Chapter Text
“But a mermaid has no tears and therefore suffers much more.”
Hans Christian Andersen
The merman Gi-hun had failed to win the human's heart.
Once again, in his life, he was a failure.
Worst of all, he now had very serious consequences to deal with.
Although Gi-hun had already formed a couple when he was younger and had a daughter with another mermaid. Then, he lost his family in a fight between the clan to which he belonged. His partner, Eun-ji had taken their daughter and left with the rest of the clan, abandoning the banished merman.
Gi-hun had then wandered around for years, trying to find where he belonged. He had made friends and acquaintances with everyone he came across. But the red-haired merman had avoided forming a permanent bond with anyone else, only to lose it.
It was then that a loud noise on the surface had attracted him.
What the merman initially mistook for a party among humans, upon peering in with curiosity, Gi-hun had found the wreck of a ship.
The triton could ignore it since humans used to perish at sea in search of riches; they hunted without discrimination every fish or crustacean in search of food. So, the death of a few hundred humans would be the least of the sins.
However, it was not until he saw a tall black-haired sailor who had heroically saved the life of a dog before falling into the sea unconscious because of a blow from the ship’s mast.
Gi-hun hesitated, but in the end, he swam as fast as he could. And saved him. He carried him to the nearest shore, where he tended to that blow and extracted the water from the human’s lungs.
Gi-hun stayed by his side all night until the human woke up and could see Gi-hun’s silhouette. With surprise, the human took a lock of Gi-hun’s reddish hair.
“You are beautiful.”
The merman was embarrassed at those words and swam away from there.
Despite the passing months, Gi-hun could not get that human out of his mind. It was then that he made a life-changing decision.
Regardless of having no royal lineage or anything to offer, Gi-hun had given his voice in a deal with the Sea Sorcerer to fulfill his dream: to rise to the surface to reunite with the human he had saved from shipwreck.
Even after various difficulties with his new human legs, as well as having lost his speech, Gi-hun had found the shipwrecked young man. And to his surprise, Gi-hun realized that his human was the crown prince of a kingdom that did not face the sea.
It had taken almost a full day out of three to find Prince Cho Sang-woo.
When he could finally be by his side, he discovered that he was even more handsome than he remembered.
Contrary to the fact that he showed a caring attitude when Gi-hun saved him, he was a cold and calculating person. His comments toward those who showed careless attitudes among his workers were usually biting and brief in his dealings with others. He would undoubtedly one day be a monarch who saw for his kingdom in a fair, if not a bit ambitious manner.
Gi-hun also discovered that, as with other decisions in his life, he had been late. The prince was engaged to a young noblewoman from a coastal kingdom.
The wedding day would be the third and final day of his life as a human.
Gi-hun had tried to get the prince to talk to him since he had had to learn to communicate with his hands, causing the prince to smile, saying that he was adorable. But being cute was not enough to win the heart of his beloved.
Despite going horseback riding, going swimming, fishing together, and even dancing on a trip to the town’s festivals, it hadn’t worked out.
His prince was going to marry another person.
“I know you don’t have anyone, and it might be hard for you to find a job. But I like you; you are kind of childish, but you are my friend. You can stay at the palace with me as my traveling companion once I return from my honeymoon.“
With that, the prince took his leave to get ready for his wedding.
Gi-hun had little recollection of the ceremony that concluded at sunset.
In pain of not being able to externalize his pain, he looked one last time at the back of the man he had loved, believing that he may have been the love of his life, before he threw himself into the sea, his green merman tail being the last thing that had touched the surface air. And disappeared.
Now Gi-hun was back in the Sea Devil's cave, waiting to be turned into plankton or be a servant for life.
The Sorcerer of the Sea, as was In-ho mostly called, was undecided about what to do with the triton who had lost his love and soul for the most foolish desire other sea creatures would have sought him for: to become human to make a prince fall in love with him.
His father, Il-Nam, and brother Jun-ho recounted stories to him of Gi-hun’s kindness and charisma, failing to counteract his bad luck. In-ho had one unpleasant encounter in his life before he wanted to become stronger. Therefore, he barely interacted with others outside of his family.
Now that his path had intertwined with Gi-hun’s, In-ho curiously agreed, accepting his voice as payment. In-ho knew it must have been a challenge for Gi-hun to find his human.
Contrary to other wishes, In-ho had been curious enough to become a human and follow the merman Gi-hun from afar.
Gi-hun had tried several times to put his clothes on wrong, had even eaten soap, and had brushed his bright red hair with a fork.
In-ho had laughed at the misfortunes and curiosities made by the naïve merman.
At no time had In-ho used his magic to interfere; he was simply a shadow for Gi-hun. What was initially a mission to hinder the merman was now more about watching from afar as the goofy merman failed to be human.
And with only a few days, he understood that the merman had light. Despite being a guest in the kingdom, Gi-hun had taken a basket of apples to go out early and give to the children in a square. He had taken a couple of garments to give to the most destitute. Even though he was speechless, he had created music with his hands and feet as a game with the prince’s pet Labrador retriever named Bingo.
Gi-hun had even been scolded when he had wanted to help clean up after the meal. And In-ho had thought the now grown-up Gi-hun pouting was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen.
So, seeing the merman’s discomposed face after being rejected on the third day, before Sang-woo was married, In-ho felt anger.
Yes, three days was hardly a joke to woo the human, given the more volatile nature they had.
And for a merman?
Mermans did not usually change partners. However, they only had one mate for life.
So seeing Gi-hun having failed to have a family and not having conquered the human Cho Sang-woo, had caused a stir in In-ho.
Now Gi-hun had returned to him, feeling his heart compressed.
“Come with me,” said In-ho, still wearing his obsidian mask, swimming with his eight squid legs to guide the merman into the cave, away from where he was serving his customers.
Gi-hun swam silently with his head down, thinking he was going to die.
“This is your room," said In-ho, showing the chamber next to his, hoping that Gi-hun would be comfortable.
Gi-hun’s eyes looked at him fearfully at the lack of speech.
In-ho sighed to clarify what the merman feared. “No. I’m not going to kill you, and I’m not going to make you my dinner. In our previous agreement, we had said that you would belong to me for life. But I’m not going to keep you in my store, you deserve a place to rest.”
Gi-hun did not move, thinking it was a trap.
“It’s yours, please accept it. I know you’re not just any merman, but I won’t be rude since you protected my brother Jun-ho when he was a baby and lost from our father.”
Gi-hun opened his mouth in surprise, blowing out some air bubbles trying to ask something.
“Come on, take this room, and you can personalize it. This was even yours, you dropped it when you went to the surface.” In-ho handed Gi-hun a coral piece that was shaped like a human artefact called ‘an umbrella’.
Gi-hun felt a lump in his throat as he took it, thinking of his daughter, Ga-yeong.
In slow motion, Gi-hun entered his new bedroom, admiring how it was nice and spacious, even better than many places where he had spent those years wandering the sea.
In-ho at least felt relief that the merman was at home and not in danger of being attacked or injured.
Having gathered from his garden some ingredients for his potions, In-ho had returned home, having no intention of attending to any orders that day despite having been absent for three days during his pursuit of the merman’s failed mission.
While the potion he had used as a human didn’t come at the price of losing his voice, it was exhausting to use his legs. In-ho felt dehydrated after being away from water.
So, in the evening, In-ho prepared dinner, to peek out to look for Gi-hun, of whom he had not heard a single movement.
And found him asleep on his bed. It almost seemed that he had been so exhausted since In-ho had left him earlier in the day in his new room. He even still held the umbrella-shaped coral in his right hand.
In-ho thought that if he was tired, Gi-hun must have been very exhausted.
As nimbly as possible, In-ho swam into the room, leaving some of the dinner by the merman’s bed.
And with embarrassment, he watched out of the corner of his eye as one of its tentacles had come close and stroked Gi-hun’s hair gently over the top of his head.
“Stop it, leave him alone,” In-ho growled in reproach to get out of there, ignoring how Gi-hun had woken up and managed to witness everything from In-ho’s presence in his room.
After passing through the kitchen, and Gi-hun returned the dinner plate of food, took a fruit as breakfast; Gi-hun peeked around the store early in the morning in a shy manner, while In-ho prepared everything to be available again in case some lost soul who wanted to negotiate with the Devil, as they used to call him.
“I need to do something, because I can hardly hear you if you don’t make any noise," In-ho chuckled at Gi-hun.
The merman stood still to look around, pretending to sweep with the broom.
“Do you need anything?" asked In-ho in confusion, but Gi-hun shook his head, then walked over to a shelf and pretended to run his hand through the potions, “Don’t touch anything or I’ll bite your finger off, Gi-hun.”
In a panicked gesture, Gi-hun put his hands to his chest to turn away from the shelves. In-ho smiled in amusement under his mask at how curious the merman was.
“Do you want to help in the store? I didn’t make a deal to have a slave, but I think you could help me harvest in the garden, follow me.”
Although Gi-hun still had a sad face and sunken eyes, he had turned his attention to the work he had to do, to nod and get to work.
In-ho had watched as Gi-hun seemed more animated than the day before, before swimming back to the store, ready to make some deals with souls worth less than a flake of the value Gi-hun had.
Later, Gi-hun returned tired and with the sea sun burning his shoulders and cheeks, but with a small smile from helping to collect and sort seaweed.
In-ho contemplated the freckles that had stood out on Gi-hun’s face, to look for something on his desk, taking out a gray-colored cap, which he placed on Gi-hun’s head himself.
“Oh, honey. At this rate, you’ll end up like steak cooked in the sun, Gi-hun. If you were hot, you could have come back earlier, you don’t have to wear yourself out working so hard.”
Gi-hun blushed his cheeks at that comment, thinking that he had only wanted to finish his work.
“Get some rest, and eat something if you’re hungry, I rarely cook other than for myself, so I eat the same thing for a day,” In-ho explained with a shrug before watching Gi-hun swim swiftly into the kitchen. “Well, I guess you were hungry.”
In response, Gi-hun returned five minutes later with a sandwich prepared with seaweed, which he had found in the kitchen of the dreaded Sea Sorcerer.
“Uh, thank you," In-ho whispered, surprised at the detail of having company, and Gi-hun taking care of him despite being his prisoner.
Contrary to receiving a smile, Gi-hun looked at him reproachfully, gesturing with his hands, pointing to the sandwich, and rolling his eyes in impatience.
“What, can I eat it or not?" asked In-ho for Gi-hun to nod, but he pointed to the shelves that had all kinds of ingredients, and made a negative sign towards the kitchen, “Oh, you say I don’t have any food. Gi-hun, I live alone, and at the very least, I was not ready to have the whole cupboard full, thinking that I was going to adopt the cutest merman to live with me.”
Gi-hun let out a shriek in surprise at those words coming from the fearsome Sea Sorcerer.
In-ho ignored how he had called Gi-hun to nod, “I’ll buy food tomorrow, you can write down what you need. I’m not the best cook, so don’t complain about my seasoning."
Gi-hun nodded to swim back to the kitchen, to eat his lunch, ready to make the grocery list, thinking that the Devil Sorcerer ate extremely badly to be the evil mind behind the deception of many evil beings.
With surprise, he admired how In-ho had lifted his mask to eat, turning his back to him, so Gi-hun had only made out In-ho’s profile, blushing as he contemplated how under that mask could hide someone so handsome.
Jun-ho had sent a letter, excited to hear that Gi-hun was at his brother’s house, saying could arrive in a few days if he swam nonstop.
In-ho scolded his brother for being an idiot, asking his partner Yoo, who was another merman that had a shark-like tail, to take better care of him. With annoyance, he even reminded Jun-ho that he had two small children to take care of now, so if they came to see him, they could take as much time as they needed.
Even his father, Il-Nam, who had been the real Sea Sorcerer before inheriting him three years earlier, was pleased.
And of course, the old man had included in his letter the comment that Gi-hun had liked him for himself. So he had better take care of him like a treasure.
After answering his family’s letters, In-ho swam to tell Gi-hun he was getting the food, only to find the room empty.
Disbelief turned to anger in In-ho, thinking that Gi-hun had abandoned him.
Angrily he thought of locking up the merman as soon as he brought him back, exiting through the secondary entrance that led to his home and not the store, finding Gi-hun returning swimming with sea flowers in his arms.
At the sight of him, contrary to his angry expression because of the mask, Gi-hun let out a squeal of surprise, to swim towards him, showing him some flowers and corals he had collected nearby.
In-ho felt sorry that he thought the worst of Gi-hun and gently stroked the head of the naïve merman, who looked at him in confusion.
“Give me your hand,” In-ho asked, to which Gi-hun offered his right hand, trusting the Sea Sorcerer completely. If In-ho wanted to harm him, he would have already done so the second he had returned from being on the surface.
In-ho simulated a ring with his index finger and thumb to run it over the ring finger of Gi-hun’s right hand, causing an iridescent stone ring to appear that seemed to glow in different colors.
“You are free to swim wherever you want as long as you are near me, but if you are in danger, this will protect you, use it all the time," asked In-ho thinking that another advantage was that he could feel Gi-hun’s presence wherever he was. “I’m going out for breakfast, stay at home, and don’t open up to anyone. I won’t be long.”
In-ho turned his back, ignoring the comforting feeling that he now had someone to welcome him home.
Gi-hun had stood with his face as red as his hair, admiring the ring that looked like a wedding ring.
As the days went by, it had to happen at some point.
A customer had spotted the colorful merman peeking into the store just as In-ho was making a deal with some poor sap.
Unfortunately, at that time, it had been an old friend of Gi-hun’s.
“Gi-hun?" asked Jung-bae, recognizing the merman who had stopped by the store to bring In-ho his freshly made lunch.
Gi-hun had turned around at once upon hearing his friend, before Jung-bae interrupted his contract signing, to hug Gi-hun. “Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you for months!”
Gi-hun smiled calmingly at his friend, noticing In-ho’s angry aura at the gray and black smoke enveloping the merman with the legs of a squid with opaque skin, simulating a gray and black hue, to shake his head at Jung-bae and stand in front of his friend.
“Gi-hun, he is a client." In-ho warned him as he recognized the gesture of protecting someone.
“What are you doing? Did you make a deal with him too?" asked Jung-bae in fright.
Gi-hun, however, looked with determination at the Sea Sorcerer, who seemed ready to close the deal he had with his friend.
“Gi-hun, I don’t look for silly mermen who want something as vain as money, only to lose it faster than a shark can detect blood in the water.
“Hey!" complained Jung- bae in reproach for being called a fool.
“He sought me out. So I give him whatever he wants," In-ho complained at the deal he was about to make.
Gi-hun folded his arms stubbornly, thinking that he should lower what In-ho would earn in exchange for helping his friend.
“Fine, I’ll lower the interest on whatever I lend him," In-ho grunted, snapping his fingers, and the contract on the parchment had changed.
Jung-bae, surprised by the conditions upon rereading them, gladly signed. “Well, with the term the Sea Devil has lent me, I’ll be able to resume my business and I’ll be able to pay without paying with my soul or something.”
Gi-hun thought that perhaps he would have negotiated his deal better, to sigh and return to his work of dropping off In-ho’s lunch, hidden from the customers’ view.
Jung-bae looked at his friend confirming that he was fine, even when wearing the cap that was more opaque than his friend’s taste, he looked healthier than ever.
With an attitude of camaraderie, he approached In-ho suspiciously. “My friend Gi-hun is an orphan. And although he is no longer a virgin, I hope you take good care of him, or I will come back for him as soon as I see him in bad shape.”
“What the hell are you talking about?" asked In-ho, looking for the money to lend to Gi-hun’s idiot friend, “Speak now, you fool!”
Jung-bae rolled his eyes to simulate that with his left hand putting a ring on his right hand. “You gave him an engagement ring, didn’t you? This a tradition, for us to wear a ring either from seaweed or coral since our engagement. Although I think you skipped giving him a jewel, as a request for a love relationship, anyway. Gi-hun even prepared lunch for you like a good wife. So I guess I wish you much happiness, and please invite me to the wedding and the birth of your first child. I know Gi-hun would have wanted more children besides Ga-yeong.”
In-ho was discomposed at so much information from Gi-hun that he didn’t know what to ask first, to take a breath and raise his voice and ask the first thing he thought of. “Who the hell is Ga-yeong?”
Jung-bae arched a confused eyebrow, “He didn’t tell you? Uh, she’s his daughter. Gi-hun gave birth to her about ten years ago, but he still misses her a lot. I’m convinced someone kicked him out of his clan for allegedly cheating on his wife. But since his former partner and Gi-hun never became formalized, but now she already has a husband and another child? Bullshit. If you ask me, that witch was the cheater, not my friend.”
In-ho was dumbfounded at that information to see through the window behind him, Gi-hun who was planting more seaweed, taking care of the ones that were decayed. Now the merman seemed pleased to have started with the gardening being an action In-ho had quickly thought of to entertain Gi-hun.
“I think many people thought Gi-hun would make a good husband when we grew up. Even I thought so after tasting his seasoning when I was a teenager,” Jung-bae admitted, without understanding the seriousness of his words.
“I will add a clause to your contract for saying that.”
“What? Why? We’re almost brothers-in-law! Gi-hun is like my brother,” complained Jung-bae pleadingly, before In-ho who had met a new pleasure thanks to Gi-hun: torturing the cute merman’s big mouth best friend, Jung-bae.
“Hyung!" swam Jun-ho exhaustedly entering the store days after making sure no customers were affecting the Sea Sorcerer’s integrity. In-ho turned to see his younger brother, who hugged him effusively after months of not seeing each other.
“Did you really swim all the way from the other hemisphere just to see your ‘childhood Savior’?" complained In-ho, offended, to see his brother’s partner, the fierce merman Yoo, swim even slower. “Wow, you slow, you swim now as a turtle.”
“And you’re still as horrible as a wart," the merman grinned mischievously at his brother-in-law.
Jun-ho decided to intervene. “Hey, don’t fight. For now, we must stay together as family,” he celebrated before noticing the absence of two younger mermen accompanying them.
His question hung in the air when they heard something break, then startled shrieks.
Swimming swiftly, In-ho reached his potion-making study to find Gi-hun stuck to the ceiling, fighting off a persistent baby merman. “Ppalkansaek, let go of Gi-hun.”
The toddler merman who had sharp teeth at his father Yoo’s inheritance, looked at his uncle In-ho shaking his head.
In-ho sighed to summon a child’s treat in his hand, causing the boy’s jaw to drop Gi-hun, before taking the dessert and swimming away from the scene.
“I’m so sorry about this. Oh no, wait, I think you have another intruder in the waiting,” laughed In-ho to remove from Gi-hun’s back the other boy, who had squid-like arms, similarly shaped to Jun-ho and him.
Gi-hun looked frightened and sore in both his tail and back.
“I think we’ll just use some of the medicine you’ve prepared. Take a seat, darling." In-ho gently held him by the arm to make him sit on a stool where he had been working. And after checking the potion Gi-hun had prepared, he put some of it on his fin and back. In-ho rummaged through the desk drawers to pull out seaweed and carefully bandage the merman, who looked confused about the newcomers.
“When have you ever seen your brother heal himself without using his magic?" asked merman Yoo in amusement, having noticed the attention the fearsome Sea Sorcerer was devoting to the merman.
“Never. I told you Gi-hun was special," Jun-ho admitted, looking at that with enormous joy at the thought that his older brother had finally found someone.
“I don’t know, your brother is so dumb that he needs encouragement to do something," complained Yoo, taking his other son, Bunhongsaek, who looked sorry he had attacked the merman from his back.
“If you stopped talking already, Gi-hun deserves an apology from your sons,” complained In-ho, noticing Gi-hun looking a little pale, so one of his tentacles helped him to hold his side.
“Nope," said Yoo, denying with a devilish smile.
“Why are you denying it? Our sons were misbehaving!" asked Jun-ho in confusion while In-ho tensed angrily beside Gi-hun.
“Hi Gi-hun, I’m Yoo. And this is my husband, Jun-ho. Brother of the dreaded Sea Devil. These are our kids, they’re just teething, so they bite everything. I’m sorry you were the victim of their bad habits. But I’m not sorry that I witnessed such an adorable scene that you’re practically married already. Congratulations!”
Gi-hun blushed at that half-apology, looking with a surprised gesture at the merman Yoo, even though he had the sharp teeth of a shark.
“And that’s the worst apology I’ve ever heard!" complained In-ho, trying not to use high-flown words in the presence of minors.
Jun-ho took his other son in his arms, who still looked sad for hurting Gi-hun.
The shark merman Yoo on his side smiled, swimming a little closer to point out the ring on Gi-hun’s hand, “In our community, this ring means promise, and since Gi-hun still wears it, he has accepted. So congratulations, cute brother-in-law.”
In-ho felt confused and nervous to look sideways at Gi-hun who rolled his eyes before falling unconscious, grabbing him with his eight arms, trying to see what had happened, “Gi-hun!”
“He looks like he got coral fever,” admitted the merman Yoo in a worried gesture, so Jun-ho came over to help his brother, who looked worried over the red-haired merman.
“Hyung, take care of him. We are your guests, don’t worry about us,” said Jun-ho to see that In-ho swam to his own chamber with Gi-hun protected by his arms, “Ugh, I think we came at a bad time.”
“Quite the opposite, honey. I think your brother just realized that he is now committed in a relationship” admitted merman Yoo, thinking that even if they had that game of hating each other, In-ho deserved to be happy and not be alone for the rest of their lives.
Gi-hun had apparently fallen ill after catching a fungus while collecting coral farther away from where he usually swam each morning.
In-ho stayed that day until sunset by the merman’s side, until the fever subsided, and Gi-hun rested, still wearing bandages from the bites of his naughty nephews.
When he returned to the living room, both children looked downcast, thinking they had made the pretty red merman sick.
“He’ll be alright, you’ll apologize to Gi-hun when he wakes up,” said Inho to the two twins, who nodded dejectedly, “We’d better get something to eat before I let you all starve,” said Inho, finally removing his obsidian mask.
“Ugh, why didn’t you take that thing off, terrifying hyung?" asked Yoo as he helped serve the food for everyone.
“Because this part at my job, sea parasite," In-ho complained before watching his brother hungrily taste some of what was being served. “Be careful, Jun-ho. This meal was made by Gi-hun earlier today.”
Jun-ho had immediately made a jubilant expression as soon as he tasted the food. “Hyung, marry Gi-hun already. Or I’m going to stay with him with how good this is!”
“Come again?”
“Excuse me?" asked the merman Yoo in a gesture of furious calmness.
“Oh come on, this is really good. Gi-hun can cook very well, you must take good care of him," Jun-ho complained without thinking that his consequences would make him sleep on the floor in the guest room of In-ho’s house.
In-ho had barely eaten a little dinner before returning to his bedroom, where Gi-hun was still sleeping. With sorrow, In-ho again put a cold compress with soothing essences on the merman’s head.
”If you say the word, I’ll give my brother-in-law what he deserves for badly raising my nephews," In-ho admitted wearily.
Gi-hun was waking up with an exhausted gesture to connect his gaze with the eyes of the Sea Devil.
In-ho smiled calmly as he inspected the merman, who seemed to be driving him crazy between his attentions and anxieties at getting sick. “Morning, Gi-hun. You gave me a scare, that’s why I mentioned to you not to go far from my territory, Gi-hun.”
Suddenly In-ho noticed how Gi-hun’s eyes gazed all over his face, and his eyes stopped on a mark on his right cheek, even Gi-hun had raised his hand to touch the wound.
In-ho stood stone-faced to walk away, putting his mask back on.
Gi-hun looked at him reproachfully to open his mouth, trying to say something, only letting out bubbles by conversation.
“You shouldn’t have seen me," In-ho lamented weakly as he hid in front of his mask.
Gi-hun snorted through his teeth to stand up fully, and stand until he was facing the Sea Sorcerer, ‘Why didn’t you tell me it was you, Young -Il?’
In-ho sighed, remembering at least twenty years ago when Gi-hun and he had been childhood friends. Despite being mermen with different lower limbs, Gi-hun didn’t turn away from him. Even if his father asked him to lie his real name to hide their lineage as beings of magic.
Gi-hun, being an explorer by nature, had wanted to learn about a recent shipwreck, being followed by the merman Young-Il even though he was three years younger than Gi-hun.
In the beginning, they had found unique treasures submerged in the ship.
Until they had found the white shark.
Gi-hun had managed to outwit him, to plan a quick escape.
Or so they thought, for the shark had caught In-ho in its jaws when they thought they were safe.
Gi-hun fought to free his friend until he managed to wound him in one of his eyes, and both children fled.
Gi-hun had not seen Young-Il never again after that day.
‘Do you hate me?" asked Gi-hun with his hands and a gesture of complete regret.
“No, when I was a kid it was hard to recover from my injuries, and wounds don’t heal at all. I actually got upset with the shark," In-ho confessed using a flick of his left wrist, showing his teeth scars on his squid arms. Including that one of them was missing a part of its limb. The most significant wound was the three lines of teeth he had torn on his left cheek.
‘That’s why you asked me to stay with you when I failed, it was a punishment for what I did to you’ expressed Gi-hun with pain at the thought that it had all been a failed plan from the start in trying to win Sang-woo.
“Actually, it’s what I always ask for in all my contracts. Some pay for it with their lives or some lands that they own, but with you... I didn’t think you would fail. You had little chance, but I thought the human would be too dumb not to fall in love with you," In- ho confessed sadly.
Gi-hun looked at the ring on his hand, thinking aloud ‘And now?’
In-ho thought it was time for Gi-hun to make his own decisions on equal terms, to summon the seashell that contained Gi-hun’s voice, “We still have a deal. Even though your soul belongs to me for eternity, I should have returned this to you long ago,” In-ho explained, releasing Gi-hun’s voice, returning to his vocal cords with a golden light.
Gi-hun put a hand to his throat to look at In-ho. “Young-Il”
In-ho was touched that his fake name was the first thing that Gi-hun had said with his voice back.
“You can call me In-ho. That has always been my name. You’ve even met my brother, his husband, and my nephews. So I have no more secrets to hide from you.”
Gi-hun was more than surprised at all the information so he couldn’t stand it any longer and hugged the man who had been one of his first childhood friends, and that even though Gi-hun had decided to change his voice for two pairs of human legs, In-ho had done nothing to actually harm him.
They still had many things to discuss between the two of them, but at least now Gi-hun understood who it had been with whom he had lived the last few months by his side.
In-ho swallowed saliva nervously at that embrace, hugging the merman that was his undoing.
While tritons could love and live in agony for the rest of their lives. A Sea Sorcerer could never fall in love unrequited, or he might lose his life over time.
TO BE CONTINUED.