He raised his pale face from the pain. This time, he didn't refuse and obediently held my hand.
Just like I'd dragged him in before, I dragged him out again.
After settling him behind the reef, I began searching the shallows.
I had to find a way to keep him in the water so that he wouldn't die of dehydration and I would have enough time and energy to plan how to get him off the island.
By the time I finally found the shallows and dragged him inside, it was late night.
He seemed satisfied with the shallows. He laid contentedly on a small reef and wiggled his hips.
The top of the fishtail below the waist should be the buttocks, right?
The gentle sea breeze blew against my face and quickly dried my dress.
Then I put on the coat I wore when I came to this island.
After a day and a night, these clothes and shoes that I had abandoned were still in their original places. No one had moved them.
I'm sure those fishermen must have seen my 'relics'. As to why they didn't touch it, they might have decided that these items were left behind by a suicide victim and thought it was inauspicious.'
Now, these things had returned to my side. I was still alive and I even saved a mermaid. How miraculous!
"Mmm!"
The merpeople suddenly spoke to me. Not only was it not harsh, it sounded pleasant.
I looked in the direction of the voice, and then I was mesmerized by his exquisitely beautiful face again.
His long golden hair had been dried by the wind. It fluttered in the air like that of a prince!
Then he mimicked me and held out his long fingers to me. It was only then that I realized that there was a thin layer of flesh under his fingers. It looked a little like a duck's paw.
This was probably one of the secret techniques that allowed him to move freely underwater.
I jumped off the reef and walked forward to give him my hand. I followed his strength and slowly approached him.
Warm seawater wrapped around my feet, not over my calves. I could feel my feet slowly sinking into the sand.
He reached out with his other hand and wrapped me in his arms.
Again, he pressed his naked chest against mine, and gazed down at me lovingly.
Did this guy fall in love with me?
If he was really a normal guy, I wouldn't mind dating him.
But he was a mermaid!
How could I date him? A platonic relationship?
Once I was deeply in love and wanted to have sex, wouldn't I die of exasperation?
I frowned to tell him by the look on my face not to get too close to me, but he couldn't seem to get it. He even gave me a cute, charming smile.
His mouth brushed against my cheek again and his hands moved up to wrap around my head, as if he wanted me to become one with him.
My heart was fluttering again at his touch.
I gathered all my reason and pushed him away with difficulty before turning back to the reef.
He didn't force me to stay. He should have sensed that I didn't like being close to him.
He spun in the shallows with his back to me and facing the endless sea, as if to say he wasn't happy either.
Angry just because he wasn't allowed to kiss or hug me? Wasn't this mermaid too moody?
As time passed, I felt sleepy again.
I simply jumped off the reef and laid down on the soft beach to rest.
In a daze, I heard the sound of waves crashing against the reef. One of my arms was held tightly by the merman.
The sun rose and the light woke me.
I opened my eyes and turned my head. I saw the merman resting his head on my arm. He seemed to be asleep too.
The morning sun shone on his charming face and his shining fishtail.
I was surprised to find that the wound on the lower half of the fishtail seemed to have healed quite a bit.
At least I could imagine what it was like when his tail wasn't hurt.
I didn't know if it was because the seawater had a healing effect on his wounds or if he had a super strong self-healing ability.
Sensing I was awake, he awoke too and continued to stare at me with those mesmerizing dark blue eyes.
Besides helping him wrap his fishtail with his coat and pretending that he had a pair of human legs, I couldn't think of any other way to transport him out.
Fortunately, my coat was big enough to cover his tail.
About ten o'clock, the passenger ship came ashore.
Most of the people who came down from the ship had relaxed smiles on their faces. Only a middle-aged man wearing glasses had a determined look in his eyes as he walked towards the remote area step by step.
I knew what he was going to do. His expression was exactly the same as when I'd first arrived here yesterday.
Only people who were completely disappointed in the world would have such an expression.
I wanted to ask the sailor for some clothes to wear while there were fewer people on the boat. The jacket had been given to the merpeople, and it wasn't an option to always wear a halter dress.
But after I saw the man with the glasses, I changed my mind.
I was more inclined to wait for the bespectacled man to commit suicide than to have the sailor look at my body in a peculiar way. I went to get his clothes.
This wasn't considered stealing, right?
In my opinion, this was called making the best use of everything. I didn't mind that it was someone else's clothes, nor did I mind that this "someone else" would leave this world forever.
I was someone who had died once. I had a deep understanding of that despair.
Just like that, I bypassed the people and chased the bespectacled man to a remote location.