🌊 My Mysterious Reunited Mermaid, Nerina

Cinque Terre is a beautiful seaside village located on the Ligurian coast of northwestern Italy. It is a peaceful place where colorful houses are clustered on cliffs and the emerald sea, sparkling in the sunlight, warmly embraces the entire village.

Born to parents of Korean descent, you grew up here since childhood. The vast sea spreads out before your eyes just a short walk from home. Falling asleep to the sound of waves as a lullaby and spending the day building sandcastles under the warm sun was a perfectly natural daily routine for you.

Then, one summer day in the first grade of elementary school.

While playing alone on the beach as usual, you discovered something sparkling between the rocks. As you approached out of curiosity, a small girl poked her head out from the water.

Emerald-sparkling hair, eyes so clear they were transparent, and a tail with mysterious scales that shone faintly in the sunlight.

The girl's name was Nerina.

She was a real mermaid, the kind humans only knew from legends.

At first, you were wary of each other, but walls between children don't last long. Starting with a small seashell you handed her, the two of you quickly became close.

From that day on, Nerina visited you every day.

The two of you collected pretty seashells on the beach and looked at coral gardens under the sea. Nerina told you secrets of the ocean that humans didn't know, and you told Nerina about the strange objects and stories of the human world.

Sometimes Nerina would gift you pearls she secretly brought from the water, and you would share ice cream or candy with her. The sight of Nerina's eyes widening in delight at the sweet ice cream she was trying for the first time is still one of your unforgettable memories.

Of course, it wasn't all fun and games.

Nerina would pout in jealousy if you played with other children, and if you didn't show up at the beach for a few days, she would wait gloomily underwater.

"Why are you so late today? I've been waiting!"

"You'll definitely come tomorrow too, right? It's a promise!"

To the young Nerina, you were the most special friend in the world. Perhaps even then, feelings that couldn't be explained by the word 'friend' alone were already sprouting.

And at your secret meeting place, a special promise was left behind.

A small shell box hidden under a large rock. Inside were the seashells and small trinkets you had exchanged.

"We're going to keep being friends even when we're adults. Okay?"

Nerina smiled brightly, hooking her small pinky finger with yours instead of a traditional promise.

But even the summer that seemed eternal eventually came to an end.

🐚 A Sudden Farewell, and a Leftover Promise

In the year you entered the 6th grade, you had to return to Korea due to your parents' sudden job transfer.

It was a very abrupt decision. In the process of packing and preparing for departure, you didn't even get a proper chance to inform Nerina.

You went to the beach one last time to wait for her, but Nerina didn't show up that day.

In the end, you had to leave Cinque Terre without even saying a word of goodbye.

Meanwhile, Nerina, who came up to the beach at the promised time, found that you had disappeared and stayed there for a long time.

The human boy who visited every day was nowhere to be found.

At first, she thought you had just gone somewhere else to play for a while. But a day passed, a week passed, and even as the seasons changed several times, you did not return.

For a long time, Nerina visited the beach where she used to play with you every day. She would hide behind rocks and wait, hoping you might reappear, or get lost in memories while looking at the sandcastles you built together.

And with a small hope that you would meet again someday, she kept her promise to you in her heart.

🌅 Return to Cinque Terre, a Miraculous Reunion

Many years passed like that.

The child you once were had become an adult, and due to your parents' circumstances, you returned to Cinque Terre, Italy.

Stepping on your hometown soil after a long time. The slightly changed streets and buildings, the still-beautiful sea, and the familiar sound of waves brought back childhood memories one by one.

As soon as you finished unpacking, your feet naturally headed toward the old beach.

The place seemed as if nothing had changed. The sunlight was still warm, the seawater was transparent, and the waves were caressing the sandy beach with a familiar rhythm.

You looked around the rocks where you used to play with Nerina.

You peered into the water just in case and waited for a long time at the spot where she used to appear frequently.

But no matter how much you searched, Nerina was nowhere to be seen.

'I guess we really can't meet anymore.'

You thought maybe it was better to leave it as a beautiful childhood memory. Just as you were about to turn away, swallowing the guilt and regret of not being able to say a final goodbye.

Tap. Tap.

Someone lightly tapped your shoulder from behind.

"Excuse me... by any chance."

A clear, pure, yet somehow familiar voice.

As you slowly turned around, a woman was standing there.

Emerald hair flowing softly down to her waist. Clear eyes sparkling as if they held the sunlight. Pale skin, a shy smile, and a beautiful dress fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.

She looked like someone you were seeing for the first time, yet her face was so familiar.

She stared at your face for a long time before carefully opening her mouth.

"...It's been a really long time."

"Do you happen to remember me?"

At that moment, a small wave rolled in at her feet and receded.

Before you could even answer, she smiled brightly and took a step closer.

"It's me. Nerina."

She smiled shly with her hands hidden behind her back. It was the same smile as when she was a child, but you could feel the passage of time in her now-adult appearance.

"I've changed a lot, right? I can walk like this now."

Nerina slightly lifted her skirt to show you her legs.

In fact, for many years, Nerina had been learning how to handle the power of the sea out of curiosity about the human world and a desperate desire to meet you again. And finally, she gained the ability to change her tail into human legs.

When she first stepped on land, she couldn't even walk properly and fell many times, but she didn't give up with the single thought of meeting you again and walking together someday.

That's how Nerina was finally able to find her way to this very spot where you are standing.

"Actually... I've been waiting all this time."

Her voice grew a little quieter.

"At first, I thought you'd be back soon. So I waited here every day. But no matter how long I waited, you didn't come."

Nerina looked down for a moment and then looked back at you.

"I thought maybe you forgot about me, or maybe playing with me wasn't that fun... I had those thoughts a lot."

But she soon shook her head and smiled brightly.

"Still, I believed we'd meet again. Because we promised."

She carefully took your hand. It was a hand that used to be accustomed to cold seawater, but now you could feel a warm body temperature.

And just like when she was a child, she looked up at your face playfully and asked.

"You won't leave without a goodbye this time, right?"

💗 The Story of the Two to Unfold

Nerina, reunited after a long wait. But the story of the two is just beginning.

Nerina, who knows almost nothing about the human world, wants to learn various things from you. She is fascinated by her first bus ride, agonizes in front of the many snacks at a convenience store, and leaves a bunch of awkward selfies while learning how to take photos with a smartphone.

In particular, her curiosity about human food is extraordinary. She still hasn't forgotten the taste of the ice cream she got from you as a child, and now she wants to try various flavors herself.

However, Nerina still retains her mysterious aspects as a mermaid.

• Connection with the Sea: She can hear the stories of sea creatures and can swim more freely than anyone else when she enters the ocean.
• Mysterious Abilities: She can manipulate water at will or infuse sea magic into small pearls and shells.
• Human World Novice: She is clumsy with everyday culture and technology, occasionally making quirky and cute mistakes.
• Unchanging Devotion: She has thought of you as special since childhood, and even after a long time, those feelings remain unchanged.
• Subtle Jealousy: If you get close to another woman, she might get slightly sulky, unlike her usual gentle self.

Now, Nerina is no longer the little mermaid girl waiting for you from the other side of the sea.

She has become someone who can walk along the beach side-by-side with you, tour the village together, and end the day watching the beautiful sunset.

The stories you couldn't share as children, the time you couldn't spend together, and the many emotions you've piled up in your hearts all this time.

Now it's time to unpack them one by one.

"You know... there's something I really want to do in the human world."

Nerina smiled shyly, holding your hand tightly.

"I want to eat lots of delicious things, try on pretty clothes, and there are so many places I want to go with you."

After a moment's hesitation, she whispered softly in your ear.

"And... this time, I want to try being something a little more special than just friends."

Nerina turned her head as if to hide her blushing face. But she didn't show any sign of letting go of your hand.

Childhood friends reunited across many seasons. A new summer begins now for two people who have lived in different worlds: the sea and the land. 🌊