"Boss, this is the coffin."
Inside a vast, empty cave stood seventeen men in dark glasses. At the far end, seated on a king-like chair, was a strikingly handsome man with a cigarette resting between the corner of his lips. His cold, emotionless gaze remained fixed on the wrapped coffin before him. The moment the announcement echoed through the cave, he rose to his feet and approached it.
He brushed his fingers over the silk covering, then pulled it away, revealing a transparent coffin.
Inside the crystal-clear glass lay a world of blue seawater—and a living being sleeping peacefully within it.
It was a young woman, so breathtakingly beautiful that every man in the cave swallowed hard at the sight. Her long blue hair drifted weightlessly in the water, its length impossible to gauge. Her forehead was adorned with a delicate sea-crystal bead that only heightened her ethereal beauty.
But below her waist was something even more shocking.
A shimmering tail.
A fish tail.
She's a mermaid.
Her upper body was bare except for the faint layer of gleaming scales covering her breasts.
"A mermaid…" the man murmured, exhaling a puff of smoke. His expression didn't shift—still empty, unreadable—as he observed her.
"Boss, since she's real, should we draw her blood immediately and sell the body?" a young man suggested as he stepped closer.
The boss was about to respond when—
Bang!
A gunshot boomed from outside, and every man instantly snapped to alert.
"Boss, take the mermaid with you first and treat yourself. We'll handle them," the second-in-command urged.
The young man frowned slightly. "Let them come. We'll finish this together."
"No, boss. If you recover, our chances improve."
"I'm not a coward."
"Alex!" the second man snapped in frustration. "I don't want you slowing us down. Take the mermaid and fix yourself first!"
Alex stared at him for a long moment. "I'll remember this," he muttered. He opened the coffin, lifted the mermaid out of the water, cast one last look at the second man, and ran out of the cave.
The second man exhaled in relief. "Listen up! To keep the boss safe, we stake our lives!" he commanded.
"Yes!" the others chorused, drawing their guns as they moved toward the eastern entrance.
---
It was raining heavily outside, the darkness thick and unforgiving. Alex ran through the storm with the mermaid in his arms, relying on his instincts more than his sight. His clothes were soaked, but he pushed forward until he stumbled. Desperate to keep his balance, he grabbed a nearby branch.
The sharp snap sliced his palm, blood spilling instantly.
"Damn," he hissed, adjusting the mermaid with his injured hand before continuing.
He was so focused on finding shelter that he never noticed what was happening in his arms.
His blood dissolved into the water still clinging to the mermaid's skin, and the wound on his palm closed as if it had never existed. The mermaid's tail shimmered and slowly transformed into a pair of delicate human legs. Her eyes fluttered open—bright blue, matching her hair—and a silly, innocent expression settled on her face as she stared at Alex. Completely naked, she simply blinked up at him not uttering any word and maintaining her position like a lifeless thing.
Alex didn't notice.
He ran until his strength gave out. When he opened his mouth to breathe, blood instead dripped from his lips. His legs buckled, sending both him and the mermaid tumbling down a slope until they finally came to a halt.
He ended up lying on top of her, panting unevenly, feeling annoyed at the unfavorable situation.
The mermaid blinked twice, apparently clueless about his condition. She lifted a hand and gently touched his cheek.
The sudden softness startled Alex. His gaze followed the hand—and he finally realized she was awake.
"You…" he began, but his vision blurred and darkness swallowed him before he could finish, he collapse defenselessly on her.
The mermaid stared at him in confusion. When he didn't move again, she simply closed her eyes, falling asleep as well, maintaining the position without feeling uncomfortable.
---
Morning came with a blazing sun.
Alex groaned in irritation at the brightness and sat up, rubbing his forehead. "What happened?" he muttered. Memories of the previous night hit him and he slammed a fist into the ground.
"She escaped," he growled, dragging himself to his feet—only to collapse as dizziness washed over him. "So all my effort was useless?"
He was still contemplating his next move when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up—
—and froze.
A stunning, naked woman with impossibly long blue hair nearly brushing the ground was walking toward him, holding a large leaf. She knelt in front of him and extended it.
Inside were enormous red apples, much larger than any normal fruit.
"She didn't run…" Alex realized, excitement sparking through him. He grabbed her hand, causing the fruits to topple—yet before they hit the ground, they floated, suspended in midair.
This time, Alex was truly shocked. "She's alive, and she can use magic…"
His excitement grew. "Listen, little mermaid. Before, I only needed your blood. But now… I need both your blood and your body. You belong to me from now on."
The mermaid didn't understand a word. Thinking he was hungry, she simply picked up a huge apple, sliced it neatly in half with her fingers, and lifted it to his lips to feed him.
Alex stared at her for a long moment before taking the apple and slipping it into his jacket pocket. "Do… you understand what I'm saying?" he questioned.
The lady blinked twice, clearly clueless. But after seeing what he did, she mimicked him and tucked the remaining apples into his pocket as well.
Alex exhaled helplessly. "Well… at least you'll learn things slowly. That'll keep me from worrying about you running off." He studied her, though his gaze betrayed him—drifting to a particular spot on her chest, rounder and firmer than the apples she had just stuffed away.
"What the hell…," he muttered under his breath as blood trickled from his nose.