Chapter 57 - Sworn off love
The night slipped away too quickly, but Kui still couldn't shake the question that haunted his mind. "Will he let you go?" He had thought of escaping so many times, but the fear of what came after gripped him. "What if Guilin goes mad, just like Aok said? What if he hunts me down and captures me again?"
His mind spiraled, filled with a torrent of negative thoughts. Sighing deeply, his gaze wandered to the little mer.
Aok was sitting in his usual corner, but this time, his eyes were fixed on Kui.
"Which fish do you want for breakfast?" Kui asked softly, pointing to the two types of trout swimming nearby. The younger fish always tasted the best, but he knew the little mer preferred the older, larger ones.
Aok blew a bunch of bubbles in his direction and then turned away.
Kui frowned. He had only swatted the kid's tail twice, and now he wouldn't even speak to him. Silently, Kui swam around, catching the fish. He cleaned and deboned them meticulously before offering the meal to the mer.
Aok glanced at him, then completely turned his back, facing the fake rocky walls of the pool.
"You can be angry at me," Kui muttered, "but don't be mad at the food. Eat something. We need to keep up our strength if we're going to escape this place."
The little mer suddenly spun around, eyes narrowing. "You want to leave? No lingering feelings for that human?"
"No! I've been trying to tell you that all night. I don't feel anything for him!" Kui's voice carried an edge, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
"Oh." Aok's lips curved into a smile. He plucked the fish from Kui's hand and began to eat gracefully. "I guess you do have good taste in men."
"Ugh, no. I actually have terrible taste," Kui mumbled, his thoughts drifting to his ex-lover.
The soft murmur didn't escape Aok's sharp ears.
The mer sat up straight, his eyes probing. "You've had lovers?" His voice was curious, almost prying.
Kui gave a small, bitter smile. "Just one... but a lousy one. Now I've sworn off love. I'm just going to live for myself, create art, and grow old happily with a cat."
Aok eyed him up and down, disbelief flashing in his gaze. "One failed love and you're done? What did that man do to you?"
Kui sighed, his chest tightening as the memories resurfaced. "That man broke my heart... shattered it into pieces."
Aok's gaze remained steady, his usual serious expression deepening as he processed Kui's words. He didn't flinch or look away, but there was a subtle shift in his posture, almost imperceptible, as though Kui's pain had struck a chord within him.
"You say you've written off love... as if it's that simple," Aok's voice was calm, but there was a weight to his words. "But hearts don't stay shattered forever, Kui. Even if they're broken."
He paused, his eyes lingering on Kui's face, an unspoken intensity in his gaze. A hint of something deeper—something he hadn't acknowledged before—began to stir within him, but he kept it tightly controlled.
"What did that man do to you?" Aok asked, his voice quieter now, more personal. There was no judgment, only a solemn curiosity. But beneath it, just barely detectable, there was a protective edge—a faint hint of something he wasn't ready to admit.
The slight frown on his lips softened, if only for a moment, as he waited for Kui's response.
Kui took a deep breath. "He stole everything I cared about and left me a hollow shell of a person. Everything that was mine became his." His heart clenched with that memory.
He gazed at his wrist that was unmarred.
"I... I wanted to kill myself."
Kui snapped out of it with a smile. "I was kidding..."
Why am I telling a kid that? Shit…
"I was only joking, okay? Don't take it seriously."
But looking at Aok's eyes, he could see rage and fury bubbling in them. "You wanted to give up on life for a lousy man! Tell me who he is! I'll make sure he will not see the light of day!"
Kui chuckled. "I'm pretty sure he is living a very bad life."
After all, killing him was the worst decision his ex had made. He is probably in jail serving for a lifetime for his sins.