2. Carved Anew
She was certain she had died. Yet when she opened her eyes, she was in an unfamiliar place. Clutching her throbbing head, she barely managed to sit up and look around. When she pressed her hand down, it was so soft that she looked—it was a bed she'd only ever seen in books. The items in the room were also things she'd only encountered in illustrations.
Was she seeing things? Or had she arrived in the afterlife?
Even her worn-out clothes had been replaced with something that looked precious.
She slowly stepped down from the bed. The feel of the carpet beneath her feet was strange. Hesitating, she noticed the curtains were drawn and cautiously approached to pull them open.
"The... sea?"
Outside the window was the ocean floor. In the past, it had been heavily polluted by humans, but now it had returned to its original state.
It was a sight she'd seen in picture books at the island library, so she stared blankly at it. She couldn't understand why she was here.
As Jahyun stood dazedly gazing out the window, she heard the sound of a door opening.
"You're awake."
If she wasn't seeing things, then this was a place where merfolk lived. That meant the one who had brought her here was undoubtedly a merman. Jahyun quickly turned around and met eyes with a tall man.
He was somewhat large-built but looked no different from a human. However, his pointed ears revealed that he was a merman.
One must always show courtesy to merfolk. She had been taught that since childhood, so she immediately dropped to her knees.
"Ah, hello. I sincerely thank the merman who saved me."
"......"
The man was looking at her. One of the reasons merfolk disliked humans was their lack of manners. So she'd heard that if one showed proper courtesy, their chances of surviving before a merman increased. Of course, whether they were spared or not was entirely up to the merman's whim.
As Jahyun trembled and bowed her head, the man approached. He slipped his hands under her armpits and lifted her up, pulling her into his embrace.
"You shouldn't kneel on the cold floor."
"I-I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about."
It was the first time she'd ever been held in someone's arms. And she'd never imagined she'd be held in a merman's embrace, so her heart pounded even harder. Though he looked human, his embrace was cold. She'd heard that merfolk had low body temperatures—so it was true.
Jahyun, silent in the man's arms, was soon seated back on the bed.
"I saw you losing consciousness and sinking while swimming, so I brought you here."
"Ah. Th-thank you."
"I changed your clothes. Are they comfortable?"
"Yes. They're comfortable."
As she answered meekly, she suddenly remembered her bag. Jahyun cautiously met the man's eyes and asked.
"By any chance, did you see the bag I was carrying?"
"Bag? There wasn't one."
In that instant, an overwhelming sense of despair crashed over her. Then what about her uncle? It would take weeks for new medical supplies to arrive—what was she going to do?
She'd have to search the mountain day after day until she found another herb cluster. Hesitating, Jahyun carefully opened her mouth.
"Um, Merman-nim."
"Don't call me 'Merman-nim.' Call me Theodore."
Theodore sat in a chair and spoke gently. Having been taught since childhood never to disobey a merman's words, Jahyun nodded.
Her lips were still parched, but she had to return to the island.
"...Theodore-nim. I have a favor to ask."
"What kind of favor?"
"I-I was wondering if it's possible for you to send me back to the island where I lived. My uncle is sick."
As Jahyun trembled and made her request, Theodore's gaze slowly swept over her body. An agonizingly heavy silence stretched between them, until Theodore finally smiled.
"What if I refuse?"
"Ah..."
"I'd say saving your life is already plenty of help."
Theodore rested his chin on the armrest and gave a sly grin. His words were perfectly true.
If he hadn't helped her, she would have died in the ocean.
She knew that the merfolk's dwellings were built deep beneath the sea—even if she tried to swim out, she wouldn't make it.
Then what about her uncle?
Biting her lips hard, Jahyun barely held back the tears threatening to spill.
"Th-that's... true."
Jahyun quickly got down from the bed and knelt before Theodore.
She'd heard that occasionally merfolk bestowed acts of charity upon those they considered beneath them.
Quickly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Jahyun spoke.
"However, I know that the merfolk are truly merciful. C-could you... just this once... help me?"
"......"
"I'll do anything. I can't... I can't lose my uncle like this."
She tried to hold back, but in the end, the tears wouldn't stop flowing. Theodore watched her cry, then reached out and wiped her eyes, asking.
"Anything, you say? No matter what I ask?"
"Yes, yes, I will."
"Hmm."
After a moment's deliberation, Theodore took a bell from his pocket and rang it. Before long, several merfolk entered.
"I'm taking the human to the island, so prepare the elevator."
"Yes."
She couldn't believe he was actually showing her mercy. As Jahyun sat there, tears dripping silently, Theodore took her arm and helped her stand.
Then he wiped her eyes again with his cold hands.
Afterward, Jahyun was given new clothes to wear. The quality was so much better than anything she'd worn in her life that she touched and smoothed them several times.
The clothes she'd been wearing when she woke up would have been enough, though.
"If you're dressed, let's go."
"Yes. Th-thank you so much."
When she stepped out of the room, an elegant corridor appeared.
The ceiling, walls, and floor were all made of solid glass, offering a clear view of the blue underwater world. Having only ever seen such sights in picture books, she couldn't easily tear her gaze away. But thinking of her uncle, Jahyun resumed walking.
After some time, they arrived at a lobby. There were merfolk there—and she could feel them glancing at her, probably having heard about her presence.
"They're employees, don't mind them. We're almost at the elevator."
"What... is that?"
"There's also the option of swimming, but since you're human, you'd obviously die. It's a machine that takes you up to the surface."
When he pressed a button, the doors opened with a cheerful ding. She'd never seen anything like it and hesitated to enter, but Theodore carefully pushed her back and guided her inside. The inside of the elevator was like the corridor—all glass on all sides. There were light bulbs, so it wasn't dark, but being with Theodore still felt suffocating.
What would he want from her? She'd heard that some merfolk ate humans—did this one want that too?
As she leaned against the wall and darted her eyes around, Theodore chuckled.
"I don't eat humans, you know."
"H-how did you know?"
"It's written all over your face."
Her eyes widened at his words. She glanced at him nervously, worried she might have offended him, but that didn't seem to be the case, so she felt relieved.
Theodore stood beside her and pointed out various sea creatures and sights. Seeing in person the things she'd only ever seen in books was an incredibly wondrous experience.
Before long, light began streaming into the elevator as it rose endlessly. Now how would they get from here?
Would they swim? As she pondered this, the elevator began moving forward.
Her mouth fell open as she stared at Theodore.
"I hear humans used to use these too, but now they're unable to handle them."
Most of the technicians from fifty years ago had been swallowed by the tsunamis as well. And even if technology were given back to humans, they'd only cause pollution again.
So the remaining few technicians had passed down their knowledge. After that, the merfolk had modified everything to be eco-friendly.
Soon, the forward-moving elevator stopped and rose upward.
Jahyun saw a familiar shoreline before her. As she stared blankly, Theodore stepped out first and extended his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Jahyun took his hand and stepped down.
"Thank you! I will never forget this kindness!"
"Surely you weren't planning to go alone?"
"...Pardon?"
"It's only right to see you through to the end if I'm taking you there."
Theodore smiled. But if he went like that, it would be obvious he was a merman and would cause a stir.
Whenever a merman came to the island, the atmosphere went crazy. Not knowing how to respond, she was opening and closing her mouth when Theodore pulled up his robe to cover his ears.
"This should be fine, right?"
"Ah-yes."
"Now, let's go to where you live."
Honestly, she didn't understand why he was following her. He was a merman—was it even okay for him to come onto the island?
But she reminded herself that her uncle's health was the most important thing right now. Hurrying her steps, she arrived home, and the neighbors stared with wide eyes.
"Jahyun! What happened to you!"
"W-well, I fell into the sea, and this person saved me."
At her words, the gathered people's expressions filled with shock. It was a natural reaction—anyone who fell into the sea usually died for certain.
It seemed they'd been worried since vanishing from the island wasn't easy either. Jahyun bowed deeply, then took Theodore's hand and quickly headed home.
When they entered the small hut, the sound of coughing reached them.
"Uncle, are you okay?"
"You, where did you... come from."
"I'm sorry, I worried you. I got caught up in something and just came back."
Theodore stood by the doorway, surveying the house. Jahyun quickly brought out a bowl and began grinding the herbs. After grinding for a long while, she hurriedly fed them to her uncle. His fever was higher than before she'd gone to the mountain—it was frightening.
As she tended to him, she sensed someone behind her.
"Open his mouth."
"Pardon?"
"Leave him like this and he'll die."
Startled by her words, she carefully opened his mouth. Theodore then slit the tip of his own finger and let a few drops of blood fall into her uncle's mouth.
As she stared blankly at Theodore, she could feel the fever rapidly subsiding.
After some time had passed, her uncle's eyes opened and looked at her.
"...I thought you'd run off somewhere and left a sick person behind."
"No, Uncle, I'd never go anywhere and leave you. Actually, a merman saved me."
She'd always been honest with her uncle, so she told him the truth.
Her uncle's eyes widened in shock as they turned to Theodore. He quickly raised himself and knelt before Theodore.
"U-uncle?"
"I sincerely apologize for not greeting you sooner!"
Theodore merely smiled at her uncle.
"You remember, then? Since she's come of age and I'd heard no word, I thought you'd tried to smuggle her away—but it seems that wasn't the case."
"Th-there's no way I would! How could a lowly human dare to slight a merman? It's just that she still seemed young and childish, and I thought she might be a bother! Humans are only considered true adults after their birthday, you see."
"Hmm. Sounds like an excuse, but I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it slide."
"Th-thank you!"
Jahyun sensed something strange. The two of them were speaking as if they knew each other.
Yet her uncle had never once told her that he knew any merfolk.
As she stared blankly at the two of them, Theodore spoke.
"Then I'll take her now."
"Pardon?"
Jahyun found herself questioning him without thinking. She knew full well that one should never talk back to a merman. But to take her without even asking her opinion—she was so dumbfounded she opened her eyes wide and looked at her uncle.
Even if he'd raised her without affection, there was no way her uncle would just send her off. That's what she'd thought, but...
"Understood."
Her uncle nodded as if it were only natural to send her away. Theodore smiled faintly and looked at Jahyun.
"Now let's go back."
"Uncle, Uncle! What do you mean by that!"
"Ah. I almost forgot."
Theodore pulled something from his chest and threw it toward the floor. A heavy thud sounded, and when she looked, precious treasures lay there.
Her uncle's eyes filled with greed at the sight, and he nodded vigorously.
What was happening right now? Was her uncle really handing her over in exchange for treasure?
"S-she has no belongings of her own."
"I wasn't planning to let her bring anything anyway."
Theodore said indifferently, grabbing the arm of a dazed Jahyun. The sight of a human who'd been dying from illness just moments ago suddenly blinded by treasure was somewhat revolting.
"No, Uncle, I don't want to go."
Even though she was an adult, Jahyun was utterly confused. She couldn't believe her uncle had let go of her hand without any hesitation at all.
It was a world where a child couldn't survive alone. At least with her uncle, she hadn't been sold off to another island. He'd always been rough and had never shown her affection, but he'd never let her go hungry. She'd thought they were family—so why?
She tried to wrench free from the grip on her arm, but it wouldn't budge at all.
"Weren't we... family?"
At that moment, her uncle let out a loud, hollow laugh. Then he turned and looked at her with empty eyes, speaking.
"I never once thought of you as family. And even if you ever come back to this island, I'll be long gone."
Those cold words left her vision blurry. Her strength drained away, and she found herself being led wherever Theodore took her.
When she came to her senses, she was back in the sea.
It hurt as if a hole had been punched through her chest. The tears wouldn't stop. Theodore only watched her cry.
She tried not to board the elevator, but she couldn't overcome his strength. The moment the elevator was swallowed back into the depths of the sea, she instinctively knew—she couldn't escape.
Even if, against all odds, she did manage to run away, she had nowhere to go. A woman without family was the perfect target to be sold off.
Could she possibly survive under the sea? Her mind was in chaos. Before she knew it, she was back in the room where she'd first woken up.
Merfolk don't like it when humans cry. Because their ears are sensitive and it hurts them. So the adults always said you mustn't cry in front of a merman. The problem was that the tears wouldn't stop.
Even if she'd never received affection, she'd still thought of him as family...
Theodore stared intently at Jahyun as she kept crying. Was he wondering whether to kill her or not?
Then Theodore reached out, stroked her tear-soaked cheek, and asked.
"Why are you crying?"
"...I'm sorry."
"I'm genuinely curious. Was he good to you?"
"That's... not really, but... we still lived together, you know. Usually... no one wants to take in a relative's child anyway."
The hand stroking her cheek was cold. It was only natural since his body temperature was low, but it made her feel alert. As she bit her lip trying to stop crying, Theodore's fingers touched her lips.
Then, preventing her from biting, his fingers—larger than a human's—slipped into her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise. Theodore didn't stop, lightly tracing the inside of her mouth before pulling out.
Startled, her tears stopped instantly. Looking up at Theodore with her face soaked, he sat down in front of her and asked.
"Your memories of the surface are hardly worth keeping, wouldn't you say?"
"...Pardon?"
"It would be better for you to have no memories if you're going to live here as my bride from now on."
Theodore rose from his seat as he spoke. Jahyun couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
Bride? That was a word for someone you married. There was no way a noble merman would take a human as a bride.
Jahyun found herself standing up without thinking. Then, seeing Theodore approaching, she faltered and stepped backward. Soon, she was stopped by the window.
"A-a human as your bride... Everyone will look down on you."
Humans were beings beneath merfolk. She'd grown up hearing that endlessly—there was no way she could accept something like becoming a bride. Theodore let out a small, amused laugh.
"Is there anyone who can stop my choices?"
With that, Theodore cupped her cheeks and kissed her.
The markedly lower temperature than a human's jolted her dazed mind awake. As his large, cold tongue began to invade her mouth, Jahyun tried to push him away. But a human couldn't overpower a merman—he didn't budge an inch.
His large, cold hands held her face in place as his tongue began to ravage her mouth.
"Mmph, mmm, mmmph!"
His tongue was so long it wrapped around her throat, stealing her breath, and she felt like she might die. She tried to bite down to free herself, but his tongue—which looked so soft—wouldn't yield at all. Saliva dripped between their locked lips, and she couldn't breathe, her mind growing hazy. Just as her hands, which had been gripping his on her cheeks, fell limp to the side, she felt a sting at the back of her neck.
Paralytic venom. It was a necessary step for a merman to lie with a human. They had to relax the body with the venom so that the human could properly take the merman's co¢k.
"Hngh... aah..."
Jahyun, her lips slick with saliva, was laid down on the wide bed. Theodore lightly grasped her clothes and tore them off, revealing her bare body. Unlike merfolk, she hadn't eaten well or grown properly, so she didn't look particularly voluptuous. Still, it was more than enough to excite Theodore.
A body that had never been touched by anyone—one that was ripe for development—pleased him.
Theodore spread Jahyun's legs, revealing her dry v@gina. Merfolk only grew tails underwater; without water, they looked like large humans. So intercourse outside the water was similar to that of humans.
He pulled her lower body toward his face as she lay there, dazedly exhaling heated breaths. Jahyun's head angled downward, but she had no strength to resist. Her dry v@gina didn't yet smell like anything. Female merfolk smelled of the sea—humans were different.
Bringing his face close, Theodore extended his long tongue and pushed it into her v@ginal entrance.
"Ugh."
Even though they hadn't properly begun, her inner walls were hot. The sensation was entirely unlike that of a mermaid, and Theodore smiled in excitement. Soon, as his cold tongue began pressing inside her walls, the legs draped over his shoulders began to tremble. The paralytic venom heightened sexual sensation to an extreme degree, so even this small stimulation seemed to excite her. Her dry inner walls gradually began to moisten, and he could feel it on his tongue.
As he pressed various spots with his long tongue, he pushed against the back of her ¢litoris—and her walls clenched around him. At the same time, her arousal fluid began to flow in a gush, so Theodore pressed his lips there and started sucking.
"Ugh, hnnngh!"
Together with sensations she'd never felt before, her body burned so hot she felt she might go mad. But Theodore's body temperature was so low that it forcibly pulled her back from flying away. If she could just fly away, she might lose consciousness... She was being sucked with her lower body raised, and it made her mind feel strange. Sounds she'd never made before spilled from her lips, and tears began to flow again.
Theodore watched her face in the mirror, rubbing mercilessly with his cold tongue. Her still-unentered passage was so tight that if he tried to put his co¢k inside, he wouldn't even get half of it in.
"Ah, ughhh, ugh!"
As his cold tongue pressed against her ¢lit, something thick began to enter her v@ginal opening. At first, she thought it was his member and was shocked, but Jahyun realized it wasn't his co¢k—it was his finger. Just one finger felt like it was filling her belly—what would happen when his co¢k went in?
"Hih, it, ah, aah!"
No matter where he pressed, though she was frightened, breathy moans escaped her. A merman's tongue could adjust its width and length at will. So it was even possible to invade the urethral opening.
"Hih!"
The moment something like a tentacle burrowed into her narrow urethra, Jahyun's eyes rolled back. The shock was enough to make her weak, limp hands clench the bedsheets on their own. Her head arched backward. From her wide-open mouth, only moans and saliva trickled out.
Would she die like this? The sensations she'd never felt before seemed to ravage not just her lower body, but her very brain.
"Hnngh, ugh, hiiiiik!"
Her legs, draped over Theodore, trembled as if in convulsions. Theodore felt it all and didn't stop ravaging her inner walls. Most females would be loosened up by this much, but she was still stiff. He thrust his tongue in deep, flicked the tip, and withdrew in an instant.
"Aaaaaah!"
With a gushing sound, the bedding was thoroughly soiled. His hand was still inside her inner walls, so it got dirty too—but he didn't care. When he set down her lower body, her upper half hadn't even been touched yet, and it was already a mess.
Theodore lightly licked his soaking wet hand. Then he inserted more fingers and began loosening her narrow passage.
"Hiik! Ah, hnngh, ahhhh!"
His thick fingers, like his co¢k, pressed fiercely against every part of her inner walls. If even the paralytic venom made her like this, without it, she wouldn't have been able to take his co¢k at all. Not that it mattered—he'd be the one breaking her in anyway.
While loosening her with one hand, he raised the other and shoved it into her mouth. The cold temperature of his hand rubbing against her hot mouth was delightful.
"Ugh, mmph, kkh, khh...!"
Her throat and her lower body were ravaged at the same time, thrown into utter chaos. So dazed she could barely function, all Jahyun could do was thrash. Every time three fingers stirred in her throat, a wet, lewd sound echoed. It was the same below.
If only her ears didn't work, it would be better—but all of it rang in her ears. Pierced from above and below, Jahyun could only be violated blankly.
If only his body were hot, it would have been better—but a merman's temperature was low. Whenever she felt like she was about to fly away, she was dragged back down, which made her burst into tears.
Of course, with fingers stuffing her mouth, she couldn't cry properly.
"Ugh, hnngh, hmph, hnn."~
The fingers that had filled her throat withdrew. Following them, the fingers that had been digging into her hole pulled out. He had hands larger than a human male's, so her passage had spread open and was gaping. In the bedroom thick with the smell of s€x, Jahyun could only breathe raggedly.
Theodore positioned himself between her legs and lowered his lower garments. His veined member soon sprang up, twitching. He took his co¢k and pressed it against Jahyun's lower belly. It was large enough to reach her ¢ervix in an instant.
Jahyun, dazedly breathing, was suddenly jolted awake. If something like that monster entered her, she might be ruined.
"Ah, ah, ugh, ah, nooo..."
She barely managed to shake her head, but Theodore ignored her and pressed it against her opening. The moment her mind snapped back from the cold sensation, his club-like co¢k pierced through her inner walls.
"......!"
No sound even came out. Like a fish pierced by a harpoon, Jahyun gasped in short, choked breaths. It was almost funny—she was like this when he hadn't even properly begun. Theodore shoved his co¢k—only half-inserted—even deeper inside. Unlike his cold co¢k, her walls were so hot that low moans escaped him involuntarily.
"Kh, hoo."
Even after stretching her thoroughly with his fingers, she was still tight. Frowning slightly, Theodore raised his hand and began rubbing her ¢litoris mercilessly.
"Ahhhh!"
Jahyun, who had been half-gone, snapped back to attention. Theodore looked at her and began ruthlessly pounding into her below. The sounds of their fluids squelching and slapping echoed along with her moans. The problem stemmed from Theodore's low body temperature.
If everything had been hot, she might have lost her mind—but she couldn't.
"Hih, hiih! Ah, ahhh! Huh, ugh, aaaah!"
Every time his co¢k thrust in and out, she felt as if her insides were being split open. The fingers rubbing her ¢lit, as if to snap her back to her senses, were cold yet burning hot at the same time. An overwhelming pleasure consumed Jahyun—so intense that she almost thought pain would be preferable. The moment Theodore sensed she was beginning to feel it, he slammed his co¢k in even harder.
"Huah, ah, hnngh, ugh, uuuuhn!"
Theodore used her limp body like his personal ¢ocksleeve. With every thrust, her lower belly bulged outward, and he even pressed down on it firmly. She lost count of how many times she came throughout the relentless pounding.
Then she recalled—she'd heard that merfolk mate for far longer than humans. The memory brought Jahyun to pitiful tears.
"Am I the one devouring you?"
"Hnngggh, ugh, uunngh..."
"You're the one doing the swallowing, aren't you."
Theodore, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction, only smiled thinly. Overwhelmed by too many sensations at once, Jahyun lost consciousness on the spot.
When she woke again, she would have forgotten all memories of her family. Merfolk were capable of manipulating memories.
***
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