Seulbi Yu is a troubled girl who just wants to start fresh so she can graduate in peace. She just wants to leave behind all the bad memories - her sleepwalking, the trauma from being bullied at school - all of it. She did everything she could to keep to herself, but the class president, Hae-on Kim, just won't leave her alone. One day, when Seulbi visits the local lake Hae-on recommended, she comes across something she never imagined seeing in her wildest dreams. A wild, dark mermaid eating a deer alive. That mermaid is none other than Hae-on.
After Hae-on's attempts to force Seulbi to forget fail, Seulbi promises not to tell anyone Hae-on's secret. Overtime the friendship between the two builds up into something more.
Dark Mermaid is a Yuri/Girl's Love Korean Webtoon created by Ddogak. It began weekly serialization in early 2024. The series made its English language debut on August 18, 2024.
The Webcomic series contains examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Both Seulbi and Hae-in’s fathers appear to have a liking for alcohol.
- Ambiguous Situation: It isn't made clear what exactly happened after Seulbi discovered Hae-on was a mermaid/siren as she wakes up in her bed the following morning without any clear recollection of what happened. She does dream that she fell in the water and Hae-on bit her, but it isn't made clear if that's what happened or what she feared happened.
- Big Damn Heroes: In Chapter 25, Hae-on saves Seulbi as she is being assaulted by one of the bullies from her former school.
- Brick Joke: Hae-on wearing melon underwear as a kid was mentioned as a joke, and Hae-in’s friends want to see a picture of it, but Hae-on’s father comes home before they get a chance to. Seulbi sees a picture of that in Chapter 34.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Suhyeon became jealous of the fact that Seulbi had developed a rather fast friendship with Hae-on to the point that they apparently hand out regularly and Seulbi knows personal details about Hae-on's life.
- Crush Blush: To the point of it becoming a running gag, as they get closer, Hae-on blushes a lot around Seulbi, and her face is depicted as becoming a tomato sometimes.
- Cynicism Catalyst: It is revealed in Chapter 16 that Hae-on's father used to be a nicer person prior to the death of her mother.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Chapters 27 through 32 go through a great amount of detail regarding why Seulbi needed to transfer from her old school in the first place. Certain scenes that were briefly shown in previous chapters are given greater context.
- Despair Event Horizon: Chapter 20 visually illustrates the Seulbi is going through this between pictures of her being posted online without her permission and believing that Hae-on was sick of her.
- Disability Immunity: It is implied that Hae-on’s inability to cause Seulbi to forget is connected to her sleepwalking issues.
- Dude Magnet: Deconstructed. Lots a guys are attracted Seulbi, but it becomes part of the reason some people pick on her.
- Exact Eavesdropping: In Chapter 4, Seulbi overhears some students talk about how Hae-on stood up for her when some boys were talking about her behind her back which causes her to ease her guard around Hae-on a little.
- Friendless Background: It is made abundantly clear in the first chapter that Seulbi has no friends in her former school after the sleepwalking incident.
- Implied Death Threat: Hae-on’s father makes it clear to Hae-on that she needs to handle the situation regarding Seulbi, or he’ll deal with Seulbi personally.
- Jerkass: Hae-on’s father in the present day is a rather unpleasant man to the point Hae-on’s friends only came to her house to celebrate Field Day because he was supposed to not come home. When he unexpectedly came home, everyone decided to make themselves scarce, and Hae-on couldn’t blame them.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Both Hae-on and Seulbi’s fathers are this.
- Hae-on’s father isn’t wrong to be extremely concerned about other people knowing their secret. While he is wrong in assuming Seulbi poses a threat, Hae-on’s backstory makes it clear that plenty of others were not worthy of trust.
- In Chapter 10, Seulbi’s father comes across as difficult to talk to due to drinking too much, but he isn’t wrong to being concerned regarding Suelbi arriving home rather late. He also isn’t wrong about mental illnesses being hereditary either.
- Misplaced Retribution: As seen in Chapter 4, some of Seulbi’s bullies attacked her because other people were attracted her even if she showed no interest in them.
- Missing Mom: Both Seulbi and Hae-on have lost their mothers.
- New Friend Envy: Suhyeon has a strong case of this after Hae-on befriends Seulbi.
- New Transfer Student: Seulbi is transferred from her old school to her partly because of her father being transferred to a different job.
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: At the end of Chapter 18, Seulbi believes Hae-on doesn't want anything to do with her based on what she hears Hae-on talking to Suhyeon.
- Out of Focus: Hae-on doesn’t appear in chapters 28 through 31 due to Seulbi telling her about her past in an extended flashback.
- Parents as People: Seulbi’s father has been portrayed as a bit of a mixed bag at best. In the first chapter, he is shown being annoyed at her for not having a appetite despite his attempts at cooking for her, but he is also shown being concerned for her well being when her sleepwalking nearly gets herself killed. He is later shown to have been drinking a lot and being difficult with Seulbi to speak to.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: In Chapter 18, Seulbi overhears Hae-on telling Suhyeon that she’s sick of her, but she leaves before Hae-on makes it clear she was being sarcastic. Afterwards, in Chapters 19 & 20, Seulbi basically cuts off her friendship with Hae-on before she can explain. They are able to eventually able to mend things.
- Poor Communication Kills: At the end of Chapter 18, Seulbi believes that Hae-on doesn't wish to be her friend, and Hae-on fails to properly communicate that Seulbi misheard things.
- Properly Paranoid: Seulbi stated she is fine with her picture taken as long as no one posts it on social media. She doesn't want anyone from her old school to find her, and it is revealed in Chapter 11 that one of her former bullies is trying to track her down. He is successful in tracking her down by Chapter 24, and he assaults her in Chapter 25.
- Secret-Keeper: While Seulbi never had any intention of telling anyone about Hae-on’s true form, she assured Hae-on that the secret is safe with her after they get to know each other better. Unfortunately, Hae-on’s father isn’t so willing to trust Seulbi because Hae-on trusted the wrong people before.
- Sustained Misunderstanding: Played for drama. Seulbi mishears Hae-on's confrontation with Suhyeon, and she believes Hae-on is sick of her. When Hae-on tries to talk to her, Seulbi reveals what she heard and before Hae-on could explain, Seulbi cuts her off and makes it clear they are through while also promising to keep her secret.
- This Cannot Be!: While Hae-on doesn’t say these words, her facial expression in Chapter 2 after realizing her song isn’t affecting Suelbi’s memories says it all.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Chapters 27 through 32 primarily focus on Seulbi's telling Hae-on about her past with Hae-on appearing at the beginning of Chapter 27 and at the end of Chapter 32.
- You Monster!: When other people found out that Hae-on was a Siren, she was usually told by them that she was a monster before she caused them to forget. By contrast in Chapter 5, after they got to know each other better, Seulbi told Hae-on that she isn’t a monster. Seulbi outright states she was more scared of seeing Hae-on eating a deer and singing the creepy song that should have caused her to lose her memories.