So let's go see the stars - #2 ⚓︎
genre - leehan x reader, taesan x reader (sorry love triangle..) supernatural, fantasy
playing - blue valentine by nmixx (sorry, i've had an obsession with nmixx these days.)
a/n: this is the second chapter of the first part of the series "So let's go see the stars"
The next morning, the sea felt wrong.
You sensed it before you even reached the ocean, the air felt heavier, the wind was sharper, the waves were crashing with a strong rhythm that felt almost...angry. You hurried to the rocks to glance down into the water.
He didn't come. No glow, no ripple, no Leehan.
But something else waited for you. A cluster of scales were laid on the sand. Not scattered, but arranged deliberately in a spiral, each one shimmering with a faint blue light. You knelt, fingertips brushing the patterns. The scales were warm, pulsing like tiny heartbeats.
A message. Before you could even decipher it, the water surged violently. A dark shape cut through the waves, powerful, wrong. You stumbled back as a figure rose from the water.
This one was taller, broader, with scales darker than storm clouds and eyes like shards of obsidian. His teeth were sharper, his expression colder, and the glow beneath his skin flickered like a warning.
"Tsk...you are the surface girl huh," he said, voice deep and resonant.
Your throat tightened. "Where is Leehan?"
The merman's gaze narrowed. "You speak his name."
"Where is he?" You demanded, louder this time.
He moved closer, water swirling around him with unnatural force. "Leehan has broken our laws. He brought you below. He touched you, he showed you what was forbidden."
Your pulse hammered. "He didn't force me. I chose to go."
"That does not matter," the merman growled. "Your presence in our waters endangers us all. Humans- or whatever you are- bring ruin wherever they tread."
You gave him an angry look. "I'm a mermaid, just like you."
"No- you're clearly a result of a human and a mermaid, a mistake." He pointed out. "You will not return to this place," he said. "You will forget him. If you do not, we will ensure you cannot speak of what you've seen."
A chill ran through your spine. "Are you threatening me?"
A sudden splash cut through the tension.
Leehan burst from the water between them, chest heaving, eyes full of anger. "Enough, Taesan."
Taesan's lip curled. "You dare defend her?"
"I dare protect her," Leehan snapped.
You had never heard his voice like that, sharp, commanding, dangerous.
Taesan's gaze flickered between you two, realization dawning. "You care for her."
Leehan didn't answer, he didn't need to.
Taesan's expression hardened. "Then you are more foolish than I thought. Father won't be pleased."
He turned to you, eyes cold. "This is your only warning, surface girl. Stay away from our waters."
With a violent surge, he vanished beneath the waves, leaving the sea rolling in his wake.
You exhaled shakily. "Leehan...what was that?"
Leehan turned to you, guilt and fear warring in his expression. "Taesan is a...a guardian of our borders. If he knows about you, others will too."
"Why does he hate humans so much?"
"Because he has seen what they can do," Leehan said quietly. "And because he knows what it means that I brought you below."
Leehan hesitated, then reached for your hand, fingers trembling.
"It means," he whispered, "that i've already broken the law for you. And I would do it again. Don't mind Taesan...he just cares about me alot. I'm actually the second prince of the merfolk."
"What? So you're...royalty?"
He gazed back at the water. "I think they are coming. I have to go."
He squeezed your hand once, fiercely. "I'll find a way to keep you safe. Promise."
Every time you closed your eyes, you saw Leehan's face beneath the water, the glow of his skin, the fear in his voice when he said they're coming. And now she knew why.
He was Leehan, second son of the Sea King. A prince.
You reached the rocks at dawn, the sky grey and sleepy. The waves were calm, oddly gentle. You clutched your pendant, heart pounding.
The water stirred, but not with the soft glow she'd come to expect.
A dark shape rose from the depths.
He surfaced with his usual sharp, predatory grace, water streaming off his shoulders. His eyes were darker than yesterday, colder, but there was something else beneath the surface, something like conflict.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
You forced yourself to look up. "I'm waiting for Leehan."
Taesan's jaw tightened. "You mean my brother."
You blinked. "Your...brother?"
Taesan's expression flickered, just for a moment. "There are six of us. Six princes. Six heirs to the deep. Leehan is the second. I am the first."
Your stomach dropped. You knew he was a prince, but not that he had six brothers and Taesan was one of them. "He didn't tell me."
"He wouldn't," Taesan said. "He's always been reckless. Always chasing currents he shouldn't"
He drifted closer, the water swirling around him like a warning. "And now he's chasing you."
You swallowed. "I didn't ask him to."
"That doesn't matter," Taesan said. "What matters is what it means."
He lifted a hand, "When a prince brings a human beneath the surface," he said, "it is seen as a claim."
You looked at him confused. "A claim..?"
Taesan's eyes locked onto yours, unreadable. "A bond. A choosing. A declaration of intent."
Your heart hammered. "He didn't say anything about that."
"Of course he didn't," He scoffed. "He acts first. Thinks later."
He moved even closer, close enough that you could see the faint shimmer of the black scales along his jaw. "But I think. I see the consequences. And I know what will happen if the others discover you."
Your voice trembled, the air feeling colder all of a sudden. "What will happen?"
Taesan hesitated. For the first time, you saw something like fear in his eyes.
"They'll experiment on you. They will drag you below," he said quietly. "And they will make an example of him."
"No I won't let that happen."
Taesan's gaze softened, barely. "You care for him."
You didn't respond and just crossed your arms.
Taesan groaned, almost as if the truth pained him. "Then listen carefully, surface girl. This is your ultimatum."
The waves crashed behind him. "You won't return to this ocean. You will forget my brother. If you do this, I will protect him from the council. I will tell them it was a misunderstanding."
You stared at him, determined. "And if I refuse?"
Taesan's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then I cannot protect him. And I will not protect you." Silence fell, heavy, suffocating. Then another voice broke it.
Leehan surfaced behind him, eyes glinting with fury.
Taesan didn't turn. "You're too late, brother."
Leehan swam to your side. Placing himself between you and Taesan.
"You don't speak for me."
"I speak for the kingdom!" Taesan snapped. "And for our family."
"You speak out of jealousy," Leehan hissed, voice low and dangerous.
Taesan's expression cracked, just for a heartbeat, revealing something sharp and wounded beneath.
"This girl," Taesan said, turning his gaze to you, "will destroy you."
Leehan reached for your hand. "She's the only thing keeping me alive."
Taesan's jaw clenched. "Then you've already chosen your fate." He vanished beneath the waves, leaving the water churning violently. You stared at Leehan, heart racing.
"A claim? He's your brother? Is it true?"
Leehan's fingers tightened around yours. "I didn't mean for you to find out like that."
"Then tell me," you whispered. "What does it mean?"
Leehan looked at you, really looked, the glow beneath his skin brightening.
"It means," he said softly, "that I chose you long before I realized I had."
You smiled softly. And somewhere beneath the waves, Taesan watched. Torn between duty, jealousy, and something he refused to name.
"Do you want to come back down to the water?" He grinned as you nodded. The ocean felt different the moment you stepped into it. Warmer, brighter, almost expectant.
Leehan held your hand as the tide rose around you. "You sure?" He asked.
"I want to see your world." You assured.
Leehan's fingers tightened around yours. "Then hold on."
You both dove beneath the surface. Light bloomed around you both as you swam deeper, blues, greens, and shimmering golds swirling like living constellations. You breathed easily, the pendant sitting on your neck pulsing with gentle warmth.
Below them, the Sea Kingdom emerged. A sprawling palace carved from coral and pearl, glowing towers spiraling upward like frozen waves. Schools of luminous fish drifted through archways. Ribbons of seaweed fluttered like banners.
You gasped, amazed. "It's beautiful."
Leehan smiled. "Wait until you meet my brothers."
You paused. "Wait...Leehan, No. They'll kill me if they find out i'm not fully a mermaid..."
He sighed. "Trust me. I will make sure they don't find out you're the surface girl. Taesan seem dangerous but I know he'll keep your secret."
"But what about them sensing my energy?"
"You've been around me long enough for my energy to have rubbed of on you."
Your stomach flipped with excitement, meeting Leehan's brothers? You nodded slowly.
You entered a vast hall where five figures waited, each one powerful, radiant, unmistakably royal.
Taesan. He stood at the front, arms crossed, expression cold. His dark scales shimmered like dark crystals. His eyes flickered to you. Sharp and assessing.
Riwoo. The smallest but calmest, his scales were light pink and bright red ombre. "So this is the surface girl Leehan's been seeing." He acknowledged without even glancing at you.
You gave a shocked look to Leehan. I thought you said they wouldn't know??? Leehan avoided your gaze. Fear engulfed you, what would they do to you?
"Don't worry," He whispered. "We have a hierarchy here. They wouldn't dare defy the second prince. Taesan just...talks to instill fear in people."
Sungho. Tall, calm, with light yellow scales. He bowed politely. "Welcome, {Name}. Few surface dwellers-" He glanced at your unexpected mermaid tail, "or hybrid mermaids see our home."
Woonhak. Broad-shouldered, mischievous, with emerald scales and a laugh that echoed like bubbles. "Leehan bringing home a girl? Never thought I'd see the day."
Jaehyun. Silent, observant, with silver-white scales and eyes that seemed to see straight through you. "She carries old magic," he murmured. "Dangerous magic."
You trembled. "I...didn't know."
Taesan swam forward. "There is much you don't know."
Leehan moved protectively in front of you. "Taesan-"
But Taesan wasn't looking at Leehan. He was looking at you. Taesan circled you slowly, his expression tight with conflict. "You shouldn't be here," he said. "But now that you are... I can see why he risked everything."
Your breath caught. "Taesan-"
His jaw clenched. "Don't misunderstand. I still believe you are dangerous. But..." He hesitated. "...you are not what I expected." He glanced at your mermaid tail.
Leehan stiffened. "Taesan." Taesan ignored him, eyes locked on to you.
"You carry power, curiousity, courage. Traits our kind values."
You felt heat rise in your cheeks. "I'm just trying to understand."
"And that," Taesan said quietly, "is why you are a threat. And why you are...compelling."
Leehan swam forward. "Enough, Taesan." He growled, flashing his fangs.
Taesan swam back, back the damage was done. The tension between the brothers thickened like a storm current. Taesan turned to the others, a smirk playing at his lips now. "The council will not accept her presence. If they learn she is here, they will demand judgement."
Woonhak muttered, "This is bad." Sungho shushed Woonhak.
Taesan faced you again. "You have two choices."
"Return to the surface. Forget this place. Forget Leehan. If you do, I will protect him from the council."
Leehan growled. "You have no right-"
Taesan raised a hand defiantly. "I am heir. I have every right. We wouldn't want Father to find out." Taesan's voice softened, dangerously so. "Or you remain here. Learn our ways. Learn our laws, learn us."
His gaze lingered on you a moment too long. "But if you stay, you blind yourself to our worlds dangers, politics, and secrets."
Leehan looked at you. "You don't have to choose now."
Taesan's eyes flickered to your joined hands, and something sharp flashed across his face.
"No," He said. "She chooses now."
The hall fell silent. Your heart pounded. Two choices, Two worlds. Two futures. And one choice that would change your life course forever.
a/n: thanks for reading! please like and reblog for more!
