Work Text:
This morning was kinda busy as usual in the back room of the largest Aquarium in Seoul. Some people were busy cleaning and brushing the floor, some people were busy checking the machines, and the others were busy preparing the diving kits.
Weekend was always the busiest day ever, because we needed to prepare some performances for the enthusiastic visitors in the aquarium, especially during special events throughout the month.
I was talking with Bamby when I heard a bang on the door.
There he was.
With his blue jumpsuit uniform, wet dirty boots, and his usual charming smile, coming right into the back room. He was carrying a bucket full of fresh fish as greeting everyone he passed by.
"Good morning!" His voice echoed throughout the room.
"Good morning, Noah Hyung!" Hamin greeted him back with a nod and a smile drew on his face.
Noah has always been like this.
He was the type of person who could light up even the darkest corner of the room, effortlessly lifting the spirits of those around him. That's why everyone was comfortable and happy around him. His joy was contagious. But somehow, today was a little bit different. I guessed something must have happened to him.
"You seem particularly happy today, Hyung. Any good news?” Eunho called out from the other side of the pool.
"Actually, there is. I'll tell you later," Noah replied, his grin no less brighter than the sun outside.
Aah, I love his smile the most. His eyes were sparkling every time he smiled widely and that was one of my favorite Noah's characteristics, beside his peculiar laughing.
He walked across the room while greeting his colleagues one by one until he stopped right in front of me. He kneeled down, reaching out his hand and gently stroking my cheek.
"Good morning, Junie. Have breakfast already?"
"He doesn't want to eat unless it's from you," Bamby, still holding a fish in his hand, cut in with a whine. "I tried to persuade him but I got sprayed instead."
"Is that so?" He chuckled, looking at me adorably, "Junie, don't do that alright? You need to eat with everyone. Not just me. What if I'm not around? You wanna starve the whole day?"
I hated when Noah scolded me, even though he did it in the most gentle way ever. I hated making him upset, but what could I do?
After all, I was just a spoiled-cute little dolphin.
Yes, you read that right.
I'm Yejun The Dolphin.
Who was in love with a human, named Han Noah. My trainer and also the professional diver in Seoul Aquarium.
He still looked at me intently, waiting for my response. I could never win when he was staring at me like that. So I just stared back and grunted.
Without any more words, Noah's gaze turned softer. He bent his body towards me and slightly protruded his lips. I was jumping up and down and squealing. Maybe he couldn't see it on my face, but believe me I'm the happiest dolphin alive right now!
I brought my body out of the water and our lips were met. It's just a quick peck but I love it. I threw myself back into the water, shaking my tail like a victory dance, and came out again to meet my lover. Noah was laughing at the side of the pool when Bamby also bent down his body towards me.
"I want a kiss too, Junieee!"
"Just give up! He doesn't want to." Eunho yelled from the far back.
"Shut up!" He shouted back. "Yejunie, you're so mean. You only love Noah. You kiss him, but you never kiss me. I have taken care of you too for years." Bamby’s pouting. It was true that they both took care of me and we had some performances together. Bamby was close to the other dolphin, but he found it hard to get closer to me.
Not that I hate him, but I just want Noah's attention.
I was afraid that if I was getting close to anyone, Noah would eventually leave me to take care of other mammals and I don't want that!
I'm not just a fish, I'm sel-fish.
"Give Bamby a peck, Junie." Noah ordered.
I was silent.
"Come on..." He asked again.
Bamby was still pouting.
I'm swimming over him, but...
Nah...
I'm out!
I turned my back and swam into the water, splashed my tail to cause a spurt hitting on them. Leaving Bamby speechless with what I've just done while the other was laughing so hard. I could hear Eunho shout from up above water, "Nice job, Junie!"
******
Finally it's time for closing. The lights went out and the building was getting dark. The only light in there was coming from inside the aquarium.
The fish and all the sea creatures still swam like they were never tired or sleepy. I thought today was pretty great. We showed some kind of basic math trick. Noah gave me a question and I need to answer with a body rolling. For example, what is 2 plus 2, and the answer is 4. So I need to swim and roll four times. It's a piece of cake.
Noah happily clapped his hand and gave me a treat. He decided to have a little bit more practice before he went home. I didn’t mind it at all, because it meant I had more time together with my beloved trainer.
“Yejunie, you’re so smart. I don’t know what tricks I should give you anymore.” He put his hand on his waist.
I laughed and swam back wiggling my tail. He knew that if I did that meant I was in a good mood. He sighed while walking toward me and took a seat by the pool.
“Junie, I need you to promise me that you will be friends with other trainers. Bamby, Eunho, and Hamin are your friends and they want to play with you too.”
If I could talk, maybe I would whine and shout ‘No!’ numerous times. I didn’t need anybody, because I have Han Noah already.
But, Noah just looked at me in silence. His stare turned wander, as if his thoughts were flying around leaving his head.
My clicks brought him back to this place. I wondered what he was thinking. He looked back at me with a soothing glance.
“If I remember a long long time ago, our Yejunie was so shy and quiet. It took a long time for me to train you to perform, because you didn’t want to show yourself to the crowd.” He chuckled. “But now, our Yejunie looks the most radiant and can already bring joy to many people. I’m so proud of you.”
He stroked my cheek gently, he smiled yet his eyes retrieved sadness.
“But, you’re still making me worried that you refuse to do anything without me. Don’t get me wrong, I love to play with you, Junie, but I may not be around anymore.”
Wait, what?
I asked him what he meant by that, but it could only be heard as a click in Noah’s ear. He wouldn’t understand what I wanted to say.
Meanwhile, Noah, who was the sunshine of my universe, still sat in his place looking gray as if the sun was covered by overcast clouds. Get ready to take the world by storm.
I nuzzled my head against his body, giving him a sign that I was here for him. I wanted to give words that could comfort his heart. However, all that could be heard was a clicking sound from my mouth. I just hope that my feelings could be conveyed to him.
Realizing that I might feel worried by the way he looked, Noah immediately threw a reassuring smile at me. “I’m sorry I must have worried you, Junie. I’m just a little bit confused, but I’m okay.”
His body leaned towards me and Noah gave a small kiss to my head. “Good night, Yejunie. See you tomorrow.” He smiled as he got up from his seat. He turned off the lamp after bidding me a goodbye once again, leaving me in the dark room as if it was a sign to swim back to our small deep blue sea. Taking a rest for today while waiting for him to come back here again tomorrow.
******
The cheers were heard faintly through the thick glass of the pool tank. Children were watching us in awe, eyes full of curiosity and smiles never left their face. Bamby stood in front of the pool, gathering attention from the audience as he was the MC of today’s performance. He talked through the mic, explaining about the characteristics and the strengths of the dolphins. Occasionally, he would ask the children to test their memory about the knowledge he just told.
“Now, you definitely can’t wait to watch the attraction of our star! But before that, let’s call our trainer first, Noah-ssi, please come hereee!” Bamby excitedly called Noah to make an appearance as a cue to start the performance.
Noah in his diving suit walked towards the platform that was placed on the side of the pool. He waved while flashing his most charming smile to the audience. “Okay, Noah-ssi is already here. But where is our star? Can you help me call his name to come here? Please call him ‘Yejunieee’!” Then Bamby gave the mic to the audience who followed along shouting my name.
“Not loud enough! Call louder! Yejuniieeeee…” Bamby raised his voice, inviting the audience to call my name even louder. And that’s my cue to finally make a surprise appearance while showing off a little bit of a trick to amaze the audience. I jumped from the bottom of the pool and flew into the air. People cheered even more.
As the music started to play, Noah began to lead the performance by pointing his hand as an instruction for me to dance. After that, we mostly showed entertaining tricks such as doing math, rolling, and jumping to the loop. People were happy seeing me, but for me, I was always happy when I could look at Noah’s face. I could see how proud he was when I successfully jumped to the loop, because he knew how hard it was for us to practice it.
I always love Noah’s style when performed in a diving suit with his hair tied back. His golden hair was slightly shiny from the water droplets. And it made him even sexier.
After the performance ended, I swam back to the pool and went into the back room. Everyone has gathered there, except Noah. Bamby helped Hamin to give fresh fish as lunch and Eunho tidied up the show equipment.
I poked my head out while asking where my sunshine was. Bamby noticed my clicking and immediately came over to me.
“Well done, Yejunie! You did a great job as always!” Bamby cheered.
“Ah, Junie, you must be hungry. Let’s have lunch together, okay?” Hamin said while showing a bucket of fresh fish on his hand.
I huffed, shaking my head and swam away from them. “Yejuniiie, you need to eat!” Hamin called me out. He was wiggling the fish in his hand like bait.
“It’s no use, Haminie. Just wait for Noah Hyung to do this,” Bamby laughed at my antics.
“But, where’s Noah Hyung? I haven’t seen him after the show, he should be here any minute.”
“You haven’t heard about Noah Hyung? He’s at Mr. Kim’s room now.” Eunho walked towards them while taking off his gloves. Bamby and Hamin looked at Eunho at the same time, raising curiosity.
“What does he do with Mr. Kim?” Bamby asked.
Eunho wandered his eyes, “Well, Noah Hyung told me yesterday that he got an offer to be a diving instructor somewhere near the coast. I don’t know if he was talking about it with Mr. Kim or maybe it’s just another matter.”
Bamby and Hamin seemed very surprised hearing the news. “Has Noah Hyung already taken the job?” Hamin asked again. But Eunho only shrugged his shoulders.
Their eyes widened realizing that if Noah took the job that meant he might talk about his resignation with Mr. Kim. Hamin then shifted his head towards me, he saw me frozen without letting out a single sound.
Honestly, I was taken aback by Eunho’s sudden news. I tried to remember what happened to Noah a few days ago. Was it the reason he looked troubled all day before? Was he really going to leave us?
Leaving me?
“Then what about Yejunie?” Hamin asked with a low voice. His question invited Bamby and Eunho to look at me as well. That question was also what I wanted to ask the said person. None of them knew how to answer that question. They knew that I was the only one who would be devastated by Noah’s departure.
I let out a small click before leaving them and swam into the big part of the aquarium. I may be only a dolphin, but I had a heart too.
I swam around the aquarium to relieve these raging feelings. All this time I always thought that Noah and I would always be together.
The lifespan of a dolphin could reach 60-80 years, enough for me to spend the rest of my life with Noah together. But it also hit me that eventually Noah would have his life outside this aquarium which didn't include me in it.
Some people told me that they like to cry under the rain and I didn’t understand what they meant at first.
But now, I understand.
I didn’t need the rain.
Because I already had this beautiful sea to wipe the tears away.
All I needed was one chance.
To say what I needed to say.
******
Yejunie…
Yejunie…
You’ll be okay…
I’ll be here taking care of you.
I jumped from my sleep as I woke up from the dream of Noah’s voice in the past. But, I was choked from the water and I couldn't breath.
I panicked.
I swam out of the water to get air into my lungs. And when I wanted to reach out to the edge of the pool, I realized something strange had happened to me.
I touched my head and my body. This was absolutely not a dolphin’s body! Since when did I have hair? And a hand?!
I looked down and sure enough, my tail now had turned into a pair of legs which were moving just to stay float. Damn, am I still dreaming? I tried to pinch my cheek and it hurted as hell.
I looked around and the pool was dark and empty. The aquarium was closed hours ago. There should be no one here anymore. But, it was not the time to be confused while naked in the pool! I quickly got out and walked towards the office.
While covering my sensitive part, I tiptoed around looking for the locker room to get clothes. Thankfully I found a jumper uniform hanging in one of the staff’s lockers. I immediately took it and wore it on my body. I sighed in relief. One problem solved.
When I looked to the right side, there’s a mirror hanging on the wall. As curiosity crept in my gut, I slowly walked towards it and stared speechless.
Oh, my human face.
I touched my cheek softly. Observing that I actually had purple eyes, and my dark blue hair contrasted to the white skin of mine. It still felt like a dream, I never thought someday I could turn into a human. Moreover, a handsome one, I must admit.
As I was still engrossed in my appearance, suddenly the door opened and that sound made me scream in surprise. That person also screamed because of my loud noise. But soon, I recognized the voice.
That was Noah!
“Ahh… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m just surprised,” I said while bowing my head.
“N-no, that’s okay. I’m also sorry for surprising you. I thought there was no one here.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. Feeling overwhelmed that Noah finally understood what I was saying. It was not a clicking sound anymore. It was a real human voice and I could really talk to my sunshine right now.
“Are you okay?” Noah looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.
I nodded my head, “Yeah, yeah… I’m okay. I’m sorry…”
“What are you sorry for?” Noah chuckled. He observed me for a while and asked politely, “Excuse me, but, I think I’ve never seen you around here before.”
“Oh, I-I’m…” I glanced around to find something that could make up for my excuses. But, I just blurted out what I had in mind for now. “I’m a new staff member.”
“I see…”
Noah was silent for a moment, but then he smiled as he stretched out his hand.
“I’m Han Noah. First day, huh?” He asked me.
I only nodded.
“I used to be like you too when I first started working here. I stayed longer to make sure everything was right,” He laughed. “Has the HR taken you around the aquarium?”
I shook my head. I didn’t understand what HR was, but I definitely haven’t seen all the places around here. All I knew was living under the aquarium.
“Alright, let me grab my key first, then I’ll show you the places.”
It seemed that Noah came back here because he left his house key in the locker. As always, sometimes he could be careless and forgetful to small things like this. He quickly took it and smiled back at me.
“Done. Let’s go!”
We walked around all the spaces and work areas in this aquarium. Actually, I didn't really care about what Noah had to say about works and other things, I was just busy staring at Noah from a close distance. Being next to each other like this as humans made me wish there would be a miracle that this would last forever.
"How is it so far?" Noah asked, his gaze reflecting genuine interest in me.
"Well, everyone has been incredibly welcoming. They help me a lot to get used to the environment."
Noah nodded, "Good. You can ask Eunho, Hamin, or Bamby to handle the kids."
"The kids?"
"Oh, the dolphins. You're the one who's gonna take care of them, right? Mr. Kim told me."
"Y-yeah..." I stumbled over my words in response, "But I’m not sure if I’m cut out for this."
Noah’s sweet chuckle echoed around us, easing the tension that had begun building within me, "Trust me, you'll be a pro at this before you know it."
Now, we were standing in front of the giant aquarium in silence. This was the spot where I usually swam around and did the performance for an indoor show. I still can not believe how in the hell I could stand with my own two feet, in human shape, and looking at the aquarium from outside, not the other way around.
"I love this place." Noah said after a while. His eyes wandered around the entire room, every corner, every layer, every creature inside the aquarium. Trying to remember all the details about this place, so he could save it in his memory.
His hand touched the aquarium glass and he could feel the cold sensation coming from it. Only the blue light emanated on his face, biased by the sea. I could see his eyes lit up yet only sadness was shown.
"It reminds me of when I used to go to the beach almost everyday when I was a kid. It was close to my grandparent's house. The sound of the waves and the smell of the sea somehow calms me." He said without moving his gaze from the aquarium. This was a story that I never had a chance to hear before. Noah's childhood.
"Then my grandpa told me an old tale. He said there was a kingdom built under the sea with an amazing treasure all around it. And if I could see it, that means I'm one of the luckiest people in the world. So I learned how to swim everyday. Until that day, when I tried to dive for the first time, I must say he didn't lie. There was no kingdom, of course, but the world under the sea really blew my mind and I fell in love with diving right away."
Noah laughed remembering the day while I still stood beside him, listening intently to all the words he said.
"And that's the reason you work here?" I asked.
He turned his head to look at me and smile, "Partly, yes."
Short and simple.
"I mean I like diving and when this aquarium opened a recruitment for a trainer position, I thought 'why not?' it's gonna be exciting, isn't it? But after I worked here for years, I realized that I started to love this place. I like the people I work with, I love to make audiences go awe and happy after watching our show. And I think I started to grow an attachment with one of my kids too."
"Your kid?"
"You know Yejunie? He's one of the dolphins I train. He's cute and incredibly smart. I only trained him for 3 months, but he has already mastered all the math tricks. I think you should make another trick later. He becomes bored so quickly if it's not challenging enough." He chuckled.
The pink tint crept up on my cheeks. I didn't expect Noah would suddenly bring me up and praise me. Just looking into his eyes, those already told how proud Noah was.
"He's always waiting for me every morning. He tends to be jealous of everyone who gets so close to me. Sometimes he's so stubborn and a bit of a pain in the ass. And..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence, leaving it a cliffhanger.
"And...?" I prompted.
"Yejunie is the reason why I stay here for so long."
At that moment, I felt a surge of affection flowing inside me. I hadn’t realized that my presence actually had an impact on his life. I was still standing at my place, waiting for him to continue.
“The first time he got here in this aquarium, he was so shy and quiet. He had a hard time adjusting, so I took care of him.” Noah’s eyes wandered through a deep blue sea covered in a glass tank. “I felt a strong sense of responsibility towards him. I wanted to ensure that he received the best care and attention possible. I wanted him to feel welcomed. I want him to feel loved.”
His words reminded me of the past when I found myself waking up inside a small glass box. I was so scared. It was so dark and I didn't know where they were going to take me. I cried and called out of my friends but no one heard me.
I kept trying to shut my eyes close, remembering the ocean I used to live in until I finally fell asleep. The moment I woke up again, I could sense a strange feeling yet familiar at the same time. My surroundings looked exactly like my home but there was a thick glass placed around it.
It was not my home.
I swam around looking for an exit towards the ocean, but I couldn’t find it. I kept searching and searching, until I finally saw something above the water, I decided to come up to see what was happening to me.
And that’s when I saw Noah for the first time.
He was surprised to see me for a moment, but soon his gaze softened. He approached me slowly, his hand resting gently on mine as he smiled, “Yejunie… You’ll be okay. I’ll be here taking care of you.”
I clenched my fist, realized that I might not have that reassuring touch from Noah anymore. The only person I could rely on, the only human I’ve loved.
“I heard that you will resign from this company. Is it true?” I asked without looking at his eyes. But I could feel his gaze that was briefly directed at me.
“You must have heard this from Mr. Kim,” Noah scoffed. He took a while to answer my question. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot actually, since I got an offer to be a diving instructor somewhere.”
“So, do you take the offer?” I asked him again.
Noah’s eyes wandered, “I haven’t said anything. But, I think I’m gonna accept it. I have talked with Mr. Kim about it too.”
My heart sank when I heard Noah’s answer. He was really thinking of going and leaving me. "If you love this place and your kid, then why go?"
He took a deep breath and thought for a second.
"It's about time."
I quirked an eyebrow. Why'd you leave something that you really love? It doesn't make sense.
"Why? You're already living the dream. You’re doing what you love and it would be a shame if you suddenly went and threw it away." I desperately need an answer.
But Noah just looked at me in silence.
I held my breath as I waited for Noah to break the silence. His eyes searched mine, as if trying to translate the depths of my concern. Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness.
"You know, sometimes, dreams change as your life goes on. As much as I love working here, I feel a calling to share my love for the ocean with others. Being a diving instructor maybe would allow me to do that, to introduce people to the incredible world beneath the waves."
His words sounded sincere that were hard to ignore, but the thought of him leaving still weighed heavily on my heart.
"But what about your kids? What about your bond with Yejunie as you said?"
Noah sighed, his gaze softening. "I'll always cherish the time I've spent with them, especially with Yejunie. But I believe they'll understand. Sometimes, we have to follow our heart, even if it means leaving behind a part of ourselves."
I felt a lump forming in my throat, my mind racing to find the right words to convey the depth of my feelings. "But what if...what if they don’t understand?" My voice barely above a whisper.
Noah's brow furrowed, confusion clouding his eyes. "What do you mean?"
I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage I possessed. "What if Yejun doesn’t understand, Noah? What if all he wants is for you to stay here with him?"
The silence between us was interrupted only by the distant sounds of the aquarium. As he studied my face, a flicker of uncertainty began to dawn in his eyes.
Encouraged by his response, I pressed on, knowing that this moment might be my only chance to say what I wanted to say.
“Noah, there’s something you need to know, because finally I can say this to you in person…” I played with my finger, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You are the only reason that I always wait for the morning to come. Your smile and enthusiasm are so contagious, it makes me want to always be better everyday. I still remember you waiting for me all day by the pool on our first day of practice. You looked tired but you never gave up on me, even until now. You are the reason that makes me who I am today. And I’m grateful for that.”
Noah was still silent, his blue eyes locked with mine. I didn’t want to waste any more time.
“I know sometimes I can be so stubborn and may give you a hard time, but I promise I’ll try to get close with the others. I will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Bamby, Eunho, or Hamin. I promise to let the others know that I like them too, and maybe give Bamby a peck or two.” I chuckled softly. “Maybe it's my ego saying, but I really want to be with you for the rest of my life. But I can't, because it's true what you said, in the end everyone has their own life. And I just hope you can be happy wherever you are. I really do…”
I stepped closer to where Noah was. I grabbed his face gently and closed our distance by kissing his lips softly. The sweetness of his taste, the warmth of his breath, made me emotional as I realized this might be the last time I could touch him like this.
But I held it all. I didn’t want our goodbye to be filled with sadness. It was supposed to be a happy farewell, a good happy ending with a decent memory before I turned to my old self. Before I returned to the deep blue sea behind this glass wall.
As I pulled away from the kiss, I looked at him once more. Noah was still speechless, but I could see that his eyes were looking at me with a thousand questions.
The time has come.
“Goodbye, Noah.” I smiled as I turned around to leave this place. As I walked away from him, this feeling became even heavier and could no longer be contained.
The tears began welling up in my eyes when he finally spoke, “Wait!” His voice was barely heard from my spot. “W-who are you?” He asked.
I turned my head, forcing a smile on my lips.
“You know me, Noah. You always knew.”
That was the last word I could give to him before I disappeared again into the dolphin he loved. I was not regretting it even a little bit. Because finally I could say everything that I wanted to say. It was like the universe gave me the chance to have a proper goodbye with him.
As the night wore on, all the fish and creatures of this sea had been sleeping, as usual I’ll wait for him in the morning. Hoping to wake up from this wonderful dream and see Noah’s beautiful smile once again.