Work Text:
Winter
The creature was too lost to speak.
Below the surface line of the ocean was a floating figure of someone—Hyunjin, who doesn’t know at this moment how he got lost from a place he once called home, the vast ocean. It’s like the place isn’t as familiar to him, yet here he was. As a treacherous creature from deep below, he was supposedly deadly and meant to be feared by everyone. He was an ancient creature lurking in the shadows deep below the waters and so many had attempted to take his life away but he’s still here, alive and wandering.
Someone depleted the joy and life out of him. His best friend died in front of him and he felt so emotional he had to leave, far away. He wanted to be alone, he didn’t want to dwell deeper into his sad thoughts. People around him were affecting him by how they acted either and it felt as if nothing ever happened like no one ever cared that his friend passed away. He experienced it the hardest.
Almost every creature in the sea was happy to see his friend permanently rest and this made Hyunjin upset. Despite this, Hyunjin was treated as if he didn’t lose his friend. Was it because Han was a creature they described as inferior to Hyunjin? He’d always hear the elders talk about the other as if he didn’t belong in.
Of course, they still had emotions despite originating from the sea. It’s just most likely that those people around him really didn’t care at all. They’re not sirens but rather something close to resentful water spirits, bound to do nothing but create chaos to its townsfolk. He rose from the ocean not too long ago. It was only his second chance this time around, with a mortal whom he turned blind eye to without hesitation.
It wasn’t entirely his fault how he was eventually charmed by this mortal. At this time, it had been a few months since his friend passed away and he stayed the same: static and slightly nostalgic. However, when he first met the stranger on his island and within the chaos that surrounded Hyunjin, he found comfort from this stranger.
However, the stranger was swinging this sword in front of him, while Hyunjin’s currently in his huge and towering water spirit form, the unknown person from below stepped on his island. He was technically trespassing, but he eventually had let him go and wander about. He’d shrug with the thought of imagining him falling in love and rather let have fun with this stranger for some time before eventually punishing him with death, after all, he stepped on his property.
That same person called Hyunjin’s humble abode a ‘lifeless desert island.’ He had this island for a while yet he didn’t know what to do with it. At some point in time, Hyunjin did everything to his ability in making that man’s life miserable and leaving the mortal to defend himself. He thought that unknown mortal had no right to speak something so low about the island—one that is technically his because it’s in the middle of the ocean, so he claimed it his and built an entire bungalow for him to stay in when he wanted to transform as a human. He fully transformed only once and that was it. Usually, his kind could last for several years before going back to water and vice versa; he couldn’t stand the outside world, somehow. It’s just how their bodies are created. He needed to be back in the water to gain his energy back.
That man’s name is Minho, and he was honestly breathtaking. He was the most beautiful mortal he laid his eyes upon. He’s probably the reason why he laughs every time he played around with water and he sees Minho annoyed once again. It’s not like he could do anything considering their distances, it wasn’t until a few weeks later he decided to finally descend and face Minho after hearing him say a few words to provoke him.
“Stop hanging around up in the air and face me, whoever you are. You are weak to stay up above, threatening me only with water. Show your true self to me.”
At first, they fought. They fought so much and that was pretty much an understatement. Hyunjin learned so much about human life, most of which he learned from a few years ago, tasks that he recalled doing. He hasn’t descended for at least 25 years and a lot of things have changed. He didn’t bother with how difficult Minho was teaching him about life again while giving him a hard time by passing all of the work—somehow, he still got away with it using his water control, despite making it seem like it was payback and he deserved that. In exchange, Hyunjin was able to teach Minho with his control of water and he was able to control droplet worth, he saw this as progress.
Hyunjin realized at this point that all he wanted was a friend. As a lonely creature beneath the depths of water, he only had one. He had no close-knitted family. Minho came and eventually changed the dull world around him. No human he had ever interacted with made him feel that way. Minho, too, had become someone he could share stories with and laugh along with. He started becoming a little intimidating for Hyunjin, and it felt like the tables definitely turned around somehow.
The two of them shared their vulnerable parts with each other, like old-time friends.
“You got kicked because you didn’t catch the serpent? Who’s this serpent we speak about?” Hyunjin’s a being from the waters. It would be easy for him to recognize who or what despite vague descriptions. He’d been down the deep for half his life, anyway.
Minho stayed still for a few seconds before he answered him quietly. Somewhere from the back of Hyunjin’s head, a part of him thought this wasn’t a good idea. It seems to be a sensitive topic for Minho and proceeding might just end up hurting him while they’re talking. “The name’s Han, are you familiar with him?”
Hyunjin was indeed familiar with him. In fact, he was his best friend. That was their relationship before he met his tragic fate. He fell ill after a mortal cursed him, not even the strongest and purest water cannot remove the unknown corrosive that ate him apart. He had to be safely cleansed with the method of extracting such toxic liquid that his body crumbled and the case was helpless.
Han caused so much terror in the land where mortals stayed and this was eventually the reason why he was reprimanded several times. He fought with him too before, but that was in the past. They formed strong bonds, stronger than that of a sibling. They were like two peas in a pod. When Han fell sick, Hyunjin did everything to his power: slay the sea serpent to create a possible antidote with the help of the wisest potions expert, convince a water witch to give him a serum that he thought could cure him, extract a tear from a mermaid-goddess, and yet he got nothing out of that.
His last moment with Han was quite faint now, but he was sure there was one thing he remembered that he told him. “You’ll do just fine, Hyunjin. You’ll be okay because I know what you’re looking for will come by.”
This was what he was looking for.
It came with two legs and arms, a mighty sword, a soft-spoken laugh, and a breathtaking smile. It’s Lee Minho.
Han was the reason why Hyunjin got lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere, under the sea. He’s the reason for making him meet Minho, too. If only Hyunjin didn’t urge himself to stay away from his “family” then he would’ve been continued being miserable. He separated himself from those people who didn’t care about his friend and it was right.
“He’s my friend,” Hyunjin spoke carefully over the campfire the two of them shared under the moon’s gaze. It somehow felt like the entire world was listening to him and it was okay. He wasn’t against it because it felt like he was releasing some of this pain to the wind, too. He didn’t feel alone because someone was going to listen to him. “He passed away because mortals poisoned him after he descended on the land. The water full of magic wasn’t enough and only a few people offered me help. His death meant nothing to them; I wanted to simply let my brain think and there I was, in the middle of the sea.”
Minho urged him to continue. “Han’s simply a three-headed serpent, playful at times. He loved to create one disaster after the other despite violating orders from the highest elders of the clan,” while Hyunjin’s a one-headed serpent slash shapeshifter. They deemed Hyunjin to be stronger with quick wits despite being one-headed. He’s a shapeshifter with a variety of options too, including a merman, a shark, a whale, or any water creature he could name.
Hyunjin’s eyes dropped upon his discovery. Is it the reason why Han was outcasted by everyone else? “We follow rules as well, and only when mortals violate specific deeds or if nature allows it, we create water calamities. People from my clan said he violated the rules too much that the ones above punished him to death.” That was too much for him to say, actually. A crevice in his heart remained as he spoke.
“Don’t you hate me for that?” Minho is still human. It’s his kind who did this to Hyunjn’s friend. He felt the need to take responsibility and fault for it.
Hyunjin fell into confusion. What did he mean? “Why should I? You didn’t do it. Your kind did but you didn’t. I won’t count that.” That was quite true. Blaming wasn’t the way to go for Hyunjin. It just didn’t feel right blaming him when the people responsible did it, or he probably just didn’t want to because it was Minho and he knew there’s no chance of him doing it.
He already knew him well enough.
“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin heard from the side.
There was no need for an apology, but he accepted it nonetheless. “I’m sorry for bringing it up.” It was calm and slow as if he was comforting him.
“It’s okay, there’s no harm in telling you,” wholeheartedly, he believed Minho. He knew how much the other wanted to help him, whether through different means, but it was pointless.
Hyunjin’s eyes wandered above the shoreline. The sun bathed him in yellow-orange, the color of a sunset. It’s probably been hours ever since he talked to him, only by now did he realize that. “There’s no point in pursuing too, that same person who poisoned him died as well. Han probably saw it ahead of him and so that ‘hero’ who killed him died, too. People worshiped him and people threw me because I was already nothing to them.” Hyunjin found this thought ridiculous. How could their community easily dispose of someone who has no use for them?
“Which ones have you defeated?” Hyunjin knew the defeat of Osial and Beisht, the two of the most powerful sea monsters. They—as a couple, created the biggest tsunami from fifty years ago and no one ever came close to its destruction of land, not as if the damage was more than how much it should be. They were then dismissed from the clan. They stayed out, forced to pursue through the unknown waters. The two of them has disappeared and Hyunjin was yet to hear from them. It could be possible that mortals had taken action and defeated the couple.
Minho stared over the plethora of sand as if he truly did not want to talk about what he was asked for. “It’s all from land, I think you’ve heard of the disappearances of the orc leader and the earth sorceress? I’ve only ever defeated those and the townsfolk wanted me to defeat a sea creature, too.” Hyunjin did, they had quite a name although the orc leader was noted to be evil; it was just right that Minho did that. Neither Hyunjin nor his clan could stop the former orc leader’s urge to be the most powerful, heaven and below.
“You sure wouldn’t believe me that I was the same hero, right? Here I am with nothing but a sword.”
Hyunjin had thought of an idea to redeem Minho’s name, in order to go back from where he was from. Wasn’t he simply kicked out because he didn’t have Hyunjin’s head at the moment? “I’m here, you can take my head if you want to.”
“But I wouldn’t. Don’t you want still rule the sea?” Hyunjin could do that if he’d strike terror on all grounds, except he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t really be happy when he does so.
“I don’t,” Hyunjin bets a thousand pearls they’ll start bickering, again. Minho was a tough nut to crack, he follows only one path that he laid in front of him. “I guess I can, but I won’t as long as you’ll stay. I’d rather have you as my company than conquer different realms of the sea and obtain nothing, even happiness.”
“You just have to promise me the world will stay alive.”
It would still cease to exist.
Hyunjin delivers pain, suffering, and demise but it’s all because this is what he should offer them, a natural disaster meant to be an obstacle in people’s lives. Whatever they face in the future, it’s partially the population’s fault for not looking over what is happening around them.
Hyunjin eyed Minho carefully. He knew he’d lose to this argument after only several attempts. Minho earnestly had him to trust despite being enemies ever since the very beginning of the world’s existence.
“It is going to, please,” and so did he nodded in agreement. He really wants to talk with Minho right now and speak nothing of what he does for his entire life. He’s a walking nightmare, Minho’s simply a hero. Well, at least to some degree, he knows the latter would eventually kill him but that wouldn’t be in a few more years. “That’s more like it.” The sea creature scrunched his nose and smiled. He liked it when life gave him these moments, more to a few where he wants time to stop.
It’s already been at least two months if Hyunjin counted the rise of the sun and moon correctly, he forgot the most important thing to do and that was to go back down the water and breathe for a few weeks before coming back up again. He truly didn’t have any remedy for this yet, he’s just aware it’ll happen soon; due to him spending his time with Minho, he had entirely forgotten about it.
During their one time, while the campfire was lit, he had a hard time breathing. Minho immediately took precautions after noticing.
“Hey, I’m really fine over—or down, maybe, here. You really don’t have to visit or stay for so long,” that hurt Hyunjin’s heart a little, but he understood that the two of them weren’t the same. Hyunjin has to stay underwater for a while several weeks to months after saying above it. His body system might give up if he ignores it. “You may let me experience different disasters using water but that does not excuse you not to come back deep below and return only when you can. Please, promise you’ll go back.” Minho was special to Hyunjin’s eyes, somehow. He cared about him deeply without showing it too much. He appreciated him so much for noticing this.
He didn’t want to leave but he had to. He knew this day would come and he tried to be ready but he still wasn’t. It wasn’t enough to mentally and emotionally prepare himself to leave so soon.
“I had a great time with you, though.” That wasn’t a lie and whatever Minho said earlier made Hyunjin think twice. He didn’t want to leave but at the same time, he was going to be at risk if he stays above water.
Maybe, this was supposedly their goodbye, a temporary one because it’s going to take another time for them to meet and talk again. “You have to go back and breathe, love. Just maybe if you’d like to meet me again, of course,” Hyunjin’s heart thumped out of his chest, making his breathing somehow go uneven despite his heart beating rapidly. He almost couldn’t speak after Minho talked to him.
He would. He’d meet him again and love him until the days of the world are over.
Hyunjin blinked for a while before he told him his answer. “If you touch the sea, I hope you’ll remember me. I’ll be here, always.”