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Chapter : 02
“You fell for me? I honestly don’t understand why…”
That was all I could manage to say.
“Well, how could I not? The day I was swept ashore by the storm, I was absolutely terrified. To be caught by a land dweller—I was certain you’d season me on the spot and turn me into shark meat.”
“That is a very, very wrong assumption.”
“But that’s what I believed land dwellers did. In any case, I was just crying, convinced I was about to become shark meat. I thought the hands of land dwellers would be rough and clumsy, and that the whole process would be unbearably painful. But your touch, Miss Marina, was nothing like I imagined…”
Sharkrof continued, sounding almost enraptured.
“It was so gentle and warm. Of course, I wasn’t turned into shark meat. Only then did I gather the courage to look up at your face. And that was when I fell into a feeling I had believed I would never experience from a land dweller in my entire life. Looking back, it was inevitable. You had something special that other land dwellers don’t.”
“Something special?”
“To put it simply, you smell different from other land dwellers.”
Sharkrof spoke with absolute certainty, in stark contrast to my utter bewilderment.
He went on.
“A shark’s sense of smell is extremely sensitive. Even a single drop of blood in the vast ocean can be detected immediately. So even if others couldn’t tell, I knew at once. Unlike other land dwellers who reek of the disgusting scent of soil and wild grass, you are fundamentally different. You carry the fresh scent of waves and coral. That means you possess the soul of the sea.”
I had no idea what “the soul of the sea” was supposed to mean.
From his continued explanation, this was what I managed to understand:
Sea people believe in reincarnation. And sometimes, they believe that a sea person may suffer the “misfortune” of being reborn on land in their next life.
Those reborn on land may be physically bound to the earth, but their souls still retain the essence of their former existence—as sea people.
A land dweller with the soul of the sea refers to such a person.
Sharkrof claimed that I was one.
Apparently, the fact that I had always been drawn to the blue shoreline since childhood was proof enough.
I had always loved the sea, but I had never thought of it that way.
“To meet a land dweller with the soul of the sea on the very day I was washed ashore—this must be fate.”
I looked at him skeptically, but Sharkrof continued unfazed.
“If it is fate, then nothing can stand in the way of our love—even if it is between a sea person and a land dweller. Miss Marina, swear eternal love with me and come live in the beautiful Sea Kingdom. A carefree and prosperous life there would be the greatest repayment I could offer.”
He stopped speaking and stared straight at me.
He was clearly waiting for my answer.
I replied simply.
“No, thank you.”
A painful silence followed.
Sharkrof’s sharp eyes gradually softened into something pitiful—like a puppy that had just been kicked.
“Why not?”
he asked, looking utterly crestfallen.
His voice still carried the shock.
“It’s too sudden,” I said. “Other than that brief encounter back then, we’re practically strangers. I don’t know anything about you.”
“Then… does that mean your answer might change if you learn more about me? For example, after witnessing my hunting skills—the finest in these waters?”
“Hunting skills?”
“I am a very popular shark. Many sea people have fallen for me after seeing how skillfully I ambush swordfish. I could demonstrate my charms to you through my hunting abilities as well. The only issue is waiting for a suitable swordfish to appear.”
“Land dwellers don’t really find fish-hunting ability attractive…”
“That’s absurd. If not through hunting prowess, how else can one evaluate the appeal of an ideal mate?”
Sharkrof asked, genuinely confused.
“Well… I’m not sure where to even begin explaining…”
And I truly meant it.
“And about moving to the Sea Kingdom together—it’s just as sudden. Even if I were to somehow fall in love with you, I still wouldn’t want to go there.”
“Why?”
“Because I like living on land. I don’t want to leave.”
“I can’t understand that at all. Why would land be preferable?”
He looked even more baffled than before.
“Miss Marina, do you truly like such a desolate place? Sand blown from the beach scattering everywhere, objects strewn about like coastal rocks, this incomprehensible landfill you call home?”
He gestured toward the café courtyard, which had been ravaged by seawater.
That was… a remarkably harsh assessment.
“The mess wasn’t intentional,” I replied. “Huge waves surged all the way up here last night and flooded everything. It’s usually much tidier. And it’s not an incomprehensible landfill—it’s actually my shop.”
“Oh.”
Sharkrof awkwardly bit his lip, clearly realizing he had made a serious mistake.
“That was simply the first word that came to mind. I apologize for calling it a landfill.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, it does look like one.”
I sighed as I looked over the café courtyard that had been devastated by the waves.
Outdoor tables and parasols lay overturned, covered in wet sand.
Clumps of black seaweed were scattered everywhere.
Mud from the ocean floor clung even to the railings.
The chaotic mess stood in stark contrast to the dazzling white beach just beyond it.
“The storm was terrible yesterday,” I said weakly. “The waves swept through all the shops near the shore. I thought having a place so close to the sea would be romantic. But when the ocean is this temperamental, it doesn’t feel romantic at all. I was just about to start cleaning, but I don’t even know where to begin…”
“Then I’ll help.”
Sharkrof answered immediately.
“Are you sure? I can’t just ask you out of nowhere.”
“I came here to repay my debt to you in the first place. Even if I can’t give you the gift I intended, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
He stacked several heavy wooden tables together and lifted them upright with ease.
The movement was so effortless that I was momentarily speechless.
“I suppose you have to be strong to live as a shark.”
“Yes. Prey doesn’t just surrender. You have to be very strong.”
He sounded oddly pleased, as if he had just received a compliment.
Though he moved at a relaxed pace, he worked steadily without pause.
Still dazed, I began cleaning alongside him, watching his movements.
The shark I had saved long ago was supposedly a sea person—a being I had never even heard of.
And now he had returned to repay me.
It still sounded ridiculous.
There was no concrete proof that Sharkrof wasn’t human.
His sharp teeth were certainly strange, but surely there were more plausible explanations than him being a transformed shark-man.
It should have been impossible.
And yet… there was undeniably something unusual about him.
Perhaps it was a skill honed from quietly approaching prey, but Sharkrof moved with a natural grace and strength.
Like the streamlined motion of a fin cutting through water.
Every movement carried an elegance that one would not expect from someone of his size.
As I stared at him, half-mesmerized, he spoke quietly.
“Miss Marina, even if this isn’t a landfill, I still can’t understand why you prefer life on land.”
When I asked why, he replied calmly:
“Because land is a cruel place. Sea people chose to live disguised as ordinary fish, hiding from land dwellers, because of their wicked nature.”
“Wicked nature?”
“Yes. If land dwellers were to discover our true identities, they would do anything—no matter how horrific—to steal our ability to transform. Living among such ruthless beings… it must be terribly difficult for someone as kind as you.”
“Not everyone on land is terrible.”
“That’s exactly what wicked land dwellers would want you to believe. They’ve probably brainwashed you into thinking land is the best place to live and that there are no other options.”
“I think you’ve misunderstood land quite severely.”
I said with a small laugh.
