'Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.'

- Lao Tzu

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Y/N's POV:

Well, hello water. Nice to see we're still friends.

Wait.

I'm in water, again?

I'M GOING TO DIE.

I swim to the surface, a lot faster than normal, my legs-

Wait.

Let's like, back up, for one second.

I look down at my feet, but, well...

There's no feet. Instead, I am now a half fish.

"Oh come on," I speak under the tides, bubbles coming out of my mouth as I breathe in; as if I'm out of the water, not in the middle of it.

I highly enjoy and love this movie with all my heart, but come on, did you have to make me a red headed half fish? Ahem, I mean mermaid. It's pretty and all, but I sort of hate the taste of...

Salt.

I don't even know which part of the story I'm in... And how about those notes? The clues? Are they water proof now? Or are they going to give a note on solid hard wood? Rock maybe?

I'd love to see writing etched on a shell, maybe it could finally look presentable again.

I swear, if I see fishes forming words, I'll be convinced god has sent me on some quest or something.

"Oh, I can talk too! Great, can I talk to sharks as well?" I talk to myself, like the sane person I am. I flap my tail, and sort of failing to swim. But after a while, with my amazing swimming skills I reach it to the top, the night sky above me, as I'm above the water.

Wow. It's really pretty if I'm going to be honest. It makes me forget that I still need to tick off the person on my list, someone I need to kindly talk to.

Park Jimin shall die at my hands, metaphorically of course. But if blood must be shed, it will be. Kidding... Sort of?

Schools of fish swim past my legs, almost glancing to greet me. Right, I'm Ariel. Alright. Okay. This is normal. I'm only a mermaid. Yep.

A ship moves past, the wooden vessel flowing down the salt water. The taste of the water on my tongue is unpleasant, as it enters my mouth due to the unexpected waves.

Alright, cue the 'time to save Eric' scene and the 'eavesdrop on humans' part.

I awkwardly swim my way over to the little gap, so then you know, I can casually stalk everyone on the ship like the normal person, ahem, mermaid I am.

Water seems to clog my ears, all the talking fuzzy in my head, but that doesn't matter. I don't care about what they're saying anyways, all I need to do is save the Prince, yes, another hero moment for me!

"Prince Eric, have you found a woman you want to marry yet?" Some old guy asks, a familiar face creeping into my view.

Of course, Park Jimin takes role of the prince once again. But despite my hate for him, my eyes can't lie, he looks great in that prince wear.

I honestly think he fits the prince image, but I fit the queen image. Yeah, I'm very confident when I'm alone, aren't I? I'm becoming delusional, talking to myself again. I suppose a break is needed though.

"I've found someone, I think," I hear him say to the grey haired man, as he paces on the deck. His fingers run through his hair again, his signature move, fixing the strands.

And he almost looks at me, glancing at the floor as I hide. But something in me feels like he saw me. Of course, he's good at everything now isn't he? Ah, he's probably just familiar with the story, don't be too mean to him Y/N. You are a civilised person, mermaid, whatever.

I yawn, and in the blink of an eye, something happens as the ship practically... Dies, so to speak.

Alright, Save Jimin Part Two.

I dive down back into the waters, searching for his body, knowing very well that he can swim. But of course, this world just has to make everything harder by putting his feet in a net as he struggles to get out.

So I rush over, removing the tangled net from his legs, as his head droops down, eyes closing. I don't panic, hoping this world wouldn't let him die before I get the chance to do it myself.

Sorry. No time for jokes, okay.

I grip his body, making my way to the shore. Come on Park, you can't die like this, please make it, for me.

I curse, as I grimace at the fact I may have to do mouth to mouth. Be mature, be mature.

I give him CPR, as I attempt to clear his airways and breathe air into him. A small feeling of déjà vu runs through me, realising he once did this for me too, and now it's my turn.

"Come on Park, wake up okay? I'll listen to your stupid reasonings for leaving me if you wake up, alright?" I tear up. No matter how much he hurts me, this toxic relationship choking me, he's still my former best friend. Whether that friendship was ever real to him or not.

He chokes out a lot of water, eyes still shut as I contemplate on following the story and mysteriously swimming away, or staying by his side. I was about to swim away, let him feel the pain of being left alone, abandoned with no reason or words of reassurance, but I found no joy in that, as I laid next to his soaked figure.

"Y/N. You saved me?" He asks, his body slowly rising like a cake in an oven, as he looks at my uncanny tail.

"Well, of course I saved you. Not that I really wanted to... Kidding, okay, I somewhat care for you, plus I need to survive and to be honest, to do that I need you," I blabber, half of what I said unnecessary, but I needed to get it out.

"Well then, thanks a lot. I can swim, but that net really gripped onto me. And I'm not joking, it's like it was grabbing my leg," He informs, stretching his arms like a hair tie.

"Gripped?" I asked confusedly, wondering if he experienced something similar to me like in the bluebeard chapter.

"Yeah, it tugged me down. No matter how hard I tried rising up... It just wouldn't work," He sighs, putting his arms on his lap, resting and catching his breath.

"Well uhm, I guess I should follow the story and find that old hag," I say, leaping back to the water. "I mean, flattering young sea witch." And I bet she's as salty as the sea itself.

"You're a red head now?"

"I am? Oh, right, I am. I guess so. Do I look good?" I ask, genuinely wanting his opinion.

"Yeah. You look good, but your original hair is better," He admits.

"Wait, Park!" I call, suppressing my inner anger towards him once again.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget... We can't talk in this story, well, I can't. You know, lost voice and all that? So Park, don't you dare fall under the sea hags spell," I joke, trying to lighten the mood and tension between us. We can always sort it out and argue later, right?

"Alright, visit the bay here frequently, K?" I ask, making sure we have a game plan for this.

"Yes, your ocean highness," He bows, chuckling at his random gesture. Ocean highness? Is that even thing? Knowing him, it probably isn't.

I dive back to the water, noticing a little red crab, Sebastian I presume.

"Ariel!" He hisses, eyes bulging out of its sockets.

"Did you just reveal yourself to a human?!" He panics, the volume of his voice raising the deeper we go into water. I just laugh, twirling in circles under the sea.

"Your father... He's going to kill you," He worries, a look filled with concern masked onto his face, as it fades away slowly, to slight anger.

The creatures blood boils, disappointed emotions bubbling inside. "I know he'll kill me! But it's okay bestie!" I say, acting like I've gone insane, but honestly, I kind of did.

Even though I'm nowhere near bells, something rings in my ears, probably from the amount of water surrounding me. A cacophony of deafening bells is all I hear, reminding me of the day of my aunt's wedding to be specific.

The water, it's not murky, but quite transparent, fishes and sea life thriving under the waves. The substance that surrounds me is briny, as I peek up to the land, estuarine shores leading to these exact waters.

It isn't stagnant though, despite it's disgusting taste, like over-salted and blended fries.

It's like paradise, making me envy the sea life down in the waters, as I glide above, wind blowing onto my face like an electric fan.

I swim far away from Sebastian, a small lingering feeling of guilt for leaving him. But, I don't seek the castle nor my little cave of treasures, I seek the sea hags... Home, although, her home isn't exactly a nice one. No family, no love nor safety, no warm feeling.

Just, blank nothingness. Unless you count flexie and jetsie... More commonly known as, Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's nefarious minions.

I continue on my way, passing sharks and whatnot, taking in the sight, really absorbing every little bit of it.

But, I wonder what he's doing. Ah, probably doing something dumb again.

Wait...

Is that the little eels I'm looking for?

There's two of them, and they're high-key ugly. Yep, definitely Flip Flop and Jet Jot.

I swim to them, hoping they're the correct eels. "Hey are you Flotsam and Jetsam?" I ask, assuming they're the pair of sea life I was looking for.

"No, but hey, aren't you Ariel?" One of the eels turn and say. "Uhm, Oh! Yes! I am!" I say, tucking a red lock of hair behind my ear, giving them eye contact.

"Tell King Triton we love him and he's a great ruler!" They beam, swimming away happily. Wrong eels.

But I feel tampering in the water behind me, as I feel air brush past me.

"Well well, look what we have here... A sad, wimping little princess..." One of the eels said, slithering around me peculiarly, examining my every move.

"Why were you crying sweetheart?" The other eel asks, the question rolling out of his mouth. Or they. Or she? Should've just stuck to 'it' instead.

"Hey eel, what's your pronouns?" I ask, ignoring his previous question.

"What do you mean?" The eel shoots back a question.

"Uhm, nevermind. I wasn't crying though?" I state, unsure of how they thought I was crying. Ah, they must be blind or something like that.

"Well then, why is your face in a pout?"

"Because it can."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Kidding, I'm just... I saw a human, and I felt something between us," I dramatically clutch onto my chest, my hair flowing around my head like sea weed.

"Would you like help with that then?" It asks, passing through underneath my arms, their stench filling the insides of my nostrils. Their scales need a new scalecare routine...

"Help? Yes, please, help me."

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I arrive at the cave, darkness meeting my eyes.

"Well? Come in," They say smoothly in unison, slithering their way inside the cave. I swim in, mindlessly holding my breath, anticipating the sight I'll see.

And there she is, tentacles and everything. Bright red lipstick, olympic blue eyeshadow and pale skin. She's scarier in real life, yikes. Needs a glow up, and she needs it now.

"Well hello dear," She starts, making her way over to me.

"What's a pretty face like you doing over here? And sweetie, what's your name?" She asks, acting like she's the undersea fairy godmother without the fairy part. She talks as if she doesn't already know who I am.

"Well, I think I fell in love with... A human, my name's Ariel by the way," I inform, putting on the most believable facial expression I could.

Somehow, even though I'm underwater, I can still feel it vividly, the tear dropping down my salt water stained cheeks, acting as if I've been through six divorces in a a year.

"Oh darling, no no no, that can't be?" She says in shock, mouth agape, eyes popping out. Not so glamorous.

"It's true," I sniffle. I'm over doing it aren't I? Oh well, melodrama here we go.

"I felt a connection between me and him... I just, want to talk to him again," I admit, which is partially true. See? No lies here, honesty is the best policy. But I don't think Jimin got that in his head when we got here, did he?

"Well, what if I say I can make your dreams come true?" Yeah. You can't. But my nightmares? You could be successful in doing that instead.

Try me.

"Really?" I wipe this time a fake tear, as my sulking mood lightens and I fix my posture.

"Well of course, after all, I'm Ursula darling," She shakes her hips, preparing for her singing moment.

"Well, darling, if you don't mind, could we skip the song?" I ask, uninterested in hearing the real life Poor Unfortunate Souls song. Although, it is fun to sing, I just need to cut down time.

"How did you know?" Her face glows, glows in anger.

"Uhm, these days in the castle many people sing. I thought that the karaoke trend might've swam to you by now?" I cover it up, trying to not give up my identity.

Oh great. She looks a bit suspicious. Yeah. I messed up. Nice to know.

"I see... Well then, if so, lets get straight to the point then."

She grabs a scroll and pen, the eels hiding in the corner getting the invisible popcorn and watching us, you know, like the low-key creeps they are.

"Everything comes with a price though, Ariel," She clicks her tongue, squeezing me with a tentacle. Hello? Haven't you heard of social distancing and introversion? Okay I know there's no pandemic and I'm more of an extrovert, but like, woman, give me my space.

Sorry, wrong word. I meant witch, not woman. You don't deserve the title.

"What's the price?" I ask.

"Your voice..."

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Jimin's POV:

I know, I'm dumb. I get it. It's too early in the story to wait for her to walk on shore. Pretty sure she needs to get scolded and meet Ms. Tentacle first, but I can't help but feel drawn to the water.

I just, need that one on one talk with her. It's been so long, I have to explain everything. But, of course, something keeps separating us or blocking my chance. Maybe if I told her straight away. Maybe it would all be fine. But I just had to be like that and hide the biggest secret from her. I just made it worse. Of course I did.

I try finding someone to shift the blame to, to take away the pain of knowing it's all my fault, all my wrong doings. But, I realise it doesn't bring me happiness, yet, more guilt. Y/N. I messed up, I'm sorry. Forgive me.

I plan out conversations in my head, how she might react. One option is well...

"Jimin, it's okay, I forgive you. Let's be friends again?"

But, I believe the next option is more believable. "Park," She scoffs, rolling her eyes like a bowling ball aiming for a strike. "You think I'm going to believe you? You're serious? I don't trust you, I hate you. Once we're out of this place, let's never see eachother again."

And the fact she could say that, shatters me like an already cracked mirror, the shards pressing in to my heart as it tears my flesh apart leaving nothing but deep red blood. It seeps out of the wounds, a never-ending cycle of pain.

Like a woman's period, but maybe worse.

I'm in the castle, talking to one of the guys here. As always, it's decorated spectacularly, something else to add to my list of surreal sights. Oh! And those notes? They're getting better and better.

'I give up with being cryptic. Just follow the story until you are extracted.'

What is this? A survival show? No.

"Do you know how she looks like?" One of the men asks, taking me out of my own head. "Huh? Oh yeah..."

Ah, I have to follow the story. No honesty here. Alright. Honesty is no longer the best policy. "Yeah, no. I couldn't hear her or see her. Wait, I mean, I heard her voice. She serenaded for me, a pretty song..." I almost messed up there. I'm tired, I need sleep.

"Well then, we should try finding her. She saved your life, and she deserves a large reward for saving the thrones heir, your highness," He bows, making his way to an office. I slip past, greeting the guards. I almost attempt to high five them. But then I remember, they're guards and we're not in present day.

"Good work gentleman," I compliment, as I adjust my posture and walk back to the beach, waiting for her once again.

The wind blows, like someone blowing a whistle it goes past, echoing in my ears. The waves blend in with this sound, and it crashes down onto my feet, the soles of my shoes becoming wet. The water has a tint of blue from the bright sky, the colour of celeste covering me, clouds no where in my vision.

I spot a large pointed shell on the beach... I swear, it wasn't there last time. It had tints of lilac on it, creamy white as the base colour. Huh, weird.

I sit down on a rock, as I plan to wait for her a little longer. I take in the vibes and sight, feeling relaxed in a paradise. She would love this... She must be enjoying this story so far.

Well, most of it.

A seagull passes over me, flapping its wings as it goes south. The breezes continue, as my skin in cooled down despite the sun being fully exposed to the world.

It glimmers in my eyes, reflecting off the crystalline waters, positive memories twirling around in my head. They're priceless moments... And they're all with her...

Soon, a body emerges from the water, red hair peaking out and walking on shore...

"Y/N... You can walk..."

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Word Count:

➪ 3127 Words ☕︎

A/N: This was another filler, introducing the story! It'll only be a two-parter for this tale, but the next chapter will be very needed!

Do you think Y/N will forgive him? Or will she continue being cold towards him, making it harder to work in these stories?

As always, don't forget to vote & etc if you liked it! lots of love - author <3

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