Siren

chapter one

THE DINING AREA WAS QUIET. as everyone munched on their lunch consisting of salted fish and vegetables—the regular—, the only sound being heard was the hustling and bustling of the people decorating their abode for an event the next day. namjoon swallowed the last of his star-fruit and then leaned back against the chair.

he signaled with his arm that he couldn't eat any more. usually, with the way he signed like this, people would take a few seconds too long to understand what he meant.

but not seokjin.

"but you haven't touched your fish!" he protested. namjoon immediately shook his head and got up, not in the mood of arguing knowing he would always lose. he couldn't even speak, for crying out loud! he turned back from the table just in time for seokjin to catch his wrist, making him stop in his tracks.

   he tried pulling away, knowing he can't yell for seokjin to let him go. he already tried that too often.

   "namjoon, get back in your seat and eat." spoken like a final verdict, his uncle didn't even look at him. namjoon just stared at him as he ate a piece of his own fish. even though he shouldn't, namjoon felt a little foolish. the fish was delicious, but he couldn't sit in this silence any longer. he couldn't bare the suffocation of having to sit through a meal he couldn't even have fun eating—he couldn't even remember the last time that happened!

   however, knowing how it'll upset his uncle if he doesn't, namjoon snatched his wrist away from seokjin, and propelled himself gently from his position to his seat. his spear-pointed tail floated beneath him and wiggled a little; a signal of discomfort.

   but namjoon ate his fish anyway.

   "for the upcoming celebration in our home, i am sure both of you boys know what to do?" their uncle asked, still not looking up from the table. seokjin audibly sighed, while namjoon thought to himself; yes, i should stay in my room and pretend i'm not there. because i embarrass you. "seokjin, you'll be greeting the guests, and namjoon..."

   he readied himself for the not-so-surprising requirement that was yet to come. he gave his uncle the side-eye just as he started speaking.

   "uncle, wait!" seokjin took the both of them by surprise, that they snapped their heads towards him. seokjin didn't flinch, however, and continued speaking. "i need namjoon to come along this time—"

   "and what is he supposed to do, seokjin? this event involves communicating, which means talking! do you honestly think he'd keep carrying things to write on the whole night?" he scoffed, before giving him an exasperated, desperate look. "by the time one conversation ends, the night would already be done!"

   and as much as namjoon hated the isolation, his uncle had a point. surely when people see him, they would want to talk to him, and half those coming do not know of his condition, which would make it worse and more difficult for him to clarify.

"i just need him beside me! he doesn't have to converse if he doesn't want to..."

seokjin, i can't! namjoon clenched his fists atop his lap before swinging his tail to the side and swimming away. he didn't want to be subject to this pressure. of having people potentially mock him for his condition, of his frightened heart at the prospect of having to confront them. he wasn't ready yet, and he might never be.

"namjoon, wait!"

all namjoon ever wanted to do was sing to the moon at the surface. he wanted it to sing back to him and indulge in the activities involving singing. but because of this-this curse, he wasn't even able to deliver any sort of connection.