29 May 2021

Seoul

"I am wild 

I am free

I'm the daughter 

Of the sea

By the waves 

And the swell 

I'm the spiral 

In the shell"

I recited the Oceandaughter Chant by Joey Morris in front of the Chwe Shrine. This would make my transitioning into a siren easier, the iron in my blood slowly being replaced with salt. Once I hit the seawater, my legs would be able to fuse and form a tail, propelling me to depths I had never imagined before. I could feel my teeth sharpening a little but that was probably my imagination.

"Perfect, let's go now," Mrs Chwe squeezed my hand for comfort and we started walking to our audience. Hansol, Mr Chwe and my parents smiled as we walked to the cars. Our destination was the Family Registry to make the marriage official. My heart was soaring like an albatross at the thought that this dream was becoming real. The merman gave me a smile and my pulse changed rhythm to a calypso.

The official presiding over our union tried not to raise his eyebrows at the sight of the two of us. No doubt he recognised us from posters plastered everywhere, despite us being bare-faced and wearing hooded jackets. Pronouncing our names only confirmed his guess and he could barely take his eyes off of us as we kissed chastely, probably hoping for something steaming he could dish out to the tabloids; but my husband and I weren't willing to comply. We then signed the documents in triplicate, our parents standing as witnesses. The official took his copy and we kept the copies, hiding our faces as we walked out to the car park.