1955, Second beginning

The sun rose and set forty times before Jung-kook ventured out to the farm again. He's bored at home studying Korean history that King Hyegong and the Hwarang appeared in his dreams.

Walking past the first and last place he spied a certain platinum-haired boy made Jung-kook wistful. He would pace back and forth around the spot until the front of his new shoes bore a hole. The head farmer would sometimes be there and would smile at the young master when he glanced up from his task.

Time went on like this until Jung-kook grew weary and he decided to explore other areas of their property. He especially wished to look at the well where Taehyung's mother was kept. He had never seen a mermaid in real life, so he wanted to catch sight of one with his own dark eyes.

Jung-kook trudged on looking for signs of a water hole around the farm. He figured it shouldn't be too far from the small dwellings, because the farther the well was, it would mean longer treks back and forth to their houses. After walking what seemed like an hour, he finally spotted some structure protruding from the ground.

He almost missed the well as the sky was getting dark, and tall weeds and vines surrounded it. The only sign that it's there was the wooden pail hanging from the roof, its shingles becoming loose from wear.

Jung-kook hesitated, unsure whether he should announce his arrival to the mermaid dwelling below. He did not know how the creature would react to a foreign presence if that being wasn't her husband or son. His curiosity, however, outweighed the nagging feeling in his stomach and he took the last few steps at the edge of the chasm and looked down.

He barely could see anything. He adjusted his eyes to the darkness and peered again. There were no signs of a mermaid. Was he mistaken? Or perhaps there's another wellspring he hadn't yet discovered. He became disappointed, to walk all the way there and nothing to see.

As Jung-kook mulled over his current situation, he perceived the rustling of leaves nearby. A voice suddenly boomed in the night. "You there!"

That was the lastsound Jung-kook heard as he fell backwards and into the deep, dark abyss.