"You have become quite the painter since your father's passing," remarked the store clerk as he bagged Jiyeon's purchases.

Jiyeon didn't say anything as she watched the clerk bag her art supplies in a painfully slow manner. Her eyes soon turned from the snail like scene before her to look outside at the gray clouds that were rolling in. She wanted to get back to him before the rain came.

It had been several months since her father had passed away and life for her in her small town went on the same as before. Her father had been the town's local nut and she was eighteen. It didn't bother Jiyeon to have her town forget about her existence. There was someone else to fill that void of loneliness and his name was Jungkook.

Leaving the craft shop as the bell chimed after her, Jiyeon carried her supplies with her down to the boat. As surprising as it was to her, she and Jungkook had become quite close friends almost to the point of being family. It was as if they were the only thing each other had to keep afloat. When Jiyeon learned about Jungkook's passion for painting, she knew exactly what kind of gift to surprise him with.

The waves were choppy as she navigated her boat through the water to the area where Jungkook's sea cave was located. Knowing what she did about sirens, she knew she shouldn't necessarily trust him, but she did. He was all she had left.

- - -

Jungkook stayed in his sea cave, opening the palm of one of his hands to reveal the pearl necklace nestled there. When Jiyeon had left the other day and said that she'd return with a gift for him, he felt like he needed to have a gift for her in return. From what he knew of human women, they liked jewelry. He had never seen Jiyeon wearing any and assumed it was because she must not own any. He had made it his personal mission earlier that day to search the sea for a necklace worthy of Jiyeon. Now the result of his mission was tainted because all he could think about as he looked at it was something one of the fellow sirens in the sea had told him earlier that afternoon.

'You must enjoy toying with this human woman for sirens and humans can't be anything more. Sirens and humans share a relationship tangled in tragedy. Sooner or later, the consequences of your actions will come.'

"But I don't see what's wrong with it," said Jungkook out loud to himself. "I won't let her die. I can control that."

He was broken from his thoughts as he heard the sound of a boat approaching. He quickly swam to hide the necklace behind one of his paintings as the sound of Jiyeon's footsteps soon reached his ears.

"Sorry I'm a bit late today," apologized Jiyeon as she came into view; a stray hair or two that had freed itself from the bun on her head waving in the breeze whistling through the sea cave.

Jiyeon moved to sit down on one of the rocks that was midnight blue and slick from the water, settling the bag down beside her as she started to rummage through it. Jungkook moved to swim closer to try and get a glimpse of what she was digging out.

"No...No! You can't see yet. Close your eyes!"

A small smirk trickled across his lips, but he obeyed as he closed his eyes. Jiyeon moved to lay out the things that she had brought with her. She was trying to display them in such a way that he could take in everything she had bought at once. When she was happy with how she had displayed things, she moved to tap him gently on a shoulder.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

Opening his eyes like he had been told to, they soon widened at the sight before him. He surged forward to be as close to the rocks as he could, anxiously grabbing at the art supplies with his hands. His eyes marveled at all the supplies like it was treasure. Seeing his reaction, Jiyeon was not able to keep the satisfied smile off her face.

"So, you like it?"

"Like it? I love it, Jiyeon! Thank you!" said Jungkook as he turned to her with a beaming smile. "I've never seen things like these in person before!"

"Well, they are yours," she said. "You're an artist so you need the proper supplies."

Jiyeon smiled as she watched Jungkook drop the supplies in his hands on to the rocks so he could swim back out into the center of the water in the sea cave, jumping up into the air with a little twirl. Jiyeon chuckled as Jungkook smiled back at her; water running in small rivers down his face from his recent twirl.

"I got you a present too, Jiyeon," said Jungkook. "Though I hope you like it..."

"You didn't have to get me anything," she said. "Your company has been enough of a present since my father's passing."

"I know, but I still wanted to," said Jungkook. "I mean, you didn't have to get me anything either. I just like it that you visit me."

"Well, I know you would visit me on land if you could," said Jiyeon as she watched Jungkook swim over to the part of the cave where all his paintings were.

"Okay. Now it's your turn to close your eyes," said Jungkook. "No peeking."

"Alright," said Jiyeon as she closed her eyes, covering them with her hands for extra measure.

Jungkook slipped his hand behind the painting to grab the necklace and swam back over to her with it. He used his forearms to slip as far up onto the rocks as he could so he could be somewhat beside her.

"Without opening your eyes, put your back to the sound of my voice," he said.

Jiyeon shifted to do so. Jungkook's wet fingers gently slipped the necklace about her neck. He could hear her gasp as he fastened the clasp shut.

"Okay. Open your eyes," he said as he watched her turn her head down to look at the necklace that now rested on the nape of her neck.

"Jungkook...it's...it's..."

"Okay?" he said, hoping that she didn't hate it.

When Jiyeon turned to look at him beside her, he saw unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

"It's beautiful," she said, her voice choked by tears.

'Beautiful like you,' thought Jungkook as he kept his eyes locked with hers; his heart feeling like it was beating in his throat.

He noticed the crystal shaped tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, reaching out a hand to gently brush them away. His heart had yet to subside its rapid beating as the siren's words from earlier rang in his head. It caused him to pause his hand on her cheek. Jiyeon arched a brow at the action.

"Are you okay, Jungkook?"

"I...I..."

"What?"

"I really want to kiss you," he whispered in a barely audible voice.

"What did you say?" asked Jiyeon, not having heard it because of how quietly he had said it. She leaned towards him some so she could hear his answer better.

Jungkook didn't ask the question again though. He couldn't help himself. Slipping the hand that was on her cheek to the back of her neck, he leaned in to close the distance between them as he gently kissed her on the lips. Jiyeon froze for a moment before she closed her eyes and kissed him softly back. Jungkook pulled back after a minute or so, not wanting to get too carried away and hurt her. As he pulled back, he could see that Jiyeon's eyes were still closed.

"Sorry," he said quickly, moving to slip off the rocks and back into the water.

Hearing the splash of the water, Jiyeon opened her eyes to see that Jungkook was swimming away from her. Kicking off her shoes, she moved to slip into the water after him. Jungkook stilled and turned when he heard her swimming over to him.

"Jiyeon, no. Just stay where you are. Or better yet. Go. Please."

"No," she said.

Jungkook began to panic; the words the siren saying ringing even truer for him now that he was faced with an adamant Jiyeon.

'We will just end in tragedy,' he thought sadly as he moved to try and duck under the surface to get away.

Jungkook barely had his head under the surface before Jiyeon had caught up to him. His eyes widened when she reached him under the water, cupping his cheeks in her hands to kiss him again. He knew that he should push her away, but he couldn't. It was as if she was a part of him now. It was Jungkook's turn to close his eyes as he wrapped his arms about her, kissing her in return as he swam them both above the surface so Jiyeon wouldn't drown. When he drew his head back from her, their eyes locked again.

"I'm sorry..."

"I wish you'd stop saying that," said Jiyeon. "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry you had to fall for someone like me. I don't want us to end in tragedy."

"Who says we're going to end in tragedy?" she asked.

"Did you forget what I am?" asked Jungkook.

"I didn't, but that's not why I feel drawn to you. It's why I want you to stop being sorry," she said. "Other siren tales might end in tragedy, but ours doesn't have to."

Jiyeon moved to hug Jungkook as he kept his arms about her in return. He leaned his head against the side of hers as they stayed like that for what felt like forever.

"Besides, I don't think the fact that you're a siren is what has pulled us together," she remarked as she kept her cheek against one of his broad shoulders. "After all, you're the one that wanted to kiss me first. You'd think I was the siren."

Jungkook smirked, chuckling as he tightened his hold about her.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered. "I promise. I love you."

"I love you too, Jungkook," she said. "We'll be together until the end."

"Until the end," he echoed.

As the two of them verbally sealed their fate, neither of them unfortunately realized how close their end truly was.