, eyes so thick with tears that he could barely see Jimin’s face.

“You know what’s happening. I can see it in your eyes,” Jimin said weakly.

“No, and neither do you. We are not going to believe that bullshit. You’re not dying, you’re not. We just need to get you some help, that’s all,” Jeongguk nodded. He grabbed Jimin’s hand and held it to his lips. He kissed the palms as his tears fell and puddled in the creases.

“There’s a letter for you. It’s in my room. Read it. Please read it. It explains…everything. I’m so sorry. You’ve endured so much pain. You don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry to do this to you twice in a lifetime, but I’m going to die tonight my love. I won’t make it back, Jeongguk.”

“Shut up! Don’t say that. Don’t say that,” Jeongguk screamed through tears. He yelled at the Uber driver, “Faster. Drive faster. You’re fine Jimin. You’re fine.”

The car traveled for about two blocks before Jimin started to feel faint. Suddenly Jimin’s vision blurred. Pain radiated from the center of his body to his outer extremities. It was the mark of death. He blinked several times and turned to see Jeongguk staring at him with a look of panic across his face.

“Jeon…Jeongguk…I’m not feeling too well.” Jimin could feel his chest lock as his alveoli crystallized, no longer able to oxygenate his blood.

As he tried to speak, only whistles came from his throat instead of the colorful texture of his beautiful voice. His eyes bulged and his veins began to pulse rapidly against his colorless skin. His hands and legs tingled before going numb. Drastic clawing at his neck did nothing to restore his air. He suddenly slumped over.

“JIMIN!” Jeongguk grabbed him and leaned him back. The elder was no longer breathing. His gills were completely gone and there was nothing but smooth skin in their place. He had no pulse. “STOP THE CAR. STOP THE CAR!” The Uber stopped abruptly.

Jeongguk kicked open the door and pulled Jimin out of the backseat so that he could lay him flat on the ground. He immediately began CPR even though he knew that Jimin’s anatomy didn’t work like that of full humans. “JIMIN! JIMIN, can you hear me? Stay with me baby. Stay with me.” Jeongguk screamed at the driver, “CALL AN AMBULANCE!” Even with medics on the way, there was little they were going to be able to do to save him. Jimin’s body went cold and limp. But Jeongguk didn’t give up. “JIMIN! JIMIN!” 

He looked at his watch, it was 11:33pm. Kraken’s curse had led them to believe that they had to midnight when in reality, the curse took hold whenever it was ready. Evil was full of deception. 

The beautiful glow that once defined Park Jimin slowly faded as the life drained from him. Jeongguk was left on the sidewalk screaming at the top of his lungs, begging Jimin not to go. “YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME. YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME! WE’VE BEEN THROUGH TOO MUCH. WE FOUGHT SO HARD. IF YOU EVER LOVED ME, YOU’LL FIGHT!”

Once again, he was watching his Angel die in his arms. For the second time, he begged him to hold on. Screams came from the distance as onlookers saw Jimin’s unconscious body on the ground. Jeongguk panicked. He had saved him once, but he had no answers on how to do it again.

And then like a tsunami, his mind was flooded with information. Jimin’s mother’s letter kept referencing that only ‘love could save him’. Both he and Jimin assumed it was his father’s love and that was the only way to break the curse. But it occurred to Jeongguk at that very moment that maybe his mother was speaking much broader than just love from a parent. What if she really meant- love? Any love.

Sirens blared in the background as the EMTs rushed to tend to a life that they weren’t equipped to save. The police arrived first on the scene and worked to keep the area clear for the paramedics to get to Jimin when they arrived. 

Jeongguk’s locket throbbed on his chest. He didn’t know if his idea was going to work, but at the risk of losing Jimin, he had to at least try. He laid Jimin down gently and looked around for anything he could use. The first idea was to burst the passenger window of the Toyota 4Runner that had served as their Uber. And that’s exactly what he did. He wrapped his jacket around his hand, broke the window open and grabbed a single pane of the fallen glass.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?” The driver yelled. 

The police spun around, unsure if Jeongguk was going mad or…?

Jeongguk used the piece of the glass to slash his palm, reopening a wound that was over a year old. Blood curdled from his hand as he ran over to Jimin and did the same thing. He sliced his hand as delicately as possible to draw blood. He then wrapped his larger hand around Jimin’s smaller one and held it just as they did when they watched movies, or walked through the park or made love. They merged as one as he tainted Jimin’s body with the blood of someone…who loved him.

He held Jimin’s head in his lap and whispered to him, “Fight my beautiful one. Fight. Your work on this earth is not done. Even if you think no one else cares, remember that I did…because I love you.”

       ⋆‧☽◯☾‧⋆

Chapter Seven: Ocean Eyes

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Jimin awoke to a cathedral of shifting light above him. He was floating on his back with both of his hands resting on his chest. Like an open fan, his tail spread beneath him, the brightest of teal with large purple striations throughout. His hair was jet black and cropped short. Once again, his gills were present, flaring open and closed as the fresh sea water passed over them. Vibrant blues danced all around him. Coral beneath glowed orange, purple, red and green. The colors shifted as he floated through the bright beams that pierced the surface like golden spears. There was so much richness around him that he could barely absorb all of it.

A tiny school of fish darted past, eager to escape the hungry sting rays that followed. Large rows of kelp swayed beneath him, tickling the edges of his fins. It was eerily quiet, although he could hear the thoughts of his people as they observed him from the depths below.

Surely, they were all curious about how he had returned. Had the Krakan curse failed? Was every mermaid now free to get knocked up by steaming hot human sailors? The merpeople wondered. 

The elders of course knew why Jimin was there and why he had been returned to the sea. His merrut had ended and his seed was stifled, rendering him unable to procreate and spread his curse. His sterility also meant that he was no longer a danger to his people. That was the only reason the elders had agreed to allow him to rest there until he healed.

The tide shifted and Jimin’s caudal fin snapped suddenly causing his scales to flash as he rocketed forward. But in the midst of his seamless glide, he felt a tug along his right arm. He pulled his wrist to get a closer look and noticed that he was tethered to a string coming from the surface of the water. 

He heard voices, “He’s awake. He’s scared. Tell him it’s just - Jeongguk.”

“Jeongguk?” Jimin repeated. “I’m not scared, he sent the message back.” Once again, he looked to the surface of the water and recognized the boat that drifted lazily overhead. 

He followed the trail of the rope around his wrist and swam upwards. Within five seconds, he was at the surface. It was his sailboat that he was tethered to. Odd. He pulled himself up so that he could see over the boat’s edge. There was a vibrant sprawl of purple hair resting on the top deck. A partially nude Jeon Jeongguk lay sleeping as his Bluetooth speaker blasted tragic love songs. Jimin followed the rope to try to get an understanding of exactly what he was tied to. His eyes finally landed on the other end. He was attached to a mast that was lifted and catching wind. Again, it was odd. Under no circumstances was his purple haired beauty interested in losing him in the ocean. 

Jimin had never been a weakling, especially when harnessing the power of the sea. So, it was no surprise that he easily snapped the rope that held him. He swam under the boat and rocked it turbulently just to show his irritation towards being tied up like a puppy. 

Jeongguk awoke with a start. He jumped up and immediately checked the rope to make sure that it was still attached. It wasn’t. Panic ensued. Within seconds he was in full scuba gear. He attached his oxygen tank and snorkel and before Jimin could say a word, he had dropped the ladder and jumped overboard. 

Jimin laughed. He met him about ten feet below the surface. Jeongguk’s eyes bulged beneath his goggles. He grabbed Jimin and swam in a spiral in celebration of him being awake. It was odd, but understandable. Jimin pushed him back up to the surface and urged him to get back into the boat. 

As soon as Jeongguk hit the deck, he ripped his gear off again. “I thought you got away. I do not have the time to search the seas for my little tuna gimbap.” Jeongguk teased. “You’re awake. How are you feeling? You look fantastic, better than the day you rescued me from the ocean. You’re so, so beautiful. Still.”

Jimin pulled himself into the boat. His large tail slapped against the wooden deck. His torso was more chiseled and defined than Jeongguk had ever seen it. His smile was three times brighter and his skin glowed with vicious radiance, especially under the bright sun. Edward Cullen had nothing on him.

“How did you do it?” Jimin asked. “I was dead. I could feel it. The curse had taken over me, just like the toxins from that holding tank, but once again you brought me back. How? Did you find my father? Were you able to get his blood?” Jimin had no memory of anything that had happened before he passed out.

Jeongguk tried to explain the unexplainable, “Do you remember your mother’s letter? She said that love could save you.”

“Yes, only my father’s love.”

“No. She never specifically said only your father’s love. She mentioned your father because she knew that he loved you and that he was one person who could save you. But she emphasized love several times. As you were laying there on the sidewalk, dying again in my arms, that thought suddenly came to me. You only needed love to live, not just your dad’s love but any love. My love was just as good. I love you Jimin. I knew it from the first moment that I pulled you out of that tank.”  Jeongguk examined Jimin’s tail. No doubt that new purple streak within the body of the teal had come from him. “The night you collapsed, I cut my hand and cut yours too and merged our blood. You immediately started breathing again. I broke the curse, but I knew you were not out of danger. Last time I threw you in the sea and that was how you survived. So, I decided to do it again. I raced you out here on your sailboat and threw you overboard. But in order to keep from losing you, I tied you to the mast to make sure that we stayed together. I spoke to the elders and I told them that you were no longer a danger.”

“Yep, back up. How did you speak to the elders?”

“I just spoke my heart into the sea and prayed that they would hear me. I guess they did because they protected you and looked out for you and never allowed any harm to come to you.”

“Oh Jeongguk. That is the most loving thing you could possibly do for me. How long have you been here on this boat?”

“About two days. You have plenty of snacks, a nice bed. Good books. I was fine. Every few hours I would put on my diving suit and come to check on you. I could tell that it was working because I could see you changing. I didn’t expect you to wake up so quickly, so naturally I was frightened when I saw the rope broken. Sorry about that, but I didn’t know of any other way to keep us together,” Jeongguk apologized. 

“You love me?” Jimin revisited those words.

“Yes. But I was too stupid to admit it. Rei told me that I needed to tell you the truth. But I didn’t and it almost cost you your life. If you had just known, maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of time and just shared our blood a lifetime ago.”

“You said it when it was most important to say it.” Jimin leaned forward and kissed Jeongguk’s lips playfully. He pulled away abruptly, “So…I never found my father?”

“No. The night you passed out, we were on our way to find someone that I thought could be him, but we never made it. Honestly, it was probably another dead end. If you truly want to find him, we can keep looking, but now that the curse is broken, you can return to the sea. I know how much you hate the land…and I will not stand in the way of you returning to your home. Just promise me that you’ll visit me often and we can still be…,” Jeongguk realized how silly he sounded. There was no way that two lives as opposite as theirs could maintain any type of relationship, even as friends. That was just not how the universe worked. 

Jimin closed his eyes. His teal and purple tail split into two separate parts. The membrane divided, and his legs wiggled underneath him. His fins became his feet and he once again took human form. He moved quickly and straddled Jeongguk’s lap with his naked human body.

“No matter how many times I see you do that, I will never get used to it,” Jeongguk laughed. “Do your people know that’s how you flirt with humans?”

“Stop that.” Jimin laughed fully, holding his side. But Jeongguk had a point. It was forbidden to morph in front of a human for those who had the ability to do so. “You’re correct. That is not allowed. But that rule only exists for merpeople who plan to live amongst the merpeople.” Jimin placed his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder and tinkered with his locket, “Jeongguk, this once was my home. But it never felt like it. This community was happy to watch me die a miserable death just to elicit fear amongst those they want to control. They killed my mother for falling in love. They sent my grandparents to an early grave by burdening them with the curse of guilt and shame. I have been an outcast since I was born. I never understood how this curse worked until the end. I thought I had lived without any real side effects from it. But now I realize that everything that happened to me was by design. Even me leaving the sea in search of my father was part of the curse. Even the kidnapping and being thrown in that tank was part of the curse. It had been trying to kill me all along. As Jack explained, there were many toll gates and pushing me away from the sea was one of them. I spent almost my entire merrut on land, not able to procreate. I thought it was my decision, but I realize now it was part of the curse. I was on a mission that explicitly pulled me away from the water. I didn’t realize it was happening. My people have been very cruel. Very few stood up to protect me. Those who loved me are gone and I have no one left here. But I’m finally free.”

“But I thought you hated my world.”

“I hated it because I didn’t understand it and I had no one to share it with. But you…and Dani and Rei have changed all of that. And once I find my real father, I’ll have him too. I didn’t want to find my dad just so that I could return to the sea. I wanted to find him so that I could live without the burden of this terrible curse on my back. It was like an illness that I needed to be cured from. I wasn’t trying to get away from you or leave this land. Just the opposite, I needed to clear the history of my terrible past so that I could finally enjoy my beautiful future – with you. I never want to spend another day without you in my life. Jeongguk, what I’m trying to say is that… I love you too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-I thought you understood…that’s why I cried whenever you made love to me. That’s why my gills quivered whenever you touched them. That’s why I would spend hours cuddled in the safety of your arms. It was all love, I just didn’t think I needed to say it. I thought you already knew.”

“Yea, missed those cues,” Jeongguk laughed. “So, what now? Do we just sail away from here and never come back?”

“No one will miss me. I’m grateful for them nursing me back to health, but I also can’t forget that they’re the ones who tried to kill me in the first place. They’re the ones who watched me like I was some kind of freakshow and never warned me about what was happening. Yes, they will always welcome me and respect me because I am one of them. But there is a difference between being tolerated and being loved. You love me. My home is with you.”

***

 

Dani sat uninvited at Jimin’s table, “My feet hurt. Mind if I take a seat?”

“I never mind.” He beamed when he saw her. It had been a long time, a few weeks. For a while, his life was so precarious that he thought he may never see her again.

She placed the tray on the table with his order, “Ok. Hot coffee, extra salt and a Macha cream croissant. These things are the devil, you’re absolutely going to love them.” 

“I bet.” Jimin took a bite from the Macha croissant. The filling was green, like a Macha mousse. It was so tasty that it made his gills roll. You look tired.” He surveyed her through his thick rimmed glasses that were already slipping down his nose.

“I am. Pulled a double shift yesterday to help out the boss. One of the teenage shit-wads who was supposed to work the evening shift, didn’t show up.”

“You’re so loyal to him. He’s lucky to have you. But Dani, there’s something that I just don’t understand.” Jimin leaned in to whisper, “You’re rich. The money I gave you from the coins is enough to buy solid gold toilet paper to wipe your ass. Why are you still working? You could retire and travel and find a beautiful mate who would give you beautiful babies.”

“I’m very grateful for the money. And don’t think I haven’t used it. I have a beautiful house now, stocks, real estate investments…and solid gold toilet paper to wipe my ass. But Jimin, this is what I love. I love working here. I love coffee. I love baking fresh pastries. I love the smell of matcha and strawberries and fresh biscuits. I love my customers…like you. I’m even planning to open a new chain of coffee shops. Sure, the boss needs a lot of help. But he could easily hire someone. He doesn’t really need me. We have the money to hire anyone we want.”

“We?” Jimin looked puzzled.

“We. The boss is my dad,” Dani whispered.

“Your father?”

“Shh. We keep that information quiet. I don’t want any special treatment because I’m the boss’ kid,” Dani laughed.

“Makes sense. Now I see where you get your gorgeous looks. He’s quite handsome and very kind. He was the first person I met when I first arrived in Busan. And he was by far the nicest.” 

“He’s a good guy. He likes you a lot. In fact, he was the one who first recognized the true value of those crazy coins you used to give me; the ones that made us rich. That’s why he stopped accepting them from you. He knew what they were worth and he wanted you to keep them. Something about one of the Hanja symbols and the lore of merpeople. I don’t know. He’s an absolute weirdo sometimes, but he has a knack for understanding history. And he was absolutely right about those coins. The curator at the museum said they were very rare. From a treasure that had been lost at sea for centuries. You never told me how you got them.”

“They’re part of my ancestry. My grandparents left them to me when they died. When I first arrived on shore…I mean Busan. When I first arrived in Busan, I didn’t understand how Korean money worked, so I just used those. I had a vague idea of the value, but I didn’t know just how much they were worth until you had them appraised.” 

“It was very dangerous for us to carry those around. Thank goodness we figured it out before we got robbed.”

“Indeed. But not to worry. Jeongguk has since gotten me a debit card.” Jimin laughed. “My millions are stored safely in a proper bank.”

“Does Jeongguk even know…that you’re filthy rich?” Dani covered her smile.

“Not yet. Money doesn’t really matter to him. I doubt it will change anything. When the time is right, I’ll tell him.”

“Jiminie, something isn’t quite right here. I mean, my instinct is that there’s more to you and Jeongguk than you’re telling me. Will you be honest with me please, about everything?”

“Always.”

“Ok. Remember about a year ago when you asked me to convert a few of the coins into Crypto and transfer them to some anonymous digital account?”

“Yes. And I’m extremely grateful for you helping me do that.”

“At the time, Jeongguk was missing. His case was all over the news because he was a celebrity. The reports said he had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. And then, out of nowhere you asked me to convert those coins into Crypto, and suddenly within a few days of my making the transfer, Jeongguk showed up here, unharmed, clinging to you. I finally put the pieces together and now it all makes sense.” Dani leaned in and glared into Jimin’s golden eyes. “Tell me the truth. You paid his ransom, didn’t you? That’s what you wanted the Crypto for?”  

“Yea. But this has to be our secret. That’s why I refused to talk about it whenever he was around. I’m not ready for Jeongguk to know this yet. I’ll tell him soon, but he’s been through alot. I think this news needs to marinate for a while. In fact, the whole secret millionaire story has to be revealed at just the right time.”

“Why did you pay it? What caused you to get involved and use your own money to bring him home? You didn’t even know him. How did you two cross paths? Did he manipulate you or con you into helping him?” Dani asked. She still didn’t completely trust Jeongguk.

Jimin slammed his fist on the table, “I’m in love with him! Let’s start there. You don’t know anything about Jeongguk and you refuse to get to know him because you can’t see past your fucking jealousy.” Jimin didn’t mean to be cruel but he was getting tired of Dani always second guessing the man he loved. “If you must know, I was kidnapped by the same crew who took him. We found ourselves trapped on the ship together. I was being held for money and so was he. I won’t go into the details, but at great risk to himself, he rescued me. He remained trapped while he found a way to set me free. I only lived because of him. They wanted ransom money from him. They thought he was rich because they snatched him off of a yacht. He didn’t have the money. No one else in his life had the ability to get the money quickly, so I paid it. If they had found out that he helped me escape, they would have killed him. That’s why I rushed back here as soon as I was healed from the ordeal and asked for your help converting it to digital currency. I paid the ransom as quickly as possible in the hopes they would let him go.”

“You love him?”

“Yes Dani. I love him. We’re in love. Neither of us meant for it to happen, but it did and I’ve never been happier in my entire life.”

Dani stared off into the distance. She dropped her head in shame. “I know he loves you. I knew it the day he went out of his mind trying to find you. You had only been gone for a few hours and he freaked out and formed a search party and filed a police report. That was definitely ‘madly in love’ kind of behavior. I think that’s why I was so mad. I was so cruel to him and he was nothing but patient with me. I eventually joined the search too, but I didn’t make it easy. Maybe I was a little jealous, but not anymore. I owe him an apology.”

Jimin agreed, “You do. He deserves that from you.”

“Jiminie, I never realized that you had been kidnapped too. Is that why you stopped coming to the cafe for over a month? They, had you?”

“Yes. The night that I left here with the newspaper article, that’s the night they took me. You remember the picture of a sailor named Kim Namjoon? That photo was the best lead I had at the time for finding my dad. I was ambushed on my way to my sailboat. They beat me, tied me up and then held me on a…,” Jimin wasn’t ready to relive that memory. He paused there.

“Why wasn’t your kidnaping story in the news like his?” 

Jimin blinked and took another bite of his croissant. “Because I didn’t tell my story. For reasons I can’t explain, I didn’t want anyone to know what had happened to me. Jeongguk’s story was similar to mine and he told the world exactly what happened. I asked him to keep my name out of it even though I was there too.”

“I read online that all of the guys had either been killed or captured. Are you and Jeongguk safe now?” Dani asked with worry.

“The last three members of the kidnapping crew were captured by the Coast Guard. They were arrested on the boat where they held me and Jeongguk captive. We’re safe now Dani. All of us are safe.”

“I’m sorry, Jimin. I didn’t know the full story and I…I’m sorry. I’m just happy you’re here now. Can I assume that you’ll still come and visit me when you can?”

“Of course, I will,” Jimin held Dani’s hands across the table. “But I won’t be in quite as often. I have a job.”

“A job? But you’re rich. Why do you want a job?”

“Because I get to work with Jeongguk. He hired me. I’m the new media research assistant.”

“That sounds more like… ‘I want to fuck my boyfriend in my office so I’m giving him a job here because he’s hot’…type of employment.” Dani teased.

“Who cares. It’s going to be fun, if I can ever figure out how to play nicely with electronics,” Jimin laughed.

“Oh shit, look at that line at the cash register. I better get back to work. Dad’s at the clinic today and we’re short staffed.”

“The clinic? What clinic?” Jimin blinked and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s a doctor…well part time. Used to be in the military until he retired and opened up this shop. He spends most of his time here because this is his real passion. But once a month he volunteers to help the elderly with basic medical care. He’s a good boss but a great dad,” Dani laughed.

“Dani, wait. Your dad…what did you say his name was…?”

***

 

“Ahhh, fuck you are indeed the divine spawn of the King of corals,” Jimin said as he buried his nose into Jeongguk’s thick black pubic hair. Jeongguk smirked. He was pretty sure that was a major compliment.

Jimin refused to let him shower first. Fresh from practice, covered in the filth of sweat, that was exactly how he liked it. He wrapped his hands around the elastic band of Jeongguk’s sweatpants and inched them down further, playing peekaboo with the younger’s cock. Droplets of perspiration coated every individual follicle of his crotch hair. It was a feast for Jimin’s senses, his taste buds, his hormones. He extended his tongue as the hairs released their wetness into his mouth and over his nose and cheeks. The rigid cock stretched at least seven inches as it bobbed under his chin; the weight of it pressing hard against his Adam’s apple. The elder sat upon his knees, sucking the salty juices from Jeongguk’s crotch as the younger twisted his fingers through his hair. At times he tasted so good, that Jimin thought he might cum just from the sting of the salt against his tongue. He munched on Jeongguk’s thick wet carpet like it was his only meal.

Jeongguk released a primal rumble that rolled from his chest. He only had so much patience for Jimin and his salt fetishes. He wanted to be inside of him, twisting, stroking, plugging and cumming. But his little merman insisted on eating his carpet before he would give his ass to him. He stared down at him with heart eyes, love permeating every cell within his body. He just wanted to make love to him and give him his all. 

Jeongguk pulled Jimin by the hair. He bracketed both sides of his head and then positioned his cock against his lips. Jimin opened wide, like a net catching a school of tuna. He accepted Jeongguk’s entire dick from tip to balls. There was more sweat along the shaft. Jimin felt himself choke as the thing parked partially down his throat. Jeongguk moved his hips, careful not to go too deep. The feeling was extraordinary as Jimin swallowed over him, squeezing and relaxing his cheeks to mimic the sensation of being in his ass.

Jeongguk lasted less than two minutes before he pulled out of Jimin’s mouth, leaving a trail of Jimin’s mer-spit clinging to his shaft. 

“Enough.” Jeongguk pushed Jimin to the wall and spun him around.

He forced Jimin’s face against the painting and then tangled his arms behind his back. With his fingers, he parted Jimin’s ass. “Grab my dick and slide it into yourself. Do it. Let me watch.”

Jimin worked with his hands behind his back, he arched his back slightly to protrude his ass, making it easier for Jeongguk’s cock to latch on. He fisted him, pulling at the tip and tickling his ass with it until he found the soft crease. Gradually, he fed Jeongguk’s cock into his tunnel. Before he was even fully seated, Jeongguk was already rocking his hips and digging into his fleshy bottom. Jimin placed both of his hands flat against the wall as he took his pounding like a man. With his legs spread wide open and his own dick flopping against the wall, he bucked back against each of Jeongguk’s thrusts. His entire body was pounded so forcefully against the wall, that he had to hold on to the painting just to keep his balance.

 “Jesus! Why are you so fucking wet? Fucking Christ you’re trying to kill me,” Jeongguk growled.

He watched his cock slide in and out, covered with the glaze of Jimin’s lubrication. Within minutes the raging buck screamed, squeezing off a bucket full of cum inside of Jimin’s ass.

Jeongguk was spent. He had cum so hard that his knees buckled, throwing him to the floor. He lay there on his back, cock still hard, stretching to the sky. Jimin crawled over him and took control. He only needed a few seconds.

Sliding over Jeongguk’s waist, Jimin lowered his hips until he felt the thick meat rip through him. He leaned forward, rolling his hips slowly at first but progressively moving faster as faster as the cock carved a pleasure trail through his body. He found the locket, kissing it softly before moving to Jeongguk’s thin lips. With his fingers spread across Jeongguk’s chest as he clutched the mounds of his bosom under his palms. Cum was already dripping from his cock that bumped against Jeongguk’s stomach. His orgasm tickled his groin teasingly, but quickly intensified.

“I love you, you know that right?” Jimin panted as his teeth began to chatter.

“I know. I know, ooh let it out. Cum for me baby,” Jeongguk coaxed.

“Tell me you love me,” Jimin hiccupped.

“I love you. I love you, I love you,” Jeongguk laughed softly as he watched Jimin’s body contort with pleasure. Jimin’s cock pulsed, shooting wet iridescent cum all over Jeongguk’s stomach and chest. Jeongguk used his large hand to rub into his skin. He liked the way it made his body sparkle.

 

Even with Jimin’s merrut over, his human insatiability remained unchanged. Day after day, Jimin craved to be satisfied as only Jeongguk could. And day after day, Jeongguk was there for it. The sex was just everything they needed, a rare addendum to the love they already shared. They truly matched each other’s freak.

*** 

After several hours of mind-numbing fucking, the two shared a bath. As always, Jimin used the time to release his tail and stretch out in the large claw-foot tub. 

Jeongguk leaned forward and pulled the plug to release the water. With a loud swish, the water twisted into a vortex as it disappeared down the drain. The tub emptied, leaving Jeongguk shivering against the cold ceramic bottom. Jimin’s tail hung from the other end, slapping against the edge and swaying back and forth. 

The band of scales directly below his stomach was where he stored his merpenis. To expose it, all Jeongguk had to do was rub him gently in that spot and it would squirm free, piercing the cluster of scales. His merpenis was a dark teal color, not so different from the color of his scales. It moved like a tongue, with a very similar texture. It had a triangular shape like a tongue too. Wide at the base and contoured at the tip. About twenty-four inches, it was a shame that it couldn’t be used for fucking.

Jimin controlled the movement of it and used it to wrap it around Jeongguk’s neck and then he used the tip to tickle Jeongguk’s lips. The younger one giggled. He was fascinated, but purely out of curiosity, not horniness.

“It’s so long and thin and curvy. Just like you said, a tongue.”

“A long tongue. Problem is, I have very little sensation in it. It’s not like a human dick. This thing is useless. Its only functions are biological, to carry my seed. Jeongguk grabbed it with both hands to keep it from squirming. He wanted to taste it. He tapped the tip of it with his tongue. “Just a bunch of salt,” he nodded.

Jimin giggled, “Stop that. You begged me to let you see it so here it is. Now put it back.”

“It’s not slimy or wet or even oily. It’s just there. Not impressed babe. It’s cute though. If we can find something to do with it, I’ll be all in. I guess in the meantime, you could always scratch my back?”

“No. I will not scratch your back with my merdick.” Jimin made a small insignificant movement and his entire merpenis retracted back into his scales and disappeared. 

“Ok well that was cool. Is it hard enough to get up my ass? Maybe you can fuck me with it.” Jeongguk suggested.

“No. There is no such thing as an erection in my world. It could never break through an asshole. It’s not strong enough. Are we done with this? Can we close the subject of merdicks?”

“For now…until I figure out a way to get a kink out of it,” Jeongguk pondered.

“You weirdo.”

Jimin winced and his tail disappeared. His two legs and bare feet appeared in the place of his fins. It was time to climb out of the tub. Jeongguk exited first and then lifted Jimin in his arms. He carried him to the bed, just because.

 

Jimin had something else on his mind. “Babe. I need to talk about my dad again.”

“Of course. You’ve been very quiet about it. I sort of wondered if you had given up.”

“Given up? Never. But…I think I have some new information.”

“Spill,” Jeongguk laid Jimin gently on the bed and placed his hand on his cock. “You’re hard. You want to fuck it out or rub it out?” Jeongguk asked sweetly.

“Fuck it out, of course. But give me a minute, this is important.”

“Tell me.”

“The night that you broke the curse, you said you found someone else who could be my father. And you were trying to get me to him. Jeongguk, were you taking me to Milestone Coffee?”

“Yes! How did you know? I found out that there was a man named Park Hyun who works there. He used to be a doctor in the military. I was trying to get you there before he closed to see if we could find him.”

“He’s not just an employee. He’s the owner and I think you were right. The owner of Milestone is named Hyun Park and he’s a doctor. He’s also a Navy Seal. But more importantly, he recognized a very unique coin that I gave him once to pay for my coffee. It’s an ancient currency used by the merpeople. No one would know anything about it unless they were very familiar with ancient mermaid lore. He recognized those coins immediately and convinced Dani to make me have them appraised.”

“Whoa! Let’s back up. What coins? Not those dusty rusted useless coins you try to give me every time we go to the laundry room?”

“Yea…so those. They’re worth a lot and I’m rich…did I forget to mention that?” Jimin grimaced. He knew very well that he had never mentioned that.

“Where did you get them?”

“My grandparents left them to me. As you know, I don’t play well with electronics, so I only paid in cash. I didn’t understand money back then so I just used them to pay for my coffee,” Jimin winced. He knew how crazy his story sounded.

“We’ll get back to your dad in a minute. But how much are these coins worth?”

“About 2 billion won each?” Jimin shrugged. 

“Uh-huh. And how many of them do you have?”

“About two-hundred of them?” Jimin winced again.

“You…you…you…you have 400 billion won of coins? And where, may I ask, where are you keeping these coins?” Jeongguk felt faint. He held on to the headboard to make sure he didn’t pass out.

“In the bank,” Jimin nodded happily. He was proud to say that he was no longer keeping them in the pockets of his baggy jeans. “I cashed most of them out and I just deposited the money. Dani helped. She’s rich too. Before I knew what they were, I gave her a few handfuls of them to pay for my coffee.”

“Yes. Of course, you did.” Jeongguk chugged a bottle of water that was sitting on the dresser. And then it hit him. “YOU!”

“Me?”

“YOU! Oh, shit why didn’t I see this sooner? You paid my ransom, didn’t you?”

“I may have helped. Sure.”

“How? How did you even know how to do it?”

“Dani. I told you she is very valuable to me. She’s a true friend. She didn’t know why I needed $6Million in Crypto and she didn’t ask questions. She just made it happen. She had the money converted to Crypto and then transferred it to Hobeum’s Coinbase account. He sent it to Malakar from there. Easy really.”

“Does she know what you did with the money?”

“She does now. I confessed. Which brings me back to my dad.”

“Do you really think Park Hyun is thee Park Hyun? Your father?”

“I’m almost sure of it. And the fact that you thought it was him too, tells me that we’re right. I’ve seen him, Jeongguk. He’s attractive, very young looking, spry, athletic. And he looks just like me. I wish I had noticed it earlier. And he’s an incredible person. When I first arrived here, he was the only one who welcomed me and let me use his cafe to do my research. If he isn’t my dad, I wish he was.”

“Sooooo what’s our approach?”

“A conversation. Nothing more, nothing less. If I’m wrong about this, then so be it, I’ll keep looking. But I don’t think I am,” Jimin said passionately.

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“No. Not this time. I want to face him alone.”

Jeongguk said nothing further. The plan was set. All he could do was pray they had the right man this time. It was time for Jimin’s search to be over. He couldn’t bear seeing him face another disappointment.

*** 

 Milestone Coffee was closed for the night. Dani had the day off which allowed Jimin time to talk to Park Hyun alone. If this man was truly his father, he was going to have to break the news to Dani that she had a crush on her brother. 

Hyun quietly, meekly took a seat in front of Jimin. He pushed a salted cup of coffee towards him and smiled. His eyes were already misting over. 

This was him. Without a word of conversation, Jimin knew it was him. Hyun felt much the same. He said nothing, but he did present something interesting to Jimin. It was a frayed, tangled piece of kelp parchment. Jimin could see the beautiful strokes of his mother’s handwriting inside of the rolls. It was the original copy of his mother’s letter. It was proof beyond a doubt that this was Jimin’s father.

Hyun spoke through tears, “I knew one day that you would come. But I thought it would have been much sooner. I was starting to lose hope. I wasn’t even sure you were still alive. Ganriella never explained to me how long it would take. I never imagined it would take thirty-three years. The day that I first met you in my cafe, I felt bonded to you. But I didn’t know why. I remember thinking how kind and handsome you were. I wondered if my son was anything like you. When I heard that you were looking for someone who was missing, I was more than happy to have you use my place to look for them. I understood how it felt to lose someone important and have no idea where to find them. But I never in a million years expected that you were looking…for me.”

“I have been all over searching for you. The one thing that I knew for sure was that you lived in Busan and you were in some type of military or something.”

“Let me guess, Sirenael right?”

“Yes. She was the Angel that helped us find each other. Even in her death, she still gave us clues. Mom’s letter told me the rest.”

“Death?” Hyun asked.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Jimin said sadly.

“No. She risked her life to get me off of that island. After that, I never saw her again.”

“She was killed in an accident with a submarine. She’s gone.”

Hyun looked away. His lip quivered gently as he thought back about her incredible life and all of the things she did for Ganriella. “At least the elders didn’t get to her.”

“Mother kept her identity well hidden. They never found out about her involvement with helping you escape and getting my mother’s notes to you,” Jimin assured him.

“How long have you known I was here?”

“I had no clue. Like I said, I had given up. I figured that you no longer wished to reunite with me or that you were dead. But when Dani showed me the coins, I suspected you were someone with ties to that community. Ganriella told me all about the family riches and how they were worthless in the sea, but near priceless on land. The coins caught my attention right away, but I still couldn’t be sure it was you.”

“The coins. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Jimin asked.

“Like I said, I didn’t have anything to prove you were my son. We looked alike, but that alone wasn’t enough. Jimin, you don’t just walk up to a young man and ask him if he’s your bastard merman son. That’s an aggressive introduction.”

Jimin laughed. This dude was definitely his father. “Did you know about Krakan’s curse?”

“Sort of. Not really. Only what your mother was able to explain before she was killed. I knew the curse would cause you to be exiled and that you would eventually be driven to land. This is why I opened up this coffee shop here. In my fantasy, I would be the first person you encountered when you left the sea and we would reunite right away.”

“Oh dad. You picked this location…,”

“…so that I could always be close to you. So that I could watch the sea, with the hope of one day seeing you swim along the shore.” Hyun wiped his eyes again, “I wanted you back. I did everything I could to help you find me. It was my only dream for many years. Anyway, Sirenael refused to tell me much about the curse because she didn’t want me to worry.”

“The curse was meant to kill me by age thirty-three. I needed your blood to save me but I couldn’t find you. I would have died on my thirty-third birthday if it hadn’t been for - the man I love.”

Hyun began to cry. He grabbed Jimin’s hands, “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there. The sea is so vast, I had no idea where to find you. I tried over and over but I didn’t know how to communicate with your people. Without Sirenael, I had no idea where to even begin. I’m so sorry. They made certain that I never found you. I tried for years Jimin, for years.”

“I know how hard you tried…dad,” Jimin tested the word to see how it landed.

Tears flowed from Hyun’s eyes, “My son. My son. Yes…I’m your dad. You’re so beautiful, just like when you were a baby. I have suffered so many years not knowing what happened to you. Not knowing how you were being treated. And now here you are. It’s simply a miracle.”

“Don’t cry, dad. We have the rest of our lives now.”

“Tell me please. Who is this man who saved you? Is he from the mercommunity?”

“He’s human.”

“Like mama, like son,” Hyun laughed. The irony of his mer-son falling in love with a human was hilarious. “My son is in love. That is all I could ask for. How did you meet?”

“Loooong story. We were kidnapped together and it blossomed from there,” Jimin laughed.

“Kidnapped?”

“Loooong story. His name is Jeongguk and I’d be dead today if it weren’t for him. That’s all I can tell you right now.”

“Jeongguk? Jeon Jeongguk? The former Idol who choreographs for all of the new Idol groups?”

“He’s a celebrity,” Jimin smiled proudly.

“I would say he is. One day, you’ll both sit down and tell me everything. There’s not a single second of your life that I don’t want to hear about.” Hyun held Jimin’s hand again. “I’m relieved that you found your mom’s letter? That’s the only way you would have found me.”

“I did. You were a genius to hide it under my name. Dad, tell me more. Tell me more about the days with mom.”

“She saved my life. She brought me clothes, soap, shampoo, food. The only reason that I was able to survive was because of her. I was stuck on that island for five months. It was the longest a Korean sailor had ever been lost at sea. I didn’t mean to fall in love, it just happened. She was the most extraordinary person I had ever met. And it wasn’t just because she was keeping me alive. I fell in love with everything about her: her intelligence, her beauty, her open-mindedness. She wanted to know everything about my world and I wanted to know everything about hers. We had nothing but time, so all we did was talk. I swear Jimin, neither of us realized that our union could create a baby. Maybe we should have known, but she didn’t realize she was ovulating and I didn’t realize that my human seed could penetrate her. We gave way to the passion and before I knew it, I was making love to her and it was magical. You were created out of that love. Love Jimin. Love. Our relationship blossomed from there and we were together many times. When she found out she was pregnant, she was terrified. So was I. I was stuck on an island; I had no way to care for a baby and provide for her. We were from two different worlds, there was no way we could create a life together. But we were never even given a chance to figure it out. She was killed by her own parents. I cried for days. I grieved for years. I had to suffer the double loss of losing her and losing you. I blamed myself for all of it.”

“So, mom didn’t realize she could get pregnant by you?”

“Neither of us had a clue. Things just happened and poof, you were born,” Hyun tried to simplify something that was very complicated. “We would have never brought a baby into the world that we knew would be cursed.”

“Thank you for telling me this dad. I’ve lived my entire life thinking that you just…didn’t care about the terrible legacy you left for me.”

“Your mother was the love of my life. Sure, I went on to marry someone else and we had Dani, but I never forgot your mother. Never.”

“Yea, so dad, speaking of Dani. I think we have a problem…,”

***

 

Jimin and Jeongguk sat near the window at Milestone. Hyun joined them after serving several customers at the register. The men all sat together huddled, deep in discussion. They spoke animatedly, trying to decide who should be the person to actually say the words.

Dani dropped her tray and perched her hand on her hip. “What’s going on here? Daddy, what are you doing with these guys?”

Jeongguk was not at all part of the playbook, but he took control since the other two couldn’t seem to get it together. “Jimin’s your brother. You’ve had the hots for your brother for a year. Ew. Do better,” he goaded.

“JEONGGUK!” Jimin and Hyun both berated him in tandem.

“Shut up asshole,” She scowled at Jeongguk. Their relationship was getting better. “Daddy, what is he talking about?”

Hyun and Jimin stared at each other. “Sit down, Pumpkin. We need to talk.” Hyun scooted over and invited his daughter to sit next to him.

“Your mother was the love of my life, until she dumped me and left me for that Japanese architect,” Hyun explained.

“He’s not anything compared to you daddy. She was just going through a mid-life crisis. One day she’ll come back around.”

“And when she does, I won’t be here for it. That ship has sailed. But that’s not the point. Before your mother, there was someone else. Where your mother was the love of my life, she was not my life’s love. There was someone else, someone who filled my heart like no other. Her name was Ganriella.”

“Ganriella! What kind of fuck-ass name is that? Was she Korean?”

Jimin’s scales flashed in anger. “See was a Queen, regality in her world.”

“Easy boy,” Jeongguk placed his hand on Jimin’s thigh. He could sense his anger.

“And what world is that?” Dani wasn’t understanding and under no circumstances was Hyun going to visit the mermaid angle.

“I was in love with someone before I met your mother. Jimin is right, she was a Queen amongst Queens. She was pivotal in helping the military unit rescue me when I was abandoned on an island. I told you a little bit about that, right sweetie?”

“Yea, but you never mentioned any Ganriella being involved,” Dani was still confused and getting irritated.

“We dated for a while and a son resulted from our union. Jimin was the product of our love,” Hyun was very careful with his words. “Ganriella was killed shortly after Jimin was born and he disappeared. Her relatives took him and refused to give me any information about where he was. We lost touch and we have searched for each other for thirty-three years. Dani, sweetie, Jimin is your older brother.”

“Jimin? My brother?” Dani’s mouth dropped open. She glared at Jimin, “Don’t tell me that it was dad you were looking for all this time?”

“Yes, Dani, it was. But I didn’t know that and neither did he. I have been searching for him for over a year. It wasn’t until I was talking to you about him being an ex-military doctor that I did more research and discovered who he was. He’s my dad, the one I have been looking for since I was a child.”

“My dad, is your dad?” Dani shook her head. “How can we be sure? How do we know that his mother didn’t lie or something?”

“I have proof. He’s my son,” Hyun advised.

“What proof? Show me!” Dani asked as tears started to flow from her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you’ve still got a thing for him? Oh, give me a break, get over it. He’s your brother,” Jeongguk gloated a bit.

“Can you please stay out of this?” Jimin poked him in the chest.

“I have a letter that was written by her and given to me right before she died. He’s my son. There are other facts as well. You have to accept this, Dani,” Hyun explained.

Dani jumped up from the table and ran out of the cafe. They watched as she headed towards the waterfront.

“May I please talk to her?” Jeongguk asked.

“You? Of all people?” Hyun exclaimed.

“That’s a no,” Jimin seconded.

“Please. Let me handle this. I think I understand what she’s feeling.” Jeongguk stood to his feet and headed after Dani.

“Do you trust him?” Hyun asked Jimin.

Jimin shook his head, “No. Not at all. But I do love him. So maybe…let’s give him a chance.”

Dani pulled a cigarette from her apron and lit it with a lighter she had in her pocket. She paced up and down the dock as the fog rolled in around her feet. She was visibly upset, evidenced by her tears.

“I apologize.”

“What do you want Jeongguk?”

“To apologize. That’s it. That’s all I wanted. Thanks for listening,” he turned and pretended to walk back to the shop.

Dani took the bait, “You came all the way here just to say you were sorry for being an asshole?”

“Yep…oh and to tell you that this may be the happiest day of their lives, for your brother and your dad and you just stormed out like a petulant child ruining it for everyone. Ok, whew glad I got that off my chest. It’s cold, I’m going back in.” Jeongguk turned to leave again.

“Wait a minute!” Dani dropped her cigarette to the ground and squished it with her foot. “My dad drops news of a lost son and you want me to just take it like a champ and thank him for the information?”

“Yes. But more than that, I want you to put yourself in their shoes. For thirty-three years, they have been searching for each other. They finally found each other and it was an absolute miracle.”

“This is a big change for me. This changes everything, my entire family. I’ve always been daddy’s little girl. It’s always been just me and him. Now I have a brother?”

“Yes, you’ve always been daddy’s little girl, with no one to share your dad stories with. No one to laugh with you when his socks are too high. No one to help you drag the women he dates for filth. It’s always been just you, until now. Today your family expanded to include one of the most earnest, loving, generous and beautiful men to ever grace the streets of Busan. That is the real miracle here.”

Dani turned to Jeongguk and sniffled. “He is pretty awesome. So awesome that I had a crush on him.”

“Yea, let that shit go. He’s mine,” Jeongguk teased. He smiled, flashing his dimples and booping Dani’s nose. “Let’s see, when he was just a friend, he made you a millionaire and selflessly shared his fortune with you. Imagine what he’ll do for you now that he knows he’s your brother.”

Dani laughed. “Lord only knows.”

“I know this isn’t easy to hear Dani. Mostly because of the shock of it all. But I can attest to the fact that this is all Jimin ever wanted. Before you came along, your father searched for years trying to find his son. He never did. Imagine how much pain he’s lived with for all of these years? Pain that he hid from you. Now everything is in the open and you know all about his past. Don’t stand in the way of him getting to know Jimin, please. I mean for God’s sake, your mother left him for a rapper. Doesn’t he deserve a little happiness?”

“Architect.”

“Whatever.” Jeongguk rolled his eyes and continued his tough love, “My point is. This is not a bad thing and I hope you can see how fuller your life can be.”

“Can I admit something?” Dani asked.

“Yea. Sure.”

“I’m happy he’s yours. I know you’ll take care of him. Am I shocked that Jimin is my brother, yes? But could I have asked for anyone better? No. And Jeongguk…I know we haven’t always gotten along, but I think you know that the friction was mostly from my side. I promise to do a better job supporting you two.”

“You should, because now you technically have two brothers, Jimin and…me.” Jeongguk beamed.

Dani put out her cigarette, “We better get back. I need to apologize to them.”

Jeongguk held out his hand. Dani grabbed it as they walked back to the coffee shop.

Hyun and Jimin had their faces plastered against the window, watching the two of them as they talked on the dock. They jumped back into their seats when they saw Dani and Jeongguk walk in.

Dani sat at the table with them. She smiled at Jimin. “Well, I guess I should take advantage of having an older big brother. So, hey big bro, can I borrow your car?”

“I don’t have one. Buy your own.”

“Well can I borrow some money?”

“You’re already rich.”

“Ok, well can you hook me up with some hot older guys?”

“I don’t know any.”

“What the fuck?” Dani gestured.

They all laughed.

Dani had one more question, “Dad, explain to me how he got those gorgeous golden colored eyes and mine are just plain old brown,” she asked as she leaned over and ate Jimin’s croissant.

Jimin, Jeongguk and Hyun all stared at each other. Hyun answered simply with, “I think you’ve had enough shocking information for the day. Baby steps.”

       ⋆‧☽◯☾‧⋆

 

Jimin lay there sleeping on his stomach, his naked round ass pointed towards the sky, Jeongguk’s cum oozing from his hole. He was partially dressed, fully clothed on the top, but ass-bare naked on the bottom. They had been so hedonistic in their desire that they couldn’t wait; smashing nasties was their only goal.

Jimin was a beautiful man. Just watching him sleep caused Jeongguk to stroke his own cock, making himself hard again. His four years away from the sea had allowed him to settle into a perfect hybrid of fish and human, with many of his rarely used merfeatures fading away. The most important ones remained though: he could still self-lubricate, his cum was still full of sparkles, he still smelled of the sea and had a love for tuna, and his gills, though quite small, still quivered under Jeongguk’s touch. It really was a shame that Jeongguk couldn’t get him pregnant and that Jimin had missed his entire rut.

Although Jimin had never forced the issue, Jeongguk always knew that he wanted a baby - a chance to be a father. Maybe it was some mis-directed guilt from not having his own dad for so many years, but Jimin always expected that he would someday have a chance to give a merpup the love and affection that he never had.

The long-term effects of a broken Krakan’s curse were unknown. Not even Jack, who visited often, could shed any light on the morphology. As such, Jimin refused to even consider lending his seed to the conception of a human child for fear that the curse would be reactivated. His parents didn’t have the knowledge to protect him, but he had the knowledge to shield future generations.

Privately, Jeongguk had given much thought to being a father. Both he and Jimin had limited family and no one to carry on their name. They were both in their thirties,

About

their friends were all getting married and having babies. Each time they attended a baby shower or a wedding, he could see the longing in Jimin’s face.

Jimin suddenly woke up. His dick was hard and he was ready to go again. Jeongguk laughed as he watched him roll around in the wetness beneath him. They had both cum quite sloppily all over the bed and he wondered how Jimin had any fluid left. But he was a creature of the sea, he always had more wet to give.

Since Jimin was finally awake, it seemed like as good of a time as any to broach the topic of babies. However, before he had a chance to say a word, Jimin pulled his oversized shirt and sweater away and walked naked over to Jeongguk who was sitting naked in the chair near the bed. He immediately noticed Jeongguk stroking himself. Without speaking, he climbed into Jeongguk’s lap, lowered his hips and began to fuck him. He grinded his hips slowly, sucking up every centimeter of Jeongguk’s cock.

“Oooo-uh, shit,” Jeongguk came quietly with less than five strokes of Jimin’s ass. He held Jimin tightly, caressing the moons along his back as Jimin convulsed into a climax within minutes.

They had fucked so hard and for so many hours, that neither of them had much cum to squirt. But trickles of satisfaction flowed from their tips as their minds cleared, allowing them to focus on other matters.

“Hey,” Jimin said as he pulled away from a deeply satisfying tongue-laden kiss.

“How was your nap?” Jeongguk smiled.

He could barely hear is own voice over the bells ringing in his head. The bells that he’d heard for years, signifying his love.

“Fine, you ok? Why were you staring at me?” Jimin asked.

“Do you want a baby?” Jeongguk said randomly.

“A…a…baby?” Jimin looked around, “Is the baby in the room with us?” He teased.

“Do you want to be a father?” Jeongguk rephrased, adding more seriousness to his tone.

“I can’t. We can’t. That time has passed,” Jimin said, hoping to close the subject before he became too emotionally invested.

“We have an appointment tomorrow with an adoption agency. Birth rates are down in Korea, but there are still many, many children who need good homes. We’re established, we’re wealthy and we have a home full of love. We could adopt a baby. You know what adoption is, right?”

“Yea, yea of course I do.” Jimin jumped up and began to pace. His naked body shimmered under the low light. “Tomorrow? You already made an appointment? What if I had said no?”

“Then we would have cancelled the appointment,” Jeongguk shrugged. Now that his nuts were empty, he was hungry. He picked up his phone to order some food.

“Put that down!” Jimin tugged the phone out of his hands causing it the start smoking. It sizzled and the screen went black. “Sorry, I’ll put it in some rice,” Jimin grimaced.

“That’s the fourth phone this month baby,” Jeongguk laughed. At this point he just needed to keep a supply of extra iPhones in a drawer.

“You can’t just drop baby news on me, Jeongguk.”

“You beat your meat in my hand and then told me I was pregnant. This is pretty much the same thing. Gold Shellara for Gold Shellara buddy,” Jeongguk joked.

“I don’t know if we’re ready.”

“Me neither. But now is the time to find out, while we’re still young and have so much to give.”

“Adoption means no blood of my seed, right? I won’t be putting this baby in danger in any way? Right?”

“No Jimin. The child will not have either of our blood, but they will still be loved as if they do. And the baby will be fully human. The only water skills they will have will be when you teach them to swim,” Jeongguk said lovingly. He thought it was so decent and selfless of Jimin to keep the child’s fate in mind.

“You and me…we would be dads. Our baby would have two dads, just like in my merworld. Would the mother be our sister?”

“No. That is where we differ. We will likely never know the baby’s real mother,” Jeongguk explained. “Don’t be afraid. Let’s explore this Jimin. If we decide we don’t want it, then we’ll move on. But we owe it to ourselves to try.”

“Do you want a baby?” Jimin reversed the question.

“I’ve always wanted to be a dad. Yes, Jimin, I want a baby and I want to raise it with you.”

Jimin smiled and clapped his hands, “Jeongguk? I think…we’re having a baby.”

 

       ⋆‧☽◯☾‧⋆

 

Thank you for your support!

Thank you so much for being here. My stories only come to life because of you love and constant companionship. Even when I am away caring for my dad, you are always here. I love you and I thank you.

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