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the air, salty but cold, makes gyuvin shiver— chills running across his skin as he shifts his position on the rock he's perched on, re-adjusting the looking-glass in his hands.
the apparatus is pointed towards the ocean, specifically onto an array of rocks broken off the small ledge of earth into the ocean. he himself is crouched, legs numb as he waits in the moonlight, the world around him long gone to sleep.
it's a lonely life as a fisherman, his only interactions were with his family. an ill younger brother, eager to learn the tricks of the trade, an older one who passed down his skills to gyuvin; no parents, long passed onto the next life. the three of them fish, trade, and sell in the tiny village near the wharf, making a living.
if only the fishing seasons were more plentiful. his parents, god bless their souls, could've afforded medicine when the illness struck the tiny village, and poor yujin's health would've been much better than it was now after the illness ran its course through his tiny body. both gyuvin and hanbin considered themselves lucky to have never fallen ill, though there was some sort of curse having been so young and aiding to their parent’s last moments.
hanbin never had any answers for gyuvin's questions about why the fishing seemed to be less plentiful year after year, even if they follow everything their father taught them about their trade. it’s not enough to sustain them as the price of yujin's medicine gets more expensive, and sacrifices must be made. however, there's only so much the two older brothers can do, so that is why gyuvin is here while the rest of his family sleeps soundly.
there is one thing that gyuvin never forgot from his parent’s teachings; a story passed down by the ancestors in their village: the pincoya, a mermaid water spirit with the power to predict the bountifulness of the fishing season. she stands there, near the shore where the waves crash against the rocks, dancing. if she faces the shores, it'll be bountiful. if not…
gyuvin doesn't know if he believes. but his livelihood is the sole job that keeps his family alive, and he has to take the risk of seeing the pincoya, even if she hasn’t been spotted for decades. he’s asked around enough to know it.
another round of waves crash into the rocks, snapping him back to reality as a gold glow catches his gaze, body freezing once he sees a figure creep up to the rocks, and begins to dance in the direction of—
the spyglass slips from his hands— tumbling down, down, splashing into the water with a cry that leaves his lips. gyuvin pushes himself over to catch it, and in the next second, finds himself submerged in cold, cold water. a wave rolls in, and catches him, confusing his sense of direction. it prevents him from taking a breath and the boy feels himself start to lose oxygen, desperately trying to right himself. instead of taking a gulp of air, gyuvin swallows ocean water, starting to sink down as the fight fades from his body and his vision fades to black.
he finds himself on shore, a bright, golden light beside him making him shield his eyes as he gasps for breath, coughing up ocean water, finally looking at the figure in front of him.
there, a beautiful man with the longest blonde hair gyuvin's ever seen, eyes deep brown as he holds out an open clam shell with a pearl for him to take.
“for you,”
he says— gyuvin feels his cheeks warm as he takes the clam. “
provide for your family.”
his eyes are transfixed on the clam and the pearl sitting so perfectly inside it; this treasure could feed them for months, buy medicine for months. still, gyuvin looks up from the clam at the mermaid's expectant face, and swallows.
he can’t form the words. faced with the pincoya’s existence is too much to process, but.. his family. yujin, hanbin. the pearl can only do so much.
“what direction did you dance in?” he hears himself speak shakily, thumbing the ridges of the clam slowly. “i’m forever grateful. this gift will sustain my family for some time, but it's not permanent.”
At his question, the pincoya tilts his head, then smiles.
“the shores,” the mermaid answers, pushing some of his hair back off his face, to smile more clearly to gyuvin. “i danced towards the shores.”
at his reply, gyuvin grips the clam further, a feeling of relief flooding his chest when he hears the blessing the mermaid has given them. “thank you,” he reveres, thankfulness evident in how he stresses his words. “thank you.”
no one could ever believe him saying that he met the pincoya that day; a beautiful mermaid with a face he’d never forget. he gracefully slipped back into the ocean to swim away once he was done helping gyuvin, but nevertheless, his gift of abundance and the pearl sustained the family for many months— helping yujin heal, and take the load off of hanbin's back for a while.
almost a year later, as gyuvin mends to his nets on the wharf, he hears steps in front of him and looks up, caught off guard by a familiar face that makes his heart race a little faster.
an otherworldly beautiful man, with long golden blonde hair, smiles down at him, then sits down next to him like it’s something he's always done. the closeness makes gyuvin’s heart skip a beat as the man moves even closer, parting his plush lips to speak.
“i’m quanrui,” he says, tilting his head slowly. “you?”
“gyuvin,” gyuvin answers, eyes glued to quanrui’s deep dark eyes. “kim gyuvin.”
finally knowing his name, quanrui smiles again, and begins to help him with the netting.