Chapter Text
Changbin’s black vans came to halt at the edge of the cliff face. The oceanic winds clawed at his cheeks, ruffling his head of jet black hair. The unmistakable scent of salty sea mist blew past his dark eyes, nestling dew drops on his skin.
He adjusted the flannel shirt sloppily tied around his waist, the thick pillars of fabric contrasting with his muscular biceps on full display through his tank top. He held his skateboard under one of his toned arms, the deck painted with the graphic of a compass with a cracked face; the words Broken Compass elegantly scrawled beneath the intricate design in golden paint.
A bloody scrape is visible on one of Changbin’s exposed arms, the salty air not helping to lessen the residual sting. Changbin received the scratch after falling from his board while attempting an unsuccessful kick flip, much to his own dismay. In fact, the caws of the airborne seagulls sound suspiciously similar to the cackles of his friend and fellow skateboarder Wooyoung, who had a front row seat to Changbin’s unfortunate tumble.
He excused himself from the skatepark soon after, his pale cheeks visibly reddened with heat from his sheepish blush. He trudged away with his hackles raised and gravel smattering the raw skin around the slice in his arm.
He needs space, space to just be and not worry about the prying eyes of the other guys gracefully flying about the skatepark. So he came to where he always does when he needs isolation—the set of rocky cliffs jutting into the open ocean. The beach lies below and across the entire stretch of coast, but Changbin prefers to be above it all—literally and figuratively. He prefers to stay in the domain of the gulls and cormorants, their impressive wing spans occasionally blotting out the solar glow of the sun. He likes to feel high in the sky, where nothing—no one—can affect him.
The waves crashed against the rocky cliff, seemingly hundreds of miles below Changbin’s feet. Nothing but blue greeted him on the horizon, the sapphire sea blanketing the world in undulating blue. The rays of sunlight forced a swathe of gilded light to reflect on the sea, like twinkling diamonds were individually sewn onto the wave crests.
Changbin has never been a huge fan of the ocean. It’s too large, too deep, too all encompassing. Moreover, it’s too unknown. Actually, Changbin should just say he’s not a huge fan of the unknown.
Changbin hates the unknown. He hates not being in control of his destiny, not knowing what his future holds with 100% acuity. His life could change forever at the drop of a hat and he’d be none the wiser until it’s too damn late. He hates it.
Suddenly, as if on cue, Changbin’s idle gaze out into the sparkling horizon caught a mysterious glimmer beneath the ocean's surface. He squinted for better clarity, his eyes then spotting what appeared to be black and white scales dipping beneath the waves.
Black and white. White and black. Onyx and ivory. That’s all he saw. Maybe there was a brief glimpse of what appeared to the translucent skin of a tailfins dipping below the surface. Eyes? Nope. A full body? None to be seen.
What on earth is that? Changbin thought to himself, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he watched the undeniable scaled creature gracefully disappear from view. Although he’s not even sure what kind of creature it is; the appendage appeared only to be a jewel like tail. There are no fish in the waters large enough to be the culprit, however. Of that, Changbin is sure of.
His skin started to prickle with a coating of static, goosebumps rising on his flesh as if he had been zapped by a bolt of lighting. The unknown. That thing, whatever it is, is the unknown personified. A sentient enigma.
He wants to know what the hell it is. He wants to win over the mystique, over the terror of the obscure that has always plagued him.
Changbin took a hesitant step forward, inching towards the sheer drop of the cliff edge, valiantly trying to grasp another sight of the mysterious creature. Within mere seconds of his meager step, the rocky outcropping he was perched upon started to quake, and buckle beneath his feet.
Changbin’s eyes widened in horror, frozen and helpless as the cliff crumbled and gave way before his terrified eyes. A silent scream ripped from his lips as he felt the rocks break away, his body engulfed in nothing but air as he plummeted towards the sea.
Falling. Falling. Falling.
That’s all Changbin managed to comprehend as he watched the cliff he once stood upon get farther and farther way, his arms desperately grasping for purchase at the thin air as his worst fear crept closer and closer.
His back shot through the ocean’s surface as if he was flung by a catapult, like he fell off a building onto unforgiving concrete that only gave way after breaking every bone in his body. The pain was excruciating—more excruciating than when he sprained his ankle after a botched ollie at the skatepark, or even when he scraped a layer of his skin off when he toppled from his board earlier that day. And then once the initial venom of pain subsided, all he saw was velvety blue.
That’s all his reeling brain was able to comprehend; blue. Everywhere. Everything.
His thoughts felt detached and painfully numb, like they didn’t even belong in his head. His eyes are burning from the salt water, his brain is burning from the torrent of horror swirling about like a deranged tornado. Everything is burning like his skin was doused in gasoline and someone threw a match, in spite of his entire body being imprisoned by nothing but water.
Water poured down his throat, from where his lips were still parted in terror. The all embracing liquid filled his lungs, uncaring of his unadulterated horror. He vaguely picked up the searing sting of the still bloody scrape on is arm, the assault of ocean water like setting fire to the abrasion.
This is fine, I’ll just swim back to shore, Changbin managed to coherently scream at himself, his lanky limbs fighting the water like his life depended on it. Which it did, in fact.
Because then Changbin realized, with a sickening twist in his stomach, that he doesn’t know how to swim.
His racing thoughts started to peter out like a faucet slowly being wrenched closed, before dimming completely as his brain became enveloped in almost painful static. He tried to suck in a desperate breath, but rather than much needed air pouring into his lungs, he was met with more water filling him from the inside out.
How long has he been under? Minutes only, he’s sure. Yet it feels like years, like an eternity of torment that has yet to come to its grande finale.
Darkness crept up his vision, his eyes languidly blinking as he belatedly realized he must be sinking even further into the sea; if the way the ocean's surface, illuminated by the sun, creeping agonizingly farther away meant anything.
He was just about to accept his certain doom, when his rapidly fading eyes took notice of something quickly swimming towards him. But maybe not something, someone.
No, something. Because this something has a large, black and white scaled tail. And the torso of a human boy.
Ebony and pearlescent ivory. It looks vaguely familiar, but Changbin’s mind is much too far gone to put two and two together; in spite of how glaring and obvious the answer may be.
Changbin’s eyes closed, unable to keep them open as his mind devolved into unreadable noise. His lungs ignited with agonizing pain, crackling buzzing rumbled in his ringing ears. Forcing his heavy eyes open, Changbin was then face to face with a frantic boy, much to his dazed surprise.
He is quite beautiful; with a mop of black hair gracefully swaying with the ocean currents, a single birthmark artfully dotted beneath one of his eyes, and plush lips pulled into a panicked wince.
Changbin felt his life force begin to officially seep from his limp body, still cradled by the sea. But now he is cradled by the undersea boy, with the clearly horrified sea creature putting his strong arms on Changbin’s shoulders and desperately trying to shake some vitality back into him.
It was too late. Changbin’s eyes fluttered shut, his expression evening into one of peace rather than terror. The tied flannel around his waist eventually succumbed to the water drenching it to nothing more than a sopping rag, the voracious hands of the undulating ocean ripping the garment from his body and throwing it to the currents—nothing more than a perverse flag of surrender as Changbin himself finally yielded to the endless cascade of salt water strangling him from the inside out. His hands released the vice grip they clasped on his skateboard, said board easily sinking away from its owner until it nestled on the ocean floor; now becoming shelter to a wandering hermit crab or lonesome fish.
On land, the seagulls continued to laugh and dance in the misty oceanic air. The cliff is empty, devoid of a soul.
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Hyunjin was idly swimming with his pod, when a sudden crash through the ocean’s surface roused his attention. A dark blob is now sinking beneath the waves. That’s odd. But then that blob started to thrash, and writhe against the unforgiving current.
Now that is odd.
Hyunjin’s eyes then widened in horror at the sight before him; a person is drowning.
Abandoning his pod mates without a second thought, Hyunjin swam faster than he ever has over to the poor human, whose hands are still frantically grasping at the salty water in hopes of finding some form of safety.
The poor boy looks rightfully horrified—his handsome features pulled into an expression of painfully tangible panic.
Hyunjin was at the human’s side in what felt like a nanosecond, his heart racing in his chest as the siren gave him a cursory once over. He’s fading. And fast.
Hyunjin desperately tried to shake the human from the darkness closing in on him, but it was no use. The human’s large eyes softly shut, his thick lips parting as his faint heartbeat began to cease in his chest.
The siren isn’t giving up that easily.
Taking the human in his arms, Hyunjin sped off towards the shore, his translucent fins a mere blur as his scaled tail propelled him like a missile through the sea.
The siren virtually tossed the human onto the sand, once the shoreline finally came into view. His limp body landed with a sickening thud against the drenched sand once Hyunjin burst through a wave crest himself, his heart still pounding like a hammer behind his ribs. The siren threw himself onto the wet sand as well, his black and white tail still bathed in the undulating waves.
He took the human in his arms once again, his plush lips quivering in desperation as he tried to wake the boy from his unconsciousness. He frantically pumped the human’s chest, in an attempt to empty his waterlogged lungs. But with each sloppy compression against the human’s heart, Hyunjin was met with nothing but eerie stillness. The human’s skin started becoming colder and paler by the second; Hyunjin’s heart plummeted to his stomach.
Hyunjin placed his ear to the human’s chest, his soaked black muscle tee stuck to his form like a second skin. Nothing. Not a single beat. Just dead, horrifying silence.
“No, no, no, no!” Hyunjin wailed as tears welled up in his eyes, the droplets cascading down the planes of his cheeks before dripping onto the peaceful, blank features of the human. Just when the sun’s rays were starting to dry off the poor human boy, Hyunjin’s tears sprinkled another round of wetness against his chilled skin.
“P-please, wake up!” His sobs echoed through the deserted beach, his cries somehow even louder and rawer than the crashing waves behind them.
Unsurprisingly, the human didn’t stir.
He was so close. He could have saved him, he knows he could have.
But he didn't. He couldn’t.
The human boy is dead. And it’s all Hyunjin’s fault.
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
Changbin awoke with an electric jolt, his vision greeted by nothing but ghostly white.
His wide eyes darted around the white void, looking for something, anything in sight. Nothing, the single figure visible in the emptiness being Changbin himself.
Where am I? He thought to himself, yet his thoughts didn’t feel like his own. All he sees is white from ceiling to floor. Is there even a ceiling and floor? There aren’t any visible walls, just all encompassing white light as if he’s nestled within a puffy tuft of cotton.
Who even am I?
Seo Changbin. Right. He realized with a relieved huff, his taut shoulders softly slumping forward. He can deal with his more than strange surroundings—at least he remembers who he is.
What happened to me? His internal barrage of questions continued; this time he drew another blank. Blank like the diffused ivory light he’s neatly sat within. He can’t remember anything. Not how he got here, not where he was before, nothing. It should be terrifying, but for some reason he can’t find it in himself to care.
He’s obviously here for a reason—which in a way, is comforting. He doesn’t know why he’s here, but something does. Something, or someone, has a plan for him. It’s comforting in a way waking up in a pure expanse of light with no memories of your life shouldn’t be.
“Hello there.” His shoulders jumped in shock at the sudden raspy, deep voice sounding in the white nothingness. Right on cue.
Whipping around, a startled gasp tore from Changbin’s lips at the sight of a man now kneeling before him. He certainly wasn’t there a few seconds ago, Changbin dazedly thought to himself. He is clad in black from head to toe, with handsomely angled features that gave him a slightly intimidating appearance. Yet he is gazing at Changbin with such a kind, sympathetic smile that he felt no fear whatsoever.
“Do you remember how you got here?” The man asked him, taking Changbin’s stunned silence as a cue to continue.
Unable to force any words past the hundred pound lump in his throat, Changbin merely shook his head in response. His own mental battle for clarity has ceased. He obviously won’t figure out why he’s suddenly in this pure white void with this mysterious man by himself, but now he can only hope those questions will be answered soon. He has a slight suspicion all will become clear soon. Very soon.
The man nodded, seemingly accepting his silent answer. “That’s good. But more importantly, I have an offer for you.” He stated simply, leveling Changbin with a warm smile. The gesture seemed placating—trust me, I won’t hurt you. Changbin found himself instantly believing that very sentiment.
Despite the knot still churning his stomach, the man’s grin soothed Changbin’s tense nerves and brought some much needed relief to his racing thoughts.
As if reading said thoughts, the man’s smile grew, reaching up to set off sparklers in his dark eyes. He wordlessly stuck a hand out to a still silent Changbin.
“I’m Death. Nice to meet you.”
Changbin’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening as his vision froze on the large hand outstretched to him. Death, huh. That would explain the pure white void the pair are neatly sat in right now. And the stillness now taking up residence behind his ribs.
I’m...dead? That’s...that’s cool. I guess. Changbin blearily thought to himself, slightly taken aback at how ok he is with the abrupt revelation. It's not cool—he's acutely aware of how fundamentally not cool it is to be dead. Yet he can't seem to spur himself to care in the slightest. The eerie stillness in the cavity behind his ribs? That's fine. The slightly paler cast to his already porcelain skin tone? That's dandy.
But he can't help his morbid curiosity by wondering how the hell did he manage to die so young? What was he doing that could’ve offed him so easily?! Oh well; what’s done is done, and you can’t have regrets if you don’t remember what landed you in the afterlife anyways. He feels surprisingly...fine. Fine enough for a dead guy, at least. In fact, he feels relatively good. He feels calm and...is that hope he feels bubbling in his tummy?
He feels hopeful. Why? He’s not sure. He’s dead, but yet here he is, thinking and breathing like one of humanity's own. He’s “alive”, as much as one can be after being told of their apparent demise by the personification of death himself.
Breathing with no beating heart, huh, Changbin thought to himself with a hollow giggle. He won't stress over the anatomical semantics of his new corporeality.
He feels rebirthed—like an onyx-feathered phoenix rising from an equally ashen pile of soot. Something about being dead feels right, in some macabre sense of honesty. It feels like that one piece of clothing that never quite fit you right, yet once you finally grow into it the fabric perfectly hugs every inch of your body like a second skin. Like armor. It’s not like he remembers anything anyways. Not like he has any memorable ties to his previous life to summon a black cloud of doom and gloom to perpetually hover above his head. As far as Changbin’s concerned, he was born to die.
Changbin stuck out a hand of his own, grasping the one belonging to the man now identified as Death itself. His hand is freezing cold, but Changbin found the chill comforting. Like the endless stretch of white. Like the absence of his heart beat.
“Seo Changbin. The pleasure is all mine.”
