"The ship will soon be docking at Geoyeo Island...
Passengers disembarking at Geoyeo Island, please prepare to leave and make sure you don't forget any belongings..."
By the time they arrived at Geoyeo Island, it was already afternoon.
After about two hours of sailing, as the ferry docked at the pier, Jaegyeom, Yoon Taehee, and Shin Jihye prepared to disembark. Yoon Taehee, who had taken a short nap and woken up, seemed to have recovered quite well, his complexion much improved.
As they set foot on the island, dazzling sunlight greeted the three.
The moment they stepped onto the island, the distinctive salty, fishy smell of the sea wafted strongly.
Geoyeo Island was a small island at the southernmost tip of the archipelago, known only to those familiar with it. The island had about forty households of residents.
Several fishing boats were docked at the pier, and tangled nets, broken buoys, and discarded tires were strewn about. The sight of seagulls waddling along the breakwater created a quaint and peaceful scene.
It was a quiet and beautiful island.
"So where do we go now?"
This was Shin Jihye's second visit to Geoyeo Island.
Having been here once before with her mother, she tried to recall her memory to guide them.
"I think we went around that way, to the back of the island."
Shin Jihye pointed in a direction. She had been wearing an expression of excitement since earlier.
Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee walked side by side, pushing Shin Jihye's wheelchair. As the three passed by, clearly outsiders judging by their attire, the fishermen at work glanced at them.
After walking for quite some time, they arrived at the edge of the island.
"Now I remember! This is it!"
As they reached the back of the island, a majestic cliff carved by sea winds stretched out before them. Unlike the warm impression of the pier, this area received little sunlight and had a strong shaded atmosphere.
Compared to the calm sea at the front, the waves here were fierce, and strong sea winds blew. The ground was covered with pebbles, making the path rough and uneven. Waves crashed and retreated repeatedly between large and small rocks.
Shin Jihye, looking at the sea with a strangely excited expression, said:
"There! That's it!"
In the direction she pointed, there was a narrow gorge like a strait between the split cliff and a rocky island.
Originating from an old legend of a dragon passing through, it was called Yongso-gol' among the islanders.
Yongso-gol was a place rarely visited even by the island's fishermen, let alone anglers, due to its frequent whirlpools and strong currents.
"When I came to my hometown with my mom before, we dove through that cliff and swam through the whirlpool. They said only a mermaid could pass through it."
Therefore, they couldn't accompany her from here. It was time to part ways.
"I'll leave right away then."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shin Jihye removed the blanket covering her legs. Her legs, hidden under the blanket, were now completely fused together, and both feet had merged into one, resembling a fish's tail.
"Are you sure you're okay to leave right away? Won't you be tired?"
"I'm fine."
Although both Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee were slightly tired from the long journey, she seemed to be overflowing with energy. "I guess a mermaid is still a mermaid, even if only half," she said with a chuckle.
Living in the city, she hadn't realized it, but the closer she got to the sea, the more energized she felt and the better her mood became.
"It might take a day if I'm fast, or up to two or three days if I'm slow. But I'll try to come back as quickly as possible. Don't cause any trouble and wait quietly"
After giving her instructions, Shin Jihye took off her outer clothes. She had already worn a rash guard underneath. She had been fully prepared from the moment they set out. After quickly changing, she asked Yoon Taehee for her carrier. Finally, she turned off her mobile phone, put it in a waterproof ziplock bag, and sealed it tightly. She needed a way to contact the two when she returned to land. As she couldn't move around in her mermaid form, she would need to call Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee back here.
"Hide the carrier and wheelchair well between the rocks so others can't see them. It would be troublesome if passersby get suspicious. Oh, and be especially careful with the carrier. It has my change of clothes, tablet, and Bluetooth earphones inside. Don't let them get wet or damaged. If anything happens to them, it's all your fault."
Shin Jihye gave her instructions with a prim expression, arms crossed.
"..."
Yoon Taehee nodded with a slight smile.
"It won't happen, but if anything gets damaged, I'll buy you new ones."
Readily promising to take care of things, he found a suitable rock where waves wouldn't reach and wedged Shin Jihye's phone in its ziplock bag into a crevice.
"I'll leave your phone here for now. Please contact us as soon as you return."
"Alright."
With those final words, Shin Jihye, sitting in her wheelchair, untied her tightly bound hair and threw herself off the rock into the water below. Jaegyeom
looked slightly startled at her bold entry. With a splash, a spray of water rose.
Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee fixed their gaze on the spot where Shin Jihye had dived in. Soon, she surfaced, pushing her long, wet hair back and smiling brightly. Her expression showed a sense of liberation.
"Well then, I'm off!"
Shin Jihye waved her arms enthusiastically towards the two.
"Take care."
"We'll be waiting."
Finally, mermaid Shin Jihye began swimming towards Yongso-gol. Her beautiful scales reflected in the water, emitting rainbow-like light that changed moment by moment.
And just like that, she disappeared into the deep sea in the blink of an eye.
All that remained in her wake were gentle waves.
Jaegyeom stared blankly at the trail Shin Jihye had left behind and muttered to himself.
"Amazing. It's my first time seeing a mermaid in person."
There was nothing more he and Yoon Taehee could do now. All that remained was to wait until Shin Jihye returned with the mermaid. Jaegyeom clenched his fist.
At this moment, he realized he was hopeful.
In just a day or two, he might have a clue to escape this wearisome life of immortality. Even though he hadn't decided what to do after being freed from the curse, Jaegyeom was unconsciously looking forward to the moment of breaking free from these shackle, His heart couldn't help but pound.
However, he suddenly felt conflicting emotions - while hoping for Shin Jihye's quick return, a part of him also wished she would never come back.
"..."
Jaegyeom's eyes slowly sank.
This was why he hated having expectations. When a heart inflated with hope deflates, only emptiness and helplessness remain in its void. The infinitely expanded heart shrivels up pitifully. If you never expect anything from the start, there's nothing to get hurt over or be disappointed about, but knowing this, he foolishly hopes every time.
Suddenly, he felt anxious. What if, after coming all this way, this curse had nothing to do with mermaids?
What if nothing changes, and they only realize the hopeless fact that this curse cannot be broken...
At that moment, a large warmth caressed the back of his head.
"It's okay, everything."
As if he had read Jaegyeom's mind, Yoon Taehee said.
Jaegyeom looked at him with a start. As their eyes met, Yoon Taehee slowly closed and opened his eyes. It's okay, everything. Hearing those words, amazingly, it felt as if his anxiously jumping heart calmed in an instant. The two stood there for a while, just looking at each other.
'Seven-seven, it's not wrong to expect something. Well, of course, if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed. But I think we should keep living with expectations...'
Suddenly, words Lim Hyomoon had once said came to mind.
"..."
Despite everything, Lim Hyomoon had said we should continue living with expectations. Jaegyeom suddenly turned his head to look at the horizon. Then Yoon
Taehee spoke in a low voice.
"Shall we go?"
"...Yeah."
Having safely seen Shin Jihye off, the two slowly began to walk.
As Shin Jihye had instructed, Yoon Taehee folded the wheelchair and placed it along with the carrier in a hidden corner of the cliff. The two decided to circle back halfway around the island to return to the pier area. It would take a few days for her to return, so they needed to find a place to stay first.
***
Geoyeo Island was much smaller than they had thought.
Being a quiet island without many inhabitants, most of the shops were clustered around the pier. Returning to the pier, the two looked at the row of shops. There was a fishing gear store, a raw fish restaurant, and a hole-in-the-wall shop that looked no different from an ordinary Western-style house. However, the worn-out sign on the hole-in-the-wall shop read 'Lodging Available', suggesting it also served as a guesthouse.
Yoon Taehee headed towards the hole-in-the-wall shop without hesitation. Jaegyeom followed him, who opened the sliding door and entered. He figured Yoon Taehee would handle things well enough without him needing to step in.
"Is anyone here?"
However, there wasn't a single person inside the shop.
"Excuse me?"
Yoon Taehee called out once more. Then, the sliding door inside the shop opened, and an elderly woman with permed hair emerged from what looked like an ordinary house. Behind the old woman, whose back was half-bent, a young child peeked out, looking at Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee.
"Hello, we'd like to stay for a day or two..."
Yoon Taehee politely greeted them and stated their business.
"Yes, yes."
The old woman nodded in response to the question about lodging availability. Fortunately, it seemed there was a vacant room. At that moment, the child standing
behind the old woman tugged at her loose pants and whispered something in her ear. The child, missing front teeth, looked to be about six or seven years old.
"Mmm, they're gentlemen from the mainland staying for a few days."
Judging from the old woman's answer, it seemed the child had been curious about who they were. Yoon Taehee smiled gently and bent down to meet the child's eyes.
"Hello there?"
Yoon Taehee greeted. The child, seeming shy, briefly hid their face behind the old woman's back before answering in a small voice.
"Hello.."
"How old are you?"
"Seven years old..."
"Seven? You'll be going to school next year then."
He asked with a gentle smile.
"May I pat your head?"
The child squirmed a bit before giving a slight nod.
Yoon Taehee smiled and patted the child's head a couple of times with his large hand.
"Your hair pin is cute. What's your name?"
"Kim Siwoo..."
"Siwoo? That's a cool name."
Perhaps due to missing baby teeth, the child's pronunciation was a bit off when speaking. Yoon Taehee was reminded of Yeon-ok while looking at Siwoo. And while Jaegyeom was thinking of Mesani,
He's always so kind to children.
The thought suddenly slipped into his mind.
"..."
Jaegyeom gazed at Yoon Taehee, who was crouched in front of the child.
"This is my grandchild."
The old woman explained that Siwoo was her grandchild, and that the child's parents were currently living in the city but had left the child here for a few months due to some circumstances.
I see... Jaegyeom stood a step back, not directly engaging in the conversation.
"But what brings you to this island? It's mostly old men coming for fishing, what could two young fellows like you find to see here?"
To the old woman's question, Yoon Taehee vaguely answered that they came for a quiet vacation.
Fortunately, the old woman didn't press further.
"So, is it possible to stay at your place?"
When Yoon Taehee asked politely, the old woman replied:
"We do have a spare room, but if it's too cramped for two big fellas like you, there's an empty house up yonder you could use."
"An empty house?"
The old woman nodded, hands behind her back. She explained that if they went up a bit from this house, there was a mud house on a sloped alley. They had lived there until about a decade ago, but over time, they built this new Western-style house here.
"It's an old house, so it's a bit worn, but it has two rooms."
The choice was between sharing a room here in this Western-style house, or renting the entire old mud house separate from this one and having two rooms.
As Jaegyeom was pondering this,
At that moment, regardless of his thoughts, Yoon Taehee answered without hesitation.
"We'll take the whole house, please."