open your eyes

chae yeseung // always stuck in that feeling of deja vu, the one that never really leaves and leads you wandering around, head in the clouds and feet barely touching the ground. have you found what you're searching for, dear heart?

[floweripples]

ofcerulean:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

he’s the first to pull away, leaving behind a small cloud of sand as he pushes himself back up to the surface. he doesn’t need to do the little spin that he does on his way up, but he does it anyway because it makes him feel giddy. he resurfaces with a small gasp for air, and instead of heading towards the exit platform, he hooks two arms over the side of the tank and hoists himself high enough to peer down at yeseung. “liked the show?” he calls, flicking his tail lazily in the water. he remembers how well yeseung had danced under the neon lights, how effortless it had looked; maybe daehyun wants to impress him now too.

there is no illusion here-- not even the waves of the water in the tank or the lights could lead to a possible fantasy. the mermaid is beautiful, and yeseung is just as captivated up close as he was in his seat, watching as they reach forward to splay their palm on the other side of the glass. it makes him smile, even if their hand is slightly larger then his own. 

he looks from their hands, separated by the cool wall, to the mermaid, the way they almost seem to be smirking at him, eyebrow raised, like they might possibly know more through the water then he does, know of the world in a certain degree that yeseung hasn’t looked at quite the same yet. 

there’s something. he knows there’s something on the tip of his tongue, the edge of his mind, and he wonders why someone as ethereal as this mermaid seems to be pulling it from him, unravelling him slowly as he tries to seek out the answer. then the mermaid pulls away-- a cluster of sand in a mimicry of smoke, and yeseung feels that tug in his heart that feels a lot like not yet. until he sees the way they swirl towards the surface, reminding yeseung of whirlpools, of the way the ocean derives your attention simply with the pull of waves. 

he looks up. haloed by the lights behind him, there is a flash of the night before-- neon lights, blue, blue, blue, and that smile. that voice. yeseung’s mouth drops open just slightly before he lets out an excited trill of laughter. 

“angel?” 

yeseung calls-- and he’s still standing as close as he was, so he reaches up now, towards the light, towards daehyun, fingers stretching to meet him without the glass to keep them apart. is this really him, this ethereal mermaid that’s captivated his attention so wholly, that he had just danced with the night before? 

“i loved it. you’re so beautiful under the water, i could hardly believe this was real. you’re going to have the whole island believing in mermaids, daehyun-ah, if you don’t already.” he exhales, and he’s finally taking in air, now, he feels, like he’s finally resurfaced from under the waves. 

“you were amazing. so full of magic.. i can’t believe it’s you.” it’s a little breathless, but the smile pulling up the corners of his lips is brilliant. 

[floweripples]

haesevng:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

haeseung wondered if he was in pursuit of something specific at the market. “were you just browsing, or can i help you find something in particular? it can be a bit of a maze around here,” the older man declared, eyes scanning the numerous branches of piers and market stalls. “i remember once, when i was a child, i got so mixed up doing the shopping for my aunt that it ended up getting dark before i found everything,” he shuddered at the memory, but a grin grew as well. “it definitely motivated me to learn the layout.”

·

yeseung tries to hand back the vegetables that he had secured from rolling farther away, shaking his head at his response. “no, no, i think i’ve done the same thing as you before, honestly. everything looks so good here, it’s all so beautiful and fresh.” he says, smiling, hands sliding back into his pockets once the radishes are safe once more. 

“i believe it’s really up to you! i.. actually don’t know how long i’ve been wandering around, but i’m still not quite bored of it yet, there’s so much to see.” he offers, a small exclamation of laughter about the paint. “i keep finding it all over my clothes. i discovered i’m just exceptionally good at getting it all over, apparently.” 

he rocks on the balls of his feet, head tilting to the side slightly before he shakes it, no. “i didn’t really have a plan. to be honest i just.. ended up here. i’ve taken to just wandering around the island to see where i find myself.” he casts a gaze around them, at the pink hues growing in the sky, slowly reaching towards sunset, reaching up far beyond the stalls. 

though with the mentions of the dark, yeseung hunches his shoulders in just a little bit as he considers the time, as if somehow it’ll keep him from it. “i might be a little scared to be here after dark myself. thank you for the offer, though. maybe directions back to the bus? i do feel like i’ve gotten a bit turned around.. i should probably find my way back before it gets too late and i get really lost.” 

“as sad as i am to leave.. maybe i can come back another day and actually buy some things. i saw these giant carrots over there, i think you could use them as carrot swords, or something.” 

[floweripples]

checls:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

“Bartending is way more impressive. You must see your fair share of busy nightlife then? No wonder you’re so sleepy.” 

looking contemplative, yeseung can only nod. “i suppose.. they would just want to be here for the gummies, and not to be friends.” he murmurs, eyebrows slightly furrowed at the prospect-- he had seen people attempt to feed birds before back in seoul, even though they had bread, which yeseung doesn't have, and maybe it was a toss-up if you were liked by the birds in the first place. 

“for now? are you looking to try and get another job?” he asks, and he’s offering the bag again after he takes another for himself, trying to be as equal as he can with the sharing of them, but unsure if there’s an even amount in the bag to split anyways. at the mention of the busy nightlife, he just hums, though there’s a bit of a shrug to his shoulders. 

“i dont think it’s much more impressive. while i like meeting new people, i think i’d just as much like to be this close to the ocean. i like learning how to make new drinks, so i think that’s my favorite part of the job. anything that would include learning something new.. i think that’s what i look forward to.” yeseung explains, tone soft as he casts a small smile over to him. 

“back in seoul, i used to work as a barista. alcohol’s not quite the same as coffee, but-- it’s still fun.” 

[floweripples]

haesevng:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

stumbling a bit further down the pier, his distractible eyes caught sight of someone who looked rather familiar. it was unmistakable, but for some reason it was taking him forever to place. he was sure his facial expression read extremely puzzled, while he fumbled around for the answer. finally, just as he was passing the person, his mouth finally matched up with his brain. “yeseung? is that you? i don’t think i’ve ever seen you outside of class,” haeseung chuckled, greeting him with a bow, dropping a couple of his radishes in the process.

there were too many places on the island for yeseung to discover for him to not wander-- and on this particular day, he had found himself at the pier market. yeseung didn’t really intend to buy anything but he still looked on in wonder, as each stall offered something a little different, smiling at each owner brightly as he made his way through. his hands were shoved in his pockets, just taking in the bustle of color and noise and people that made their way weaving through the market. 

near the end of the pier, he found himself leaning against the railing and observing the way the waves crashed and rolled, swirling around the structure and holding the whole market suspended over its depths. to yeseung, it felt a little bit like flying, except he was solidly held aloft above the water, almost like wings that let him hover just a bit above the ground. 

usually on his adventures, he didn’t expect to run into anyone that knew him. he was fairly new on the island, even if he had started popping up nearly everywhere in his attempts for money collection and saving. hearing his name called out makes him turn in a bit of a surprise, eyebrows raised. it was just a moment-- but then the voice took shape into a memory, yeseung’s hands covered in acrylics when he had squeezed the tube just a little too hard depositing the medium on the palette. 

he bows immediately in response but sees a radish rolling across the ground a moment later, letting out a little “oh!” as he gets down to collect them into his arms. “haeseung-ssi! your radishes are trying to run away.” he says with a little giggle, standing a moment later with them all collected, propped against his chest. 

“it is me, just a little less covered in paint.” he says, grin spread across his lips and denting those dimples into his cheeks. his eyes catch on all of the bags he’s carrying-- “do you need any help with those?”  

[floweripples]

checls:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

“I don’t mind staying…” He starts, settling down in the sand beside the stranger. Attention turning back towards the ocean, it suddenly makes sense to him how he could have drifted off so easily. It was all so peaceful. “And you don’t have to repay me… unless you have some potato chips with you. Then I’ll definitely take them off your hands.”  He’s only half joking.

“What’s your name?”  

 

all yeseung can do is laugh, bubbling up out of him and into the ocean air where it floats and floats away. “it might be because i end up doing this a lot. falling asleep random places. i don’t really mean to, but i just get so.. comfortable. especially around the island.” he shrugs his shoulders a bit, and his cheeks are warm from the sun, but all he can do is smile in the face of this fact. 

he gazes up to the stranger as they look back behind before sitting down next to him, looking back towards the waves himself as he settles. he’s bracketing his elbows on his knees with a grin as he watches the ocean’s waves crest and crash against the shore, reaching before getting pulled, inevitably, back towards the deeper waters. “hm..” yeseung trails off at the mention of chips-- stretching out one leg into the sand to dig in his pocket. 

he pulls out a crumpled shape of a bag of fruit gummies. there’s a bit of a pout on his lips at the presentation of it, casting a glance over at the stranger. “not chips.. unfortunately. and i think i might have smushed them when i was sleeping.” yeseung opens them anyways, reaching inside and popping one into his mouth. 

he hums a little. it’s a translation for it’s not so bad. when he’s finished with the one, he’s offering the opened bag over to the stranger. 

“chae yeseung. it’s nice to meet you.” he casts his eyes back over to the gift shop that’s adjacent to them, where he had seen his eyes wander just a moment ago. “do you.. work over at that shop? i’m a bartender at a place back in the city.” yeseung says, and grabs another gummy for himself, stretching out his legs and making indents in the sand as he does it. 

[floweripples]

ofcerulean:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

the story has a happy ending, of course. with his magic restored, he can protect the ocean again and so on, and the narrator goes into their spiel about how the audience also has a certain magic within them to help protect the ocean. the only redeeming part of the show, in daehyun’s opinion. when the track finally begins to fade into the usual aquarium’s music and the lights return to normal, he swims for the breathing tubes again instead of the surface. it’s this corner of the tank he’s claimed for himself, where he keeps the prop orb along with interesting rocks he finds around the tank, until the day he can take a closer look at them. maybe he lingers a little longer than necessary there, partly distracted by the moving shapes on the other side of the glass, searching where he’d last seen that familiar face.

yeseung watches on in awe. he had always had this wonder inside his chest that he had carried with him for so long now, he doesn’t know what he would be without it, like a missing puzzle without a piece, if he didn’t try to view the world this way. everything seems a little darker and more dreary without it, and he never really felt the need to give in to pushing it away like he had seen happen so many times with others. 

and so he gasps. he watches on with eyes that glimmer with opportunity, and watches as the mermaid weaves a tale that has yeseung leaning even more forward on his seat. sometimes, he swears the mermaid is looking right at him, feels so spun up into the words and the music that he can only feel his heart swell at each crescendo of it, every time he sees the mermaid twirl in the water. 

as with all stories, he finds the ache in his heart grow as it comes to a finish. he is pleased that it’s a happy ending, but there’s something that makes him want to stay and watch the mermaid swim around in the water all afternoon, maybe into the evening, entranced by the way the figure slides through the water so effortlessly. 

but it is over-- and yeseung can only watch on as the mermaid seems to bow in his direction, eyes on his own. his lips part just slightly, because could the mermaid really be.. he squints into the lights, everything so familiar and not familiar at all. it almost feels like he does once he wakes up from a dream, and everything feels coated in a film. the lights rise up once the performance is officially over, and yeseung claps along with the rest of the crowd before they start gathering their things and leaving. 

despite himself, he doesn’t want to leave quite yet. there’s something tugging at him, pulling him forward towards the tank, where he had seen the mermaid swim down into a corner. he feels a little bit like he’s holding his breath again, wondering why, somehow, even from across the room, the attention that he had captivated from the mermaid felt so familiar. 

close enough, now, he presses his hand to the glass. splays out his fingers, and feels the coolness of the water against the thick wall of it, and wonders why the mermaid had captivated him in a way that he had only experienced very recently. 

they seemed ethereal in the water, moving in such ways that their tail shimmered like the expanse of a thousand stars under moonlight, spinning and twisting and pulling his own attention like a thread of string that they wrapped and wrapped and wrapped around their fingers. and yeseung was only tugged gleefully forth-- happy to be spun into an orbit of a creature so intriguing he can only think they could have been formed with magic, with gentle hands imbued with powers as strong as an ocean’s wave. 

[floweripples]

checls:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

“Hey. Hey, wake up. You look kind of comfortable here, but you need to stop… You’re gonna make some kid cry or something.”

 

there’s a thing about yeseung’s naps-- he tends to be able to be woken up easily. it seems to be something that goes hand in hand, his ability to fall asleep anywhere and also startle awake at a car horn, so when he’s nudged, his eyes flutter open to a stranger. he feels quite warm, and it takes him a few moments for all of the memories to filter in. what he does know is he came here earlier to appreciate the nice weather while he could, and he does remember laying back for just a moment to let himself soak it all in. ah. he must’ve fallen asleep. 

the stranger seems kind, as he’s opened up an umbrella to protect yeseung from the sun’s rays, which he’s probably gotten enough of, at this point. he sits up on his elbows, everything slowly coming into view. the ocean’s still as reliable as it was when he fell asleep, probably the thing that aided him towards an impromptu nap in the first place. he peers up at the stranger and offers them a sleepy smile, all that he can manage while the last of that lull of dreams still lingers in his bones. 

“hi there. thanks for the umbrella shade-- and for waking me up.” he says, and his voice is still a little bit groggy from his nap, and he thinks.. maybe there is sand in his boots, now. the sand that’s underneath his fingers seems tempting, though, and so he digs his fingers in and brings them up, lets it filter through slowly. since the sun’s still out, he thinks he probably still has time before his work shift. 

he brings himself up further, sitting up properly and realizing he can’t use his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, he rubs gently with the back of his sleeve as he emits a yawn. tilting his head a bit at the stranger when he’s done, he looks up to him and then down at the sand beside him. “do you want to sit and watch the ocean for a bit with me? it’s really nice today, isn’t it?” yeseung asks, and offers more of a brilliant smile like he usually does. he pats the sand and then looks out to the ocean, drawing his hand back to the side. 

“it’s my favorite color. when it’s turquoise like that.” letting out a little sigh, he draws up his knees and dusts off some of the lingering sand. “though-- if you're busy, no worries. i do want to repay you, somehow, for waking me up. i might’ve been here the rest of the afternoon if you hadn't. do you like snacks?” 

[floweripples]

ofcerulean:

[𓂂 ˚˖]

the dim lighting outside doesn’t let him see the rest of the crowd clearly, but one of them in particular looks a little older than the usual age range of his audience. oh, great, he thinks. wondering if somebody he knows has come to tease him about the job again, daehyun drifts closer to the glass, tail curling lightly over the sand as he searches for a face in the dark.

here’s a few things yeseung has come to learn about mulmalu island-- first, the sun rises over the shore in a brilliance of color that he has never come to know before this, bracketed by the sea, churning in its blue intensity, washing over the sand. sometimes, in the mornings, if he gets up early enough (or maybe he has just not gone to sleep), he feels like he could reach out and hold it with two hands, gently guiding it up and up until it rests high in the sky, casting warmth and light across the island. 

second. the water is cold in the mornings. it is almost similar to how it feels at night, when yeseung has run straight into the waves just to have that trill of goosebumps that run over his spine. it is when he realizes that dousing himself in ocean water at midnight makes his heart almost beat as fast as it does when he dances at the apex of a song, almost in his throat. 

third-- the aquarium has turtles. there is one that he has affectionately taken under his wing, even if it’s through the glass, and that mostly means he has spent an afternoon or two sitting outside of it, keeping him company when it seems like the other turtles don’t want to stay. he presses his hand to the glass and hopes, maybe, that his care translates to the turtle that peers at him from the other side. 

here is another thing yeseung has discovered. the aquarium also has mermaids. he sees a few flyers around the aquarium once he’s left his turtle friend with a determined set of his brow-- he had mentioned he would try to come back tomorrow. but then he sees something about a mermaid show to happen in fifteen minutes, and his feet carry him down a meandering path until he finds the entrance. 

settling in a seat on his own, he taps painted nails the same color as the ocean against his knees in a poorly concealed attempt at wrangling his excitement. he does perk up when he happens to hear a splash, and through the waves of the tank, he leans somehow closer in his seat to try and get a better look. 

he sees the shape of a tail, seemingly white and pristine in the water, and the rest in small flashes, the angle of the seating not providing him with much. still-- his heart beats a gentle ferocity in his chest at getting a proper glimpse of the mystery mermaid inside of the tank, wondering if only they will match the ethereal traces that his imagination readily paints for him. 

the lights are lowered down just slightly. he holds his breath. 

[floweripples]

   ⭒☆  profile/bio  &  plots  ☆⭒

hey everyone, i'm iris (he/him, 24) and i'm here to-- keep yeseung from floating away, and let you meet him! if you haven't already seen chae yeseung dancing his way across mulmalu city, i'm sure you can catch him at the bar, serving drinks, or wandering (a little cluelessly) along mulmalu beach and the like. recently stranded on the island from a drunken road trip with friends, he is mostly certainly the one to ask if you need some help! he is trying to save up some money, even though his pockets are probably full of seashells. leave a heart and i'll come and float my way over to you in ims, unfortuantely, seashells not included (yeseung has taken them all).

a quick little behind the scenes!

⋆   born and raised in seoul, yeseung's spent his whole 24 years so far in the city-- raised by his mother who owns her own ceramics business while his father persued the life of a businessman, they have always encouraged him to chase his own happiness

⋆   he sort of floats through life, trying to figure out the meaning of this happiness as he goes through school. they encourage him to go to college and so he goes after the one thing he always finds himself doing-- dancing

⋆   he works at a cafe on campus and learns that he's also able to make drinks, and finds himself always trying new combinations of sweet drinks, and remembering all of the orders of his regulars

⋆   he graduates and finds himself looking at the rest of his life-- watching as everyone around him submits to their long drawn out plans, while he's left behind, still wandering around the city like there's someplace he still hasn't uncovered, an answer that everyone else found out that he didn't

⋆   a drunken road trip with friends leads to him stranded on mulmalu island-- a place that he had never known he'd find himself in but.. it's beautiful. maybe because it contains so many things he never even imagined, maybe because it's so far from home--

⋆   they need money, and so he finds himself a job as a bartender in mulmalu city easily, citing all of his barista experience that he surprisingly translates into alcoholic beverages quite well

⋆   for some extra pocket money, he searches for odd jobs around the city, posted up on bulletin boards or on flyers. he doesn't mind helping someone move boxes or assemble some pesky furniture for some extra cash, and finds it a good way to meet more people and go more places around the island while he's at it

⋆   on off days, he likes to explore the island and its nature, find places to dance, even if it's on his own, no music to guide him but what's inside of his mind, and take naps in the most unexpected of places (he has found he quite likes the way it is when he nestles himself in the branches of a tree)

⋆   the more time passes the more he wonders.. is this what everyone plans for? is this the feeling that people work towards? he intends to find out, figures that if the universe has landed him here, maybe it's where he's supposed to be (even if it's just for a moment)

some connections!

(though you can find some other plots similar to these linked at the top!)

⋆   a muse needing him for odd jobs! even if it's something he's never done before, he is definitely up to learn

⋆   a muse who happens to frequent the bar/works as another bartender and they get through work shifts together

⋆   a muse who's been wanting to learn how to dance or hasn't in a long time and wants someone to practice with!

⋆   a muse who is constantly running into him lost and not knowing how to make his way back

⋆   muses who would show him around the island/any of their favorite or secret spots

⋆   a muse who would take him diving, swimming, boating, anything to do with the water!

[midsumner]

[soracities]

e.e. cummings, “my mind is” (excerpts from Tulips), Complete Poems: 1904-1962

[Text ID: “nevertheless i feel that i cleverly am being altered that i slightly am becoming something a little different,in fact myself]

[jaemtens]

ateez ✧ turbulence (san)