Chapter 3 CHAPTER

"Where have you been?" I was met by mother with an eye-flaming fire, her loud voice booms the entire house, the water waved angrily.

I flinched and swam to hide behind father, too afraid to face mother's rage.

"Rose, calm down your voice. You didn't have to shout." father Jin defended me.

Mother folded her arms across her chest, still glaring at us. "Tell me Areum, where have you been? Did you see a human?"

I looked down and shook my head. "No mother."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

She swam towards me and gave me a warm hug, her fingers brushed my golden hair. "I'm so sorry, I was just protecting you. You know humans are selfish, they're the worst creature in the world." she whispered in my ear. "Do not hesitate to swim away when you see one, okay?"

I nodded, not absorbing everything she said because I know it was all lies. How can humans be the worst, when they were the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life like the man in that yacht.

I've also heard from one of my mermaid friend Pearly, that her cousin fell in love with a man she met on the seashore and she's now living happily in the land with that man.

But Chan said falling in love with a human is a mortal sin for us mermaids. What could be the punishment? I have to ask Pearly about this tomorrow.

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I was woken up by the phone ringing, my shell phone. "Hello?" I answered, my voice was hoarse.

"Areum!" Chan squealed. "Let's play, I'm here near the seashore!"

"What are you doing there?" I asked while I braid my hair using only one hand. "You know we're not allowed to get near the seashore."

"I saw a green seahorse and I followed him until I get here. I didn't know he went here to give birth, I thought we're going to play." I can see his mouth pouted and I smiled as I swam out of my bed room.

"Okay Chan, wait for me, I'll eat my meal fast." and I hung up.

As soon as I finished eating my breakfast, I knocked on my parent's bedroom door but there's no answer. I twisted the knob and found no one inside the room. Where did they go?

Well, I'll just get home early after playing so that mother won't scold me again. I smirked as I swam away from home, feeling excited to play near the seashore.

I saw Chan already waving at me, he was surrounded by small seahorses with different colors.

"Oh my god Chan, this is amazing!" I said and I started to dance with the baby seahorses.

"Yes Areum, they're so cute like me." he laughed happily, splashing water to the babies with his mouth.

The babies formed a circle around us as they dance with joy, their small squeals making their father watch them with proud on his face.

I decided to climb on the huge rock and settled myself as I sit on top while the babies and Chan looked up, waiting for me. I hummed a melodic song and started singing with all my heart.

My voice caught the attention of other fishes and they all floated in the water watching me with admiration and love in their eyes. They watched me like I was having a concert.

I was in the middle of my song when a deep voice of man interrupted me. My eyes widened, I wasted no time and jumped into the water.

"Hey Miss, wait!" I heard him say. I know it was a human even though I did not turn my back to check on him.

"Oh my god Areum, that was so close!" Chan said, his voice was trembling from nervousness. "Do you think he saw you?"

"I think I wasn't the one he's calling. He said hey! And hey isn't my name." I saw the fishes and sea horses scattered everywhere as they swam away in different directions. My concert was ruined.

"Oh okay, let's go to the sea garden?"

"No Chan, I'm going home. Mom didn't know I left the house."

Chan decided to go with me and when we're near the house, I heard mother and father talking, no they're arguing.

"Rose, Areum is old enough to go wherever she wants. Can you give her a freedom at least?" I heard father said, his voice was calm and cool.

"I was just protecting her! I don't want to see her repeating the same mistake I've done before." mother is yelling, she really can't control her emotions.

"Areum isn't you Rose, she's more matured than you!"

My eyes widened when mother slapped father across his face very hard, her eyes pooling with tears. "You don't tell me how to discipline my daughter!"

I can see the hurt in Father's eyes. "Really Rose? Your daughter only? I'm sorry, I'm sorry if you think I wasn't enough to be called as her father."

"Jin--I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

But father swam away from her. I hide through the seaweeds so that father won't see me. My heart broke as I watch him with tears in his eyes. It hurts to know that he wasn't my real father.

Who is my father then? Why did they hide it from me? I don't want another father, I only want father Jin. He was the best and will always be the best father for me.

"Areum," Chan said, I almost forgot he was with me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head and wiped the tears away from my face. I decided to follow father.

I saw him swimming in the left way, probably going to Uncle Cheol's house, his best friend. I watched them talk, I stayed far away, enough not to hear what they were talking about.

I waited some time before I decided to appear in front of them, father suddenly smiled when he saw me, pretending he was happy.

"Hi Areum, how are you?" Uncle Cheol greeted me, giving me a small smile.

"I'm fine Uncle," I answered before I turned to father. "Can I talk to father for a moment?" I asked without taking my eyes away from father.

Uncle Cheol looked on father and he nodded signaling him to go.

"Chan, let's go." Uncle Cheol ruffled my hair before he pulled Chan and swam away from us, giving us a little privacy.

"Wait Uncle Cheol, I want to be with Areum!"

I can still hear them arguing while they swim away.

"What is it that you want to talk about?" father smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

I swam closer and hugged him. "I love you father, you know that right?"

"Of course, and I love you too Areum, so much." he said hugging me back.

I pulled away and locked my eyes with him. "I heard you and mother talking earlier. Is it true?"

"What do you mean?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Is it true that you're not my real father?"

"Areum," he looked down, avoiding my gaze.

"Why did you hide it from me?" the tears I was holding streamed down my face and I sobbed even more when father hugged me again, pulling me into a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry Areum, but for me, you are mine. You are my daughter." his shoulders were shaking, sobbing silently.

If I would get a chance to choose another father, I would still choose him over and over again because he was the best father ever.

"Do you know who my real father is?" I asked holding his arms, begging to tell me the truth.

"Yes, but I am not in the position to tell you Areum, I'm sorry. "

I nodded, understanding him. "Ok then, I'm going to ask mother the truth."

I swam away but instead of heading towards home, I swam out through the gate of our kingdom making sure I wasn't being noticed by anyone. I need to think. I need a quiet place to think after I heard the truth about my life.

But why am I afraid to know the truth? All I need to do is talk to mother. I swam far away until I knew I was far from our place. I kept swimming for a good twenty minutes minutes until I realized I was pulled by the water into a much deeper end.

The part of the ocean where I can't see any mermaid, only fishes that I didn't know existed. Tears started to pool in my eyes. What did I do? What kind of place is this? All I could see was dark. I swam in no particular direction and that's when I saw something fell in my head.

I avoided the thing and continued swimming in the opposite direction but the rope pulled me up and up until I couldn't feel the water in me, until I could feel my tail turned into human legs. I was trapped in a net and I felt scared.

I closed my eyes when the warm of sunlight tickled my eyes and I heard murmurs around me. "Dude, did you just catch a dead woman?"

"I don't know, I thought it was a big fish!"

"Maybe she was killed and thrown her into the water!"

"Check on her pulse! Maybe she's still alive!"

I held my breath when someone brought a finger to my nose, I pretended to be dead, I could still hear mother's words, "humans were the worst creature in the world!" I didn't believe in her but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"She's dead!"

"What should we do now?"

"Throw her on the surface, who knows if she wakes up?"

"Yeah, good idea!"

No please, just throw me back under water, to my place, to where I belong!

But they placed my naked body near the shore by the sand and I kept my eyes closed. Being on the land makes me weaker. I saw the water waved and I crawled towards it, reaching hardly on the water but my body felt so weak.

What am I going to do now? How would I swim back to mother, father and Chan. Oh god, I missed them already. Tears blurred my vision as I watch the water waved at me, telling me to come nearer but I can't and I couldn't do anything.

I cried and cried until I felt my body passing out and everything blacked out.