Chapter Text
000423
"mother, do i really have to go to the surface?" the teenager boy—or merboy asked the mother after he finished choking up on his seaweed paste cake when he was informed. his dark orbs held many swirling emotions, mainly confusion and anxiousness. he was only sixteen and he didn't feel ready to drag himself to the surface, yet.
"honey, you have to. what if one day you need to live on the surface—now don't panic, i'm just saying! plus, i'm sure it'll be fun making some friends on the surface. although you might have to get adjusted to walking..." the young looking merwoman with brown, silky hair trailed off. she looked very young for her age even though she's around forty years old.
"i- but- what if something happens to me while i'm at the surface?" he asked with a hint of panic in his voice. the surface can't be that bad but he was afraid something will actually happen to him and he didn't want to die before he even got the chance to do something exciting in his life. the mother sighed and took his hand in hers, warmth seeping through making the son calm. "jeno, i assure you that nothing will happen to you. i'll come with you for the first few days and once you've got the hang of it, i'll visit occasionally."
jeno nodded and silently ate his seaweed paste cake. it was a sweet taste he had always love and he knew that he will surely miss this homemade paste cake once he's at the surface. he sighed and imagined what it'll be like to live as a human. he had seen the life of humans by glances but had never experienced it before. besides having two legs and having the ability to walk, he wondered what else humans do. do they do the same thing as his kinds do? many questions flooded his head with each questions piling up as another appear. he was distracted by his thoughts and ate his paste cake in peace, wondering about the surface, maybe the kind humans above? it wouldn't hurt to try to befriend them, right?
"since we have gotten the basics down," his mother started again after she finished her paste cake. the merboy looked up from his plate with the fork still in his mouth as he chewed on the paste cake, "there's one other thing i didn't mention."
"yes?"
"you can't fall in love with a human."